THE late and great Bill Shankly was someone who not only had such belief in football, he was able to connect his passion with the supporters of Liverpool FC.

Indeed the character he generated went well beyond Merseyside.

One of his famous quotes “Some people think that football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them that it is much more important than that”.

Since those words were said football has gone through changes, some that have improved the fortunes of football.

Safer stadia is one advantage but I fear that the game of football has not always benefited from greater investment. Many players with great egos have limited or questionable talent but can command multi-million pounds contracts.

Despite the great support of many supporters the connection between the players and the fans is quite shallow. This is not good for football. The relationship between the club, its players and the fans is what it’s all about surely.

Recently, a supporter remarked to me that he would hardly recognise a player from his home team if they stood next to him.

Arguably, football has changed and it is more global. A different game but is it a better place?

Football passions might reveal themselves in hard fought cup games. The FA Cup still creates the dramas but I am not convinced that the Premier League or the Championship provides the entertainment value that its costs command.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe