Neutral's view on yesterdays game

[Digweeds Trousers]

Firstly I would say that despite the banter on here over the years I do support England once my beloved Sctoland are (as always) not attending a tournament.

I had no inkling to be frank that England were capable of such a limp-wristed display as the ones they have served up in this world cup.

I was interested as to how many good friends of mine who are England fans were not actually that bothered.

I started wondering why. I think personally that football (The Premiership)in particular has done more to alienate football from the vast majority of football fans than anything else.

It has brought a new breed of player to the fore and especially in the very hard economic times most of us are experiencing at the moment they seem more and more distand - and ultimately thoroughly unlikeable.

The most painfully cringeworthy piece of recent days for me, was the Carling advert with Bobby Moore - stating that it was time to join the immortals.

I'm not being nostalgic as i am not old enough to have seen Bobby Moore play - but clearly that was a man who embodied everything great about the game.

Everything about him showed him as a leader, a gentleman, a man of prinicpal and someone who delivered results at the highest level when it counted.

It's not an anti-English thing - it's just simply looking at what football has become and for me now, i juts dont like it.

I do Love the Albion, I love Wycombe away, evening games at BRistol Rovers, all day drinking in London and then seeing the Albion win in front of 2,500 delrious fans at Charlton.

THat is passion - and that is love for a football club that still defines our county, our homes, our past and now with Falmer - our future.

And sadly the days of that being the case at international football have gone.

Thank you Sky, thank you the FA, the Premier League and every other dirty, immoral little wankstain that has taken their average talent and jumped on board the gravy train.

You've turned the national sport in these fair isles into a nasty, grubby, fractured shell of what used to be 'the beautiful game'.

 

[Skintagain 1983]

Firstly I would say that despite the banter on here over the years I do support England once my beloved Sctoland are (as always) not attending a tournament.

I had no inkling to be frank that England were capable of such a limp-wristed display as the ones they have served up in this world cup.

I was interested as to how many good friends of mine who are England fans were not actually that bothered.

I started wondering why. I think personally that football (The Premiership)in particular has done more to alienate football from the vast majority of football fans than anything else.

It has brought a new breed of player to the fore and especially in the very hard economic times most of us are experiencing at the moment they seem more and more distand - and ultimately thoroughly unlikeable.

The most painfully cringeworthy piece of recent days for me, was the Carling advert with Bobby Moore - stating that it was time to join the immortals.

I'm not being nostalgic as i am not old enough to have seen Bobby Moore play - but clearly that was a man who embodied everything great about the game.

Everything about him showed him as a leader, a gentleman, a man of prinicpal and someone who delivered results at the highest level when it counted.

It's not an anti-English thing - it's just simply looking at what football has become and for me now, i juts dont like it.

I do Love the Albion, I love Wycombe away, evening games at BRistol Rovers, all day drinking in London and then seeing the Albion win in front of 2,500 delrious fans at Charlton.

THat is passion - and that is love for a football club that still defines our county, our homes, our past and now with Falmer - our future.

And sadly the days of that being the case at international football have gone.

Thank you Sky, thank you the FA, the Premier League and every other dirty, immoral little wankstain that has taken their average talent and jumped on board the gravy train.

You've turned the national sport in these fair isles into a nasty, grubby, fractured shell of what used to be 'the beautiful game'.

Top Quality post

 

[seagull_special]

For me this is the best post i have read this year and perfectly captures my feelings, I had no emotional attachment to these players representing my country and felt no sympathy for them, yes there were mistakes at management level but these players have the ultimate honour of representing their country, think about the North Korean player crying at the national anthem, Maradonna's child like reactions to everything - a joy to watch, Tevez almost exploding with happiness and Rooney's miserable face i don't think he smiled once during the whole tournament.

 

[xenophon]

Great post fella, articulates pretty much what I think of the whole she-bang too

 

[Austrian Gull]

Great post.

Why do our players look like they'd rather be somewhere else? It's tempting to say they're so well rewarded at club level that they don't need to care but the Argentinian players look like they're having a ball and most of them are earning a wad as well.

