Are you falling out of love with football?

[Kitson12]

I don't think I could ever fall out of love with football, regardless of whether Reading are in the Premiership or Blue Square South. Every game I enjoy from the first whistle to the last, yes we lose, we draw, but the feeling of a win cannot be matched (in my experience so far, I assume those who have had held a new-born child, or have got married will have a feeling of even higher elation). If Reading FC ever disappeared I still would follow football, not anywhere near the same extent as I do now, but certainly wouldn't fall out of love with it.
Yes, the Prem and Europe is now full of prima-donnas, childish behaviour, stupid refs etc, it tarnishes the game of course, but thats part and parcel of football. And to be honest, I couldn't care less. Football will and always has been what I crave to watch/hear/play every Saturday/Sunday, Midweek since I was about 8 and I don't want that to change!

[Royalee]

I did last season under Coppell, but I'm actually enjoying this season - it's been nice to see Liverpool taken down a peg or two, England have qualified for the World Cup and Reading are slowly turning it around and playing better football.

[papereyes]

No. Football was my first love; it will be my last.

My first love was a fat bird from Purley.

Quite glad I've got over that, tbh

[BR2]

No. Football was my first love; it will be my last.

More or less my sentiments.
The cheating,obsession with celebrity,lack of moral backbone,media hype etc just reflects society in general-I put up with all of that in life outside of football and put up with it in football because I love life and love football.

[Forbury Lion]

I've fallen out of love with Reading, but not football.

I'm sick of being treated like a muppet, all the drivel about DNA, pushing for promotion, ambition, backing the boys etc etc. I'm already mentally spending the money I'm going to save by not renewing my season ticket.

Only a change of manager and change of attitude will tempt me to stay loyal.

For the record, I don't care if what league we're in. It's all about cutting the attitude/pr spin cloth to suit. They should be talking about us as a team in transition, relegation battle etc etc.

[ellpryjon]

I've fallen out of love with Reading, but not football.

I'm sick of being treated like a muppet, all the drivel about DNA, pushing for promotion, ambition, backing the boys etc etc. I'm already mentally spending the money I'm going to save by not renewing my season ticket.

Only a change of manager and change of attitude will tempt me to stay loyal.

For the record, I don't care if what league we're in. It's all about cutting the attitude/pr spin cloth to suit. They should be talking about us as a team in transition, relegation battle etc etc.

that line is a slight contradiction, is it not? (from strictly a football perspective), either you are loyal, or not?

[paultheroyal]

I did last season under Coppell, but I'm actually enjoying this season - it's been nice to see Liverpool taken down a peg or two, England have qualified for the World Cup and Reading are slowly turning it around and playing better football.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What he said.

[weybridgewanderer]

Football wouldn't be football if it we weren't able to complain that we only lost the game because of a shit decision froma referee!

For football is not just about the 90 minutes. It is not just about watching it at the ground, watching the game with a group in a pub can create as much atmosphere as being at the game!

There is the anticipation, what will the team be, how will we perform, trying to predict the outcome

Meeting up with family and friends, discussing what happened the previous week/month/away game ...

Then the 90 minutes.

Then the inquest with family and friends. how good we were, how bad we were, how unjust the result was.

And it is not always about being the best, sometimes its just about doing better than you did the last time. Every week you have a fresh start.

[Kitson12]

Football wouldn't be football if it we weren't able to complain that we only lost the game because of a shit decision froma referee!

For football is not just about the 90 minutes. It is not just about watching it at the ground, watching the game with a group in a pub can create as much atmosphere as being at the game!

There is the anticipation, what will the team be, how will we perform, trying to predict the outcome

Meeting up with family and friends, discussing what happened the previous week/month/away game ...

Then the 90 minutes.

Then the inquest with family and friends. how good we were, how bad we were, how unjust the result was.

And it is not always about being the best, sometimes its just about doing better than you did the last time. Every week you have a fresh start.

Have to agree, great post.

[Seal]

It's the constant media spotlight killing the game.

The Henry handball sums up all wrong. Not the hand ball, that's all happened before and will again but the aftermarth. Hours and hours of coverage, debate between idiots who know nothing and the just pathetic reaction of the Irish FA.

Again, have to disagree here, Was the hysteria any less in '86 with Maradona's Hand of God? I don't think so.

What has changed is the number of routes one has to access information about football (this very site being one example). In '86 we had 4 TV channels and some national newspapers, who I believe all went pretty crazy about it. Now we have access to football information anytime, anywhere, through a variety of mediums. Which gives this impression of a constant media frenzy. In many ways this has been a fanastic gift for the football fan. I'm pretty sure our football experience is far richer than it was twenty years ago. The fact that we log on here proves that we want more access & content.

