End of the season.

[Keith B]

Well part of me is always sorry when the football season comes to an end. Always seems an eternity before it starts again. However one thing I'm not sorry about and would love to see an end to is the diving and cheating as seen on TV.

What ever makes a player dive / cheat / call it what you will, knowing or forgetful, that the incident will be shown in slow motion on our screens ? We watch him protesting his innocence and often screaming at the referee  - and it's often been proven beyond doubt that there was no physical contact at all. Premier League players are guilty of it and the Championship as well. Sad to say it's a growing problem - this eagerness to succeed to the extent that, anything goes to bring it about. The slightest touch from an opponent brings a dive - I'm sick to death of it !

What ever happened to the real men in this 'contact sport'. When I played, you fell to the ground only if really hit hard and more often than not you played on, even though it hurt like hell. Where is the personal pride these days ? The knowledge that you have achieved something through hard graft and mastering skills. What we see now it seems, is a sad reflection of today's society. I acknowledge though, that thankfully, not all players engage in cheating. Hopefully if VAR is introduced to the higher leagues and its use is extended to cover all on pitch controversy, this might stop some of it.

Enjoy the summer people and lets look forward to next season with hope and expectation.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Good shout there Keith,  but I always look forward to the end of the season.

It has become a 10 month slog these days...or am I getting too old for all this work?

But...roll on the new league and season.

[St Darren]

Var won’t stop diving. It’s only going to be used for penalties!!

 

[Keith B]

1 hour ago, St Darren said:

Var won’t stop diving. It’s only going to be used for penalties!!

 

If that is so Darren, that's a shame. It could be a much more useful tool for the officials and help sort out stuff they don't properly see.

[baldy]

If the dive leads to the ref awarding a penalty, VAR will sort it and hopefully lead to more bookings for cheating (sorry, simulation).

[St Darren]

1 hour ago, Keith B said:

If that is so Darren, that's a shame. It could be a much more useful tool for the officials and help sort out stuff they don't properly see.

It won’t be used for incidents outside the area as far as I’m aware

[Keith B]

48 minutes ago, St Darren said:

It won’t be used for incidents outside the area as far as I’m aware

Thanks Darren.

1 hour ago, baldy said:

If the dive leads to the ref awarding a penalty, VAR will sort it and hopefully lead to more bookings for cheating (sorry, simulation).

You were right first time baldy - it's cheating or trying to. The players who do it habitually, sadly, are pretty shallow people really.

[Way Of The Park]

I used to see the end of the season as a bit of a void to fill until August but now, apart from following non league football (specifically Plymouth Parkway and Dulwich Hamlet) I feel a bit indifferent to it. I struggle to watch a Match Of The Day all the way through now, rarely go to the pub to watch a Premier League game, the Champions League has pretty much passed me by and I am not completely sure what date/time the FA Cup Final kicks off.

Not sure if it is seeing through the hype and general "it's not a game, it's a religion and way of life" bollocks surrounding the Premier League and other top flight football, or just having other interests and things going on, but I feel a bit "meh" about the whole thing nowadays. In fact, I actively resent the disruption on public transport and influx of idiots around here when Arsenal and Tottenham play at home (especially since Spurs' new stadium opened). Thought the quality of the World Cup last summer and England's run to the semi-final would reawaken the interest, but it hasn't. When May comes around, I tend to think more of cricket these days and how much I enjoy one day, test , county and the  local league stuff.

 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

13 minutes ago, Way Of The Park said:

I used to see the end of the season as a bit of a void to fill until August but now, apart from following non league football (specifically Plymouth Parkway and Dulwich Hamlet) I feel a bit indifferent to it. I struggle to watch a Match Of The Day all the way through now, rarely go to the pub to watch a Premier League game, the Champions League has pretty much passed me by and I am not completely sure what date/time the FA Cup Final kicks off.

Not sure if it is seeing through the hype and general "it's not a game, it's a religion and way of life" bollocks surrounding the Premier League and other top flight football, or just having other interests and things going on, but I feel a bit "meh" about the whole thing nowadays. In fact, I actively resent the disruption on public transport and influx of idiots around here when Arsenal and Tottenham play at home (especially since Spurs' new stadium opened). Thought the quality of the World Cup last summer and England's run to the semi-final would reawaken the interest, but it hasn't. When May comes around, I tend to think more of cricket these days and how much I enjoy one day, test , county and the  local league stuff.

 

I was nodding my head all the way through that until you mentioned cricket...URGGHHH!!!

Not for me that game.

[Way Of The Park]

2 minutes ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

I was nodding my head all the way through that until you mentioned cricket...URGGHHH!!!

Not for me that game.

