Fatigue is a good word, but I think GKmacca's posts mirror my sentiments most closely (with one small difference - I don't mind Carragher).
I'm not excited about games anymore, and this is the best team we've had in my lifetime, but I'm not excited to see them play. I think us winning the league and not being able to celebrate it with the team in the form of a parade or whatever was a bit of a blow, but it's not just that.
The lead up to every game is dominated by whatever shallow soundbites the press seem to be regurgitating this week. For tonight's game, they're all eagerly lapping up Mourinho's comments and repeating them, like some sort of snivelling seat sniffer desperate not to upset whoever's arse they're smelling, going at great lengths to tell them how wonderful the aroma is. There is no context, no nuance. Everything is said to provoke a reaction and generate debate and interest. Truth doesn't matter anymore.
Then we have the sickeningly sleek, polished appearance of every single game, all falling in line with the BRAND. Tyler's "and it's LIVE!" Alex Scott, or some other woman, who was probably a worse footballer than me (oops, that's me cancelled!) lecturing the masses and Sounness and Keane, offering tactical insight. Fuck off. You're only there because everyone is shit scared to not appear inclusive.
Actual content is secondary now, that's irrelevant. Be liberal and progressive. As annoying as Thommo, Nicholas, Merson, Le Tissier were, they were professionals who played and won at the top of the game, or if they didn't succeed in doing that, they certainly had the talent to do so.
Now, we're stuck with Gabby Agbonlahor, Clinton Morrison, Alex Scott, Darren Bent, Eni Aluko, all chuntering out incomprehensible shite, getting players' names wrong. But they either have the right skin colour, or the right bits between their legs. I was actually flicking through the channels a while back, and saw these two complete and utter randoms on Sky Sports News (turns out they were fucking YouTubers for God's sake!) debating and analysing games in the studio. Again, content is irrelevant. Everything is about the sizzle, forget the steak.
Fine. You can shut a lot of that out and avoid any media coverage, and the majority of the time I do. Although, the fact I have to go to such lengths is sad in itself when I want genuine, articulate, well-thought discussion of the game I love/d.
So, the matches themselves. Not to speak about BLM, but every game starts off with this meaningless gesture - more sizzle - and the league has painted themselves into this corner and now it has become routine. Are they every going to stop it? Is it here forever like prematch handshakes - sorry, fistbumps - now? Will they stop next season? Will they stop when racism is eradicated? Ha! That'll never be gone. So, imagine the uproar in the first game they don't do it. Can't be seen to look like we're not inclusive!
The horrendous luck we've been having with injuries is obviously a kick in the stones and disheartening, but it can happen. So I could get over it in isolation.
Then we come to VAR. Jesus Christ. I could waffle for ages again, but I'm conscious of how much I've done that already. I'm not even one of these that says it's ruining goal celebrations - although it is - but that was never the main point for me. I thought when it came in, that it was there to flag up those egregious errors. Hand of God, off the ball incidents, brainfarts from officials (it can happen, we're human). But now, it's being used by overly officious meffs desperate for that ego boost, frantically searching for ways to disallow goals using the most mind-numbing, hamstringing, bureaucratic rules I've ever seen. I honestly don't know what's going on anymore. Every. Single. Game something happens that has me throw up my arms into the air exclaiming "I don't know what this game is anymore." Every game. Our games most commonly so.
The Derby was the greatest example of this. Virgil's injury. Still, to this day, I think he's onside. Even his fucking elbow is onside. Someone's ankle is playing him on. Look at that sentence by the way - look at what I'm talking about. But okay, fine. If you want to be that picky about it, maybe he's offside (after you've spent 8 minutes looking for something to justify your existence, Mr Coote in Stockley Park), and it's not a penalty for that wild and dangerous challenge, but at least now you can discipline Pickford for endangering an opponent. Nope. Hands are tied. Offside wipes out everything following. More inane bureaucracy.
Then the Mane winner. Again, I still cannot see the offside two months later. If it's still not clear and obvious (oh how I hate those words) after 10 seconds, nevermind TWO FUCKING MONTHS, then just fucking leave it.
Fabinho cleanly tackled a man outside the box. Decision? Penalty, because, well, why not. Fabinho's tackle against Fulham intensely scrutinised for about 5 minutes, but a clear two-handed shove on Salah is ignored because... reasons. Wellbeck goes down like a lump of shite after minimal contact in the last minute and robs us off two points, but then an identical challenge in the Leeds and Chelsea game a couple of days later is ignored? Yeah, why not.
Kane can cynically and dangerously wipe players out outside the box while they're in mid air, and actually win penalties for his team. A goalkeeper's heel can be millimetres off his line as he makes a penalty save, only for it all to be taken away as we've seen several times this season. Man Utd flop to the ground every game and win penalties.
There was a goal, I can't remember which one, but there was no hint of offside or a foul in the build up, (could've been Jota against West Ham), and I was just still sat there waiting for them to disallow it for some reason.
I'm not saying VAR is a conspiracy against us, it's just a complete and utter wildcard. A neutralizer. A chimp wielding a machine gun. Anything can happen, and now that it's in the game, I'm constantly on edge about what it's going to fuck up next. It's like an asteroid hurtling towards us, and it's going to wipe something out and ruin all the hard work, you just don't know when and where.
Anyway, I've done my own head in typing that out. There's more, but that's just basically what I could commit to the page at this point in time.