I'd like to apologise wholeheartedly for my original post an hour or so ago.
I'm really very sorry, I don't know what came over me. I feel so embarrassed.

I, of course, mean a 'group' of people, and not a 'bunch'.

It won't happen again.

6) Insult anyone who dares not to "join in."

and with a certain amount of irony, it is the football detractors on this thread doing the insulting…

5) Somehow persuade every newspaper to cover this 5x more than anything
else

Only 5 times i would say 10 to 15 time… What about Gee at FtBill this weekend etc…

Football suck (a Lot)

The sooner England get knocked out the less i have to see, or hear about the stupid pointless game…

I think you'll find equal, if not more, insults from the football fans here.

What about Gee at FtBill this weekend etc…

Who?

From what I have read I don't agree – the football fans don't seem to care that other people don't like football in general, whereas the anti-football ones have been coming out with all sorts about chavs and violence and the like. For what it is worth, I am a huge football fan and can as easily watch a Sunday game at the local park as go to a big game. Not once have I ever been involved in or seen trouble – and that includes big 'derby' matches against Manyuu, Bradford City etc and big Euro games. I also go to the local hardcore (fans, not troublemakers) pub before matches and again, the atmosphere is always relaxed and never any trouble.

But anti-fans don't want to hear that, the headline minority stories of trouble are more fun for them.

with many football fans- they LOVE the game with a passion but most fans will be average at the game.

Average? I'd love to be that good.

markfu

Football is Englands national sport, if you don't like it get over it, move on, don't watch it, don't begrudge those that do like it. Go bog snorkelling or something instead.

Football was invented by the Japanese back in the 1400 or something like that according to QI.

When football is rammed down your throat by the media 24/7 it gets a little tiresome.

I've seen massive F1 victories given half a page and some boring weekend's football "action" given several pages.

I'm sure stories of aggro are overblown but then let's list all the rugby/tennis/cricket "riots" and stadium disasters – I can't think of any.

the tv coverage will drag on a bit, but to be really honest it will be an improvement on the usual broadcasting.

i would have liked to see a bit of the DH, and i find it appalling that it doesnt even get a mention in the broadsheets – but the rubbish coverage of a 'visually poor' minority sport should not be applied to all sports coverage.

my boss is happy that i will be working 'earlies' for the next month

I wonder how many people follow football partly because their mates do and you have always been asked 'so who do you support then'?

Abit like religion huh? You follow as its the done-thing in your class/area/circles?

😉

Football was invented by the Japanese back in the 1400 or something like that according to QI.

Football was invented by Eric Cantona.

I "support" my family – works fine for me.

Don't need some sports crutch to lean on.

Very few to none I'd guess….
Wonder how many people have issues that stem back to childhood,hence their hatred of football.It's easy to hate something when you're sh1te at it….

To be honest I don’t mind football as a sport, I wouldn’t pay to go and see it.

The problems for me are:

– Every news paper you look at has something foot ball related in it
– One of my best mates plays in the NW Premier league and she has to pay to play. And not paid millions (bit jealous but I’ll get over it)
– Stupid flags on the cars (I am sure they are illegal)
– Everyone jumps on the band wagon to sell stuff foot ball related.
– Number of sick days goes up by people skipping work (do you not have sky+)
– To much media coverage

Etc…

you are not wrong hora, im sure the same applies to BigBrother, X Factor or other similar "you like to think you are involved" tv broadcasting.

it appeals to some, this creates a buzz, the media stir it up.

while i will not find myself watching the wannabe popstars i dont find i have to insult the concept (not even music imo) or viewers.

of course a big part of football support stems from the same concept, i used to have a kick about with my mates and i can appreciate the game played at the top end, my sister however probably sang into a hairbrush in the mirror

(if you are reading, sis, sorry to imply you watch that sort of shite)

(you dont, do you?)

Wonder how many people have issues that stem back to childhood,hence their hatred of football.

No, as I said I played it fairly well.

t's easy to hate something when you're sh1te at it….

As I also said, many football fans will be decidedly average with a ball.

How many STW's are average on a bike? Doesn't mean you wont like or dislike it does it?

Ability has nothing to do with it. Passion and graft alone doesn't make up for lack of talent.
emac65, I bet in your youth you played by a league team multiple times huh? (trials don't count).