So it's not football's fault, it's another example of a societal change (as mentioned by BR2) and football happens to be affected by it like everything else.

[floyd__streete]

LOL at falling out of football/our club cos we arent at the top of the league
just lol

Why not think before you post for once in your life. There are a number of thought-provoking posts before yours highlighting people's reasons for being disillusioned with the game. God forbid you ever offer anything of use to a debate.

[floyd__streete]

About time we had another one of these pathetic threads.

If you don't like football any more, then fine, but FFS stop using a bloody messageboard about football.

And another fool replies. You haven't bothered reading some very thought-provoking posts on this thread before wading in.

Edit: as a clue to the braindead, try reading the original post and then posts 5 and 6 for starters.

[brendywendy]

LOL at falling out of football/our club cos we arent at the top of the league
just lol

Why not think before you post for once in your life. There are a number of thought-provoking posts before yours highlighting people's reasons for being disillusioned with the game. God forbid you ever offer anything of use to a debate.

OOOOOooooooooo get you
& thanks for that truly great addition to the debate too.

which by the way has been had about 13 times in the last two years on this forum alone-hence my ire.
the "thought provoking points" preceding mine were generally saying people had fallen out of love with Football/Reading for various reasons- and my posts were carefully constructed to explain in brief why this wont happen for me- especially not because we are playing crap, or have no hope of promotion/winning the prem- which are irrelevant to my enjoyment of the game/games or following/supporting of this club.

my sincerest apologies to you, that my considered critique of the thread didnt meet your exacting standards you big gaybo

[sheshnu]

Didn't notice many of these types of threads popping up during the 'glory years'.

[Forbury Lion]

I've fallen out of love with Reading, but not football.

I'm sick of being treated like a muppet, all the drivel about DNA, pushing for promotion, ambition, backing the boys etc etc. I'm already mentally spending the money I'm going to save by not renewing my season ticket.

Only a change of manager and change of attitude will tempt me to stay loyal.

For the record, I don't care if what league we're in. It's all about cutting the attitude/pr spin cloth to suit. They should be talking about us as a team in transition, relegation battle etc etc.

that line is a slight contradiction, is it not? (from strictly a football perspective), either you are loyal, or not?

At the moment I remain loyal, only going to Reading home games. Unless things change I will be tempted to stray... not for another club, but for other activities and uses of my hard earned cash.

[brendywendy]

Edit: as a clue to the braindead, try reading the original post and then posts 5 and 6 for starters.

i read every post you sanctimonious jelly head
none of those posts contain anything that made me change my mind.
footballs always been like that,in terms of cheating/primadonnas and cyclical domination of big teams, and is in part one of the things that makes it so gr8 to deb8.

all of which is totally irrelevant to why i watch/go to games, or why i follow RFC- hence my reply

[floyd__streete]

And which is why the thread was titled Are you falling out of love with football?, rather than RFC per se. And your original gambit


brendywendy wrote:
LOL at falling out of football/our club cos we arent at the top of the league
just lol


Was hardly a 'carefully constructed' post to the contrary was it.

[Royalee]

my considered critique

You've never been capable of that, don't kid yourself mate.

[Terminal Boardom]

Edit: as a clue to the braindead, try reading the original post and then posts 5 and 6 for starters.

i read every post you sanctimonious jelly head
none of those posts contain anything that made me change my mind.
footballs always been like that,in terms of cheating/primadonnas and cyclical domination of big teams, and is in part one of the things that makes it so gr8 to deb8.

all of which is totally irrelevant to why i watch/go to games, or why i follow RFC- hence my reply

I don't think this thread has any intention of trying to change people's minds. If anything, I read this thread as being a general football opinion rather than Reading FC specific. So, if you have a gripe then I would have thought that it would be that this thread is in the wrong forum.

Football in this country has not always been about cheating. I am sure you remember the derision aimed at the Spanish, Italians and Germans at their cynical cheating and diving to trick referees during the 1970s and 1980s. We always felt that we were more honest.

Look at a rerun of the 1966 World Cup Final. A fair fw tasty tackles and players getting well and truly lumped. The reaction? A rub of the leg, a bit of a wince and then try and get on with the game. Perhaps the authorities should consider banning the use of substitutes. Then we would see how injured someone is!

[Hugo Boss]

Football is a bit like Christmas. As a child it thrills and excites you, but into adulthood you become weary and cynical towards it, the hype gets tiresome. That said, deep down you still enjoy it for what it is - but it is just nothing like as magical as it felt when you were a lad.

Couldn't put it better.