urban

iTrader: (1)

Oh, and your comments on United manager retiring, he was hardly just any old manager FFS

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

i dont get why a sport would bother you so much,if you dont like it dont watch it.

lets not forget f1 is run by a corrupt dwarf where basically its a case of most money wins.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Nope, your logic is stupid. I am referring to the neanderthal fans not the participants you fecking muppet!

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

He was just a football manager.... not exactly anyone important in the grand scheme of things! Headline news on the sports pages would be fine, but the front page of the BBC news site FFS!

You need to get some perspective!

markjmd

iTrader: (11)

I'm pretty sure even many followers of football will realize that if the first part of your post I highlighted is anything to go by, you've got very little interest in rational or constructive debate here. Slow day in the office, is it?

Funkii Munkii

Seriously Chris do you truly believe what you've written there. ??

No sport on the planet does this.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

So you are both saying that football does not engender a form of primitive tribalism in many of its supporters that can take the form of anything from mild verbal abuse to extreme violence and sometimes death?

Do you also not accept that for some the glorification of this violence is something to be proud of.... why all the football hooligan movies if that is not the case?

daveyj

iTrader: (1)

I love football. I especially love it when Spurs win. I don't mind if we lose (which is annoyingly too often) as long as they look half-decent when they do get beat (which is annoyingly not often enough). I don't care much for the hooliganism or the small-minded chants. I've seen full scale riots down at Northampton Town. Always against Cardiff City funnily enough. I'd rather there was more of a carnival atmosphere, like you get at Testimonial games. I'm very good friends with supporters of other clubs and love the banter. It's very different at matches though. Been up at Anfield and Goodison Park where fans have launched abuse at their own not just opposition fans. It's completely pointless and detracts away from the game. It's meant to be entertainment. Nothing more nothing less.

I totally agree that it gets a disproportionate amount of coverage. The money involved is proportionate to the coverage.

Not all football fans are idiots. Far from it. I just wish that the smaller-minded few wouldn't use football as a cover for other violence. It's pointless and is making it very difficult and very expensive for genuine fans to get a game!

hodgy0_2

The spine tingling sensation you get at a premiership ground (mine happens to be at the "home of football") in the 5 mins to kick off, when the "anthem" is played - mine happens to be "London calling" by the clash is something everyone has to experience

Football has changed - the emirates on match day sees every single colour, creed, sex occupation known to man - all with 10 metres of me, you have middle aged ladies in fur coats who would not look out of place in Knightsbridge mixing with young kids, labourers old geezers - this list is endless

I used to go with my dad in the 70's and the air of menace was palpable, rearing police horses, men in 18 hole doc martins and Ben shermans, all gone now (boy it was kinda exciting)

There are idiots all over the place, and football is the biggest game in the world so will attract it fair share

daveyj

iTrader: (1)

How have you found the atmosphere change going from the more "intimate" Highbury to The Emirates? My one reason for doing The Lane two-three times a year is partly down to the impending stadium swap. White Hart Lane is great but I worry the new Northumberland Park project, whilst being in keeping with demand, is going to be more expensive and push a few of us out of games. Adult tickets for Europa League games went up £5 from £20. Premiership matches are out of reach. You need to be a member and even then it's rich pickings on tickets.

One of my best friends is a Gooner. I "get" the rivalry. I think it matters to us Spuds more purely because you guys moved in and took top spot in the North of London by being better. The trophy cabinet doesn't lie Always great games though. My faves were the 3-3 draw at WHL and 4-4 at Emirates when Redknapp was in charge. Proper swashbuckling matches. If points didn't matter and the money not such a feature the game would be far, far better for all concerned I think. I'm still waiting for a Spurs team to emulate the 60s guys. Harry's lot were head and shoulders above previous Spurs teams in my time and that includes the Gazza/Lineker years. I'm not holding my breath.

markjmd

iTrader: (11)

I'm saying that the sport of football cannot in any way be blamed for the tribalism of its supporters, or the glorification of violence that some of them might espouse to. Go to India and you'll find the exact same kind of tribalism among cricket fans, despite the actual sport being among the most sedate (and quite frankly somniferous) imaginable. The common element is that both are primarily followed by the popular end of the societal spectrum, and like it or not, young males in that bracket of society are more prone to aggressive behaviour and violence, particularly when they get together in a crowd. In short, if it wasn't football, it would be whichever other form of mass entertainment happens to have a similarly large following, among the same social class and age-group.

JTaylor

I used to be a member of The Central Element.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

So why does it not happen routinely in societies such as the USA or Australia? Neither of them have a big soccer scene, yet they both have their own sports people are uber passionate about, but there is no American football hooligan problem or Aussie rules hooligan problem?

Saying it has nothing to do with the sport of football is BS frankly! The governing body is corrupt, many of the players are cheats, brawlers and in some cases rapists it would seem.... a great bunch to aspire to! And everyone tries to pretend it doesn't have a problem... half the battle to curing a problem is to admit you have one!

hodgy0_2

Yeah, highbury was a tiny ground but a great atmosphere and gave the team a lift (witness the dire performances at Wembly during the transition years)

The emirates has got better re atmoshpere but still not the same tbh, (the stadium is awsome) but as I said in my post the demographic has changed, I bet similar to white hart lane, much more cosmopolitan, a large % of girls/women

I go with my sons (8 & 14) and tbh my joy comes at watching their wonder and excitement at the whole experiance, the drive in the car, the anticipation, the walk to the stadium, going through the turnstiles etc etc

And sure, to some extent the "tribalism", being part of something big, all in concert with each other - it is infectious

ScoobP1

iTrader: (1)

Up here in Glasgow we have a big sectarian problem that some use football as an excuse to vert their filth with but the large majority of people just want to watch the most popular sport in the world being played and for their team to come out on top.

