Anyone falling out of love with the beautiful game?

[kingphil]

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.

Excellent programme last night - And it just goes to show how far football has fallen in the last 20 years.

As for falling out of love of football - I would say I have. It's no longer a thrill to watch games, more of a chore these days.

Wasn't excited about the world cup, nor this seasons fixture list. I had put it down to more important things in life, like my family and health, but seems others are also feeling the same way

[ED]

When Milner goes to Man **** City I think it'll be the last straw and I'll be done with it.

Once everyone stops going to games it will all fall down

[villa89]

Definintely weary of the game now. I have lost interest in it really as its so predictable. Its all about how much money you have and the glass ceiling that well run clubs like Everton and villa have hit is terrible. Also the amount of cheating, diving, bad sportsmanship, terrible role models, clueless pundits that come with the game drive me nuts. Sadly I can only see myself drifting away from the game in the future. I'll never stop supporting the Villa but my interest in the other games will lessen as the years go by.

I much prefer sports like the NFL where its well run, you can be competitive even if your run by Al Davis (to an extent) and the sport isn't saturated on our TV every waking minute.

[lapal_fan]

Geert de Vlieger

1 David James

12 Nicky Weaver

27 Mikkel Bischoff

5 Sylvain Distin

22 Richard Dunne

17 Sun Jihai

41 Stephen Jordan

18 Danny Mills

Matthew Mills

16 Nedum Onuoha

2 David Sommeil

3 Ben Thatcher

8 Joey Barton

40 Lee Croft

31 Jonathan D'Laryea

14 Kizito Musampa

6 Claudio Reyna

19 Albert Riera

28 Trevor Sinclair

9 Andy Cole

4 Tuomas Haapala

38 Stephen Ireland

43 Ishmael Miller

Georgios Samaras

10 Antoine Sibierski

11 Darius Vassell

42 Bradley Wright-Phillips

That is Man City's team from 2005.

Compare it to the one they have now, and how they acquired the players from 2008/9 season. Thats what is wrong with football.

I decided not to renew this season at Villa, not because we're not going to be successful because we cannot afford it but because I lived the dream when I went to watch us in a final last year. We didnt win but its still one of the best days i've had plus im saving for a house . Although I was dissapointed at Wembley stadium and the amount of corporate seats there were.

People like Yaya Toure 5 years ago would only be on 30k max a year because they're just ball winners..they are not going to win or lose you games.

I didnt like the way Wayne Rooney gobbed off to the cameras at the world cup, he can keep his opinions to himself about the fans who managed to get themselves down there. Far too much blame goes onto the managers, its the players fault. in england our players do not have the foggiest idea what to do if plan A doesnt work..look at the England team against Algeria, after an hour our plan didnt work, but nothing changed because the players havent got brains to change anything..

And many players only do charity work because its in their contracts..

[uncy_chris]

We had this conversation last summer, and we'll be having this conversation every summer until the Premier League implements some restrictions to keep the league competitive. If it keeps going like it is, the rich will just get richer, while the small clubs fall by the wayside or disappear completely. What's the point in having a sporting league where money is the primary factor in how a team performs?

[mjmooney]

What Trent said - YES.

What Rob said - YES.

What ED said - (gulp) very possibly.

[ml1dch]

That is Man City's team from 2005.

Compare it to the one they have now, and how they acquired the players from 2008/9 season. Thats what is wrong with football.

Compare our team from 2005 and our team for 2008/09. How many other teams in the league are able to spend £10m on a player whose position you have relatively well-covered who is going to be injured for the following six months?

As far as 90% of teams are concerned we're just Man City lite.

[Woodytom]

I dont think the premier league has been so competitive as it was last season.

From reading a few threads on VT....

I think a lot of people on here are jealous of what Man City have got. They would never admit of course!!

People say Randy is better. Why? I have seen nothing to suggest that Sheikh Mansour isnt doing things for Man City's best interest. He just has different means of doing it.

I love Randy Lerner, but I wish he had an extra 499 billion to make Aston Villa Premiership champions. 1 day it might happen, and it will be very very sweet. But, its more likely to happen to City and fair play and good luck to them.

Just enjoy the challenge and be grateful that we have half a chance!! Cue the 'I wouldnt want randy to be any richer so we could buy the best players in the world replies'

[lapal_fan]

Compare our team from 2005 and our team for 2008/09. How many other teams in the league are able to spend £10m on a player whose position you have relatively well-covered who is going to be injured for the following six months?

