Could be a long one this.....

I slipped a disc (which pressed on to the sciatic nerve - legs been numb ever since, spasms are fookin painful, blah, blah) from too much football one week in early April so since then until two days ago I've been necking Tramadol, Methacarbamol and Amitriptaline every day.

Dunno if anyone has had Tramadol but the come down/withdrawal is pretty funny. Feels almost exactly like how I imagine women must feel when going through 'the change'. Up and down like a yoyo, sweats/shivers and last night's sleep was, well, pointless.

BUT when I woke wrapped up in my bed sweating like a fat bloke at 1.30 this morning, my thought process went straight to the 'B' team nightmare and how and what I could do. As and when the 'B' teams join the league (there is still a small part of me that clings to football fans uniting and beating this) it will properly ruin league football.

From there I thought about what is wrong with football...
- the Premier League runs English football, the EFL as they are now known are seemingly spineless
- football at the higher end is no longer a sport, it's a business
- the money is just ludicrous and a million miles from reality for anyone not involved. Wages of managers/players etc. Costs to watch. Prize money. £99 million prize money for complete and utter failure? Are you having a laugh? Give it to a deserving charity, make a fucking difference with it. No profit in that though.

So those are the basics. And I haven't even mentioned the devaluing of the FA Cup and the European Cup being played out by teams who don't win their respective leagues. The changes being made/have been made over the last 20-30 years are making the game worse.

Solutions:
- break away from the EFL/Premier League and start again. Sacrilige I hear you cry! And if they leave football alone and bin the 'B' teams idea and all the other shite that's on the agenda, fine, I'm with you.
- make the game how it should be and how most/all of the fans want it
- change how clubs are run to how they should be run, that is, owned/run by the fans not businessmen with only their own interests at heart
- have permanent caps across the board on ticket prices. For example, absolute maximum charge of, whatever, £20 adults, £10 concessions. This would apply to EVERY club. They can charge less but never more (allowing for rises in inflation). This is regardless of the occasion so would include major finals.
- no special deals for VIPs and all that bollocks especially regarding distribution of tickets (boils my piss when 10k+ of tickets for major Finals etc goes to corporates and there aren't enough for the fans who've spent Tuesday evenings in February being pissed on in an uncovered away end watching utter dross miles from home with a 7 o'clock start in the morning after a 3hr drive and 3hrs kip....and then there are empty seats because the fucking corporates can't be arsed
- players, staff have a salary in the same way that all professions do and have maximums for the 'job'. Fine to have tiered salary structure (young to old, ability, whatever) but set a maxium for the 'job' so no-one earns anything like the obscene amounts currently. Stops superstars and all that shit, you might even see the centre forward in the pub. Footballers as real people. Imagine that
- clubs to be real/proper community clubs. If, as a result of having a massive following, the club becomes rich (definition of 'rich' to be discussed), the excess income goes back to the community - build a hospital, fund proper equipment at schools, all that stuff. The stuff that those earning staggering sums can really make a difference to instead of lining the pockets of the tiny minority - THIS IS A SPORT. If you want to make money, buy some fucking shares, don't destroy our national sport. Clubs to be 'not for profit' organisations.
- 3 o'clock kick offs on a Saturday. End of. Fuck TV. Or rather, more than happy for games to be televised but when it's good for the game not your fucking scheduling
- just imagine clubs / managers having to actually use tactics and training to outwit the opposition than throwing a load of money at it (eg Man City, Chelsea etc) and buying success.
- only finals at Wembley not semi-finals

There's loads of other shit too but I'll leave it there.

The blueprint for us fans to take our game back

Thank you Tramadol.

I had a slipped disk months ago FOOOOK it was painful I was going to work with it (bricklaying) and as daft as it seemed I could manage but as soon as I stopped or sat down I was fooked.

I would get a massive pain like a electric shock and dropped my knees screaming like a girl and trying to sleep was nearly impossible I couldn't lie down. I was at my wits end and I seen a fella from sunderland and he done acupuncture and touch wood been ok since

PS ive got a shit load of them drugs left

Aye and I sit down for a living

Whenever the permanent spasm became unbearbale I had to lay on my front on my elbows arching my back until the spasm became a bit more bearable...at the back of the office at work!

The spasming has, touch wood, stopped, hopefully for good. But the back of my leg all the way down, under my foot and some toes are still numb.

Waiting for an MRI scan. Quack says if the numbness doesn't stop within about the next 6 weeks I'll either need steroid injections or an operation. If it's an operation he recommended not playing football again and need to be careful if lifting things (ie get someone else to lift it). Injections it is then

How's yours now Mr kint? all good?

up to now ive been ok I have a very high pain tolerance and have suffered with my back for a few years and had a mri scan done and said it was arthritis but I think they blame that on most back pain but that a few months back was worst ive ever had I was all twisted and l could be anywhere and get a spasm and let out a scream and start body popping a few times ive been on a night out had 1 pint and had to go home. I walked into the physio fella at sunderland and he said I had whats called the iguana stance but he sorted it well for now !

Yeah, I've had the odd bit of back trouble, not loads, just the odd lower back spasm but nothing like this. I do remember walking to work when my back had 'gone' once and got a paralysing spasm. I just froze walking down the street, couldn't scream if I'd wanted to, couldn't breathe lol, must've looked a bit of dick just stood still grimacing....was outside a row of shops. Nice to think I provided a bit of entertainment for whoever was there...

Must admit though Mr kint and no offence intended but 'iguana stance' did make me chuckle

Get bad sciatica down my right leg due to a disc problem. Standing still is the worst thing I can do, sets it right off.

As regards the money at the top of the game, I was astonished at commentators talking of Middlesbrough getting into the Premiership and the game being worth £170 million. Just a thought , but how much does Middlesbrough council get a year to run the town and its services. I find it obscene.

Exactly Mr Snowy.

What you been told to do about Mr tREE? or is it a case of tough shit/don't stand still. Ever?

Acupuncture is ellish. I know loads of people who've had it for different! ailments and I know very few who said it didn't do owt.

Aye, I had it for my hamstring last year. Got a bit uncomfortable when he ramped up the volts mind!

Got told to keep active and I did get an exercise routine (mainly stretches) but I don't follow it tbh. I generally just don't sit or stand in the same position for too long (footy manager is a big no-no as I sit there in same position for hours without realising it) and Always try to sit upright. I found an electric tens machine from boots helped originally and ice packs.

I had acupuncture in my lower back but it gave a really unpleasant sensation in my balls for some reason so told him to stop.

How long were the bleedin needles?

I did a proper lol at the last sentence