Is 'feelgood' the natural state of football?

td53

td53

Well-known member
If I've seen one post mention 'the feelgood' draining away, I've seen 50.

I don't wish to retread the same arguments again so instead, I'll pose this: Is 'feelgood' the normal state of things around football, or is it more generally, muttering, grumbling and cursing luck/the board/the manager/useless players?

We've had 3+ seasons with some degree of 'feelgood' - the initial excitement of the return, the new start where we went well under Grayson for a good few months before it went tits up, the promotion and then the novelty and relative success of last year. Even this year, we've had a few brilliant away days, a comprehensive battering of PNE and some insane games that will live long. I have, to put it simply, 'felt good' at times this year, whilst also, feeling 'bad' at others.

Sooner or later, there's going to be tough season and that's just a mathematical and logical certainty for all clubs outside of the elite - even then, those clubs have years where they don't win and finish behind their expectations from time to time and everyone gets cross.

I think it's very dangerous to hitch your expectations and wellbeing to the potential for 'feelgood' as a football fan. Obviously, no one can accept the kind of extremes of the latter part of the last regime, wherein, we weren't just shit on the pitch, but there was a whole pile of reasons to feel distinctly bad about us and our owners - but around the country, probably a good half the teams in the game are below where the fans feel they should be - performing under par and thus variously irritated with the owner/board/playing staff/pies/whatever.

This isn't about Appleton - it's about the general expectations of what we get from football - and it seems to me, that mostly, football kicks you in the face and occaisionally, it's really good.
 
td53 said:
If I've seen one post mention 'the feelgood' draining away, I've seen 50.

I don't wish to retread the same arguments again so instead, I'll pose this: Is 'feelgood' the normal state of things around football, or is it more generally, muttering, grumbling and cursing luck/the board/the manager/useless players?

We've had 3+ seasons with some degree of 'feelgood' - the initial excitement of the return, the new start where we went well under Grayson for a good few months before it went tits up, the promotion and then the novelty and relative success of last year. Even this year, we've had a few brilliant away days, a comprehensive battering of PNE and some insane games that will live long. I have, to put it simply, 'felt good' at times this year, whilst also, feeling 'bad' at others.

Sooner or later, there's going to be tough season and that's just a mathematical and logical certainty for all clubs outside of the elite - even then, those clubs have years where they don't win and finish behind their expectations from time to time and everyone gets cross.

I think it's very dangerous to hitch your expectations and wellbeing to the potential for 'feelgood' as a football fan. Obviously, no one can accept the kind of extremes of the latter part of the last regime, wherein, we weren't just shit on the pitch, but there was a whole pile of reasons to feel distinctly bad about us and our owners - but around the country, probably a good half the teams in the game are below where the fans feel they should be - performing under par and thus variously irritated with the owner/board/playing staff/pies/whatever.

This isn't about Appleton - it's about the general expectations of what we get from football - and it seems to me, that mostly, football kicks you in the face and occaisionally, it's really good.
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I don't rely on football to 'feelgood'.

Win, lose or draw, every matchday is a good one, with good friends and a shared experience.

Obviously, a bad result isn't what you look for, but if your life is that shallow that it affects your mood to a massive extent, then don't follow Blackpool, or practically every team in football, now I think about it.

For me, the great days when you win unexpectedly are all the better for being fairly rare.
 
Wizaard said:
I don't rely on football to 'feelgood'.

Win, lose or draw, every matchday is a good one, with good friends and a shared experience.

Obviously, a bad result isn't what you look for, but if your life is that shallow that it affects your mood to a massive extent, then don't follow Blackpool, or practically every team in football, now I think about it.

For me, the great days when you win unexpectedly are all the better for being fairly rare.
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Couldn’t have put it better myself👍🏻
 
It's sport. There are winners and losers. Right now we are losers but it's a very fine line. People shouldn't let it bother them too much because it's out of their control. At some point it will change and we will be winners again.
To make this more specific to Blackpool we are a club that will generally operate in league1 and the Championship so there will always be seasons at the higher level when we aren't great.
 
Good OP. Reading this got me thinking, it is all down to expectation.
In the summer I was thinking get a couple of players in, who will be in the starting 11 and improve the team and look for a mid/top half finish.
Then obviously Critch went we messed around for a couple of weeks Appleton came in we messed around for a couple more weeks and think our first signing was the morning of the Rangers friendly.
Then a average pre season after that I would be happy with finishing the season similar position to last season but then we sell Bowler and then the injuries started to build up plus the illness that took 3-4 players out /affected fitness levels for the last few games So realistically we probably should be in a relegation battle.
There is some massive decisions to be made these next couple of months.
Do we sack Appleton or think he can keep us up with a full squad and a couple of additions in Jan.
do we sack him and hope we get a manager who can keep us up.

I’m glad I’m not Simon Sadler 😂
 
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Football should be competitive with it being sport. At the moment it isn’t as I go to every game expecting defeat. That is when it no longer becomes fun.
 
There is an inevitability about feeling let down by football. It is my belief that this derives from the commercialisation of the professional game. Capital in a free market inevitably concentrates in fewer and fewer hands. As those with the greatest power secure the greater share of capital assets, they force up the price of those assets. Yet, it is precisely because the conceit of football is that of an open sports competition, in which supporters claim to have a custodial interest, that clubs on the periphery of any commercial influence continue to spend beyond their means in a futile bid to compete with the powerful.

This struggle against the inevitability of destructive, libertarian capitalism plays out at all levels of the pyramid. So it is that Blackpool FC seeks to wrest assets from other clubs in the Championship that might see them successfully compete at that level. Every club does this. The fans of every club demand that they do it but only those with the relative commercial power will achieve it. Then, when those successful clubs are thrust into a higher league they, in turn become the small fish ready and (seemingly) willing to be gobbled up by the voracious appetites of the most powerful.
 
td53 said:
If I've seen one post mention 'the feelgood' draining away, I've seen 50.

