What a clown

[Streetwalker]

I lost interest in football about, oh I dunno, 20+ years ago I guess. I suddenly realised I couldn't pronounce most of their names, and more foreign managers were appearing all the time. These days the big clubs are foreign owned, is football our national sport? It certainly doesn't feel like it. One dubious accolade football does have is probably the fact that it's the most corrupt sport in the world. Qatar, really?

There is a programme on ITV4 called the Big Match Revisited. Its shows football matches from the 1970's, in those days we had a decent national team because the vast majority of players in topflight football were English. It's a different game today. In the 1970's a player didn't fall and do several backflips screaming in agony if an opposing player came within 6ft of him. In those days they only went down if they were punched. Todays footballers are semi-literate foreign millionaire prima donnas, which is why although I'm patriotic, I have no interest in football including the world cup.

We had an awful team in the 70's , in fact we didnt even qualify for a World Cup for 20 years after the 1962 WC in Chile  . The Home tournament of 66 aside when we played all our games at Wembley I dont think we managed to win one WC knock out match during that period . Most of the decent players were Scottish 

[Nick]

Qatar just announced alcohol is banned at the grounds 2 days before it starts, they must have always had that intention.

Septic Bladder must be so proud. 

[Red Rackham]

Football has changed a lot since I first went to a match 66 years ago,sadly there's a lot of corruption in footie and hypocrisy too where money has taken first place and the fans often left far behind.

Attitudes of supporters have changed too they're not all as they are portrayed in the media.

I lost interest in football about, oh I dunno, 20+ years ago I guess. I suddenly realised I couldn't pronounce most of their names, and more foreign managers were appearing all the time. These days the big clubs are foreign owned, is football our national sport? It certainly doesn't feel like it. One dubious accolade football does have is probably the fact that it's the most corrupt sport in the world. Qatar, really?

There is a programme on ITV4 called the Big Match Revisited. Its shows football matches from the 1970's, in those days we had a decent national team because the vast majority of players in topflight football were English. It's a different game today. In the 1970's a player didn't fall and do several backflips screaming in agony if an opposing player came within 6ft of him. In those days they only went down if they were punched. Todays footballers are semi-literate foreign millionaire prima donnas, which is why although I'm patriotic, I have no interest in football including the world cup.

[cromwell]

You football fans have no morals, then? You're happy to support a regime that slates homosexuals, crushes women's rights?
You'll talk about how awful they are but would still go to watch the matches. Watching them on TV will also fund them. Oh well.

Football has changed a lot since I first went to a match 66 years ago,sadly there's a lot of corruption in footie and hypocrisy too where money has taken first place and the fans often left far behind.

Attitudes of supporters have changed too they're not all as they are portrayed in the media.

[Barry]

As football fans we can only object ( and many supporters clubs have) to the WC being given to Qatar and in the past to Russia/ Argentina to name but two . But when it comes to KO we are fans and nobody , not corrupt FIFA nor despot nations are going to stop us  following the tournament .
When all is said and done its the WORLD cup a competition between affiliated nations which is basically everyone bar Greenland and Nepal .
The time to pull out is when you dont agree with the make up of the affiliation , not when the finals are about to kick off .

We have seen even in politics we sometime have to hold our noses to take part . Morality only takes a back seat when you can't impose some on those with little . I would hope by the time its all over the Qataris will have taken some of ours on board.

Fair comment. I was probably being a bit unfair.

[Streetwalker]

You football fans have no morals, then? You're happy to support a regime that slates homosexuals, crushes women's rights?
You'll talk about how awful they are but would still go to watch the matches. Watching them on TV will also fund them. Oh well.

As football fans we can only object ( and many supporters clubs have) to the WC being given to Qatar and in the past to Russia/ Argentina to name but two . But when it comes to KO we are fans and nobody , not corrupt FIFA nor despot nations are going to stop us  following the tournament .
When all is said and done its the WORLD cup a competition between affiliated nations which is basically everyone bar Greenland and Nepal .
The time to pull out is when you dont agree with the make up of the affiliation , not when the finals are about to kick off .

We have seen even in politics we sometime have to hold our noses to take part . Morality only takes a back seat when you cant impose some on those with little . I would hope by the time its all over the Qataries will have taken some of ours on board. 

