What's new

Is football richer or poorer for turning into male netball?

Legend10

Well-Known Member
Jul 8, 2006
10,847
5,277
Strange title I know but I would like to debate the pros and cons of just how non contact football is becoming and whether it's a positive or a negative for the game as a spectacle.

I may as well give my opinion first and I believe that football is all the poorer for having the physical edge taken away from the game. I can't disagree that perhaps there needed to be some sort of clampdown from the way that the game was played in the 70's & 80's but in my opinion it has gone way too far.

I'm all for really talented players being able to express their ability after all I was fortunate enough to grow up on the shelf watching the likes of Hoddle who to this day is still (along with Ginola & now Berba) the best technical player I have seen play for Spurs. But Glenn had to earn the right to produce the extra ability and inmy book rightly so, also his team mates had to help him have the right and football was more exciting for it.

There are no physical confrontations any more, Keane v Vieira? Do me a favour they were like pussycats in comparisson to Roberts V Souness and I'm sure older fans can tell us more about the excitement of Mckay v Bremner or Chivers v Hunter. Now we can't even find a Keane v Vieira confrontation anywhere in the Premiership.

For me personally the Premiership at times lacks excitement because of this, you can get really exciting games like our 6-4 against Reading but there are no blood and thunder games anymore. No more tackles flying in all over the place and it's also driven all of the honesty out of the game with all this pathetic diving and rolling around. I can remember when players would hardly ever go down as to look like you were hurt was a sign of weakness that you didn't want to show, now players want to look like wimps who roll around and scream for nothing, the whole thing is a bit embarassing.

Furthermore too many redcards are spoiling games to a ridiculous point. Look at Ipswich V Pompey in the FA cup, 25000 people work their nuts off all week to go to football on a Saturday, they spend bloody good and hard earned money to go and watch a game all for it to be ruined by a referee who sent off an Ipswich player after 20 minutes for literally NOTHING. Mendes screams and rolls around like a girl and all those punters may just as well have burnt their money. Its wrong, just plain bloody wrong.

I don't want to see 2 footed tackles and am all for straight reds for them but other than that lets see some tackling back in the game, some battles, some wars sometimes. I'm tired of watching free kick after free kick because a player breathed on somebody.

As a Spurs fan the most exciting game for raw entertainment I have everwatched was in 1987 when we beat the Spammers 5-0 in the league cup. What a game, it was just exhilirating, 100 mph, tackles flying in all over the place from both teams and some magnificent football played in and amongst it all. I can remember leaving the Lane that night totally exhilirated by the spectacle I had just seen, sadly I know there will never be such a game again whilst tackling is all but forbidden in the game.

So what do you think, would football be more exciting if we encouraged it to go back a little in time and become more aggressive again?
 

Blotto

New Member
Jan 13, 2008
822
0
I agree to a certain extent; this seemingly new policy of studs-up tackles being an automatic red card is shite--officials seem to be making arbitrary rulings that are not based on the action on the pitch, the action right in front of their faces. The card against that young fella on Ipswich is a good example, Keano's red for his tackle on Muamba is another. In both instances it was clear that there was no malicious intent, a foul called and/or a yellow along with a stern warning would have been sufficient. That, to me, gets to the heart of the matter: it is not so much the players that have taken the blood and thunder out of football but the officials. IMO diving is the result officials being all too willing to call any contact a foul, the same goes for the flopping about on the rest of the pitch that seems to be a fixture of every match. Where is the ref that looks at a player rolling around and holding his shin with a look of agony that looks like it was painted on with kabuki makeup and says,"Get the fuck up, son, or you'll get mashed"?

On the other hand, I think that we can all live without any more Chopper tackles. But that's just it, red cards and bans should be saved for the truly malicious tackles--fouls should be called for significant contact. It would allow the game to be more physical, and would also allow a match to ebb and flow more naturally. Just my opinion...
 

llamafarmer

Well-Known Member
May 4, 2004
10,775
1,055
Berbatov is the best Goal Attack I've seen in some time. I like how he pivots.

Netball is gay.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
I'm afraid I have to disagree with you here L10. And I'm 100% behind this new directive. What I don't understand is why Sky/MOTD will make a huge deal (rightly) about dirsty tackles and fouls and then when refs do something about it there ruining the game.

A player that stops another player by fouling him is a cheat. If he does it in a way that may injure him he's a dirty cheat. (I'm sounding a bit like humphrey Bogard now aren't I). Why should flair be punished and cheating be tolerated. You don't have to kiss goodbye to courage and tackling - they just need to be learned to be done properly - tackling well is an art, which is why we love King.

It's the skillfull players that have the most bollocks anyway (apart from Robbie Keane obviously). They are the ones that know they are going out every week to get kicked, tripped, pushed and pulled because they are the ones that are taking the chances, running at people, skanking people who won't let them get away with it.

It's time that bollocks was rewarded instead of kicked.

Just ask yourself who you would rather watch Bolton or Arsenal. (I watched Bolton v Blackburn the other night and nearly lost the will to live).

I also remember people like Danny Thomas who was a fantastic player who's career was completely fucked by that **** from QPR.

I for one will gladly sacrific ****'s like Savage & Kevin Davies for Berbatovs & Hoddles. But I don't even think what's happening with refs is that bad. They are merely getting tough on dangerous looking tackles. I'd rather they made the odd mistake there thand let people off who may ruin someone's career or a chunk of it.
 
Top