Lost its way ?

[Remi_Moses]

Has football lost its way - dominated by the top 6 clubs in the PL. What are we really playing for ? A place in the PL or Money. The cups are our only chance of glory for the fans, yet we treat them with contempt. Is staying solvent our main aim now? 
Will be interesting to see other posters views?

[Squid]

Yes it has.

The PL is largely dross. The Big 6 playing what may as well be training matches against other teams.

Teams lower down trying not to lose as opposed to trying to win (not all of them, but most).

The Championship is financially unsustainable, with teams spending all they can to get that tv money. Teams selling their own stadia is utter lunacy, yet it's the trend now.

And yes, that tv money, aimed at creating a product for people watching matches intermittently on tv, as opposed to watching your team in the wind and rain. So we have VAR and trial by pundit and and the big boys getting the big decisions for the telly watchers at home.

Meanwhile stewardship of the game is so abject that Bolton had to field a team containing children, Coventry don't have their own stadium and Bury currently can't play football. But never mind, we'll ignore all that while the golden goose is still laying eggs.

Football is nothing without the fans, in stadiums, but we're a dying breed. The average age of the match-going football fan is 40+. You hear all the time of people who've stopped going and it seems less common to meet football fans. Once upon a time, it seemed rare for a working class bloke to not like football. Not the case now.

[petty sniper]

At this level it is fine, you are entering a competition you might win, go up and it is just a wait for the inevitable relegation. Our moment was when we had Woy and Dashworth, it could have been us instead of leicester but we are now miles behind again. You have to find a new way to do things like the dings have, but as soon as it works everyone does it and then you are back to square one.

[Stevel Knievel]

Has football lost its way - dominated by the top 6 clubs in the PL. What are we really playing for ? A place in the PL or Money. The cups are our only chance of glory for the fans, yet we treat them with contempt. Is staying solvent our main aim now? 
Will be interesting to see other posters views?

Of course it has.

To follow professional football nowadays you have to posses the same level of wilful ignorance as the average meat eater or working class Tory Voter

[Beachboysbaggie]

Yes it has.

The PL is largely dross. The Big 6 playing what may as well be training matches against other teams.

Teams lower down trying not to lose as opposed to trying to win (not all of them, but most).

The Championship is financially unsustainable, with teams spending all they can to get that tv money. Teams selling their own stadia is utter lunacy, yet it's the trend now.

And yes, that tv money, aimed at creating a product for people watching matches intermittently on tv, as opposed to watching your team in the wind and rain. So we have VAR and trial by pundit and and the big boys getting the big decisions for the telly watchers at home.

Meanwhile stewardship of the game is so abject that Bolton had to field a team containing children, Coventry don't have their own stadium and Bury currently can't play football. But never mind, we'll ignore all that while the golden goose is still laying eggs.

Football is nothing without the fans, in stadiums, but we're a dying breed. The average age of the match-going football fan is 40+. You hear all the time of people who've stopped going and it seems less common to meet football fans. Once upon a time, it seemed rare for a working class bloke to not like football. Not the case now.

Can’t agree that fans are a dying breed, they’re everywhere. When I was a kid I had to wait till we got the newspaper in the morning to find out the score of a midweek match, now everyone can follow pretty much every game as it happens and presumably there’s a demand for that.

[MassDebater]

Has football lost its way - dominated by the top 6 clubs in the PL. What are we really playing for ? A place in the PL or Money. The cups are our only chance of glory for the fans, yet we treat them with contempt. Is staying solvent our main aim now? 
Will be interesting to see other posters views?

I don't know about anyone else, but before i die I'd just love to see us win the FA Cup, just once would do. People forget titles, but the cup in my eyes, is forever.

[albion_pigeon]

Has football lost its way - dominated by the top 6 clubs in the PL. What are we really playing for ? A place in the PL or Money. The cups are our only chance of glory for the fans, yet we treat them with contempt. Is staying solvent our main aim now? 
Will be interesting to see other posters views?

Of course it has.

To follow professional football nowadays you have to posses the same level of wilful ignorance as the average meat eater or working class Tory Voter

Arf

[steviedm]

Has football lost its way - dominated by the top 6 clubs in the PL. What are we really playing for ? A place in the PL or Money. The cups are our only chance of glory for the fans, yet we treat them with contempt. Is staying solvent our main aim now? 
Will be interesting to see other posters views?

Of course it has.

To follow professional football nowadays you have to posses the same level of wilful ignorance as the average meat eater or working class Tory Voter

As a vegetarian, socialist bloke who now has a season ticket at my local non-league football club, I entirely concur. 

[Hopalong]

Has football lost its way - dominated by the top 6 clubs in the PL. What are we really playing for ? A place in the PL or Money. The cups are our only chance of glory for the fans, yet we treat them with contempt. Is staying solvent our main aim now? 
Will be interesting to see other posters views?

Yes Remi a long time ago but intensifying now but also creating its different problems for the big boys e.g. Bale, Countinho, Neymar to an extent - vast sums of money tied up in players who they don't want/aren't a success.  

All you can do is compete to the best of your ability against the opposition in front of you but unless something unexpected happens we can probably only achieve mid-table prem status and possibly win a cup though unlikely,  as the big clubs take them seriously again now.

We do have a rich history though and a lot to be proud of.

One of the latest trends are the far east, Oz, US tours to spread the brand.   E.g. Wolves to China....but we beat them by 40 years.  ...also we were the first british professional team to win a game in the Soviet Union on our 1957 tour.   During the 50s we were given the accolade of the team of the century, so yes a lot to be proud of. 

Even in the last two years we have beaten the 2019 Champions league winners and finalists.

[Squid]

At this level it is fine, you are entering a competition you might win, go up and it is just a wait for the inevitable relegation. Our moment was when we had Woy and Dashworth, it could have been us instead of leicester but we are now miles behind again. You have to find a new way to do things like the dings have, but as soon as it works everyone does it and then you are back to square one.

Leicester have filthy rich owners bankrolling the club. Personnel has nothing to do with it.

Even if we had the greatest minds in football at the Albion,we have never been in the position to spend the sort of money they are.

Hence, one of the major problems with football. Club ownership is a total lottery. Leicester and Wolves have currently hit the jackpot. Bolton and Bury haven't.