With rangers and Celtic being separated for 3 years now, sectarianism related crime has dropped considerably but the clubs, SFA and SPFL all try their damnedest to eradicate it from the game. It has improved over the last 10 years but I think this is the case up and down the country with more CCTV being used in the grounds. Most incidents up here are actually domestic incidents on old firm incidents. You can hardly blame football for this. That is just down to idiots but as it is a sport that anyone can play with just a ball it is easy to relate to for the fans that enjoy watching it. Tarring us all with the same brush is just rediculous and very small minded.

markjmd

iTrader: (11)

The "IT" you're talking about is played and watched by hundreds of millions of people across virtually every country in the world, and regulated by dozens if not hundreds of different association bodies in those different countries. As soon as you can explain how they could all commonly be responsible for one spectator's death in one city after one match in one part of the world, or for that matter how they could all somehow magically cure this problem that you think the "it" has, I might start giving a **** about your petty little vendetta. Let's be honest here, from the description of yourself you gave recently in another thread, it's clear you've probably never had the physique to play the game yourself, and fair enough, if you've never done that it's understandable you might have little interest in watching it, but for pity's sake, show a little maturity and stop trying to tar the 99.9999% of peaceful, well-behaved people who enjoy it with the misdemeanours of the hooligan minority. You're always the first to jump down anybody's throat if they start a "When is Islam going to deal with its terrorist problem?" type thread (and quite rightly so), so I find it pretty astonishing you don't realize you're doing exactly the same thing with your anti-football threads.

Rant over, but it had to be said.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Firstly whether you personally give a **** about my opinion matters not to me as putting it relatively politely you aren't exactly one of the posters on here who I think has anything of value to offer on any topic!

With that out of the way it may have escaped your notice that football seems to have numerous incidents of violence, in fact one could say a tradition of it and it is this to which i was clearly alluding so I have no need to explain how " they could all commonly be responsible for one spectator's death in one city after one match in one part of the world" as that is not what I am saying. Maybe reading and interpreting posts before spouting off like a kid having a tantrum might do you better in the future!

I am 49 and in the last few years I put some weight on. I have now lost it again... how that equates to never having had the physique to play football in your tiny little mind is beyond me. Never having had the desire to partake of a mind numbingly stupid game is more like the explanation!

Additionally what makes you think I am tarring all supporters with the same brush? I think stupid people watch football as it is relatively simple for them to understand. That does not mean I think only stupid people watch it. The corollary to that is I do not think everyone who watches it is a hooligan. See if you can process that before morning

You're wrong so this point is moot!

In your opinion it had to be said, in the opinion of a balanced relatively intelligent individual your whole post was a childish rant combined with unsubstantiated garbage with no basis in logic or value... as usual.

Martin2005

As an Ipswich supporter I know little about football, but I'm looking forward to taking my son to the game on Saturday (vs Leeds). I'm not racist, or a thug and would totally condemn any such behaviour from anyone irrespective of which team they happen to support.
Football attracts all sorts, and to blame a game for what is basically societies ills is just daft.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Well that's all fine, but answer post 43's question then?

Martin2005

There is much cooruption in sport.

I remember seeing Bernie sitting next to Putin a few weeks back at the Russian GP - I'm sure that those two have nothing to hide!

There has been recent scandals in NFL and NBL is the US surrounding racism and sexual abuse. And have you seen the thick, braindead, inbred morons that follow NASCAR?


I have no doubt that football needs to clean its act up, but let's not forget it has come along way in the last 20 years.

dpb

More money more following more coverage


Get down to Aus .

Maybe they don't do sport there........haha

Suresh

Stop feeding the troll! Just ignore the fool instead.

Football is a massively popular support all over the world. It has low barriers to entry and so is played from Dundee to Delhi. Of course it has its problems and with such a broad fan base, does have its idiots. SN has them too, as we have seen!

ScoobP1

iTrader: (1)

It is the 5th most popular sport in in the US and Australia and so can hardly be classed as not watched in these countries and watched weekly in the US by more people than are in the uk at all levels and is the fastest growing sport in the country.

Must be all the thugs and hoodlums wanting a real sport to follow.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Have you lived or spent any time in Aus? Serious question btw?

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

But most people on this thread are saying it doesn't have a problem, so which is it?

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

I meant more why the US and Aus doesn't have a problem in their sport. Full of young males who follow sport, but no tradition of sports related violence.

urban

iTrader: (1)

You should act your age then, instead of that of a 15 year old spoilt brat

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

At the end of the day those calling me a fool etc. can do as they wish, but in my opinion the game itself has an inherent issue with violence and tribalism and if you wish to make excuses for it and pretend it does not have an issue then in my eyes you are the fools not to mention a part of the problem!

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Just because you don't share my opinion does not make me a spoilt brat, try growing up a little for once!

pflowers

I have to agree with F1 that football seems to breed a certain type of supporter.

Unfortunately for me as my son is football mad I have been forced to attend a few Swansea games and the level of hatred for the other team by a fair percentage of supporters is astonishing.

Again not saying all supporters are the same but it would seem that the main attraction of supporting football is a brainwashed obsession with a team rather than the love of the sport.

My wife is the most easy going, gentlest person I have ever met, however she is from Manchester and coming from a football family supports Man U, if anyone dares mention Man C she goes absolutely crazy ( I do it to wind her up lol)

Personally I watch a lot of Motorsport, from motocross to f1 and whilst I of course have my favourite riders / drivers it doesn't mean I hate everyone else. I watch mainly for the love of the sport.