Nostalgia for an age yet to come - ElSell

Look at that Nancy rolling round
Weren’t like that
Back in my day
When men were men
And boots were made of leather
Aye son when I were a lad
Things were better

“It was forever thus” as someone smarter than me is sure to have said or “old people are always complaining about the modern world” as some young idiot is saying somewhere right now.

Until recently nostalgia was somewhat of a dirty word, something to be thrown at fallen idols and idols who never actually fell, the scourge of Liverpool and Chelsea fans alike, although for different reasons.

At the moment however we are on the cusp of a nostalgia revival especially with regard to the English national game. With the club footed earning over 100 grand a week while those who actually run the club day to day earn minimum wage.

With millionaires choosing the bright lights of West Ham over trophy chasing and the possibility of glory, people are starting to hark back to a simpler time. I personally am getting sick of players flying into tackles with both feet off the ground and live in hope of someday seeing an old fashioned block tackle involving StevieMe and Fat Frank, although not in an England shirt because apparently neither of them has enough understanding of basic midfield play to be able to play alongside each other (that and under Capello tackling team mates has become a no-no). It was not like that in my youth when fine athletes like Jan Molby glided across the English tundra like some sort of displaced Danish Viking (they did exist apparently).

Yes nostalgia and comparing current with older generations are according to some ultimately pointless, today’s athletes are too fit, too strong, not as dietetically challenged as some of yesteryears heroes.
However as the old saying goes:
“Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it.”
Maybe with regard to modern football this should be updated to:
“Those who do not read history are doomed to destroy it.”

And surely there are worse things than nostalgia for the past such as “nostalgia for an age yet to come” as The Buzzcocks so poignantly wrote about… well wrote about any of us who are not where we feel we should be but keep telling ourselves, that it is all going to come together soon, eh Rafa?