So let's spin this question another way. Is a club friendly capable of the excitement of a legitimate NT match?
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- Thread starter Zé Tahir
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This basically sums up my thoughts about football. 
THE FIVER'S STOP FOOTBALL CAMPAIGN TO STOP FOOTBALL
Tired, hungover and at the end of its tether, yesterday's Fiver realised how much the quality of all our lives would improve if we could STOP FOOTBALL, causing it to cease to exist altogether. We pointed out that we'd still have cricket and cycling and hurling and rugby and golf and snooker and darts and boules and that thing on Eurosport where blokes see who can bounce furthest down a ridiculously steep hill without getting crushed by the motorbike they've just been unseated from, but wouldn't have to deal with tedious drivel about England's Brave John Terry not going to Manchester City, Him being unveiled by Them, or Bristol City manager Gary Johnson hailing the capture of Scotland international Paul Hartley as "a great signing". We wouldn't have to worry about any of those things because football would be stopped. Forever.
We asked you to get behind our campaign and email us your reasons for wanting FOOTBALL STOPPED and you replied in your ... tens. Below are a selection of the more measured and less obscene responses, the pick of which is Tom Cullen's effort that was so funny it made the Fiver snort coffee out of our nose, even though we were drinking methylated spirits at the time. So, over to you ...
"I want football stopped so I don't have to listen to American pundits declaring that "THIS IS THE MOMENT IT ALL CHANGES" for football in the US (World Cup, MLS, Beckham coming, US in Confederations Cup Final, etc). Please make it stop ..." - Mike McGroarty.
"I'd love to see football stopped just so we can laugh at Them for having spent £180m on players this summer to play a sport that no longer exists" - Matt Corbishley.
"I support Southampton" - Martin Jones.
"As a devoted Newcastle United fan I would like to point out we already did it for the whole of last season. As usual, the Geordies innovate and you all imitate" - Tim Readman.
"The campaign has already begun in West Leeds. Here, the local team Farsley Celtic didn't pay a tax bill and as a result, will not be allowed to play in the Conference North next season. It appears that other clubs in the non-leagues will be following our example soon - small steps and all that" - Michael Hewitt.
"Two words: Sepp Blatter" - Rob McEvoy.
"Three words. Sky Sports News" - Robbie Swale.
"Finally someone with the balls to say what we've all been thinking. I would point out that the Championship has got the jump on the Fiver in its STOP FOOTBALL campaign. We haven't played any for years. Renegades like Swansea and Burnley have been dealt with. But games still take place, and I have to go. Therefore I urge the Fiver to STOP FOOTBALL on a world basis so I won't have to watch this rubbish any more" - Toby Jones.
"STOP FOOTBALL this instant, but ... nobody tell, like, Yeovil or someone. Yeah, let's all bully Yeovil. Let's let them think football is continuing as normal. Then, on Saturday 8 August, we can all sneak into Huish Park, where they'll be expecting to play Tranmere on the first day of the season. When they run out on to the pitch we can all point and laugh with our bellies and heckle them for thinking football still happens. 'Poor, stupid Yeovil,' we'll all shout. 'Football stopped ages ago!'" - Tom Cullen.
"STOP FOOTBALL so that Phil Brown's career ends abruptly and he is faced with two career options for which he looks the part: gynaecologist or circus ringmaster" - Jonathan Armstrong.
"I can no longer tolerate ordinary players of yesteryear watching TV monitors on a Saturday shouting out at every moment the ball gets within 50 yards of the goal. If punditry by Merson, Dixon, Le Tissier, Nicholas, Thompson et al is the end product of many an unfulfilled career, then surely it is time for football to be stopped" - Geoff Morrison.
"There's two kids living in my house. 'Dad', they call me. Where'd they come from? Free transfers? I should spend some time with them. STOP FOOTBALL" - Brian Cruickshank.
"The Big Cup 'anthem'. In fact, that whole bunch who took the best club competition in the world and turned it into a soulless, dead-eyed jamboree of interest only to corporate Europe and the kind of fool who thinks watching the same four clubs play each other all the ruddy time every year is top quality entertainment. Clive Tyldesley, for one. Are you are accepting donations? Putting up in local elections? I'll do everything and anything I can" - Jon Millard.
"I wish we had done this earlier, so I'd have gone through my youth enjoying social gatherings, loud music, mind-altering substances and the pursuit of women instead of playing Championship Manager. Let's do what we can to protect future generations from similarly wasting their time with such nonsense. STOP FOOTBALL now" - Timo Staudacher.
"Is the Fiver's attempt to STOP FOOTBALL just a cunning ruse dreamt up so that you don't have to bother thinking about funny things to write about in a tea-timely email every weekday? (Insert own joke about this happening a while ago)" - Andrew Riddell.
