Purpose of football

[jimi]

In England football seems to serve a different purpose than in virtually ever other country, it becomes a focus for hatred .. whether it is of the opposition, the manager, poor performing player or anything .. is this just our cultural problem or does it exist elsewhere. The vision of France and Brazillians mixing amicably is a stark contrast to our people. I watched a few matches in pubs on TV in Spain recently, the only flag waving was done by the English everyone else just treated it as bit of fun... even the Dutch guys I was talking to during the Holland / Portugal match.

The aggression and selfishness of drivers on our roads contrasts remarkably with the courtesy of drivers on the continent ..

Walking about continental towns at night there are no fights or yobbish behaviour ..

do I have a very skewed perception or is there an endemic cultural behavioural problem in this country?

 

[Sea Devil]

Here in La Rochelle I had a real problem sleeping last night - lots of excitement and drunken orgys of delight from the local French!!!

As somebody else remarked:- What a pity Rooneys foot got better!!

Michael

 

[mainmarine]

IMHO the problems started in the sixties, during the Harold Wilson era, interfereing do gooders created lower standards of behaviour and respect, it has got worse since. Now compounded by lack of education and respect for anyone or anything. As for driving the first thing you notice, on return to the UK is the pathetic standards of driving, the lack of awareness of other road users and lane hogging.
I understand there is a shortage of train drivers in the UK. I think they are all on the roads, stuck in one lane and unable to move out of it even if the others are empty.

 

[Bejasus]

[ QUOTE ]
As for driving the first thing you notice, on return to the UK is the pathetic standards of driving, the lack of awareness of other road users and lane hogging.


[/ QUOTE ]

Funny you should say that. We went to Lefkas a few weeks ago to look at a boat and had to drive both ways from Athens. Now whilst some of the drivers did seem a little crazy, in a jolly foreigner type of way, we found the Greek drivers generally corteous and never wanting to get in the way of faster moving traffic.

Arrived back in the UK, and between Norwich and the house, 17 miles, we were brutally cut up twice, and by the time we got home, I was ready to kill someone. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[tcm]

Right, you\'re dead

ahem.

Anyway, on continent etc it is a beautiful game performed by skilled individuals, like cricket.

But in the uk, the moment you can kick a ball aged 4 - a game is organised. It's war, really.

Very noticeable for us with young kids over past 10ish years how appallingly the parents at junior footie matches behave - big rows with referees, parents won't mix and some even have scraps. The contrast with parents at junior rugby is very distinct.

I think that crap footie coaching is at least partly to blame.

Instead of working at being bettr, skills and strategy and so on - they work at mind games of how the other lot are gits, see, out to get yer! This quickly transmits to others, the crowd, commentators,everyone.

They can't beat the other side with non-existent skills, only with "warrior instinct" lions on shirt and blah blah.

If brit schoolkids did the stepover stuff as per portugal's ronaldo they be jeered for pooftah football. If a coach started teaching stragey with lots of indoor classrom stuff,well that's not right is it- the kids come to footie to get a run out and a game, innit?

Sven and Arsen Wenger have (over time) been repeatedly sujectd to abuse for "professorish" approach. But the fact of the matter is that yesterday, the players blew it. Maybe aftr a lifetime of warrior-like footie, uk national teams prefer/need warrior-like coaches. A conmbination of the warior stuf would be good though - and that's prpas what Scholari gives. Venables too, cept he was a bit too gorblimey for the FA...

 

[mainmarine]

Re: Right, you\'re dead

Back to footie, I agree about the coaching. I don't see how someone who only has the skill to play, can teach others, far better for someone with teaching skills to do the job but teachers don't teach anymore, they are too busy filling in forms. They should keep the ex players away from the training ground, they teach out the natural skills in favour of cheating and diving to get free kicks etc.

 

[Sybarite]

<< lots of excitement and drunken orgys of delight from the local French!!! >>


I live across the Seine from a small town on a hill. Because of the heat all the windows were open. However it was like being in a stadium because when the French scored or did something good, there was a concerted roar from the inhabitants.

What the others said about driving I find true as well each time I return to the UK. There is a bloody-mindedness about English drivers which I don't believe you find - at least not to the same extent - on the continent.

John