😉

I'm sure stories of aggro are overblown but then let's list all the rugby/tennis/cricket "riots" and stadium disasters – I can't think of any.

but how many people attend football matches compared to any of those sports? And often stadium disasters are the fault of bad stadium design, poor policing or poor stewarding.

Dint get me wrong – any violence is not acceptable, but please don't assume that all football fans are 'fick' or chavs or looking for trouble because the vast majority of us are not – we are just enjoying something that interests us. For me, I also go to rugby matches and lots of cricket too – I just enjoy the atmosphere and I hope desperately we get 2018 because I would love to see some world cup footie live and would love to take my kids 🙂

And often stadium disasters are the fault of bad stadium design, poor policing or poor stewarding.

😆

Who made the comment about lack of trouble at Man Utd matches? 😆 Look up into the sky next time for the roaving Police helicopter thats always there for a start. In addition to the intelligence gathering behind the scenes, known-gangs targeted etc etc. There is also plans for the Policing cost outside the Man U/City/Bolton etc grounds to be passed onto the clubs to pay soon isn't there?

Visit Huddersfield Town on a home match day and count the number of Police vans and bobby's on horses around the train station, through town then after the match.

After all this though, the players who show the 'beautiful game', those touches, those moments of flair, linking up beautifully with other players- I can't remember an England side like that. Italy showed beautiful flair in the last world cup, throughout the competition.

Football was invented by Eric Cantona.

Nope…However he did invent the cool attitude.

cantona cannot be described as cool

arrogant maybe

I remember playing an inter company match when I was in my mid 20s – one of the only matches I've played.
There were guys ponsing around doing gay "moves" – me and another guy just charged around (both of us are ex rugby players), got in the way, nicked the ball and set up goals. I'm not saying football is easy and some of the skills are genuinely amazing (long accurate passes, curling the ball, etc) but to say anyone that doesn't like football must be cr4p at it is in some kind of denial.

Why soo many Police needed outside grounds?

mastiles_fanylion – Member
and with a certain amount of irony, it is the football detractors on this thread doing the insulting…

You'll also see that over the next 6 weeks or so it'll be the 'haters' starting all the WC associated threads.
They actually hate it so much they can't stop telling normal people how much they're going to be 'ignoring the WC' – if you're going to ignore something just STFU and ignore it 🙄

friendly is going as expected.

and my office just drew N Korea in the sweepstake

is it just me that reads a 'closet homosexual' parallel into hilldodgers post?

You know my posts on this topic are starting to bore ME 😆

Italy showed beautiful flair in the last world cup, throughout the competition.

I take it that was a joke.
Italy did indeed win the competition (congratulation to them for that), but they certainly didn't use any flair to do so.

Football gets a lot of coverage because a vast majority are interested in the sport and the national team. At the last world cup when england lost to portugal in the QF there was a peak of 20 million viewers and an average of 16 million. When England won it in 66 an average of 32 million watched.
So in answer to the initial question of Who cares? Quite a lot of people

I'm really looking forward to it tbh. Have always been into football and whilst I don't play anymore I'm an avid follower of my team and the game in general. Plenty of folk don't like football and moan like hell every four years . Well it's only once every four years they have to put up with it and only once every four years I have to put up with their moaning. So I'll enjoy it, they can whinge and that'll be it til 2014.

I take it that was a joke

I'm with you on this Mr Krabs. I think Italy won because they were the best of a bad bunch. The standard of the matches in the last world cup seemed poor to me (not like Spain in the Euros). Enjoyed the big screen experience at Mountain Mayhem though.

Still, looking forward to this friday.

At the last world cup when england lost to portugal in the QF there was a peak of 20 million viewers

So that's 2/3 of the country who didn't watch any of it.

How are the audience figures calculated again? I thought it was a selected/sample group then they extrapolated the figures out?

Football, the 'Britains Got Talent' of sports.

F1, not a sport at all.

My wholly irrelevant but strongly held opinions. I allow you to hold a different opinion, it's okay to be wrong!

Everyones different, I cant understand why people watch Baseball or basketball yet I love playing it given a chance.

I just don't want wall to wall coverage- we get enough of it in the football season. Thats not being unpatriotic or a misery-guts. Just, 'why the media's hysteria over one sport'?

Shh!

i know, you would think you might be safe from it on a biking forum

It's just a game, it's not like anyone gets hurt.

Algeria. So whats the reason this team?

hora. have you nothing better to think about?

Our success in other sports?