| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of 07:34 - Jul 12 with 1516 views | Keno |
1, As town fans we are so lucky to have Brenner & Glen as commentators, with Westie as a summariser
2, FIFA are as corrupt as feck
3, VAR is just pants really
what else you got then ... [Post edited 12 Jul 7:34]
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 07:41 - Jul 12 with 1462 views | Blue_Uprising |
It really does not add to the enjoyment of the game seeing celebrities in the stands on the big screen every 10 mins! |  | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 07:58 - Jul 12 with 1394 views | bsw72 |
Listening to people who watch football every 2-4 years spouting on like experts, and this has been even worse as I work for a US company so a lot of my colleagues have become said experts.
Just feck off and don’t try and engage me in a football conversation you clueless halfwits. |  | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:00 - Jul 12 with 1375 views | bluelagos |
Watching football on a telly isn't a patch on being there. |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:10 - Jul 12 with 1350 views | homer_123 |
As a fan who just wants to go and watch their team play - I'm no longer the fan Clubs (of FIFA) want at their ground. It's no longer a match but an event. I'm to watch pre-during-post entertainment, I'm to spend huge sums of money of food, beer and merch.
I love football and I hate what football has become. |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:13 - Jul 12 with 1333 views | Churchman |
Watching tv pundits before, half time and after is a waste of life.
Lee Dixon: Why?
Diving and cheating is rife, but nobody dare say so, covering it with terms like ‘simulation’
Advert breaks in the middle of each half don’t work. The snorefest commentators are even trying to justify them on the basis of conditions. A nonsense.
Rooney: seems a nice bloke but is dull and as thick as mince |  | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:41 - Jul 12 with 1259 views | BlueBadger |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:13 - Jul 12 by Churchman |
Watching tv pundits before, half time and after is a waste of life.
Lee Dixon: Why?
Diving and cheating is rife, but nobody dare say so, covering it with terms like ‘simulation’
Advert breaks in the middle of each half don’t work. The snorefest commentators are even trying to justify them on the basis of conditions. A nonsense.
Rooney: seems a nice bloke but is dull and as thick as mince |
Rooney is the non-thinking man's Roy Keane. A failed manage who got jobs on the basis of being a very good player who is really famous but, unlike Well Said is also terrible in front of the camera. |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:45 - Jul 12 with 1249 views | Churchman |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:41 - Jul 12 by BlueBadger |
Rooney is the non-thinking man's Roy Keane. A failed manage who got jobs on the basis of being a very good player who is really famous but, unlike Well Said is also terrible in front of the camera. |
I don’t mind Wright and Richards too much but the rest, oh dear. Keane? He’s only on in the hope he blows up. | | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:57 - Jul 12 with 1219 views | BlueBadger |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:45 - Jul 12 by Churchman |
I don’t mind Wright and Richards too much but the rest, oh dear. Keane? He’s only on in the hope he blows up. |
Yeah you deifinitely get the vibe that ITV have hired the King of the Pressers for that reason rather than any expert insight he might have. [Post edited 12 Jul 10:00]
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:11 - Jul 12 with 1128 views | Plums |
ITV coverage of football is terrible - and always has been.
Kick off countdowns can do one and the rest of us can thank everyone in the stadiums who has thoughtlessly joined in with them for their inevitable future proliferation.
See above also for those singing along to Brightside or Livin' on a Prayer in the Powerade break. Thanks for showing the marketeers how enjoyable it can be. It won't be the same at the Vitality. |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:20 - Jul 12 with 1100 views | BloomBlue |
Still too much americanism in football, ignoring the incorrect usage of soccer, what's worse is too many are now saying offense during games. Its not f&&king offense, its attack.
Most fans don't understand tournament football.
Bellingham is arrogant, but its that arrogance that makes him a world class footballer |  | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:36 - Jul 12 with 1045 views | WeWereZombies |
If your ITV coverage breaks up and you switch to Bein you find that the French do adverts during the hydration breaks and that the French for 'wow' is 'waouh', only the French could take an expression that is already annoying to the Nth and make it more annoying. Still want them to beat Spain though... |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:43 - Jul 12 with 1012 views | gainsboroughblue |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:11 - Jul 12 by Plums |
ITV coverage of football is terrible - and always has been.
Kick off countdowns can do one and the rest of us can thank everyone in the stadiums who has thoughtlessly joined in with them for their inevitable future proliferation.
