All, An interesting article from the NY Times on the preponderance of foreign investors in the Belgian second division. These include Sergei Rybolovlev (Monaco) and Thailand's King Power Group. It would seem that Belgian football is a stepping stone into the European game with it being somewhat easier to secure European citizenship for players who might struggle elsewhere. My read on it is that football (and the fans) have become secondary to the different motives and schemes of their new, and very different, owners. Are we seeing, here, evidence of the decline of the Beautiful Game? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/...bs-and-foreign-money-a-modern-soccer-mix.html MoH
The Beautiful Game is football, pure and simple. It is defined by its existence through the laws/ rules, the ethos, its history and many more tangible and intangible elements. Does it have limits? Maybe yes, maybe no. That is a subjective question. For me, perhaps the purest form of football is seeing youngsters play their first game. For you, it will be something else. MoH.
It's never ever been beautiful. In days of yore, it was in fact quite brutal. On and off the pitch. Is it changing? Yes. It's been changing since it started. Does change bother some people? Yep, always has, always will. Will it stop that change? No, never has, never will.
Twat! You know I mean in general. Obviously you're not gonna change, you're the exception that proves the rule, so, thanks!
I reckon another 5 years and I'll have completely wrapped my hand with football. I find it more of a chore than a pleasure these days. I've more or less had enough of it now to be honest, I spend more time annoyed and angry about certain aspects than I do enjoying the game. From arsehole owners to pre-madonna tattooed morons, who are mostly average at best earning over 100k a week. Diving, cheating no marks rolling around like they've been hit by an SAS sniper to Jim White and deadline day. I could go on. I've even packed in helping to run an U16 side this season. My love for the game is no more.
I have to say I get far more enjoyment from coaching my lads U8s team than anything City have had to offer over the last 2 years. Watching City is a tough habit to break though.
Perfectly put; your scenario is where I'm at now - I still enjoy the odd away day with City but, I get more enjoyment doing 'stuff' that I'd never do during the football season - there's very little joy in it for me, there hasn't been for 4/5 seasons.
My eldest probably didn't miss more than half a dozen home games in as many years from being 9. I took him to plenty of aways as well. He's mentioned going to one game in the last couple of years but I don't think he was serious about that. He doesn't even look out for the score now. That's the reality.
Great post. I watched the All Irish Hurling final the other week and saw all the players going hammer and tong for it without a single guy rolling about. Then fast forward Marco Sencio not playing because he cut himself shaving. Unbelievable Oh yeah the Hurling players are Amateur. I'm with you my love is dying quickly.
Royal Antwerp feeder club FC. New York City FC. Granada / Udinese. There's your beautiful game. Fifa, do something about PSG and Man City or we won't be top dog any more. There's your beautiful game. We will borrow £500m to buy the club and to hell with on the field success as we churn out massive profits and enough to satisfy the debt obligations. There's your beautiful game. We will kick out all the community teams and sell their trampolines to make sure we receive £1m grant funding for our academy. There's your beautiful game. **** them all.
I took my daughter for years and she has lost nearly all interest. I don't even watch a full game if we're on telly now I end up flicking to other channels
We can't let it go though. We can't go down without a fight (football I mean, not just City). From the great escape, to the top flight of English football for us. Ashbee, Andy Dawson, Justin Whittle and myself. We fight, as always. We fight.
