Modern football is rubbish

[SwissBlade]

I really can't be bothered to try and understand what an xG actually is

I understand what it is but it’s completely irrelevant to watching a game

 

[JackSUFC]

I've never had as much fun with football than watching our regimented, heavily coached patterns of play under Wilder the first time.

The difference was that was a free-flowing, fearless, aggressive style that was exciting to watch. Playing “with the handbrake off” as Wilder used to say. Bash and JOC bombing on, Baldock and Stevens popping up on the oppositions penalty spot.

I’d pay good money to watch that group of players in their prime just once again.

 

[Birdwell Blade]

Football is really dull now. Sure there are some exceptions but the product is poorer now. Too many games, too much money, it’s meant that games are more sterile, generally.

Stats which are mostly irrelevant, key passes, most corners, xG get peddled out as well as things like pivots, high press and referring to strikers as 10’s or 9’s. It’s bollocks and boring

As I’ve got older and football has become less of a priority in life, I’m less enthusiastic anyway. There was a peak several years ago, certainly pre Covid.

However, the premier league has been getting worse for years, VAR, so many subs, time added on, bookings for hand bags and soft tackles.

I’d be interested to know the thoughts of Forest and Villa fans since they’re having good seasons, possibly Newcastle fans for their success.

The biggest turn off for me though is the desire to televise games at all times except 3pm Saturday. Yet more games of ours getting moved. It’s shit when you have to move your entire weekend to suit the tv schedules and the 3 pm blackout

God yes

 

[AnstonBlade1]

Just picked a couple of games that stood out

The very top teams have players who can produce a bit if magic and sometimes do .
In the main though throughout the PL games are decided on who makes the fewest mistakes , lose concentration for a couple if seconds or make a poor decision .
Its very risk averse , probably why Liverpool have romped it this year ( today aside) .
Klippety Klopp had the same players with a marauding style , and got them beat enough times to prevent them winning the league on many occasions. Slot is more regimented and just gives away fewer chances.
No right or wrong way , just how it's developed, perhaps in future they'll be bonus points for goals scored

Unfortunately it’s a business these days there’s so much money at stake that for the “big 6” it’s all about getting into the top 4 where the money is,
Doesn’t matter how they get there as long as they do.

 

[loyalblade95]

Stats which are mostly irrelevant, key passes, most corners, xG get peddled out as well as things like pivots, high press and referring to strikers as 10’s or 9’s. It’s bollocks and boring

Things were much better when the stats were just basic.

Possession %, shots on target Vs total shots, offsides, fouls, corners.

Nowadays it's, shots inside/outside the box, big chances, hit the woodwork, completed passes, to go alongside the usual expected stats.

 

[Birdwell Blade]

The difference was that was a free-flowing, fearless, aggressive style that was exciting to watch. Playing “with the handbrake off” as Wilder used to say. Bash and JOC bombing on, Baldock and Stevens popping up on the oppositions penalty spot.

I’d pay good money to watch that group of players in their prime just once again.

Yes again

 

[robbiez666]

The difference was that was a free-flowing, fearless, aggressive style that was exciting to watch. Playing “with the handbrake off” as Wilder used to say. Bash and JOC bombing on, Baldock and Stevens popping up on the oppositions penalty spot.

I’d pay good money to watch that group of players in their prime just once again.

It's all about percentages now. The amount of times teams get the ball out white, the player is in loads of room, but instead of going for the deadball line they stop, turn and pass inside.

If that Wilder team had played the percentages we'd have never got up. We played on the edge. one touch football. betting on getting to the ball first.

The few times this season we've been exciting is when Hamer or O'Hare have played balls first time or blind around the corner. Take a chance.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

In the 90’s “flair players” were allowed to play
Juninho’s, Zola’s, Ginola’s, Asprillia’s
Now it’s all coached out of them

Again, such a lazy a comment.

Just in the past 5-10 years we've had loads of Premier League, "flair players".

Hazard, Coutinho, Payet, Firmino, Son Heung-min, Salah, Traore, Mahrez, Saint-Maximin, Eze...

It's just nostalgia.

 

[JackSUFC]

I think you're misremembering a lot of it.

It's easy to cherry pick the good things from the past but a lot of people seem to forget all the dross.

Fulham 3-2 Liverpool was a good game of football to watch earlier today but it won't get mentioned now because the Manchester clubs churned out a dull draw.

