English Football - It's Not What it Once Was

Football is a game that I have long-since loved; studied even. My earliest real memory was of that Cantona goal in the 1996 FA Cup final; which I watched with my dad at the local pub. The next, I was sat on my settee not two months later, in floods of tears after Gareth Southgate missed the penalty that ultimately knocked England out of Euro 96. In the space of a couple of months (and what seems like mere minutes now), my six-year-old self had experienced what makes football so gripping. From ecstasy to agony, there’s nothing that has me on the edge of my seat quite like it.

Maybe its age, maybe I’ve just had too much exposure to it, maybe it’s a combination of factors; but I just don’t look at English football in the same way anymore. At the ripe old age of 30, I may sound like an old fuddy duddy when I say this, but it’s nothing like it was in “my day.” Pele coined it the beautiful game all those years ago, and that description is perhaps more apt now than ever before, but somehow, at least to me, it just doesn't seem as exciting. I certainly can't fault the quality on show, which is arguably higher than ever before; but at times I miss the frenetic, end to end nature of football back in the day; which has largely been replaced by a more possession-focussed, pragmatic approach.

Don't get me wrong, football is still my favourite thing to watch. I still feel that elation when Manchester United win and I'm still downtrodden when they lose, but I still get the feeling that something is missing. Every now and then the football that makes my skin stand on end creeps back in (namely United in 08 and Klopp's Liverpool) but that's few and far between these days. They say that money is the route of all evil and there are arguments on both sides when it comes to football. The Premier League is a prime example of a league where the calibre of player has risen across the board; however for what is traditionally a working-class sport, many of the typical spectators, those that have the club in their blood, have been left behind. Instead, corporate match-goers are seen as the be all and end all.

Support in itself has baffled me more and more as time goes on. Of course, many still follow their local team, the team of their parents or a team that employs a style of play that entertains them, but I hear more and more about individuals that cheer for specific players, rather than a set team. Each to their own, but I just can't understand it. Sure, I follow the results of some ex-United players when they move on, and I have players that I have esteemed more than others over the years (Andres Iniesta was always a joy to watch for me), but I wouldn't contemplate basing my allegiance on such factors. This smacks of the social media-led society we live in today, as well as the influence of agents. It demonstrates the often undeserved idolisation of players, but the less said about that the better.

The influx of foreign players has improved the quality, both of the league and the national team, but has not helped the academy players to get a chance and has taken away a little from derby days; although the waning passion in the stands has played a part in that, too. This has been hastened by the introduction of VAR, but it might surprise you to read that I'm in favour of tech. It needs to be improved vastly, as too many official errors cost teams points, but I certainly believe it has a place. I'll add my two cents on the system in a later piece, but for now I'll pose the question, is football losing its way? For me, no, but it isn't quite what it once was.