 

[Smythe]

Firstly I would say that despite the banter on here over the years I do support England once my beloved Sctoland are (as always) not attending a tournament.

I had no inkling to be frank that England were capable of such a limp-wristed display as the ones they have served up in this world cup.

I was interested as to how many good friends of mine who are England fans were not actually that bothered.

I started wondering why. I think personally that football (The Premiership)in particular has done more to alienate football from the vast majority of football fans than anything else.

It has brought a new breed of player to the fore and especially in the very hard economic times most of us are experiencing at the moment they seem more and more distand - and ultimately thoroughly unlikeable.

The most painfully cringeworthy piece of recent days for me, was the Carling advert with Bobby Moore - stating that it was time to join the immortals.

I'm not being nostalgic as i am not old enough to have seen Bobby Moore play - but clearly that was a man who embodied everything great about the game.

Everything about him showed him as a leader, a gentleman, a man of prinicpal and someone who delivered results at the highest level when it counted.

It's not an anti-English thing - it's just simply looking at what football has become and for me now, i juts dont like it.

I do Love the Albion, I love Wycombe away, evening games at BRistol Rovers, all day drinking in London and then seeing the Albion win in front of 2,500 delrious fans at Charlton.

THat is passion - and that is love for a football club that still defines our county, our homes, our past and now with Falmer - our future.

And sadly the days of that being the case at international football have gone.

Thank you Sky, thank you the FA, the Premier League and every other dirty, immoral little wankstain that has taken their average talent and jumped on board the gravy train.

You've turned the national sport in these fair isles into a nasty, grubby, fractured shell of what used to be 'the beautiful game'.

Great post, cant disagree with any of that.....as mentioned Argentina are actually enjoying playing, great to watch, all seem to be playing for Maradonna and have great spirit and togetherness.....they all get paid a fortune so how can they manage it?? England never once looked like they enjoyed any second of this world cup.

 

[StanmoreSeagull]

Brilliant post, agree with your sentiments 100%. Also was it just me or did the players not seem that bothered? The post match interviews with Gerrard, Lampard & Terry - they hardly seemed devastated after such an inept performance representing their country did they! Why? 100k+ a week for being "world class players" when they are no better than above average at best.

Albion all the way for me, couldn't care less about the Premeirship and I'm starting to feel the same way about England unless there are some radical changes.

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Ok im also a Scot, i cant honestly say i support England when Scotland are out but because i lived most of my life in England, i watch on in the same way as the rest of you would if your brother was playing for Palace in the cup final, you would be happy for him but dont really care if Palace lose, does that make sense? I hope so.

Anyway, whilst i agree with what DT is saying, you have to wonder if it is a British problem, the passion doesn't appear to be missing from the Argentinians for example, most of whom are also playing for massive club sides and earning massive wages.

But then theres the French and the Italians who both went out of the competition with perhaps even more inept displays than England.

At home none of our National teams perform the way they used to Scotland and the Republic of Ireland no longer qualify for the major tournaments, where as they used to qualify regularly, Scotland even qualified for every World Cup from 1974 to 1990. Northern Ireland were never regulars at the tournaments but still came close if they didnt make it and Wales, well they were always an inigma, so many talented players yet they havent qualified since 1958 or something like that!

I do feel that Sky, The EPL and the massive salaries that the players are now on are a huge contribution to the downfall of the National sides, the players just dont seem to care enough anymore, sure they are glad to be picked for their countries but is this just so they can negotiate even bigger salaries at club level? How many times do you here of players retiring from their International teams? This never used to happen, it was an honour to be considered the best in your country! Where are the Butcher's? The Souness's? The Joey Jones's? The Paul McGrath's? these players would all have bled for their countries.

I was always against the idea of a British team, but i did also think if we had one it would have won the World Cup time and time again, Now though? No, i still dont want one but i dont think any players from any of the other home nations other than England would even get in the team, so in effect what we just watched in this World Cup was the best of Britain and it wasnt really very good was it?

I appologise in advance for those of you that are going to pull me up for using the Republic of Ireland in my examples but these were still home based players.

