Friendlies

The World Cup back in the day used to be very light hearted and the crowds were full of middle aged neutrals from all over wearing floppy cricket hats and fancy dress.At the end of the matches some of these tourists used to run on the pitch and pat the players without any fuss or hassle.
The panelists used to be back in the studio and were all feisty individuals like Malcolm Allison and Brian Clough with brilliant anchor hosts like Brian Moore and Frank Bough.
now all we get is boring ex players spouting off in corporate speak and boring faceless commentators spouting drivel like that to hype up an overblown ,over faced competion with far too many makeweight teams and meaningless games.
It was all about fun and quality in the past and a fantastic event that lost its sparkle for me after the 1998 one in France.The Quatar decision frankly killed it off for me and I couldn’t give a stuff for it anymore- roll on next season and Blackpool away!

Was talking to a Utd fan last night and he was spouting the usual anti England dross. I really don’t get folk who claim to be proper football fans yet cant even be arsed to watch the national side.

Maybe that’s how Utd fans (current or otherwise) see the current England squad – that’s their business. The point being made is that the ‘sparkle’ of the whole event has been tarnished (quite a lot in my opinion) with the debacle that was the decision to award the event to Qatar. FIFA, its membership, its ethos and Blatter stink – it has nothing to do with watching or supporting our National side. Please define what a ‘proper’ football fan is because I can’t be arsed to fly to Rio, so I must right up there in the non-proper-supporter group.

Maybe that’s how Utd fans (current or otherwise) see the current England squad – that’s their business. The point being made is that the ‘sparkle’ of the whole event has been tarnished (quite a lot in my opinion) with the debacle that was the decision to award the event to Qatar. FIFA, its membership, its ethos and Blatter stink – it has nothing to do with watching or supporting our National side. Please define what a ‘proper’ football fan is because I can’t be arsed to fly to Rio, so I must right up there in the non-proper-supporter group.[/quote]

Don’t get the gripe with the Qatar, why should an idiotic decision by FIFA affect your feelings for the national side?. You don’t need to attend England games to support the country but how can you say love football if you are only interested in watching your own team?. My point is that fans of the big clubs are more prone to slag off the England team than most other fans. Wigan Athletic will always be number 1 but it does not stop me loving the 3 lions as well.[/quote]

I have a feeling we are not quite on the same page here Nuneaton. Please don’t confuse me with the Utd fans (as mentioned previously) who probably have to undergo some sort of weight gain program, have a frontal lobotomy and take a spade to their nose in order to identify them from educated football fans – no it is not about me not supporting my National Team. You mention that it was “an idiotic decision by FIFA” and that is where you are missing a great point. The point is not that it was idiotic but corrupt and is subject of national debate at the moment – indeed it was put to the panel on Question Time last Thursday – it is also the subject of a major investigation by a well respected and informed (broadsheet) newspaper, so there is a national outpouring of distaste and disgust – there was actually a question ‘muted’ about whether England, and maybe other national teams, would boycott the Qatar games (which negates your point about it being just about the ‘big clubs fans’). This is not a ‘pop’ Nuneaton but you really must get with the National feeling about this. It’s not about watching and supporting the “3 Lions” – that’s a given – it’s about what is going on in the background that affects our National game and how that could filter down into the leagues here in England – I would also venture that anyone supporting this view needs to educate themselves too.

Further, I don’t see anyone saying that they love football and only watching/supporting their own team here – I was guilty of watching Newry Town V Bangor a few years ago just because it was football and on Sky at the time, I’ve also watched many a Sunday league game. Those who do “slag off” the National Team can be from any teams support, big or small, they just show their neanderthal mentality like those thick Utd fans mentioned earlier.

Hope that clears up my view point.