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Cricket, apparently. I have seen enough articles bemoaning the state of football and singing the praises of cricket to think that they are being autogenerated by some virus. Such short memories we all have.<br />
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The Premiership has made one big mistake, in my view. It has been marketed as a thrill-a-minute league. The marketing was always going to attract more non-traditional fans. <br />
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By traditional fans I mean people who have grown up supporting one club, and will support it till they die, and will always buy the kit (if they can). <br />
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By non-traditional fans I mean those whose loyalties are thin, who might be able to talk a good game, but for whom the game is not a life-death thing. They are probably middle-class, have never been in a proper fight in their lives, and have only been to a handful of matches. Me, in other words.<br />
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By boosting the revenues through Sky, ticket-price hikes and the ever-changing kit, football got a huge financial lift. That has disappeared as the thrill-a-minute league has lost its lustre. And now, lots of 0-0s, the dominance of Chelsea, the dull formations that are the current vogue, and the wonderful Ashes have made people worry for the future of the game. Apparently, the most interesting thing in the premiership is Wayne Rooney’s temper.<br />
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Well, they shouldn’t worry. Football will pick up again. There have been dull years before, and the extra fans will return if the games get better. The World Cup next year will revive interest – it always does.<br />
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In the meantime, I have given up trying to describe how boring the footy is. Instead of saying the Premiership is as dull as [insert something very dull here], I have taken to describing other boring things “as dull as the Premiership”. People seem to know what I mean. If it catches on, then the game can definitely be given the last rites.