Woke up like a kid on Christmas morning, been a long 4 years for the England fans. Can't fookin wait! Oh and to all you haters out there… On yer bike!!

Grow up, its only a few games of football.

I hardly think it compares to Christmas.

Yeah it's only a game!……

Loads better than Christmas. Christmas is over by tea time, we have weeks of the world cup. Can't wait.

Woke up like a kid on Christmas morning

Exactly how I feel about the latest Big Brother programme..

Come on Bafana Bafana!!!

Seriously, even if we got into the final I wouldn't watch the game. I'd be happy for everyone else but even happier not to be watching a game of football that everyone was making such a spectacle of.

I am exactly as excited by the world cup as I am about big brother.

….and like Christmas i will be about a stone heavier afterwards.

Can someone explain to me why, if they hate football so much, they feel the need to make endless posts about how they hate it to the degree they do?

If I have an intense dislike for something I just ignore it.

Can someone explain to me why, if they hate football so much, they feel the need to make endless posts about how they hate it to the degree they do?

It's a bit like vegetarians and people with no TVs, they're probably yoghourt weaving Guardian readers too.

So basically, it's just folk trying to come across as a little bit edgy and failing horribly.

Can someone explain to me why, if they hate football so much, they feel the need to make endless posts about how they hate it to the degree they do?

I can explain that for you. It's because they hate football so much.

Not seeing any hate on this thread yet though, just some people professing indifference to something in the time-honoured STW way by posting about it.

And if you don't understand how wrong the haters are just wait till an open-top bus parade in London takes place (will thee be such if England beat USofA?).
It's finally upon us, time to buy some beer, crisps, BBQ chicken, send the other half with kids away to her mummy, move the sofa so it's in front of the altar, sorry – TV, crank up the sound and enjoy!

I'm with you wrightyson, it's gonna be a great 4 weeks, but I'm keeping my head down after yesterday!

😯

Which supermarkets sell those trumpet things – I feel I need a few for tomorrow night!

INGERLAND!… INGERLAND!… INGERLAND!, INGERLAND! – NAH! NAH!

I don't hate football at all, played it all my twenties in various leagues in the north east, support Newcastle, and have loved other world cups, but for some reason this one isn't doing it for me. I think its the british media, I hate the jingoistic crap they spout. Hopefully I'll get into it, but at the moment there's only one sporting event on my radar.

vive le tour!!!

I'm off to buy a paper right now and buy into some more of that media frenzy. Love it, love the whole country coming together. Bar the idiots, football really does unite the world! However our neighbous may disagree with that sweeping statement after Saturday night!

What happened yesterday SA 10?

Well Ill pitch in with the first I hate football post. I just dont get it. Its like standing watching a large proportion of society descend into some kind of psychosis.

The thing that really gets me is the fact that if you dont like it, you are generally regarded as some kind of social leper! Everywhere you go, its "oh your from Glasgow, what team do you support then?" "Ah, Im not really a football man mate" Conversation ended.

And thats before you even start with all of the ritual, my town is better than your town bollox! And all this sh*t about how it brings the world together. What a load of crap, it causes more social issues than anything else I know! Jumped up little muppets with the intellectual capacity of a gnat, who because they can kick a bit of dead cow in the right direction, get Ferraris and mansions thrown at them, unbelievable. Then there is the whole bling thing, and the wags, and a whole generation of equally mentally challenged muppets who idolise the football crew and their wag, and decide that they need some of the bling at any cost. Cue credit crisis.

But hey, at least the trails will be quieter this summer! 😀

Sorry, but it winds me up so much when people use the whole "footballers are stupid" line. So what? are they paid to be clever? are scientists paid to be great at football? And yeah they earn millions of pounds, should they say "actually mister chairman, I don't need all that money, why don't you keep it instead?" If someone paid you vast amounts of money for something you loved doing, you'd take it, wouldn't you?

Footballers cant be that stupid if they manage to make many millions for playing a game.

I had a big poo this morning to celebrate.

