English Football is all fucked up

[Skimix]

This journo certainly thinks so

'Football? I'm Falling Out of Love Rapidly

Couldn't agree with him more, the footballers really don't compare very well with the sportsmen and women in the Olympics do they?

A gross generalisation but the Olympians seemed to be modest, hardworking, humourous, gracious in victory or defeat, delighted to have succeeded or devastated to have failed and totally dedicated to their sport.

On the footballing side I present you Anton and his watch, Ronaldo and his slavery and Berbatov being a stroppy child.

 

[huxley71]

It was summed up to some extent last night when the commentators kept referring to the 'lucrative' (rather than 'prestigious') group stages of the Champions (sic) League.

 

[STFC]

Yes, football is forked - for many different reasons. It's interesting that fans of some clubs in the premier league feel alienated because of too much money (although Hull and Stoke fans may disagree!), while for those of us languishing in the lower leagues, it's the lack of money that's the problem.

There are no five or six year contracts down here. A player might be offered two years at the most, but only if the club has got anything left in their budget. It's getting pretty desperate now. The FA are really cracking down on those clubs who don't manage their finances properly, as we can see from the three clubs that have started on minus points in the fourth division this season. This is going to lead to more and more players being out of work as clubs struggle to balance their books - 'pay as you play' and monthly rolling contracts will become the norm, I think.

 

[bendeus]

As a fan of both football and rugby, and somebody who until recently has regularly gone to watch both Cardiff City and the Neath Swansea Ospreys (yes, I know!) live, I've got to say that rugby is occupying more and more of my time these days, and that I'm finding it harder and harder to get passionate about footy like I used to.

The money, corruption, petulance and greed of football is in such stark juxtaposition to rugby, where there still seems to exist an esprit de corps, a genuine love of the game from the players, and a respect for and desire to perpetuate its good image. Obviously there are exceptions; the appalling behaviour of the English rugby team in New Zealand is one example, as is the creeping in of diving and gamesmanship to win penalties, but rugby so obviously has its house in order compared to football. You'll never hear a player whine about his salary, you barely ever hear a manager or team captain call a referee a cheat, or slur the victorious team a la Mourinho. This is simply down to cash: the best rugby players can earn about half a million a year, maybe a bit more. By that I mean the best - the Dan Carters, the Habanas or Shane Williamses of this world. Household names and gods on the pitch. Half a million pounds yearly would probably get you a league one player at best. The insane cash at the top of the game is twisting people right up, and as a result it's twisting up the game itself. I for one don't really want much to do with it anymore

 

[bluestreak]

Thing is, I don't like any other sport. I like being a West Ham fan. It's the set-up that sucks.

 

[bendeus]

Bummer on both counts

 

[STFC]

You're right, rugby is certainly better than football in many respects, and I wish footballers behaved more like their egg-chasing counterparts.

But the problem is that nobody really cares about rugby. I know that some people claim to, but they don't really.

 

[Belushi]

But the problem is that nobody really cares about rugby. I know that some people claim to, but they don't really.

Eh? so they're just pretending?

 

[Belushi]

As a fan of both football and rugby, and somebody who until recently has regularly gone to watch both Cardiff City and the Neath Swansea Ospreys (yes, I know!)

I'm restraining myself

 

[STFC]

Eh? so they're just pretending?

Yep. It's been scientifically proven that people who watch rugby don't actually care whether their team wins or not. It's all a charade.

 

[Belushi]

Yep. It's been scientifically proven that people who watch rugby don't actually care whether their team wins or not. It's all a charade.

Yes, and most 'fans' only started watching soccer once the media decided it was safe again in the early 90's.

 

[fela fan]

Football happened to be the sport that rampant capitalism stole in britain.

The most inherent joy in football as a team sport was that you just could never write off the chance of an upset.

Now, the powerful get more so, and the rest just make up the numbers.

Portsmouth making the cup final last season was a rare breath of fresh air in the game.

The game's becoming a plaything of the rich.

I can trace the beginning of the change in england, not to the inception of the premiership, but to the euros in 1996. "Football's coming home" was the refrain, and suddenly it became fashionable to 'support' a club. The corporate takeover began.

I recall going to my local club brighton back in the 70s in the third division. Gates were normally between 20,000 and 30,000. Arsenal, my genetically inherited club were in the top division attracting not many more punters.

Now, brighton get under 10,000 mainly because they're homeless (a comet store is where their old goldstone ground stood), and arsenal are guaranteed 60,000 full house every game, even against some dutch club in the euro qualifiers.

New game these days. I only remain interested coz wenger has arsenal playing the kind of football i used to dream about watching, that i occasionally got for five minutes in an occasional game in the olden days...

 

[fela fan]

Yes, and most 'fans' only started watching soccer once the media decided it was safe again in the early 90's.

I think you're a couple of years early. Like i just mentioned, it began its current guise in the mid-90s when the mass media frenzy began with the anticipation of a major tournament in the 'land that invented the game'.

