What do you miss from football as it used to be ?

[Elsie Effcee]

Football is not the game it used to be for many reasons,  updated rules,  ridiculous transfer fees,  technology.  television coverage.   Obviously there are advantages in the evolution but they're not always for the better.   I often wish we could turn the clocks back on the game. 

Some of the things I miss :-   Matches at 3 pm every Saturday  -  Standing  -  Buying a ticket on the day for cash.    

[Super_horns]

The feeling you had a strong connection with the team or manager rather than them move on - so often in our case!

[StanSP]

The authenticity.

 

Feeling a real connection to the club you support.

 

 

[Izzy]

14 minutes ago, Elsie Effcee said:

Football is not the game it used to be for many reasons,  updated rules,  ridiculous transfer fees,  technology.  television coverage.   Obviously there are advantages in the evolution but they're not always for the better.   I often wish we could turn the clocks back on the game. 

Some of the things I miss :-   Matches at 3 pm every Saturday  -  Standing  -  Buying a ticket on the day for cash.    

 

[davieG]

Talk, View and read about the football on the pitch rather than refs, VAR, Managers, Yellow/Red cards, owners.

[filbertway]

Individuality and chaos on the pitch.

 

It's very rare you'll find much of it on pitches these days. Even at lower professional levels, almnost everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet and the game is becoming incredibly tedious to watch.

[Guest Electric Yetis]

East Stand scoreboard at Filbert Street with scoreflash.

[SkidsFox]

Bill Anderson.

[Matt]

Great thread idea!

 

I'm one of the main offenders for moaning about football in its current version or that its not what it was but never point out what makes it that way or why it isn't the same.

 

As has been already mentioned, lack of connection to a team, players or manager, authenticity. The feeling of no connection and disillusioned only seems to get worse.

 

Chaos - I mentioned in a thread not long ago how there's a cliché pundits often come out with "It's turning into abit of a basketball game" or "You don't want a basketball game"...No, that, is exactly what we want!!

 

Shithousery - Bit of a contradiction because when I agreed and mentioned authenticity earlier that in itself is shithousery, but what I mean is getting away with things, a sly dig here and there.

 

Characters - we have one of the remaining few characters in the game and this goes for shithousery too, when he finally finished I don't think we'll ever see the like ever again.

 

Flair - for all the fitness and skill players possess in the modern game very few are allowed to showcase it, it seems they get it trained out of them. Very little gets you off your seat nowadays, hard to get excited about 5 yard passes.

 

Teams playing in different ways or styles, admittedly at the time I used to hate the phrase "Playing the [enter team name] way" but i'd rather that phrase and cliché be reality than everyone playing in a one size fits all way, identically, boringly, robotically.

 

Less games on TV - There was still more than enough on TV, but it felt special, it was something to look forward to, and obviously less upheaval to the match going fan.

 

Rivalries and needle - It's all too nicey nicey.

 

I'm sure there will be much I agree with and add to in this thread.

 

Edited 28 October 2024 by Matt

[Dan]

Honestly really caring. I don't think it's any single one thing. It's a mix of games being dull, atmosphere being bad, ticket prices, VAR, the club's behaviour etc... I could name absolutely loads of things but maybe it's all just age and becoming wise to these things. Football fandom has definitely already peaked for me - although as a Leicester fan, this is bound to be the case.

[spacemunky]

My hair.

[ozleicester]

I miss Individualism in style of play and player,  the preponderance of AI football where its just about possesion and patience is destroying the game.

The lack of dodgy, muddy pitches and players.

[Corky]

Agree with the shout about fewer games on TV being better. The early days of the Premier League had two live games a weekend which lasted for near on a decade and the whole thing felt more authentic. No real narratives, random games being on (not necessarily every Man United v Liverpool fixture or each North London derby) and everything seemed a lot less serious. No Big Six or contrived rivalry, no Neville and Carragher "feuding" for clicks etc.

 

Keys and Gray aren't, and weren't, everyone's cup of tea but for a while they knew how to present football very well.

[Bert]

I miss MOTD being the staple of the Saturday night. Now you can pretty much see the goals as they’ve just been scored on a Saturday. It used to be so exciting staying up to see the events of the day without really knowing what’s gone on. 
 