As far as 90% of teams are concerned we're just Man City lite.

Difference being is that we dont rip apart our structure to do it though do we?

Man City were a YOYO club until 3/4 years ago when Paul Dickov was their saviour...

Its taken Villa 18/19 years of constantly being in the top league to afford a 10m player - who we all knew would be first choice when he recovered for the forseeable - plus we saved ourselves money when we bought him injured..

Your comparing a player who, over 5 years is worth over 56 million pounds (without transfer fees - if there were any) who will tackle people and score 3 - 5 goals a season to a player who has played for england (whatever thats worth), score, set up goals etc etc.

yaya toure should be a 8 -10m player on 40-60k a week..

roy keane and viera were twice the players yaya toure is.

[Woodytom]

Compare our team from 2005 and our team for 2008/09. How many other teams in the league are able to spend £10m on a player whose position you have relatively well-covered who is going to be injured for the following six months?

As far as 90% of teams are concerned we're just Man City lite.

Difference being is that we dont rip apart our structure to do it though do we?

Man City were a YOYO club until 3/4 years ago when Paul Dickov was their saviour...

Its taken Villa 18/19 years of constantly being in the top league to afford a 10m player - who we all knew would be first choice when he recovered for the forseeable - plus we saved ourselves money when we bought him injured..

Your comparing a player who, over 5 years is worth over 56 million pounds (without transfer fees - if there were any) who will tackle people and score 3 - 5 goals a season to a player who has played for england (whatever thats worth), score, set up goals etc etc.

yaya toure should be a 8 -10m player on 40-60k a week..

roy keane and viera were twice the players yaya toure is.

But whats the problem if they have got the money??

[lapal_fan]

I think a lot of people on here are jealous of what Man City have got. They would never admit of course!!

I think everyone wants villa to win everything dont they? If we had a sugar daddy it would be good for us - but for how long?

This thread is about whats wrong with the game - money is the biggest problem. There is so much to lose now.

Money makes players dive, makes players pillorise the refs, makes manager go mental when decisions go against them..

Why? because there is too much to lose.

If Man Utd dont win the title it doesnt just cost them the 1 place in the league, it means the best, most expensive players in the world go to chelsea instead, in which turn gives them less chance to win the champs league etc etc etc...it all boils down to money.

Do you think Adebyor, robinho, tevez, yaya, kolo, bridge etc would have gone to Man city if the money wasnt there?

[lapal_fan]

But whats the problem if they have got the money??

It makes the league less competitive..

thats bad, unless you love the sky 4 way of life we're living now?

[TrentVilla]

That is Man City's team from 2005.

Compare it to the one they have now, and how they acquired the players from 2008/9 season. Thats what is wrong with football.

Compare our team from 2005 and our team for 2008/09. How many other teams in the league are able to spend £10m on a player whose position you have relatively well-covered who is going to be injured for the following six months?

As far as 90% of teams are concerned we're just Man City lite.

I agree with you, doesn't mean I like it though.

This isn't sour grapes on my part, its not just about Man City and I can see how lucky we are compared to many others. It doesn't though mean I have to like the way the game is going or for that matter we are able as you say to spend £10m on a player unable to play for 6 months while other clubs go to the wall.

Its not right, it just isn't healthy or good for the game and I don't like it one bit.

[lapal_fan]

Agree with Trent.

[Woodytom]

I think a lot of people on here are jealous of what Man City have got. They would never admit of course!!

I think everyone wants villa to win everything dont they? If we had a sugar daddy it would be good for us - but for how long?

This thread is about whats wrong with the game - money is the biggest problem. There is so much to lose now.

Money makes players dive, makes players pillorise the refs, makes manager go mental when decisions go against them..

Why? because there is too much to lose.

If Man Utd dont win the title it doesnt just cost them the 1 place in the league, it means the best, most expensive players in the world go to chelsea instead, in which turn gives them less chance to win the champs league etc etc etc...it all boils down to money.

Do you think Adebyor, robinho, tevez, yaya, kolo, bridge etc would have gone to Man city if the money wasnt there?

