Whither soccer?

I was toying with the idea of popping to my first football match of the season tomorrow.  Orient (peace be upon them) are playing at Dagenham & Redbridge.  That's a local derby, and so merits a visit.  Unfortunately I have it on good authority from a colleague, who's also an Os supporter, that it's already sold out.  Orient will turn up mob-handed tomorrow as it's only a couple of miles down the road, and traditionally away games are always much more fun than home ones.  Also, the Daggers' ground is the size of a unfurled tarpaulin.  It was always going to sell out therefore.  Oh, well.

I'm feeling rather disaffected with football at the moment anyway.  I used to enjoy playing the game, but watching it as it's played in this country bores me rigid.  I much prefer the continental game.  English football is unculture, artless and as ugly as sin.  It is played at breakneck speed, but then it has to be or no bugger would pay good money to watch it.

I've also noticed a worrying change of atmosphere at Orient games over the last couple of years.  Things are getting more right wing and menacing.  It feels like it did in the 80s.  I could live without a reprise of that, thank-you very much.  I've decided instead to start following another gang of east London underachievers this year - Clapton FC.  There are other non-league outfits closer to home I could follow instead, but Clapton's supporters are famously (somewhat) anti-racist, anti-fascist and generally good eggs.  The emphasis at home games is on inclusion and fun.  You're not going to get much succour from events on the pitch, let's face it, not in The Essex Senior League, so you might as well have a beer, a sing-song and a convivial chat with your fellow supporters.

I actually played at the club as a boy.  My under-12 Sunday league team played there in 1980.  It wasn't very anti-fascist then, believe me.  It was a shaven-headed, violent bear pit of a place.  I hated it.  How things change.