Last game I went to was funnily enough just over 4 years ago against Poland, also a world cup qualifier. I've been an England member for 15 or so years I reckon and never before have I been able to still get family tickets on the morning of the match (If the trains weren't so expensive I reckon me and laddo would have headed down tonight as its 30 quid for two tickets)
What has happened to that team?
On the other hand I now even find myself wondering whether to bother tuning in tonight. A few years ago it would have been a certainty and possibly a pub visit to watch the game if we weren't actually going. Sorry times for the big "national team" it would seem.
Last England game I saw live was v France at Wembley after the Paris terror attacks.
But after that it was the usual desultory tournament showing and haven’t seen a single qualifier game.
I am constantly amazed that anyone watches the game anymore.
I went to the NFL at Wembley on Sunday. There wasn't an empty seat in the stadium. People would rather watch the Miami Dolphins than the national football team. I don't blame them either.
I’d rather watch netball.
curto80 - Member
I went to the NFL at Wembley on Sunday. There wasn't an empty seat in the stadium. People would rather watch the Miami Dolphins than the national football team
Or is it just that they had one chance to watch American football live and took it, more than enough football to go around and it's on a weekday evening.
Not sure you're right about that. There are more NFL games in London this year than competitive England games. They've been playing NFL here for 10 years and sold out pretty much every game. Could well be a London franchise in the next few years.
And probably 50 premier league games, heaps of champions league etc.
The qualifying rounds are a joke.
There are far too many teams involved. With a significant number who would compete at a semi-pro level if club sides.
England tend to be unbeaten in qualification and then are a joke at the tournaments. Tells you all you need to know. The expansion of the World Cup finals is going to make the whole thing a farce.
FIFA needs tearing up and starting again.
There already is a London NFL team.
Mike probably has it there’s a novelty factor still for watching NFL.
I don't think it's 'England' that's a problem/broken, for me i think it's Football that's broken. From a personal perspective it's a combination of money, cheating, transfers, superpowers and just the way the spirit of the game has gone in the last 10-15 years.
I wear a Liverpool FC tattoo on my arm with pride, but these days, at times i struggle to find the enthusiasm to watch it with the same levels of passion i had.
The "novelty factor" of NFL is that it's more entertaining than watching the England football team, that's the point.
NFL is probably more family friendly, and more suited to the x factor generation, ie bugger all happens in anything more than 10 second burst, then there's some music, or lassies with pompoms.
Pretty good viewing for those that aren't really into sport. Like pretty much every other US sport. Maybe with the exception of basketball.
curto80 - Member
The "novelty factor" of NFL is that it's more entertaining than watching the England football team, that's the point.
My experience of NFL was close to paint drying, grey paint at that. Not seen England in a while but can they be that bad?
at times i struggle to find the enthusiasm to watch it with the same levels of passion i had.
And I pretty much think that's where I am with England. I followed them all over when they went "on tour" whilst Wembley was being built, even catching a friendly in derby, which at the time was a like a dream come true watching them (and sir beckham) in my home town.
As for the qualifiers if they're such a "joke" why do we struggle against these teams, the days of turning the San Marino type teams over ten-nil seems a very distant memory.
I think people are losing the eternal optimism, and have come to realize, "were" not very good at football.
And as the op mentioned, with train fares and other costs, it's still not a cheap night.
I don't even bother watching on TV, I do look the result up though.
Maybe they should have carried on moving England games around the country rather than expecting Londoners to fill the stadium on a week day evening.
I also think that playing at Wembley isn't special anymore.
The old ground was hardly used so when a game was played there it felt like an event - the venue itself used to draw people in just to say they had been.
The new Wembley feels like any other new sports stadium - bland and corporate.
Listening to that bloody shite mariachi band would do my nut in. 90 minutes of the Great Escape and Championship quality football.
Are you sure this isn't just a failure of marketing? Until wrightyson posted this thread, I'd no idea I might be in a position to go to a game tonight. I've assumed tickets for competitive games were oversubscribed and would be hoovered up by the official supporters club members and corporate packages. Assuming £30 a (cheap) ticket and 90,000 capacity, that's a £2.7M product to flog. Maybe I'm not the target market, but I've not seen it advertised to the public, making it clear they are on general sale and at decent prices. I'm sure there are a good few 10s of thousands of occasionals like me who might go, and at least the same number of tourists in London who'd be happy to go.
Almost without exception, England qualification games consist of 60 minutes of struggling to do anything against semi-pro teams, often postmen etc. Then, when superior fitness of the England professionals kicks in, they score 5 and makes the game look like a whitewash.
