Boring Boring Football

[old man villa fan]

I am fed up with people telling me how much I should enjoy a particular match and how brilliant an individual player is.  I have watched football for 45 years and do not need a commentator or a pundit to make believe something is better than what I am actually seeing with my own eyes.

I believe two of the things that have left football as it is today are firstly the dwindling of the number of very good footballers.  Due to the small number, they are gravitating to a few clubs.  30 years ago a few clubs couldn't corner the market in quality players.

The other thing happened in 1995.  What was well intentioned to protect the wellbeing of professional footballers at a lower level and worked for a time has resulted in a market that benefits the top players at the expense of the clubs and has in fact worked against the players at the lower end who it was supposed to protect.  How many players in the common climate are finding contracts not renewed when they run out.

Jean-Marc Bosman is said to be now living on benefits having spent all of his earnings from the game.

[avwebby]

I run a pub down sarf. We had the game on live and only 4 or 5 in to watch after scouseland v manure. Bloke I got chatting to is an exiled toffee and after a few jars we said the top 5/6 should fuck off and leave the likes of Everton and Villa et al to play. Decided that for the past few seasons we drew or had really close hard fought games between us that should always be on TV.
Yeah I'm bored with the top teams and would be happy if they went and then we get back to terrestrial tv showing games we want to watch.

The only thing is I have this drug in my life and It's Aston Villa it doesn't go away however I feel whether I'm bored or not It's like a second Wife.

[Phil from the upper holte]

So what are we saying here? Charge norwich £10 each?

[Gazza1982]

Truth is only Man U, Man City or Chelski are going to win the title, Liverpool and Arse and Spuds will contest the next 3 places. Thats just the way it is, without Randy we could have done a Sheff Wed or Notts Forest or a Leeds, huge clubs with tradition and support, so although its a closed shop at the top it could be a lot worse.
How bad is it in Scotland where only 2 teams are ever going to win the league or Spain where we have the same situation. In Germany theres only 3 teams realistically in with a chance,Italy only 3 or 4........the only chance of glory for teams like ours or Everton and the like is the cups, go out of those early and its season over very early on.........would we all be moaning if a Sheikh came our way and decided to invest 500 million quid?,I think not.

[Dave]

In Germany theres only 3 teams realistically in with a chance

Which three were you thinking? Considering four different teams have won it in the last five years. And 'big clubs' like Werder Bremen, Hamburg and Schalke aren't amongst those four.

[Gazza1982]

Just one more thing, I for one still enjoy the Prem very much, the match Newcastle V Spuds was an absolute cracker and although it wont be a popular thing to say, but after being in the shadow of manure for so many many years I actually like seeing Man City having some success. It must have been a real pisser for their fans for so many years getting Man U rubbed in their faces for so long, God knows it pissed me off, must've been 10 times worse for them.

[Gazza1982]

In Germany theres only 3 teams realistically in with a chance

Which three were you thinking? Considering four different teams have won it in the last five years. And 'big clubs' like Werder Bremen, Hamburg and Schalke aren't amongst those four.

Have to admit, I dont follow it closely, but its usually Bayern Munich,Borussia Dortmund,Stuttgart,Gladbach and Messershmidt Rallies

[TopDeck113]

..would we all be moaning if a Sheikh came our way and decided to invest 500 million quid?,I think not.

I'm sure some would positively embrace it, but I actually think many would be at least mildly embarrassed. 

Citeh fans probably revel in it more than most would, simply because for many of them they've had a lifetime of being the perennial laughingstock in their own city, whilst their neighbours accumulated trophy after trophy.  This was their only way of gaining at least parity with United.  As a good friend of mine said to me on Saturday, "I'm going to enjoy every minute of it, although I know it means that we have turned into everything I professed to despise."

[jembob]

On Saturday evening I logged onto H&V expecting to see a number of threads either calling for the manager to be sacked, accusing the players of not being bothered or complaining about the board. Apart form a relatively small match thread there was nothing to suggest that we were surprised or even disappointed at the result.
Saturday's game illustrated the gulf in budget between the clubs and I'm not surprised that so many fans are finding better things to do on match day.

[Gazza1982]

Some of my best memories at Villa park were the European nights.Juventus in particular, at the back of the Holte when Cowans scored with a diving header to make it 1-2 (sure it was Cowans), my Dad nearly swallowed his cigarette with the surge forward.
I'll take 'mildly embarrased' all day long to see the cream of Europe back at Villa Park again and to lift the FA cup once more, in fact, to be honest, I really wouldnt give a shit.

[Vancouver]

I never thought that I would say it but since moving out here, I like the Way the NFL is run. Makes it more open

[eastie]

I've been utterly bored by football this season, too. It's nothing to do with Saturday's result, I've been like this from the kick off of the first match.

It is all just so predictable and unexciting.

I haven't watched MOTD once this season. In fact, I generally turn it over if it comes on.

It's not to do with Villa so much as the sport as a whole.

Sadly for the 1st time in 40 years of watching the game i feel very much the same way as you do paulie, oh for the game i loved in the 70s and 80s.

[LeeB]

Some of my best memories at Villa park were the European nights.Juventus in particular, at the back of the Holte when Cowans scored with a diving header to make it 1-2 (sure it was Cowans), my Dad nearly swallowed his cigarette with the surge forward.
I'll take 'mildly embarrased' all day long to see the cream of Europe back at Villa Park again and to lift the FA cup once more, in fact, to be honest, I really wouldnt give a shit.

It's this attitude which has been exploited and allowed the situation football finds itself in.

If we lifted the FA Cup using the means that Citeh have, it wouldn't mean dick to me.

[eastie]

Some of my best memories at Villa park were the European nights.Juventus in particular, at the back of the Holte when Cowans scored with a diving header to make it 1-2 (sure it was Cowans), my Dad nearly swallowed his cigarette with the surge forward.
I'll take 'mildly embarrased' all day long to see the cream of Europe back at Villa Park again and to lift the FA cup once more, in fact, to be honest, I really wouldnt give a shit.

It's this attitude which has been exploited and allowed the situation football finds itself in.

If we lifted the FA Cup using the means that Citeh have, it wouldn't mean dick to me.

If we lifted the fa cup by whatever means it would mean the world to me!

[Gazza1982]

Some of my best memories at Villa park were the European nights.Juventus in particular, at the back of the Holte when Cowans scored with a diving header to make it 1-2 (sure it was Cowans), my Dad nearly swallowed his cigarette with the surge forward.
I'll take 'mildly embarrased' all day long to see the cream of Europe back at Villa Park again and to lift the FA cup once more, in fact, to be honest, I really wouldnt give a shit.

It's this attitude which has been exploited and allowed the situation football finds itself in.

If we lifted the FA Cup using the means that Citeh have, it wouldn't mean dick to me.

So if Sheikh Loadsadosh came along with the promise of a few hundred million quid to invest in the team you would say, keep your money raghead,we are above all that! I think you would find yourself in the minority.