What do you miss most about going to the football? FourFourTwo followers have their say

Mohamed Salah
(Image credit: PA)

The sight of a full stadium is alien in the new normal. The 12th man has been sat on the edge of a sofa for nearly a year. It's been a more tepid, albeit cheaper and warmer experience.

Those who don't go to the football don't get it. They're more than happy to watch 12 hours straight of Graeme Souness and Roy Keane bickering like a married couple between a conveyor belt of Super Sunday epics. They don't know why you'd sit in the cold and the rain next to strangers in a corner of the ground when it's available on demand, in HD and with your kitchen a short walk away.

But these heathens miss the point. It's not about the view. The coverage. What you're seeing or not seeing. Hell, going to the fooball is barely about the game at all. 

We asked you on Twitter for the strange little things you miss but can't quite put your finger on. You didn't disappoint. 

That undefinable moment. The one closely followed by tens of thousands of people shouting "COME ON!" really loudly to start the game off on the right foot. Yeah, that moment. 

Every week, we hope that someone will ring up 606 on the way home to complain about a defeat that was actually turned into a victory in the dying embers. 

No matter how early you leave in the first half, you're never back in your seat for the second.

A rare shot of Maurizio Sarri, attending a match in his youth. 

Every week. Sometimes even if you win. 

That famous Antony Hopkins film. 

The Emirates Stadium: the a barometer for pound sterling inflation among football fans since 2006. 

Perhaps the only condonable form of bullying for your children to partake in. 

Hello darkness, our old friend. 

Like we said Michael, we can only apologise.

It's flat, it's in a plastic cup but you feel a connection to it that you don't from a crisp beer in a warm, cosy pub. The cult hero bench warmer of drinks.

The sequel to Freezing Tasteless Beer, the hot drink that's hotter than the sun and doesn't have a discernible flavour. At some grounds, the difference between the tea, coffee and bovril is literally just the thickness of the liquid.

Always the worst part of an away day at Labrador United is that the home fans are always in the way. Oh, and the chants are literally just the crowd barking. 

Does anyone else wonder how the scarf-sellers are still going, despite no one having bought a scarf at a football match since 1986?

Arguably the best service station on the M6. No matter what you've had to eat, getting a McDonald's is essential on the way home (other fast food is available). 

The comment "That's just the look you get for going to Middlesbrough" is far too easy.

You think Fosse Park is bad? Try the Kassam Stadium at Oxford United, where they share their car park with the cinema opposite. 

Young families bowling out of the Frankie and Benny's, covering the ears of children as angry U's fans curse Karl Robinson's decision to sell Shandon Baptiste last season. Pure unfiltered Saturday evening carnage. 

As soon as the crowds went, Wycombe got promoted. We're saying nothing. 

There's nothing like the feel of a physical copy of footballing literature between your fingers as you flick through at the glossy photos, read the exclusive interviews and brace yourself for an exciting weekend of football...

...remember, the new issue of FourFourTwo is still available to buy online

Just chanting in general. We miss it. It's not the same when it's just you in your living room and you're scaring the dog. 

Stevenage FC kit man, Keith, clearly missing the game a lot, here. 

Hmmm... maybe watching from home isn't so bad.

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FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.