Do We Expect Too Little Of Footballers?

Having watched Bolton on Saturday and the the two live games on Sky yesterday I have come to the conclusion that footballers have it easy.

Not only are they highly paid and living a life of luxury, but not a lot is expected of them in terms of footballing skill.

We all know the current Bolton team is devoid of any skill, half of them can't control a simple ball and I don't think any of them can pass more than 10 yards without giving the ball away. How can this be right? In my school days you wouldn't have even got into the school team if you couldn't control a ball.

But it's clear the players right at the top of the game aren't much better. Torres mis-hit a shot for Chelsea and the commentator made an excuse that it bobbled in front of him. One of the keepers fumbled the ball, again the commentator made the excuse that it bounced in front of him. Dempsey at Spurs let a simple pass slip under his foot, this was blamed on a greasy pitch. And Vermaelen missed a free header which was blamed on the spinning ball.

What the fuck? These are player playing at the top of their profession, shouldn't they be able to do things average players can't do? Why do we persist making excuses? Why can't a commentator just say "that was a bit shit".

Gordon Ramsey is a top chef. If you went into his restaurant and ordered a steak you'd expect it to be the best steak you'd tasted all year - not overcooked and greasy. If Gordon Ramsey cooked you a tough steak you'd send it back and ask for it to be done properly because you know he's a world class chef who should be producing world class food.

If you went to an expensive Accountant and asked him to do your taxes for you, you'd expect all the numbers to be right. If he fucked them up you'd refuse to pay him and wouldn't use his services again.

So why is football different? I get that people want to be loyal, but why can't we just admit that footballers are shit and ask them to up their game? If you're going to pay £30+ to watch Bolton shouldn't you expect the players to be able to do the basics?

There's little doubt the footballers of today have less ball skills than footballers of decades gone by. There are some very good players in the Prem, but probably not as many as there were 15-20 years ago. I do often find myself wondering how some players make such a good living.

summercummings wrote:There's little doubt the footballers of today have less ball skills than footballers of decades gone by. There are some very good players in the Prem, but probably not as many as there were 15-20 years ago. I do often find myself wondering how some players make such a good living.

Don't agree with this, even the 'lesser' premier league teams are playing some really good football these days, Swansea and Southampton in particular.

bwfc1874 wrote:

Don't agree with this, even the 'lesser' premier league teams are playing some really good football these days, Swansea and Southampton in particular.

I'm not saying they don't play good football, just that there aren't as many "good" players as there used to be.

I agree that there are less world class players around these days and that the modern day footballer has less ball skills than his counterparts from years gone by, but it actually creates better games in my opinion. The defending in the 70's & 80's was so much better than it is today - but combined with some awful pitches it didn't make for great viewing at times.

Since Megson took over i really was surprised at the complete lack of technical skill and football IQ on display from our players.

We've had the odd high IQ player, like a holden/wilshere, but that really is it.

players like Knight/mills who pump balls into the corners without even looking up and under no pressure, the lack of movement from the strikers, the complete absence of showing for the ball from the mids.

at the end of the day it comes down to coaching, and willingness to work, hopefully we can start in that direction from next season.

This is a load of rubbish. Why do you never see any non league teams ever get past the third round? They are still really good footballers. These footballers are really top players, if you open your eyes and see his little time they get on the ball you would realise how good they are.

I would agree that this country produces less good players than days gone by but that is due to cheaper, better players from abroad. The nearest a lot of youngsters get to football is Championship Manager or FIFA Pro. Even the thought of putting any effort into anything would send most of them running to the chippy or McDonalds in a panic attack.

Michael Bolton wrote:This is a load of rubbish. Why do you never see any non league teams ever get past the third round? They are still really good footballers. These footballers are really top players, if you open your eyes and see his little time they get on the ball you would realise how good they are.

What a bellend. You clearly don't get it.

PL footballers are worse than they were 20 years ago and so are non-league players.

I've asked you to leave the site and I mean it.

Just watched Man City v West Ham. It was billed as the second best team in the country against a mid-table team in one of the best leagues in the world.

I'm convinced it was a pub league game.

Hardly anyone on the pitch could control the ball, the passing was all over the place, and no one seemed capable of putting the ball in the net.

There was one bit of play from West Ham where Taylor took a free kick from the wing and scuffed it, the ball fell to another West Ham player who scuffed his shot, then it fell to Collins who scuffed his shot wide when it was easier to score. Rubbish.

And right at the end England's number one keeper Joe Hart let one through his legs to give West Ham a consolation, and the Sky commentator had the audacity to suggest Hart may have been injured when catching the ball a few minutes earlier.

Football is rubbish.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Just watched Man City v West Ham. It was billed as the second best team in the country against a mid-table team in one of the best leagues in the world.

I'm convinced it was a pub league game.

Hardly anyone on the pitch could control the ball, the passing was all over the place, and no one seemed capable of putting the ball in the net.

There was one bit of play from West Ham where Taylor took a free kick from the wing and scuffed it, the ball fell to another West Ham player who scuffed his shot, then it fell to Collins who scuffed his shot wide when it was easier to score. Rubbish. d right at the end England's number one keeper Joe Hart let one through his legs to give West Ham a consolation, and the Sky commentator had the audacity to suggest Hart may have been injured when catching the ball a few minutes earlier.

Football is rubbish.

You talk utter shite, now go and get some hoovering done

CAMPO wrote:
You talk utter shite, now go and get some hoovering done

People don't want to admit that the standard has dropped to an all-time low.

Personally I'm not comfortable paying £30+ to watch players that wouldn't even be professionals had they been playing 20 years ago.