Coronavirus: Football Discussion Thread

[Rascal]

650 workers in a meat processing plant test positive in Germany whilst whole shifts of Polish coal miners have the virus, and some fans obsessed about millionaire footballers getting the virus? Most humans are adaptable but many have an ingrained cynicism that distorts their view on the world.

You totally miss my point.

I am not obsessed about footballers getting a virus anymore than I am obsessed about anybody else getting it. I am concerned about how the TV companies will use this crisis to suit their own ends, not the fans.

Its the match going fan I have concerns about, not from a virus point of view but from how we will be exploited in the future because of the current crisis. Anybody who thinks SKY give two fucks about fans is deluded, they care only about selling sports packages. Already we have ridiculous KO times, I have genuine concerns they will get worse just so SKY can fill their schedules.

Time will tell however, but to think SKY are benevolent is just fucking insane, they don't give two fucks about fans who attend matches, because if they did there would not be football matches being played now. They have used their power and influence to coerce football clubs into playing behind closed doors, not because they want to serve the public, but because they see an opportunity to make money and sell SKY subscriptions and if you cant see that then you are deluded.

 

[JRockBlues]

It is torrential rain and the temperature is 13 c. but the rules say we must have a drinks break ! It really has got stupid.
What happened to discretion ? the idiot in black could have talked to Pep and Arty and if they agreed it could have been missed out.

Mind you that would also mean the bent bastard at Villa/Sheffield wouldn't have any excuse as to why he didn't give the goal.

A rehydration break was done to help protect players fitness levels. Had nothing much to do with temperature or climate. Coming back to a full intensity competetive football match after a long break with just a short time to get ready is not conducive to being in great shape to play such games.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

I think the return highlighted the best and worst about football. The best, the football itself, our talented players, our great tactics, the clubs efforts to help the NHS/BLM and make the effort to dress the stadium, even down to that screen thing. And the worst, the dire online Football Twitter "no seats/fans" tribe. Cheesey moping about outside locked gates because he didn't get in an invite in (heard this before haven't we?!), and finally Sky Sports and namely Martin Tyler. My sports subs end for Sky and BT in 5 days. I won't be renewing.

Good post that I largely agree with. I think it would have been OK for City to find a seat for Ian though. He provides very good reporting on City even if he has been excessively negative about the restart.

 

[Marvin]

You totally miss my point.

I am not obsessed about footballers getting a virus anymore than I am obsessed about anybody else getting it. I am concerned about how the TV companies will use this crisis to suit their own ends, not the fans.

Its the match going fan I have concerns about, not from a virus point of view but from how we will be exploited in the future because of the current crisis. Anybody who thinks SKY give two fucks about fans is deluded, they care only about selling sports packages. Already we have ridiculous KO times, I have genuine concerns they will get worse just so SKY can fill their schedules.

Time will tell however, but to think SKY are benevolent is just fucking insane, they don't give two fucks about fans who attend matches, because if they did there would not be football matches being played now. They have used their power and influence to coerce football clubs into playing behind closed doors, not because they want to serve the public, but because they see an opportunity to make money and sell SKY subscriptions and if you cant see that then you are deluded.

You said you're against the restart because football is commercialised and used by the media to sell subscriptions. But it's only commoditised because at heart its a beautiful game followed passionately by people and business wants a part of it. I don't believe we've crossed any lines although I totally accept that football is now big business, owned and controlled by billionaires. We have one too. We won titles and brought Kompany and Aguero to City because we had the money. I wish that was not necessary but I still enjoyed the moments as much as any other blue

You may not have any moral objections to restart but plenty have said its simply wrong. Football without fans and on TV is inferior but I still enjoy watching it, and I look forward to the next game. I can do so knowing that someone is selling it and trying to make money out of it. That's always been the way although it gets worse by the year.

 

[Blue Mist]

It looked in but if the ball is pushes against the back of a round post there may be a micrometer not over the line and probably why they dare not overrule it.

So if they have micrometers why have they said 7 cameras ? How can an electric chip be hidden by a goalkeepers arms, surely that would be the obvious test when trialling the system. The whole think stinks.

 

[Blue Mist]

A rehydration break was done to help protect players fitness levels. Had nothing much to do with temperature or climate. Coming back to a full intensity competetive football match after a long break with just a short time to get ready is not conducive to being in great shape to play such games.

But there were plenty of natural breaks when they could individually take drinks, they do it all the time in the premier games. It was brought in because they thought July would be scorching hot.

