Why are men still kids at forty plus?

[cromwell]

Just an idle thought.
A group of men were talking about "going up town" to watch the England match tomorrow.
They were all very excited about it.
These men are all over forty, some over fifty. And they were sounding like adolescents.
I want England to win too, but if they don't it isn't going to spoil my life; it won't even spoil my day.
These are middle aged married men with families, going out, getting drunk and jumping up and down.
When did this start to happen?
When I think back to my father's generation, the idea that they would have behaved like this is unthinkable.

[Workingman]

Is it because they can?

Never mind our dad's genration, even we could not do it, simply because there were no TVs in pubs. Well, there might be a B&W one in the snug for the ladies to watch the soaps, but that was about it.

Nowadays they have "sports" pubs where blokes (and lasses) who have never kicked a ball or held a tennis bat can watch every sport possible and then hold forth about how bad the players and managers are.

Wifey and the kids will be OK at home with their smartphones and a takeaway...

[cruiser2]

I will not be watching the match.

Saw on TV this morning that they will start at 6.30p.m to cover the match.
I thought kick of is at 9.00 p.m our time. An then therewill be many minutes of why they won or lost.

Itwillbe interesting to know how many shots at gol England have, how many times they pass the ball forward into the Spanish half and how many times they pass it back into their own half.

[cromwell]

Never mind our dad's genration, even we could not do it

I think there's a bit of would not as well. When you get married and have children you have responsibilities. You aren't a kid any more and you don't act like one.
Or we didn't, anyway.

I think my dad's generation, who had fought in the war or lived through it, would be bemused by how grown men are behaving.

[Suff]

Yeah well my dad who lived through V1 and V2 bombing in London thins they are a bunch of dicks. As do I. But I don't bother with football so I am not in the scene.

[TheOstrich]

I will not be watching the match.

Saw on TV this morning that they will start at 6.30p.m to cover the match.
I thought kick of is at 9.00 p.m our time. An then therewill be many minutes of why they won or lost.

Itwillbe interesting to know how many shots at gol England have, how many times they pass the ball forward into the Spanish half and how many times they pass it back into their own half.

I won't be watching the match either, Cruiser, and I'm a football fan! I simply can't stand all the flamin' hype.

I put the telly on and saw around 30 seconds of the Slovakia match, partway through the first half, before I switched the telly off again. In that time, the England keeper rolled the ball out to a defender, it was passed three times across field and back again, then put back to the keeper.

Shades of Yeovil Town 2022 in their relegation season when they were at their nerviest, and that was some of the worst, unentertaining soccer I've ever watched live. Not for me.

[Workingman]

There was a bit of nostalgia on C4 yesterday - the 1966 WC final.

The only thought, from both teams, was to go forward. There were two back passes in the whole match, one for each side, and both were loudly booed. Players got clattered and went to ground... then got up again. What was all that about? Goalies either went long with a kick or threw the ball out overarm direct to a player well up the pitch.

it was ever so different from what is served up today. Not the best match ever, but there was a sense that both teams wanted to win.