The FA Barclaycard Vanityship

I had the pleasure of attending a League One match a few weeks ago, Southampton vs Millwall, the day before the Community Shield. What a contrast those two games were, and I don't mean in terms of technical ability. Top level football is changing, people will maintain it changed years ago, but I think it's more apparent now than ever.

The soap opera that is the Premier League, is full of young millionaire celebrities... Oh I mean athletes sorry! We live in an age of Twitter, Heat Magazine and WAGS. Footballers are celebrities, models and host their own TV programmes. In the Carling Cup Final last season there were huge pictures of Harry Redknapp and Alex Ferguson adorning each end of Wembley. Images of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand were on the advertising boards before the Community Shield. Football is turning into Phil Brown's ultimate wet dream.

I'm afraid football is not about individuals Phil, it's about the clubs and the fans who lend their fantastic unwavering support. That's why my recent League One experience was so refreshing, it was a great game with local lads in each team, no pictures of Alan Pardew or Neil Harris were to be seen. Both set's of fans were superb and there were no corporate cling-ons who don't even like football. It really was how football is supposed to be.

In this months edition of FourFourTwo, Leeds fan James Brown talks about how life in the lower leagues isn't too bad at all. "Football at this level feels more like football and less like going to the pictures". There is a certain charm about going to places like Yeovil and Hereford, football is football there, it's not about anything else. There is not a prawn sandwich in sight. After all of this, it begs the question; Is the Premier League really the holy grail? Your club goes through drastic changes upon achieving promotion, it starts to become less of a football club.