See above also for those singing along to Brightside or Livin' on a Prayer in the Powerade break. Thanks for showing the marketeers how enjoyable it can be. It won't be the same at the Vitality. |
Plus 100 to your last point. Booing the 'hydration' breaks and then doing air guitairs and belting out living on a prayer somewhat undermines your stance on it. |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:47 - Jul 12 with 1003 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Brenner yes.
Glen and Westlake, not for me. |  |
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:48 - Jul 12 with 999 views | portmanking |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 09:47 - Jul 12 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Brenner yes.
Glen and Westlake, not for me. |
Yeah I agree on the Glen front. Far too cliché at times. Cut from the same cloth as Matterface.
I like Westy as a summariser, but Glen irritates me, I can't lie. |  | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 10:05 - Jul 12 with 949 views | MattinLondon |
Maybe not taught but the WC reminded me just how much I love football - the positivity it can bring to people from every corner of the world. The happiness, the joy, the frustration etc everything makes it great.
Oh, and over the past few weeks I need much more sleep. |  | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 10:51 - Jul 12 with 872 views | bluelagos |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 08:10 - Jul 12 by homer_123 |
As a fan who just wants to go and watch their team play - I'm no longer the fan Clubs (of FIFA) want at their ground. It's no longer a match but an event. I'm to watch pre-during-post entertainment, I'm to spend huge sums of money of food, beer and merch.
I love football and I hate what football has become. |
This x 100
Fck the light shows, huge TV screens, indoor football, ad breaks pretending they are for the players, pop singers etc.
Let football be football please. [Post edited 12 Jul 10:53]
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| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 10:57 - Jul 12 with 853 views | bobbys_vision |
https://www.bobbysvision.co.uk
The next World Cup will be the biggest in history — more teams, more games, more cities and more commercial opportunities than ever before. Sounds good if you are following from an armchair in Suffolk, without a care in the world other than how to keep the lagers cool and the best place to put your TV for the footie fest. But what if you’re considering attending in person? What if you’re one of those people that bring the noise and colour to the stadium, a travelling fan? Bigger and better when merged with the highest ever ticket prices, increased travel and a lack of affordable accommodation makes for a very expensive trip.
My first World Cup travelling to support England was Italia 90. It was the tournament of Gazza’s tears, Roger Milla’s corner flag goal celebration and, as any Town fans will tell you, Italia 90 was Bobby’s pinnacle. Having taken Ipswich from the second division to European stalwarts, Bobby Robson was very much in demand. Despite the opportunities to move to bigger clubs like Barcelona, Robson stood by his contracts and only left Ipswich when England came calling. He left with the fans’ blessing, their knowing he was still managing a team most of them would follow, now on the international stage.
It was a different time for football fans, a time when travelling to international tournaments came with trepidation, not least due to the issue of hooliganism that made “England away” a trip that was much more than shouting on your team. It was an adventure for sure, but one where you needed to be on your toes or risk the baton of a Carabinieri or Parisian CRS officer quite happy to whack a head first and ask questions later.
But leaving aside the dark shadow of hooliganism, how easy and affordable was it to follow England at the 1990 world cup?
For starters the structure was completely different. Groups were based around 2 cities and England were placed in Cagliari on Sardinia for their 3 group games. Camp sites were provided, albeit with basic facilities.
Travel was available using an Interrail ticket — allowing youngsters access to the whole European rail network for a fixed fare — meaning you could both get to Italy and travel around if/when England progressed. As for match tickets, I recall England v Germany was around £33 for a semi final — £83 in today’s money. All in, Train ticket to Dover, return ferry, inter rail, ferry to Sardinia and back to mainland Italy, 3 weeks accommodation, probably 2 weeks camping, match tickets and 3 weeks food and drink I got through £850 — which today would be £2,150.
Three weeks in the US following England to various destinations is clearly going to be well in excess of that, primarily because no one appears to be considering the fans (or the players) in their choice of venues. England’s games are split between Texas, Boston and New York, giving a relatively manageable itinerary, but placing all our games in New York/Boston would make the travel and accommodation logistics much easier. And spare a thought for fans in Group J (Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan) who can feel particularly aggrieved as they will have to rack up over 6,400 miles to watch all their team’s group games should they make it to the final.
But beyond full stadiums and television audiences, supporter experience appears increasingly secondary. Ultimately, full stadiums matter, but other than that, what do FIFA care? Given their role seems to be to make as much money as possible, it’s clear fans come a long way down their list of priorities, way behind dignitaries, sponsors, officials etc.
