Do you still enjoy football now as much as you did 10 years ago?

[Stumpy Tim]

If I was a neutral...

1. The top division is just as shit as 10 years ago - the question should be about 20 years ago when small teams used to challenge Liverpool, Everton & Arsenal for the titlle. They were great years for me
2. The 2nd division (i.e. Championship) is better now than it's ever been
3. Supporting Albion is the same... it's always been up-and-down, though obviously larger downs than most.


But, in reality, I have much more of a life now and I couldn't really give a shit

 

[Trigger]

2. The 2nd division (i.e. Championship) is better now than it's ever been

Couldn't agree more with that, I'll normally always watch a Champ game over a Prem game if they clash on TV, especially West Bromwich Albion, they a real joy to watch at the moment.

 

[Nemesis]

This little poll is quite alarming-more than 58% have said 'no'. Although too small in numbers to be taken too seriously, 58% would suggest that football needs to wake up and stop taking the fans for granted. My only real loyalty these days is to The Albion-The Premiershite and National Team can wither and die for all I care.

 

[attila]

I love the game, and the Albion, as much as ever, and always will. I am angry beyond belief at the way football has been changed by the moneymen and TV companies and the fact that the elite doesn't give a shit about the rest (in football as in life) That just makes me all the more determined to do whatever I can, along with loads of other people, to reverse that process. It can be done.

 

[Titanic]

Yes I do... I just loathe the attitude of many so-called supporters.

 

[Kenhead]

I think alot depends on peoples ages really, i think most under 25's would say that they still enjoy football now.
I'm still just in that age bracket and i still enjoy going the albion and quite looking forward to tomorrow. But have to admit i don't watch Champions League football anymore unless i really don't have anything else to do and do think that theres far to many games on tele but still look forward to watching the albion week in week out.

 

[Titanic]

I'm 44 and love going to watch the Albion (usualy with my 16yo son - and sometimes his younger brother too).

My son has started taking his some of his non-Albion mates from Billi... and they are loving it.

I do wish people would stop being manipulated by the expectations driven by the media and moneymen and just get on with enjoying supporting their local team.

 

[Storer68]

I have been watching football for over 30 years and I am SO BORED of it now.

I started watching BHA when they were mid-table in Diviison 3 and 30 years later, they are still mid table in Division 3.

Watching the Albion is now a chore. The whole matchday experience is dull, and I really couldn't care less now whether we win or not. The team is poor, the players are full of themselves, the experience of Withdean has dulled my senses of what an atmosphre in a stadium should be. I don't think the manager is up to the job, I don't think the players we have are half as good as they think themselves to be, the club seems to be stagnating with no sense of purpose................... I even perversely enjoy it when we get beat now such is my disillusionment with football. I never watch MoTD, I find tobe premier league dull, I couldn't care less about the Champions League, the FA Cup is irrelevant.

In fact I think that the next 10 years are going to be the death of football. Clubs like ours will cease to be viable and clubs will go out of business. all you willget is big clubs playing them selves ad finitum on TV for competitons with no purpose or tradition - note Wenger wishes to expand the Emirates to a 100,000 capacity. International football will be sabotaged when the big clubs stop releasing their players for internationals because the associations will not pay the inflated insurance payments demended for the leasing of the club/s assetts (which is all players wil become). Players will show even less loyalty to the clubs than they do now, prices will become more expensive. Ten years ago Milllwall were top of the Englsih League............... now?

FACT -I was at Withdean and slept through the 3-0 win v Millwall and didn't miss it

Why have I got a 3 yr ST...........................

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I love the game, and the Albion, as much as ever, and always will. I am angry beyond belief at the way football has been changed by the moneymen and TV companies and the fact that the elite doesn't give a shit about the rest (in football as in life) That just makes me all the more determined to do whatever I can, along with loads of other people, to reverse that process. It can be done.

Threaten to get your pen out. That'll do it

 

[Dave the OAP]

10 years ago we had just endured a few seasons at Gillingham which apart from the camaraderie of the fans, was truly awful.

I think football now is not what I was brought up on.

Perhaps if I was an Arsenal fan, or supported a sucessful team that wins major competitions or competes at the highest level then I would say i have never had it so good, however supporting Brighton for 30 odd years, i understand that we are never going to be one of the contenders therefore, a certain amount of frustration does exist in our current predicament. However if you set your sights low, you should never be dissapointed.

I also find now that football is not the be and end all of it all. I can miss games during the week as I have other things to do and also I can go and watch Rugby for example and enjoy it as much as the football.

 

[Spiros]

Ten years ago I used to trek to Gillingham for 'home' games for a team of journeymen that was so poor we had to rely on Doncaster being even worse to keep us in the league. Now I only have to go to Withdean to watch a team with a fair smattering of local lads doing an OK job of keeping us in the division above, with a sneaky chance of getting to the playoffs. So watching the Albion is definitely more enjoyable than 10 years ago, and that's my main football interest. As said above (can't remember who) but over the next 10 years we'll either move onward and upward in our new stadium or crash & burn.

As far as the prem is concerned, the quality is far better than 10 years ago but there's far too much of it on TV and not enough home players on view - I hate the fact that Arsenal are so good to watch but are basically providing a youth development scheme for France and Spain. The other 'big' teams aren't much better.

The big worry for football has to be the numbers who are moving to other sports. My brother used to be a goldstone regular but recently I couldn't get him to go to the Walsall game even though he was offered a free ticket - he prefers rugby these days. Another season ticket holder of a few years ago has also turned to rugby and taken his two sons with him. And that in an area of the country where the rugby is actually crap - what chance in other parts where there is a genuine choice?

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I voted 'yes' in regards to the Albion, things are certainly better now than 10 years ago, despite what many on here might say.

But for football in general, well, I seldom watch a live game on TV, even when i can. I could not name 15 players from each Prem club, something I could always do many years back. if i listen to a radio commentry I'd have trouble knowing who certain players play for.

I do think the standard & style of Man Utd & Arsenal can be awesome, at times, but i preferred the 'good old days' when virtually every club heading into a season would be able to clam that this would be their year. The prem must be so boring for clubs like Everton, Spurs, Villa, Newcastle.

And just look what the prem has done to the England team.