One positive I can think about the PL this season is that the traditional order has been shaken up by the likes of Forest, Villa and Newcastle (albeit thanks to foreign investment).

Mid-table teams are also capable of beating the bigger clubs more regularly.

However we’re also in a situation where the three promoted teams will now always look likely to be the three going back down.

 

[AnstonBlade1]

Again, such a lazy a comment.

Just in the past 5-10 years we've had loads of Premier League, "flair players".

Hazard, Coutinho, Payet, Firmino, Son Heung-min, Salah, Traore, Mahrez, Saint-Maximin, Eze...

It's just nostalgia.

Bore off Zola and Juninho were on another planet to Eze and Saint-Maximan and we’re far better to watch

 

[JackSUFC]

Hazard, Coutinho, Payet, Firmino, Son Heung-min, Salah, Traore, Mahrez, Saint-Maximin, Eze...

The streets won’t forget™

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Bore off Zola and Juninho were on another planet to Eze and Saint-Maximan and we’re far better to watch

Out of the ones you mentioned, Zola was a top quality player.

Juninho, Ginola and Asprilla were never anywhere near his level.

Eden Hazard was comfortably better than all four of them.

 

[AWetFlannel]

The difference was that was a free-flowing, fearless, aggressive style that was exciting to watch. Playing “with the handbrake off” as Wilder used to say. Bash and JOC bombing on, Baldock and Stevens popping up on the oppositions penalty spot.

I’d pay good money to watch that group of players in their prime just once again.

Wilder used to say "handbrake off", but he made the players make the runs he told them to make, cross the ball only after creating an overload etc.

We were literally the opposite of a bunch of talented flair players being let loose to express themselves.

 

[AWetFlannel]

It's all about percentages now. The amount of times teams get the ball out white, the player is in loads of room, but instead of going for the deadball line they stop, turn and pass inside.

If that Wilder team had played the percentages we'd have never got up. We played on the edge. one touch football. betting on getting to the ball first.

The few times this season we've been exciting is when Hamer or O'Hare have played balls first time or blind around the corner. Take a chance.

That Wilder team absolutely played the percentages. We rarely shot from distance, we rarely crossed from deep. He's said himself that the team was designed and trained to create high quality (high xG) chances.

 

[AWetFlannel]

Things were much better when the stats were just basic.

Possession %, shots on target Vs total shots, offsides, fouls, corners.

Nowadays it's, shots inside/outside the box, big chances, hit the woodwork, completed passes, to go alongside the usual expected stats.

You're allowed to ignore the stats that don't interest you. Surely it's better that those who want more detailed stats can access them, and those who don't can just easily ignore them?

 

[Gin&Juice]

It’s like the nerds who used to be scared of football at school, banded together and got their revenge

 

[Houston_Blade]

Just picked a couple of games that stood out

There are still goals scored in games though, there was a 3-2 today in the PL! Romanticising about days gone by is what we all do, my dad used to moan about 90’s football when I was a kid, he moans about the current era now, in reality it’s just that things change.

 

[DeanLearner'sCat]

As I was watching that awful Manchester derby, I thought about Jorge Valdano's "shit on a stick" quote about the Mourinho/Benitez era Liverpool-Chelsea CL game. He complained of how physical and tactical football had become and how there was no room for flair etc. That was nearly 20 years ago. Now some people talk nostalgically about how great that era was. I'm sure people will say the same about this era 20 years from now.

 

[derfblade.3]

I was going to post this myself about how boring modern football has become. I was watching the game today with my 14 year old grandson on sky and at half time switched to normal t.v and The Big Match was on showing Arsenal v Man Utd in 1984.
He soon realised that football was much more exciting. Always playing forward , getting crosses in early and the crowds loud and being entertained the whole game.
I pointed out that their were no back passing and messing around.
He loved it.
What a difference when we turned on the second half of the Manchester derby. Pass pass pass and like playing in a library.
Football is dead/

 

[Pollingtonblade]

 

[Snowflake]

We have teams that cost billions to assemble, with multi-millionaire stars, and yet has football ever been quite this boring?

Teams stuffed full of millionaires too scared to make a mistake so they just pass it sideways and backwards for the entire game, And when they do get near the opposition's box they attempt to create the perfect goal. And even when there are goals, half the time they come from mistakes, not exciting play.