Hot sunny day at a local cricket club. Free entry and getting slowly marinated by cider from the clubhouse bar. Lovely. Even Mrs Way Of The Park can be persuaded if there is the prospect of a picnic and a few glasses of something chilled and grape based to pass the hours.

[Goldeneye]

I agree with Older about the cricket. Nice to see players not swearing and respecting the umpires. Some play both sports and I can't get my head around a player ranting at the referee playing football and that same player giving an umpire the upmost respect when playing cricket. As for premier football It's obscene clubs paying players up to £500,000 per week. I've lost interest in it due to that.

 

[Keith B]

On 07/05/2019 at 18:51, Goldeneye said:

I agree with Older about the cricket. Nice to see players not swearing and respecting the umpires. Some play both sports and I can't get my head around a player ranting at the referee playing football and that same player giving an umpire the upmost respect when playing cricket. As for premier football It's obscene clubs paying players up to £500,000 per week. I've lost interest in it due to that.

 

I agree Goldeneye and regarding the wages, there's not a player on earth worth the money and, not even a worthy such as a brain surgeon, would be worth that salary.

Harry Redknap when he went to manage QPR for a while, was right when he said about the wages those players were getting - ''none of the playing staff are worth their salaries''.

The players there of course were on nothing like or approaching £500,000 per week, but the same principle applied. Yes players wages these days are obscene.

[St Darren]

13 minutes ago, Keith B said:

I agree Goldeneye and regarding the wages, there's not a player on earth worth the money and, not even a worthy such as a brain surgeon, would be worth that salary.

Harry Redknap when he went to manage QPR for a while, was right when he said about the wages those players were getting - ''none of the playing staff are worth their salaries''.

The players there of course were on nothing like or approaching £500,000 per week, but the same principle applied. Yes players wages these days are obscene.

Incorrect. David Beckham was on £500k at Madrid and he brought in more than that in revenue to the club. So you could say he was worth that to the club as a business!!

And that’s where the problem lies is that football is more a business than a sport now 

[Way Of The Park]

45 minutes ago, St Darren said:

Incorrect. David Beckham was on £500k at Madrid and he brought in more than that in revenue to the club. So you could say he was worth that to the club as a business!!

And that’s where the problem lies is that football is more a business than a sport now 

You're right. For example, Wayne Rooney was worth far more to Man United as a revenue generator than a player towards the end of his time there. Globally, the merchandise and endorsements bearing his name far exceeded his salary.

 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

If memory serves me correctly...They paid £17 million for Beckham and generated £19 million in shirt  sales in the first week! 

[Goldeneye]

1 hour ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

If memory serves me correctly...They paid £17 million for Beckham and generated £19 million in shirt  sales in the first week! 

They would make more than that selling your gourmet food Older!!!!

[fenman]

For years I've regarded the Beckham saga a total farce . He was probably a decent player but nowhere near the player the media made him out to be .Married to a singer who couldn't sing  made him newsworthy and that created an industry . A source within the FA  told me that one of the reasons that McLaren fell out of favour was that he didn't want Beckham in the England team but the FA  did , purely to sell seats . In many ways it's an insult to many great players of the past that some modern players will be remembered for their  financial potential rather than their playing ability . I recently read a book about great English players and  one or two ex players such as Jack Charlton were critical of the FA in awarding cameo appearances with caps  purely for financial reasons . One quote argued that perhaps the FA  should have given Geoff Hurst a few substitute games at the age of 56 as a reward for his hat trick in the 1966 final ..

At times ( agreeing with the previous posts ) I wonder if all this football greed is a bad dream and that I will wake up in the real world and watch games where players are rewarded sensibly on result bonuses  and a sensible basic wage ., and we watch the game for entertainment rather than the win at all costs because of the financial  rewards for the club owners .

My father told me many years ago ( isn't it strange that when you are a teenager anyone over 30 talks rubbish and gives you silly advice ? but when you are over 50 -ish  you realise their wisdom and try and pass that down to teenagers who think you are silly ) that as I grew older I would see that people who have very little are reasonably content but people who earn more only want more , much more . In the case of football at the top his words have come true , £100, 000 a week is not enough I want £200,000 a week . Actually , quoting players wages is in weekly terms is quite clever , £100,000 is a lot but  quote £6 million a year opens peoples eyes a bit more . 

 

[Goldeneye]

Great post Fenman. totally agree with you. 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

1 hour ago, Goldeneye said:

They would make more than that selling your gourmet food Older!!!!

Expanded from chips and fag ash to bacon and fag butt sandwiches. 

Queued out the door!

[Keith B]

12 hours ago, St Darren said:

Incorrect. David Beckham was on £500k at Madrid and he brought in more than that in revenue to the club. So you could say he was worth that to the club as a business!!

