Football's Changed Completely, but Beneath, It's Still the Beautiful Game

After a couple of glorious days reading David Peace’s fantastic novel, The Damned United, about Brian Clough’s early career and ill fated tenure as manager of Leeds United, it occurred to me that although time has moved on, an incredible 35 years since then, not everything about football has changed and it is still the beautiful game.

Things which will always be associated with football and have not changed in over 30 years

What struck me most about the book and about those days was that everything, like today, was about ‘money’.

Whether it was wanting more of it, or trying to get away with spending as little of it as possible, it was all about the money.

So much for the ‘great old days’ then, where players played because they wanted to play and not for what you would get out of it. I don’t think since the professional era began that has ever been the case.

However, it is worth noting players had very little power compared to modern day players where clubs and their managers reigned supreme.

It has often been said that poor players make great managers, or in the case of Clough, players who didn’t achieve as much as they felt they should have. Clough was a terrific striker, banging in 251 goals in 274 games but his career was ended through injury at 29 and he always felt he was overlooked for England.

He vowed to be so great a manager he would one day manage England and do things his way. Although he never achieved this goal, Clough is widely regarded as the best English manager never to have had the honour.

Despite the controversies which constantly followed him, Clough won the European Cup twice (with Nottingham Forest) and the English top flight with two separate teams (Derby County and Forest), one of only three men in history to do so.

Such themes remain today with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger probably the complete opposite of world class footballers but men who have been hungry to gain successes they never had as players.

It is not always the case though and one could probably take this opinion or leave it as men like Fabio Capello, a hero for Juventus and Italy but a man who has had a very successful managerial career on top of it.

Speaking of the ‘Old Lady’, Juventus aren’t exactly the flavour of the month in Peace’s novel with accusations of what is best called cheating. Funny then how Juve have just recovered from a punishment they received of being relegated to Serie B for what I’m sure was not nothing.

Therefore corruption has always been part and parcel of the beautiful game and although it is probably cleaner now than ever, allegations are never far away.

But when a team is playing well, their support will always swell and just like 30 odd years ago, attendances go up, attendances come down.

Every club has its base of loyal followers but they also have a base of just as many people who will jump on the bandwagon of success.

Forest’s record attendance is nearly 50,000 thousand, yet a little over two years ago, they played in front of a crowd, barely over 2,000. The fans have disappeared along with the success.

Manchester United once played in front of just under 12,000 at Old Trafford, these days there is a waiting list. However, I guarantee there will be no waiting list if they ever fall from grace.

Speaking of powerful successful clubs, it is evident in the history of football that no side shall reign forever and no club is too big to go down.

Manchester United are currently England’s greatest club and indeed are one of the greatest in the history of the English game but they have not always challenged for honours and they will not carry on doing so forever.

Every club has its day, a look at the table in '73/'74 throws up names like Burnley (to appear in England’s top flight next season after a long, long absence), Luton Town (who have just been relegated from the football league and Carlisle United who in '73/'74 were top of the Division One table with three wins out of three (a side I would bet, many of the avid football fans reading this, have never heard of).

All three of the clubs above have failed to make any impact on modern football in England (Burnley will have their chance next season).

And Burnley will also be favourites to go down next season but not Manchester United, maybe in six years though.

The Red Devils were once relegated six seasons after winning the European Cup (with George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton), Leeds United were relegated even quicker after reaching the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League not so long ago.

And who can ignore Newcastle United showing again this season, you are never too big to go down and that is why it is still the beautiful game.