Great article on the state of Football.

[Pelham Boy]

A must read.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/08/theyll-only-mis.html

[Horneris]

Great Article.

Cant relate to it myself, as a Leeds fan i have to agree with the sentiments posted here by one of the people leaving comments under the article (except for gettin relegated being a good thing):

"This in the Kop? The alleged 12th man they always demand helps on a european night is asked to be quiet at a League match when it really matters.

I have a friend whose a Leeds Fan and says being relegated was the best thing that could have ever happened. Just the real fans back supporting their team the way they used to back in the 80's.

I truely fear for the New Anfield Stadium."

Posted by: L Smith | August 29, 2008 at 10:14 AM


But i can definetly see how this is prevalent in the premiership.

[brummieboy]

Great article and so true, the passion is being sucked out the game by the corporate whores who are only interested in sucking every penny out of the game whilst they can.

[Josedinho]

Euro 96 killed football

[Longy]

Euro 96 killed football

Heysel?
Hillsborough?
Sky deal for the new premier league?

Football isn't what it used to be and i am most definitley a traditionalist. The game has moved away from its working class routes and now is a massive money making runaway train, but football is alive as it has ever been.

We miss things about the way football used to be, but do we really want to go back to the 80's. Where hooliganism was running riot, football stadiums were death traps, Spurs were struggling to get 20000 for home games against Liverpool and english teams were banned from Europe???

[brummieboy]

Euro 96 killed football

Heysel?
Hillsborough?
Sky deal for the new premier league?

Football isn't what it used to be and i am most definitley a traditionalist. The game has moved away from its working class routes and now is a massive money making runaway train, but football is alive as it has ever been.

We miss things about the way football used to be, but do we really want to go back to the 80's. Where hooliganism was running riot, football stadiums were death traps, Spurs were struggling to get 20000 for home games against Liverpool and english teams were banned from Europe???

Yeah but you could have more excitement just getting into an away ground safely back then.

[action man]

was great fun last night being chased around the J2? birmingham sevice station at 11:00pm by 30 cardiff hooligans vs us 8. one of the lads was beaten up and some of us went into the service station while 2 of them both bald 45+ year olds decided to try and make fights with us, this was infront of families and kids. The police arrived and just sent the coach on their way, this is way different to a 30 on 30 ruck between two rival hooligan elements, we werent even playing them yesterday, we were on the way back from swansea and they on their way back from bramall lane. These kind of animals need locking up in cages so people can walk past them and laugh. Makes me not bothered to go to games anymore, if this is the shit you get.

[brummieboy]

was great fun last night being chased around the J2? birmingham sevice station at 11:00pm by 30 cardiff hooligans vs us 8. one of the lads was beaten up and some of us went into the service station while 2 of them both bald 45+ year olds decided to try and make fights with us, this was infront of families and kids. The police arrived and just sent the coach on their way, this is way different to a 30 on 30 ruck between two rival hooligan elements, we werent even playing them yesterday, we were on the way back from swansea and they on their way back from bramall lane. These kind of animals need locking up in cages so people can walk past them and laugh. Makes me not bothered to go to games anymore, if this is the shit you get.

Is your mate alright? Cardiff still have a reputation to having a naughty away following.
In the 80's this would have happenned every week on the way to away games, always skirmishes at service stations.

[Colchester Kev]

Football has moved on, the mega money from Sky etc has propelled the game into fantasy land ... without the injection of this TV cash, we wouldnt be seeing any of the global superstars except in international games on the telly ... But while the TV money no doubt finances the unbelievable transfer fees, It is left to us mugs to pay the salaries of these players and that is the problem imo.

Football used to be the game of the working classes, it was an outlet for millions of men who spent all week working their arses off and Saturday was their escape, a few pints and then the footy. 3pm on a Saturday was sacrosanct, it was football. Now your club will play more games on sundays or mondays than they actually play on Saturdays.

I used to go to Luton when I was a kid, my Dad used to take me and my Brother every week, we would park up walk to the ground, get a mars bar at the local corner shop for half time and a bovril or a hot chocolate inside the ground at half time too, My Dad was a fireman back then and a single parent of 3 of us .. yet he could afford to take us. Now I cannot afford to take my boy to more than 1 or 2 matches a season, here is an example of costs.. recent trip to see Pompey play Man utd

Tickets £35 for me
           £15 x 2 for 2 kids ( i got Sam a kids ticket even though he is 16 and concessions were UNDER 16's

Couldnt just buy tickets for the Man Utd game, so had to Purchase tickets for a game in November as well, versus Hull City.

so Tickets £130

Half time and kids want a drink ... 2 cokes, 1 coffee, 3 kit kats £8.20

seats inside the ground are shit, they are so close together that you get NO legroom and you are literally shoulder to shoulder with the person next to you, legroom is so poor that even when you have to stand up to let people through you WILL get your toes stood on every time as there really is no room to get through.

take into account programmes, travel to and from grounds and you are adding costs up all the time.

The game has without doubt been stolen from the people and given to the corporate giants yet despite all the corporate money, ticket prices have, and continue to rise well above the rates of inflation .. yet clubs get away with it because football is a drug and people find the money at expense of other things. But this wont continue, when the silly money stops being made available football will be bankrupt and will have to start again, and when it does these clubs will be begging the working class man to return.

Until then, me and millions like me will have to make do with 1 or 2 live games a season and long for the days when spending Saturdays at the footy with your mates and your kids was just as much of a ritual as a religious person going to church on a sunday, where as now its more akin to a religious person going to the vatican to see the pope !

[booder]

Excellent post Kev.

[action man]

nice bit of writing there mate