Modern football is rubbish

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PeterNdlovu081 said:
People were saying stuff like this 30 years ago.

It's just another version of the, 'Things were better in my day!' cliche.
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TBF there's definitely some substance to what people are saying, and the fact that a paid-up Sky Sports commentator is calling it out on live TV suggests it's more than a passing cliche.

I think the standard nowadays is better than it has perhaps ever been. Players are stronger, fitter, better technically, and we're seeing more goals at the top level than ever before.

But that doesn't mean it's more entertaining. There are partly more goals because teams are so clinical and effective nowadays. They take far fewer risks and rarely shoot from distance. It means we see extended spells of possession - often in a team's own half - where very little can happen for 5-10 minutes at a time. It's very dull to watch.

Then there's VAR. It firstly means we so rarely see big tackles because players know if it's slightly mistimed then they'll be off. It's also awarding more penalties than ever before, which can partly explain why we actually see more goals despite the fact that matches are so dull.

I've said it a few times: football is a ticking timebomb. People are watching it in record numbers, but the bubble is going to burst very soon and we're going to see a massive drop off in interest.
 
robbiez666 said:
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.
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Watched the Manchester derby yesterday, shockingly bad game of football.
 
Proper Blade said:
TBF there's definitely some substance to what people are saying, and the fact that a paid-up Sky Sports commentator is calling it out on live TV suggests it's more than a passing cliche.

I think the standard nowadays is better than it has perhaps ever been. Players are stronger, fitter, better technically, and we're seeing more goals at the top level than ever before.

But that doesn't mean it's more entertaining. There are partly more goals because teams are so clinical and effective nowadays. They take far fewer risks and rarely shoot from distance. It means we see extended spells of possession - often in a team's own half - where very little can happen for 5-10 minutes at a time. It's very dull to watch.

Then there's VAR. It firstly means we so rarely see big tackles because players know if it's slightly mistimed then they'll be off. It's also awarding more penalties than ever before, which can partly explain why we actually see more goals despite the fact that matches are so dull.

I've said it a few times: football is a ticking timebomb. People are watching it in record numbers, but the bubble is going to burst very soon and we're going to see a massive drop off in interest.
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I think some of it is that tactics, or perhaps more the style of play has, amongst the top teams, become very homogenised.

As others have said, its all about possession and creating quality chances rather than getting the ball in the box and seeing what happens - and clubs have been successful playing this way.

I'm certainly not suggesting that football has been solved in the same way that the NBA appears to have been solved - but with all the analytics that teams now employ its inevitable they will play the percentages.

And it absolutely removes the "flair" out of the game - players don`t get picked if they ignore their managers instructions...
 
IF you think about it this way, we only got to watch a small percentage of games back in the 90s and 00s and yet there were as many memorable games as there are now, if not more.

The lack of flair and individualism is a big problem, but also is the lack of contact. It means Jack headlock Robinson starts regular handbag fights but any hard challenges are likely to see a red card. Both excite crowds.

And while we have xg now we used to have a lot more clear chances on goals. One on ones. clearances off the line etc. It's all angles now.
 
Proper Blade said:
TBF there's definitely some substance to what people are saying, and the fact that a paid-up Sky Sports commentator is calling it out on live TV suggests it's more than a passing cliche.

I think the standard nowadays is better than it has perhaps ever been. Players are stronger, fitter, better technically, and we're seeing more goals at the top level than ever before.

But that doesn't mean it's more entertaining. There are partly more goals because teams are so clinical and effective nowadays. They take far fewer risks and rarely shoot from distance. It means we see extended spells of possession - often in a team's own half - where very little can happen for 5-10 minutes at a time. It's very dull to watch.

Then there's VAR. It firstly means we so rarely see big tackles because players know if it's slightly mistimed then they'll be off. It's also awarding more penalties than ever before, which can partly explain why we actually see more goals despite the fact that matches are so dull.

I've said it a few times: football is a ticking timebomb. People are watching it in record numbers, but the bubble is going to burst very soon and we're going to see a massive drop off in interest.
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I agree with most of what you say except for the big drop-off in watchers.

My take is that older folk like me (66) will focus on the dwindling entertainment value , but the younger generation will accept whatever is fed to them through a screen , knowing no better.
 
