Penalties or 6 replays? That is the question

I've been trying to write this blog for a while but just couldn't seem to make it sound the way I wanted. I hope it works this time.

A week or so ago I was contemplating what it was that had made me fall out of love with football. Since I was old enough to walk, I have been a fanatic, but recently my love of the game has dwindled. A season ticket holder for many a year, I haven't renewed now for the last 2 seasons.This is despite my team being promoted to the Premier League (actually, that is one of the reasons that I didn't renew).

So, what are the reasons?

Well, the money in the game now is certainly spoiling it in my view. The overpaid, pampered players. The cost of tickets. The constant cheating and blatant bias towards the big clubs. These are certainly all factors. However, it occurred to me the other day that the thing I miss most about football is the mystery and the excitement that the game had many years ago. It's the basic things that I really miss. Muddy pitches, snow covered pitches, cup replays on a foggy evening, kits without advertising slogans plastered all over them.

Is this just nostalgia or has the game changed for the worse?

Well, consider this. Almost every time any of the TV channels screen an FA Cup match they open their credits with Ronnie Radford's 25 yard screamer for Hereford against Newcastle in 1972 (much to disgust of my Newcatsle supporting Dad, I might add). A great goal that was the climax of a typical 1970's cup match. David v Goliath. Well, next time you see that clip, check out the pitch. That match would not be played today because the poor little Premier League stars might hurt themselves. They would wait until conditions were perfect or, even worse, play the game at St James's Park.

I can also remember games in the 70's played on snowbound pitches where the snow had been scraped away from the pitch markings. Players struggling to control the orange ball, which always seemed to bounce differently to the standard white one. Fantatstic, atmospheric images.
Everything is so sanitised and controlled these days. The money men ensure that the same clubs qualify for Europe each year. The so called Champions League (is that a joke name, by the way?), once down to the quarter-final stage, will always feature a select few. Gone are the days of exotic clubs making a one-off, or rare appearance. Where are the likes of Sachsenring Zwickau, Stal Mielec or Slovan Bratislava (yeah, I know, they aren't that exotic)?

I vividly remember being on holiday in Wales (because that's where you went in the 70's) and tracking down newsagents in an effort to get postcards of FC Magdeburg and Gornik Zabrze to complete my Panini UEFA collection. These days the collection would feature, Man Utd, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea etc etc. Boring.

I have been lucky enough, through my job and personally, to travel around quite a lot. Instead of collecting beermats, or train tickets I tend to collect football teams. However, I don't go for the mainstream teams. For instance, my Madrid team is not Real or Atletico, it's Rayo Vallecano. In Lisbon, I didn't choose Benfica or Sporting, I went for Belenenses. In Poland, it wasn't Wisla or Legia, it was Unia Tarnow. In Scotland I follow Albion Rovers.

I constantly find myself disregarding the mainstream teams and seeking out the more obscure side of the game. The 'real' football. Where players and supporters are there because they love the game and love the club.

Maybe it is just nostalgia. All I know is that I miss the way football used to be.

For the early birds amongst us

Whilst browsing some of the blogs on iBostin (www.iBostin.com) I came across this fantastic project. It's called the 4am Project and was dreamed up by a Brummie lass called Karen Strunks. Personally, I think it is a wonderful idea and I will be setting my alarm for 4am on April 4. I urge you all to do the same (or at least have a look at the website, http://4amproject.org/).

Bovril or Prawn Sandwich?

I just heard a peice on the radio talking about a section of the Middlesbrough FC crowd being asked by the club to turn the volume down!! I couldn't belive my ears. I've never heard of a club complaining that the crowd makes too much noise before. Then a QPR fan called in to say that they had the same thing happen during a game. A steward asked them to keep it down because the owners were entertaining guests and the noise was spoiling their enjoyment.
Unbelievable! Now I know that my beloved game has sold out. Do these clubs not understand who keeps them in business? Do they think that their players want to play in front of silent crowds?
It's bad enough that prices have gone through the roof (I won't even get into why this has happened), but now clubs are also asking people to keep quiet. It's a stadium, not a library!!!
What is going to happen to the game when it goes out of fashion? When these money-men decide they want to take their mates to see their new cricket club or hockey club? Are the clubs going to expect the 'real' supporters to flock back and prop them up?
Now, I don't delude myself that anyone actually reads this blog. I write it mainly for my own pleasure. However, if anyone out there happens to stray across it, and, more to the point, agrees that football clubs are turning their backs on real supporters, please let me know, and let me know which team you support. Pass the URL onto any friends who support different clubs. Ideally I would like to hear the opinion of at least one supporter from each of the 92 league clubs, plus any non-league teams and Scottish supporters. The more the merrier.

Take care though. If you are at work, type quietly. Don't wake your boss up :-)

Global Finance - The simplistic view

The news this morning has been dominated by the size of Britain's national debt. As always, there are many figures flying around, from 1.5 trillion to 2 trillion. The Mail reports that we all, man, woman and child, owe £33,000.00. Whatever the number, it's a lot of money.
Or is it????
According to OECD statistics (only up to 2007, admittedly), every country in the world (apart from Japan?) has a national debt, ranging from a relatively small 6 figure sum through to trillions of dollars.
Now, I know this is a very simplistic view, but, if we all owe money (except Japan) then who, exactly, do we owe it to? Maybe it is Japan?. Maybe it's an intergalactic bank (imagine a little green Howard singing and dancing in his spaceship)?
Couldn't the citizens of Earth get together and collectively decide that we don't owe anything? Obviously, we would have to get permission from Japan first.
Hey presto! The global economy is back on track.

I await my offer of a position in the cabinet :-)

Excellent. Plenty of stories making my blood boil today :-)

Surely everyone is missing the point with the Jacqui Smith story. I don't care if her sister's house is her primary, secondary or even tertiary home. The fact that she earns $140K plus already says to me that she doesn't need any kind of supplementary allowance anyway.

Manage your finances better woman! Just like the rest of us have to.

Now, I can't say that I am a big fan of Duffy, in fact, I hardly know any of her music. However, I have to say hats off to her for preventing Coldplay from winning anything at the Brits.

Hello Everyone. It seems that everyone has a blog these days. Well, so do I now.
Not yet entireley sure what will end up on these pages. i suspect it will mainly be a sounding board to vent my frustrations with the world.
Looking forward to sparking some discussions.