Football: An entertainment Business

[Andy @ Allerton]

Was talking about this the other day with a few mates - went up to Bolton to watch Bolton v West Brom (I Watch quite a few local sides play from time to time - I enjoy watching football and the North West is a good place to go out, have a few pints with mates that support other teams and to be able to watch a game without worrying about the result)

 

Although not the best game ever at 0-0 - there was some decent stuff from both sides at times.

 

However, the Bolton faithful booed the team off at half time, throughout the second half and then booed them off at the end.

 

Some will argue - fair enough - they pays their money and they have their say.

 

I'm not convinced. I've been watching random teams for over 20 years - and I've been watching Liverpool since 1984 at the ground. In those days - things were different. I'm not going to go into the whole 'local fan' debate (And before anyone starts - I'm not originally local - although I've lived in Liverpool for over 20 years) - but the key was that people used to turn up to the game, see their mates, have a few bevvies - maybe a takeaway. In Liverpool we heard some stuff on the TV and on the Radio with the buildup for the game, we used to scour the paper before the game for news and info and await with sweaty little hands as the pink echo was dispensed.

 

There was a bit of moaning from time to time, about the team now and then, the selection policy, the tactics, the referee, the weather - all the usual stuff - but there was more of a pragmatic air about the place (And I'm not just talking about Anfield here) - we didn't go to the footy to be 'entertained' - we went to the footy to watch a game of footy. There seemed to be less guff about in the media - and a lot more of it just seemed to be factual - what happened rather than these tiring 'expert opinions' - the Manc bias in the press was always there from the Manchester Based media and the London bias was always there from the London based media - but because there was less of it - you could ignore it and not worry too much.

 

I spoke to a friend that has been going a fair while and he complained after the last home game that he wasn't "Entertained" and I wonder where that idea came from? Did we ever go to football to be 'Entertained' - we all LIKE To be entertained - why not? Exciting blazing games of passion, skill and finesse always goes down well - but slogging it out on wet Wednesday nights was also a fully acceptable arrangement as well - not every game had to be a 'must win', not every game had to have silky flowing skills - we watched and we waited and we hoped and sometimes we were rewarded with amazing football. Sometimes we got normal football. Sometimes it was a bit duff.

 

But it never seemed to matter that much - the whole thing of going to the match was always paramount. Seeing your mates. Having a laugh, having a pint. Letting off steam. Having a bit of a moan - it was all part of the fun.

 

Then you'd go home and not worry too much about it - it wasn't getting rammed down your throat from cynical journalists and moaning fans on football phone-ins - and you didn't have to read 200 pages of bile from so-called fans of the team you loved.

 

I'm just wondering where it's going if all football really has become is an 'entertainment business' - has that all it's been reduced to? A gimmicky plastic game of flicks and tricks?

 

I think I preferred it when it was a sport.

[John am Rhein]

The 'entertainment' element was always there - but it was mostly associated with certain clubs: Spurs, West Ham, Man United, etc. whereas the likes of us, Leeds, etc. were more about winning the game with entertainment a bonus.

 

I think the main difference now is the far more ubiqutous media - including web sites like this, TBF

 

Something that gets me down is the continually re-stated nonsense that entertaining football and winning football are actually achieved by the same methods.

[Hassony]

I think that its more to do with the fact that Bolton fans haven't really took to Megson

[Cobs]

interesting stuff Andy - why have you never mentioned this before...........?

[Gunga Din]

i went to watch Precot on Saturday, they drew 2-2 with Boston United in the unibond, and i thoroughly enjoyed it. i bought a season ticket there as well, not that i'll use it much but they need the money. There may well come a time when i walk away from the money grabbing c**** of the premier league and spent my saturdays watching the non league. 3pm kick offs, a bar in the ground, terraces, and players who are actually playing for the shirt and not a huge wage.