'Fans' appeared in their millions from nowhere.

 

[Balbi]

Portsmouth making the cup final last season was a rare breath of fresh air in the game.

Nah, Cardiff making the final was a big thing. None of the big four in the semis was unbelievably massive.

But, in all honesty, we're a prem team with prem finances. We won the cup, but according to a fair few sources, we're well in the shit atm.

We'll be back at Grimsby soon

 

[bendeus]

I'm restraining myself

Off topic I know, but believe it or not, I'm totally consistent. Llantwit Major, where I live and grew up, is 33 miles from Swansea, and 18 from Cardiff. Therefore CCFC is my natural hometown club.

Now observe the regional map:

Llantwit most definitely in Ospreylia, according to this

 

[jugularvein]

Nah, Cardiff making the final was a big thing. None of the big four in the semis was unbelievably massive.

But, in all honesty, we're a prem team with prem finances. We won the cup, but according to a fair few sources, we're well in the shit atm.

We'll be back at Grimsby soon

nah, the top four view the fa cup as beneath them. you can tell. it doesn't bring in as much cash or enhance the brand abroad. another sad state of affairs what with it being the most traditional and inclusive trophy in the world

 

[fela fan]

nah, the top four view the fa cup as beneath them. you can tell. it doesn't bring in as much cash or enhance the brand abroad. another sad state of affairs what with it being the most traditional and inclusive trophy in the world

I don't think it can be quite like that otherwise how come they've dominated the competition for a decade now?

 

[Belushi]

Off topic I know, but believe it or not, I'm totally consistent. Llantwit Major, where I live and grew up, is 33 miles from Swansea, and 18 from Cardiff. Therefore CCFC is my natural hometown club.

Now observe the regional map:

Llantwit most definitely in Ospreylia, according to this

You're a bloody Celtic Warrior

 

[bendeus]

You're a bloody Celtic Warrior

That's Llantwit Fadre, not Llantwit Major

And I don't like rugby league.

 

[jugularvein]

I don't think it can be quite like that otherwise how come they've dominated the competition for a decade now?

cos they can at a canter. we'll see if it continues because recently i've seen a lack of respect

 

[Biffo]

It's the end of the world as we know it

 

[tangerinedream]

It went wrong many years ago.

I will say the day they stopped distributing TV money equally, then JTG will point out that it's actually further back than that, it's when the gate receipts were kept by the home side alone instead of being split thereby giving a natural advantage to the larger sides.

I'm completely fed up with it to be honest. Totally and utterly sick of anything above the Championship and even that is tainted pretty badly. It's not a fair game, it's depressing the way it's run, it's reported upon and it's conducted. I might add that the least of my gripes is with the conduct of the players - as horrible as the likes of Ashley Cole may be, I have only mild contempt for them as opposed to complete anger towards the system that perpetuates a sterile, bland and over hyped product for a market of consumers who largely have no relationship to the people who the clubs are supposed to be for - namely the supporters that turn up at the ground.

I really and honestly could not care less who won the Premier League ever again.

 

[tangerinedream]

I don't think it can be quite like that otherwise how come they've dominated the competition for a decade now?

They've got squads the size of small principalities.

 

[tangerinedream]

You're right, rugby is certainly better than football in many respects, and I wish footballers behaved more like their egg-chasing counterparts.

But the problem is that nobody really cares about rugby. I know that some people claim to, but they don't really.

You've obviously never been to a match between Wigan and St Helens then! (or are you talking exclusively about rugby for posh and welsh people?)

 

[tangerinedream]

Yes, football is forked - for many different reasons. It's interesting that fans of some clubs in the premier league feel alienated because of too much money (although Hull and Stoke fans may disagree!), while for those of us languishing in the lower leagues, it's the lack of money that's the problem.

There are no five or six year contracts down here. A player might be offered two years at the most, but only if the club has got anything left in their budget. It's getting pretty desperate now. The FA are really cracking down on those clubs who don't manage their finances properly, as we can see from the three clubs that have started on minus points in the fourth division this season. This is going to lead to more and more players being out of work as clubs struggle to balance their books - 'pay as you play' and monthly rolling contracts will become the norm, I think.

All of that means the status quo will remain ever thus, much to the delight of Sky and all the other people who want the big brands at their corporate festival.

If I've said it once on urban I've said it 100 times - it's a cartel designed to keep the rich winning and the poor out. There is absolutely no precedence for a period in football where it was dominated for such a long time by so few clubs. There is NOTHING more boring than a debate about whether Tottenham (or Everton/Villa) can finish fourth this year. FFS sake! FOURTH! - what is fourth, when did that become an exciting thing?

As has been explored on previous threads, the more that money pervades the game, the less the skill of the managers as judges of hidden talent or builders of teams counts and the more money holds sway. The fact that the big clubs all have so many more youngsters on their books also means it's less likely than ever that a side like mine will unearth a gem like Trevor Sinclair who illuminated my youth so brightly because he is highly likely to be in an accademy because my team can't afford to compete with the bigger clubs in terms of facilities, coaches or sheer numbers of youth contracts.