No of course I dont, but like one of the above posts says. To most teams in the world, were doing exactly the same

[GarethRDR]

I've detested the way the game has been run for a good long while now. Grotesque sums of money, overinflated egos, dodgy dealings, leagues run like monopolies, teams falling out of existence altogether, the media's Orwellian obsession with so called "top" players, players as celebrities first and sportsmen second, the organisation's stubborn refusal to enact meaningful remedies, clubs so powerful that they can live beyond repremand so on and so forth. All the usual suspects, we complain about them all the time and rightfully so. But for all the damage that the money-men, the hypocrites, the sycophants do to the game, they can never take away the romanticism of the sport.

Maybe it helps that many of us now choose to take more than a passing interest in teams fom around the world. I know it helps me. When the monotony of the Premiership is too much, I can fall back on the excitement of other leagues. Sure, most of the major competitions are much of a muchness in terms of a lack of competitiveness, but there are still genuinely enthralling and fiercly contested tournaments to be had across the globe.

[b6bloke]

I have been feeling my love for the game dwindle in recent years and after seeing the deal Man city have just done for Yaya Toure it has just made this go into free fall.

I was just discussing this deal with our IT guy who is a season ticket holder at Forest, I found myself envying him, his passion is still high and he talks about the games in a way that take me back to watching Villa in the 80's, I really miss it.

Nobody can really compete with City, and even if their players fall out of favour they are on 5 years deals at of a 100,000 a week so why move for less?

There is no doubt in my mind that this is killing not only the premiership but the leagues below and the game all the way down to grass roots. There is no love anymore, no loyalty, pride and passion when picked to wear the 3 Lions, its all about the money!! It is a virus that is spreading down through the players with young kids losing the dream of playing for England and replacing it with a dream of fame and fortune, yes England looks good on the CV but its seen as a way to bump up a price to some.

I remember the days of fans hoping they would make a challenge for the title, not the top 4, or just the hope of a cup or staying up, but this is reality! we can't compete with that sort of money and I for one do not want to!

We have the best league in the world yet the worst set of English players to turn out for the national team, with nothing coming in I worry even more.

I will love Villa till I die but how long I carry on going to games remains to be seen, with the amoutnt of slaughterings Chelsea gave out last year it wont be long before its not just them giving them out and wheres the fun in that.

The FA have to act now and stop this rot because if they are allowed to spend stupid money on players then where is the competition coming from?

[thetrees]

But whats the problem if they have got the money??

It makes the league less competitive..

thats bad, unless you love the sky 4 way of life we're living now?

This part I disagree with.

Man City started splashing the cash a couple of years ago while, at the same time Spurs and Villa were improving.

As a consequence the upper reaches of the league have become more competitive, but the big problem is that only two teams can compete for the title itself. Last season that was Chelsea and Manure, next season (or perhaps not until the one thereafter) it will be Chelsea and Citeh.

[chrisp65]

NOT falling out of love.

The game has always had big rich clubs that dominate and can flash the cash to ultimately influence league position. Not a definitive example, just one I’m familiar with off the top of my head. 1953 Barry Town were doing ok, lower league, but pushing on. They had a teenager called Derek Tapscott. Tappy came to the attention of Arsenal who made an offer. The offer of £4000 in 1953 was far more than the Barry team could possibly resist. For Tappy it was a choice of playing for free and earning a crust working in a butchers, or playing for Arsenal, being taught a trade, having a subsidised house and being paid a guaranteed retainer during the closed season.

Small teams couldn’t possibly compete with that kind of muscle, and so the big teams guaranteed their position by soaking up the best talent. Not quite seeing what has changed.

World Cup? Quite good so far. The Dutch and the Germans are still in it and could meet each other in the final, that’d be worth watching. For the eleventh consecutive WC England failed to beat any ‘major’ team in order to progress. So did the team underperform or were expectations out of kilter with reality?

Am I more or less likely than 20 years ago to get hit by a coin whilst watching footy? Less likely. Am I more or less likely to be stopped on the motorway en route and photographed by the police for displaying football colours on a match day? Less likely. Am I legally obliged to buy a £45 nylon top advertising a casino? No. Do I have to pay who knows what for biased Sky coverage? No.

All in all I think people worry too much about football. If the whole football monster collapsed tomorrow someone nearby would get hold of a ball and four jumpers and start it up again. If I was good enough I’d play in my local team (they’d have to be pretty bad), if I wasn’t good enough I’d go and watch them to meet up with mates and shout at strangers.

[Richard]

Post of the year by trent. Not much more to add.

It is not a agame to be decided by skill but by money