Tuesday 7 April 2015

F: It's a reason of two halves


Some of you may have worked out from the title of this post that the letter F reason to be cheerful is football. Let's be clear about this, I am talking about what is technically known as association football, in which the round ball is kicked. Americans are inclined to refer to this game as soccer.

Cue a collective groan from all those who can't stand football. Well, I'm sorry, but I like football and I happen to think that at its basic level it is a very democratic sport. I accept that its international administration does resemble the activities of the Medici family in 15th and 16th century Italy, but in some ways that is partly why I like the sport. The political manoeuvring can be fascinating.

Football can offer something for everyone - tears and laughter, pleasure and pain. It is a lesson in life: strive and you will succeed, except for when you don't and some feckless chancers come out on top causing you untold angst.

I have no doubt that there are fans of many other sports who are adamant that their chosen sports are superior to football. All I would observe is that football is one of the few sports where kids will just get on and play it in the street or wherever they happen to be. They may play it badly, following rules that they interpret in their own way, but give them a ball - any size will do - or even just a tin can and they'll get on with it.

Youth football in Cambodia. Most of the  players appear to be
barefoot apart from one who has just one flip-flop.

For sure, it is easy, and not unfair, to be critical of football for the way the top tiers of the game are dominated by money, but for those of us who follow more humble teams, money only becomes an issue because there's not enough of it. As long as our team survives to fight another day and maybe, just maybe, has a really good result which leads us to think that this will be the season they exceed expectations then we're happy.

So why the title for this post? Those of you familiar with football pundits, those people whose ability to talk seems to be in inverse proportion to being able to come up with any meaningful comments, are reputed to refer to football as "a game of two halves".  In football-watching circles this is known as stating the bleedin' obvious, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lots of songs to go with football, some better than others. New Order's World in Motion was recorded to be the official England team song for the Italia 90 World Cup. Sadly, not even having a group such as New Order doing your team song was enough of a help although England did get through to the semi-finals. Ah, well, there's always Russia 2018....if we qualify.



  • Question: Do you support a football team? If so, which one? If not, why not? Answers in the comments section beneath, please. For those of you who are wondering, I support Gillingham, pride of the middle reaches of English League One.


* Picture of Cambodian footballers used under General Product Licence.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Mark - I'm afraid I'm on the non-loving side .. can't stand the game or the people (1st Class or Premier league) ... I know plenty of Dads with kids who spend time at the weekend helping set up games for the children and running leagues etc ..

    Mostly I don't like it because it dominates just about all year .. and not many other sports get a look in .. I just don't think we need football morning, noon and night ..

    But I'm delighted you enjoy it .. and Gillingham is diagonally across this and the next county! See I know where it is!! Cheers Hilary

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    1. I understand what you mean about blanket coverage of football, although these days with satellite and cable TV the capability to NOT watch is much greater. There are plenty of other TV channels for instance - or good books.
      As for the football club I support I suspect you are thinking of the wrong place. I'm guessing you're thinking of Gillingham in Dorset which is pronounced as in fishes gills with a hard G. My football club is Gillingham in Kent which begins with a J sound as in Jill.

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  2. I am a Liverpool supporter despite never having been to Liverpool in my life. As many a relationship says, "It's complicated," and all to do with going to live with my divorced sister and supporting her son by supporting the same team as he did. Still with me? I remember you talking about The Mighty Gills!

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    1. Two of my (Devon-born) children are ardent Liverpool fans and the other two aren't really interested in football. Football club allegiance is a strange thing. The Gills "Mightiness" has been a bit off and on this season, but they're still giving it a go.

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  3. I was a big fan of New Order but World in Motion - not so much -cheesarama..

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    1. I know what you mean. The rap is, um, well...you know. Just supposing England had chosen an extended version of Blue Monday.

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  4. It makes sense that your game is called football as it's definitely using the feet much more than American football. Soccer, as we call it, is really starting to generate more interest here. It's a great game for kids and we have all kinds of soccer leagues. In fact, I live across from a soccer field. My brother almost went pro but he blew his knee out so that ended that dream... Good post.
    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. Bad luck for your brother. Knees are notoriously vulnerable for footballers, and other sports players too, I suppose. I've got a bad knee but I put that down to pogoing at punk concerts when I was but a youth.

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