0% Villa - Falling out of love with NEUTRAL football

[Nev]

At the very top level I find it hard to enjoy football, unless it involves Villa.

Arsenal are an ideal example. When I first started watching football I had enormous respect for the club, loved visiting Highbury and felt that they were an essential part of the make-up of the game in this country. A club with huge tradition, that treated that history with respect and dignity.

The modern Arsenal play at a glorified theme park stuffed full of corporate seats that hasn't even got it's own name but that of the highest bidder. The manager is a hypocrite who has built a side that while playing some wonderful football, have a bitter and nasty gait fueled by unjustified paranoia and show almost no respect whatsoever to officials or the opposition. They have trampled all over the original image of the club, and have an unpalatable and vulgar arrogance.

Sadly Arsenal are not alone, it is a by product of the modern game and the money now generated within.

I watch non-league on a regular basis and football is still a great game, played and watched by people for enjoyment but at the top of the game it has left fans like me behind. The new generation of fans worship the players I hold in contempt, the new generation don't care for the cup competition that I hold in reverence and the new generation have limited ambition depending on the club they support while I used to believe (and sometimes still do) that Villa will sweep all before them.

[TonyD]

I have become much more Villa focused over the last decade.

I reckon it started at Japan 2002 WC when we bent over for the Brazilians,, whilst the manager sat like a turnip.  The same has happened with England ever since - different overated foriegn manager,  same over paid over rated wankers like SG and JT in the team.   Same stupid FA.    If England have a total clearout and regime change it could lift the blinkers.

[Rigadon]

Like most, I have very little interest in watching games that aren't Villa related.  Too many average games on TV. 

[Chipsticks]

Nope, completely different for me. I was fully hyped for last night's game and watched it all with great interest. Particularly looking forward to Man Utd - Crawley at the weekend also.

I think I'd blame it on Villa's poor performance as of late, but in retrospect I've always had a great deal of interest for other games. I'm villa through-and-through, but I love football.

[darren woolley]

I like to watch MOTD and England matches and try to watch The Football league Show that's about it for me.

[ez]

I always record MOTD although sometimes never get round to watching it especially if i know villa were gash. I prefer MOTD2, near the end when they skim through all the goals. I'll have the occasional live game on but usually i'm doing some networking at the same time and will look up when something interesting happens.

[Chris Smith]

I like football so if I'm not doing anything else will watch it when it is on the box but I do have some quality control. So if it's a crap game I tend to drift off and do other things. This week the Spurs game left me cold so I was watching it while reading, surfing the net and chatting on the phone whereas last night the game kept me entertained throughout.

It is the oposite if it's the Villa, i'll always watch and result comes before performance.

[Lizz]

Listened to first half commentary of Arsenal's game last night on R5, watched most of second half on television. Enjoyed it more than expected.

Generally though, only interested in Villa. There are some players like Torres, Arshavin, Van der Vaart etc I wouldn't recognise if they walked past me in the street. Would recognise some like Drogba, Tevez, ex Villa, Giggs, Nevilles.

I was more concerned last night about Forest losing.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I just watch the big games as I don't have time to watch friendlies or group stages.

[curiousorange]

I'm not out of love with non-Villa football but I always like to see other English teams fail. Yes, it's sour grapes but also indicates that I've made my choice and therefore can show no residual affection for others. So I watched the game last night largely to see Arsenal get outplayed and was happy for 45 minutes that they had been.

Having said that, I love watching international tournaments and other leagues. I actively enjoy that football.

[The Left Side]

Just the Villa games for me, I used to enjoy watching England but now the national team is just made up of the modern day footballer who only gives a flying fig himself, the Euro champs and World Cups are always good viewing but it's nogood getting our hopes up as we are way behind the top countries.

[richard moore]

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...

[TopDeck113]

Occasionally watch a non-Villa match, but more often tham not will have Five Live on in the background, so will listen to lots of matches. 

On the subject of neutrals, I note that the cheapest ticket on general sale for the Champion's League final will be one-hundred and seventy-six sheets.  Who the f*ck is going to part with that?

[cheltenhamlion]

My views are well documented. I fell out of love with football a long time ago. If we aren't playing, I dont give a shit.

[NeilH]

I actually switched to the Dutch telly commentary last night as Tyldessley was just simply winding me up. As much as I enjoyed the game last night I am now just utterly indifferent to football on the telly. I still try to go and watch team locals to where I live, as a neutral fan, even going to watch Telstar Velsen a couple of times. Frankly being there always gives you a different perspective and involvement that the telly cannot provide, not least the characters you see at other grounds (especially true the lower down the leagues you go).
I used to always be in the group that watched MOTD based on the Villa result, but now I just don't bother at all. Maybe it because I've probably seen the Villa game over the internet or telly, or maybe it because I just don't care that much. I even shrugged my shoulders at the so-called 'amazing weekend of results' a couple of weeks ago.