The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

Hello, and good morning football fans. I pray you’re well, looking after yourselves and you’re in good health. Fans of the beautiful game let’s talk football, obviously.

Once upon a time, football used to be for the masses and there would be a concept of football being loved as it’s football, but the emergence of big TV deals, has changed the landscape, I think.

Although slightly before my time, as I am a 90’s kid, the Old First Division used to be evenly contested football where the team who worked the hardest together, would usually come out on top.

Post 1990, it’s slowly seen a change in landscape. To a point, a team that works as a team, can be successful, it’s usually the football teams with the most money that are successful, Manchester United/Manchester City and Chelsea in the modern era.

The fact I mention these teams, goes hand in hand with my point and the very context of this article. The three aforementioned giants, are the richest clubs in England, where even the two North London sides Tottenham and Arsenal can be dragged into the topic of conversation too.

With these five sides, arguably (I will get slated for this, but hold on a second I a Manchester United fan), it’s the sixth side of the top six Liverpool, who have a very pure intense atmosphere.

The 19-time Premier League champions Liverpool are arguably the ones who spend the least in the market and are very frugal on their dealings.

On that point alone, I question the narrative that the Premier League is watched more by football fans. I want to hold myself to this challenge too, but I want to watch a local team, my local team.

Growing up Manchester United was my local team as I lived some two miles away from their ground, but these days Altrincham FC is my local team and I very much intend to watch them.

My brother in-law who supports the mighty Stockport County, was the one who inadvertently got me thinking of this. The Hatters who are in League Two after winning the Conference Premier (I think it’s called these days), have had some backing from a wealthy local business man.

This is the same that could be said of Salford, who are backed by the class of 92 group and also Crawley Town, in years gone by. I hope this isn’t the start of a worrying new trend in the lower football pyramid. With the lower league football, naturally they have a small infrastructure and the fan bases are smaller.

I sincerely mean this with the greatest respect, in a smaller ground you can almost touch the pitch (metaphorically) . The atmosphere is more authentic too.

Manchester United’s Old Trafford football ground despite it’s size, isn’t a particularly intimidating stadium, especially now. In years gone by, yes of course it was, but that was due to the success of The Red Devils.

Now at the so called Theatre Of Dreams you can hear a pin drop almost. Cross-City rivals Manchester City, who played in the iconic Maine Road ground, arguably lost prestige when they moved to The Etihad.

Non-League and lower league fan bases has an undoubted charm about them, but it’s very sad to see (in one sense) that the lower league clubs are getting taken over by wealthy owners.

Being a Manchester United fan , naturally it won’t sound authentic me saying money being ploughed into a football club, is bad for the football club. I am ungrateful maybe, I have experienced the world class players, play for my team.

But what I will say is, The Glazers. Need I need to say anymore?

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