Answers? I havent got any im afraid!

 

[Giraffe]

Totally agree. The FA though are the one's that have to answer for this. They need to take control of football in this country and start to prioritise the national game.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

One of the reasons I'm afraid why I would be quite happy never to see the Albion in the Premiership. I don't want to pay massive figures to watch players earning £150,000 per week, to whom I can't relate at all. I'd be quite content to see us as a solid Championship side. Okay, there's stupid money at some clubs there, but nothing on the Premiership scale, apart from one or two of the relegated sides.

 

[The Large One]

Firstly I would say that despite the banter on here over the years I do support England once my beloved Sctoland are (as always) not attending a tournament.

I had no inkling to be frank that England were capable of such a limp-wristed display as the ones they have served up in this world cup.

I was interested as to how many good friends of mine who are England fans were not actually that bothered.

I started wondering why. I think personally that football (The Premiership)in particular has done more to alienate football from the vast majority of football fans than anything else.

It has brought a new breed of player to the fore and especially in the very hard economic times most of us are experiencing at the moment they seem more and more distand - and ultimately thoroughly unlikeable.

The most painfully cringeworthy piece of recent days for me, was the Carling advert with Bobby Moore - stating that it was time to join the immortals.

I'm not being nostalgic as i am not old enough to have seen Bobby Moore play - but clearly that was a man who embodied everything great about the game.

Everything about him showed him as a leader, a gentleman, a man of prinicpal and someone who delivered results at the highest level when it counted.

It's not an anti-English thing - it's just simply looking at what football has become and for me now, i juts dont like it.

I do Love the Albion, I love Wycombe away, evening games at BRistol Rovers, all day drinking in London and then seeing the Albion win in front of 2,500 delrious fans at Charlton.

THat is passion - and that is love for a football club that still defines our county, our homes, our past and now with Falmer - our future.

And sadly the days of that being the case at international football have gone.

Thank you Sky, thank you the FA, the Premier League and every other dirty, immoral little wankstain that has taken their average talent and jumped on board the gravy train.

You've turned the national sport in these fair isles into a nasty, grubby, fractured shell of what used to be 'the beautiful game'.

The words of a wise man.

 

[The Large One]

Answers? I havent got any im afraid!

Whatever the answers are (an almighty debate would need to happen for them to surface), I would suspect that they would be (a) too much for the authorities to cope with (who wants to get off this particular gravy train?) and (b) if they were put into place, it would take a generation for them to come to fruition.

And seeing as the results wouldn't be instant, they wouldn't put them into place.

So round and round it goes.

Another gin & tonic, old boy?

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Whatever the answers are (an almighty debate would need to happen for them to surface), I would suspect that they would be (a) too much for the authorities to cope with (who wants to get off this particular gravy train?) and (b) if they were put into place, it would take a generation for them to come to fruition.

And seeing as the results wouldn't be instant, they wouldn't put them into place.

So round and round it goes.

Another gin & tonic, old boy?

Thats depressing TLO, unfortunately though you are probably, nay definately spot on

 

[alan partridge]

Whatever the answers are (an almighty debate would need to happen for them to surface), I would suspect that they would be (a) too much for the authorities to cope with (who wants to get off this particular gravy train?) and (b) if they were put into place, it would take a generation for them to come to fruition.

And seeing as the results wouldn't be instant, they wouldn't put them into place.

So round and round it goes.

Another gin & tonic, old boy?

Sadly, I think you are bang on

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Firstly I would say that despite the banter on here over the years I do support England once my beloved Sctoland are (as always) not attending a tournament.

I had no inkling to be frank that England were capable of such a limp-wristed display as the ones they have served up in this world cup.

I was interested as to how many good friends of mine who are England fans were not actually that bothered.

I started wondering why. I think personally that football (The Premiership)in particular has done more to alienate football from the vast majority of football fans than anything else.

It has brought a new breed of player to the fore and especially in the very hard economic times most of us are experiencing at the moment they seem more and more distand - and ultimately thoroughly unlikeable.

