A slightly “Left Field” approach to my reply to this one Kets.
My dad’s dad and my own father were very good footballers, locally recognised as quality players in Yorkshire and County standard and played decent non league, I got all their work ethic and determination but a massively lower technical ability.
Through my childhood and then t e e n s, 20’s and 30’s I couldn’t understand my grandads distain for 70’s and 80’s football and my dad’s distain for 80’s and 90’s football.
Grandad despised the “kissing and cuddling” after a goal was scored etc and simply stopped watching football, it was surprising to hear so many people tell me what a superb player he was in his te e n s and up to his late 20’s when the war broke out.
“Better than your dad” was the stories from all the old timers in the family including from my dad’s cousin who played for Crook Town who were one of the best non league sides in the U.K. during his playing days.
I’d seen my dad play the odd game as a late 30’s and early 40’s man, overweight and a heavy smoker in my t e e n s and seen him score a couple of worldies and I could see how talented he was even then.
But then dad stopped watching football and couldn’t even be a r s e d to watch or go to Leeds matches if they were in our area.
Then as I hit 30 in 1991 he suddenly started to come to Albion matches with me, it was him that had taken me to all our matches when I was 10 onwards and we were his favourite other team.
He was at Wembley v Port Vale with me, in fact he knew London area and got us to the ground!
He enjoyed the time we could spend together as grown adults and by then I was a family man as well.
In the late 90’s he stopped coming due to crowds affecting his middle ear balance issues and he never bothered with football again until he died in 2003 other than coming to watch me and my brother play on a Sunday even though we were 42 and 38 by then!
So both were steeped in football and fell out of love with it and I used to say it’d never happen to me.
How wrong I was.
I noticed my interest waning when Pullis was appointed and walked out after 60 minutes at a Pardew home debacle and I reckon I’ve only been to 12 matches since then.
I hate Lai, I hate the modern media, the pundits are useless, the commentary is abject and the “virtue signalling” and “Wokeness” has put the tin lid on it for me.
I still want Albion to win, but I I have just lost the passion and desire that drove me from 1972 through 45 years up until 2017.
Under any decent new owner I’d come to more matches, I’d watch us in League 2 with a team full of youngsters but I can’t support Lai.
I’ll never follow football again in the way that I did, truth is I don’t watch any televised football at all apart from highlights of our wins or draws, I find defeats too painful even now.
As for commentary, Richie Benaud had it nailed exactly when he said that the best commentator is one who knows when to shut up and say nothing.
He could go for a couple of minutes and say nowt......this is the work of a genius.
Too many now seem to get paid by the word.
Just as an aside, I went to watch Stourbridge for the first time in 4 months on Saturday under fairly bee management.
They’ve struggled this year and the football under ex Bluenose Mark Yates made Pullis look extravagant, it was dismal.
We lost 0-2 but I saw the best attacking football I’ve seen from one of my teams in 5 years.
So I’ll go again on Saturday.......it’s amazing what a bit of entertainment can do to lift your spirits.
If you fancy the game Des I’ll get you a ticket, my treat?
Let me know......and you Kets if you’re doing nothing?
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