Is it just me or has soccer become almost unwatchable

[Redhand Santa]

Not sure its fair to compare gaelic football to a 2 hour soccer game with hardly any chances or tackles. There is still plenty of decent matches in gaelic football but its a mixed bag. There was a lot of cracking games in last years club championships and this years u21 championship was excellent as well. There was plenty of decent games in the national leagues between evenly matched teams. The start of the championship though was very poor this year with too many one sided games and some teams trying a damage limitation exercise. It has started to improve in recent weeks though with decent ulster semis and the Galway/Tipp shocks. As the year goes on and the top 5 or 6 sides meet each should be some good games ahead.

[johnneycool]

Soccor needs to learn from GAA.  A square ball instead of offside would improve this monstrous muck of a sport.  Also the big problem is that in 12 years time the top players won't play at national level.

GAA is just as unwatchable in its present form!!

+1
I've lost a lot of interest in Gaelic Football in particular. Would very rarely watch a full game anymore and have only been to a handful of games in the last few years and find myself caring less and less who wins. If Laois win great, if they don't then I don't really get bothered like I did before.
Hard to bate a good hurling match and it tops any sport imo but even that hasn't had the same top quality games lately, though it's still streets ahead of Gaelic Football IMO
There are soccer games that can be boring as hell alright,but there can still be some fantastic games.
I think some maybe posting here only watch the bigger games expecting every game to be exciting because there are bigger names playing.
I've watched some fantastic games last season involving less fashionable teams from la liga and the championship and the other European leagues.
I wouldn't watch a Rugby game to save my life. Now that's a boring game to watch.

Hurling is going the same way I'm afraid to say, packed defences, one or two left up front and keep er tight.

When Ken McGrath says he'd hate to have to hurl in this era that tells you all you need to know. There was an unpredictable brilliance about Waterford hurling in their pomp, they didn't win an AI, but were by and far one of the best teams to watch, just like Brazil in the 1982 World cup.

[Canalman]

Big problem in all field sports imo is the fact that pitch sizes remain the same while the fitness and speed of the players has increased.

Way less of the one on one battles now with the lack of space and time. Spectacle much poorer as a result.

[Esmarelda]

I agree that it's harder to watch due to the diving and all that but I don't subscribe to it being boring due to the lack of goals and chances.

I find plenty to admire in the defensive and tactical side of the game. If you don't then I guess you only want to see the goals and don't really have any interest in the game itself. If so, highlights is the way to go.

[ONeill]

Emerdale has been shite recently too. And young'uns talk too loudly. Mobile phones are taking over the world. Hardly any crisps in the packets as well. Manners.

[imtommygunn]

JC still a lot of good hurling about though defenses are getting a bit packed.

Gaelic football at county level is becoming more and more unwatchable. I love football but the game now is so different from how it was even 10 years ago and not in a good way. It can't continue in that way. those 2 games on live last sunday were horrendous. I had to turn them off I got that bored watching them.

I like soccer but always found it that bit slower and harder to watch being from a gaelic football / hurling background. The way that football has become these days the soccer almost seems more watchable. Still hard to beat a munster championship hurling match (though limerick tip was garbage).

[JoG2]

if they'd stop handing out yellow cards like confetti (the game has practically gone non contact) and started handing out retrospective bans for diving / cheating like confetti, it would go along way to making the game a bit more watchable. I've only watched the Ireland matches in their entirety and bits 'n bobs of other matches.

It's absolutely imperative that the GAA stamp down on any and all examples of diving and feigning injury, of which there's been a few notable examples of late. There's a sense of pride being involved in a manly / physical game. Change the rules and handing the offending hooers a lengthy ban will erode this nonsense. In the world of soccer,  this is something the authorities don't seem interested in doing, even though it is turning many many people off the sport

[seafoid]

Intensively tactical sports such as rugby and increasingly soccer are harder for casual fans to follow. You shouldn't need a PhD to watch a bit of telly. I have no idea what is going on during at least 80% of rugby matches.

