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What's gone RIGHT with British sport?!!



portlock seagull

Why? Why us?
Jul 28, 2003
16,981
Murray victory, Lions series win, Ashes holders and favourites, Masters of the golfing world, more gold than an Aztec temple at last years Olympics and our 1st reserve likely to win the Tour de France after our main man and current champion says "nah, only wanted to win it once, let someone else have a chance..."!!!

This is NOT the British sport of my youth! Even BHA are on a 30 year high!! Have a great day all and smile at those Aussie bar staff when you're asking them to fetch another beer for you in the pub today!
 






Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,110
Surrey
I must admit, the exact same thought crossed my mind today, portlock.

No idea, but in for a penny in for a pound. Ashes start on Wednesday. 5-0 please. :thumbsup:
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,384
West west west Sussex
Not drugs. Money.
Lottery money, to be precise.

I think there's also something to be said for ruthlessness.

Being a British plucky loser doesn't really cut it, anymore.

Success breeds success, unless your a soccerballist, where success breeds more money and even more contempt.
 




Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
Success breeds success, unless your a soccerballist, where success breeds more money and even more contempt.

Close SB, but in fact if your an English footballer, failure breeds more money and even more contempt.

Also Chris Froome being described as 'first reserve' is a little wide of the mark. He has been the best stage race cyclist for the entire year by quite some margin, and Wiggins was never going to lead Team Sky at the Tour despite what he liked to think.
 


Albumen

Don't wait for me!
Jan 19, 2010
11,495
Brighton - In your face
England Under 19s - didn't qualify for the finals
England under 20s - bottom of their group behind Egypt, Iraq and Chile. England have now gone 16 matches without a win at this level
England Under 21s - Might as well not turned up to the finals.

England Seniors - slipped to 15th in rankings.
 


Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
England Under 19s - didn't qualify for the finals
England under 20s - bottom of their group behind Egypt, Iraq and Chile. England have now gone 16 matches without a win at this level
England Under 21s - Might as well not turned up to the finals.

England Seniors - slipped to 15th in rankings.

Indeed, yet we are hailing the effect extra funding has had on other sports. Definitive proof that the FA and the Premier League are bad for football in this country.
 






Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
59,208
The Fatherland
Indeed, yet we are hailing the effect extra funding has had on other sports. Definitive proof that the FA and the Premier League are bad for football in this country.

It's not just the money though, it's also long term vision and strategy.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,384
West west west Sussex
Although the post Olympic drop off wasn't as bad as expected, we (as a nation) still became Team Football, from about October.

This year we're potentially heading towards success in:-

Golf
Rugby
Tennis
Cycling
Cricket, to name but a few.

But as soon as the evening get longer the nation will be force feed a diet of 'the greatest league in the world'.
 




teaboy

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
1,840
My house
It's not all about money though - the LTA have had loads of it for years, and will be claiming Murray as their success story despite him not 'coming through the ranks' in the same way that Laura Robson has (keep a close eye on her though!). It's more to do with attitude - British Cycling's elite programme basically says if you aren't going to win you aren't going to ride. This has stopped the 'plucky underdog Brit' turning up to 'have a go' and turned it into medals, which leads to funding which, when spent properly leads to continued success.

Football doesn't need to succeed for funding to be available, so there's no need to talent-spot kids who aren't currently involved in the sport and develop them into elite athletes. After all, you can make a decent living being ok at football (lower League 2), but in most sports you won't get £40k a year for being 80th in the country at your sport.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
59,208
The Fatherland
After all, you can make a decent living being ok at football (lower League 2), but in most sports you won't get £40k a year for being 80th in the country at your sport.

