Never been so wealthy, widely watched, and so unpopular - true of football today?

Hastings gull · Nov 16, 2014

I saw this comment recently and wondered what we think of it. On the face of it, it seems contradictory, yet, perversely perhaps there is an element of real truth to this. There is much cynicism regarding football nowadays, much of it surrounding the cash sloshing about, and yet it is widely watched - perhaps this, though, refers to the global audience? There is much criticism on here of the "corporateness" of football, but modern stadia do not seem to be the intimidating places that, say, 1970s grounds used to be, and crowds in the Championship do seem to be holding up - perhaps someone can give us the necessary stats?
Fair comment or rather simplistic or just plain wrong?

dazzer6666 · Nov 16, 2014

Crowds are holding up because it's a much broader church these days..............

El Presidente · Nov 16, 2014

Are we talking about the Worthing Herald again?

vegster · Nov 16, 2014

Footballers of today are possessed (mostly ) of such great skills and athleticism as to be almost incomparable to those that played in the 60's and 70's when there was a closer connection between the fans and the players.
Nowadays we expect players to be brilliant week in, week out or we throw up the issue of how much money so so is on a week to beat them with. A good "honest Pro " is expected to give 110% as standard every time they set foot on the pitch and woe betide any that don't.

So, yes, it has become a business in which the fans ( Consumers ) demand top quality football or they bleat about how much money they are paying to get an inferior product.

Guinness Boy · Nov 16, 2014

Wealthy? Undoubtedly true.

Widely watched? Globally yes. Japan has a half decent team, the African Cup of Nations is a global event, Australia has a Premier League and Paul Beirne told The Roar that there are many channels showing hundreds of games in Canada every weekend.

Unpopular? It can't be if it's also so wealthy and widely watched but it is a hideous pastiche of itself. The "experience" today is like going to see a waxwork of your favourite star instead of the star themselves. Further more, the more well known the celebrity, the more obscure and inconvenient the opening times of the waxwork museum and the more tatty shit they try and sell you in the shop on your way out.

el punal · Nov 16, 2014

Up to a point this is true, certainly from the "greed" aspect of football - overpaid players, exorbitant ticket prices, overpriced merchandising. Throw in the inconvenience of fixtures being changed at the behest of television companies, and you will find the average football fan's lot is not a happy one.

This, though, is nowhere near as bad as the state of English football in the mid-eighties. Attendances were plummeting, most grounds were complete sh*t heaps, police treated loyal fans as potential criminals and you took your life into your hands if you went to an away game. The result - fans voted with their feet and just did not go. It took a disaster to make the football authorities change the way the game was perceived and presented.

Fast forward thirty years, football had better be aware, the average loyal fan is not thick, the smell of corruption and greed from the top (FIFA anyone?) to the bottom is pervading everything in the game. The result - if this continues the average loyal fan will be priced out of watching the beautiful game and, like the eighties, will vote with his feet - again.

Rogero · Nov 16, 2014

I have just cancelled Sky Sports as I have stopped watching the football on there. I did not watch the a England game last night. I do still enjoy going to the Albion but it is the whole package ,going to a great stadium,meeting and having a laugh on the bus. The football does really need to improve and perhaps I might ignite my enjoyment of a great game.

army ali · Nov 16, 2014

vegster said:
Footballers of today are possessed (mostly ) of such great skills and athleticism as to be almost incomparable to those that played in the 60's and 70's when there was a closer connection between the fans and the players.
Nowadays we expect players to be brilliant week in, week out or we throw up the issue of how much money so so is on a week to beat them with. A good "honest Pro " is expected to give 110% as standard every time they set foot on the pitch and woe betide any that don't.

So, yes, it has become a business in which the fans ( Consumers ) demand top quality football or they bleat about how much money they are paying to get an inferior product.

Agreed mostly but not totally convinced about the great skills piece (Stanley Matthews et al?).

The main issue is the relationship between the fans and the club where once the club was integral to and represented the community where once it provided the platform for the community to come together and cheer on the people they worked with during the week. Not sure about the 'working class' game but clubs were representative of their community. Sadly, this is not the case today where money has eclipsed the community feel. We (as in the fans) pay a fair bit of money to support our team and like anything you pay for nowadays, expect a good return, value for money. When this does not happen, obviously questions will be raised, (in this case, discontentment on the 'terraces' ensues which resonates onto the pitch). I call it the ever decreasing circle effect.
Players of now are too far removed from the community that they can never connect with from the best will in the world. Their ability to generate vast sums of income quickly eclipses the vast majority of those supporting their team. I for one feel sickened when I see a footballer on £10k a week - is this really representative of the community? Those will argue they have a short career span and deserve it, I'm not convinced by this at all where by the age of 34, they can still re-skill, like the majority of people - welcome to the real world.
In a nut shell, Football has distanced itself from its roots and the gap will continue to grow. Entrance fees, commercial stuff will also continue to grow, however, our wages will not be able grow in proportion to the football corporate juggernaut and hence, the dissatisfaction of 'us' fans will become greater as time goes on.
Unfortunately, our connection with club is still there, is the club's with us? Look at the German model - it can be done.

