Top level football is embarrassing

[bathseagull]

i am struggling to remember why i love the game of football. we've just watched a month of the world's supposed best players either not turn up, dive, play-act, stitch up clubmates, whinge at referees, complain about heat or demand more money to represent their country.
managers are not much better - sven is possibly the least inspiring coach ever, scolari is a cheat-endorsing fool, aragones is a racist (allegedly) and last night we saw domenech, one of the few coaches to survive to the last day with his reputation intact applauding zidane off the field after his act of complete lunacy.

like i said, embarrassing. i have just spent the weekend at the london youth games with hundreds of schoolkids wearing replica shirts featuring the names of loads of these players - looking up to them like gods or heroes. they are not gods, or heroes. they are regular people like us, or rather in some cases less than us because we appreciate the honour of playing for our country, trying to make our fans, friends and families proud, while they seem to care only about themselves and their reputations.

so there.

i'm hoping that by 5pm on 5th august, my love for the "beautiful" game will be restored.

 

[Wozza]

 

[Icy Gull]

We really need to start with a "beautiful" performance to erase the memory of Stoke.

Remind me, when was the last time we won our 1st game of the season. I remember Hinsh's marauders giving us false hope with a win at Burnley but seem to remember draws and defeats since?

 

[ali jenkins]

Good point well made!

It does make you wonder if these so called 'stars' acctually know what it is like playing for england as an england supporter as i doubt many of them step out of their premiership bubbles to see how much it means to the fans.

i think that its an honnor to play for your country and i would willingly do it with no pay or bonusses!

 

[Albion Rob]

We really need to start with a "beautiful" performance to erase the memory of Stoke.

Remind me, when was the last time we won our 1st game of the season. I remember Hinsh's marauders giving us false hope with a win at Burnley but seem to remember draws and defeats since?

We beat Oldham 3-1 at Boundary Park in the first game of the playoff winning year.

Agree, football at the top level is pisspoor at the moment. Anf it's not going to get any better in England either with Chelsea buying all the best players in the world - they may have the title sewn up by the end of Feb.

Really sad state of affairs, this certainly isn't the game I grew up loving.

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

i am struggling to remember why i love the game of football. we've just watched a month of the world's supposed best players either not turn up, dive, play-act, stitch up clubmates, whinge at referees, complain about heat or demand more money to represent their country.
managers are not much better - sven is possibly the least inspiring coach ever, scolari is a cheat-endorsing fool, aragones is a racist (allegedly) and last night we saw domenech, one of the few coaches to survive to the last day with his reputation intact applauding zidane off the field after his act of complete lunacy.

like i said, embarrassing. i have just spent the weekend at the london youth games with hundreds of schoolkids wearing replica shirts featuring the names of loads of these players - looking up to them like gods or heroes. they are not gods, or heroes. they are regular people like us, or rather in some cases less than us because we appreciate the honour of playing for our country, trying to make our fans, friends and families proud, while they seem to care only about themselves and their reputations.

so there.

i'm hoping that by 5pm on 5th august, my love for the "beautiful" game will be restored.

You've just verbalised pretty much what I've been thinking over all day. All the cheating and childish whinging of players is hardly new, but it's cleary getting worse.

I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up interest in a level of a game so rife with the kind of play acting, gamesmanship and all round shitty behaviour of some of the supposed top stars.

International football has become a mans game played by a bunch of whinging, bitching, play-acting little kids.

 

[bathseagull]

i am struggling to remember why i love the game of football. we've just watched a month of the world's supposed best players either not turn up, dive, play-act, stitch up clubmates, whinge at referees, complain about heat or demand more money to represent their country.
managers are not much better - sven is possibly the least inspiring coach ever, scolari is a cheat-endorsing fool, aragones is a racist (allegedly) and last night we saw domenech, one of the few coaches to survive to the last day with his reputation intact applauding zidane off the field after his act of complete lunacy.

like i said, embarrassing. i have just spent the weekend at the london youth games with hundreds of schoolkids wearing replica shirts featuring the names of loads of these players - looking up to them like gods or heroes. they are not gods, or heroes. they are regular people like us, or rather in some cases less than us because we appreciate the honour of playing for our country, trying to make our fans, friends and families proud, while they seem to care only about themselves and their reputations.

so there.

i'm hoping that by 5pm on 5th august, my love for the "beautiful" game will be restored.

AND THEN ZIDANE GETS PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT?

ABSOLUTE JOKERS

 

[Curious Orange]

It was an uninspiring tournament. The best game was Croatia v Australia, I reckon.

 

[Superphil]

100% agree

 

[Captain Pugwash]

could not agree more

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Got more enjoyment out of the Worthing game than the majority of the games in the World Cup.

Sad but true.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I totally agree.

Sometimes watching a top level match is like watching 22 wooden actors auditioning, with the referee being director.

 

[Kaney]

it makes superb entertainment though, and is football not the biggest form of entertainment after only film and music?

 

[goldstone]

Well said Mr bathseagull.

Roll on League One!

 

[Man of Harveys]

Would this all be being written if England had won, or even come close to winning?

I'm not saying that's one everyone has been saying, but saying "it's been a boring tournament" can be very close to saying "well I'd been hearing for months that that England were going to walk it with players that are good against Bolton, but after they were out and had played shite, it was all a bit dull".

 

[London Irish]

Would this all be being written if England had won, or even come close to winning?

I'm not saying that's one everyone has been saying, but saying "it's been a boring tournament" can be very close to saying "well I'd been hearing for months that that England were going to walk it with players that are good against Bolton, but after they were out and had played shite, it was all a bit dull".

I don't think 1990 was that great a tournament for inventive, attacking football but because England made the semis and hence were involved in the final weekend, people remember it with a rosy glow. England were only a penalty shoot-out away from matching that and I think you are right MoH that attitutes would have been quite different if all Sven's penalty practice had paid off.

 

[Les Biehn]

I totally agree. All the curruption and greed on the side of the clubs and authorities is also ruining it for me.

 

[South Yarra Seagull]

i wholeheartedly agree. Living as I do in a country not entirely familiar with the game I love so much I have been inundated with questions from newbies along the lines of 'why do they keep falling over?', or "why doesn't the ref get any help from his assistants" etc etc...

I have to explain that yes, football is sometimes unfair and unjust, but then so is life and as in life one makes one's own luck and one finds that bad decisions tend to sort themselves out over a LIFETIME of supporting a team.

A lot of aussies have tried football on for size and not liked it one little bit because of the cheating, diving, spitting, blind refs, too few goals and so on and so on...

I share your sentiment, bathseagull. I hope my faith in the greatest game in the world is restored on Aug 6th.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The Premiership is more entertaining than the world cup due to the sides being better on the whole.

I would think that the top four sides could either beat or run Italy close in a friendly.

 

[Gwylan]

The Premiership is more entertaining than the world cup due to the sides being better on the whole.

I would think that the top four sides could either beat or run Italy close in a friendly.

I don't think either of those statements is true. The winner of the WC was in doubt right until the end; the season hasn't kicked off yet but we all know who's going to win the Premiership. To be really entertaining there must be an element of uncertainty.

I can't see any of the top 4 Prem sides getting near Italy. We've had 14 years of Premiership football and only twice have sides won the Champions League (and both of those were slightly flukey). The Premier League is a rich league but not a great one: there is a difference.