When Football was a Mans Game
I'd like to introduce our first guest blogger here at football on the TV. This is one mans rant about how football is no longer a mans game.
The author, Paul Newton, is also organising a world record attempt at the longest 5-a-side game to ever take place in the aid of charity for a much under funded disease Wegener's granulomatosis. Check out his facebook page Soccer AM... PM....AM for info and if you are feeling generous please donate here
I'm 33 years of age now and packed in my season ticket about three seasons ago now, ending a 20 year run of supporting Sunderland home and, now and then, away. I decided to give up on football after spending a freezing cold Saturday afternoon watching Sunderland play Chelsea. It was a poor game, the football that we played under Roy Keane was effective in the lower leagues but, my god, it was hard to watch.
I sat and watched John Terry and it made me sad. People tell me that he's the enforcer. The hard man. The rock at the heart of the Chelsea defence, nay the team. The very foundation that Chelsea, and our 2010 world cup chances (?), were built. For 90 minutes he whined, he cried, he complained and he bitched on like a fanny, Kenwyn Jones bullied him all afternoon. It wasn't just him, Ashley Tweedy and Lampard spent the day crying at the ref and playing with one arm permanently in the air claiming for fouls of decisions that were clearly going to be given against them.
I just thought, Football has turned into a pantomime, no, a ballet. Im not interested in this and its only going to get worse. the amount of money you spend is not matched by the effort or passion on the pitch. It used to be a mans game with hard tackles, the occasional skirmish and a blooded head, its just turned soft.
Disagree? Then try to tell me that good old fashioned players like Kevin Ball, Roy Keane, Terry Butcher, Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness would have been seen plying their trade wearing a bloody Snood? I would be amazed if these guys wore a vest under their SHORT SLEEVED shirts. Stunned if they ever wore gloves, even when snowballing. They would rather play in bare feet than wear red, green or, christ help you Bendtner, PINK boots. If you asked them if they would have like to wear a hood/scarf combination to play football in, they would have killed you. Most of them just by staring at yo until you shit yourself to death.
We need to take back football and make it a mans game, its turning into a sanitised stale version of the game I used to love and care for with a passion. No more family enclosures and no more neutral zones for the fans (only at bloody Fulham)...I want cold pies, white hot Bovril, tackling from behind to return and kinds below 10 banned from gong to the games. THEN the atmosphere will return, crowds brought to life by hard but fair tackle, the players proving that they care as much as the fans.
I once saw a Sunderland player, John Kay, beak his leg at Roker park and, as he was being stretchered off the pitch, he was pretending to row off the pitch as if her sitting in a little boat. THATS what football is all about....its a mans game played my men, not girls if scarfs.
I sat and watched John Terry and it made me sad. People tell me that he's the enforcer. The hard man. The rock at the heart of the Chelsea defence, nay the team. The very foundation that Chelsea, and our 2010 world cup chances (?), were built. For 90 minutes he whined, he cried, he complained and he bitched on like a fanny, Kenwyn Jones bullied him all afternoon. It wasn't just him, Ashley Tweedy and Lampard spent the day crying at the ref and playing with one arm permanently in the air claiming for fouls of decisions that were clearly going to be given against them.
I just thought, Football has turned into a pantomime, no, a ballet. Im not interested in this and its only going to get worse. the amount of money you spend is not matched by the effort or passion on the pitch. It used to be a mans game with hard tackles, the occasional skirmish and a blooded head, its just turned soft.
Disagree? Then try to tell me that good old fashioned players like Kevin Ball, Roy Keane, Terry Butcher, Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness would have been seen plying their trade wearing a bloody Snood? I would be amazed if these guys wore a vest under their SHORT SLEEVED shirts. Stunned if they ever wore gloves, even when snowballing. They would rather play in bare feet than wear red, green or, christ help you Bendtner, PINK boots. If you asked them if they would have like to wear a hood/scarf combination to play football in, they would have killed you. Most of them just by staring at yo until you shit yourself to death.
We need to take back football and make it a mans game, its turning into a sanitised stale version of the game I used to love and care for with a passion. No more family enclosures and no more neutral zones for the fans (only at bloody Fulham)...I want cold pies, white hot Bovril, tackling from behind to return and kinds below 10 banned from gong to the games. THEN the atmosphere will return, crowds brought to life by hard but fair tackle, the players proving that they care as much as the fans.
I once saw a Sunderland player, John Kay, beak his leg at Roker park and, as he was being stretchered off the pitch, he was pretending to row off the pitch as if her sitting in a little boat. THATS what football is all about....its a mans game played my men, not girls if scarfs.
Author Paul Newton
Don't forget to support his World Record breaking 5-a-side charity event Soccer AM...PM...AM please give generously!!
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