A good article on an important subject that l myself have pondered on for sometime. Football is like a microcosm for the country at large: we aren't happy with the direction of the game but that doesn't mean we are about to give up on it either.
As a seasoned football fan myself, l am not lying when l say l could write a book on what is wrong with the game in its current form: from ticket prices to corporatisation of the game, from foreign ownership to sponsorship there is a lot wrong with modern football (again, much like modern Britain).
I'd also like to mention that in these spheres a certain type of person expects people to be 'based' (to be honest l kind of hate that word) in every single last aspect and facet of their life which is both unrealistic and infuriating at the same time.
People should be left to enjoy their past times and leisure interests as they please, anons be damned.
As a supporter of my local club for 30 years, it was sad that I felt I had no choice but to drift away from it from the beginning of the madness in 2020, and didn't regain any enthusiasm for about two years. Happily, 'we' won the league in 2023, so there was the incentive of a season of success to pull me back in as things improved, but the continued kneeling before kick-offs was difficult to put up with. It seemed to carry on at my club for longer than at others.
In the last year or so, the Current Thing has been subtly rolled back away from the game. The feeling of being psyopped has diminished. It's still there, but in a less intrusive way. I'm immune to it, and I would guess that the average football supporter pays no heed. Although the rough and ready feel of a football ground has significantly waned in the last 15-20 years, it isn't as though you're sat amidst a sea of Guardianistas.
Are there reasons to be positive about the game? I think there is one that's worth mentioning explicitly. Look at the crowds supporting teams from heavily 'multi-cultural' towns like Bradford, Luton, Leicester, Crystal Palace, West Ham etc. They're almost exclusively white. It does still bring us together, however much that might irk the authorities. Looking at the crowds at somewhere like Old Trafford means less as the audience at those places are effectively tourists, rather than dyed-in-the-wool football supporters. Look at real football and it's still there under all the corporate dressings.
I’m glad you haven’t let the madness drive you away. Although there is large touristy element at Old Trafford, the match going support is still overwhelmingly native. The same is probably true of Liverpool. The kneeling was particularly awful. I recall that even some black players got pissed off with it and refused to do it.
A good article on an important subject that l myself have pondered on for sometime. Football is like a microcosm for the country at large: we aren't happy with the direction of the game but that doesn't mean we are about to give up on it either.
As a seasoned football fan myself, l am not lying when l say l could write a book on what is wrong with the game in its current form: from ticket prices to corporatisation of the game, from foreign ownership to sponsorship there is a lot wrong with modern football (again, much like modern Britain).
I'd also like to mention that in these spheres a certain type of person expects people to be 'based' (to be honest l kind of hate that word) in every single last aspect and facet of their life which is both unrealistic and infuriating at the same time.
People should be left to enjoy their past times and leisure interests as they please, anons be damned.
As a supporter of my local club for 30 years, it was sad that I felt I had no choice but to drift away from it from the beginning of the madness in 2020, and didn't regain any enthusiasm for about two years. Happily, 'we' won the league in 2023, so there was the incentive of a season of success to pull me back in as things improved, but the continued kneeling before kick-offs was difficult to put up with. It seemed to carry on at my club for longer than at others.
In the last year or so, the Current Thing has been subtly rolled back away from the game. The feeling of being psyopped has diminished. It's still there, but in a less intrusive way. I'm immune to it, and I would guess that the average football supporter pays no heed. Although the rough and ready feel of a football ground has significantly waned in the last 15-20 years, it isn't as though you're sat amidst a sea of Guardianistas.
Are there reasons to be positive about the game? I think there is one that's worth mentioning explicitly. Look at the crowds supporting teams from heavily 'multi-cultural' towns like Bradford, Luton, Leicester, Crystal Palace, West Ham etc. They're almost exclusively white. It does still bring us together, however much that might irk the authorities. Looking at the crowds at somewhere like Old Trafford means less as the audience at those places are effectively tourists, rather than dyed-in-the-wool football supporters. Look at real football and it's still there under all the corporate dressings.
I’m glad you haven’t let the madness drive you away. Although there is large touristy element at Old Trafford, the match going support is still overwhelmingly native. The same is probably true of Liverpool. The kneeling was particularly awful. I recall that even some black players got pissed off with it and refused to do it.