Whilst I feel much as Paul does, I think footballs ruling body Fifa must also shoulder some blame for the loss of appeal that the game is suffering by constantly tinkering with the rules and how they are interpreted.
English football used to be lauded for it's 'cut and thrust' action. Fifa seems to be doing all it can to make the game a non contact sport, taking away what made our football a great spectacle. It seems as most fouls now receive a yellow card.
'Get into 'em, Get into 'em' - sorry, it's just not allowed anymore.