 

[kaz7]

a celebration camera? HAHAHAHAHA

The boys ignored it and ran to each other,the players know what is what

 

[kaz7]

650 workers in a meat processing plant test positive in Germany whilst whole shifts of Polish coal miners have the virus, and some fans obsessed about millionaire footballers getting the virus? Most humans are adaptable but many have an ingrained cynicism that distorts their view on the world.

what does how much money they have matter,covid doesn't care how much you earn

 

[johnmcfcagain]

In todays febrile political atmosphere, people will be firmly in one camp or the other and that position will only be entrenched after last night.

I am against it restarting, so I did some work I had pending and then watched Batman. I thought as KO got closer my interest would pique but it didn't, our whatsapp group was like a morgue, and instead of looking forward to football, I resented it being on. I don't feel resentment towards City or the players, its the PL and the TV companies I resent using our club as some sort of experiment to see if football without fans still attracts viewers. If it does, then with me being a cynical fucker it opens the opportunity for football without fans to become a regular fixture on the TV channels. Games sold to countries/corporations who can bid highest for them and football played in obscure places for the enjoyment of the few very wealthy individuals/companies who can then invite selective guests to a game. It will be corporate football on speed. Players and clubs could be like travelling circuses whoring themselves out across the globe.

As economist Milton Friedman said "only a crisis actual or perceived produces real change. When the crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depends on the ideas lying around "

The 19th game is one of those ideas, that now becomes a distinct possibility as football without fans has taken place, a barrier has been broken down and now real change can happen because there is precedent. Kick Off times, which were already verging on the ridiculous will now be at the mercy of the highest bidder looking to fill their TV schedules.

As a fan, going to the game has always been much much more than the actual game itself. I was talking to a mate last night and the match going ritual starts when you get up and ends when you hit the sack, the 90 minutes in between are when you sober up a bit and have a pie. When we were shit that's what we did, now we are good we still do it, but now I fear we do it no more.

I do genuinely hope that everyone who did watch it, enjoyed it and continue to do so, I will always love City, but last night football lost its magic for me. That magic is walking through the tunnel under the Kippax to watch a game under floodlights and seeing the crowd and the pitch as a young boy and thinking I was in heaven, there is no magic for me in a game on TV played in front of empty stands with piped in crowd noise. No magic at all.

As a City fan who felt the magic of the Kippax for the first time in December 1970 I understand your passion for proper football in front of proper fans but as Marvin said, this is a forced response to a crisis. Why shouldn't the football business try to return in a poor second best format just like every other business in the world is trying to do? And doing the best to safeguard participants. After all, the jobs of many lesser paid folk are at stake - not just millionaire footballers - not just entertainment for the masses. Look, nobody thinks it's better than the real thing but neither is it a betrayal of key workers or families that have suffered loss.

 

[Rascal]

As a City fan who felt the magic of the Kippax for the first time in December 1970 I understand your passion for proper football in front of proper fans but as Marvin said, this is a forced response to a crisis. Why shouldn't the football business try to return in a poor second best format just like every other business in the world is trying to do? And doing the best to safeguard participants. After all, the jobs of many lesser paid folk are at stake - not just millionaire footballers - not just entertainment for the masses. Look, nobody thinks it's better than the real thing but neither is it a betrayal of key workers or families that have suffered loss.

It isn't a betrayal of key workers at all, I never said that, nor have I commented on the economics of it all regarding PL club finances. The safeguarding efforts the clubs have gone to are admirable and common sense, I have no issue with that either. I have zero issue with protecting millionaires either, they will survive. I do think that Government allowing football to resume is a sop to the masses and is a tool to control.

So I will reiterate my concern. It is the TV companies taking advantage of the crisis to push through changes that become the new norm. The 19th game played say in Kuaka Lumpar, the FA Cup final played in Qatar, Kick Off times changed so that they are even more ridiculous than they are already are now, as TV companies seek to sell subscriptions to foreign markets. Once taboo's are broken and precedents are set then there is no going back. That is my concern, its the concern that the match going fan no longer has games they can attend because SKY have decided that they want to show a game at 11am on a Monday morning so that it can satisfy the Indonesian market, its our club being whored out across the world to play PL games in any place with the money to stage the game. You may think this is pie in the sky but who ever expected Monday night football would be become commonplace and fans would have to take 2 days off work if they wanted to see City play away at Southampton. Who ever thought the FA Cup final would ever be anything but at 3pm on Saturday, now it is played to suit the TV market and if City are there we have to stay over because there are no trains home.

There are already loads of complaints from football fans of all clubs about KO times being changed, about semi finals played at Wembley etc, my concern is this will get worse because of the new normal and fans who are regular match attendee's will be shown even more disregard than we are now. My concerns have always been over match going fans, I couldn't give two fucks about somebody who never goes and already has a sky subscription because that is their choice to do so, but as a match going fan I am already sick of being treated like shit by the PL and TV companies and my concerns are that this crisis will be used to make things worse for match going fans.