[Rap]

Yes it was penance.

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[ds968]

Reviving an old thread for an update on current Covid news :

 

   

 

 

 

 

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[Rap]

Voluntary workouts start for football teams soon.

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[Roboman]

Reviving an old thread for an update on current Covid news :

 

 

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I have to comment on this, as although soccer can be a beautiful game it is beset by top class players who are experts at falling over as though poleaxed only to jump up once the desired penalty has been awarded.... I played rugby in my youth and then lived in New Zealand for many years ... on a Saturday afternoon we would watch NZTV rugby for a couple of hours, then Australian rugby for a couple of hours, and then South African rugby (very handy time differences) .... by then it was about 10pm or 11pm and so we would sometimes turn on the UK soccer.  I don't know why as it was SO FRUSTRATING!  Having watched 6 hours of blokes crashing into each other, getting up and getting on with the game it was infuriating to watch all the acting going on the soccer pitch grrrrrr!  Okay, I'm off my soapbox now  :whine:

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[ds968]

I think just about every soccer fan on the planet, me included, is on the exact same soap box you are .  There are really less than 1% of pro soccer players who engage in these pathetic theatrics ( they call it a strategy because refs miss so many other calls when blatant fouls happen, they hope it might make the refs pay more attention the next time ..) .  Probably not much different than any other profession where a handful of a-holes give the entire profession or sport a bad name.  

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[Rap]

Perhaps it helps tv ratings.

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[ds968]

Well, in what may be the most controversial move in the sport’s history, several top clubs from a few countries ( who collectively have a majority of the world’s best players ) have announced their intention to form a super league.  All of this money-driven ..aka greed .

But within hours , FIFA, UEFA, and national leagues threatened not only to block this from happening but threatened the clubs with banning their players from the World Cup, with economic sanctions, etc.,etc..  

The media will have their hands full, won’t have much time to cover “dives” ... 

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[Roboman]

This was tried in cricket in the 1980's I think Kerry Packer?); a sort of precursor of pay-for-view.  I guess we can't blame them for trying, but I have a "soapbox" rant for that too .... the argument frequently heard is that more money attracts better players and produces better entertainment.  Personally I think this is rubbish, look back at the Manchester United/ Arsenal/ Chelsea/ Tottenham crowds of the 1970s and before .... 100,000 for every home game!  These fans weren't turning up because they were happy to be bored, they were being well entertained.  Grass pitches, variable conditions, attacking strategies, and mistakes all make for good entertainment, and at an affordable price.  I must look up the cost of a ManU season ticket as compared with the average fan's salary....

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[Rap]

The media won't get a story straight. That's not how it works. The media decides what the story should be and how they will tell it. Facts and objectivity don't sell ads or fit narratives.

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[94SilverCab]

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[Waylander]

What more is there to say

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