Anyone falling out of love with the beautiful game?

[Genie]

With the shite the English national team served up and the recent news that Man Citeh's new signing will be picking up £56m over the next 5 years (£220,000 per week). Anyone else think that the way the incredible money is spent in football is causing them to lose the love for the beautiful game?

[chads]

yes. i was saying to my mates after the germany deafeat that 2010 is the year i think i have begun to fall out of love with football. there is just so much wrong with the game that if i started on a rant i would be here this time tomorrow still typing. 50% of the players are just complete arseholes, and the money that they receive is absolutely ludicrous. there is absolutely no way that they can relate to the common man - and their attitued on the whole are just digusting.

we at villa are quite lucky in that there are some good honest lads like jimmy milner, richard dunne, friedel, warnock, petrov etc who are good solid professionals but still that doesnt change the fact that the sport has been ruined my murdoch's millions as a poster on another thread said a week or so a go.

[ChrisVillan]

I'm done. I now have a Tooting & Mitcham season ticket.

[dappadan]

I would take what the NOTW report with a pinch of salt to be honest

[hycus-flange]

if it was Villa instead of Man City splashing the cash, this thread would'nt exist

[coda]

I have enjoyed this World Cup but less than other years. Not too interested in England's qualifying campaigns. The whole overhyped Premier League sky4 suppersunday rubbish doesn't appeal to me but I am as interested as ever in the Villa.

[ChrisVillan]

if it was Villa instead of Man City splashing the cash, this thread would'nt exist

It would on Blue Moon, and rightly so.

[fran_villa]

im sick of it,last week i was laid off from work i wonder will Gabby and Ash spair me a few bob to get by,i can tell you this i wont be spending a cent on these over paid tw@ts...

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Yes they are all clearings in the woods because they get paid stupidly!? Oh dear.

Alot of footballers also work for charities, even people who seem complete dickheads give money to charity or help in ways. They aren't clearings in the woods simply because they accept what is given to them. If you were a footballer, I doubt you'd say "No, I'm alright on £500 a week"....it's the nature of football. I'm not saying it's right but you can't just simply call all footballers clearings in the woods simply because the game they have brings in alot of money.

I also will never fall out of love with the game, I play, I watch, I will hopefully start coaching soon, football is what I love.

Unless something drastic happens.

[TrentVilla]

There was no breaking point, no tipping point, I've no idea when I reached the threshold it was more a creaping realisation a gradual dawning over weeks, months, even the last couple of years.

I no longer love football. Or rather I'm no longer in love with football.

Sure I still have an affection for the game, the sort of affection that will last with me until the day I die. The game no longer consumes me though, it no longer grips me the way it used to.

I grew up living, breathing football, loving the absolute essence of the game. Even as it was in dark days of Hillsborough, Heysal's and Bradford some of the darkest days the game has and will ever know in this country the game was still magnificent, it was simple and it was ours.

It was the peoples game still, footballers weren't out of touch with reality, they lived near the fans, I grew up on a street with Kevin Gage a then Villa full back. He drove either his club sponsored Rover with logo's all over it or his misses Escort.

They were normal people, earning more than the average guy but not so much that they earnt more in a week than most earned in a year.

Players weren't plastered all over the papers for rape, for spit roasts and battering people in McDonalds or because some DJ wouldn't play some **** over paid arseholes favourite song.

The game wasn't perfect, I'm not kidding myself or trying to kid others. It had its issues, plenty of them. I know people have a tendancy to look back with rose tinted glasses, to only remember the good and think everything was more pure in the past.

Well this isn't rose tinted glasses, I remember clearly the issues and the problems of football back then but I still prefered it. I'd swap todays game for it in a heart beat without a moments second thought.

So much of the game now turns my stomach, makes me sick, distgusts me that I find it impossible to love the game the way I once did. Sure people aren't dying on the terraces any more which is a wonderful thing, not everything that has changed about the game is bad.

Yet so much is, how can you love the game the way you used to when the game is so sick and detached from those who remain the life blood of the sport?

We have a national team that looks like it couldn't give a ****.

We've a league packed full over players who earn a fortune but appear to care little about the game.

We have players in courts every other week on all kinds of charges.

We have semi finals at Wembley because of money.

We have as many corporate fans as real fans from each side at our cup final.

