Geezer

...are such a bunch of over paid, poncy, whining *****.

I'm not really into football, but sat here in work we have the 1968 Europen Cup Final on between Man Utd & Benfica.

I have to say, I'm actually enjoying it. The play is very fast, end to end stuff, no constamt stops for free kicks, if someone gets a hard tackle, they just get up and get on with it. The goalie and defenders aren't protected like little children so there is plenty if action in the box. Everyone played their hearts out, every ball was the most important play of the match.

And to top it all, those players paid for pride, they were paid peanuts really.

I think I could have liked football if I had been around then (well, I was, but at 1 I was a little too young too appreciate it )

Such a shame that a great game has gone the way it has.

Geezer

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Golf? Paid millions to be fat and chase a little ball around..

Fact is anybody who hates on footballers does so with no appreciation of the skill levels needed to be a top player. The game today is as good as it's ever been. Dives are not good but the killer tackles of poor players like chopper harris are thankfully long gone... well to a degree...

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Sure footballers have awesome ball skills, it just a shame that the discipline it takes to play at top level doesn't spread into the way they conduct themselves on the pitch. I watched the Man U/Chelsea game this week and was disgusted at the amount of faking of injuries and in particular the way they started kicking off against the Ref and other players, absolutely pathetic and a really bad example for sportsmen at the top of their game to be setting on impressionable youngsters

Skills on the ball aside they looked like a bunch of overpaid prima donnas

davyboy

90 mins of millionaire spitting, snot rockets, cheating, abusing the officials and other players.

...is it any suprise that this happens at school boy level.

davegtt

Theyre arguing between themselves because they want to win. Theres no taking second place graciously in this game. Every other sport nobody seems to mind being a loser.

Football is for winners, football is for men

StickyMicky

i used to play in the school team dont recall anything like that happening when i was a lad, soon got bored with it and dropped out when my ***** dropped and i became "chap"

davyboy

As we've discussed, times have changed.

Todays kids have heroes, like Rooney, Drogba, Ronaldo...god help us.



Sorry, I thought they were arguing with the ref and the other team when I watched?

JimmyBFC

I lost all respect for footballers years ago when the premier league got too big for its boots, I love watching and going, but its Rugby lads I respect these days, esp rugby league, have a scrap, then on with the game, no nonsense, what the ref says, goes.

mamoon2

Its called "Passion" and nothing wrong with things getting heated because both teams want to win.

The spitting is needed when playing football

stilover

I wouldn't mind being an over paid pre-madonna Millionaire footballer.

Big house, lots of nice cars, and the choice of stunning women to ****.

davyboy

Passion = lack of dicipline/halfwits. When did a ref last change his mind.

Rugby union lads have plenty of passion, but they are also educated.

davegtt

Educated = out of touch with reality and up their own ar$e. Couldnt give a flying **** about joe bloggs (see footy fans can make assumptions on others too you know)

As for a ref changing his mind. Its not always about that. You put pressure on a ref and he might only pull out a yellow card instead of red and vice versa

davyboy

Of course they care about Joe Bloggs, they are Joe Bloggs!

davegtt

joe bloggs - average man.

I interpret educated and rugby int he same sentance as private school silver spoon boy.

davyboy

Ah, typical working class statement

BuRR

They should introduce the sin-bin to football. 10 minutes in the dugout for dissent and taking the **** with diving etc.

r32

Too much diving, too much acting, too much rolling around in feigned agony, should make them play rugby for a season.
Never saw Charlton do that, did you know neither Charlton nor Linekar ever got a yellow card!

Jimpreza

Linekar did actually recieve a yellow in one of his latter games

davegtt

Never heard that before. You sure about this cause hes famous for never recieving a yellow.

Never knew Charlton never got booked though, you got a link to that story?

r32

He is famous for never getting a card. I dont believe he ever did.

davyboy

He didn't get one, but pretty sure he would with todays new rules etc.

PeteBrant

I'm not convinced that he was.

I'm fairly certain that Charlton was booked, but was never sent off.

Geezer

I'm not questioning their ability. Obviously top flight sportsmen of any type are as good now as they were then.

It's the way they conduct themselves and the way the game has gone that is a problem.

Your example of Chopper Harris is, thankfully, not really indicatve of how the game was generally played. Footballers are far too protected. It is a contact sport after all. They should go and play rugby for while to learn some discipline.

Football, a game for gentlemen played by thugs, rugby, a game for thugs played by gentlemen.

Your comparison of golf means nothing. Golfers, like alot of top sportsmen are probaly paid too much for what they do, but, unlike footballers, if they don't perform they don't get paid. Also, their conduct, apart from a very few, is exemplary. And you only have to watch the Ryder Cup to see how to behave and how to have pride in playing for your country/continent.

Professional golfers regularly call the rules official to 'own up' to their ball moving when putting, and such like, and get a penalty. When was the last time you saw a footballer do anything remotley like that?

Geezer

rob878

I think the greatest motivating factor, that always kept me civil and keen to make sure the ref know that i would behave (or misbehave out of his line of sight next time) when i got penalized during a rugby game. Was that i knew if i started getting choppsy and the ref marched us back 10 metres, the rest of the forwards would ensure that i wouldn't make that mistake again. Usually by a carefully placed boot whilst i was at the bottom of the ruck.

When i look at footballers it seems that there are precious few players that actually want to take responsibilty for their actions. You see Scholes or fat Frank who are renowned for being sh*te at tackling, launch into the air and halve the player and completely miss the ball, yet by their and the players around them reaction you would think it was the Ref's fault when he books them.

It has been said before, by more learned people than me on football, that during the 2003 rugby world cup, the premiership was a lot "cleaner" in the amount (reduction) of histrionics when some ones ankle was touched etc etc. Perhaps seeing a 15 stone bloke smash the crap out of another 18 stone bloke and then both get up and carry on playing put the whole contact thing it perspective.

I know that if i have a little son it will be rugby union and league he will be encouraged to play, and he will be far from "silver spoon"

speedymonkey

Very true
Golf is also IMO the hardest game on the planet, to play consistently well over 18 holes takes major skill and consentration as ever single shot is different.

I like most sports and love football, but more and more these days, the ref is mobbed by players screaming and shouting after a descion doesn't go the way they want, its farsical!

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

If you don't like football don't watch it there is no point in whining about it as it won't change.

Football is and always will be more popular then rugby,the similarity is that both national teams are both crap

rob878

Well apart from the fact that the rugby team is immeasurably more successful than the football team, you are about right.

Geezer

I don't watch it generally, but I reserve the right to complain about it

This is a free country you know ..........

I supose you are right, as long as the chav, thick, uneducated population of the UK continues to grow, so will its beloved sport

Geezer

baser999

iTrader: (2)

There was a programme on a couple of weeks ago when they compared a cup final from I think the 50s with one from the modern era - referee didn't blow for a free kick in the old game for about 10 minutes. . . . modern game, 37 seconds. The game seemed just as 'hard' yet no amateur dramatics, feigning injury, just get up and get on with it stuff

_RIP_