Older Springfielder

and, err, where would one acquire such an item (the missus was asking )

Exactly – just like the cretin who called Brazil the “true spiritual home of football” in the build up to the games, because “everywhere you look someone is kicking a ball on the beach”. Absolute tool.

I think that between you and Vince you’ve hit the nail on the head. A few years ago my grandsons’ school cancelled a trip away because a Risk Assessment deemed it not safe in areas – what the hell is that supposed to mean. I understand the need to be safe and secure but this trip had been carried out numerous times over the years and then some berk with a self-righteous hat turns up and becomes a fully paid up member of the fun police.

Wigan Juniors of old was a solid place for the kids to go filled with enthusiastic volunteers – now what do we have, a society afraid to take kids out for a run, a past government who tried to ensure that our kids and grandkids were not mentally scarred for life by taking away competition in the school playing fields and a lost generation of parents who sue and claim the arse off anybody who scratches their little Herbert at school (whatever the event) – it’s no wonder we are where we are. My applause goes out to those lads and lasses who still get the kids running around, organising games and events and making playing outside in the mud and rain, fun again.

As you say Vince, no football think tank is going to change kids attitudes at present, but they could influence those with the money to start a campaign to get this money filtered right back to the real grass roots to provide facilities, people and most importantly equipment (including kit) – go on then, how many here have played in borrowed boots because you didn’t have any at the time.

Bring the football (and team sport in general) back into fashion at an early age and maybe, just maybe we could turn our sorry, hoody loving kids around.

Start with every player earning over £20K a week sponsoring a local school team(s) in their area (as part of good PR – they could write it off against tax (maybe)) – then lobby the leagues to release monies to areas across the country, a bit like lottery funding but specifically for grass roots football; and take it from there.

To jump into Premier League B Teams just keeps the money at the top and that defeats the whole object of creating ongoing generations of locally produced English talent nurtured from school to first international cap.

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.

Amen to that.

Like football, it’s all about opinions and I agree totally with The Torch. Complete and utter knob – whether anyone thought he was right or not, he is as subtle as a hand grenade in a barrel of sh*t. Why the hell the BBC thought that anyone would be interested in the drivel spouted by a serial twitter abuser and foot-in-mouth idiot beggars belief. It was sad for the audience as they had that other pompous, self righteous reject on the opposite side so they had sh*te in stereo. Joey Barton is to educated debate as Cyril Smith was to hang-gliding.

You’re right, it wasn’t luck – just look at the players they had at their disposal. Now this brings another slant on how they have played (cough) their way through the championship – I am no accountant, however, if one were to look at QPRs financial outlay over the past 12 months or so I am sure they wouldn’t pass the criteria/due dilligence set out by the ‘financial fair play system’. The owner and Redknapp have flagrantly abused the system. Better teams than QPR (and I include ourselves here) deserve to be in the Premiership before these spendthrifts. How they have been allowed to get away with it beggars belief – oh hang on, it’s our ‘Good ‘ol Arry innit’.[/quote]

They haven’t got away with it though, have they? They are about to be hit with a £50m fine. I know that’s no consolation to Derby or anyone else, but the FFP rules had to have some time to kick in and it looks as if they, like City, are being pulled up at the earliest opportunity – as far as the rules allow.

And, as I think Tyldesley has said, it’s the owners who sign the cheques, not Harry![/quote]

But they have ‘got away with it’. They have maneuvered themselves into the Prem by flagrantly breaking the FFP rules – the fine is neither here nor there to the owners. They are there because, in effect, they have cheated – cheated other teams who have stuck to the rules and have not been able to match their spending power. The fine will be paid but QPR will still get the world wide exposure that comes from being in the Prem (and the side business that comes with it). Now if they were to be deducted, say 20, points then that would be a real deterrent to others thinking that they too could get away with it – just my opinion like.

Oh! and the owners might sign the cheques but they don’t pick the players to sign do they, that’s Redknaps job.