A Selection of Football Article’s and Reports -GWS

Football vs Sanity. 

My names Kevin and I’m an addict. 

Millions of footy fans every week put themselves through an emotional rollercoaster. 

Do we let football affect our lives and emotions too much? 

You support a football team longer than a marriage. Some clubs are like a soap opera, especially when the owners are trigger happy with hiring and firing. 

First of all, I’ve never been a season ticket holder. There are several reasons for this, the expense, shift work, family commitments, gamophobia (look it up!), etc. 

Plus, my relationship with football teams is what you could call in marriage terms, “an open relationship”. I cheat on different clubs at the drop of a hat, I’m a football slut. 

That doesn’t mean I change my team like a glory hunter and pick whoever is on top of the Premier League. 

I grew up in the midlands and my first (and true) love is Villa, I moved near Crawley and attended home and away games, I then got into non league and watched various teams in the Horsham area for which I also write for. 

Why do we do it?

The absolute euphoria of winning and celebrating with friends and strangers is out of this world, it’s like a drug. It changes everything, the rest of your week, your attitude and all round mental wellbeing. You walk taller, your confidence is sky high. 

A loss is the total opposite. Completely ruins your week, everything is rubbish. I’m a sulker. Nothing can pick you up. It’s terrible. That is until the next game is around the corner. 

Hope, anticipation, the positivity that this coming weekend will be different. The confidence that the winger will be back from injury and he’s going to be on fire. It’s amazing, but it’s not just the match, it’s the build up. The gossip, talk radio, TV, rumours, the pub before kickoff, the walk to the turnstile, the smell of the burgers and the buzz around the stadium. 

Just writing this makes me excited, but, I’m an adult with adult children. This is stupid, why haven’t I matured? 

But it doesn’t end there. Every summer England (usually) make it to the Euros or World Cup. The build up in the media is incredible, it’s made out that we have the best players in the world. So, we’re going to win, right? 

Like many of you, it’s the England National team that has broken my heart more than anything else. 

1990, penalties to West Germany, 1998, penalties to Argentina, 2002, Brazil with that Ronaldinho goal, 2006, penalties to Portugal, then the pain stopped, I ended it. I lost my love. Empty shell. 

I gave up, I was beaten and couldn’t keep doing it. The lows were bloody horrendous. The constant talk of 1966, the Three Lions song, Oasis singing, Stop Crying Your Heart Out (Japanese WC), and then the Rooney stamp. 

I handed in my England dreams at that point and a part of me died. The Euro semifinal and final were nice but I had prepared myself for the loss, even before a ball was kicked. 

How depressing is that? 

No excitement, no plans for celebration, so sad.

Passionless and pointless. 

The pain is real and repetitive, because it’s the same circle of misery and hope for the rest of your life. Even the so called big clubs suffer. Liverpool went for years without winning the league, Man United are mid table mediocrity and Arsenal’s last Premier League title was twenty years ago. 

I guess you could call it managing expectations, which is the opposite to what being a footy fan is. You expect to win, your team is the best in the world, “on our day, we could beat anyone!” 

This isn’t a cry for help. This is MY therapy, writing and trying to understand my playground mentality. 

Is the pain worth it, are the arguments and the sulking going to help? No of course not. 

Are we letting football affect our lives? Yes, we are, it’s ridiculous. 

Will I change? Nope. I will never stop being a football fan, the hits are bad but those highs are hard to beat. 

The people that get it “get it” and those that don’t, won’t!