Losing passion for football

[Loughborough Canary 0]

Just wondering if anybody else finds themselves getting bored and fed up with football as a sport - not just because of our current club and country situation, but because of the way the game is now in general.  Watching the rugby world cup is just affirming my opinion.  I know its often said on here about footballers being over paid prima donas, but compare these people to rugby players. 

Rugby players get paid nothing in comparison - they play the sport to be good at it and to acheive very high levels for their personal satisfaction and not for their wallets.

They are less in the spotlight and it''s therefore much less glamourous.

They play the sport with dignity (getting up after being unfairly tackled without trying to get the opposition in trouble).

They have respect for each other and the ref.

They play for the club and not for themselves.  How many footballers these days actually care if their club go down - they would just leave!

There are probably loads more reasons.

I''m finding football less and less interesting as a result.  I do enjoy watching a good game of football, but there is far too much about the game now that annoys me, to follow it as avidly as I have done.  Don''t get me wrong - i''m not about to stop following football, just it doesn''t interest me quite as much.

[No Quarter 0]

Absolutely agree 100% with your post.  My interest has been waining big time.  I joined a fantasy football league, and found myself looking down the list of players, not really knowing that many players anymore.  I no longer "have" to watch Match Of The Day.  I just find it a bit boring now. 

 Roy Keane was spot on when he said that football had "sold it''s soul". 

There is so much I miss about football from a few years ago (by the way I''m 32 - not 72).  I miss players like Ian Crook, Robert Fleck, Gunny, Ruel Fox, Darren Eadie, Jon Newsome, Iwan, Disco Dale, Malky etc - the list goes on and on.  Players who gave 100%, played with a smile on their face.  They had personality and character.  If they scored a goal they would run to the fans to celebrate it.  If you saw them in the street, they would stop and say hello.  Players you actually liked, and looked up to and most of all, respected.  They represented the fans on the pitch, much like the Rugby players appear to do now (although I don''t really like Rugby - dont understand the rules!!) and would do anything to get the result you wanted.  You would never in a million years get a "QPR away" performance.

I find myself now, sitting in the once Booming Barclay Stand, to find it more like a morgue, with the occasional shout of "Sit down please" from a steward breaking the near silence.  You summed it up with "overpaid prima donnas".  Not one current player would get in the front door, let alone make it onto the wall of my NCFC "hall of fame". 

I too will not stop following football, especially NCFC.  But like you, it also doesnt interest me nearly as much as it once did.

 

[gsr600 0]

[quote user="Loughborough Canary"]

Just wondering if anybody else finds themselves getting bored and fed up with football as a sport - not just because of our current club and country situation, but because of the way the game is now in general.  Watching the rugby world cup is just affirming my opinion.  I know its often said on here about footballers being over paid prima donas, but compare these people to rugby players. 

Rugby players get paid nothing in comparison - they play the sport to be good at it and to acheive very high levels for their personal satisfaction and not for their wallets.

They are less in the spotlight and it''s therefore much less glamourous.

They play the sport with dignity (getting up after being unfairly tackled without trying to get the opposition in trouble).

They have respect for each other and the ref.

They play for the club and not for themselves.  How many footballers these days actually care if their club go down - they would just leave!

There are probably loads more reasons.

I''m finding football less and less interesting as a result.  I do enjoy watching a good game of football, but there is far too much about the game now that annoys me, to follow it as avidly as I have done.  Don''t get me wrong - i''m not about to stop following football, just it doesn''t interest me quite as much.

[/quote]i must agree on this, if footballers played with as much heart and passion as the ngland rugby team we wouldnt of rolled over against russia, i mean after there terrible loss to south africa in the group stages of the world cup anyone wouldve thought theyd be out by quarter stage, but no, the passion and heart of these players has seen thm come back to really inspire the nation, something which today was let down by these overpaid jumped up so called profesional footballers, the same goes for the norwich team, if they played with as much heart and passion no matter who was in charge then they might just not be in the position there in,

[gazzathegreat 0]

[quote user="Master Of Puppets"]

Absolutely agree 100% with your post.  My interest has been waining big time.  I joined a fantasy football league, and found myself looking down the list of players, not really knowing that many players anymore.  I no longer "have" to watch Match Of The Day.  I just find it a bit boring now. 

 Roy Keane was spot on when he said that football had "sold it''s soul". 

There is so much I miss about football from a few years ago (by the way I''m 32 - not 72).  I miss players like Ian Crook, Robert Fleck, Gunny, Ruel Fox, Darren Eadie, Jon Newsome, Iwan, Disco Dale, Malky etc - the list goes on and on.  Players who gave 100%, played with a smile on their face.  They had personality and character.  If they scored a goal they would run to the fans to celebrate it.  If you saw them in the street, they would stop and say hello.  Players you actually liked, and looked up to and most of all, respected.  They represented the fans on the pitch, much like the Rugby players appear to do now (although I don''t really like Rugby - dont understand the rules!!) and would do anything to get the result you wanted.  You would never in a million years get a "QPR away" performance.

I find myself now, sitting in the once Booming Barclay Stand, to find it more like a morgue, with the occasional shout of "Sit down please" from a steward breaking the near silence.  You summed it up with "overpaid prima donnas".  Not one current player would get in the front door, let alone make it onto the wall of my NCFC "hall of fame". 

I too will not stop following football, especially NCFC.  But like you, it also doesnt interest me nearly as much as it once did.

 

[/quote] MOP - Of course most of us old enough to remember seeing the players you have mentioned miss them. They were all part of classic and winning NCFC teams. TEAMS being the operative word. What we have today is a bunch of disorientated players, some who care, some on a journey to pension heaven, some who are simply not good enough for getting us out of this division (and the ones who were have jumped ship) - in the past two years it''s hardly suprising the mood of the players is so bad. They haven''t been settled or had decent managerial direction. I am certainly not making excuses for those who don''t try, but no problem (on or off the field) is down to one reason or person. What we need is someone to come in and capture their imaginations and focus their minds on achieving, not merely going through the motions (as painful as it is) just to see their pay packet every month. At the moment ( in football everywhere) player power is such that they can almost do what they like, agents negotiate a large contract and they are on a nice little earner for two/three years minimum. You and me could probably retire on it. I don''t know what the solution is, but at this club we need a hungry new manager who can get them playing again, although recent results and performances show likewise, I can''t believe the whole lot of them are as bad as they are at present. I think I would put Hucks in my hall of fame personally, but you are right, it''s difficult to look at this side with any fondness and I doubt we will recall many of them in ten year''s time. RE the Barclay - the stewards tell us to sit down just to liven the proceedings up! The one near us told us that after the last home game.....

[canary cherub 1]

When it comes to top flight football I totally agree, but there''s a whole world of non-league football out there that is much truer to the spirit of the game.  I''ve started going to King''s Lynn this season and haven''t enjoyed myself so much in years.