[Albion] Club / England allegiances

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Went to every tournament from 1982 to 2006 where I finally lost interest. Loved going to England but weirdly it changed when the banning orders started. In the old days the lads who went while capable of much nastier levels of violence but at least knew how to conduct themselves in normal society. It was only when it went off that things got out of hand, the rest of the time things self policed themselves. In Germany, I saw absolute idiots throwing beer over normal Swedish fans including Women, bullying in Stuttgart of shoppers in the town centre and all sorts of snide behaviour. It disgusted me so much I stopped going.

The demographic of England's following has become significantly younger due to the banning orders and without some older heads enforcing at least some standards of behaviour the kids are running riot. Some of the incidents in Amsterdam would've been dealt with by the issuing of a well deserved slap previously now anything goes by the look of things.

Still club and country for me.

Yep, agree with all of that (My first tournament was also Spain in 82, but I stopped going after the Euros in 2000, with my favourite being Italia 90) As you say, it now seems lots of youngsters in their shorts and Gazelle training shoes, who, as we saw in Marseilles aren't really hooligans, just kids who can't handle their beer.

Club and Country for me too - just wish we had a National team to make us proud again.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

But to the question, I'd rather see England win the world cup in my lifetime than see Brighton stay in the Premier League this season. That may not answer the question though.

England winning the WC would be huge, and all of those in the 'passing interest' camp, would get right into it all, as the tournament progressed. It would be great.

I'd rather see Brighton win the FA Cup though. That would mean more to ME.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Club by a long way.

The media killed any joy left with England.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

I get swept up in Euro/WC fever the same week the competition starts. During the games I'm fully into it. I want us to win.

But for the 48 other weeks of the year.... I couldn't really care less.

 

[el punal]

Brighton and Hove Albion Albion are my heart and soul, England are just a passing interest come World Cup time.

Unfortunately it was never like this in days gone by. I used to follow England with a passion back in the 1970/80s. I went to Wembley to see the heartbreak draw against Poland in 1973 and miss out on the World Cup in Germany in 1974, and I'd booked a fortnight's holiday in anticipation!

So where did it all turn to rat shit? I suppose it was a combination of being embarrassed every time England played by the rampant hooliganism caused by Neanderthal tw*ts and rank poor performances by the team itself. There was the odd glimmer of hope and expectation and "maybe we can do it" in Italy in 1990 and the Euros in '96. Since then? Really, sod all. We have flattered to deceive, mainly because of our illustrious history, and in truth are now being turned over by teams who were cannon fodder thirty odd years ago. In other words we are no longer seen as the team to beat anymore - that honour remains with the likes of Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Argentina.

I am a patriotic soul and I do love all things English (British!) but there is a big void in me now concerning our national football team, of which I have little enthusiasm for and I can't see that attitude changing in the foreseeable future. So my true love and passion belongs to the Albion, parochial as that may be, but my God haven't they provided us with some incredible moments of excitement, drama, and joy over the years.

So as it stands, it's Team Club for me.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Club for me.
I have little interest in England these days, I watched the games in Brazil but the Wales game aside barely bothered with the last two Euro tournaments. The disillusionment began with abject failure of the spoilt brats of the 'golden generation' Terry, Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard etc. I just found some of the players difficult to get behind. Add in the boneheaded nature of some of our support (not all I must add) who do nothing for the reputation of our country by indulging in anti-social and boorish behaviour, the Amsterdam canal stuff was just a f**K*ng EMBARRASSMENT. I feel for those who do travel and don't act in this way, but actually show respect to their hosts and enjoy the opportunity to see the world whilst following the team.

Topping up the disillusionment with international football in general is FIFA. A morally bankrupt and corrupt institution that is more concerned with lining it's own pockets than furthering the interests of the game. After what Brazil has done for football they should have been paying that country to host the tournament rather than fleecing it. The award of the World Cup to Russia and in particular Qatar are nothing short of a disgrace that really should not have been allowed to stand.

I may well weaken and watch the World Cup this year, there are always some good stories during the tournament and I appreciate for the smaller countries it is a dream to finally to be able to compete and I respect that. I will not be cleaning my diary for it though.

As for this England team, they are a far less objectionable set of players, Southgate is at least trying to be progressive in his tactics and I think they should progress to the knockout stages at the very least. England may actually be watchable at this tournament.

 

[Weststander]

It was always England for me, but their inept campaigns/managers this century, finally made me a cynical England fan like many others.

 

[Giraffe]

I do think this team are a different crop. We do have some good younger players coming through and Southgate is dealing with them sensibly. I like the new formation and suddenly we don't look too slow and cumbersome at the back. The John Terry years were dreadful for slow old fashioned defending so i really like the three at the back approach with three solid and fast defenders.

 

[Mackenzie]

My enthusiasm for the national team is on the wane, I simply don’t like any of the players on our team or the way international football is governed.

 

[1892]

Got no feeling towards London FC in the slightest, really do not give a shit.

