The Olympics have continually reminded me that I really do not like football, footballers, or the whole football package I have not spared a thought in the last two weeks about cafc, the opening games, the season ahead or even buying a cafc shirt. My kids are totally Olympic mad which feels me with a lot of pride and satisfaction that they have been moved by individual sacrifice and achievement. Thy have recognised that other sports offer much more than unreachable footballers that are paid far too much and deliver nothing. I have cried a bucket load of tears at this olympics, football has not mde me do that ever. I have been falling out of love with football for a longtime and I now hope my two kids ask me to take them out to do other things on a saturday afternoon rather than the monotinous ritual of attending matches that have meant nothing to me for a long time. The olympics has shown that Football has lost its personality, it's mojo, it's very soul, the footballers themselves that tweet about shagging models and buying crystal champagne appear like baboons against the charm of an athlete or a rower that tweet about thier mothers and the gratitude to those that got them to the games. The difference is humility and without humility you have no value, footballers or most of them have forgotten what is valuable. I wonder if football can recover from this humiliating PR bashing it has taken. When GB had to pick that incesturous sister shagger Ryan Giggs as their captain it says all you need to know about value. I want football to fail because that is the only way it can be saved.
As much as I loved the Olympics, nothing will ever beat CAFC or football for me. I've been counting the days till Birmingham.
There's a lot in what you say, typical, but like SC, I'm gagging to get to St. Andrews next Saturday and I'm pretty gutted that I'm going to miss my first CAFC home game of the season for about 15 years, as it's on a Tuesday night. I read an article the other day about rowers - they have no podium for medal ceremonies, because of the respect in which they hold their fellow competitors. What a wonderful spirit in which to play sport. IMO, the fact that the football authorities have allowed Joey Barton to circumvent his well deserved suspension with hardly a squeak of protest, tells you pretty much all you need to know about the morality of football, or rather its lack of it.
typical - I understand what you say, but the experience of these Olympics has surely been so exciting specifically because it only happens once every four years. As much as I have shed a few tears watching some of our triumphs, I'm not sure I would be so keen to watch something like athletics or rowing 24/7, whereas I can state for certain that I will always want to watch whatever football I can. And the fact that football has such lucrative TV deals and such high attendances suggests that the public feels the same way. The Olympics are the greatest sporting festival on earth, but, to paraphrase Bill Shankly, football is my bread and butter.
Typical, totally agree with you. I have slowly been falling out of love with football and its dominance, and all the zero respect that the players have for everyone and everything around them for some time.Not to mention the foreign owners coming in and shafting clubs for their own financial benfit. As i have mentioned before, my daughter is national class swimming champ at 14, with a chance of being at Rio in 4 years time if she stays tuned, I totally agree with the humility of athletes in this Olympics being a total breath of fresh air in comparison to the Pond life that we have to endure in the football world. As i once said, who would you rather have as a role model for your kids, John Terry or David Hoy or Andrew Strauss or Laura Trott ?? TBH,sad as i am to say it, if they dropped a bomb on FA headquarters tomorrow, i wouldn't be concerned.
Am I the only one who doesn't care about any of the stuff, such as the kind of people who play it. I love watching football. I love CAFC. That's all that matters to me.
I agree Ryan, it doesn't bother me the actions of the players personally as I just enjoy the game as it is. I do think some of them are fools but you get fools in every aspect of life so I am not that bothered about attitudes or personality.
Football has lost its soul yet when you look at Rangers today who have Neil Alexander, Lee McCulloch and Kirk Broadfoot sticking with the club even though they're playing for a side which is now at Conference Premier level you have to wonder if there is a bit of soul still there. Obviously when you look at the Premier League I'd say yes without Question but at other levels outside that League I'd say the pride and the passion is still very much there... especially after three years in League One. Am definitely not falling out of love with the game myself... for the last three months I've not known what to do with myself whilst there has been no competitive football involving Charlton, thankfully that all ends this tuesday against Leyton Orient, I've got my tickets for the first four games make sure you get yours... We're back in the Championship and this is gonna be a blast of a season!! COYR
Ryan, TBH, i have a love for CAFC through it being in my blood,however,i would def leave the footy fraternity , if, god forbid, CAFC was no longer around.
