Thought provoking piece Vulmea. Top marks for connecting the progress (or degeneration) of our game with the changes taking place in society and our country at large.
I started match going in the 50's so I can relate to all of it and cannot fault your memory of the changes on and off the pitch. The game now belongs to the money men and each club is striving for more income via sponsors and fans.
We do have one comparison to look at and that is the deregulation of the banks 20 years ago. The desire to make more each year and improve profits led them down a path that ended in the dreaded spectre of failing banks. Government bail outs.
We won't see bail outs of football clubs but we may see some big ones fail at some point.
its an interesting parallel that isn't it - the FA and the free market - how can you possibly run an equal sporting contest where the sides with the most money, (often nothing to do with the club itself) have an 80% chance of winning - if people weren't so addicted they'd laugh and walk away
and the Prem's answer to this farce - 0h well different clubs compete for different things - might as well have three divisions in the Prem then eh?
The yanks at least recognise the stupidity and try and to ensure equality with their draft system the premier league just keep adjusting the rules to suit those with the most money its criminal really
where does it end up - pretty much where we are with a few chosen clubs dominating due to wealth and the mass audience just following like sheep for lack of anything better driven, by the mass media saturation telling them how important football is .........I'd like my game back please