Everton in 1984/5 used something like 15 players to win the league (and even then only played Andy Gray cos Adrian Heath got crocked badly) - They also won the ECWC and got to the FA Cup Final - My point is - that incredible side, the greatest team in the history of one of the countries greatest clubs would not win the league against a modern side because they'd be knackered - cos the big modern teams could afford a squad twice the size and have high quality kids etc. The modern Everton team would probably win if the two squads had to play 60 games against each other simply because one squad is bigger, even though the 84/85 side were an infinitely superior machine.

I've rambled a bit havn't I.

 

[tangerinedream]

The English League on the other hand is the best league in the worl, best players, best action, but all foreign, and ALL because of money.

Is it fuck 'the best league in the world' - it's shit. Liverpool always come third and then Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U swap places arround them. No one else has got a cat in hells chance of winning it. A decent league would be competitive not stale as fuck.

The teams might play pretty football but I could watch some DVDs of brasil or something if that's all that mattered. I'd swap every bit of skill for someone coming from nowhere and winning the league - I wouldn't care if they were managed by John Beck or Zico - some variety, some unpredictability, some excitement, not manufactured drama about how much it will cost to miss out on an intertoto spot for finishing 13tho r something.

It won't happen and never will until the whole structure is dismantled. It's a fucking sham.

 

[jiggajagga]

Is it fuck 'the best league in the world' - it's shit. Liverpool always come third and then Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U swap places arround them. No one else has got a cat in hells chance of winning it.

Totally agree m8. If you ( totally at random) are a supporter of Everton, or West Ham or Stoke or Bolton whats the point?
You may, every 20 yrs or so do a Portsmouth and win the cup but the league? No chance.
Why support a team that has no chance, not because of their lack of trying but because of money. Its as simple as that and I feel truly sorry for all real supporters of real clubs.
The sooner the big four fuck off and form a Euro League the better for all of us.

 

[JTG]

I support Fulham and used to go a few times the season before we got promoted, there was still terracing and still greasy burgers served up by a fat bloke in a stand and the toilets were absolutely foul.

Fast forward ten years when my mate who worked for an IT company bagged me some free tickets, I felt uneasy about going and sitting in the neutral section but I took them cause I wanted to see what craven cottage had turned in to and what it's like to be at a premier league match. It's not what I remember, no more terracing obviously, the burger stands have been replaced my pre packaged, soggy hotdogs in a bag accompanied by a beer in a plastic bottle for nearly 8 quid all served up by a bloke dressed in an official fulham uniform and the toilets were pristine.

It just all felt so sterile and dull, the dirty toilets and greasy burgers all added to the character of the game, now it's all pristine and modern. Yeah you're right, english football is all fucked up and I don't see it ever being the same again and that's coming from someone who's only 27.

Craven Cottage used to be one of the finest grounds in England until about seven years ago. Now it's England's biggest temporary stadium

 

[JTG]

I don't think it can be quite like that otherwise how come they've dominated the competition for a decade now?

because they all have massive squads and the lesser lights in the Prem are all far more concerned about staying in it than winning the Cup so they all stick their reserves out when if they made an effort they may actually stand a chance of winning the thing.

Rickie Lambert's just signed a new contract at Rovers. We're paying him 4k a week. Peanuts compared to the top players but ffs - 4k a week to someone who's good but not all that good in the wider scheme of things.

 

[pk]

Hopefully the Olympics in 2012, sans footy, will widen the perspectives of this drunken lost game, make fans realise that there is no future in following Russian or American owned superteams, that top footy stars are generally cunts with no loyalty to the shirt on their back whatsoever, and that by spending money on compulsory sport centres and training in school might prevent this nation slipping into some complacent burger land not even fit to appear as a star on the spangled banner.

I feel for the old school fans, recalling as I do pissing under a rusting corrugated metal roof that was Craven Cottage's toilet facilities in the 80's, but since the cancerous Murdoch family from Australia stole our national game from under our noses and sold it back to us I've been less enamoured with the idea of paying to watch it live, preferring the relative sanity of a local pub with mates on the big screen or not bothering at all.

This latest wave of superclub investment has been the nail in the coffin.

Started with the Glazer cunts buying Man U, then of course Chelski (which of course is The Scum newspaper fucking up their languages - the "ski" bit is actually Polish, if Russian it should be Chelskov) and now Liverpool is having trouble because their super-rich American owners are fucked for cash.

The winners are the prawn sandwich eating cunts who never really understood the game to begin with, the losers are, as always, the people who can barely afford the weekly admission fee to see the teams they have supported with heart and soul for decades.

It's not a sport anymore, it's just another dirty business where the poor finance the rich.

And I don't generally do the class war bollocks, but in this case it's perfectly true.