A comparison of Rugby and Football players.;)

Craig Eudey Wrote:

---

> Devon Air, I was a far far better football player
> than I ever was at rugby. I used to go from
> Eston(my home village) to watch in Durban in the
> old days and watch Durban City, Addington, Durban
> United, Highlands Park etc with my late Dad.
> Hardly missed a game there. I am just so disgusted
> with the actions of many of the present players
> that I hardly watch now. It is a great game but
> spoilt by too many over paid prima donna's at the
> moment.


You not alone, speaking to Paddy Crerand ,when United toured in July, he said several of the old players,his era, were disappointed about todays game .The English game has been killed by foreigners who are only their for the money but it is a business so you can`t blame the players Their antics,however, are another matter and I firmly believe using the 10 minute yellow card would end several problems.

Devon Air, the yellow card is a must for soccer and they must bring the tmo as well.....technology is there. Use it. In Super 15 rugby they appointed officials sitting at home (Freek Burger, etc) watching every game in detail and their only job is to site players for dirty play etc.that the on duty officials could have missed. Unfortunately a large % of soccer players think they are greater than the game. Soccer officials are 'weak' in comparison with rugby ref's. A rugby ref takes no bull-shit of any player. As Craig mentioned, I use to go watch Cape Town City, Hellenic in the 70's.....I can barely watch more than 20 min of soccer on tv en my 'moer' strip vir all the acting.

Near the end of another football season of
spitting,punching,diving,cheating,roasting,
bragging,assaulting,effing and blinding and
various other sporting pastimes like financial
skulduggery and forgetting to pee in bottles,can I
make a suggestion?
Next season can we make it an offence punishable
by a long prison sentence to use the description
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME?

Michael Parkinson,Daily Telegraph 2004

Ou Ryperd Wrote:

---

> Devon Air, the yellow card is a must for soccer
> and they must bring the tmo as well.....technology
> is there. Use it. In Super 15 rugby they
> appointed officials sitting at home (Freek
> Burger, etc) watching every game in detail and
> their only job is to site players for dirty play
> etc.that the on duty officials could have missed.
> Unfortunately a large % of soccer players think
> they are greater than the game. Soccer officials
> are 'weak' in comparison with rugby ref's. A rugby
> ref takes no bull-shit of any player. As Craig
> mentioned, I use to go watch Cape Town City,
> Hellenic in the 70's.....I can barely watch more
> than 20 min of soccer on tv en my 'moer' strip vir
> all the acting.


Agree about technology and officiating but Fifa run soccer their way and despite most wanting changes, everything has to be referred to them which is a joke.

The best league to watch is the Bundesliga, young home grown talent, little diving and the quality is good. You may not know many players like me but is is good to watch.The Augsburg- NurNburg Match was a cracker even if it did cost me the Soccer 6.

The issue football is having can be viewed from a different perspective. Every four years one country will prostitute itself at the Fifa altar, this after beating off competition from other countries in the hope that one of them can benefit from this supposedly lucrative tournament called the World Cup. The pros and cons of hosting the tournament need not be debated here but what I am getting at is that Fifa sees whole nations rushing to it's front door ready to do anything to host the tournament. After the tournament Fifa invariably walks away with an obscene amount of money. So, if you were in their position ( Fifa's ) would you change any rules at all ? Would you bring in rules against players diving, abusing the ref, etc, etc ? No you wouldn't and that's what they do. Rugby and cricket have evolved. Maybe not always in the right direction but they have evolved. What has Fifa done for the game itself in the recent past ? Two things : you get a yellow card for taking your shirt off after scoring and you're not allowed to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper using your feet.
Fifa, who have sole power to change things, will not budge until the paying and viewing public have had enough and walk away but we're all suckers when it comes down to it and come the next World Cup we'll all be glued to the telly whilst they will be counting the dollars.
I used to watch all football and only the best rugby now I watch all rugby and only the best football.
The game has changed and it's only going to get worse...