[thebigfella]

GAA Football is sh1te outside the few dominant teams. It always has been the case but people are blinded by their insecurities about the popularity of other teams games.

International football and has always been more ponderous and cagey; especially at tournament finals. I think people reminisce about past tournaments being better a bit like brexit leave voters thinking Britain was better in the past  

[Esmarelda]

Intensively tactical sports such as rugby and increasingly soccer are harder for casual fans to follow. You shouldn't need a PhD to watch a bit of telly. I have no idea what is going on during at least 80% of rugby matches.

There's loads on telly that you don't need close to a PhD to understand. Surely there's space for something from the other end of the spectrum?

[BennyCake]

Increase in the amount of live matches in recent years taints your perspective. Gaelic matches are hard to watch these days. I think it's because there's too many games and we see everything, warts and all. Highlights packages hide so much shite.

Soccer hasn't changed much. Gaelic has to an extent but we also see too much of it.

[seafoid]

Big problem in all field sports imo is the fact that pitch sizes remain the same while the fitness and speed of the players has increased.

Way less of the one on one battles now with the lack of space and time. Spectacle much poorer as a result.

Also power of the players.Compare the conditioning of the Ireland players this year to that of Platini's France in 82.
The ould lad told me a while ago that BOD was something like 5 stone heavier than Mike Gibson was playing in the same role in the 70s

[Walter Cronc]

Big problem in all field sports imo is the fact that pitch sizes remain the same while the fitness and speed of the players has increased.

Way less of the one on one battles now with the lack of space and time. Spectacle much poorer as a result.

Also power of the players.Compare the conditioning of the Ireland players this year to that of Platini's France in 82.
The ould lad told me a while ago that BOD was something like 5 stone heavier than Mike Gibson was playing in the same role in the 70s

I don't think Mike Gibson was 9 stone now Seafoid!

[seafoid]

Big problem in all field sports imo is the fact that pitch sizes remain the same while the fitness and speed of the players has increased.

Way less of the one on one battles now with the lack of space and time. Spectacle much poorer as a result.

Also power of the players.Compare the conditioning of the Ireland players this year to that of Platini's France in 82.
The ould lad told me a while ago that BOD was something like 5 stone heavier than Mike Gibson was playing in the same role in the 70s

I don't think Mike Gibson was 9 stone now Seafoid!

Fair enough walter. Maybe it was 3 stone. But it's a huge difference

I saw a picture of one of the scrum wallas and his size 8 girlfriend and felt sorry for her

[sligoman2]

I didn't intend this to be a gaa v soccer thread.  I have played both games and enjoyed playing both codes.  I agree that gaa has become less enjoyable also.  I'm sure crochet is technical and so is polo but that doesn't make them enjoyable to the casual audience.

I got so f....n bored watching the last few games I wanted to see if others felt the same or am I getting crankier as I age.

I would suggest the following changes which the purists will rubbish

1) Change the offside rule, either abolish it or make it either the penalty box, or a line across the field equal to the penalty box
2) when the ball is one half of the field, both teams must keep at least 3 players in the other half so that it becomes a 7 a side.  I would give teams 5 seconds after the ball crosses the midway line to get players back.
3) bring in a tv official and review all dodgy penalties and free kicks, this could be done very quickly.  Anyone found diving gets a red card and misses one or two games.
4) make the goals a foot wider and six inches higher so more shots are encouraged.

As I said before, most of the fun is generated by the fans not the players.

I also feel that gaa should change the following
1). Similar to above have 3 or 4 from each team in the other half of the pitch
2). Introduce a clock that stops for injuries and stops in the last 3 minutes of both halves for all stoppages, frees, kick outs, injuries, line balls Etc
3). Introduce a mark only for kickouts and require kickouts to go bast the 50 yard line - this is coming in next year I believe
4) have 2 refs, one man can't possibly so this and linesmen and umpires are not the answer.  Game is too fast and physical foe one man to ref.