0% Villa - Falling out of love with NEUTRAL football

[richard moore]

Don't disagree with that at all Salsa

I have long contended that the premier league is at an all time low in terms of quality, both when judged within the top 4 or 5 clubs or across the whole league. Run through the league and write down the star player from each team - hardly makes for exciting reading whoever you choose. How many would you pay the entrance fee alone to watch to use an old cliche?!
 
I would extend that to the european scene where there are very few standout teams or players.
 
And of course, that is all then partly reflected at 'world level' where I thought the last World Cup was the one of the poorest in terms of quality I have ever seen

[john e]

i love football, never lost the love of football,  its still the greatest game in the world for me

even if i'm walking the dog over the field and theres a kids match going on on a nearby pitch, i will have to go over and watch it for a bit.

i have watched my son play most weeks from the age of 8 and loved it, he's 22 now and is not always about, so its dropped of a bit.
when he was playing for Buckingham Town i watched him every game untill he left a season ago,
 i watch Newport Pagnell play in the UCL prem league with me mates, its not a high standard but i still enjoy it.

my love for the Villa is no where near as strong as it was when i was younger, Villa were the most important thing in my life when i was in my teens and early 20's, but i'm 49 now, and the passion has subdued somewhat.

i mainly go now because its a great day out with my Son,
 as daft as it sounds i enjoy watching him get excited at games, and want Villa to win and be successful because i want him to have his own memories of great Villa teams and winning trophies.
he was 7 when we last won something, and i want Villa to win more for him than me,
i'm quite happy having seen us win everything exept the 'you know what' hopefully might see that before i die

i can enjoy nuetral games because i still just love football being played, i fell in love with the game of football when i was a small kid and i still feel the same about the game.

what i have fell out of love with is the Premieship, money, cheating, expence and to a certain extent the Villa.

but the actual game of football is still great and always will be, whether it be Villa a nuetral game, a kids match on the park, non league or a kick a bout in the back garden

[NeilH]

I thought the last World Cup was the one of the poorest in terms of quality I have ever seen

And given the farce over the two forthcoming World Cups and the seeming indifference from the big clubs to the tournament #I cannot personally see myself giving a flying you know what over the 'feast of football'
I am still firmly of the opinion that those who have fallen out of love with football a bit and want to get back to the true experience of loving a game should go down and watch lower league fixtures, preferably the lower the better.

[badluckeric(gates)]

I have felt this for a long time too. I believe (for what its worth) that the fundamental reason is the huge amount of live football on tv. I'm old enough to remember when it was so rare that FA Cup final day was like Christmas day and the whole family sat around the screen watching the incredible build up.
Which included fans from each team playing each other, talking to the families of the players, interviews from the team coach going to the ground.
Now there has to be some sort of emotional attachment for me to watch. I need to want someone to win or lose. Unless it directly affects Villa who wants to see Wigan v Blackburn for example (not even Wigan or Blackburn fans I suspect ).

[richard moore]

I thought the last World Cup was the one of the poorest in terms of quality I have ever seen

And given the farce over the two forthcoming World Cups and the seeming indifference from the big clubs to the tournament #I cannot personally see myself giving a flying you know what over the 'feast of football'
I am still firmly of the opinion that those who have fallen out of love with football a bit and want to get back to the true experience of loving a game should go down and watch lower league fixtures, preferably the lower the better.

My brother in law would agree with you certainly Neil. He is a diehard Derby fan who has just fallen completely out of love with the 'money is all that matters' way of modern day football. He now watches Exeter (his local team) and has a great time, fully enjoying the way in which you can feel part of a genuine togetherness and have a cameraderie with the players and the club.

Interesting to ask yourself how many players you have seen recently down the Villa have a real connection with the club?

Ironically, probably only two overseas players during the last few years, Olly and Martin...

[not3bad]

I can never ever think of Chelsea as anything else but some chavvy, classless no mark outfit who won the lottery

Amen.

[Deano's Mullet]

I don't give a shit about any other matches really apart from Villa. Occasionally i will watch a Sunday afternoon game if i am down the pub but generally i couldnt care less about anyone else these days.

