UEFA Europa Conference League - Alkmaar, Legia and Zrinjski

[pauliewalnuts]

Why do people put the word "the" in front of all foreign stadium names?

People will say "The San Siro", but would never say "The Old Trafford"

Although people say "The Etihad", but maybe that's because it's sponsored? Anyway, it annoys me.

One of the first mistakes I remember getting corrected on working in Italy was talking to a colleague and using the definite article with San Siro. It's just 'San Siro' not 'Il San Siro'.

Confusingly, they do use the definite article with some stadia (l'Olimpico, for example).

[pauliewalnuts]

Although one thing I really like is the respectful use of the definite article for us - "the Villa" when used that way by non Villa fans, it strikes me as a mark of respect.

Not that many other clubs get that.

The Arsenal?

[Villa in Denmark]

Anyone know what the latest is on seeding?  After Sevilla won EL and I believe Cluj won last night, which was one that affects us I think?

This is the oracle you need.
We have a runner in the Turkish Cup Final. Need to keep an eye on Denmark. And then hope that one of nine higher co-efficient teams slip up before Emery's mighty Villa get stuck in for the play off round.
UEFA rankings on twitter linky

Cluj have already won.
So now we need Midtjylland to screw up, or for Fenerbahçe to win the Turkish cup. I think.

The Denmark bit of that  at least is bollocks. Midtjylland can't qualify for Europe at all.

[exigo]

Anyone know what the latest is on seeding?  After Sevilla won EL and I believe Cluj won last night, which was one that affects us I think?

This is the oracle you need.
We have a runner in the Turkish Cup Final. Need to keep an eye on Denmark. And then hope that one of nine higher co-efficient teams slip up before Emery's mighty Villa get stuck in for the play off round.
UEFA rankings on twitter linky

Cluj have already won.
So now we need Midtjylland to screw up, or for Fenerbahçe to win the Turkish cup. I think.

The Denmark bit of that  at least is bollocks. Midtjylland can't qualify for Europe at all.

Not according to this:
Wiki link

The 4th-placed team of the championship round advances to a play-off match against the winning team of the qualification round (no. 7) in a single-leg tie, with the team from the championship round as hosts. The winner earns a place in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

That 7th team is them.

[Villa in Denmark]

That's the relegation half of the league. The league  splits in 2 after 22 games. Midtjylland will finish top of the bottom half.

[Dave]

Why do people put the word "the" in front of all foreign stadium names?

People will say "The San Siro", but would never say "The Old Trafford"

Although people say "The Etihad", but maybe that's because it's sponsored? Anyway, it annoys me.

I don't know about other languages (but suspect Italian, French and Portuguese would be similar) but in Spanish, the name of something like a football stadium (other nouns are available!) would always be preceded by the definite article, so it's probably just a literal translation in most cases.

Not sure about that. My theory would be that it's to do with whether the word "stadium" is in there, at which point your definite article, referring to the stadium comes in.

So it will be el estadio de Mestella, but it's not el Camp Nou, it's just Camp Nou. If you're talking about lo stadio Giuseppe Meazza then you have your definite article but it's just San Siro if you're referring to it that way.

This is from a "gut feeling" rather than "confident and authoritative" position though.

As to why someone would say in English, "the Nou Camp" or "the San Siro", it's probably just to do with lots of people being wrong.

[Sexual Ealing]

Why do people put the word "the" in front of all foreign stadium names?

People will say "The San Siro", but would never say "The Old Trafford"

Although people say "The Etihad", but maybe that's because it's sponsored? Anyway, it annoys me.

I don't know about other languages (but suspect Italian, French and Portuguese would be similar) but in Spanish, the name of something like a football stadium (other nouns are available!) would always be preceded by the definite article, so it's probably just a literal translation in most cases.

Not sure about that. My theory would be that it's to do with whether the word "stadium" is in there, at which point your definite article, referring to the stadium comes in.

So it will be el estadio de Mestella, but it's not el Camp Nou, it's just Camp Nou. If you're talking about lo stadio Giuseppe Meazza then you have your definite article but it's just San Siro if you're referring to it that way.

This is from a "gut feeling" rather than "confident and authoritative" position though.

As to why someone would say in English, "the Nou Camp" or "the San Siro", it's probably just to do with lots of people being wrong.

Camp Nou would be said in Catalan, which (according to Catalans and only Catalans of my acquaintance) is nothing like Spanish.

I'm pretty sure that I'm right about the definite article for proper nouns in Spanish (even more so now I've checked with the Mrs, whose Spanish kicks the shit out of mine. And she's an Engliish language teacher. She got grammar game).

[Monty]

Catalan is closer to French historically, a different branch of language (Gallo-Romance) from Spanish, but it does naturally show tons of Spanish influence especially in vocab. From what I understand they're even more crazy about articles than Italians. In Italian you have to say 'la mia cosa' - 'the my thing' - but in Catalan you have to even use it with fecking names - 'el Josep' etc.

Anyway, BE should really get to this thread sharpish so as to sort shit out.

[olaftab]

¿Pueden ambos decirnos la respuesta definitiva?

[Dave]

Why do people put the word "the" in front of all foreign stadium names?

People will say "The San Siro", but would never say "The Old Trafford"

Although people say "The Etihad", but maybe that's because it's sponsored? Anyway, it annoys me.

I don't know about other languages (but suspect Italian, French and Portuguese would be similar) but in Spanish, the name of something like a football stadium (other nouns are available!) would always be preceded by the definite article, so it's probably just a literal translation in most cases.

Not sure about that. My theory would be that it's to do with whether the word "stadium" is in there, at which point your definite article, referring to the stadium comes in.

So it will be el estadio de Mestella, but it's not el Camp Nou, it's just Camp Nou. If you're talking about lo stadio Giuseppe Meazza then you have your definite article but it's just San Siro if you're referring to it that way.

This is from a "gut feeling" rather than "confident and authoritative" position though.

As to why someone would say in English, "the Nou Camp" or "the San Siro", it's probably just to do with lots of people being wrong.

Camp Nou would be said in Catalan, which (according to Catalans and only Catalans of my acquaintance) is nothing like Spanish.

I bet that Camp Nou would still be Camp Nou for a speaker of Castilian Spanish, rather than el Campo nuevo.

[Sexual Ealing]

What does that matter if we're talking about why, in English, people use the definite article when referring to, say, 'the Mestalla Stadium'?
My contention is that people are (probably) just translating from El Estadio de Mestalla, and that the Mestalla is so called because it's a Spanish proper noun, and they always come after the definite article.

I never claimed to know what a Galician-speaker would call Camp Nou - we call it Camp Nou in English, right?!

[Monty]

What does that matter if we're talking about why, in English, people use the definite article when referring to, say, 'the Mestalla Stadium'?
My contention is that people are (probably) just translating from El Estadio de Mestalla, and that the Mestalla is so called because it's a Spanish proper noun, and they always come after the definite article.

I never claimed to know what a Galician-speaker would call Camp Nou - we call it Camp Nou in English, right?!

H&V.

[LeeB]

I call it a big shithole from personal experience

[pauliewalnuts]

What does that matter if we're talking about why, in English, people use the definite article when referring to, say, 'the Mestalla Stadium'?
My contention is that people are (probably) just translating from El Estadio de Mestalla, and that the Mestalla is so called because it's a Spanish proper noun, and they always come after the definite article.

I never claimed to know what a Galician-speaker would call Camp Nou - we call it Camp Nou in English, right?!

Spotify Camp Nou, these days.

[Sexual Ealing]

I've always been more of a Limewire man.