After the Olympics football seems dull

[Lets be aving you! 0]

"Somebody earlier has commented that the Tour de France is still a bit ''amateurish''. To that poster, I say that you clearly have no understanding of the sport, no understanding of the training requirements, and absolutely no idea of any tactics, or equipment that is required to win a grand tour. I highly recommend you start watching La Vuelta, which is the tour of Spain, which starts this Saturday".

 

That''s not quite what I meant, though the error was probably in how I phrased it. Tactics, equipment and severity of training are all there for everyone to see, but I do wonder whether other countries are up with us on the biomechanical and aerodynamic aspects, to gain that crucial extra edge. In so many sports now, this edge is the difference between winning and losing.

 

Interesting to see lots of references to how highly paid (some) footballers are, yet Wiggins is set to earn staggering off-track sums, dwarfing those of many PL footballers. No doubt many of the Olympians will follow. Good luck to them all, they''ve earned it.

[CanaryNath 30]

Another quick point, just in reply to the post about drugs cheats in athletics.....

Football and tennis have among the lowest drugs testing of any sports in the world. I know several professional footballers and all of them take supplements that are on the band list for Olympians.

Technically, they''re cheating. However they get tested so rarely, and even have advanced warnings of drugs tests, that they are able to plan accordingly.

[CanaryNath 30]

''That''s not quite what I meant, though the error was probably in how I phrased it. Tactics, equipment and severity of training are all there for everyone to see, but I do wonder whether other countries are up with us on the biomechanical and aerodynamic aspects, to gain that crucial extra edge. In so many sports now, this edge is the difference between winning and losing''

In road racing, the main advantage comes in better planning, and better tactical execution. All road bikes used in grand tours have to be on sale to the general public, and are therefore very similar across different teams from different nations.

Seriously though, watch la Vuelta, it''s really exciting!

[Mr Brownstone 0]

[quote user="lappinitup"]

Yep, don''t need all those drug tests ''cause them olympians are an honest lot.....

[/quote]

 

I take your point Lapp, but it only happens in extremely isolated incidents and any athlete that is found guilty of cheating is retrospectively punished. In football it seems that cheating happens in every game, in every league, every week, and it seems to be actively encouraged by some managers/coaches. I hate seeing our players going down easily just as much as I see any opposing player doing the same, every game in the top 4 leagues has TV cameras, I''d like to see referees given the opportunity to re watch the game they''ve refereed and dish out suspensions to any player they feel has deliberately conned them.

 

Sportsmanship isn''t dead in modern sport. Wiggo stopped the Peloton in this years Tour de France when he realised that other riders had suffered punctures because some idiot had thrown tacks on the road, Wiggo is quoted as saying ""Nobody wants to benefit from someone else''s misfortune". It''s a shame that level of sportsmanship can''t be shown in our national game.

 

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Mr Brownstone"]I hate seeing our players going down easily just as much as I see any opposing player doing the same.....[/quote]Totally agree Mr B. My other great love is speedway and when I see those boys coming off their bikes at 50/60mph, getting up, dusting themselves down and coming out for the re-run, riding with broken bones and, returning to action just days after operations and then compare them with footballers who roll around pretending to be in agony at the slightest touch which I find pathetic.I love football but I really don''t like footballers....

[CanaryNath 30]

"I love football but I really don''t like footballers...."

That''s exactly it, a nutshell. Exactly how I feel!

[Downloads 35]

[quote user="lappinitup"]I love football but I really don''t like footballers....
[/quote]

 

I think thats a very good way of putting it.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

[quote user="lappinitup"]

I love football but I really don''t like footballers....

[/quote]

 

Nail. Head. Hit.

