In the west country region where I grew up, there was no real football teams to get excited about..

When I was 7, I was obviously caught up in the world cup winning hysteria.. but that didn't last too long.

Then I was introduced to Rugby at grammar school.
We weren't allowed to play football.

It seems to me that the brutal blood and mud fouling and punch ups footie of the past,
has been so emasculated and sanitised,
no wonder the modern game is such an anodyne fashion entertainment so increasingly appealing to teenage girls...

We watch rugby and boxing in our house.

My mrs is Welsh and proudly tribal when it comes to rugby,
she gets a real bloodthirsty adrenolin buzz off watching the tackles and bad tempered exchanges.
And now that channel 5 is showing free to view boxing with occasional Welsh boxers,
She can be heard shouting & screaming at the telly from outside our bay window onto the road....