I don't wish to retread the same arguments again so instead, I'll pose this: Is 'feelgood' the normal state of things around football, or is it more generally, muttering, grumbling and cursing luck/the board/the manager/useless players?

We've had 3+ seasons with some degree of 'feelgood' - the initial excitement of the return, the new start where we went well under Grayson for a good few months before it went tits up, the promotion and then the novelty and relative success of last year. Even this year, we've had a few brilliant away days, a comprehensive battering of PNE and some insane games that will live long. I have, to put it simply, 'felt good' at times this year, whilst also, feeling 'bad' at others.

Sooner or later, there's going to be tough season and that's just a mathematical and logical certainty for all clubs outside of the elite - even then, those clubs have years where they don't win and finish behind their expectations from time to time and everyone gets cross.

I think it's very dangerous to hitch your expectations and wellbeing to the potential for 'feelgood' as a football fan. Obviously, no one can accept the kind of extremes of the latter part of the last regime, wherein, we weren't just shit on the pitch, but there was a whole pile of reasons to feel distinctly bad about us and our owners - but around the country, probably a good half the teams in the game are below where the fans feel they should be - performing under par and thus variously irritated with the owner/board/playing staff/pies/whatever.

This isn't about Appleton - it's about the general expectations of what we get from football - and it seems to me, that mostly, football kicks you in the face and occaisionally, it's really good.
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The feelgood is important, of course it won't always be like a promotion season.

But if fans never really connected with an unpopular manager choice at the start, then after a terrible season so far, many are against him, the feeling is going to be shit.

We've seen from the moment he was appointed a huge drop in the atmosphere, been very flat.

Many people just don't connect with him. It was the wrong choice on this alone at that time as we know how important our 12th man is, helps us overcome far better sides and players.

He could have turned it around somewhat if backed, but wasn't well backed and did poorly too, not all his fault but must take some responsibility.
 
td53 said:
If I've seen one post mention 'the feelgood' draining away, I've seen 50.

I don't wish to retread the same arguments again so instead, I'll pose this: Is 'feelgood' the normal state of things around football, or is it more generally, muttering, grumbling and cursing luck/the board/the manager/useless players?

We've had 3+ seasons with some degree of 'feelgood' - the initial excitement of the return, the new start where we went well under Grayson for a good few months before it went tits up, the promotion and then the novelty and relative success of last year. Even this year, we've had a few brilliant away days, a comprehensive battering of PNE and some insane games that will live long. I have, to put it simply, 'felt good' at times this year, whilst also, feeling 'bad' at others.

Sooner or later, there's going to be tough season and that's just a mathematical and logical certainty for all clubs outside of the elite - even then, those clubs have years where they don't win and finish behind their expectations from time to time and everyone gets cross.

I think it's very dangerous to hitch your expectations and wellbeing to the potential for 'feelgood' as a football fan. Obviously, no one can accept the kind of extremes of the latter part of the last regime, wherein, we weren't just shit on the pitch, but there was a whole pile of reasons to feel distinctly bad about us and our owners - but around the country, probably a good half the teams in the game are below where the fans feel they should be - performing under par and thus variously irritated with the owner/board/playing staff/pies/whatever.

This isn't about Appleton - it's about the general expectations of what we get from football - and it seems to me, that mostly, football kicks you in the face and occaisionally, it's really good.
Click to expand...
Supporting any football club, but particularly Blackpool, is one of the most toxic relationships you could ever have.

You pour all your time, money and effort into it but they are always likely to let you down.

When it's shit you live in hope that it'll get better and when it's good all you think about is that it can't last forever.

It's bizarre but that's football. Init great?!
 
I don't think that is necessarily down to results.

I think it is more to do with having belief in a manager and the project.
Having a squad that fights for every point also helps.
 
I think the feelgood is derived was seeing everyone is pulling in the same right direction. And as wiz says it doesn't have to be a 5-0 win every game.

To some extent fans are their own worst enemy. There's nothing worse than being conned by a master psychologist to put your faith in them, and then have to go out and put your faith in someone new. the feelgood was eroded when the sham was exposed, so, whilst I accept MA wasn't everyone's choice (mine neither) and having 'walked' once, there was always going to be an intolerant undercurrent and the first chance to expose that exploited.

I thinks there are some of us who are a little bit pissed off with aspects of the board more than MA.

Any new manager, and that includes Evo for example would have to work for the trust to come back. It may be there unconditionally Match 1, but by match 3-4??????
 
I don't think there are too many happy clappy clapstix types on here so maybe your survey sample needs expanding a little td 😂
Maybe the Euros gave us a window in? Feel good. Feel good. Feel good. Feel good. Feel ecstatic. Feel good but with and impending sense of foreboding badness. Feel desolate

. .............. Feel "why do we always believe this time will be any different to the last time?"

Feel calm again for a while at least.
 
No it isn't. In general, 40% is fairly mundane averageness, 20% dire can't pass to save their lives, 20% that was a good game and 20% we played slick flowing footy today. It shifts when you have a good side but mostly it is fairly disappointing.
 
A_Tense_Grin said:
Football should be competitive with it being sport. At the moment it isn’t as I go to every game expecting defeat. That is when it no longer becomes fun.
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Every credit for going to all the games but if I were you I’d cut down on the games you go to, it can’t be much fun trailing all over the country expecting defeat, I go to away games expecting or let’s say dreaming of a great comeback after going 2-0 down or seeing mad goals such as cj v Preston, granted it doesn’t happen that often but you’ve got to believe it may do otherwise what’s the point
 
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