That was a nice trip down memory lane even though my best memories are from a slightly older era, but things didn't change much in those days and before. One of the first things in my travels, and entering a new area for me, was that I would look for the floodlight pylons gracing the sky to show me where the local club played their home games. I still carry on the tradition in a slightly different format in that all my sightings are during flights around the world and more specifically over the U.K., Spain, Portugal, Germany and Czech Republic. You get a full birds eye view and it's amazing because you can see the stadium's location on the map, followed by a cheat visit to Google Street View to drive past the actual venue. How turnip headed is that?
Absolutely Mike Now, most stadiums, even though infinitely more comfortable than the 1960d/70s/80s and 90s all look like warehouses on an industrial estate from the outside Football itself has lost the vast majority of the magic that held me under its spell as a child and teenager
It’s a completely different game now, both on and off the pitch. I still enjoy watching City, the buzz is still there, but the experience is completely different. I was at the Burnley game, and before kickoff they were warning people to stay off the pitch after the game, threatening anyone that went on the pitch would have a banning order. Whilst no one wants to return to the bad old days of football violence I do believe it’s gone too far. I’m too long in the tooth now, but as a young man going onto the pitch at the end of the season was fun. I remember when we got promotion to the first division how everyone went mental, ran on the pitch raised some of the players into the air, it was just pure emotion, what memories. Todays youngsters will never get any of that, it’s all a bit too sanitised. We see at the beginning of every game on robins tv a clip of that day, the pitch was completely full of fans, the emotions were plain to see, hands raised, fist pumps etc, pure joy. It’s sad to think even if we ever manage to once again reach the promised land we’ll never experience scenes like that again, it’s sad. I didn’t even bother to stay for the lap of honour after the Burnley game, why bother. It’s too sanitised and forced. It does seem like we (football fans in general) are treated like customers rather than fans, it made me sad.
The days of yesteryear are long in the memories of many of us and I seriously question whether the entire experience can ever be replicated. Everything today is so sanitized and driven by money, much of it very un-sanitized, which has driven a wedge between the haves and the have nots to such a point that a level playing field has been taken away from the equation. I know the game was destined for change but the smell of horse liniment as the players came out of the dressing room still lingers in my memory, plus seeing the players exit stage left covered in mud brought an air of finality to the match. Expecting to possibly see someone get their legs bitten by Norman or spotting the gap in Nobby's smile still fill me with a wry sense of having been there and seen that. The experience of seeing Big John cycling into Ashton Gate and the crowds of young bright eyed supporters baying for his autograph are firm in my mind, as is the same pre-match ritual in a more modern time frame when the same happened as some overpaid player arrived in his expensive sports car and told the first autograph seeker to f**k off. The place of a footballers as potential role models has been soured indefinitely by huge salaries and low personal attributes that, to me, have changed the game I have always loved for the worse. Moaning about it will never change what football has become and so I just sigh all too often and say regularly that it is not the same as in my day, and that's a shame.
I totally agree with Ashton. I was on the AG pitch after we beat Pompey in 76 and on the Highfield pitch a year later securing another season in Division 1. Life has become sanitised and woke. Progress ? My rear end ! I can't even write a*so.
Hard to argue that some things have improved such as stadium comfort and infrastructure But I miss muddy pitches that were a proper leveller back then, especially in the FA Cup I’ll never forget the Hereford v Newcastle upset from 1972, Colchester beating Leeds 3-2 and of course us beating Leeds away in 1974 plus York beating Arsenal, Sutton beating Coventry and Wrexham beating Arsenal Special mention to ‘Tins’ for the only goal at Anfield too ! You rarely even see players with dirty kits at the end of 90 minutes these days ! Then there’s the tsunami of money which has really ruined the modern game and the cheating element that the Europeans gave English football
I am sure that many of the pampered overpaid players of today probably visit their hairdresser before games so as to look their best when coming out of the tunnel. As you say angelic there is barely a trace of mud on their bodies, or kit, at the end of matches because the last thing needed is a bad photo in the sports pages to spoil their media image. Can you ever imagine players like Gerry Gow finishing a game with a clean shirt because to him it would have meant virtually no participation in the game? In the days of yore it was considered a mark of respect to leave the field looking like you had slept under a hedge all night and indeed many managers insisted on it to get on the next team sheet. Funny old world isn't it?
Funny is an over used word Mike Coming off the field covered in mud with a sweat stained shirt and cuts and bruises was a badge of honour No water breaks no half hearted challenges 11 men versus 11 men watched by the thousands of working men who had toiled all week in often horrendous conditions to cheer their team on from 1500 on a Saturday afternoon and a few pints with their mates No tv coverage no action replays no female commentators talking like they know the men’s game. They just don’t I’m not a mysogonist, I just want the mens game to be for men and officiated by men And most importantly, judged by men
I'm with you all the way on those comments and to add a new one that pees me of greatly is that BBC Football decides to add women's news in with the overall coverage despite the fact there is a drop down menu for Women's Football at the top of the page. Is there a drop down window on the Women's Football page for the male version - answer NO? When I see 3 women and a lonely man commenting on Men's football I shudder at where wokeism is taking us. Rant over - by hell NO.
Womens fixtures and results often take precedent over mens on the BBC app, and website Good to see where their loyalties lie. Probably Gary Linekers idea ! I'd like to add that I have absolutely no issue with girls and woman playing football and would actively encourage it. So as and when it overtakes the mens game in terms of skill, entertainment, interest and revenue generated I will shut up
Complaining about BBC but puts up a BBC link suggesting how great it was back then Also to posters saying players don’t get dirty like previously is, because to because grounds have improved drainage and being part artificial so it’s played on nice grass not turned up surfaces like it used to be.
I loved those days when a sliding tackle from behind was almost an art. Can hear our manager now screaming 'take the lot'. Nevertheless it's a better game now.
The game, grounds, playing surfaces and players themselves and the way they live and train are all very different to how it was 50 years ago. Football has become more sanitised and possibly less interesting in a lot of ways, but there's no doubt there is more skill, and the players are so much fitter these days. But I still have great memories from the late 60's onwards when it was all amazingly exciting as a kid.
So many great memories come flooding back, as a kid my dad would drive to numerous away matches or safer going with CATS, with lovely Beryl Fudge et co. Stuck in London trying to get to Upton Park and we see a supporters coach, ‘follow them’, little did we know the poor coach driver didn’t have a clue where he was! Percy Dalton’s roasted peanuts found at the London grounds, smell of bovril in the West Midlands, thanks to my dad I even had time to play a match before jumping into the 3L Capri and getting to Villa from midsomer Norton. Stoke away on a Tuesday night after school no problem and a 2-2 draw. A nice write up from Giles Goford but many of us had already done it. On another note I often bump into Trevor Senior, on first name terms, I asked him did he fancy the Reading job, he replied no, I don’t want to work weekends!
I have stared at results thinking **** Arsenal beat Brighton 6-0, that is hell of a result and didn't know they were playing. Then the highlights come up and its 800 people watching a womens game. The profile is becoming completely over the top. Local Southern league teams equal the gates our womens City team get.
