I was flicking through the tv channels a couple of weeks ago and one of the sports channels was showing an old United Arsenal game from some time between 2000 and 2002. It wasn't one of the famous games but it was just so much more enjoyable than any game I've watched in recent years.
The quality on show from both sides was incredible, but more than that - the game was just a better watch - players dived a couple of times, but they weren't throwing themselves to the floor at the slightest touch, the referee let the game go and wasn't blowing his whistle every 10 seconds for the softest things. The commentators were into the game but they weren't sensationalising every tiny thing and most of all, when the officials made a questionable decision, they mentioned it but then let it go.
You didn't have a thousand replays of every borderline decision, with 400 camera angles and slo-mo dissecting every little thing and a questionable call didn't dictate the conversation for the rest of the game and beyond.
It's hard to get passionate about the game these days because largely, it's so shite to watch. It's so tactical and cynical and soft that I struggle to relate it to the game I fell in love with playing and watching growing up. The game rewards tacticians, cynical defenders and playacters more now than it does the technical magicians and individual brilliance of before.
When I mention playacting as well, I'm not talking about the attacker going down easily in the box. It's the centre back going up for a header against a midget in the midfield, mistiming it and throwing himself to the floor - and seeing the ref reward him every single time. Or the fullback obstructing an attacker from getting to the ball out wide, then diving at the slightest contact and winning the easy freekick. All the contact and physical contest has gone out of the game unless it's inside the penalty area and it is the attacker being physical.
Watching football now is 25% annoying adverts, analysts and commentators sensationalising shite, 25% referees blowing their whistle, 25% bitching and moaning about referees decisions, 20% negative, cynical and over tactical football and 5% quality.