We have a player reported to be earning over 200k a week at Man City. Man **** City.

We have kids all over the country growing up sporting Utd or Chelsea without a **** care about their local club thats going to the **** wall.

The game isn't the same, its been polluted by money and greed.

I still love it, I will always love it, but in love with it? The way I used to be, the way I always thought I would be? No, not even close any more.

The passion has faded and I can only see it getting worse.

In 1990 we had Terry Butcher, in 2010 we had John Terry. Kind of says it all doesn't it.

[briggaman]

I'm falling out of love with it in a way. There is far too much money being thrown around and players are paid far too much. There is also the increasing price of Season Tickets and the rich buggers buying every player.

I will never fall out of love with Villa though. Despite how much I hate what is going on, the thought of stepping inside VP keeps me going. It really s a bloody great stadium and we are a good club.

[fran_villa]

There was no breaking point, no tipping point, I've no idea when I reached the threshold it was more a creaping realisation a gradual dawning over weeks, months, even the last couple of years.

I no longer love football. Or rather I'm no longer in love with football.

Sure I still have an affection for the game, the sort of affection that will last with me until the day I die. The game no longer consumes me though, it no longer grips me the way it used to.

I grew up living, breathing football, loving the absolute essence of the game. Even as it was in dark days of Hillsborough, Heysal's and Bradford some of the darkest days the game has and will ever know in this country the game was still magnificent, it was simple and it was ours.

It was the peoples game still, footballers weren't out of touch with reality, they lived near the fans, I grew up on a street with Kevin Gage a then Villa full back. He drove either his club sponsored Rover with logo's all over it or his misses Escort.

They were normal people, earning more than the average guy but not so much that they earnt more in a week than most earned in a year.

Players weren't plastered all over the papers for rape, for spit roasts and battering people in McDonalds or because some DJ wouldn't play some **** over paid arseholes favourite song.

The game wasn't perfect, I'm not kidding myself or trying to kid others. It had its issues, plenty of them. I know people have a tendancy to look back with rose tinted glasses, to only remember the good and think everything was more pure in the past.

Well this isn't rose tinted glasses, I remember clearly the issues and the problems of football back then but I still prefered it. I'd swap todays game for it in a heart beat without a moments second thought.

So much of the game now turns my stomach, makes me sick, distgusts me that I find it impossible to love the game the way I once did. Sure people aren't dying on the terraces any more which is a wonderful thing, not everything that has changed about the game is bad.

Yet so much is, how can you love the game the way you used to when the game is so sick and detached from those who remain the life blood of the sport?

We have a national team that looks like it couldn't give a ****.

We've a league packed full over players who earn a fortune but appear to care little about the game.

We have players in courts every other week on all kinds of charges.

We have semi finals at Wembley because of money.

We have as many corporate fans as real fans from each side at our cup final.

The game isn't the same, its been polluted by money and greed.

I still love it, I will always love it, but in love with it? The way I used to be, the way I always thought I would be? No, not even close any more.

The passion has faded and I can only see it getting worse.

In 1990 we had Terry Butcher, in 2010 we had John Terry. Kind of says it all doesn't it.

well said Trent..

[fran_villa]

Yes they are all clearings in the woods because they get paid stupidly!? Oh dear.

Alot of footballers also work for charities, even people who seem complete dickheads give money to charity or help in ways. They aren't clearings in the woods simply because they accept what is given to them. If you were a footballer, I doubt you'd say "No, I'm alright on £500 a week"....it's the nature of football. I'm not saying it's right but you can't just simply call all footballers clearings in the woods simply because the game they have brings in alot of money.

I also will never fall out of love with the game, I play, I watch, I will hopefully start coaching soon, football is what I love.

Unless something drastic happens.

i still love the club more than anything,but i **** hate the money men that run football,it used to be the working mans game not anymore though.

[PieFacE]

There's loads of things in life i hate, doesnt mean i'll ever fall out of love of living.

There's loads of things about people i hate, doesn't mean i won't stop loving people though

There's loads of things in football i hate, and i'll never fall out of love with it.

At the end of the day, there's nothing better then going around the country supporting Villa. Makes me happy.