[Shack Attack 0]

To me the most refreshing thing about the Olympics and the reason it compared so favourably to football (or more accurately Premier League football) was the attitude of the fans. Football has become so tribal that it is almost seen as a weakness to admit you were beaten fair and square or to admire skill in the opposition. Yet at the Olympics the crowds were able to boost the British athletes with incredibly passionate and vocal support yet still recognise the achievements of others. I guess it is because a large proportion of those at the venues will never set foot in a athletics stadium or velodrome again so lack the emotional attachment that so many have to their football team. Many football fans will look down on that type of spectator but maybe football fans could do with taking a leaf out their book and stop taking themselves and their game so seriously?I look around on here or at a football crowd and the overriding emotion of the fans seems to be anger. Sometimes I get the distinct impression that a good proportion of the crowd don''t even like football that much. They hate the opposition players and fans (and sometimes their own). They hate the referee. They hate the manager. They hate the board. They hate Match of the Day. They hate Sky. What do they actually like? Presumably it is that tribalism that makes them feel part of a gang but to me it has gone too far and many have lost all sense of perspective.Somebody has already mentioned Bradley Wiggins slowing down the peloton in the Tour de France when he realised Cadel Evans had suffered a pucture from tacks on the road. Football fans will boo and chant ''Dig a hole and f*cking bury him'' if one of their players kicks the ball out for an injured opponent. Yes there are drug cheats in cycling and athletics but as football fans we encourage our players to cheat every week by only ever criticising the dives of our opponenets and parroting the mantra that it is OK to collapse in the penalty area if there is ''contact''. They defend rapists. They defend racists. They would probably chant the name of a convicted kiddie fiddler if they could help their team become ''an established Premier League team''/finish in the top four/win the league.

[Sussexyellow 55]

Top post.

 

I was fortunte enough to get tickets to a number of sessions and I am now in a big post olympic depression. Really loved the atmosphere at the games.

 

I am not fortunate enough to have a season ticket but have tickets for the first two games. But at the moment little enthusiasm for going.

 

However I take some encouragement from a a Mo Farrah interview when asked whether next Saturday would be a let down after his last two golden ones. His matter of fact answer was Arsenal are playing. Says it all really.

 

So come Saturday I am sure when I pull on the shirt the enthisiasm will be there if if that does not do it the first strains of On the Ball City certainly will. I was sad when last season finished because I would miss my trips to Norwich and the Carrow Road atmosphere. That feeling is still inside me I just need to find it. We gave the team fantastic support last season. Lets not let our own form dip.

 

Don''t know enough about the financial rewards for top athletes to be able to join in the other half of this debate. But I bet even amongst the top olympians there are huge differences between the sports. I expect the futures for Mo Farrah and Jessica Ennis will be significantly different to the futures of Nicola Adams and Jade Jones.

 

COYY

[Nexus_Canary 1,016]

[quote user="lappinitup"]I love football but I really don''t like footballers....[/quote]

 

Spot on mate

[......and Smith must score. 1,342]

This is a really good thread.If I''m honest I''m not a great athletics fan and blew a bit hot and cold in the run up to the Games but once it all got under way I thought it was fantastic. Everyone seemed to be happy - the weather helped - and it gave the appearance that money isn''t everything in sport.Of course the cost of staging it all was pretty astronomical but I don''t care.There''ll always be the hand-wringers saying we could have built hospitals, old peoples homes, etc,etc, with all that money but why shouldn''t we celebrate sometimes ? London 2012 proved that we can put on a show the equal of any country on the planetDuring the Games I couldn''t help thinking about the coming football season and it made me a little depressed. Picture the Olympians alongside clowns such as Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Joey Barton and it''s a no contest. The Premier League is now just a soul-less money factory.No doubt once City get going again I''ll be back in the swing but after watching true sportsmen and women for the last fortnight I''m looking forward to the new season a little less this time.

[Nexus_Canary 1,016]

[quote user="Sussexyellow"]

Don''t know enough about the financial rewards for top athletes to be able to join in the other half of this debate. But I bet even amongst the top olympians there are huge differences between the sports. I expect the futures for Mo Farrah and Jessica Ennis will be significantly different to the futures of Nicola Adams and Jade Jones.

 

COYY

[/quote]I dunno, both girls have imense poster girl quality about them. And Adams, first WOMAN to win Olympic Gold. She is immortal now. She should be able to have a career of rolling out when needed and waving at the right time. But I do agree with what your saying, I just hope it works for them.More worried about the GB ladies football. So interesting how the nation lost interest in team GB men but wanted to watch GB ladies. Any Prem player would have been proud of that goal vs Brazil top drawer.Interesting that the only real "womans football" or shite quality play I saw was Canada vs USA. Very hoof and chase. Japan were a technical dream to watch.I hope the girls get the coverage and support deserved. How interesting if a small TV station bought the rights to Womens football ? How far would that go if televised ?

