Is falling out of love with football possible?

Steve Coppell's resignation from Bristol City was surprising for me for one key reason. Aside from the fact he had been in charge for two games or announced his retirement, that is. When asked why he came to this decision, he said that he couldn't become passionate about the job.

Now, this is a successful coach who has experienced his best successes as manager of second-tier clubs pushing for promotion with a wealthy chairman's backing. Bristol City fits this bill perfectly. Plus he is given a rolling contract so does not have to commit long-term if results go bad, plus his yearly salary is likely to be around the million pound mark. He just signed England's world cup goalkeeper. Why on earth would you give that all up before even making a go of it?

The answer lies in the quote he gave. He just stopped caring.

This is a scary prospect to me. How can a high-profile manager, and ex-international footballer at that, come to the conclusion that they would rather be out of football than in it? This week has seen a number of professionals retiring from international football, but at least they have clubs to go back to. They say familiarity breeds contempt - but can professionals in the football business honestly suffer from the same malaise as teachers, bankers or plumbers? It's a fricking sport after all.

Examples of players retiring early are notably rare. Adriano made plans to quit football in 2009, Craig Bellamy claimed this was a possibility only last week. But neither came, or will come, to pass. Those who were forced to retire early, for example Dean Ashton last year, look straight away to pursue coaching careers. Even Kevin Keegan keeps popping up every couple of years, if only on ESPN.

The reasons for becoming disillusioned with football are various. It's been savagely commercialised, politicised and obsessed with tactics, media and technology. Simply playing the game almost seems secondary at times - and it's no wonder that many players retreat to lesser leagues in their autumn years simply to escape the pressure.

But play on they do. Look at David Beckham - a man under a sterner microscope than most, who will make himself available for England selection until the day he dies. Life without football would be a great deal easier for men like Beckham, Maradona, van Basten, but it isn't a choice they seem capable of making. In some cases it even keeps them alive.

In the lower leagues too - quitting entirely seems too much of a wrench. Gavin Strachan's recent blog on life in the football wilderness read like a prisoner on death row reminiscing about the smell of grass. These are people who commonly leave school far too young in order to pursue sporting greatness - where is there to go when the only life you ever knew starts to slip away? The enormous number of ex-pros becoming coaches, managers and analysts, even joining UEFA or FIFA - seems to provide the answer.

Ultimately, the modern day game will leave many wanting to walk away, but most will find the lure of the sport they gave their lives to remains too strong. One can only speculate as to what precisely is going through Steve Coppel's head at the moment - but I would be surprised if he doesn't realise what he is missing before too long.