The quality of Football is going downhill! Anyone agree?

[gzagee]

I will never understand "Americanized" as a term... it's synonymous with commercialized. Any half brained businessman would have done what's being done in football now. Just took longer for Europeans to see the insane amount of money that can be made in sport.

What g-man means is, football in Europe and England specifically was about the community you lived in, and the teams that played in those communities weren't looked at as a business, they were looked at as a club. Kind of like joining a club, you joined the community to support your local CLUB, and that was your life. In America, sports were always more like a business since we've been alive, it wasn't so much about the community and being apart of something (it was in some ways, but not like over there), and it quickly became more of a business and about money. It was a huge deal back in the day, when players started making more than the president, and American sports was never the same after that. It isn't such a bad thing, but money rules everything and it was inevitable that it was going to happen to football. And I guess since we kinda made sports an entertainment business first, then that term is used.

Yep.

Sorry for improper use of the term. Should've used commercialised. But you're right Leody, any businessman would've seized the opportunity. Just so happens it was Murdock.

[Massa]

I believe the top players of this modern era for me aren't as good as they where 10-20 years ago. In general i think football in professional quality terms it's not as good as it was.

I'll start with this statement.
10-20 years ago who were the top players?
Zidane? Bergkamp? Cantona? Figo?

All very entertaining.

Today we have Messi (probably the best player you and I will see in our lifetime), Cuntiano Conaldo (£80m player), Sjneider, Kaka, Henry, Benzema, RVP, Cesc.

1) Benzema...?
2) You've only compared the attackers, there's a large decrease in top defensive talent from the 90's.

[Forest]

I believe the top players of this modern era for me aren't as good as they where 10-20 years ago. In general i think football in professional quality terms it's not as good as it was.

I'll start with this statement.
10-20 years ago who were the top players?
Zidane? Bergkamp? Cantona? Figo?

All very entertaining.

Today we have Messi (probably the best player you and I will see in our lifetime), **** Conaldo (£80m player), Sjneider, Kaka, Henry, Benzema, RVP, Cesc.

1) Benzema...?
2) You've only compared the attackers, there's a large decrease in top defensive talent from the 90's.

Partly because the role of a CB has changed.

[Massa]

Full-backs too though

Cafu
R. Carlos
Thuram
Zanetti
Stam
Adams

etc.

or
Lucio and Terry lol

[Forest]

Vidic, Cole, Cannavaro, Nesta, Zambrotta, Lahm, Sagan, there are good CBs around.

If you want to talk about drop in quality then you should be talking about Italian and Scottish football, they have really took a dive.

[Leody]

I will never understand "Americanized" as a term... it's synonymous with commercialized. Any half brained businessman would have done what's being done in football now. Just took longer for Europeans to see the insane amount of money that can be made in sport.

What g-man means is, football in Europe and England specifically was about the community you lived in, and the teams that played in those communities weren't looked at as a business, they were looked at as a club. Kind of like joining a club, you joined the community to support your local CLUB, and that was your life. In America, sports were always more like a business since we've been alive, it wasn't so much about the community and being apart of something (it was in some ways, but not like over there), and it quickly became more of a business and about money. It was a huge deal back in the day, when players started making more than the president, and American sports was never the same after that. It isn't such a bad thing, but money rules everything and it was inevitable that it was going to happen to football. And I guess since we kinda made sports an entertainment business first, then that term is used.

Yep.

Sorry for improper use of the term. Should've used commercialised. But you're right Leody, any businessman would've seized the opportunity. Just so happens it was Murdock.

Oh no I got the point though.

I agree, it sucks that these teams used to be made up mostly of local lads, had a connection to the community and now it is getting away from that once you get into the top tier teams of each league. Couldn't agree with that more. But once the businessmen figured out they could sell shirts to every person on the planet... it was game over man. Start buying players from every corner of the globe so people can identify with a player in your club, get tv contracts, and so on... till you've got a soulless money printing machine left behind.

But what do they care? They've all got their money...

That's a large part of the reason I've become less interested in baseball over the years. Something like 60% of the league is made up of Latino players. Not that I'm racist, but when the Cleveland Indians manager is speaking Spanish on his Twitter account, I'm not going to follow...

[Massa]

Vidic, Cole, Cannavaro, Nesta, Zambrotta, Lahm, Sagan, there are good CBs around.

If you want to talk about drop in quality then you should be talking about Italian and Scottish football, they have really took a dive.

Those players aren't really comparable.