I liked football better with more mistakes and relaxed refs. I liked that some decisions go for you and put up with the ones that went against us because it meant more enjoyment. I liked seeing big tackles, and I absolutely hate having to wait to celebrate a goal while some nerds in a caravan are drawing lines on their laptops.
 
GrunkyPeep said:
I liked football better with more mistakes and relaxed refs. I liked that some decisions go for you and put up with the ones that went against us because it meant more enjoyment. I liked seeing big tackles, and I absolutely hate having to wait to celebrate a goal while some nerds in a caravan are drawing lines on their laptops.
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Amen to that brother!

Hull at home this season ......... 2 very tight marginal decisions went against us - Campbell's 'goal' and their was it 2nd or 3rd goal, cant remember now.

I didn't bat an eyelid. That's the way the cookie crumbles. VAR, imo, should be used to correct absolutely crazy decisions that the whole ground can see, but somehow ref, and assistants have missed.

I love the spontaneity of celebrating a goal - a quick split second glance at ref/assistant as soon as ball has hit the net, then I'm up there matey, I'm jumping! I don't want to wait x number of minutes to see if somebody in phase whatever of the build up had a big toe offside.

It's bullshit and I hate it. Can't remember the last time I watched a PL or CL game - it means nothing to me. Of course I want Blades to go up so we can keep and add to our quality players - but IF!!!!! we do manage it, next season will be an endurance for me.
 
It’s not just the prem, champions league used to be entertaining itv1 Wednesday nights.

Used to be some cracking games between Man Utd and Barca or Man Utd Real Madrid

Proper teams going at each other.
Remember the original Ronaldo getting applauded off at old Trafford.
Figo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, outrageously naturally gifted footballers who were allowed to play.
 
XG is a pile of wank as well. Certainly in terms of discouraging flair players.

If ever a term could be best illustrated with “if my Auntie had balls, she’s be my Uncle”.

Yes you might create a chance on the six yard box and attribute a certain xG to it. But if you’re creating it for your centre half who already has a nose bleed or your goal hungry centre forward who’d murder his own grandmother to be the designated penalty taker, don’t tell me the likelihood of scoring is the same.

So what does it tell us? That the average footballer will have scored from there 2% of the time. And who is this average footballer? Most teams don’t line up with 10 Kevin Kilbanes.

All it’s done is dispel the myth of “he should have scored from there”. Now we all know that unless it was a penalty then statistically he probably shouldn’t have scored from there! And we all liked that phrase!

Then again I hated Tika-Taka as well or to give it its full name ‘passing for the fucking sake of it’.

Rant over 🤣
 
robbiez666 said:
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.
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...and even then, you have to wait a few minutes for VAR to check if the arse cheek of the left winger on the far touchline (who never entered the phase of play) was offside.

Gary Neville was right, two nights ago, the two Manchester sides will simply be relieved to have not lost.



Risk averse. Don't lose.

Don't get me started on the faux drama the Sky team need to drum up as well, so as to give the impression that their product is bold, exciting, cutting edge. Gi o'er. There's only so much you can do to whip up the battle of Palace v Brentford for 11th place.

Give me a half cut, blowing out of his arse Paul Merson* bagging one top bins but barely being able to run, any day of the week.

*Not Paul Merson, he's a bit of a bell, but someone of that ilk.
 
Kozzy_is_my_Dad said:
Give me a half cut, blowing out of his arse Paul Merson* bagging one top bins but barely being able to run, any day of the week.

*Not Paul Merson, he's a bit of a bell, but someone of that ilk.
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The top clubs’ players aren’t permitted to get tired. They must be allowed to whip 5 more internationals off the bench in order to satisfy their target markets with another routine victory over outgunned opponents.

And it’s liiive…
 
robbiez666 said:
When the top flight started to fully open up to foreign players in the '90s it was great. Lots of mad bastards who made things happen. There were obviously boring games and teams too but it was about the talented players. You had random unknown players turning up from leagues you never got to watch and it was exciting. And you had proper old school British players as well. The blood and thunder. The pissheads. The nutcases. I guess, like everything else in life, the internet means every player is known to a degree. And now players have flair coached out of them, replaced by tracking back or passing sideways.
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It was so much better back then, you had Juninho turning up at Middlesbrough who nobody really knew much about.
Ravenelli, Zola, Asprilla, unless you watched football Italia on channel 4 saw how good they were in Italy it was exciting that they were coming to the premier league.
 

