Seen a few clips today from pundits talking about how football is becoming boring and I have to agree. Yeah I enjoyed the three points on Saturday but my god it was a horrible game. I can't say that many of our games this season have been particularly exciting. And I barely even watch any of the live prem games now cos the majority are absolutely awful, devoid of any real incident. There is never any passion, duels, one v one's, etc and it's all just pass, pass, shape, shape etc etc. Surely I'm not the only one who thinks like this?
Completely agree. It used to be by far my favourite sport to watch, and its still my favourite sport to think about, talk about and check up on news on. But I find myself on my phone scrolling the internet on any game that isnt a Sunderland game. I just don't find the games interesting any more. That compares even ridiculously with test cricket, which I'll sit and watch for hours on end without looking at my phone. Same for cycling. Same for F1. Same for rugby. It's just so dull.
I cant remember the last non SAFC game I watched - got zero appetite to watch any other games. Dont bother with any premier league games at all.
The game has gone very technical and coaches seem happy to draw, trying not to lose instead of going for the win. Having said that, Fulham v Liverpool was a cracking watch
Ive barely watched Prem football since we were relegated, and what little I've seen doesn't live up to the hype. Players can't tackle anymore, that lunge on Isidor on Saturday was as straight a red card as you can get and the Ref waved play on. Refs and VAR are ruining the spectacle, you daren't cheer a goal incase some tit a hundred miles away looks for a reason to chalk it off, it's appaling. Derby matches used to be blood and thunder now the players barely work up a sweat. Too many rule changes have spoilt a simple game and we're in for another one next season timing keepers holding into the ball too long. You can hardly blame them with this multi ball usage not giving the players time to catch their breath. Hope we go up but it's a double edged sword for me in afraid.
Yet that tackle in the liverpool derby during the week was about a red card as there will ever be and VAR ruled it a yellow - I mean if duncan ferguson thinks its a red then its a red!
I think the standard of football has never been higher and that is the cause of the problem, everyone is too good. Take the PL for example, if you exclude the bottom 3 I think every club can make a case for having at least 1 player who is in the top 5 players in their position in the league and that means teams have to guard against that. You can't go all out attacking against the likes of Brentford because they have serious quality going forward with Mbeumo and Wissa, mid table teams have never had players like that before. There's a lot fewer 'mavericks' in football now as well and that is also, for me, due to the standard of other teams. Because of the quality of opposition now you can't afford to have 1 or 2 players in your 11 who aren't at least adequate defensively, teams will pick on that all game so teams will opt for players who may not be able to produce individual moments of magic but will put in 7/10 performances every week. So my point is everyone is too good and that has lowered the 'fun' in watching.
VAR for me is the worst thing that's ever happened to football. So glad we don't have it and can actually celebrate goals and don't have the constant delays and uncertainty. Football is changing and not for the better. There is now so much money in the game that clubs have to appoint data analysis, sports scientists, psychologists and ****ing set piece coaches. These people have to be justified so every element of football is now done in minute detail and players can't think for themselves on the pitch.
A bit like at international level, where the smaller nations are better organised and more competitive than they used to be. Much more difficult to score against them now.
Most teams play by numbers, and they do it through their levels. When we are watching, we often know what pass is coming and the one after that. It's just the bit at the end that makes the difference, the bit that costs the cash The Guardiola Zeitgeist maybe, and though he us by no means the first, he is the latest coach to be followed. Quite slavishly in my opinion. Watching League Two highlights, (never mind the Championship) most weeks there is a goal or two conceded, and often chances that aren't taken conceded, by teams and goalkeepers trying to do stuff they are not equipped for. Add that to the levels of athleticism in all teams and you often get teams cancelling each other out. But they are playing " the right way", we hear. There is no " right way", there is a way that suits your players and one that gets results within the laws, ( whatever they are now, given they often appear to be in liquid form to accommodate VAR). There is more than a hint of keeping up with the fashion about all of this. Go back say, five years, maybe less, and you would never see a team defend a corner without leaving at least one man up near the half way line, usually a small quick lad. This was for obvious reasons, but now to do this is virtually unheard of and unseen. So, yes, apart from your own team, it can be boring now. It is often more like an exhibition of skills than a match IMO.