[Barry]

You football fans have no morals, then? You're happy to support a regime that slates homosexuals, crushes women's rights?
You'll talk about how awful they are but would still go to watch the matches. Watching them on TV will also fund them. Oh well.

[Streetwalker]

Problem is it's football ⚽️!!

LOL , Im sure the planes will start to fill up should we progress to the semis  

A mate of mine has gone to the Abu Dhabi  grand prix and the first game V Iran  on a package from some sports tour outfit . The £6.5 K  pricetag was a bit out of my league . 

[Nick]

Your right Nick , you get the export version outside the UK and as you say not a bad thirst quencher . Shame they chose Bud as a sponser who I dare  say will now be asking for their money back .

But yes I think the average  football fan would agree that a month in Qatar (cough) would always  be a bit of a stretch on the purse strings especially just before Crimbo .
For those with plenty of cash to throw about it should be a great World Cup with the grounds all within a few hours drive you can more or less take in a game ,even two games a day .

Problem is it's football ⚽️!!

[Streetwalker]

Heineken is ok, just not in the U.K. 
Went to the Rugby World Cup in Japan, it was really good, plus the Japanese don't increase prices just for the event. The flight from Sapporo to Kobe was about £50, not bad seeing as it's about 700 miles. Really don't fancy Qatar especially at £12 a pint.

Your right Nick , you get the export version outside the UK and as you say not a bad thirst quencher . Shame they chose Bud as a sponser who I dare  say will now be asking for their money back . 

But yes I think the average  football fan would agree that a month in Qatar (cough) would always  be a bit of a stretch on the purse strings especially just before Crimbo .
For those with plenty of cash to throw about it should be a great World Cup with the grounds all within a few hours drive you can more or less take in a game ,even two games a day .

[Nick]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-11442203/Qatar-want-alcohol-sales-World-Cup-stadiums-BANNED.html

The Qatar Royal Family now saying no beer in the stadia .  Not a great loss by the look of it ,Budwieser is not the worst beer in the world due to Fosters and Hieneken and at £12 a pint in a plastic beaker Im glad Im sitting this one out , Yuk!

On the other hand this WC was always going to be for 5star + customers  able to afford the best of Hotels or cruise liners moored in the harbour , not your average football fan .

Heineken is ok, just not in the U.K.  
Went to the Rugby World Cup in Japan, it was really good, plus the Japanese don't increase prices just for the event. The flight from Sapporo to Kobe was about £50, not bad seeing as it's about 700 miles. Really don't fancy Qatar especially at £12 a pint. 

[Streetwalker]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-11442203/Qatar-want-alcohol-sales-World-Cup-stadiums-BANNED.html

The Qatar Royal Family now saying no beer in the stadia .  Not a great loss by the look of it ,Budwieser is not the worst beer in the world due to Fosters and Hieneken and at £12 a pint in a plastic beaker Im glad Im sitting this one out , Yuk!

On the other hand this WC was always going to be for 5star + customers  able to afford the best of Hotels or cruise liners moored in the harbour , not your average football fan . 

[Streetwalker]

https://www.tiktok.com/@simonbrodkin/video/7164078444760796422?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7164078444760796422

[Nick]

Indeed , I had Platini down as the ringmaster in all the murky goings on behind closed doors at both Eufa and FIFA . Blatter was a discrace because he took the option  to look the other way .  I think Platini's ban from football is up next year it won't suprise me to see him worm his way back in somewhere .

Shame about Bolton , one of the long list of clubs that found European football too much of a burnden on their squads . Its why  the Palace never look to finnish higher than 10th

Strange!!
I always saw it as Bladder being the force of corruption and Platini as the understudy. 

As for Bolton, it was Panama that did for us. My eldest daughter was the silver service waitress in the players lounge at the time and heard some interesting stuff. 
After the tv program went out, Gartside banned Allardyce's son Craig from the ground. My daughter heard Sam's wife having a go at Gartside over the ban and ultimately told him she wasn't going to attend matches without him. Another argument a few weeks later over the ban and Allardyce told Gartside to stick it. He left and the rest is history. We're on our way back slowly now though. 

[Streetwalker]

Just seen ,right on que , a 4 part series on the fifa scandal out today on Netflix   

FIFA Uncovered: how to watch Netflix documentary & trailer | The News (portsmouth.co.uk)