This is an organisation that managed to choose Russia, Qatar and, for 2034, Saudi Arabia as hosts for the World Cup. Let’s not forget that Russia had already invaded Crimea in Ukraine when they hosted the 2018 competition. Qatar 2022 shone a light on the humanitarian mistreatment of itinerant workers in Qatar with many thousands killed on construction sites, including World Cup stadia, after the country was awarded the competition by FIFA. These are places where human rights abuses abound and there is little in the way of a tourist industry to support the travelling fans, yet the hosts use their deep pockets to sports wash their public images.
The considerations of FIFA do not lie with the players or their fans, nor seemingly are human rights abuses troubling their consciences. What they value is the ability of a host to put on a party — the hospitality booths will be bursting, the champagne flowing and the TV companies can project it round the world for the TV revenues that are the main prize. Millions rolling in to the coffers without a care in the world for any of the so called “legacy” fans; those who have put in the graft and made sacrifices purely because they want to cheer on their country, home and away.
Lessons for Ipswich
While it would be easy to dismiss the World Cup as detached from domestic football, there is a real danger that the same commercial pressures shaping FIFA are increasingly shaping the English club game too.
For now, the excesses of an American World Cup, with additional TV breaks, half time shows etc. are some way from Portman Rd on a Saturday afternoon. When Gamechanger followed a growing number of American based owners buying into British clubs keen to maximise their investment, perhaps this model came a step closer. American sports ownership models are built around maximising revenue — which means premium seating, hospitality, sponsorship and scarcity pricing.
Once you create a product where demand exceeds supply then bingo, you’re off — scarcity creates value. Once demand consistently exceeds supply, football clubs have strong incentives to monetise that scarcity, whether that’s this year’s kiddies’ toy, latest fashion trainer or a ticket for Ipswich v Arsenal in the Premier League. By accident or design, a shortage can be exploited, a fact that ticket touts the world over appreciate.
And so the tourist model is born, as Premier league clubs opt to cut out the touts and instead package match day hospitality to fill that gap. Legalised touting in all but name, it brings in additional revenue, which we are assured will be spent on players. We shrug our shoulders, not wanting to point out the double standards as the club warn us against lending our tickets to our mates or relatives.
Ipswich invested in the well marketed “Three Lions lounge”, priced at £135 last season for a match, while it has put up the match day price to Season ticket holders by up to 35%. It might be the free market, it might be that the club can dampen excess demand, but I am struggling to see how exploiting the loyalty of ordinary fans who watched Ipswich in League 1 is what football should be about.
Do traditional fans matter?
If Ipswich, or any club for that matter, simply opts to maximise revenue, does it matter?
The accountants will be happy — a noisy fan paying £25 a ticket is worth less than a 2/3 times a year, Three Lions hospitality visitor enjoying canapes and paying 10 times more for the “experience”. Modern ownership models inevitably view clubs partly through the lens of asset growth and revenue generation. Our owners saw Ipswich as a cheap route in and will now look to maximise our value for the time they sell up/move on. The marriage of convenience has gone well so far, but what happens when you focus on the balance sheet rather than the loyal fans who stood by the club during the darkest of periods?
Part of being rooted in a community is affordable pricing. We will be here long after the current owners and executives are gone, still supporting our team irrespective of our performance or revenue streams. But if the World Cup in America shows us one thing it is that the pursuit of revenue over fans, the touristification of football and putting TV before fans is a path that ends up a long way from where are we started.
Dynamic pricing anyone? Foreign games? No more promotion or relegation? Let’s develop a stadium arena/bowl for yet more hospitality. Just the one more TV game per weekend,.
Football rarely changes overnight. It changes incrementally. One extra television slot. One ticket-price rise justified by demand. One new hospitality tier. One overseas fixture proposal dismissed as harmless. By the time supporters realise the culture has shifted, the shift is already complete.
Fans before revenues — those people who kept the game alive during the 80s when TV coverage was limited to MOTD and who stayed loyal to the game and passed it on to our kids. Price them out of the game and we’ll soon end up with the sort of sterile nonsense of an FA cup final with spaces in both the posh seats and behind the goals.
Bobby wouldn’t approve, of that I’m sure. | | | |
| Things the 2026 WC have taught or reminded us of on 11:13 - Jul 12 with 805 views | Sharkey |
Watching football in a pub full of people who don't usually watch football is fun. I was in one, - lots of kids up after their usual bed-time in attendance. Nobody was analysing anything or slagging anyone off. Just a village enjoying itself, and showing off its sunburn. Best time I 've had in that pub in 40 years of visiting it on and off.
Also very impressed with how good one tiny projector placed on a table can be. |  | | |
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