#### i love football!

[Jaggy]

I been watching football for as long as I can remember but lost interest when players like Danny Mills earned an England cap.

That guy could trap a ball further than most players could kick it. I can't recall who the England manager was at the time but I thought you have picked Danny Mills at full back?

Now I was no great player and when I retired I hung up my shin pads instead of my boots as that's what I kicked the ball with most of the time, but some of the players that have played in the EPL I thought "maybe my ambition didn't outweigh my ability"

The Wanderers have reinvigorated my passion for the game and on game day I'm pacing the house watching the clock tick down till it's off to the Woolpack, not sure how I'm going to cope in the off season?

Also great to read some of the great players and teams of days of yore.

[chenko]

[blurbel]

Grew up in Singapore, didn't have a chance of not loving football, it's the most popular sport (TV & participation) there.

 

My mum got me hooked onto it from a young age, all those names that people were mentioning earlier, I feel old now cos I remember watching them all on TV! Football passion escalated after EPL launched back in early 90s. Lotsa mad-cap moments, including staying up way past bed-time to watch on TV.

 

My fave international match memory would be the 98 world cup final. I'd woken up early to watch it, but it hadn't ended by the time I had to leave for school. My mum said to me "it's ok, stay & watch you can take a cab to school later". As it turns out, it felt like 1million other people had the same idea as us. Needless to say, I showed up to school a few hours late because there were just no cabs available. Mum called in "sick" to work.

 

These days, now that my "football education" has expanded, I have become more of a fan of the Bundesliga. Enjoying the quality of play alot more than the EPL's general style.

[marron]

dad's dutch... i didn't have a huge football education - i wasn't that interested - but what i did know was gleaned from dad, who'd tell me about cruyff and total football... distinctly remember watching the 88 euro final too. And years later, buying football boots, him making me buy a pair of lotto gullit boots having grown up himself out here the football he got apart from world cups though was the epl largely and his team of choice was west ham because they were the most european in outlook back then. we lived overseas for a bit and i had a mate who was from the non-footballing side of a famous west ham family.... that was enough to seal it for me there i think especially as he bore a striking resemblance where we lived used to have a kick around every day.... when we moved back here I used to play but was a hack of a left back although i did used to like getting forward down the wing... watched the epl highlights and the world game and its precursors back when it took all day out of the sbs schedule. In the meantime found I was a much better aussie rules footballer, or at least my Julian dicks impersonation went down better, but still watched a lot of football. My playing days are now restricted to an annual turnout for the staff/students match I’ve coached a school team to winning the league too but I can’t say that was much to do with me, they mostly rolled their eyes at me (stfu up sir, we don’t care about making it look pretty).

I remember buying into the anti-nsl propaganda a bit but I couldn’t stomach the sanitised northern spirit, still stunk and several years later there was a smell of them about Sydney fc I found, but I digress.. although only slightly. Always got wrapped up in world cups following the dutch (98… that bergkamp goal….) and also with the qualification campaigns and went to matches where I could, was there at the new dawn in 2005… the a-league gave us Sydney fc and there was no chance there I was going to get on board, the whole bling thing turned me right off. Followed newcastle’s results mainly because I liked the style early on – went to their grandfinal. Occasionally when dad was in town we’d go.

Till now!

There’s something about the game that is pleasing and perfect I find. It relaxes me to watch football generally (unless I’ve invested in the result), especially if it’s a good passing side. I love a team goal more than anything. I love that it isn’t fair and that it is therefore a reflection of life… and I love that this means any team has a chance…. Look at last night, all fans hoping, hoping, for that opportunity to snatch it…

[Tilton]

I was a Birmingham City season ticket holder for 20 years till I emigrated. Went to my first game in 1989 with a bunch of schoolmates Sunderland at home 3-2 win. K.R.O.

[marron]

ooh whoops i forgot the bit where i travelled and took in a few football matches