I am a football purist. I don't subscribe to the school of thought that the results or the points is all that counts. What drew me to football was the entertainment value it offers. Its the same reason that made the game popular around the world. Its called the beautiful game - football!Does everyone loves the beautiful game to be played in a beautiful way?Probably before but not so anymore!
The pursuit of glory and money has made the beautiful game less glamorous! With so much more money at stake many managers don't mind playing the beautiful game in a ugly way so far they win the match, the three points, the cup, the championship or whatever is at stake to be won.
It's no longer about the performance and the beautiful arts again, it's now about the results and products. And so we now have teams packing the bus at the back, protecting their goal, frustrating the other team by breaking down play with rotational fouls, going as far as injuring the other team players deliberately! And so for 90minutes the beautiful game is played the ugly way! Then a team parking the bus gets an opportunity and grabs a goal. That encourages more defensive play, the other team searches fruitlessly for an equaliser that never comes. And if the fans ain't so lucky the match ends in a stalemate, a boring 0-0 draw.
When the referee blew the final whistle for the match between Arsenal and
Chelsea which ended 0-0, the fans, Arsenal fans, couldn't hide their frustration as they chanted ' 'boring boring chelsea'. Indeed Chelsea were boring that nite as Mourinho sets out his team to play for a draw:.parking the bus, commiting many players to fouls and hard tackles, removing an attacking forward for a defender, it was so obvious what Mourinho's intent were. To an average Arsenal fan that is used to watching the beautiful game played the beautiful way, that wasn't a match too pleasing to the eye, not the kind of match they want to see at the Emirates!
An average Arsenal fan pay more than any other fan in the England to watch their team play week in week out. Ten years without a trophy couldn't dampen their spirit to enjoy the beautiful game. So despite moving from highbury to the Emirates, Arsenal continues to fill up their capacity 60,000 stadium every other week!
Move over to west London, the pensioners home. Many years of glory and winning trophies has not in anyway help Chelsea fills it less than 30,000 capacity stadium! Results or no results its still the beauty of the game that draws people to it!
Should we sacrifice results for performance, effectiveness for entertainment ? No! But neither should we sacrifice the entertainment value of the game for just results!
The greatest sides in history knows how to marry both results and entertainment on the pitch. The Hungarian team of the 50s, the Brazilian team that won the world cup between 50s - 70s. These are teams remembered not for just what they achieve on the pitch but how they also achieve it. They have become true pantheons of the game through styles and substance.
Who remembers the Mourinho's Inter team that won the treble in 09-10? No one in the football community except their own fans. They won trophies but left the football community with no memories to cherish.
Who can forget Pep's swash-buckling, ball playing but yet all conquering Barcelona team that dominated World football for four years? Even generation yet unborn will be told of the exploits of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and co!
Legendary teams plays both to entertain and win. This is the only way for football to maintain it's cult following status around the world.
Many teams have won the premiership but none for now will be more remembered like the Invincible Arsenal team of 2003/04: a team invincible in both results and style!
We must not sacrifice the entertainment value of the game or the game will die in popularity and followership over time.
Already the World cup is been watched less compared to the Champions league because of too many boring games played at the mundial, even at the world cup teams still park the bus!
HOW DO WE MAKE THE GAME MORE ENTERTAINING?
Simple solution. Let offensive football be encouraged. Fans want to watch great matches with great goals! The game is all about goals!
How can this be achieved? These are my suggestions. Not new suggestions or novel ideas, but ideas which were originally used when the 3 points system in football was introduced. If you are just watching football please note that a football match was a '2pointer' game before now. The 3 point system was introduce in the early 90s.
Suggestions/ideas
Crazy ideas? Well let us implement this ideas in the league and lets see how many teams will continue to park the bus. Lets try this ideas and see if their wont be an upsurge in the number of goals scored in a match and its entertainment value!
Anything to ensure the beautiful game is played in a beautiful way isn't too much to implement
What are your thoughts, agreed or not? Got other creative ideas that you think will make the game more entertaining? Share with us.
