FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

[moorside roughyed]

1 minute ago, Phil said:

Whether we like it or not, and I think neither of us do, soccer is absolutely awash with money.

This isn’t the place to go into the historical/political/sociological reasons but as our capitalist friends would say “it’s the market” 

Fortunately I think rugby league has more morality. It's more in keeping with its roots as a working man's game and that's why I absolutely love it. It's not too expensive to watch for most and if it does get a little too difficult we have some superb amateur clubs to support where you'll be more than welcome. I absolutely love rugby league. Oh and us the fans are some of the best in the world. Have a nice Christmas and New Year.

[gingerjon]

7 minutes ago, Phil said:

Whether we like it or not, and I think neither of us do, soccer is absolutely awash with money.

It is.

And, TBH, whilst the figures involved are obscene, I don't really have a problem with the money generated by soccer being returned to its players through wages. Better that than it all going back to the boardroom.

[Tommygilf]

21 minutes ago, Damien said:

I certainly agree with the once in a generational talent thing. England may have had many very decent players during my lifetime but they've never had a Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Zidane,  Ronaldo (Brazilian version), Matthaus etc player that could be considered the best or one of the best players in the World and just strikes fear in everyone. I think at this level you need someone that can just do something extraordinary when needed to pull the team through.

I think the closest we had was Gazza, no one is near yet, maybe Foden given time but even then its not likely imo.

That sort of talent can lift a 7/10 team up to being contenders, in a team like France or England it would make them incredibly hard to stop.

[Old Frightful]

[The Masked Poster]

One thing that strikes me is that people will look on admiringly at the Morroco or Argentina fans and compliment them on their passion and love for their team.

But when England fans get behind their team to the same extent, it's 'jingoism' or 'little Englanders'. 

And yes, these sides have fans causing trouble too. I suppose it's just a bit of self loathing or something. 

[MatthewWoody]

2 hours ago, hw88 said:

Makes me laugh the way grown men bawl and cry like a little girl whose barbie doll's head has just fell off, just because they lost a football match.

It's a game, nobody has died. Be disappointed yes, but have some self-respect.

Seen the same scenes in rl after England lost their sf.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

 

[The Masked Poster]

1 hour ago, Tommygilf said:

Whilst I do agree with that, I think the Premier League is really starting to tell now for England (at last). We are now going into European and World Cup tournaments amongst the top 4 or so favourites consistently, not by our own hype but on actual quality. We haven't yet broken into that top level yet, and I think we're missing a generational talent (if only Roy Keane didn't end Haaland's career) to take us to that. But we can consider ourselves consistently in the question for major honours now, and a team that other nations would like to avoid. With even an unfavourable draw we are almost certainly reaching Quarter Finals minimum, and with a favourable draw the final isn't out of the question.

We are in the bracket we used to put Germany, Holland, Italy, Brazil etc in. We're getting used to it and just adapting to how that affects us.

I don't follow the PL at all, but definitely get the impression that had it not existed, English football would have been left behind in the slipstream.

It's impossible to complain about a result without sounding like sour grapes but I will anyway - that ref wants investigating.

[HawkMan]

4 hours ago, hw88 said:

But, let's face it, nobody really gives a t*** about women's football  If it weren't for the BBC hyping it beyond belief nobody would have known it was on.

You were saying....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63913485

44,259 attendance at today's Manchester derby in WSL

Edited December 11, 2022 by HawkMan

[JohnM]

29 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

You were saying....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63913485

44,259 attendance at today's Manchester derby in WSL

Thanks for posting that. I, like 67 million  others, didn't know it was on.

Edited December 11, 2022 by JohnM

[The Masked Poster]

1 hour ago, HawkMan said:

You were saying....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63913485

44,259 attendance at today's Manchester derby in WSL

With all due respect and to make no comment on women's football per se....that is the result of a sustained period of promotion and pushing that game. Thus eventually it results in such crowds. Rugby league would get bigger crowds if it had such a push and had its players given prime time presenting spots.

Not a criticism of womens football here, just a reflection of the reality of it. 

[graveyard johnny]

3 hours ago, Damien said:

I just don't understand this line of thinking. They get paid that much because that is what the game generates, right or wrong. With due respect to surgeons there aren't millions of people paying to watch them do surgery. 

oh no - please - i hope no one who makes tv programmes is reading this or - 8 retired ex footballers have 8 weeks to learn how to take out a gall bladder with the winner been named soccer surgeon champion 2023

[hw88]

50 minutes ago, JohnM said:

 

 

1 hour ago, HawkMan said:

You were saying....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63913485

44,259 attendance at today's Manchester derby in WSL

So there were 44,000 people gullible enough to go and watch this particular game. If they enjoyed it, well good for them. How many of the tickets were freebies or BOGOF? What about all the other games, do they get that amount? No? I thought not!

As someone said earlier it is rammed down our throats non-stop, why can't they give RL similar treatment.

[hw88]

1 hour ago, The Masked Poster said:

I don't follow the PL at all, but definitely get the impression that had it not existed, English football would have been left behind in the slipstream.

It's impossible to complain about a result without sounding like sour grapes but I will anyway - that ref wants investigating.

No.

[gingerjon]

11 minutes ago, hw88 said:

 

So there were 44,000 people gullible enough to go and watch this particular game. If they enjoyed it, well good for them. How many of the tickets were freebies or BOGOF? What about all the other games, do they get that amount? No? I thought not!