[star_manic 0]

[quote user="CanaryNath"]"I love football but I really don''t like footballers...."

That''s exactly it, a nutshell. Exactly how I feel![/quote].......brilliant summary of the sport. should be adopted as a national movement[H]

[Webbo118 0]

[quote user="Mr Brownstone"]

Share the sentiments of the OP to a point. I wouldn''t say footballers don''t work hard, maybe not as hard as the likes of our Olympic cyclists and rowers, but hard nonetheless.

 

What the Olympics has highlighted for me is Intergrity. In no sport at the Olympics that I watched did I see players falling about on the floor attempting to con the officials, there was even a story of 1 American athlete finishing a race on a broken leg so he didn''t let his team mates down. There was the instance of the Badminton players that attempted to throw a game for a favourable draw in the next round, but they were rightly chucked out of the competition. I have to admit that I felt a little ashamed of football watching it at the Olympics.

 

If football can learn one thing from the Olympics, it''s Integrity. The authorities must start to hand out retrospective punishments for cheats or the game will suffer in the long term.

 

 

[/quote]

 

To a large extent, yes, but did you miss the drug-taking and protests against decisions, e.g. Japan in the gymnastics and Italy in the boxing?

[Webbo118 0]

[quote user="Shack Attack"]To me the most refreshing thing about the Olympics and the reason it compared so favourably to football (or more accurately Premier League football) was the attitude of the fans. Football has become so tribal that it is almost seen as a weakness to admit you were beaten fair and square or to admire skill in the opposition. Yet at the Olympics the crowds were able to boost the British athletes with incredibly passionate and vocal support yet still recognise the achievements of others. I guess it is because a large proportion of those at the venues will never set foot in a athletics stadium or velodrome again so lack the emotional attachment that so many have to their football team. Many football fans will look down on that type of spectator but maybe football fans could do with taking a leaf out their book and stop taking themselves and their game so seriously?

I look around on here or at a football crowd and the overriding emotion of the fans seems to be anger. Sometimes I get the distinct impression that a good proportion of the crowd don''t even like football that much. They hate the opposition players and fans (and sometimes their own). They hate the referee. They hate the manager. They hate the board. They hate Match of the Day. They hate Sky. What do they actually like? Presumably it is that tribalism that makes them feel part of a gang but to me it has gone too far and many have lost all sense of perspective.

Somebody has already mentioned Bradley Wiggins slowing down the peloton in the Tour de France when he realised Cadel Evans had suffered a pucture from tacks on the road. Football fans will boo and chant ''Dig a hole and f*cking bury him'' if one of their players kicks the ball out for an injured opponent. Yes there are drug cheats in cycling and athletics but as football fans we encourage our players to cheat every week by only ever criticising the dives of our opponenets and parroting the mantra that it is OK to collapse in the penalty area if there is ''contact''. They defend rapists. They defend racists. They would probably chant the name of a convicted kiddie fiddler if they could help their team become ''an established Premier League team''/finish in the top four/win the league.
[/quote]

 

Probably the half-time pies.

[PurpleCanary 5,557]

[quote user="lappinitup"]


I love football but I really don''t like footballers....
[/quote]

 

Except that most of these nice athletes with their Corinthian spirit would almost certainly very quickly become very unsporting if they took up professional football. I don''t believe that footballers are born nastier than people in other sports. It is football, a multi-million pound industry with its win at all costs mentality, that brings out the worst in people. In part, because we want it. Offer a fan the choice of a 1-1 draw or an injury-time winner scored by means of a surreptitious handball and I think I know which way the decision would go.

[Bill 1,788]

"How interesting if a small TV station bought the rights to Womens football ? How far would that go if televised ?"

 

A long way if they arranged for games against men and added some music as they do at Carrow Road

 

this perhaps -

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aINrlrNsk8&feature=related

 

 

 

[Nexus_Canary 1,016]

Give it a break City1st, half those ladies could run rings around you

[im spartacus canary 0]

[quote user="......and Smith must score."]This is a really good thread.

If I''m honest I''m not a great athletics fan and blew a bit hot and cold in the run up to the Games but once it all got under way I thought it was fantastic. Everyone seemed to be happy - the weather helped - and it gave the appearance that money isn''t everything in sport.

