Game gone soft?

[Ashingtonclaret46]

I have been having a big clear out at home today and came across the last edition of The Pink which as the sport edition of the Evening Chronicle which was published every Saturday night until 17 December 2005.

Bob Moncur writes a small article, as copied below, and I would dearly love to discuss just how much further down the pan he thinks the game has gone in the 14+ years since he wrote the article.

The previous week, Newcastle had beaten Arsenal 1-0 at St James Park and Arsene Wenger had been having a moan which prompted Bob Moncur to write the following under the heading "It's not a crime to get stuck in"

"A few people have asked me in the aftermath of the Arsenal match whether the game of football is going soft.
Maybe to say it is going soft is a bit far-fetched --but I have to say it is not as hard as it used to be.
One of the talking points after the brilliant 1-0 win over the Gunners was Alan Shearer's approach throughout what I thought was an excellent
old-fashioned contest.

There were a lot of southerners whining and crying afterwards about Shearer's commitment to the cause but for me it is a man's game. We know Alan is no angel ---but then again who is? Nobody is perfect but it seems that these days you cannot go into a hard but fair challenge. You just aren't allowed, if that was the way in the George Best era then we simply wouldn't have been able to stop him because that was the only way, and I am sure that George would have agreed with that.

These days you get people crying about tackles from behind even if they are made fairly. Unless the rules have been changed I think that it is perfectly OK to win the ball from behind even if the opponent had to face the brunt of what follows after it, for example if the defender follows through. If they are hurt after the ball has been won, so what? That's football and it is a contact sport.

If you step on to the fieldor participate in any contact sport whether it be football, rugby or even motor racing, you run the risk of getting hurt. It is easy to blame referees for being too soft, but at the end of the day they are only applying the rules of the powers that be in football and will face scrutiny from aboveif they don't.

I don't want to sound like the old pro going on and on about the past, but when I played the crowd used to love to see a crunching tackle and it would raise almost as big a cheer as a goal. That clearly isn't the case nowadays. It certainly helped United against Arsenal but Gilberto was sent off for two things that might have gone unnoticed in my time, while Amady Faye was booked for what I thought was a decent challenge on Philippe Senderos.

I was never sent off in my career, and anybody who watched me play will tell you how much I got stuck in, but I doubt I'd get down the tunnel today!"

[ClaretTony]

I partly agree with him while also disagreeing. What we don’t want to do is go back to how it was when Moncur played. Some of what he might have described as tackling was career ending stuff.

On another not, Moncur scored the only goal on my first visit to Newcastle. We won 1-0 and his own goal at the Gallowgate end went in after bouncing off his arse.

[Chester Perry]

I think the issue here is the sheer amount of money invested in the playing assets, both directly (by clubs in terms of Transfer Fees, wages and support staff) and indirectly by broadcasters (in media rights fees) - there is just so much money committed in having these players on the field performing at their best it is in neither's interest to see them out injured.

[Zom Zom]

I have been having a big clear out at home today and came across the last edition of The Pink which as the sport edition of the Evening Chronicle which was published every Saturday night until 17 December 2005..."

I really enjoyed reading that. Thanks Ashington.

[Ashingtonclaret46]

Interestingly, in spite of Wenger's comments about Shearer and co, the Gunners made just one change the following week when Chelsea visited them and that was Silva coming back into the team for Flamini, therefore no real injuries.

Chester ---so what you are confirming is that, because of the money in the game, the game is indeed going soft and is being aided and abetted by all the changes to the Laws of the Game which are being made in order to take out all physical contact.
The natural progress is that Academies will be getting instructions to stop players from tackling and new referees will be instructed that all physical contact will be a foul one way or another and this will be pursued until we have a non-contact sport.

[ClaretTony]

I’m not sure it’s gone soft but you only need to look at old footage to know we don’t want to go back to the days of teams like Leeds & Chelsea in what was the Moncur era.

I don’t think the game will ever be a non contact sport.

[Chester Perry]

Interestingly, in spite of Wenger's comments about Shearer and co, the Gunners made just one change the following week when Chelsea visited them and that was Silva coming back into the team for Flamini, therefore no real injuries.

Chester ---so what you are confirming is that, because of the money in the game, the game is indeed going soft and is being aided and abetted by all the changes to the Laws of the Game which are being made in order to take out all physical contact.
The natural progress is that Academies will be getting instructions to stop players from tackling and new referees will be instructed that all physical contact will be a foul one way or another and this will be pursued until we have a non-contact sport.

not confirming - just airing a suspicion - and if you look at what comes out of some Academies (particularly Arsenal) that is what we have been getting, their reactions to physical challenges is one of shock and outrage more than anything. I would also say that tactically this is the way the game has been evolving particularly from the likes of Pep, though his teams are the kings of the tactical foul to keep teams in their own half.

