Team GB Mens Football.

I had a superb day out with my son yestreday at the Millenium stadium.
We were there to watch Team GB play Republic of Korea in the quarter finals and the stadium was packed, the atmosphere was electric

So how is it that 11 men can play with so little pride and emotion?

There performance, or lack of, was poor from the start.

It just seemed the antithesis of everything else thats been so fantastic about the games so far

I'm not sure if 'more money=less effort' or they just weren't good enough? Korea certainly appeared to 'want it more' right from the start.

I could go on but i think i'll leave it there

I think football has evolved beyond sport, it's all politics and money.
If you look at the difference in boxing between the olympics and the professional sport thats how it should be.

Sadly for olympic football they just change shirts, not the attitude.

I think it detracts slightly from the other sports in the games, football shouldn't really have a place in the olympics.

Still, at least you enjoyed it.

I think it should have retained the amateur part.
There must have been hundreds of footballers, who play at the top of the amateur game, sat at home last night thinking 'i could do better than that!!'

It was a fabulous occassion though

Nail on head, same with the tennis.
olympic glory is it's own reward. (though I'm sure 50 grand a week is nice all the same.)

I completely forgot it was a sport in the olympics! Does nothing for me and it just doesnt seem to appeal as much as the other stuff as football has all of its own major competitons really - it doesnt need the olympics and vice versa.
You dont associate the olympics with football as much as you do running. I guess you could even go as far as saying a lot of the olympic interest is for single athletes/disciplines.

Its true about amateur football, especially county. Lots of effort goes into it like its an actual achievement. As i mentioned i dont like football so much but the minor leagues makes for good football. Top leagues seem bland. 'Diving in money'.

Sums it up.

I recognized few of our players (self confessed non footy person tho) and the bits i saw after watching the spectacular track events was uninspiring.

I went and watched Korea V Gabon (I know...I'd never heard of Gabon before either!) on Wednesday eve, and both teams were shocking.
It was like watching sunday league football, but with 77000 other people.
Getting beaten by that Korea team is a joke, and showed how little this sport is thought of by those competing in it as an Olympic event...a bit like Federer getting beaten by murray in the tennis

The ambience of Olympic football (as a spectator) is pretty great.

But football as an Olympic sport is just a total nonsense. imho

Well, I went to my second ever football match yesterday. When we booked the tickets we thought we would be watching Spain in action. The fact that the team that has won the last 3 big international touraments lost their opening matches and went home suggests either they sent their 'Z' team or they weren't really trying.

GB looked as if they were in the same mindset. I don't get football and don't think it should be part of the games along with a few other events. As mentioned above though for the neutral the atmosphere was good with 70000 people watching Japan Vs Egypt.

We were so shite they've already said they're not sending a team to Brazil...