Modern football- is it dead ?

[walliams8]

As a villa fan and the story just coming out about Delph is about to sign for man city .... A weird reaction for me , I almost don't care .
Having spent thousands and thousands on villa over the last 13 years following them all over Europe and England I stopped having a season ticket last year , I was half tempted to get one this year but decided to join a golf course instead and put more into golf .
I wish I was around properly before the prem and sky came about , when any team could win anything . I know it may seem like a bit of a glory hunting thing to do , and I know There's probably a few of you that support teams in lower divisions etc .... But the last few years as a villa fan , going down to watch a group of blokes on 50k a week who realistically don't care about the club and are just there to pick up a wage .
Cross this with the whole FIFA saga that has been going on for years , with the constant rise in ticket prices (not villa , more the away grounds ) , and I just feel done with football. Got a few mates who are wolves fans and they have been loving the lower leagues where it's not full of money and greed .
Anyone else feel this way or am I just being doom and gloom .....

 

[Tongo]

I've gone through the doom and gloom phase and am just plain ambivalent now. I support Southampton and there wasnt any doubt that Clyne and Schneiderlin would go this summer. Do i care? Not really. I see how they get on each week but i get more passionate following Fareham Hockey Club these days.

As for the sport, yeah, it is dead. Its all about the money. Only the success of Barcelona brings me joy these days.

 

[richart]

Renewed my and my daughters season tickets, and can't wait for the first game of the season. This will be season number 45 going to Reading and just as excited. Love being in the Championship, after thirty plus years of struggling in the bottom two divisions. Non premiership football is much more fun. Hardly any plastic supporters and local kids coming through the academy and getting into the first team.

Need to start planning which away games to go to. Milton Keynes would be a first, or perhaps Preston with a game of golf in the NW.

 

[fundy]

Renewed my and my daughters season tickets, and can't wait for the first game of the season. This will be season number 45 going to Reading and just as excited. Love being in the Championship, after thirty plus years of struggling in the bottom two divisions. Non premiership football is much more fun. Hardly any plastic supporters and local kids coming through the academy and getting into the first team.

Need to start planning which away games to go to. Milton Keynes would be a first, or perhaps Preston with a game of golf in the NW.

Let me know if youre coming to MK

 

[richart]

Let me know if youre coming to MK

16th January. Pretty likely as Liverpoolphil said he would go.

 

[fundy]

16th January. Pretty likely as Liverpoolphil said he would go.

wouldve offered a game of golf but not so sure early in Jan lol!!!!! Footie and a beer and/or curry sounds good tho

 

[richart]

wouldve offered a game of golf but not so sure early in Jan lol!!!!! Footie and a beer and/or curry sounds good tho

You are a bit of a sweet talker. Sounds all good to me.:thup: Hope you don't sulk when you lose.










I do.

 

[fundy]

You are a bit of a sweet talker. Sounds all good to me.:thup: Hope you don't sulk when you lose.










I do.

Not a Dons fan (no one really is lol) so be no sulking

 

[Odvan]

As a villa fan and the story just coming out about Delph is about to sign for man city .... A weird reaction for me , I almost don't care .
Having spent thousands and thousands on villa over the last 13 years following them all over Europe and England I stopped having a season ticket last year , I was half tempted to get one this year but decided to join a golf course instead and put more into golf .
I wish I was around properly before the prem and sky came about , when any team could win anything . I know it may seem like a bit of a glory hunting thing to do , and I know There's probably a few of you that support teams in lower divisions etc .... But the last few years as a villa fan , going down to watch a group of blokes on 50k a week who realistically don't care about the club and are just there to pick up a wage .
Cross this with the whole FIFA saga that has been going on for years , with the constant rise in ticket prices (not villa , more the away grounds ) , and I just feel done with football. Got a few mates who are wolves fans and they have been loving the lower leagues where it's not full of money and greed .
Anyone else feel this way or am I just being doom and gloom .....

So, in a nutshell, Villa are ****, they've just (or are about to) sold their latest star to the new global moneybags.

You'll find that Villa are in the top ten of prices in the league and offer little VFM for that.

Your Wolves mates will tell you that the championship is 'ace' and is where the 'real' football is but, if they were honest, they'd tell you it's awful to watch. As an ex yo-yo team fan, the difference between the two leagues is night and day. I'll bet you any amount of money that the first results your Wolves mates look for, or go down the pub to watch, is Premiership related.

Audiences, whether in-person, on TV, or globally on TV are on the rise. The FAPL is one of the best exports this country has ever produced and has a few more miles in it yet. The Premier League should be applauded for what it has a created.

Though, I understand your sentiments exactly, it can be draining at times to the normal folk...ridiculous wages, massive sponsorship, corruption scandals and assets (players) who most presume to be nothing more than mercenaries who have a skill that spellbinds us, yet they appear to use it so nonchalantly.

I appreciate you stating that you wish you were around before the FAPL and Sky deal where about but the truth is, without them, English club football would be in the gutter.

