The Golden Generation

[The Esk]

I really believe that football despite the marketing brilliance of Sky faces it’s most challenging period since the awful period between Hysel and Hillsborough.


Nowhere was this more evident than at Wembley last night. Throughout the summer we have been fed deliciously with sporting excellence from athletes known and un-known, the crowds have responded and we witnessed sport as it is meant to be, competitive, fair, enthralling and inclusive. The response from the watching public was astounding, how much do British people love sport? How great is our appetite for sporting excellence in every sense? It’s huge and we responded accordingly.


Now cast your mind to last night and what did we have? Tired, familiar failings, a Captain sent off for two careless misdemeanours. A team and an audience bereft of many regulars, both similarly lacking in ideas and passion.


On the field British sport has excelled in almost every field this last decade, all except football. We have had World Cup winners in rugby, Major winners in golf, athletic excellence previously un-dreamt of, cycling, swimming, equine sports, the number one cricket team, the list is seemingly endless, except one - our national sport…..


Our footballers self-styled themselves as the Golden Generation – how ironic that in this sporting generation, they the footballers alone have had no taste of sporting gold. The only gold they have experienced lies in their Swiss bank accounts.

 

[Pblueman]

you nalied it for me in the laast paragraph Esk, money. football is more about the wage than the game. where football and all the other sports differ is in one word dedication, our top players dont have it - to the same level as our olympians for example.

 

[Allezfan]

Our footballers self-styled themselves as the Golden Generation – how ironic that in this sporting generation, they the footballers alone have had no taste of sporting gold. The only gold they have experienced lies in their Swiss bank accounts.

Well a) they didn't style themselves that, an FA executive under pressure in the late 90s covered his arse by saying that the kids coming through would be a golden generation for England and the press ran with it as a stick to beat the team with when they didn't perform.

And b ) the likes of Ferdinand, Terry etc have won a huge amount of sporting gold. Four of the players your talking about are part of what is currently the best club team in Europe.

Ignoring that is like ignoring the US open and berating Murray based on his Davis Cup record.

It's traditional in this country that whenever our national team fails to be the best in the world to ignore tactics or technique and basically just berate the players for not trying hard enough. It's bollocks, you don't become a first team player for one of the top teams in the most popular sport in the world by without really wanting it.

It's harder to make the top in football than any other sport because there's much more competition.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Sad isn't it, yet out of all the athletes mentioned, it's the footballers that are financially rewarded the most (maybe with the exception of Murray).

I suppose the test will come in a few months time. Cycling for instance, we had a lot of publicity during the Tour and then the Olympics, but the Vuelta didn't get much and the Tour of Britain likewise, and that's in a pretty short space of time.

It would be great if some of the less publicised sports could get the limelight but time will tell.

 

[The Esk]

Well a) they didn't style themselves that, an FA executive under pressure in the late 90s covered his arse by saying that the kids coming through would be a golden generation for England and the press ran with it as a stick to beat the team with when they didn't perform.

And b ) the likes of Ferdinand, Terry etc have won a huge amount of sporting gold. Four of the players your talking about are part of what is currently the best club team in Europe.

Ignoring that is like ignoring the US open and berating Murray based on his Davis Cup record.

It's traditional in this country that whenever our national team fails to be the best in the world to ignore tactics or technique and basically just berate the players for not trying hard enough. It's bollocks, you don't become a first team player for one of the top teams in the most popular sport in the world by without really wanting it.

It's harder to make the top in football than any other sport because there's much more competition.

I didn't see too many players objecting to the label "golden generation" - they all bought into it!

At club level yes they have won but there again they have too, they play for the biggest clubs, my point was more aimed at how the national team have performed and their failure to perform internationally which is undeniable.

I am not necessarily questioning their work ethic, I'm sure Terry, Lampard and Gerrard train hard, generally live like top athletes, I'm looking at the structures in place that create success, tactics, technical skills, mental preparation - we must be years behind other sports on this count.

I don't see how it is necessarily harder to be a world-beater in a team game like football, sure there is greater competition, but then there is more opportunity, and using Darwinian principles, if there is greater competition those at the top having experienced that greater competition should be the very best in every respect - clearly England footballers although "good" professionals including our own Baines and Jagielka are not!

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Fools Golden Generation more like.

A whole generation that believed their own hype.

a whole generation that rated themselves more highly than others did.

a generation that actually believed the slogans that Sky made up for them, it was supposed to sell you to the masses you idiots...not yer feckin selves.