As someone said earlier it is rammed down our throats non-stop, why can't they give RL similar treatment.

They literally just have with men’s, women’s and wheelchair RLWC across all of the BBC for several weeks.

[The Masked Poster]

14 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

They literally just have with men’s, women’s and wheelchair RLWC across all of the BBC for several weeks.

It had decent coverage for sure. But it can no way be described as in the same league as the promotion of women's football. It's been pushed and promoted on every TV channel, regardless of whether it's a sports show. Even stuff like Radio 4 have given it coverage. Good luck to them and all that but let's not pretend it hasn't had a massive leg up. 

[The Masked Poster]

20 minutes ago, hw88 said:

No.

Well I can't really argue otherwise, it's just my impression. 

[hw88]

20 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

Well I can't really argue otherwise, it's just my impression. 

Things go in cycles.

In the late 80s English teams were banned from Europe - thanks Liverpool - which gave the other major leagues a bit of a leg-up. (Remember up until the ban English teams had dominated the European club competitions from the mid-70s onwards.)

When the ban was lifted it only took a couple of seasons for Manchester United to win a European trophy again.

Since the advent of the Premier League English teams have been far less dominant despite picking up trophies at regular intervals. Of course this is partly due to it being harder to win - currently 6 teams are in with a shout of winning the Premier League (well at the start of the season anyway) - in Spain and Italy it is only 2 or 3 and in Germany and France 1!

[hw88]

51 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

They literally just have with men’s, women’s and wheelchair RLWC across all of the BBC for several weeks.

Yes a World Cup. Do they do it for regular run-of-the-mill league games? No!

[The Masked Poster]

12 minutes ago, hw88 said:

Things go in cycles.

In the late 80s English teams were banned from Europe - thanks Liverpool - which gave the other major leagues a bit of a leg-up. (Remember up until the ban English teams had dominated the European club competitions from the mid-70s onwards.)

When the ban was lifted it only took a couple of seasons for Manchester United to win a European trophy again.

Since the advent of the Premier League English teams have been far less dominant despite picking up trophies at regular intervals. Of course this is partly due to it being harder to win - currently 6 teams are in with a shout of winning the Premier League (well at the start of the season anyway) - in Spain and Italy it is only 2 or 3 and in Germany and France 1!

This is true actually now you mention it. 

[Niels]

6 hours ago, moorside roughyed said:

Surgeons save lives mate,not kick a bag of wind around. I just find it difficult to justify paying that type of money for doing that. It's ridiculous,but if folk are daft enough to pay it then more fool them,my money is too hard earned. It's ok not to understand a person's way of thinking because you may not know them. But everyone is entitled to their opinion and that's what makes this forum a fantastic place to be. Opinions are great and we are truly lucky to be able to voice them,some in the world aren't that lucky. All the best for Christmas and New Year

I think when we are ill, or a family member is, and we need a paramedic or a surgeon desperately, that is when their value is appreciated. 

All of us will need medical workers in our lives. We don't really need footballers. 

Additionally, we don't need to pay them so much as there are many who would play for free. Fans like myself who support lower clubs don't worry if we aren't seeing the best players. 

 

[EggFace]

9 hours ago, hw88 said:

Makes me laugh the way grown men bawl and cry like a little girl whose barbie doll's head has just fell off, just because they lost a football match.

It's a game, nobody has died. Be disappointed yes, but have some self-respect.

I agree as you never see that in other team sports just Football but then again I think most of the so called fans do it because of a sort of peer pressure.

[EggFace]

8 hours ago, Damien said:

I just see it as basic supply and demand which pretty much applies in all walks of life. A paramedic saves lives but is poorly paid compared to a surgeon. A police officer gets paid peanuts really. That is why RL players, unfortunately, are poorly paid for what they do, in my opinion anyway.

One thing though Footballers are highly skilled too and are top athletes. Its not just kicking a bag of wind. It is no mean feat to make it in that sport and very few do. The ones that get paid a lot do so because they are extraordinarily good at what they do and because people want to watch them or be associated with them. For many it's their only route of getting out of what may have been a grim future.

All the best to you too.

They are poor actors and would crumple in the artificial combat world of Pro Wrestling but Football is and can be fun to watch and play but it's nowt like Rugby League.

[EggFace]

8 hours ago, HawkMan said:

Your view is a bit puzzling. Footballers like pop stars or movie stars get paid huge sums because they generate the cash. Pop star who make records that no one buys get peanuts even if they produce great stuff. It's all market forces at work. Football is a hundred times bigger than say RL, being conservative,  so they get the wages to match. Anyway this is a red herring in regards to England being beaten,  more money doesn't necessarily equate to skill. If the shot or whatever is difficult,  then it's difficult regardless of cash incentive.

 

Hit the nail on the head in regards to my views and thats why I can't stand Football, Pop Music and Hollywood these past long 25 years...add Lager to the mix as well.

Rugby, Ale, Jazz and Radio 3 is for me these days alongside YouTube for old stuff.

[gingerjon]

2 hours ago, Niels said:

I think when we are ill, or a family member is, and we need a paramedic or a surgeon desperately, that is when their value is appreciated. 

All of us will need medical workers in our lives. We don't really need footballers. 

Additionally, we don't need to pay them so much as there are many who would play for free. Fans like myself who support lower clubs don't worry if we aren't seeing the best players. 

 

But the money is being generated so why shouldn't it go to the players?