That penultimate paragraph is, sadly, one of the many reasons it will never be dead. And then there's the fast paced action on the pitch. You love it. The nation loves it. That's why you felt the need to post what you did. There are thousands more like you. Hooked.

But after saying all that, fair play for choosing golf over it, cos if I could, I would

 

[Odvan]

I've gone through the doom and gloom phase and am just plain ambivalent now. I support Southampton and there wasnt any doubt that Clyne and Schneiderlin would go this summer. Do i care? Not really. I see how they get on each week but i get more passionate following Fareham Hockey Club these days.

As for the sport, yeah, it is dead. Its all about the money. Only the success of Barcelona brings me joy these days.

Im desperately trying to make sense of this. Unless I'm mistaken, the last sentence is one of the biggest contradictions you could ever read? Aren't Barcelona all about the money? And they give you unrivalled joy? But you're a Southampton 'fan' coming off the back of the most successful season in its history and you no longer care about it/them because they've just sold two of their stars players?

Weird.

Have I understood the thread correctly?

Apologies if not...

 

[pbrown7582]

Im desperately trying to make sense of this. Unless I'm mistaken, the last sentence is one of the biggest contradictions you could ever read? Aren't Barcelona all about the money? And they give you unrivalled joy? But you're a Southampton 'fan' coming off the back of the most successful season in its history and you no longer care about it/them because they've just sold two of their stars players?

Weird.

Have I understood the thread correctly?

Apologies if not...

I was thinking the same about the Barca bit, is that the Barca signing all the best players in Spain despite a transfer ban meaning they have to sit and watch until January?

 

[Beezerk]

Anyone have a spare blanket for Delph? He'll need it warming the bench next season!

 

[NWJocko]

Renewed my and my daughters season tickets, and can't wait for the first game of the season. This will be season number 45 going to Reading and just as excited. Love being in the Championship, after thirty plus years of struggling in the bottom two divisions. Non premiership football is much more fun. Hardly any plastic supporters and local kids coming through the academy and getting into the first team.

Need to start planning which away games to go to. Milton Keynes would be a first, or perhaps Preston with a game of golf in the NW.

Give us a shout if you come up to the Preston game and we can sort a game Rich :thup:

Ask Rick about the nightlife in Lytham...... :rofl:

I've lost interest in top level football to be honest. Never thought it would happen as was pretty much obsessed with footy for about 25 years.

The PL is a success but has also ruined clubs, Used to enjoy going to watch Blackpool in the lower leagues but the club has been ruined by getting to the "promised land".

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Scottish football was interesting last year.
The Championship, with Hearts, Hibs and Rangers playing seemed to have more interest than the Premier.

My team, Hearts played to a full house for every home game and the fans were really involved with the club for the first time for a decade.
Hopefully Hibs and Rangers will be promoted this year which will help with attendance figures.
It is a shame that teams like ICT and St Johnstone seem unable to attract bigger crowds as they are playing good football.

If only we could persuade Celtic to play in England I think we would have a pretty vibrant and competitive league.

 

[Hacker Khan]

As a villa fan and the story just coming out about Delph is about to sign for man city .... A weird reaction for me , I almost don't care .
Having spent thousands and thousands on villa over the last 13 years following them all over Europe and England I stopped having a season ticket last year , I was half tempted to get one this year but decided to join a golf course instead and put more into golf .
I wish I was around properly before the prem and sky came about , when any team could win anything . I know it may seem like a bit of a glory hunting thing to do , and I know There's probably a few of you that support teams in lower divisions etc .... But the last few years as a villa fan , going down to watch a group of blokes on 50k a week who realistically don't care about the club and are just there to pick up a wage .
Cross this with the whole FIFA saga that has been going on for years , with the constant rise in ticket prices (not villa , more the away grounds ) , and I just feel done with football. Got a few mates who are wolves fans and they have been loving the lower leagues where it's not full of money and greed .
Anyone else feel this way or am I just being doom and gloom .....

I gave up of professional football many years ago, you should try it, at's a very liberating experience.

Don't even watch England matches anymore as I get far more enjoyment from watching my 12 year old nephews play. Yes there are still some heart warming stories in the game (Bournemouth for example) but even if a team shows there is space for the beautiful game, it will get picked apart by the big boys sooner rather than later.

There is an all pervading stench of money that has taken over football at the professional level to the extent where is it the be all and end all. FIFA sets the tone for this, objectively it is a ridiculous situation where the governing body of the the words most popular game are corrupt and run like a third world dictatorship. The business model seems to be the rich will get richer, the competition will decrease (look across Europe and see who were at the top of the leagues in every country, in every case the top teams were the richest teams) and the TV companies will be happy as they can ensure the biggest audience draws always get to the later stages of all competitions.

 

[richart]

Give us a shout if you come up to the Preston game and we can sort a game Rich :thup:

Ask Rick about the nightlife in Lytham...... :rofl:

I've lost interest in top level football to be honest. Never thought it would happen as was pretty much obsessed with footy for about 25 years.

The PL is a success but has also ruined clubs, Used to enjoy going to watch Blackpool in the lower leagues but the club has been ruined by getting to the "promised land".