Hastings gull · Nov 16, 2014

el punal said:
Up to a point this is true, certainly from the "greed" aspect of football - overpaid players, exorbitant ticket prices, overpriced merchandising. Throw in the inconvenience of fixtures being changed at the behest of television companies, and you will find the average football fan's lot is not a happy one.

This, though, is nowhere near as bad as the state of English football in the mid-eighties. Attendances were plummeting, most grounds were complete sh*t heaps, police treated loyal fans as potential criminals and you took your life into your hands if you went to an away game. The result - fans voted with their feet and just did not go. It took a disaster to make the football authorities change the way the game was perceived and presented.

Fast forward thirty years, football had better be aware, the average loyal fan is not thick, the smell of corruption and greed from the top (FIFA anyone?) to the bottom is pervading everything in the game. The result - if this continues the average loyal fan will be priced out of watching the beautiful game and, like the eighties, will vote with his feet - again.

Could not agree more. Throughout the late 60s and the 70s, I always had the impression that the football authorities allowed matters to drift regarding the state of the game and the general level of hooliganism - far too often more radical action could have been taken, which might have made more of an impression, though to be fair, football clubs could not always be held responsible for society's ills. After disturbances at the Goldstone, the club was forced to put up warning notices - even as a teenager I can recall looking at them and thinking that they would not deter at all -often the print was so small, you could not read it properly anyway.
Yes the disasters at Bradford, Heysel and Hiilsborough, in their different ways, were the clear catalyst for change, and it was just so sad that so many died to prompt action.

Hastings gull · Nov 16, 2014

army ali said:
Agreed mostly but not totally convinced about the great skills piece (Stanley Matthews et al?).

The main issue is the relationship between the fans and the club where once the club was integral to and represented the community where once it provided the platform for the community to come together and cheer on the people they worked with during the week. Not sure about the 'working class' game but clubs were representative of their community. Sadly, this is not the case today where money has eclipsed the community feel. We (as in the fans) pay a fair bit of money to support our team and like anything you pay for nowadays, expect a good return, value for money. When this does not happen, obviously questions will be raised, (in this case, discontentment on the 'terraces' ensues which resonates onto the pitch). I call it the ever decreasing circle effect.
Players of now are too far removed from the community that they can never connect with from the best will in the world. Their ability to generate vast sums of income quickly eclipses the vast majority of those supporting their team. I for one feel sickened when I see a footballer on £10k a week - is this really representative of the community? Those will argue they have a short career span and deserve it, I'm not convinced by this at all where by the age of 34, they can still re-skill, like the majority of people - welcome to the real world.
In a nut shell, Football has distanced itself from its roots and the gap will continue to grow. Entrance fees, commercial stuff will also continue to grow, however, our wages will not be able grow in proportion to the football corporate juggernaut and hence, the dissatisfaction of 'us' fans will become greater as time goes on.
Unfortunately, our connection with club is still there, is the club's with us? Look at the German model - it can be done.

Many thanks for your reply. Yes, I too have always been unconvinced as the merits of this argument which you often hear as an excuse for thousands of pounds a week. They have approx. 30 years of their working life left, and whilst they presumably will not earn the same amount, they can try and live on what most of us are paid. They can also save wisely during their10/15 years of relative wealth and invest cash accordingly - whether they do or not, is another matter.

beorhthelm · Nov 16, 2014

Hastings gull said:
I saw this comment recently and wondered what we think of it. On the face of it, it seems contradictory, yet, perversely perhaps there is an element of real truth to this.

its contradictory because it is, and there's little truth in it. there is indeed alot of cynicism, mostly from a minority of fans that want to romanicise some old memory of bygone days. but as i understand it, the football wasnt as good overall, the grounds certainly weren't, and fans would as much fight as watch the game. when people talk about "connection to the fans", they are doing exactly the same as those who hype the modern game, trying to place something other than the game upon it; some ideals around connection to the working class. well, that group has largly gone (some have lamented this too), the society changed, so the crowd changed too. not the sport.

Giraffe · Nov 16, 2014

dazzer6666 said:
Crowds are holding up because it's a much broader church these days..............

