[quasimodo]

The facts: People (the fans) want to watch football.
They want to see their teams do well.
They want to see local and world progression for their team.
Why? - Is it a national thing? Is it a local thing?
The borders are becoming not only national but religious.
In the old days teams were not only locally supported but based on the understanding that the teams were comprised of local boys.
My question is...what is today's reason for watching football?
Is it that we are still under some strange compulsion to support our local team? If so, for what reason? What does the team have in common with you, the supporter?
What does the supporter have in common with the club (the business).
Sorry to be a downer, but isn't it true that we are no longer supporting a club but a business? Therefore the "mugs" that appear every week on the terraces (sorry - no standing allowed nowadays under penalty of death), have to support the shareholders?

Think about it folks.....it's no longer worth supporting football, unfortunately, and I never thought I'd say that!

[Jedi Knight]

some vailid points there my friend. check the thread 'is football souless?' for some interesting reading. Personally, my fear is ,as you mentioned, we are now supporting a business rather than a team that's there for the community etc...

[sdrawrof]

well, I don't know what its like for your club, or lack there of, but mine is pretty much local guys. and we are still in the top flight in the country...there is hope yet.

[squid]

the biggest fear is that the suits take over the game and make as much of a business as american football where teams are a franchise that be ,oved out of thier home town in order to look for a better demografic. However I support my team because it was something that my family did. And my clubs status is important. It also gives everybody some middle ground where everyone can be an expert on the subject and voice there opinions. The running of the game might end up as big business but it will always be a working class sport.

[Matt the Thrasher]

I think the days when most people supported their local team are long gone for as long as I can remember kids have supported the Liverpools, Man Utds, Arsenals etc because these are the teams they see on the telly now kids in Brittain are starting to support the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Milan for the same reason ,football today is run for the armchair fan and those that go down to the ground of a saturday (or sunday or monday night ) no longer count.