The Carnival Is Over
Ah well Manchester United are through to the FA Cup Final probably to be closely followed by Chelsea. It looks like Manchester United or Chelsea are going to win the Premiership and there's a strong possibility that one of the two will be lifting the Champion's League trophy some time next month.*Yawn*
Manchester City have now all but secured another season in the Premiership so I suppose I should be thankful for small mercies. But when I actually stop to think about this I end up thinking "and?" Another season of mid-table mediocrity with maybe a sniff at the Carling Cup and that's it. Boring, boring, boring. I've been reading the sports pages in the national press today and, as usual, they are creaming themselves over the "best league in the World". Hardly. "The best top four in the World" matybe but the rest of us can't hope to compete with the cash cows at the top.
And it's going to get worse. From next season the bottom club in the Premiership will receive around £30m. £30m to get relegated as the worst team in the division. That £30m will probably be enough to buy promotion within a couple of seasons and then another guaranteed minimum £30m. This will then create yet another glass ceiling in the Championship and the poor buggers in the lower half of the table and in the current Division One will find the financial gulf growing ever wider.
Money, money, money. It's killing the game in my opinion. So much so that I have not renewed my season ticket and I have started attending a local non-league club's matches. (Droyslden FC - top of the Nationwide North league and maybe a couple of games off promotion to the Conference proper). The match-day experience is brill even if the football leaves a lot to be desired.
Yesterday Youngest and myself got a taxi to the ground and had a couple of pints in a local before paying a tenner each to enter the ground and have another beer in the excellent social club. We then stood in the sunshine and watched a semi-decent game which ended in a 1-0 win for the bloods.
Pie, peas and gravy as well. Lovely. Next week there's a few more United and City mates coming with us to watch the crunch match against Harrogate. Now I remember what made me love football so much. Local passion and pride. Selfless volunteers painting, repairing, helping. Players playing for a love of the game rather than an over-inflated wage packet. A thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Since I took my redundancy I've been dragging the shit-machine up hill and down dale snapping away with my new camera and generally toning up and shedding a few pounds. Sadly though the lure of the pub and my local's superb Dobcross bitter generally proves too much and the ounces and pounds creep back. Still a corpulent status quo is something I can live with at the moment. What does worry me though is I'll be seeing the doc next week and I should finally get a date for my foot operation. When I've had it I'll be out of action for 6 to 8 weeks. Immobile and thirsty I'll be bloody huge before I'm back on my feet again.
9 comments:
Football, same the world over. North of the border, getting in the top 6 is an achievement. Getting to a cup final is once in well every ten years or so as I recall so maybe not so bad.
Hey! I think the world is a far far better place now that Morton has been promoted.
Eeeee GenX, well done Morton. Proper football. Jumpers for goalposts. Baggy shorts. Hob nail boots for.....well.....boots.
Where did it all go wrong? D'you know Murdoch?
When you have had it you'll be out of action for 6 to 8 weeks? Bloody hell! When I've had it I'm usually back in action the very next morning if I can catch the wife before she escapes to the shower! You'll be bloody huge? I thought they were doing a foot operation not an enlargement!
I hear what you are saying about Droylsden. It is refreshing to watch players playing for the love of it. The wife and I keep promising ourselves to go and see the oldest football team in the world - Sheffield FC. Your blogpost nudges me closer. Cheers!
Well if Droylesden, which I seem to remember is some where up Ashton New Rd, get promotion they will be playing my team Torquay, who have just applied, under unfortunate circumstances, to join the Conference League.
YP - :-)
Justajob - yes I guess they will, but Droylsden have a few games to win yet.
It's hard when you drop down to lower divisions but, in this day and age, as a Premiership team supporter since 1967, the level of corporate bollocks and constant attempts to suck every last penny out of you to pay an ordinary bloke's annual salary in a week to some over-estimated - usually foreign tit, galls.
I have a feeling that, in the next five years, especially if the current top two carry on as they are, the Premiership just might do a Serie A.
Here's hoping.
Humm, funny. I was under the impression I had earlier left you the longest comment in blogging history but it ain't here.
Consider yourself well and truly reprived! It was quite a rant!
I'm glad I'm not interested in football. Envy you on the redundancy/beer front, but not on the foot front. Good luck with the op.
I've just found out that Manchester United - THE RICHEST CLUB ON THE PLANET, are increasing their ticket prices by 14% next season?????
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