Its just a totally unsustainable amount they get paid, and the clubs going bust are proof of that. And because they are "football clubs", they are allowed to run up massive debts, which ultimately will cost everyone in the end. And because they are football clubs, the finance industry allows it. Again reinforcing my mass psychosis theory! It would be great if every struggling business was allowed limitless finance whilst the directors were all alllowed to take limitless salaries, but in the real world people have to be realistic. Im not closed to the fact that someone could educate me as to the how the whole thing works, Ive just never managed to be persuaded that there is anything good about football at all. I can see the benefit of guys playing footie for a laugh or five a sides to keep fit, but the whole club football thing escapes me.

SUPERB!!!!!!

I don't mind it as I can turn the TV off. I do despise the desire to spend money on badly-made tat from China so dull people can 'decorate' their houses and cars with ENGLAND flags. That I can't turn off.

Perhaps the conversation ended coz you're a miserable fecker? Just a thought. 😉

I think the paid millions thing is very funny. Without football these guys wouldn't be able to hold down a job stacking shelves and yet here they are bankrupting their clubs[1] with the completely offensive wages they get paid.
The top guys earn more in a week than most of us do in a year, where does this money come from? Johnny poor guy who sacrifices everything so he can get his coaldust stained hands on a 2 grand season ticket.
Then what happens? Johnny idolises the guys who are bankrupting him.

It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

[1]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2301797/Deloitte-football-finance-review-Club-by-club-Premier-League-analysis.html

Well, I suppose its arrival is a good thing, as that means we're a step closer to it being over.

And regarding the 'turning the TV off', if only it was that easy. You can't get away from it – you're a freak at the water cooler for not liking it, every form of media is spouting it, misguided friends stop riding their bikes, and drunken football fans coming home singing at 2am wake you up. It's even on cycling forums.

If I was dictator, I'd ban everything I don't like. Then the world would be a better place.*

*For me, apart from the fact I couldn't go on the street without a lynching…..

LOL Wrightson, you may have a point! 😀

Totally agree Samuri it is pretty sad. I know guys like you say that seem to give up everything to get a season ticket, even to the neglect of their families, and you cant help but think that it has something to do with an early learned need to belong to some kind of group. I think its that element of it all that makes me feel uneasy about it all.

For the record i hate football. People drink too much, pretend to support England once every 4 years, have crap little flags to display their selective patriotism and the TV listings get re-arranged! Not to worry though because as soon as England are out (very soon i'm sure) then it'll suddenly become "World Cup?…what World Cup?!!!

scottyjohn – Member

Its just a totally unsustainable amount they get paid, and the clubs going bust are proof of that. And because they are "football clubs", they are allowed to run up massive debts, which ultimately will cost everyone in the end. And because they are football clubs, the finance industry allows it. Again reinforcing my mass psychosis theory! It would be great if every struggling business was allowed limitless finance whilst the directors were all alllowed to take limitless salaries, but in the real world people have to be realistic. Im not closed to the fact that someone could educate me as to the how the whole thing works, Ive just never managed to be persuaded that there is anything good about football at all. I can see the benefit of guys playing footie for a laugh or five a sides to keep fit, but the whole club football thing escapes me.

What is the difference with a movie star getting paid £20M for a film, or the Rolling stones getting paid to perform at a festival, Lance Armstrong or Steve Peat getting paid to give a talk at an evening dinner? They are entertainers and they get paid to entertain.

As I said in the op, to all the haters, on yer bikes. Give you all something to do whilst we all socialise and generally have a good old knees up with our mates.

You have to wait four years to socialise. No wonder fans are getting excited 🙂

Yep the world cup will be over soon enough – and then in France millions will line the streets to wave flags and cheer as a load of overpaid drug cheats riding push bikes wizz by!

😉

🙂

wrightyson – I started a thread to ask why English people seemed to be so "unpatriotic". It was a bit like bonfire night after that 😯

I have no interest in football at all – have watched a few games and just find it really dull unless it goes to a penalty shootout!

However I love the world cup because I can guarantee the times when the roads and the trails will be very quiet.

I'm a "glass half full" type of person.
😆

What is the difference with a movie star getting paid £20M for a film, or the Rolling stones getting paid to perform at a festival, Lance Armstrong or Steve Peat getting paid to give a talk at an evening dinner? They are entertainers and they get paid to entertain.

I agree, I fail to understand why movie stars and singers get paid huge amounts either. All that money is coming from us.

the big question is should i watch spain play honduras before i go out for a midsummer ride?

or ride for longer and watch the highlights afterwards