[Football] Pride in your country

[Stat Brother]

What a pleasure to have a proper team, not a bunch of overentitled, overrated 'PL superstar' smegbuckets.

From little acorns.

 

[Ernest]

We need a poem

People feel BAD enough as it is

 

[attila]

Exactly, I felt 100 times more pleasure when we beat Arsenal and Man U than any England wins

Normally I'd agree 100%. I am certainly far less pissed off this morning than, say, when we didn't beat Middlesbrough, and an England World victory would still have been eclipsed by the Hereford draw for me.
But I felt a different atmosphere in the country this time, responding to a different team and a different management style, far more realistic - like we Albion fans are - and that was great. Shame we couldn't have won it.

 

[Langley]

Felt as though many had given up on England. The last few weeks have put some pride back in supporting England. For me a WC win would still surpass everything and that includes the Albion

Not for me Nicko, Club before Country in footballing terms, although it would make me rethink if an Albion player was in the team.

 

[sydney]

I think the pride in the country, the pride in the flag, and the unity felt have been an ENORMOUS bonus from all of this.

I'm sick and tired of the St. Georges cross, and any pride in our nation being taken as meaning you are some sort of right wing, EDL, Tommy Robinson nutter. Phrases like "little englander" drive me insane.

To be a proud Englishman, to display a St. Georges cross, should not automatically make people think of racism and xenophobia, but that is where we are at times. This World Cup has brought back a completely different feel. Forget politicians rowing about this that and the other it is GARETH SOUTHGATE and his united band of humble, classy individuals who have worked fantastically as a team, that has delivered this sea change.

Long may it last.

couldn't agree more ....you don't have to be a far right nutter to be proud of the flag and your country of birth......being made to feel guilty for being a proud Englishman/woman/person and this whole pc issue is severely damaging the social fabric of our country ....imho

 

[Eeyore]

couldn't agree more ....you don't have to be a far right nutter to be proud of the flag and your country of birth......being made to feel guilty for being a proud Englishman/woman/person and this whole pc issue is severely damaging the social fabric of our country ....imho

Totally agree. But it's the nutters that have stopped folk from being comfortable with it.

 

[luppers]

Well played England,young team who did their best. Silly point well done to all the posters who have called our flag the Union Flag, not the Union Jack!

 

[sydney]

Normally I'd agree 100%. I am certainly far less pissed off this morning than, say, when we didn't beat Middlesbrough, and an England World victory would still have been eclipsed by the Hereford draw for me.
But I felt a different atmosphere in the country this time, responding to a different team and a different management style, far more realistic - like we Albion fans are - and that was great. Shame we couldn't have won it.

we scored too early and i think our current crop of lads lack the guile to go all the way , the Euro's and next world cup will be interesting , i was really proud of the team but thought they would struggle against Croatia who despite having a comparatively minuscule male population to choose players from have some ridiculous footballing pedigree , i really think there was no shame in loosing to them.

 

[Stato]

Some football fan 'snobs' got all upset about non-football bods jumping on the bandwagon, the more the merrier I thought, it was driving the momentum.

It was the merry ones that got me down. What were all these young people doing? They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Football is certainly not about shared enjoyment. It's about stress, worry, paranoia and despair. They'll learn.

 

[vegster]

I heard of a girl in Hove wearing a Croatia shirt getting punched in the face last night, sad that the knuckle-draggers are still around.

 

[Icy Gull]

I heard of a girl in Hove wearing a Croatia shirt getting punched in the face last night, sad that the knuckle-draggers are still around.

Pretty sad that it comes as no surprise too

 

[alfredmizen]

I think the pride in the country, the pride in the flag, and the unity felt have been an ENORMOUS bonus from all of this.

I'm sick and tired of the St. Georges cross, and any pride in our nation being taken as meaning you are some sort of right wing, EDL, Tommy Robinson nutter. Phrases like "little englander" drive me insane.

To be a proud Englishman, to display a St. Georges cross, should not automatically make people think of racism and xenophobia, but that is where we are at times. This World Cup has brought back a completely different feel. Forget politicians rowing about this that and the other it is GARETH SOUTHGATE and his united band of humble, classy individuals who have worked fantastically as a team, that has delivered this sea change.