[philthebar]

I don't have a television, so if I wanted to watch 'other' games I would have to make the effort to go to the pub.  Quite frankly I can't be bothered.  Radio commentaries are so bad, the commentators and summarisers over hype the action and really do not understand club supporters. so I turn that off too.

I only look at football with a 'how does that affect us' attitude.

So basically, I am a Villa supporter not a football fan.

[villa `cross the mersey]

I thoroughly enjoyed the Arse game last night, and yes there was huge element of jealousy that we are as far away from night like that as ever.

As for football in general, any interest I have in neutral football if wholly dependant on the Villa.





If we have won our last game, I love footy and watch MOTD, not just for the Villa, and watch most other football that is on telly.
If we haven't won our last game, I could't care less about footy. never watch MOTD, and barely read football articles.
This season, I could'nt tell you who is in the top 10 of the prem, and their relative positions. Are Liverpool still running away with the title ?

As an aside, I just read there 7,515 at Wigan vs Bolton in the cup last night !!           

This could have been written by me

I could name you the cup winners for every year from 1970 to 1990, but barely for one year after that

I used to want English teams to win in Europe, even Liverpool. Now I can't stand them

I loved watching England too and was very patriotic, now I secretly quite enjoy it if they get beaten...

There's so much to hate (starting with that gimp Clive Tyldesley and his over-wrought commentary last night) and so little to like

In short, I am a grumpy old git...

Richard are we twins?

Everything said there is very much the way I think about football now............. I enjoyed myself watching us go from Third Division Champions to European Champions inside 11 years  - that never gets mentioned by the Media who are so obsessed with Premiership, Champions League etc.

[pablopicasso_10]

i am going to start watching torpoint athletic... one of my team mates from my 6-a-side team plays for them, and its good to go and support him every now and again... they are two matches away from wembley too in a cup competition...

[Dave Cooper please]

i am going to start watching torpoint athletic... one of my team mates from my 6-a-side team plays for them, and its good to go and support him every now and again... they are two matches away from wembley too in a cup competition...

FA Vase. Great competition, Tamworth won it in 1989.
Whitley Bay will win it this year though.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

I don't give a shit about any other matches really apart from Villa. Occasionally i will watch a Sunday afternoon game if i am down the pub but generally i couldnt care less about anyone else these days.

Athough i admire your loyalty. I find it hard for you not to be excited about Arsenal v Barcelona in mid week. As surely any football fan would mark this down as a "must see." I have no connection to either team and have supported Villa from day one. But i love football and was certainly not disappointed ..........

[pablopicasso_10]

i am going to start watching torpoint athletic... one of my team mates from my 6-a-side team plays for them, and its good to go and support him every now and again... they are two matches away from wembley too in a cup competition...

FA Vase. Great competition, Tamworth won it in 1989.
Whitley Bay will win it this year though.

yea, thats the one.. was meant to go and watch them last week against billingham synthonia, but couldnt make it.. torpoint won 1-0... my mate is an excellent keeper and its nice to offer a bit of support to him...

i went to watch villa play torpoint athletic many years ago (think we won 8-1) in a pre season friendly, and bosnich laughed at me for falling over.. lol...

[TopDeck113]

I admire those of you who will watch non-league football to scratch the itch. 

In recent years I've been to see FC United a couple of times, which since it is played at a league ground in front of a couple of thousand, isn't really your archetypal non-league fare, and also Ramsbottom United.  I can't say I was hooked.

I reckon that in a scenario where the Villa were to cease to exist for whatever reason, I'd not bother with watching live football outside of my school teams.

[Brend'Watkins]

I will pretty much watch any game that is on TV if nothing better is on.  There is always one team that I will want to win more than the other.  That's why the Champions league/UEFFA cup is so watchable...I love seeing the English teams (ourselves apart) getting beat, always have and always will. 

I enjoyed the Barca Arse game the other night.  That was the best football match I've seen in a while, wrong outcome though.  The 2nd leg should be something, hopefully Barcelona will give them a spanking by which time I hope I will have witnessed Arsenal giving the Blues a sever beating...a record beating in fact in a League cup final.