AnstonBlade1 said:
It was so much better back then, you had Juninho turning up at Middlesbrough who nobody really knew much about.
Ravenelli, Zola, Asprilla, unless you watched football Italia on channel 4 saw how good they were in Italy it was exciting that they were coming to the premier league.
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And nowadays all Premier League teams will have every single possible scouted to some degree. I think you're unlikely to get a Mahrez signing now. Smaller teams might pick up talent but they're paying a hefty price for it (and the bigger teams are passing).
 
The Fox said:
As I've mentioned on this thread , if you really want an example of the wankification of football look no further

theanalyst.com

What Are Expected Assists (xA)? | Opta Analyst

Expected assists (xA) measure the likelihood that a given pass will become a goal assist based on several factors about the pass.
theanalyst.com theanalyst.com
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All this statistical analysis is laughable. It probably gives people with a mathematics degree something to do.
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
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 .
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I completely agree and we have the technology to retrospectively stamp it out! I wish the powers that be would use it instead of giving toenails offside!
 
Coming back to this thread to eat a little bit of humble pie.

PSG were a joy to watch last night in the Champions League final.

Pacey, direct wingers pressing from the front, full-backs pushing high-up, three midfielders running the game, defenders passing forwards at every opportunity (😱) and a team not content to sit in a low block on a lead.

It was a far cry from the dull, robotic styles seen in the Premier League this season. Having seen these lot and Barcelona recently, there might be hope for modern football after all.
 
JackSUFC said:
Coming back to this thread to eat a little bit of humble pie.

PSG were a joy to watch last night in the Champions League final.

Pacey, direct wingers pressing from the front, full-backs pushing high-up, three midfielders running the game, defenders passing forwards at every opportunity (😱) and a team not content to sit in a low block on a lead.

It was a far cry from the dull, robotic styles seen in the Premier League this season. Having seen these lot and Barcelona recently, there might be hope for modern football after all.
Click to expand...
I stopped watching champions league years ago as it was so dull to watch. But I’ve watched much more of it than I have the premier league this year as the premier league is terrible, dull and predictable, designed to grind teams down. But in the champions league it’s been better to watch

The new format is weird though
 
JackSUFC said:
Coming back to this thread to eat a little bit of humble pie.

PSG were a joy to watch last night in the Champions League final.

Pacey, direct wingers pressing from the front, full-backs pushing high-up, three midfielders running the game, defenders passing forwards at every opportunity (😱) and a team not content to sit in a low block on a lead.

It was a far cry from the dull, robotic styles seen in the Premier League this season. Having seen these lot and Barcelona recently, there might be hope for modern football after all.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t agree more, that was a joy to watch last night. As Loco Blade says, thank god for PSG & Barca. Styles in football have always changed and always will. Hopefully we are witnessing another generational shift, let’s hope it’s the death knell for the sort of shite we’ve been subjected to over recent years.

I fell back in love with football last night. That PSG team will dominate the next few years, and that’s a positive thing.
 
PSG were breathtaking tonight. Far better than the boring Prem. Hope they dominate for years. Charismatic educated manager too. Fantastic fans. They've got Spurs in the Super Cup. Should be interesting!
 
There is still some great football out there depending on the coach/managers evolution of the game. The professionals are/have been saying that Enrique is the best coach at present as he has moved the game on (without Mbappe) ,Pep has never evolved and his game is now mind numbing boring.
 
Chris the Blade said:
PSG were breathtaking tonight. Far better than the boring Prem. Hope they dominate for years. Charismatic educated manager too. Fantastic fans. They've got Spurs in the Super Cup. Should be interesting!
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Luis Enrique is a very impressive human being. Imagine being a young player being guided by him.
 
Suggestions to make it more interesting:
1. only 8 defenders allowed in your own half.
2 you can’t pass back to the goalkeeper
3. The goalkeeper can’t come out of his box.
4. You can’t pass back into your own half if you do a linesman runs on with a wet sponge and slaps you in the face.
5 you can only be offside in the last ten yards of the pitch.
6 no Var
 

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