[Dyched]

It’s not “gone soft”. Players just can’t getaway with trying to stop a fellow pro by trying to hurt them. How sad is that? Actually trying to hurt a fellow pro because you’re a bit shitter.

There’s also the cross over between that and diving. At some point in the past it would have been trained into the players to dive to avoid it. This then evolves with each generation until we have what we have today.

But tbh, it gets boring listening to older fans who think like they’ve got some kind of ownership of football.

[Chester Perry]

It’s not “gone soft”. Players just can’t getaway with trying to stop a fellow pro by trying to hurt them. How sad is that? Actually trying to hurt a fellow pro because you’re a bit shitter.

There’s also the cross over between that and diving. At some point in the past it would have been trained into the players to dive to avoid it. This then evolves with each generation until we have what we have today.

But tbh, it gets boring listening to older fans who think like they’ve got some kind of ownership of football.

realised the game had changed about 15 years ago when I played with a group of Lads from work - all at least a generation younger - tackled a player from behind, came away with the ball, he landed on the ground and every single one went nuts at me for being reckless - it was how I was taught, they thought I was a neanderthal

[Burnley1989]

In amateur football once you start trying to kick the opposition to win you’ve lost, used to love playing sides that were trying to kick lumps out of us because we were better.

The next phase is arguing with the ref on every decision, then 1-2 get sent off and losing by half time

[Rileybobs]

The game is far quicker and more skilful than its ever been, so there’s a good case to make that even if the game has gone soft it has improved it.

[Vegas Claret]

I can understand that tackles aren't as aggressive as they were, i just wish the authorities would do something about the divers like Grealish who fall over with minimal to no contact

[Devils_Advocate]

Anyone who would rather have opposition full backs being able to kick players like McNeil and JBG off the park like the good old days must be mental.

A game that allows the most skillful and talented players to flourish whist rewarding defenders who can actually tackle and defend without needing to foul and kick people sounds alright to me

[TVC15]

I can’t remember who Bardsley wiped out a couple of weeks ago but I really enjoyed it.
I played for 45 years (and still do) and for many years as a right winger so used to get kicked by full backs all the time. It was part of the game and I was happy to give it back too.

Of course a horrible challenge can end someone’s career but so can an innocuous one. I’ve seen some really crunching down right violence on football pitches but all the 3 broken legs I saw whilst playing were not bad tackles at all.

Not being able to tackle from behind even when you get the ball first I don’t understand - how many serious injuries have we seen from tackles from behind ?

I don’t think we should go back to the football of the dirty Leeds team of the 70s etc but I agree it’s gone too far the other way and the “softness” of the game has contributed to the play acting and exaggeration you see that spoils matches. The slightest of touches and so many players go down - it’s dreadful to watch.

[Chester Perry]

Ollie Norwood has just been told he has fouled Richarlison for a challenge he won cleanly but Richarlison hurt himself by catching Norwood - Norwood is not happy and like myself somewhat surprised - Norwood and I were schooled in the same place

[Ashingtonclaret46]

You have to remember that the ball is no longer relevant at the top level.

[mdd2]

The game is certainly softer than the late 60's early 70's when IMO it became far rougher than the late 50's early 60's and from the state of play in those days, it needed to be toned down. I think the speed of the game also demands some softening as injuries could be far worse now than when it was much slower.
The games when Gordon Harris made the headlines showing his bruised body after the match in the Sunday or Monday newspapers have gone forever for those who enjoyed the Gladiator times

[box_of_frogs]

The game went soft 15 years ago...

[IanMcL]

Beyond soft.

[boatshed bill]

It used to be like war in the 70s, on the pitch and on the terraces. It had to change, though I enjoyed it all at the time. Then i grew up (a bit)

[jurek]

I think the game may have gone a touch softer than it was
15-20 years ago but there may be a whole set of reasons for that.

The game is so much faster and there's more technique on view nowadays.
The balls are lighter nowadays.
The pitches are totally different to the bad old muddy pitches days.
You don't see that many sliding tackles nowadays.
The rules on tackling from behind and raising your legs have been tightened.
With all the camera angles available now it's much easier to see
fouls and slow motion footage shows what live footage can't sometimes.
Not to mention VAR.

Having said that (from the 5 or 6 games I've seen)
there doesn't seem to be as much diving since we resumed post lockdown?

[timshorts]

not confirming - just airing a suspicion - and if you look at what comes out of some Academies (particularly Arsenal) that is what we have been getting, their reactions to physical challenges is one of shock and outrage more than anything. I would also say that tactically this is the way the game has been evolving particularly from the likes of Pep, though his teams are the kings of the tactical foul to keep teams in their own half.

Yet it is arsenal that are rock bottom of the fair play league.