The most painfully cringeworthy piece of recent days for me, was the Carling advert with Bobby Moore - stating that it was time to join the immortals.

I'm not being nostalgic as i am not old enough to have seen Bobby Moore play - but clearly that was a man who embodied everything great about the game.

Everything about him showed him as a leader, a gentleman, a man of prinicpal and someone who delivered results at the highest level when it counted.

It's not an anti-English thing - it's just simply looking at what football has become and for me now, i juts dont like it.

I do Love the Albion, I love Wycombe away, evening games at BRistol Rovers, all day drinking in London and then seeing the Albion win in front of 2,500 delrious fans at Charlton.

THat is passion - and that is love for a football club that still defines our county, our homes, our past and now with Falmer - our future.

And sadly the days of that being the case at international football have gone.

Thank you Sky, thank you the FA, the Premier League and every other dirty, immoral little wankstain that has taken their average talent and jumped on board the gravy train.

You've turned the national sport in these fair isles into a nasty, grubby, fractured shell of what used to be 'the beautiful game'.

Top Post.

Yesterday after the game, we went round to a friend's house for a post match BBQ and beers.

One of the guys there was a Chelsea fan, and whilst he was disappointed that England had lost he was definitely in the 'Club comes first' camp, and he was on about how Chelsea would probably sign at least two of the young Germans.

If it means another English squad player at Chelsea goes out on loan to a Championship side and never gets to improve in the Premier League so be it.

I found it rather sad.

 

[Dave the OAP]

It was very interesting and one I had not thought of, but David Pleat said on teh radio this morning ( or it may have been Graham taylor) do you notice that the England fans flags around the stadiums are almost exclusively from supporters of the clubs outside the Premiership and also non league teams?

 

[Digweeds Trousers]

Its so sad TLO......but you are right.

It's almost as if you can envisage a whistle-blower finally blowing the lid on the whole sordid, disgusting situation.

I think it has got too big for anyone to singly deal with - who in their right mind will be the one to de-rail the gravy train and say enough is enough.

When you consider the level of ineptitude and lack of basic commercial sense in the boardrooms across the Premier League landscape it is staggering that these people are even allowed out of their front doors without some sort of supervision.

I used to feel on occasions that even at our level at The Albion with Dick Knight the NOW NOW NOW culture was beginning to permeate.

Thankfully (despite some of his faults) he was wise enough to ensure we survived. Some would have had him throw money at new players etc etc but all along he knew and promoted the long-term approach.

Football clubs at the highest level are, to some, s f***ing great credit card to throw around and then pray to God you;re not the one in the hotseat that gets the bill through the door.

Chelsea away or a trip to Darlington?

Day return to the north EAst please.

 

[Pot noodles for everyone]

FAO Digweed's Trousers

Someone who, a few weeks ago, was wishing the England team ill and now professes to support them can't be described as a neutral.

 

[NS Herald]

Thank you Sky, thank you the FA, the Premier League and every other dirty, immoral little wankstain that has taken their average talent and jumped on board the gravy train.

You've turned the national sport in these fair isles into a nasty, grubby, fractured shell of what used to be 'the beautiful game'.

And do you know what the really sad thing is? A month into the new Premiership season this will all pretty much be history and the media circus that is the Premier League will be in full self admiring stance all over again.

As for our younger so called talent, much of it will proibably be rotting in the reserves of the big 7 instead of getting the experience needed to be able to compete at these tournaments.

We may have the best league in the world but we are a joke internationally and always will be.

 

[brakespear]

Great post.

Why do our players look like they'd rather be somewhere else? It's tempting to say they're so well rewarded at club level that they don't need to care but the Argentinian players look like they're having a ball and most of them are earning a wad as well.

Tempting to say because it's probably true. When I first started watching England in World Cup football (1982) to play and perform well in the World Cup would get you press attention, sponsorships and monetary opportunities you would never had otherwise - nowadays they have all that already, why would they want to take a break out of their luxury holidays to represent England?

As for it doesn't affect others such as Argentinians the same way - I don't know, maybe they're still playing for the football rather than the money?