The Manchester Derby was so dull. My lad even came downstairs to watch it as he has mates supporting both teams. At least he went away at the end saying that he's not watching any more football unless it involves Sunderland. Good lad.
mid table players haven’t had those types of players before? https://x.com/pythaginboots/status/1908931532179243328?s=46
I also don’t think it’s quality of opposition either it’s managers playing a highly technical game that is restrictive and it’s constantly playing percentages, it’s safe, ponderous and effective. arsenal until the referees clocked on were relying on this style of play and finding a new way to illegally bully keepers from corners. there’s no mavericks because if you don’t conform you’ll not play. It’s a shame because there’s plenty ways to skin a cat but everyone sees pep as peak and they all aspire to be like that. present psg buck the trend, klopps Liverpool did
I don't see anything great there just a bunch of lower mid table squads. Would get battered in todays game
mid table sides have never had anyone like wissa, spurs there with Keane and berbatov just think it’s revisionism
Robbie Keane an upper mid table striker throughout his career who couldn't hack it at a club with real expectations. Berbatov, a personal favourite of mine, who wouldn't get a game these days because he just wanders around. Look at the lack of squad depth as well.
The game hasn't changed irredeemably for me but the fans have and I have and that's why I basically do not follow the game any more. It's just of a world I do not live in and I struggle with it.
It’s ****e these days. I watch plenty of it still but it’s nowhere near what it was. I was even bored watching Sunderland the other day, very little excitement in our play
I think this a really interesting debate. One I have had over recent years in a few places. My own view is football has changed, and not for the better. Unlike sourpatch I tend to think the quality has gone down, not up. But the definition of quality is where there may well be nuance. As an ex coach I often watch games with my coaching glasses on and I can enjoy a 0-0 a lot. I enjoy the tactical side of the game. So I dont find football hard to watch or boring. That said I think coaches have become too sterile and formulaic. This is having a negative impact on what we see, and I believe on players. The modern game is as much about athleticism as it is about talent. Imo anyway. When I think about the best teams I have ever watched they werent running teams, they were passing teams. Brazil in 82 is my favourite ever side. They were full of unbelievable players who were given a licence to play freely. They were coached of course, and they had to learn the combinations and triangles. But they had a fluidity in that. They were also of course a product of their time. Socrates smoked like a chimney by all accounts. Had he been around today I fully believe he would not be a smoker and probably the best CM anywhere in world football. That talent was allowed to flourish. So many other players in eras gone by had their innate talent flourish. Maradona is my idea of the greatest ever footballer. Zico, Platini, Hoddle, Gullit, Boniek, Baresi, Dalglish etc. These, and many others, just blossomed as footballers and had a uniqueness that didnt come from a coach. Why did they blossom? I honestly think because they played 7 days a week, unstructured, jumpers for goalposts etc. All age groups together. They learned by making mistakes or getting it right. They learned through play. Nowadays we (and I am part of it as an ex coach) have fallen into the trap of thinking we should tell players how to play from an early age. They go into structured football from age 6. There should be no structured football until age 9 or 10. Of course kids nowadays dont have the opportunity to play out. Xboxes, mobile phones, parents all get in the way. We end up with a game that is a bit like chess. It is regimented and formulaic. I find it fascinating and enjoyable, but not as much fun, and certainly not as joyous as it once was. Of course there is far too much of it now. Both on TV and in general. Maybe was are swamped by it. I think overall the game has lost it soul. We have lost what we once had, a game where teams came and went but left their mark. Forest under Cloughie, the AC Milan dynasty, the dutch and their total football. Even Villa winning in Munich with that side. It was all very romantic and beautiful. Now we have coaches reviewing running stats etc. Of course progress has been positive too, and some of the stats stuff blows my mind in terms of how well folk use it. Is it adding to the pure joy of watching an elite game of football. I dont know for me, but I am a dinsosaur in many ways. Whilst comparing generations is almost impossible my final comment is around teams of the past versus now. I honestly believe, if you can equalise out the progress and tech etx, to create a level playing field, the teams of years gone by would win 8 out of 10 times. The Liverpool of the 80s would beat the current Liverpool or Man City side. Arsenal of the 90s would beat the current lot. The great AC Milan side of the 90s would win the champions league. Those players were simply better footballers in my opinion and knew how to change the game. None of this is to suggest out current footballers arent excellent. They are, and our club has many and our academy is doing a brilliant job. I just lament what I think is an over engineering of a game that is fundamentally simple and can be so beautiful, if allowed to blossom...
