maydrakin

I appreciate that some think VAR is a step in the right direction the above is the argument in a nutshell for me. Is the 'correct by a toenail' forensic approach worth it when it is seemingly so flawed/ambiguous on tight decisions anyway ? The original explanation/justification was that VAR was essentially there to correct big errors and injustices. I'm just not convinced 'drawing lines' on a screen and spending sometimes several minutes making at best dubiously 'accurate' decisions on the tightest of tight calls, is really addressing the problem.

The crushing of the spontaneity of goal celebrations for frankly impossible to call decisions in a fast moving and highly emotional spectator sport is (IMHO) simply not worth the sacrifice as a spectacle, though I appreciate that many wouldn't agree.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

All I can see with that fanhub logo is a diagram of a uterus…

VAR will be in the Championship before long, too. Football just seems to get less enjoyable as seasons go on, I don't know if I would want to be in the PL either.
If you don't spend enough, you get battered, if you spend too much, you get punished. Oh and the only way to avoid punishment is to sell your best players to the top 6 to avoid more sanctions. Every season finishing 17th is a positive.
I'd much rather the big clubs f***** off to the Super League, take their VAR with them, let football go back to how it used to be.

I really hope that we get promoted on Saturday but I’m not sure that I want to ever go back to the premier league. Never being able to properly celebrate a goal until all checks are complete is not what football is about (for me, anyway). 

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

Anybody under the age of 27/28 has never witnessed an automatic promotion for Derby County.
Quite a sobering thought, really.

Anybody under the age of 27/28 has never witnessed an automatic promotion for Derby County.
Quite a sobering thought, really.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

I absolutely loath the Premier League and in particular the so called ‘big 6’. I would love for them to all just f*** off to a Euro Super League where they play each other 6 times a season for their target audience in Asia and leave the rest of us to enjoy English football as it once was. For a start, all money would be distributed fairly, there would be no ‘Premier League’; just Division’s 1 to 4, the FA Cup become the showpiece event played on the Saturday after the season finishes at 3pm at Wembley (no semi finals at Wembley) with replays. If the ‘big 6’ decided they wanted back in they would all have to start at the bottom of the pyramid and have restrictions on how much they could spend on players/wages. If they didn’t like it they could all f*** off again and play each other a 6 team mini league or something. I couldn’t care less about them or their fans. They have robbed football of its competitiveness and it’s money for too many years. 
As for the latest disgrace around the FA Cup replays I really hope that EFL clubs boycott next seasons competition en masse. A concerted boycott would ruin the FA’s finances and they’d back down in the face of it. Whether clubs have the balls to go for it is a different matter. 
 

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

Post of the week...
Have a massive Thumbs up...
 

 
 
 
 
 

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.

This is another example of why my love for the game becomes a little more tarnished.
I’m proud of the fact that I have become an old-fashioned bitter football fan and I have no idea of what is happening in the first division, nor do I have any idea on who is still in Europe.  I don’t even know what the format of the European competitions are nowadays, and I really don’t care.  It’s all predicated on greed for the biggest clubs and every rule appears to be geared towards maintaining an “elite”.
I looked at the England squad not so long ago, and it had a number of players who I had never heard of.
I love Derby County and not much more, to be honest.
I love the fact that in the lower divisions, there are probably 16 or so teams at the start of the season who think that, if things go well, this could be their year.  However, that gap is becoming wider and wider each year due to the top echelons being governed by greed.
The fact that so many teams are going so close to the wire and getting points deductions is down to fear of slipping off the gravy train therefore eye watering amounts of money creates eye watering amounts of greed.
For me, a top level footballer should earn a maximum of what a CEO or a doctor would earn.  Why should they be earning that sort of money a week?  And why shouldn’t they get another job after they have retired?
Anyway, the FA Cup used to be a flagship event that everyone used to watch.  Everyone who is around my age will have seen Coventry Vs Tottenham and can probably list a good number of players from each side that day - they were very special occasions.  Now, the competition is dying a death of a thousand cuts, where it’s now just an irritant to the big teams, who will inevitably win it.  I don’t even know who is the current holder, but I think it is monopolised by of a tiny handful of teams.
Anyway, apologies for my rant.