Since the mid 70s it's been a predictable pattern. From then to the start of the PL it was Liverpool winning most times with Arsenal and Everton popping up for a couple of wins. Then Utd took over and again it was Arsenal and later Chelsea popping up with the odd win. Now we have City dominating with Liverpool getting the odd win. So the pattern is more or less the same.
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ENIC
- Thread starter mattls
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Craig_J
Sergei Rebrov
Aside from that I also haven't followed international football in donkeys years even though one of my main reasons for becoming invested in the game was from the passion, excitment and momentum of watching England in the 2006 world cup
I do not care about the national side but I do feel even there it says a lot about the state of the game.
Namely it is absoloutely criminal that we have not hosted a world cup in
I check the nations bidding for the next club world cup and bloody United States might get it again because FIFA wants to expand (milk money - probably corruptly cos its FIFA) from them.
I then check who is in the mix to host the 2038 WC. See US is in the mix again.
Nothing against any other nation but how sad and perverse England is so far down the pecking order.
The authorites ultimately have the power to make football really good but decide to make the game a cash cow too such an extent all the spriit of the game has long gone.
I wouldn't be against supporting Futsal instead just to know I am not associated with these extrneley dodgy associations in even a modest way.
I do not care about the national side but I do feel even there it says a lot about the state of the game.
Namely it is absoloutely criminal that we have not hosted a world cup in
I check the nations bidding for the next club world cup and bloody United States might get it again because FIFA wants to expand (milk money - probably corruptly cos its FIFA) from them.
I then check who is in the mix to host the 2038 WC. See US is in the mix again.
Nothing against any other nation but how sad and perverse England is so far down the pecking order.
The authorites ultimately have the power to make football really good but decide to make the game a cash cow too such an extent all the spriit of the game has long gone.
I wouldn't be against supporting Futsal instead just to know I am not associated with these extrneley dodgy associations in even a modest way.
Grays_1890
Gary Stevens
Same, I don't think football is a very good product anymore. Overcoached, no real mavericks, I rarely watch and see players like the 90s where players would take chances, have a wide variety of skills or range of passing. You could watch a game in the 90s/00s and have literally, Neved, Zidane, Pirlo, Simone and co all on the same pitch as one fixture in a weekend. Now you don't see that level of talent in the whole game IMO.
Its also an age of the extremes, you see a player have 5 good games and its "is this the best XYZ you have seen" change that for a goal or save etc.......its just all abit meh. I get I am not the audience anymore, but its just not very good IMO
Craig_J
Sergei Rebrov
Anyone older than me would know better about the gaps between the sides so I'd have to about the gaps between the sides.
But it does seem like its just been a virtually consistent "top 4/5/6" for my life.
I remember for years it was just
Chelsea
Pool
Arsenal
United
for like a dozen seasons plus before we eventually had our crack.
Its not so much one team dominating even that puts me off but the same consistent teams finfishing the top.
I feel I am starting to accept in 2045 it will be City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Pool, United (less they continue to be negligent) Saudi Sportswashing Machine all having concsistent top finishes before its even happened.
And if I am wrong that can only mean another (as yet unaccounted) side has been used for white washing as well
Craig_J
Sergei Rebrov
I know it seems odd to say this when I am not old myself but as a kid seeing a Brazilian XI of Cafu, Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldino, Ronaldo all line up
I could just tell now days guys have nothing compared to the sort of players now days. I can't name a current player based on current performanes who would ever get near them
I think I feel very detatched from football and the footballing world overall.
Grays_1890
Gary Stevens
And thats just one team, you look at say United, Arsenal, Juve, Barce, Madrid, AC etc, over the course of 20 year and its just excess of star names, beyond that the same.
I went to three Pompey games with a colleague and saw Robert Prosinecki and he was literally one of the best footballers I have seen live and that was the Championship. Now people are arguing that PEH is a decent player........
No way the games as good as it was, athletic, yes, technically? No chance.
Also you end up with so many outside in the supporter world making moves, support isnt about support anymore, thick and thin, taking the lows, its about trying to make a name for yourself as a fan and raising profiles online, thats what 99.9% of the protests are about, its not about the club per say, its about people like that Jaco and BillieT being seen as leaders of a group and loads of blue tick online profiles back slapping and making out they are something more than anyone else who go, pay and just keep their heads down.
I just don't like the game I see much anymore
Rosy retrospection
Muttley
Tim Sherwood
I think the laws and lazy officiating is a massive part of why the product isn't very good anymore. I can imagine a scenario where all the referee did, aided with technology, was uphold the laws of the game. A game where the arts of playing the game using ball skill was prevailing, not the dark arts where we find ourselves today. Then you'll see the Zidanes again as their skills won't be negated by the actual system itself.
I genuinely believe that almost every game I watch would end up with about 17 or 18 players if the referee upheld the laws of the game. We'll see a massive change for the better the day that dummies at FIFA understand what's happening and put a plan in place to stop it.
Dark arts prevailing? Go back 20 years and you'll see proper dark arts, or the real masters, Italian football during the 90's. A lot of it has been cut out but it'll never be gone fully.
Craig_J
Sergei Rebrov
I can't rule it out completely mate. Maybe you do just reach an age where you might take for granted players today.