The pursuit of glory and money has made the beautiful game less glamorous! With so much more money at stake many managers don't mind playing the beautiful game in a ugly way so far they win the match, the three points, the cup, the championship or whatever is at stake to be won.It's no longer about the performance and the beautiful arts again, it's now about the results and products. And so we now have teams packing the bus at the back, protecting their goal, frustrating the other team by breaking down play with rotational fouls, going as far as injuring the other team players deliberately! And so for 90minutes the beautiful game is played the ugly way! Then a team parking the bus gets an opportunity and grabs a goal. That encourages more defensive play, the other team searches fruitlessly for an equaliser that never comes. And if the fans ain't so lucky the match ends in a stalemate, a boring 0-0 draw.
When the referee blew the final whistle for the match between Arsenal and
Chelsea which ended 0-0, the fans, Arsenal fans, couldn't hide their frustration as they chanted ' 'boring boring chelsea'. Indeed Chelsea were boring that nite as Mourinho sets out his team to play for a draw:.parking the bus, commiting many players to fouls and hard tackles, removing an attacking forward for a defender, it was so obvious what Mourinho's intent were. To an average Arsenal fan that is used to watching the beautiful game played the beautiful way, that wasn't a match too pleasing to the eye, not the kind of match they want to see at the Emirates!
An average Arsenal fan pay more than any other fan in the England to watch their team play week in week out. Ten years without a trophy couldn't dampen their spirit to enjoy the beautiful game. So despite moving from highbury to the Emirates, Arsenal continues to fill up their capacity 60,000 stadium every other week!
Move over to west London, the pensioners home. Many years of glory and winning trophies has not in anyway help Chelsea fills it less than 30,000 capacity stadium! Results or no results its still the beauty of the game that draws people to it!
Should we sacrifice results for performance, effectiveness for entertainment ? No! But neither should we sacrifice the entertainment value of the game for just results!
The greatest sides in history knows how to marry both results and entertainment on the pitch. The Hungarian team of the 50s, the Brazilian team that won the world cup between 50s - 70s. These are teams remembered not for just what they achieve on the pitch but how they also achieve it. They have become true pantheons of the game through styles and substance.
Who remembers the Mourinho's Inter team that won the treble in 09-10? No one in the football community except their own fans. They won trophies but left the football community with no memories to cherish.
Who can forget Pep's swash-buckling, ball playing but yet all conquering Barcelona team that dominated World football for four years? Even generation yet unborn will be told of the exploits of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and co!
Legendary teams plays both to entertain and win. This is the only way for football to maintain it's cult following status around the world.
Many teams have won the premiership but none for now will be more remembered like the Invincible Arsenal team of 2003/04: a team invincible in both results and style!
We must not sacrifice the entertainment value of the game or the game will die in popularity and followership over time.
Already the World cup is been watched less compared to the Champions league because of too many boring games played at the mundial, even at the world cup teams still park the bus!
HOW DO WE MAKE THE GAME MORE ENTERTAINING?
Simple solution. Let offensive football be encouraged. Fans want to watch great matches with great goals! The game is all about goals!
How can this be achieved? These are my suggestions. Not new suggestions or novel ideas, but ideas which were originally used when the 3 points system in football was introduced. If you are just watching football please note that a football match was a '2pointer' game before now. The 3 point system was introduce in the early 90s.
Suggestions/ideas
- Like before a score draw match, a 2-2, 3-3, should be awarded 3points: 1.5 points for each team. Sounds crazy? Well one thing is sure teams will rather play for a 1-1 than a 0-0
- A goaless draw should be awarded 2 points, 1 for each team.
- Teams who win by margins of 5 goals more regularly during the course of a season should be awarded extra point for every 2 matches they win by that margin!
Crazy ideas? Well let us implement this ideas in the league and lets see how many teams will continue to park the bus. Lets try this ideas and see if their wont be an upsurge in the number of goals scored in a match and its entertainment value!
Anything to ensure the beautiful game is played in a beautiful way isn't too much to implement
What are your thoughts, agreed or not? Got other creative ideas that you think will make the game more entertaining? Share with us.
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