Crowds are holding up because they are not truly comparative, based on seats sold, not people in the ground.

Brovion · Nov 16, 2014

Giraffe said:
Crowds are holding up because they are not truly comparative, based on seats sold, not people in the ground.

Be that as it may dazzer's comment is correct, it IS a much broader church. Back in the pre-prem days football was played in run-down stadiums in front of crowds that were largely white, male, working class and prone to bouts of violence - and the sport was dying on its arse as a consequence. Whatever peoples' views are on Sky and the Prem (and they're usually unfavourable, sometimes without justification) thanks in no small part to their efforts football survived, went from strength to strength and is more socially inclusive now.

Personally however I do feel something has been lost and football isn't as 'popular' with me as it used to be. I would willingly swap the larger number of wealthier people sitting quietly in their posh stadia for a 1970s crowd any day. However I'm happy to admit I'm an old dinosaur whose time has probably passed.

Goring Gull · Nov 16, 2014

I have to admit to losing a lot of interest in football recently, I no longer watch the games on sky, rarely watch the champions league unless it's Bayern Munich or Real Madrid and to be honest it's a strugge to muster the enthusiasm for going to the odd Albion away games - I didn't bother with Leeds away which i only 30 mins from where I live due to the form being shite and in turn missed probably the best away game of the season. Maybe it's just a phase but i can't remember when i've been less interested in football.

JoePrecious · Nov 16, 2014

Hastings Gull - may have just thumbs downed you. Didn't mean to, clicked it accidently!

Hastings gull · Nov 16, 2014

JoePrecious said:
Hastings Gull - may have just thumbs downed you. Didn't mean to, clicked it accidently!

Thanks for taking the time. I can't find any post from your good self on this thread -perhaps another? I have nothing else to do today other than sit here -Mrs is at a craft fair . . . .at the Amex!

Trevor · Nov 16, 2014

Yes, I can't remember a time when I was less enthusiastic about football despite the grounds being more comfortable and the "product" being of higher quality than n times gone by. I think one of the problems is that I feel disconnected. How do these highly paid players from elsewhere managed by a Finn represent me? Would Dunk, March and JFC (at a stretch) be our only homegrown talent?

Keeping The Dream Alive. · Nov 16, 2014

Brovion said:
However I'm happy to admit I'm an old dinosaur whose time has probably passed.

I bet there's a lot of late teens and blokes in their twenties who would swap what we have now for football of the 60s/70s/80s, though. So maybe you're not so much of a dinosaur.

Hastings gull · Nov 16, 2014

Keeping The Dream Alive. said:
I bet there's a lot of late teens and blokes in their twenties who would swap what we have now for football of the 60s/70s/80s, though. So maybe you're not so much of a dinosaur.

I think this may depend on what you mean. Do you mean the football itself or the atmosphere of the terraces? Or both? As ever, it is a matter of opinion - the stadia are undoubtedly better, there is nowhere near the degree of intimidation at grounds in the 70s, and it is unlikely that the football standard was then better, though this is hard to directly compare. Modern sports science techniques and knowledge of diet, for example, have probably seen at least a fitter footballer. Probably, the atmosphere was generally better but the threat of violence was greater, certainly inside the stadia, or what passed for stadia then.

Keeping The Dream Alive. · Nov 16, 2014

Hastings gull said:
I think this may depend on what you mean. Do you mean the football itself or the atmosphere of the terraces? Or both? As ever, it is a matter of opinion - the stadia are undoubtedly better, there is nowhere near the degree of intimidation at grounds in the 70s, and it is unlikely that the football standard was then better, though this is hard to directly compare. Modern sports science techniques and knowledge of diet, for example, have probably seen at least a fitter footballer. Probably, the atmosphere was generally better but the threat of violence was greater, certainly inside the stadia, or what passed for stadia then.

I mean the general football experience. So: match ticket prices, ease and price of travelling to matches (particular away from home), terracing, atmosphere (in a holistic sense, as opposed to it just being 'louder' then), player/fan connection, a greater hope that your side could get to the top (which some 'smaller' clubs were lucky enough to realise), a a far less sanitised/corporate experience, etc.

The standard of football probably is better now, but I think for a lot of blokes that is secondary (at best) to what they want from a day at the football.

Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

Never been so wealthy, widely watched, and so unpopular - true of football today?

Well-known member

Well-known member

The ONLY Gay in Brighton

Sanity Clause

Tofu eating wokerati

Well-known member

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

A. Virgo, Football Genius

VERY part time moderator

Well-known member

New member

New member

Well-known member

In my Fifties, still know nothing

Naming Rights

Well-known member

Naming Rights

Share this page