I miss offside being offside, I miss handball being handball. 

[Voll Blau]

The FA Cup being treated with the respect it deserves.

 

Half/half scarves not being a thing.

 

Diversity of chants. You'd always get some crossover, of course, but it feels like originality is a dirty word for most fanbases these days.

[Corky]

Going to sound odd but roofless stands or more open grounds. Seeing parts of towns/ cities in the background looked pretty impressive.

 

Always think a good part of non league football is the open surroundings.

[RowlattsFox]

Plenty about modern football to annoy you but for me I miss how important it was to me. Through my late teens I'd do anything to get to games, helped it was a journey from league 1 during that period. 

Some people are able to sustain it into adulthood, and balance with other things. I haven't.

 

Away days were incredible days back then. 

 

Edited 29 October 2024 by RowlattsFox

[Daggers]

2 hours ago, Super_horns said:

The feeling you had a strong connection with the team or manager rather than them move on - so often in our case!

 

2 hours ago, StanSP said:

The authenticity.

 

Feeling a real connection to the club you support.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, filbertway said:

Individuality and chaos on the pitch.

 

It's very rare you'll find much of it on pitches these days. Even at lower professional levels, almnost everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet and the game is becoming incredibly tedious to watch.

 

1 hour ago, Dan LCFC said:

Honestly really caring. 

 

Non-league football.

 

1 hour ago, ozleicester said:

The lack of dodgy, muddy pitches and players.

 

Non-league football.

 

1 hour ago, Voll Blau said:

The FA Cup being treated with the respect it deserves.

 

 

Non-league football.

 

1 hour ago, Corky said:

Going to sound odd but roofless stands or more open grounds. Seeing parts of towns/ cities in the background looked pretty impressive.

 

Always think a good part of non league football is the open surroundings.

 

I'd grown to hate football as much as I hate everything about KPFC. Non-league is phenomenal fun.

[Dan]

Non-league is good and I will never knock people who go to it but there's no chance it scratches the itch that I had growing up - like I say I think a lot of it was based on naivety.

 

I went and watched Scarborough last week as I was up there for the week and I did genuinely quite enjoy it. It's not a slant on non league at all.

[AyewJoking]

just being a kid really, innocent/naive, there was a magic that was already wearing off back when i could finally afford a season ticket (2000)

 

so 24 years later and the game is overhyped and overpriced, its more a business than a sport.

 

I still generally enjoy it but there is no magic to get sucked into.  

 

Its just a distraction from my mundane life but im far too old and cynical to care too much about all the crap of todays game.

[bovril]

As others have said, the authenticity and intimacy, and the connection with the club. Big English clubs are now more commercial and more global, so they've lost something of their soul and identity. Like many of the cities and towns themselves.

[bovril]

1 hour ago, Dan LCFC said:

Non-league is good and I will never knock people who go to it but there's no chance it scratches the itch that I had growing up - like I say I think a lot of it was based on naivety.

 

I went and watched Scarborough last week as I was up there for the week and I did genuinely quite enjoy it. It's not a slant on non league at all.

I enjoy non league but it can very very rarely generate the emotions and passions that elite football can conjure up.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

3 hours ago, Corky said:

Keys and Gray aren't, and weren't, everyone's cup of tea but for a while they knew how to present football very well.

 

Agree with this. Andy Gray hasn't and probably won't be surpassed as a co-commentator, he's been a genuinely huge loss for Sky.

[ozleicester]

3 hours ago, Daggers said:

 

 

 

 

Non-league football.

 

 

Non-league football.

 

 

Non-league football.

 

 

I'd grown to hate football as much as I hate everything about KPFC. Non-league is phenomenal fun.

Last time I I went to two Kettering games and I loved them...but I miss the thousands of other singing fans

[Daggers]

17 minutes ago, ozleicester said:

Last time I I went to two Kettering games and I loved them...but I miss the thousands of other singing fans

Most professional matches in the UK are sanitised versions of what they used to be. And there's never thousands singing at the King Power Matchday Retail Emporium anyway - at least not for long. They'd have to stop enjoying their free coconut spring roll for a few minutes.