[PompeyVillan]

I clicked I'm starting to change the way I feel about football, because at the moment I think we have an uncompetitive domestic league, a passionless national team and most of all it costs too much money to watch a game. I will always love football, but I'd rather we had a weaker domestic league, a better national team and less money in the sport.

[PieFacE]

Like Ze Germans?

Think they have it spot on at the minute.

[steve-67]

I think the game is going to go through a tough patch where the attendances will drop over the next couple of years. The Football Association are more for protecting the referee than they are in clubs like mine bringing in quality coaches to coach our kids sides. The F.A. are asking, or rather, telling all clubs at my level to improve their grounds when there's no money about. The F.A give Capello a new £6m a year contract two weeks before the world cup and now has us over a barrel, hardly the inspiration we need from the people at the top of our game. The F.A. needs to employ bastions of the game, like Graham Taylor and Terry Venables. People who will say it as it is. Blatter and Platini are also too opinionated and need to put the fans first. To have no goal line camera in place has cost several clubs over the years. To not have it because ONE man says so it not democracy, it's bullying.

Villa need to kick on again now. That means spending some serious cash on the two or three players of quality that we need to break the top four. I'm happy enough with the fact we're a top six club but ambitions of the fans get raised very quickly and suddenly that'll be no good and we'll get bored of being a "nearly club".

[chads]

There was no breaking point, no tipping point, I've no idea when I reached the threshold it was more a creaping realisation a gradual dawning over weeks, months, even the last couple of years.

I no longer love football. Or rather I'm no longer in love with football.

Sure I still have an affection for the game, the sort of affection that will last with me until the day I die. The game no longer consumes me though, it no longer grips me the way it used to.

I grew up living, breathing football, loving the absolute essence of the game. Even as it was in dark days of Hillsborough, Heysal's and Bradford some of the darkest days the game has and will ever know in this country the game was still magnificent, it was simple and it was ours.

It was the peoples game still, footballers weren't out of touch with reality, they lived near the fans, I grew up on a street with Kevin Gage a then Villa full back. He drove either his club sponsored Rover with logo's all over it or his misses Escort.

They were normal people, earning more than the average guy but not so much that they earnt more in a week than most earned in a year.

Players weren't plastered all over the papers for rape, for spit roasts and battering people in McDonalds or because some DJ wouldn't play some **** over paid arseholes favourite song.

The game wasn't perfect, I'm not kidding myself or trying to kid others. It had its issues, plenty of them. I know people have a tendancy to look back with rose tinted glasses, to only remember the good and think everything was more pure in the past.

Well this isn't rose tinted glasses, I remember clearly the issues and the problems of football back then but I still prefered it. I'd swap todays game for it in a heart beat without a moments second thought.

So much of the game now turns my stomach, makes me sick, distgusts me that I find it impossible to love the game the way I once did. Sure people aren't dying on the terraces any more which is a wonderful thing, not everything that has changed about the game is bad.

Yet so much is, how can you love the game the way you used to when the game is so sick and detached from those who remain the life blood of the sport?

We have a national team that looks like it couldn't give a ****.

We've a league packed full over players who earn a fortune but appear to care little about the game.

We have players in courts every other week on all kinds of charges.

We have semi finals at Wembley because of money.

We have as many corporate fans as real fans from each side at our cup final.

We have a player reported to be earning over 200k a week at Man City. Man **** City.

We have kids all over the country growing up sporting Utd or Chelsea without a **** care about their local club thats going to the **** wall.

The game isn't the same, its been polluted by money and greed.

I still love it, I will always love it, but in love with it? The way I used to be, the way I always thought I would be? No, not even close any more.

The passion has faded and I can only see it getting worse.

In 1990 we had Terry Butcher, in 2010 we had John Terry. Kind of says it all doesn't it.

a great summary Trent. I have just watched the Italia 90 documentary - real men proudly representing their country, and playing for the love of the game.

[myb]

Just watched a great (and very emotional)programme about England in Italia 90. The game has irrecovarably changed for the worse. That was a team. As Trent said, they had Butcher, we had Terry. One isn't fit to lace the others boots.

[PompeyVillan]

Just watched a great (and very emotional)programme about England in Italia 90. The game has irrecovarably changed for the worse. That was a team. As Trent said, they had Butcher, we had Terry. One isn't fit to lace the others boots.

We had Sir Bob back then. The best we can muster these days is Harry **** Redknapp.