Mio Blog - Mio Destino

March 29th, 2007

LISTEN! We need this set of football matches, the sooner the better if you ask me.

Ok, ok, we’ll get the usual experts giving us “There’s not enough time to fit these games in”… or, “The players play enough games as it is”…RUBBISH! Oh, almost forgot, “there’s too much crowd trouble at these games”. Oh yeh!, Republic of Ireland played host to Wales last Saturday and I never read of one instance of violence at the game. England met both Wales and Northern Ireland in their World Cup qualifying group prior to the Finals in Germany…can’t remember any major incidents there. Apart from David Healy’s winning goal!

I’m sure there are little bits of bother here and there but c’mon, the game has moved on from the madness of days gone by.

All I’ve heard on TV/Radio or read in the newspapers is how ‘boring’ the football is and how the players ’lack passion’. I’m willing to bet that these same players would be breathing fire if Scotland were to play England. At the very least, the fans would get that buzz of excitement back that is sorely lacking at the moment and surely they are the most important people.

It’s simple, play it every two years (in between World Cup and Euro Championship years) and rotate the fixtures ‘a la’ The Six Nations rugby.

The New Wembley, Millennium Stadium, Croke Park, Windsor Park and Hampden Park. The venues are crying out for these games, the supporters are crying out for these games and the players would love these games. I love listening to older Tartan Army supporters recounting the memories of trips to Wembley, most ending up so drunk that it would be three or four days later that they would actually realise what the result of the match was!

Football the old way……. we need that back.