Long may it last.

im sick and tired of people using tommy robinson as an example of a "right wing nutter" without really knowing anything about him

 

[Bold Seagull]

im sick and tired of people using tommy robinson as an example of a "right wing nutter" without really knowing anything about him

offended on behalf of someone else. who knew.

 

[portlock seagull]

I heard of a girl in Hove wearing a Croatia shirt getting punched in the face last night, sad that the knuckle-draggers are still around.

Far worse overseas. We’re pretty much more tolerant than any other country in the world.

 

[Blues Rock DJ]

I don't think that's it, you look at Wembley for any of the '66 games, and there are plenty of flags but people bought Union flags. I wasn't there, but I think in '66 most Englishmen associated themselves as British, and therefore waved the British flag. I think that has stayed the case until the last 2 decades or so, and perhaps coupled with the political devolution of power, it has changed. Prior to that the only people waving a St George's Cross were the far right and the nationalists.

could be right, I was there for the France (I think) match, didn't really notice tbf, because without social media, there wasn't such furore !

 

[um bongo molongo]

It is an evolving thing with regards to national identity, Mexico '86 and Italia '90 were still more union flags than St George's, not until Euro'96 there is a swing toward the cross, and in my lifetime the first time ordinary people appeared to say that the St George's Cross is no longer the symbol of the right and the hooligans, we're taking it back, and you're right, with Scotland in our group at Euro '96, it probably did encourage that identity association.

This is exactly as I remember it (I was 19 at Euro 96) - it had been Union flags up to then but we drew Scotland so that made no sense, people went with st george vs the saltire and then after the euphoria of the tournament (which I still remember as more hysterical than this time - which may be age/nostalgia, a reflection of a home tournament or just the fact that we really could and should have won it) it seemed instantly "reclaimed" from the right wing nutters

 

[cunning fergus]

This is exactly as I remember it (I was 19 at Euro 96) - it had been Union flags up to then but we drew Scotland so that made no sense, people went with st george vs the saltire and then after the euphoria of the tournament (which I still remember as more hysterical than this time - which may be age/nostalgia, a reflection of a home tournament or just the fact that we really could and should have won it) it seemed instantly "reclaimed" from the right wing nutters

Hmmm, do you not think devolution in Scotland and Wales (as delivered by Tony B) has anything to do with the relatively recent emergence of the SGC as a symbol for English people? Since this time Salmond and Sturgeon have skillfully become a divisive construct in the broader view of what the British has become.

Further in these days of multi culturalism where British citizenship is available to any Tom, Dick or Mohamed it would appear to follow that many Scots, Welsh and English would revert to their historic reference points.

I think Euro 96 is a minor detail.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Hmmm, do you not think devolution in Scotland and Wales (as delivered by Tony B) has anything to do with the relatively recent emergence of the SGC as a symbol for English people? Since this time Salmond and Sturgeon have skillfully become a divisive construct in the broader view of what the British has become.

Further in these days of multi culturalism where British citizenship is available to any Tom, Dick or Mohamed it would appear to follow that many Scots, Welsh and English would revert to their historic reference points.

I think Euro 96 is a minor detail.

I don’t actually disagree with you and mentioned political devolution earlier in the thread, but Euro96 was massive, and first time we saw the nation flooded with the SGC, a year before Blair was elected; so not a minor detail.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Totally agree. But it's the nutters that have stopped folk from being comfortable with it.

I'll flip that around. 1970s to 1996 we were never comfortable with it. I only ever saw it as part of the violent youth far right contingent. It was the flag of the British Movement and the National Front. You knew exactly what you were getting when you saw it on an item of clothing or a badge.

When I stuck my flag up in the window of my house for the football in 96, I did it with defiance, and I got 'looks'. I felt like I was reclaiming my flag, and I was very pleased to do so - but it was a very strange feeling at first.

That has all changed now. I never have to explain myself any more. I'd be surprised if anyone of centre or centre left predilections had reservations about venerating our flag these days. And ironically the right wing nobbers now tend to use more 'international' symbols of facism rather than hijack our English flag as they did back in the day.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

This is exactly as I remember it (I was 19 at Euro 96) - it had been Union flags up to then but we drew Scotland so that made no sense, people went with st george vs the saltire and then after the euphoria of the tournament (which I still remember as more hysterical than this time - which may be age/nostalgia, a reflection of a home tournament or just the fact that we really could and should have won it) it seemed instantly "reclaimed" from the right wing nutters

Exactly