It's unlikely England will ever win anything again - I'm glad I'm Welsh, at least our boys actually try and play with their hearts. The Euro's meant so much to our nation.
Are you sure this isn't just a failure of marketing?
Perhaps so, I got the email yesterday and read it this morning pre this post.
Tickets are now available and at 20 quid for an adult and 10 quid for a child it's a very competitive price to go and watch *world class* football.
If I was in that London tonight id certainly be going, but as I said a last minute ticket on the train for both of us is just shy of a 100 quid plus tube passes and the dreaded fear of missing the last train home...
I don't think it's 'England' that's a problem/broken, for me i think it's Football that's broken. From a personal perspective it's a combination of money, cheating, transfers, superpowers and just the way the spirit of the game has gone in the last 10-15 years.
^^^ This ^^^^
These days I can't stand football,you just can't get away from it.Not just the coverage in the media,but listening to the radio & some no mark local DJ starts banging on about how their team is playing,there's no getting away from it.I can't remember the last time I watched a match even though it's on the big screen in the pub every weekend.The last England game I had any interest in watching was v Scotland back in Euro 96 & I only watched that as I was working for a Scottish firm at the time.
weeksy - Member
I don't think it's 'England' that's a problem/broken, for me i think it's Football that's broken. From a global perspective it's a combination of money, cheating, transfers, superpowers and just the way the spirit of the game has gone in the last 25 years
Plus, over commercialism, outrageous ticket prices, racism, thuggery, violence, and further point the team (national) rarely play together so don’t gel like a Premiership squad and the game is boring, the almost weekly and constant change in managers makes a mockery of the whole “we support xxxx in his decision making” only to be booted or hounded out by the media a week later. Also, the attitude of the players being almost God like is appalling.
It’s not a “national” game or sport, it’s a pantomime played out in the media.
And I think finally folks realise it’s pointless attending or watching TBH.
What all those up there said. I used to watch as much as I could but about 5 years ago just lost interest. When I was a kid a match on TV was special, the along came Sky and co with matches all over the place. I think I've already watched my lifetimes allocation of football.
The last time I watched the national team was the South Africa world cup and I decided that if a bunch of self important, pampered multi-millionaires couldn't be bothered then neither could I.
It’s not a “national” game or sport, it’s a pantomime played out in the media.
Very much this. Used to be a fan but I can't stand the game now. So much bullshit and bollocks spouted as every tiny aspect of the game is over analysed by so-called "experts".
Don't get me started on the little darlings needing resting or getting burnt out due to training 4 times a week and playing twice a week absolute tops.
Like many above, I used to watch every England game live on tv and was aware weeks / months in advance exactly when and where the games were being played. I only realised yesterday that the game was being played tonight. I think in my case its purely saturation. Club and international games are shown so much now that it's hard to get excited about it.
In the last century I followed a team and England, couldn't name a player in either now. Dropping it as an interest was right up there with stopping smoking as life enhancing changes go.
Even as an old bloke I would just rather do something than pay to watch someone else do something.
racism, thuggery, violence,
I think you will find that is called banter.
i don't even have a t.v.
The qualifying rounds are a joke.There are far too many teams involved. With a significant number who would compete at a semi-pro level if club sides.
England tend to be unbeaten in qualification and then are a joke at the tournaments. Tells you all you need to know. The expansion of the World Cup finals is going to make the whole thing a farce.
I think this sums it up best. We are expected to easily win this group, so not many competitive games. Its usually 90mins of trying to break down a well organised defensive team, which has all been seen so many times before, its not very interesting anymore. Added to that, the most recent England failures at the major tournaments and the fans appetite has been blunted!
There are no games in qualifying worth watching now. In the past you'd end up in a group with Germany or Italy and you'd have at least 2 games to get excited about.
Add to that England just not being very good. Then it's hardly surprising attendance is down.
Saying all that, I wouldn't be surprised if the attendance was still one of the highest across this round of qualifiers.
Talking to a couple of mates last night on the phone who are England fans and normally all meet at the pub, they say that the group England are in its pretty uncompetitive.
There is a lot more interest in Wales Ireland game.
I am constantly amazed that anyone watches the game anymore.
+1.
over commercialism, outrageous ticket prices, racism, thuggery, violence, and further point the team (national) rarely play together so don’t gel like a Premiership squad and the game is boring, the almost weekly and constant change in managers makes a mockery of the whole “we support xxxx in his decision making” only to be booted or hounded out by the media a week later. Also, the attitude of the players being almost God like is appalling.