Football also, kind of, rewards failure. A player can earn a life changing amount without actually proving themself. No wonder most players never live out their full potential. If Rooney still had to land the big contract I can assure you be would not be the podgy disinterested person he currently is.
 


strings

Moving further North...
Feb 19, 2006
9,965
Barnsley
I agree with much of what has been posted above. Funding (especially lottery funding) has been key. The problem with investment in sport, is that it can take 10-15 years to bear fruit, as the French found with the Clairefontaine football academy (opened 1988, France won the world cup in '98). This is because, in my opinion, spotting and developing young talent is key to future success.

We are currently riding the crest of a wave, the question is can we stay there? The good news is that success can breed success - if governing bodies are reinvesting the money we win, then there is a chance we can sustain the performances of the last few summers.

If only the FA, Premier League et al could pull their finger out to work together for some national success.
 




Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,384
West west west Sussex
One of the American sports talk shows podcasts I listen too, was interesting when talking about Murray v S.Williams.

They were enjoying the prospect of the match, wondering how many if any points SW would get.
Then someone pipped up with words to the effect of:-

'well I don't know, the UK is on such a sporting high, at the moment, I don't see what they have to gain by this'.

For an, albeit intelligent, American to notice our sporting successes we must be seriously rockin'.
 


Tyrone Biggums

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2006
13,498
Geelong, Australia
Recruiting/Accepting top athletes from other nations who find the lifestyle and stability of the new home nation highly appealing. I think The USA, UK and Australia have benefited from this kind of influx into talent pools over the years.
 


teaboy

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
1,840
My house
I agree with much of what has been posted above. Funding (especially lottery funding) has been key. The problem with investment in sport, is that it can take 10-15 years to bear fruit, as the French found with the Clairefontaine football academy (opened 1988, France won the world cup in '98). This is because, in my opinion, spotting and developing young talent is key to future success.

We are currently riding the crest of a wave, the question is can we stay there? The good news is that success can breed success - if governing bodies are reinvesting the money we win, then there is a chance we can sustain the performances of the last few summers.

If only the FA, Premier League et al could pull their finger out to work together for some national success.

But football doesn't work like that. Player development and scouting is left primarily to the professional clubs. The FA would be better off going down the ECB route and getting a squad together on central contracts to represent the country. Make that the goal of every player and you break the hold that the clubs have. It'd probably work best starting with U19s and developing a squad in view of long-term success. We may not qualify for the next world cup, but I'd have thought that's the price worth paying if, 4 years later that same squad wins it.
 


Brovion

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 6, 2003
19,322
Lottery money, to be precise.

I think there's also something to be said for ruthlessness.

Being a British plucky loser doesn't really cut it, anymore.

Success breeds success, unless your a soccerballist, where success breeds more money and even more contempt.
It's an interesting point. For years it was deeply ingrained in the British psyche that you 'play the game for the game's sake' and that practising beforehand was a form of cheating. You can still see traces of that in the 'Brian O'Driscoll' thread where there are people saying that the main point of a Lions tour is not actually to win the Test matches! (I hope the All Blacks have that attitude the next time they tour here). The 'gentleman amateur' attitude is a long time dying, but events like the Olympics, last year's Tour de France and now Andy Murray are all helping to finally bury the past. Who knows? Maybe one day an England football team won't resemble a load of frightened rabbits when confronted with a penalty spot.
 




drew

Drew
Oct 3, 2006
23,008
Burgess Hill
Indeed, yet we are hailing the effect extra funding has had on other sports. Definitive proof that the FA and the Premier League are bad for football in this country.

The difference being that in other sports the money is being invested in british sportsmen and women for their development where as in football it is just invested in the best available players.
 


Creaky

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2013
3,835
Hookwood - Nr Horley
The answer IMO has been touched upon by others on this thread but not openly.

The simple answer is that we are waking up to the fact that tennis, football, rugby, cycling, athletics etc etc are no longer sports at the top level but an industry - and unless they are approached in that way you can't have success.

The skill levels at the top of all those events are undoubtedly higher than they were just twenty years ago - I'm not convinced though that this makes them more enjoyable or exciting to watch.
 



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