And that’s where the problem lies is that football is more a business than a sport now 

These players are paid money grossly in excess of their worth. The money they are paid insults people who do worthwhile jobs - jobs that serve the public or mankind generally.  Who  save, or enhance the quality of peoples lives.

Mata, the Man United player said as much last year. He said ''we are grossly overpaid''. Mata gives the greater part of his salary to the poor in his home country and to the sick.

I'm not blaming the players for their salaries. Their agents are to blame mostly - they of course take a massive fee. No one who kicks a football around for a living, should be paid these obscene salaries, in my opinion.

[St Darren]

21 hours ago, Keith B said:

These players are paid money grossly in excess of their worth. The money they are paid insults people who do worthwhile jobs - jobs that serve the public or mankind generally.  Who  save, or enhance the quality of peoples lives.

Mata, the Man United player said as much last year. He said ''we are grossly overpaid''. Mata gives the greater part of his salary to the poor in his home country and to the sick.

I'm not blaming the players for their salaries. Their agents are to blame mostly - they of course take a massive fee. No one who kicks a football around for a living, should be paid these obscene salaries, in my opinion.

I agree. However you said “there’s not a player on earth worth that money” however, David Beckham was, because of the money that he brought into Real Madrid. The clubs aren’t just buying a footballer, they’re buying a brand

[Keith B]

3 hours ago, St Darren said:

I agree. However you said “there’s not a player on earth worth that money” however, David Beckham was, because of the money that he brought into Real Madrid. The clubs aren’t just buying a footballer, they’re buying a brand

I understand what you're saying Darren and perhaps on this point, Beckham,  becomes more than a footballer, yes he's a brand - agreed. So with Beckham it's more about the brand than the footballer.

[St Darren]

17 hours ago, Keith B said:

I understand what you're saying Darren and perhaps on this point, Beckham,  becomes more than a footballer, yes he's a brand - agreed. So with Beckham it's more about the brand than the footballer.

If David Beckham looked like Ian Dowie do you think Real Madrid, PSG, LA Galaxy would have signed him?

[Keith B]

2 hours ago, St Darren said:

If David Beckham looked like Ian Dowie do you think Real Madrid, PSG, LA Galaxy would have signed him?

Poor Ian Dowie - what you got against him, he can't help his looks ! Take your point though -

 -

2 hours ago, St Darren said:

If David Beckham looked like Ian Dowie do you think Real Madrid, PSG, LA Galaxy would have signed him?

 

[isaac rosenberg]

What a very worthwhile sequence of posts. As a lifelong Communist, I am delighted to read so much wisdom about the impact of market forces. If all who support football were as redolute in resisting its merchandising, it would have to change. 

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

3 minutes ago, isaac rosenberg said:

What a very worthwhile sequence of posts. As a lifelong Communist, I am delighted to read so much wisdom about the impact of market forces. If all who support football were as redolute in resisting its merchandising, it would have to change. 

Not going to happen isaac, football and its supporters have lost out to the £ sign.

[isaac rosenberg]

You are right for the moment. I never cease to believe in the revolutionary potential for good if the human race.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

2 minutes ago, isaac rosenberg said:

You are right for the moment. I never cease to believe in the revolutionary potential for good if the human race.

Don't hold your breath waiting for that, global warming will come before that. 

[isaac rosenberg]

It's here already and starting to concentrate minds. Extinction Rebellion, crafted in Stroud where I now live, has the right idea.

[Way Of The Park]

On ‎31‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 14:05, isaac rosenberg said:

It's here already and starting to concentrate minds. Extinction Rebellion, crafted in Stroud where I now live, has the right idea.

You're right Isaac. Ideas such as recycling, veganism and renewable energy, which were considered hippy dippy loony lefty crap in the eighties, are now pretty mainstream. We have to move more radically and quicker though, it's a choice between drastically altering your lifestyle now , or everybody having a pretty miserable one within 20 years.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Basically we are too successful as a species....bring on the flood.

I've started building my boat cus it's coming!

[Way Of The Park]

28 minutes ago, TheolderIgetthebetterIwas said:

Basically we are too successful as a species....bring on the flood.

I've started building my boat cus it's coming!

When it comes it will look like Priory Park after a rainy week in February. That bad!

[isaac rosenberg]

Yeah. Dunno why Mousehole would want to move to Penlee Park...it'll only be good for water polo. At least Maraxion pitch us up the top of School Lane and safe from the waves. Perhaps Bodmin should redevelop St Brrward's old ground...is there still a square pitch up there ? Some fun trips up there with St Just, back in the sixties, maybe. Won 5 nil in the Senior Cup. I think