If Rangers are being used as example of something good in the heart of football, the sport might as well give up... The article isn't comparing like with like. Football is something that you go to every week, watching a lower level team. The Olympics is the showpiece event for the majority of the sports involved, and with it being in London, there's been a lot of investment and emphasis on a strong British performance. I doubt you had the same feeling after Beijing (if you did, you probably wouldn't be on here these days). If you wanted to make a comparison in the opposite direction, it would be to compare when England win the World Cup in 2014 to the West Yorkshire under 21 archery competition. The Olympics has been very enjoyable and a good performance from Ireland, unbelievable performance from GB. Unfortunately, GB's strong performance has been largely in sports I can't enjoy as a spectator (cycling, horse-dancing, rowing, diving, gymnastics especially), so I'll stick to the sports I already enjoy (football included)
I'm so glad that some of you feel the way I once did about cafc. Its my team, my club and I will always have a real thing for them but I think with me, it was more of a rite of passage, a growing up thing, perhaps the only thing that me and my dad shared together was our love for football. Football offered me that connection and I am grateful but the characters in football, the drama, the theatre is absent. It reminds me of my first girlfriend I would not want to live with her but she can still show me a good time once in a while. Even in this games football showed its chavvy, blue cross side. Not only was the selection of Ryan Giggs as captain disgraceful but everything surrounding the GB performance reeked of apathy. Stuart Pearce suggesting that this tournament was a great pre season tune up, the lack of commitment, the inevitable loss, the poor performances from players that we are told are the best in the world. Funding in football reaches the billions and what do we get for it? Nothing, but excuses. Even the commentary from Hansen, Savage and that idiot Lawrenson was so banal and stomach churning tripe that even a 5 year old would have thought that they were being talked down too. We have to find heroes in football, instead we get gobby failures and thugs Football was once the beautiful game it's has become very ugly.
the olympics have been a good showpiece but sports in the olympics' main issue is that it is not accessible. i applied for about a grands worth of tickets and got none. i work one minute walk from one of the venues and saw no live events except on tv. then you have accessibility on a different level. how many people here have ever had a go at pole vaulting, discus, archery, horse dancing? you would only do any of these if you were from a privileged background. would you really go get your kid a javelin to go knock about with out the front of your house? footballers may be ar$eholes but it is the most entertaining and easy to get into sport. 3 quid ball from macro and your sorted.
Relegation from the Premiership was the best thing to happen to me - I was like John Motson before that. Now I hardly ever watch football other than Charlton. I watched MOTD twice all season last year. Football is rotten to the core.
Absolutely agree Kish, I hardly watched any football last year aside from CAFC.5 or 10 years ago i couldnt get enough Football.but that has changed forever. Also, to see the numbers of empty seats at stadiums like Villa Park and Sunderland for example show that it appears to be on the decline in terms of paying public away from the Big 6 - any figures available? I think things change when you have young kids growing up looking for sporting heroes - as i mentioned before, I didnt want my sonsor daughters growing up having role models of John Terry or Rio Ferdinand or any other football scumbag (which, generally they are). Thats why i tried to instill a broader sporting view,and took them to Cricket,Swimming,Athletics and Sailing - sports where there are real sporting heroes where you are proud that they have chosen a role model of Rebecca Adlington or Alastair Cook-people who are at the top of their profession on a world stage and also very decnt respectable individuals. I dont think you can put any English footballer in that bracket. Lawrenson and Hansen just come over as patronising arrogant pricks . Also,i disagree with the statement that there will plenty of empty seats for Athletics events - i believe that the legacy of the Olympics will mean that, if marketed correctly, then for certain any major event held in England will be mostly full.
One of the more tragic moments is when sky tv took over, certain sports coverage died almost instantly. On Saturday afternoons as a kid I watched Saturday grandstand and they used to show table tennis, equestrian, badminton etc. I have not seen them on tv since. It's a nonsense and incorrect to suggest that football is the cheapest, it's not, in fact it's one of the most expensive. A season ticket at arsenal is what £1700 for an adult and £600 for a kid. (guess) if you have two kids and but programmes etc, over a season it's more expensive than liveridge costs for a horse. If you want to sail, it costs a fiver in Gillingham each session. I think my boys football training costs him (me) £14 a week. Swiming is £3.00 at Sevenoaks and if u join the club it's cheaper. Judo and taekwondo is cheaper than the footballastro turf pitch at the leisure centres. If athletics stadiums are empty (which is possibly correct) its because we Do not market it properly. The men's marathon on now, has larger crowds than the London marathon and attendances at all PL games combined. Other sports have a future if given the right share of tv coverage. Cycling may be be bigger than cricket at the moment. Athletics is breathing down rugbys neck. I just hope the momemntum continues. I can honestly say I have never felt so proud than to watch Gemma 'cafc' gibbons get her silver, than surpassed mendoncas hatrick by a million miles.
Typical, just out of interest were your against the games beforehand? I admit I was (and possibly still am) in terms of government spending/waste. But money has bought love so I don't really know what to think anymore.
The article Tewkes mentions is here... http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...mpic-backlash-over-bad-behaviour-8034939.html
