Armchair Hooligans have been going to football since the 1960s. We still think it’s the best game in the world.We have had our years of running around the country to watch our team play every Saturday. When we could not do that (Life gets in the way) we would go to a game because it was the best way to spend an afternoon with your mates. Never obsessive enough to want to join the “92 club” (it’s gotta be more than 100 now) we have been to more than 50 League grounds. Being honest, if we pass some kids playing in the park then we will stop & have a look how the game is going. (I once met Roger Waters of Pink Floyd in Richmond Park who was doing the very same thing).
As we get older we are, of course, more resistant to change. After the first F.A. Cup match to be settled by a penalty shoot-out we left the ground feeling deprived of a decent second replay on a neutral ground. Now a team can win a World Cup by the same unsatisfactory method. But the game does not really change. It is still about good players, good teams which are built by managers with luck and vision. For years I really hated Manchester United but I’m not a fool. The achievement of Alex Ferguson in keeping his team at the top for so long is without parallel in the game. It is to be, at least, admired if not celebrated.
We remember the days when there were people who were not interested in football. We didn’t mind this because we knew where we stood. Now everyone has a opinion about last night’s game even if they missed the first half because their missus wanted to watch “Eastenders”…tell it to someone else mate ! We have put too much time into our chosen game to talk to time-wasters. Fantasy Football ? Jessica Alba in a Villa kit with the arse torn out ! Championship Manager…get a life !
This blog will attempt to avoid the knee-jerk, soap opera aspects of the Premier League. It will try to celebrate the good, the bad and the ugly because we love it all. Of course our preconceptions and prejudices will colour our opinions because that’s the fun of it . Enjoyment, of success and other’s failure, is after all why we keep coming back to the game.
armchair hooligans 