Of course the cost of staging it all was pretty astronomical but I don''t care.There''ll always be the hand-wringers saying we could have built hospitals, old peoples homes, etc,etc, with all that money but why shouldn''t we celebrate sometimes ? London 2012 proved that we can put on a show the equal of any country on the planet

During the Games I couldn''t help thinking about the coming football season and it made me a little depressed. Picture the Olympians alongside clowns such as Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Joey Barton and it''s a no contest. The Premier League is now just a soul-less money factory.

No doubt once City get going again I''ll be back in the swing but after watching true sportsmen and women for the last fortnight I''m looking forward to the new season a little less this time.


[/quote]

my wife works in an old peoples home /sheltered flats and she reckons the old uns have been going mental for the olympics its taken years off them...its been a tonic for everyone [:D]

[smooth 114]

I enjoyed the Olympics like I do every 4 years, I recall games for their amazing achievements as I do with all sports.

This has not made me look less forward to the football season, silly statement. I would have watched all the Olympics if it was anywhere in the world. In fact more as I was stuck at work. I love sport and just cause the circus was here is not changing my mind on what oI am looking forward to, the football season, challenge cup, super league

, NFL and the us open. I loved watching the golf at the weekend.

it has made no difference to how I feel about Ncfc and the other sports I love, formula 1 is stil going.

It was great, but so was Powell vs Lewis in Tokyo 1991, boardman in 92, Michael Johnson in 1996, steve Redgrave and Pinsents achievements. I wish I was old enough to see our greatest Olympic track and field athlete Daley thompson.

So I look forward to the new season and the Olympics is now over. I wonder if all those that loved it will go diamond league meets etc. Prob not.

[ImDrunky 0]

The Olympics was great and worth every penny, but I''m still more excited about the new football season. =D

[Bill 1,788]

"Give it a break City1st, half those ladies could run rings around you2

 

err, there I beg to differ

 

still up to playing and for my sins played against a group of women footballers at a uni a few years back - we were a scratch bunch of a bout eight lecturers, ytechnicians and odd bods they were the uni team, three of who m played for a pro club

 

it was literally men against girls, after about 20 mins and 2 goals down they jacked it in as we were ''too physical'' ie better than them

 

any other sport yep, but football most womens teams would struggle against NorthWest Norfolk league 3

 

 

[Cobain18 0]

Clearly been reading Joey Barton''s twitter, is the same title and sentiment.

Didn''t read it tbh cos I assumed you lifted it from Joey Barton.

The olympics was nowhere as interesting as football and as for athletes being less egotistical or whatever word was used, it''s all nonsense. The majority of footballers and athletes are fine, the minority of both are scum; only difference is we don''t hear about the athletes in olympics that misbehave cos no one cares 99% of the time!

[PH 0]

Rock the Boat, Yes I feel the same about the Olympics. I was lucky enough to go to an evening athletics and it was an incredible atmosphere inside the stadium and in the Olympic park, . Also agree with the quote about loving football but not footballers ha ha!

[Rock The Boat 1,330]

[quote user="Nuff Said"]Something else just occurred to me - if you feel that way now Rock the Boat, what will the Paralympics do to you?[/quote]

I''ll be following the Paralympics too and cheering on Team GB.

I also have volunteered to help out a sports club as a direct result of watching the Olympics. Think what we could achieve if everyone gave up an hour of their time to work with kids. I''m convinced you''d see an end to many social problems if kids had good role models around them.

[nutty nigel 7,533]

[quote user="Rock The Boat"][quote user="Nuff Said"]Something else just occurred to me - if you feel that way now Rock the Boat, what will the Paralympics do to you?
[/quote] I''ll be following the Paralympics too and cheering on Team GB. I also have volunteered to help out a sports club as a direct result of watching the Olympics. Think what we could achieve if everyone gave up an hour of their time to work with kids. I''m convinced you''d see an end to many social problems if kids had good role models around them.[/quote]

 

If the legacy of the olympics achieves this it will be worth every penny the country spent on it[Y]

 

 

[SwindonCanary 455]

After attending the Olympics at Barcelona, Athens and London, plus the commonwealth games in Manchester and Edinburgh. I''ve got to say the most enjoyable was London. Well done to all those helpers.