It's mainly a clutch of players that we are talking about here, but younger players are now acting in the same way, for the good of OUR game these Rio's, Frank's, Ashley's et al shouldn't be allowed anywhere near coaching courses etc. as the way they are is what they will instil into another generation.

 

[bflefc]

Football eating itself might well be upon us.

The AMF bandwagon is rolling ever-onwards, and is gaining momentum.

But the clearest indication is the row upon row of empty seats at most grounds now. Even in the PL, where you'd expect near-capacity crowds for many matches, there are often more than the usual amount of empty seats. Admittedly, during Aug/Sep you often see smaller crowds as it's still the Christmas but, unless my eyes were deceiving me, there have been more than in recent years.

England's gate last night was far lower than in recent years for a similar level of match/opposition, and the numbers we're (England) taking to away games is down: only 1050 bought official tickets for the Italy match in Bern last month, and only 2000 have applied for both the Poland and Sweden away games in Oct & Nov. Only a few years ago, we'd have taken perhaps double that to both games.

People are skint, football fans are skint. And perhaps the added dimension of Olympics/Paralympics and the tennis etc, will open more fans' eyes to the fact that the game is ruined by greed, money and hype.

Here's hoping it will tip the balance back towards normality....

Yours ever lovingly,
BFL,
Utopia

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I really believe that football despite the marketing brilliance of Sky faces it’s most challenging period since the awful period between Hysel and Hillsborough.


Nowhere was this more evident than at Wembley last night. Throughout the summer we have been fed deliciously with sporting excellence from athletes known and un-known, the crowds have responded and we witnessed sport as it is meant to be, competitive, fair, enthralling and inclusive. The response from the watching public was astounding, how much do British people love sport? How great is our appetite for sporting excellence in every sense? It’s huge and we responded accordingly.


Now cast your mind to last night and what did we have? Tired, familiar failings, a Captain sent off for two careless misdemeanours. A team and an audience bereft of many regulars, both similarly lacking in ideas and passion.


On the field British sport has excelled in almost every field this last decade, all except football. We have had World Cup winners in rugby, Major winners in golf, athletic excellence previously un-dreamt of, cycling, swimming, equine sports, the number one cricket team, the list is seemingly endless, except one - our national sport…..


Our footballers self-styled themselves as the Golden Generation – how ironic that in this sporting generation, they the footballers alone have had no taste of sporting gold. The only gold they have experienced lies in their Swiss bank accounts.[/QUOTE]
Well said. I often refer to them as the gold card generation.

 

[ScouseBlueBoy]

People are skint, football fans are skint. And perhaps the added dimension of Olympics/Paralympics and the tennis etc, will open more fans' eyes to the fact that the game is ruined by greed, money and hype.

Tennis? Yeah - that's a game the average kid in the street can relate and aspire to a career in! No greed and inclusion/exclusion in that game for sure eh?

Why didn't you mention Rugby Union? The only way someone not from a fee-paying school can get in The England team seems to be to come from another sport. As for athletics - they used to be amateur you know - now they are ****ing loaded.

None of these sporting participants are in any way altruistic. When they win anything, they ain't doing it for ME. I get nothing out of it yet I end up paying.

The BBC DOUBLED their bid for the RU 6 Nations the other year WHEN NO ONE ELSE WAS BIDDING. They gave OUR money to that Nazi sport without our consent. Would any other minority sport get bailed out like that? Seriously folks - IT IS NOT THAT POPULAR. RL gets higher viewing figures on SKY.

It's ALL about money - whatever sport you are in. No one has the right to any high ground.

As sport is supposed to be recreation, there is a philosophical argument that ALL should be unpaid and free.

I find vicarious thrills somewhat disatisfying - except where Everton are concerned.

Well, when we win anyway...

 

[EFCNIK]

Lol you called rugby union a nazi sport.

 

[malfosse]

I think one of Public Enemy's song titles sums it up perfectly.

 

[Elong]

Lol you called rugby union a nazi sport.

This offends my black shirt wearing polynesian world cup winning countrymen.

 

[ToffeeBlueNose]

all sports are dominated by money it has been since sky decided that it was a sporting flag bearer for the masses not just football.

 

[Allezfan]

I think one of Public Enemy's song titles sums it up perfectly.

"Make Love, **** War"?

 

[ScouseBlueBoy]

RE: Rugby Union - specifically Vichy.

Apologies to nations who play without such appalling behaviours.