Find it hard to be passionate about a team that play their home games 6 hours away and most of the players are pricks.

 

[tronnogull]

Club by a long way.

Club football has consequences. Getting a result which guarantees staying in the football league or getting promoted to the Premier League brings overwhelming emotion. This is because it is a life changing event.
International games really have very little consequence. Win or lose, there is another tournament just about to get going with finals in two years.

After we missed promotion two years ago the Euros seemed completely and utterly unimportant........

 

[Brovion]

...

The worst possible outcome will be that some of the boozed up No Surrender brigade will come up against some professional hardnuts the way they did two years ago. There will be blood and there could be worse.

Actually there's a small part of me that hopes that all those 'flat track bulllies' who let us down in liberal, decent, Holland go to Russia and try the same thing there. See how our 3rd rate hooligans fare then.

 

[martin tyler]

England interests me once every 2 years when a tournament comes around but you don’t really have much hope. Just a fools hope we may do well. It’s in the summer and with no club football it’s better than nothing and it’s nice to watch a game feet up with a beer in the sun.
In reality club football is basically every week for 9 months of the year and becomes part of your DNA. Club football all day long.

 

[wellquickwoody]

There isn't a corner of this planet without an embarrassing English man, with or without football.

The football team (and our media) pooped the bed a long time ago.


Club.

Oh, fxxk me, another Mars supporter.............run!

 

[Napier's Knee]

Club. Despise the Brexit-fascists who support England and the band need to be killed.

 

[m20gull]

Sticking with the theme of what puts you off following the England team I have given my own position some more thought. I used to go to England matches in the early 80s and don't get depressed or embarrassed by the behaviour of the fans. I can see plenty of stupid behaviour at Albion matches and that doesn't put me off.

I think there are two things. For a long time the England team have just been uninspiring to watch. When the technical skills got better we have not kept up. So while we can sneak past San Marino or Luxembourg we never look like we stand a chance against one of the better sides. Throw in the recent abject performances at tournaments and I struggle to think of a reason to watch England. It doesn't help that English league football has changed. When I started the England team was the best footballers I had seen on Match of the Day playing together. You knew all of the names. Now I can see the England squad and not even know who they are, or who they play for.

 

[drew]

I don’t get this argument. Brighton were pretty crap in the past and there was certainly trouble at matches and yet that didn’t put you off supporting the Albion.

This. Some people seem to have a distorted view of what when on in the past.

Afraid for me it is country then club, but only just.

 

[Wozza]

Happy to glory-hunt for 90min during international tournaments - although, of course, it usually ends in tears.

Not interested in friendlies or routine qualifiers.

(Been to many tournaments in the past and always worked hard to avoid boorish England fans who are a magnet for trouble)

 

[wellquickwoody]

Club, first and foremost, always has been. But I have followed and travelled for England games and loved every minute of it. Football was tribal, it is changing and becoming FAR less interesting in the same breath.

I abhor the wages, the egos, the sense of entitlement that seems attached to being a professional 'footballer' in the modern age. Yes, some of them really are driven by the desire to win, to achieve, but most are driven by the desire for publicity, for money, for that really boxxocks modern term, respect! Get back to the beginning at school, most of kids see sport as their way out from joining the normal workforce, you know, the dull people like most of us in everyday jobs. Once they achieve some kind of recognition in soccer, as a youth/apprentice player they think that they are special and are deserving of a special life, and so it gets worse the further up the ladder that they progress.

England players in the main are average at best in world terms, but believe their own hype. I want to support England with the passion that I used to do, but cannot bring myself to adulate some of the toxxers that wear the shirt. In fact, I actually wish that I did not have any interest in footy at all, but you cannot turn off your passion after 40 odd years of supporting the Albion.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Club. We invest in the Albion, either emotionally or finically or both, most weeks and they reward us a lot of the time. When will England ever do anything to raise our spirits the way Albion did when they won promotion, beat Arsenal, brought back Bobby Z and Glenn?

England friendlies are the most dispiriting, empty exercises in futility it’s possible to imagine. Qualifying games are almost as bad. Okay, I’ll watch the World Cup games and hope we get through (although I’ll face a dilemma if we play Poland in the knockout stages). But I fear that both the players and too many of the travelling fans will embarrass us in front of the world once again.

The worst possible outcome will be that some of the boozed up No Surrender brigade will come up against some professional hardnuts the way they did two years ago. There will be blood and there could be worse.

I'm old enough to remember us winning the World Cup in 66, so yes, I've had the buzz from our national team. I also remember the heartache in 1970, when our team was knobbled, with false accusations of theft, food poisoning etc. They were afraid of us.

I can also remember when it has been more interesting to have a chat with friends than watch the dross that was playing on the pitch in blue & white stripes. Gallows humour certainly helped.

Forgive me, as I know your profession, but there are certains elements in the press, who love to build up our boys, to knock them down again in equal measure.