And I think that the biggest factor in the drop in defensive talent is due to the drop in quality of Italian football

[Reverend Gooner]

I miss the 1990's alot, brings a tear to my eye

[elkanofan]

As for the Sports science and the win at all costs mentality. Also inch mentioned about the pace of game is much faster which is true, that's obvious but we see less technique. Ratface's technique isn't superb or anywhere near Zola, Bergkamp, not near players like =Lothar Mattaus, Socrates, i could go on. Those players beat men by dropping the shoulder and unbalancing them. Ratface beats players with pace 8/10 times with the other 2/10 being the odd time his tricks work. I mean Gascionge never in his career have blinding or even decent pace yet ran round men for fun! You just don't see players like that anymore!

There's a great quote i posted before in the Ronaldo thread. In which was to describe the great Ronaldo wit his weight problems. It also descries what football is about. Ability first! and Foremost!

While the greatness of his play has naturally deteriorated as the injuries have progressively taken their toll, we’re still in the presence of greatness. Lesser men have justifiably waved the white flag in his physical situation: the effort he’s exerting to make these improbable comebacks is, really, quite phenomenal.

So he’s put on a bit of Coral Reef. Big deal. Ade Akinbiyi spent his entire career cultivating a six-pack and it didn’t do much in terms of improving his ability to direct the ball goalwards, did it?

Also add in the inflated wages across the board. When you have reserve players driving $100,000 mercedez at 17-18 years old! You feel players despite all this emphasis in training on technique etc.. They don't feel the love for football to try and strive to improve. Many players i feel these days lose track of why they wanted to play football and just see it as a job, get to a decent level, turn up, perform well and take their wages home.

Just like an office job. they are so rich there's no sense of proving yourself or leaving a legacy. If your not good enough, hey you still have a big house, a page 3 model girlfriend and more money than you know what to do with. Someone mentioned how big players aren't spread out across leagues anymore they are all condensed up into the top leagues (La Liga big two, Premeirship) You can fill your team with star names but they stars will only get worse if you don't play then, they will very quickly become disillusioned and just lose interest in ''proving' themselves. They will just be happy with their millionaire celebrity lifestyle.

What I'm enforcing is the current system just isn't setup to improve our game.

[Inchpräctice]

I believe the top players of this modern era for me aren't as good as they where 10-20 years ago. In general i think football in professional quality terms it's not as good as it was.

I'll start with this statement.
10-20 years ago who were the top players?
Zidane? Bergkamp? Cantona? Figo?

All very entertaining.

Today we have Messi (probably the best player you and I will see in our lifetime), Cuntiano Conaldo (£80m player), Sjneider, Kaka, Henry, Benzema, RVP, Cesc.

1) Benzema...?
2) You've only compared the attackers, there's a large decrease in top defensive talent from the 90's.

1. Are you saying he's not entertaining?
2. That's because we're talking primarily about entertainment. Unless you happen to be a lover of 6'8" CBs most people don't find good defenders hugely entertaining.

[ThereIsBearCüm]

Full-backs too though

Cafu
R. Carlos
Thuram
Zanetti
Stam
Adams

etc.

or
Lucio and Terry lol

Adams and Stam were not fullbacks

[Yorkyblue]

Full-backs too though

Cafu
R. Carlos
Thuram
Zanetti
Stam
Adams

etc.

or
Lucio and Terry lol

Adams and Stam were not fullbacks

Yeah that list makes no sense lol. Especially as Lucio and Terry aren't full backs either lol.

Footballs much better for me these days. From back then only Kinkladze would be the only one with a starting place in our team now!

[elkanofan]

Full-backs too though

Cafu
R. Carlos
Thuram
Zanetti
Stam
Adams

etc.

or
Lucio and Terry lol

Adams and Stam were not fullbacks

Yeah that list makes no sense lol. Especially as Lucio and Terry aren't full backs either lol.

Footballs much better for me these days. From back then only Kinkladze would be the only one with a starting place in our team now!

Goes without saying it that you would rather be playing in the champions league than away to Walsall on a wet Wednesday night.

[elkanofan]

Football will self destruct by eating itself. It's a question of when, not if.

So when do you think football will collapse and have to rebuild itself?

[Massa]

Full-backs too though

Cafu
R. Carlos
Thuram
Zanetti
Stam
Adams

etc.

or
Lucio and Terry lol

Adams and Stam were not fullbacks

Yeah I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that list lol
But I still stand by my statement that the quality of defenders have dropped