Didier Drogba chases down Thomas Henning Ovrebo

Has football lost it’s way in England?  When you look at the Premier League, the glamour, money, controversy, hype and pomp of it all could not be farther from the game of football in the 1980s and before.  Gone are the days of discreet handshakes as goal celebrations, of players battering each other for 90 minutes then shaking hands as they come off the field.  Is football better for these changes?

The money polluting football today has made for some interesting changes to the traditional format and culture of the game.  People are talking now about referees having access to instant replays, such is the potential magnitude of their decisions.  The money involved is frightening and has seen the downfall of many clubs when they have tried to chase the money up through the leagues and into the European streets paved with gold, despite having survived hundreds of years previously.

Then there are other aspects such as the television companies dictating the dates and times of kick-offs.  Whether or not the fans can make it seems irrelevant now, for instance Portsmouth played Newcastle on a Monday night last season, meaning anyone wanting to travel up from the south coast for the game would need 2 days off work, inconsiderate in the extreme.  There is the almost constant bombardment of advertisements in every corner of the ground, on the players shirts and at every possible opportunity on the television.

There’s the inflated wages the players now receive from the worldly wise age of 17, effectively robbing many of mental growth.  They seem to behave as if above the law, hitting people in nightclubs and fast-food restaurants with little or no consequence.  Drink driving, repeated motoring accidents, inciting opposition fans, childishly surrounding referees and even having us endure embarrassing public tantrums, and diving like extras from Platoon.  There are few of the top players that could be considered genuine role models for successful living.

Then there’s players withdrawing from international friendlies, massively important games for their country in many cases.  Senior players seem to be able to walk on water as it were, managing to avoid drowning in the criticism of peers and observers.  Where the money is not, neither is commitment apparently.  The World Cup is still the pinnacle of the game, and international football seems to be the only source of purity left in the upper echelons of the sport now.

There is the pathetic and childish rants of the top manager’s.  Generally after losing a game a manager will deflect from his team’s shortcomings by ranting endlessly at the referee, the opposition, the press, the fans or whoever else can possibly be blamed rather than themselves.  At the same time they prove why they aren’t orators or public speakers, demonstrating a flimsy grasp of the spoken word and indeed common sense on many occassions.  These supposed ‘mind games’ are all well and good for some, but not me.  They show a lack of integrity and sporting decency or respect, and is hardly an example for players to follow.

It has to be said though, that footballers today are phenomenal athletes.  Some players cover half marathon distances in games, and the game is played at almost incomprehensible speed.  Consider this though, how often do you currently see players like Dalglish, Barnes, Hoddle, Waddle, Best, Law, Marsh et al?  When a few years ago every team had it’s flair players, now the emphasis is almost entirely on athletic ability.

There’s certainly a lot to dislike about football today, but the game itself remains beautiful.  Having watched plenty of good football over the years it warms one’s heart to see a club like Barcelona produce great players seemingly at will.  Tearing teams apart with the sort of passing and movement that made Liverpool great and almost insurmountable at home and abroad.

Anyone who saw Lionel Messi’s goal against Racing earlier this season will have been reminded of the beauty of the game.  A quick one-two on the edge of the box followed by a swift drop of the shoulder and change of direction and a precise pass into the far corner.

The key inspiration for me though comes from Germany, a country with a proud and far superior footballing tradition than our own.  Yet the Bundesliga has been regulated in a far stricter manner than the Premier League, all to the benefit of the consumer.  Each club has to offer a percentage of tickets at reduced prices.  The TV money was limited by government intervention, each game must be televised (live or within a certain time) on free-to-air networks.  So every game is accessible to all.  In the grounds they have great food, great beer and an amazing atmosphere – as virtually every game sells out.

People will argue that the game in England may suffer as a result of diminished investment, but I don’t see it that way.  Sure there will be less money to attract players, but the days of massive debt and outrageous salaries have to come to an end eventually.  It would force an improvement in youth development, and in turn eventually improve the national team as well.  Football should be all about the experience offered to the punter, not just the money that can be made by the select few, exploiting the loyal and territorial nature of football.  Winning should always come a distant second to enjoyment and fun.

I personally think football in England needs to recover it’s social conscience but the game should never ever change.  The fact that it touches millions of people’s very soul and shapes people’s lives should be enough to force the hands of the people in charge.  I think Platini has his heart in the right place, he recognises the evils of money.  Is he football’s Robin Hood though?  What would you change, if anything?

Written by Steve AtkinsoncloseAuthor: Steve Atkinson Name: Steven Atkinson
Email: s_p_atkinson@hotmail.com
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About: is a freelance columnist with a keen interest in European, South American and North American football. Newcastle United are a time consuming and painful obsession, and he also follows Bayern Munich, Napoli, Real Madrid and River Plate. Big believer in grass roots development and technical attacking football.See Authors Posts (8)

This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 and is filed under England. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.