I would imagine it might skew my expctations to witness from age 11-12 onwards the emergence of Ronaldo and Messi who were in their own category of class
You mentioned the great Brazil team with Ronaldo etc. How often would you see that team, couple times a year at most? So those games took on more significance. Pep's Barcelona team is probably the best team ever, but because we could see them week in week out they just became the norm. Some of the stuff Messi done in those games was ridiculous but again because we saw it so often it just became normal. He did it at the top level over a time period no other player has done, we were spoiled with him and Ronaldo. They were better than what's gone before, it's just that we don't view them with the same childhood wonder as we did the players from when we were kids.
Grays_1890
Gary Stevens
But those players were also plying their trade in Europe and you could watch them weekly. Its not some romantic notion to think that players were better or more technical/better on the eye. I hate to say it, but look at just one side like Arsenal in the 90s/00s. Henry, Dennis B, Pires, Viera, Campbell, Gilberto etc, thats just one side, add to that Man United of that time.............Now look across the entire PL and you would struggle to find a handful of players in the whole league that would hold a light to them (GHod I have just been sick).
Barce, Real, Betis, Depor, Valencia were full to the brim with stars, Djalminha picking his side up to win the league, Mendieta at Valencia in what was a generational side that should have won more, they were side that were an absolute joy to watch.
Italy was unbelievably stacked with talent, beyond talent and the PL had an overspill of players that would make me want to watch a game of football regardless.
Its all sanitised athletics with near on every side set up to play the same
ricky2tricky4city
Luka Modric
There's definitely a turn off if the 'fairness' in football appears abused. Riding roughshod over the rules, journey shortcutting etc.
I'd also suggest the overbearing and exhausting nature of the noise around the game, overshadowing the game itself. The majority being low low quality and drivel.
Our club, as much as any, has endless narratives running round it and most of it is emotional gonads. Which personally I have no time for. I absolutely do when it comes to game day and the on field action though.
I think tbh it feels (I could be wrong) most people are in the SM/Sky/Talk brick tent so I'm outside that and just can't be doing it, so perhaps feel a detachment as a result. Whatever, there's something there I just don't like (probably the relentless arguing and negativity tbh).
If you're disillusioned or time poor, perhaps hook up with a local non league team and direct some of your football attention there.....there's some earthy grass roots fun and enjoyment to be had and a human connection once you get speaking to fellow fans and the players.
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Muttley
Tim Sherwood
Exactly, you're proving my point. The negative change took decades to evolve to what we have today.
My problem is that I don't really see an energy from anyone to reverse it. I think it will get even worse actually.
Surely other people can see that for skills to become prevalent again we need very strong and competent officiating. The 2 things are intrinsically linked. As you say though, there will always be something there as bending rules is sort of human nature.
Haaland, KDB, Silva, Rodri, Salah, Vdv, all as good if not better than those Arsenal players probably with the exception of Henry. The league is full of top quality players, they're more spread out between clubs. The standard overall is higher now. Yes they're more athletic now but they also have the technical ability.
Proving your point?? The dark arts have been reduced and are only a very small part of the game now. Until the game is refed by an all seeing AI then it's not going to be completely stamped out. The dark arts was worse in years gone by, so how on earth is strong and competent officiating needed for skills to become prevalent again when the officiating used to be worse?
Grays_1890
Gary Stevens
Rodri is great for what he does, no way is he above Veira and Keanes of the world for their all round abilities and the ability to to it many times in a two man midfield. Haaland is indicative of the times IMO, no doubt a very very good striker, but his all round game, I would take Bergkamp a million months of Sundays as a complete player, especially in a period when CBs were actual defensive units and not ball playing QBs who can't defend
Add Keane, Giggs, RVN, Vidic, Rio, Beckhams......
There is no way that same level of quality exists in two sides now, let alone the whole league............thats before you look at the likes of Drogba, Lampards, Gerrards, Owens etc.
And as I say, Europe was awash, literally in every side with technically world class players
Picking a random CL final and two, even at the time "lesser sides" even if you could call them that and laced with stars that you would not even see spread across the entire continent now, in terms of real top class.
I am 43, not sat here with the Hovis music on in the background harking back to better times. IMO players were far more technical on the ball, passed it better, played with a level of flair and x-factor which I don't think can be denied as being coached out. The game is faster now, more athletic, but better to watch weekly? Not for me, its not bias to the past that makes me bored of a large portion of the football I watch now........
There is just no way IMO that there is the same depth of quality as there was..........not for what I like to watch as football.
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Rodri great for what he does and not as good as Veira and Keane for all round game?? You're having a laugh. He's the closest player to Busquets around and up there with Veira and Keane. And that's picking probably the two top midfielders in PL history. What about the thousands of others. If you think Rodri isn't a top all round player I think I'll leave it at that. Anyway Enic...
Craig_J
Sergei Rebrov
I undersand what you mean buddy though I do think if you take a look at any Real Madrid team from 2000-2005 the amount of star quality is through the roof.
Allbeit that side admittedly didn't ever acheive anything near what they should have for whatever reason. But relative to the current landscape I think it was harder to win things back then.
I do find myself wondering from time to time if kids now see what they have now as equivalent to what we had back then.
I agree mate. I think for me that a pivotal moment seemed to be the Chelsea take over. It was a real moment where football authroites could have chosen to prevent them abusing their new found wealth and instead they welcomed it.
After that it became an endemic at lightning pace. Its affeceted not just us in England but the entire European football landscape since.