"If the Fiver succeeds in its admirable campaign to STOP FOOTBALL, may I be the first reader to propose that you then get behind a START BEING FUNNY campaign?" - Oliver Dennis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jul/07/the-fiver
THE FIVER'S STOP FOOTBALL CAMPAIGN TO STOP FOOTBALL
Tired, hungover and at the end of its tether, yesterday's Fiver realised how much the quality of all our lives would improve if we could STOP FOOTBALL, causing it to cease to exist altogether. We pointed out that we'd still have cricket and cycling and hurling and rugby and golf and snooker and darts and boules and that thing on Eurosport where blokes see who can bounce furthest down a ridiculously steep hill without getting crushed by the motorbike they've just been unseated from, but wouldn't have to deal with tedious drivel about England's Brave John Terry not going to Manchester City, Him being unveiled by Them, or Bristol City manager Gary Johnson hailing the capture of Scotland international Paul Hartley as "a great signing". We wouldn't have to worry about any of those things because football would be stopped. Forever.
We asked you to get behind our campaign and email us your reasons for wanting FOOTBALL STOPPED and you replied in your ... tens. Below are a selection of the more measured and less obscene responses, the pick of which is Tom Cullen's effort that was so funny it made the Fiver snort coffee out of our nose, even though we were drinking methylated spirits at the time. So, over to you ...
"I want football stopped so I don't have to listen to American pundits declaring that "THIS IS THE MOMENT IT ALL CHANGES" for football in the US (World Cup, MLS, Beckham coming, US in Confederations Cup Final, etc). Please make it stop ..." - Mike McGroarty.
"I'd love to see football stopped just so we can laugh at Them for having spent £180m on players this summer to play a sport that no longer exists" - Matt Corbishley.
"I support Southampton" - Martin Jones.
"As a devoted Newcastle United fan I would like to point out we already did it for the whole of last season. As usual, the Geordies innovate and you all imitate" - Tim Readman.
"The campaign has already begun in West Leeds. Here, the local team Farsley Celtic didn't pay a tax bill and as a result, will not be allowed to play in the Conference North next season. It appears that other clubs in the non-leagues will be following our example soon - small steps and all that" - Michael Hewitt.
"Two words: Sepp Blatter" - Rob McEvoy.
"Three words. Sky Sports News" - Robbie Swale.
"Finally someone with the balls to say what we've all been thinking. I would point out that the Championship has got the jump on the Fiver in its STOP FOOTBALL campaign. We haven't played any for years. Renegades like Swansea and Burnley have been dealt with. But games still take place, and I have to go. Therefore I urge the Fiver to STOP FOOTBALL on a world basis so I won't have to watch this rubbish any more" - Toby Jones.
"STOP FOOTBALL this instant, but ... nobody tell, like, Yeovil or someone. Yeah, let's all bully Yeovil. Let's let them think football is continuing as normal. Then, on Saturday 8 August, we can all sneak into Huish Park, where they'll be expecting to play Tranmere on the first day of the season. When they run out on to the pitch we can all point and laugh with our bellies and heckle them for thinking football still happens. 'Poor, stupid Yeovil,' we'll all shout. 'Football stopped ages ago!'" - Tom Cullen.
"STOP FOOTBALL so that Phil Brown's career ends abruptly and he is faced with two career options for which he looks the part: gynaecologist or circus ringmaster" - Jonathan Armstrong.
"I can no longer tolerate ordinary players of yesteryear watching TV monitors on a Saturday shouting out at every moment the ball gets within 50 yards of the goal. If punditry by Merson, Dixon, Le Tissier, Nicholas, Thompson et al is the end product of many an unfulfilled career, then surely it is time for football to be stopped" - Geoff Morrison.
"There's two kids living in my house. 'Dad', they call me. Where'd they come from? Free transfers? I should spend some time with them. STOP FOOTBALL" - Brian Cruickshank.
"The Big Cup 'anthem'. In fact, that whole bunch who took the best club competition in the world and turned it into a soulless, dead-eyed jamboree of interest only to corporate Europe and the kind of fool who thinks watching the same four clubs play each other all the ruddy time every year is top quality entertainment. Clive Tyldesley, for one. Are you are accepting donations? Putting up in local elections? I'll do everything and anything I can" - Jon Millard.
"I wish we had done this earlier, so I'd have gone through my youth enjoying social gatherings, loud music, mind-altering substances and the pursuit of women instead of playing Championship Manager. Let's do what we can to protect future generations from similarly wasting their time with such nonsense. STOP FOOTBALL now" - Timo Staudacher.
"Is the Fiver's attempt to STOP FOOTBALL just a cunning ruse dreamt up so that you don't have to bother thinking about funny things to write about in a tea-timely email every weekday? (Insert own joke about this happening a while ago)" - Andrew Riddell.
"If the Fiver succeeds in its admirable campaign to STOP FOOTBALL, may I be the first reader to propose that you then get behind a START BEING FUNNY campaign?" - Oliver Dennis.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jul/07/the-fiver
I particularly liked this one. My, how tedious the Champions League has become...
