I've been watching football for more years than I care to remember,
and while I'm sure anyone reading this will probably agree that
it is the Greatest Game on Earth, there is always room for improvement.
There are many things that annoy us about how the game is organised
both in this country and worldwide, there are rules that are either
clearly wrong or in need of minor amendments, there have been a
seemingly unending stream of scandals in and around the game, and
we've all seen games, either live or on television, that have bored
the pants off us because of the tactics employed.
A clear example of football's decline as an entertaining spectacle
was last year's Euro 2004 championships. They were a great disappointment
to me, not just because England failed once again, but also because
the quality of football was poor. Given that this was one of the
game's showcase events, it will have done nothing to encourage the
occasional spectator to watch more football, and that is a great
shame.
Over the next few weeks, I would like to present my views on how
football should be changed in order to improve its stature in the
world of sport and ensure that it remains the Greatest Game on Earth
for another century and a half and longer. Most of them are not
new ideas and have been suggested by people with a much greater
knowledge of the game than myself, but there are a few more radical
ideas that I believe would change the face of football for the better.
This is my Blueprint For Football. You may not agree with everything
I say, you may not agree with any of it in fact, but I hope it will
at least make you think about how this great game of ours can be
improved. If you do have any comments, please do not hesitate to
get in touch by clicking on the Webmaster link above.
Part
One - Time Keeping
In Part One, I looked at the issue of time-keeping presenting
a simple if radical solution to the problem of time wasting.
Part
Two - Technology
In Part Two, I gave my views on an extremely topical area
when I look at how technology could improve the game of football.
Part
Three - Discipline
Part Three discussed what can be done to combat the cheating
that is becoming ever more prevalent in the modern game.
Part
Four - Entertainment Comes First
Part Four suggests a couple of rule changes that should
help to make the game more entertaining.
Part
Five - Money Money Money
In Part Five, I look at how the financial side of football
is changing the game, and suggest ways in which a potential
meltdown could be avoided.
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