Will do.:thup: Not sure I want to go anywhere that Rick has been.

 

[delc]

Renewed my and my daughters season tickets, and can't wait for the first game of the season. This will be season number 45 going to Reading and just as excited. Love being in the Championship, after thirty plus years of struggling in the bottom two divisions. Non premiership football is much more fun. Hardly any plastic supporters and local kids coming through the academy and getting into the first team.

Need to start planning which away games to go to. Milton Keynes would be a first, or perhaps Preston with a game of golf in the NW.

A long time ago I was a West Bromwich Albion supporter, West Bromwich being my home town. The team was largely made up of local lads, one was my first cousin, plus a couple of Scots and Welshmen. There were usually plenty of goals in most games. Nowadays in the Premier League you watch one team of foreigners play another team of foreigners, wherever the team is based. Money rules, so only the richest teams have a chance of winning the league. Modern defences are so well organised that goals are almost a rarity. Sorry but I have also lost interest in football.

 

[shewy]

Don't watch the EPL myself, overpaid rubbish but it's not confined to England, the way football is set up these days there is a huge gap between the top few European teams and the rest. How many teams can win the Champions league? I reckon maybe 6/7 max. The way things are seeded and that goes internationally as well its just set up for top teams to succeed and get richer.
My mate's a Reading season ticket holder and has stated he's rather stay in the championship as it's better for them. I watched my local team (Newport County) for the first time last year with the kids and really enjoyed it.

 

[Tongo]

Im desperately trying to make sense of this. Unless I'm mistaken, the last sentence is one of the biggest contradictions you could ever read? Aren't Barcelona all about the money? And they give you unrivalled joy? But you're a Southampton 'fan' coming off the back of the most successful season in its history and you no longer care about it/them because they've just sold two of their stars players?

Weird.

Have I understood the thread correctly?

Apologies if not...

You've obviously misunderstood ambivalence. Yes, Southampton have just had their most successful season in years but it wouldnt have mattered if they'd been relegated cos i am no largel ambivalent to what happens. Ambivalence isnt driven by how successful a team is or isnt.

With regard to the transfers, its the inevitability of it all. As you say, Saints have had their most successful season in years yet there's not an iota of surprise that Clyne has gone and Schneiderlin is going. No doubt whatsoever. Saints selling players is not a new thing but the pillage of our team in the last two summers is different. Mainly cos nobody was surprised to see Lallana, Lovren and Shaw go last year and we're not surprised this year. Arsenal nicking Chambers was the only real surprise. Any player of any half decent potential is now just cannon fodder for the big clubs.

As for the Barcelona thing, well not everything can be explained and put in nice, little neat boxes. Maybe its the romance generated from when i was a kid.

And as for the comments about the PL making plenty of money and English football being in the gutter without it, well it hasnt worked in the CL in the last couple of years has it? Or is generating money more important than winning trophies? If the answer to the second question is yes then Football definitely is dead.

 

[Odvan]

You've obviously misunderstood ambivalence. Yes, Southampton have just had their most successful season in years but it wouldnt have mattered if they'd been relegated cos i am no largel ambivalent to what happens. Ambivalence isnt driven by how successful a team is or isn't.

Like that word?

With regard to the transfers, its the inevitability of it all. As you say, Saints have had their most successful season in years yet there's not an iota of surprise that Clyne has gone and Schneiderlin is going. No doubt whatsoever. Saints selling players is not a new thing but the pillage of our team in the last two summers is different. Mainly cos nobody was surprised to see Lallana, Lovren and Shaw go last year and we're not surprised this year. Arsenal nicking Chambers was the only real surprise. Any player of any half decent potential is now just cannon fodder for the big clubs.

Sorry, but isn't that what happened in the 70s and 80s - Haven't football clubs always 'transfered' - with the bigger clubs generally buying the best? Only the amount of cash has changed, the mechanics haven't. Football has always been like this!!

And as for the comments about the PL making plenty of money and English football being in the gutter without it, well it hasnt worked in the CL in the last couple of years has it? Or is generating money more important than winning trophies? If the answer to the second question is yes then Football definitely is dead.

I actually said English Club football, meaning domestic, not European. Do you think without the Premier League and Sky we'd have been anywhere near the Champions League, with winners to show? Never. Do you think that we'd have had the superstars on display that we've had over the years without it? The new stadia? The Euro's? It's fair to say that no-one will ever know but had football stayed as it was in the 80s, it would have well and truly died.

And re your second question, such is the value of the FAPL now, and I hate to say this, I really do, but for the vast majority, a 'trophy' is retaining Premiership status.

English football maybe dead to you, and if it is, you won't reply cos, well, it's dead to you but it isn't to a few other people....just a few mind....

"From August 2014 to February 2015, 121,000 hours of Premier League coverage were broadcast around the world, generating a cumulative in-home TV audience of 2.13 billion. Coverage was available in 185 countries (out of 193 UN member states) and 225 broadcast territories."

And as for Barca, the monopoly they hold along with Madrid with the TV companies....yet only romance and no ambivalence gained with age, education and understanding of their dealings. Hmmmm.