Football and the state of it has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now. This is not a topic that has remained untouched amongst Celtic supporters either. Of course, Brendan Rodgers' style and tactics have proven to be successful once again. But there are those that would like a bit more entertainment to the game as well.
The Ange Postecoglou era, for example, was refreshing. Not only did Celtic win a lot of games during that period of time but they did so while playing a brand of football that must have been entertaining even for the neutrals.
That is something that many believe football is missing at the moment. It appears as though the 'art' of football is getting lost and has been replaced by an overdependence on tactical ideas.
Gary Neville certainly seems a bit bored with how the modern game has shaped out. As reported by GOAL, the Manchester United legend said on Sky Sports following the 0-0 draw between Man Utd and City:
"It was really disappointing, I apologise for my co-commentary, I think I let it get to me, I was boring on there as well. That was drab.
"I get what he [Ruben Amorim] is saying about it being that point in the season, with City and United being in a difficult moment. But this robotic nature of not leaving our positions, being micro-managed within an inch of our lives, not having any freedom to take a risk to go and try and win a football match is becoming an illness in the game, it’s becoming a disease in the game."
Celtic fans agree with Gary Neville's controversial statement
Of course, that is a strong statement from Neville and one that is sure to divide the opinion of fans. There will be many who argue that this is the natural evolution of every sport. Humans will find a way to get better at winning, even if it makes things a bit more 'boring'.
But then there is the other side of the argument as well. At the end of the day, football is a form of entertainment. And if it is not entertaining the fans, it is only a matter of time before a section of them turn to something else.
A lot of Celtic fans did seem to agree with Neville's view on the matter. One wrote: "He's spot on."
Another added: "I agree. We even have the Poundland version of this at Celtic these days at times."
A third Celtic fan said: "If you watch Celtic closely, EVERY free kick, throw-in etc., goes backwards, we can be 15 yards away from our opponent's goal at a throw-in, free kick, etc., and we end up 50 yards away from it because we don’t play the ball forward at all."
Of course, it is hard to disagree that football has changed over the years. Has it been for the better? That is certainly a question worth asking. Where are the entertainers today? The next Messis, Ronaldinhos and Neymars. It feels like we are losing that aspect of the game, and everybody is being developed to be a system player instead.
Yes, this system-based era certainly had its era in football and was extremely successful for a while. But it might be time for a change.