Oh, and get your chequebook out because you're going to need it to buy a ticket to be bored to death for 95* minutes (*110 if you're beating one of the big teams away).

I can't see a way this gets any better though. More money, more cowards. More robots playing in pre-programmed systems. No individualism. No flair. Games likely played on other continents.

The sport of contrition.

..but still watched live and on tv by millions each year.

 

[SouthStandGBlock]

Football is really dull now. Sure there are some exceptions but the product is poorer now. Too many games, too much money, it’s meant that games are more sterile, generally.

Stats which are mostly irrelevant, key passes, most corners, xG get peddled out as well as things like pivots, high press and referring to strikers as 10’s or 9’s. It’s bollocks and boring

As I’ve got older and football has become less of a priority in life, I’m less enthusiastic anyway. There was a peak several years ago, certainly pre Covid.

However, the premier league has been getting worse for years, VAR, so many subs, time added on, bookings for hand bags and soft tackles.

I’d be interested to know the thoughts of Forest and Villa fans since they’re having good seasons, possibly Newcastle fans for their success.

The biggest turn off for me though is the desire to televise games at all times except 3pm Saturday. Yet more games of ours getting moved. It’s shit when you have to move your entire weekend to suit the tv schedules and the 3 pm blackout

Completely agree.

I've got Sky (I ought to get a fire stick instead), and watched Luton v Leeds this weekend, and our highlights (?).

Didn't bother with anything else as it's generally boring, possession based football played by robots, with few chances and very little flair.

I got up early and watched re-runs of the Sopranos rather than MOTD, as they spend more time analysing the refs performance and VAR than they do showing football (MOTD not Tony Soprano).

It definitely seems more boring now, with less characters. It's becoming a very sterile sport IMO (and yours).

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

By and large , I’m more than happy to watch modern football and am impressed by the levels of pace , skill and athleticism at which it is played .

This applies to teams even in the lower reaches of the PL who often produce some outstanding football resulting in excellently worked goals .

My biggest frustration with it is the amount of shirt pulling , grappling and blatant pushing that has become a consistent feature of the game and one which players are almost always allowed to get away with .

From corners , this has become an absolute joke but is also prevalent in other areas of the pitch to an extent I’ve never seen before .

On this weekend alone I’ve seen many examples of players having both arms wrapped around an opponent and blatant two handed pushes in the back sending a player sprawling which have gone unpunished . To compound this , such incidents are often justified by the match commentators as being ok on the grounds of …”Not enough contact for me”

Oh really ? Please advise me where in the Rules of Football it states that a two handed push in the back with no attempt to play the ball should not be deemed to be a foul .

 

[Micky Narker]

It's easy to look back and say things were better and yes I think footy could do with more Gascoignes, Bergkamps and Keanes to inject more personality, flair and grit but on the other hand the standard has risen across the board.

United have been gritty but effective this season, so personality and flair can wait for next season after promotion

 

[iBlade.]

The biggest scourge on modern football is VAR

 

[JackSUFC]

 

[Yoonited]

People were saying stuff like this 30 years ago.

It's just another version of the, 'Things were better in my day!' cliche.

Which people?.........I disagree.
"Maverick" was a term utilised much more often back then.
Very few of those anymore,they're all too busy practicing skills more aligned with swimming and gymnastics these days.

We had one in Iliman,but our ambition didn't match his ultimately.

Perhaps that's all about to change

 

[Keen Blade]

I really can't be bothered to try and understand what an xG actually is

It's a 4 wheel drive BMW isn't it ?

 

[petcharlie]

I was going to post this myself about how boring modern football has become. I was watching the game today with my 14 year old grandson on sky and at half time switched to normal t.v and The Big Match was on showing Arsenal v Man Utd in 1984.
He soon realised that football was much more exciting. Always playing forward , getting crosses in early and the crowds loud and being entertained the whole game.
I pointed out that their were no back passing and messing around.
He loved it.
What a difference when we turned on the second half of the Manchester derby. Pass pass pass and like playing in a library.
Football is dead/

Fully agree mate the prem is so boring now , 30 passes and ten mins to cross the half way line ,backwards forwards back again back to the goalie to the fullback back to the goalie to center half back again to the full back to the goalie ,. just watched the Man u game local Derby my god more passion in a packet of bloody love hearts . Add a few actors and VAR and its become a big yarn . Much prefer the Championship or even a game in the park on a Sunday afternoon .

 

[Aganarama]