+1
I've got no interest in it at all. I try really hard to give my daughters an experience of as many different sporting events as possible, but can't bring myself to pay out for football tickets.
Looking at the way our 'fans' behaved at that recent tournament in France, I want nothing to do with it.
I was done with England after watching their pathetic, simpering capitulation in South Africa, and haven't even bothered to watch them since. Why would you? It's always the same. I can skim read the match report the next day and pick out the usual words - dull, lacklustre, uninspiring, laboured etc etc
Life really is too short to watch Engerland games. The idea of paying good money to watch that crap is frankly ridiculous. I'll rather go and spend the money on watching some premiership game. I'd imagine you'd see a higher standard of football at most Championship grounds, possibly even Villa or Blackburn 😯
Before they appointed Southgate (seriously... Gareth Southgate?) Glen Hoddle had a rant on Five Live about the whole FA being completely dysfunctional, totally unfit for purpose, and until they addressed that, then they could appoint Pep Guardiola as manager and they still wouldn't get past the group stage. He was bang on IMHO
I also hate the 'culture' around our national squad. Its a bell-end magnet. An Engerland game at Wembley is the only time I've ever heard racist chanting, from a gang of your archetypal Engerland thugs that it seems to attract
Our national squad and everything around it is a sorry mess. If everyone votes with their feet, doesn't bother going, or even watching it on telly, then perhaps they'll actually have to address the underlying problems
Glen Hoddle had a rant on Five Live about the whole FA being completely dysfunctional, totally unfit for purpose, and until they adressed that, then they could appoint Pep Guardiola as manager and they still wouldn't get past the group stage. He was bang on IMHO
Did he include how fit for purpose it was when they hired him and his faith healer?
From Gary Neville's book:
One of the masseurs told me Glenn had asked the staff to walk around the pitch anti-clockwise during the game against Argentina to create positive energy. Sadly, it didn't do us much good.
Hoddle himself was a symptom of that dysfunction.
I also think the International game in general has become more about not losing that going out and winning.....we've certainly forgotten how to go out and win games! 🙁
Not saying we don't win games, but we try and ensure that not losing is the main prerequisite. Doesn't make for exciting or entertaining games. Its not just England either, the smaller teams play for a point and hope for a breakaway or set piece goal which effectively stifles the game.
So far I haven't watched a single game live but just the 1min reports on the news....which is quite enough!
Glen Hoddle
Really? Sounds more like something Chris Waddle would have said.
Did he include how fit for purpose it was when they hired him and his faith healer?
The irony wasn't lost on me either. That's the point. When you're being called out by Glen Hoddle? And he's right?! 😯
You just have to look at the utterly incompetent way they handled the Englands women's team management farce a couple of weeks ago. Ludicrous!
A choice tonight between watching England or an mtb ride with a couple of pints after.
Difficult decision to make.!
Difficult decision to make.!
Combine the two. Have the pints first, then push your bike around your local loop for 70 minutes, reach the top of your favourite steep descent, remove your brake pads, and go for it!
All the sensations of watching Engerland, plus biking!
A choice between watching England and doing almost anything else does not a difficult decision make.
You've all got old and you've all found perspective. Embrace it. There's very little spectator sport I don't get twitchy watching now thinking I could be using this time to ride my bike.
i'm actually going to the match tonight 😆
Birthday present from Mrs Doris. Maybe Eng vs Slovenia in a WC qualifier isn't the most thrilling prospect, but it's the first time I've been to an England match, and the first time at Wembley since Shrewsbury Town made it to the final of the Auto Windscreens Trophy in 1996 😀
I don't know what she paid for the tickets but i hope she doesn't see that they seem to be going cheap now 😮
I've given up expecting England to do anything useful in a tournament - in fact I can pinpoint the moment. October 2001, the 93rd minute of England vs Greece. We're 2-1 down, Beckham crosses his fingers, wallops in one last desperate free kick, the pub goes wild. We had snatched a draw against Greece in injury time and yet the next day all the papers were full of headlines like BIG HERO MAN GOAL.
I realised that if we were celebrating a draw against the (then) 57th ranked team in the world like that, the odds probably weren't great for the actual world cup.
But then there's always hope, right? I was reading that we're probably gonna line up tonight with Rashford, Kane and Sterling upfront. What football fan could read that without thinking, in some distant part of their brain, "actually, that could be really really fun to watch"?
We're surely not just gonna lump it up to Kane all night and watch the Ox run down cul-de-sacs for no apparent reason. It's actually going to be good.
Isn't it?
