[Football] Why am I still not excited about England?

[m@goo]

Football is a good escape from some of the shite that goes on in life.

Of course. But I can separate the Albion from everything else, especially this country. Whereas supporting England isn't like supporting your club, it's supporting your country and being proud of what it is. Yes I know it's full of great people that have done and are doing great things especially in science and the care sector so maybe I should be supporting England because of them, not the absolute shysters in charge?

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

I think I've realised the reason, or at least part of the reason.

It's this f*cking country itself. It's the utter shambles and bare faced hypocrisy and corruption of the people in charge of this country that has made me despise it and therefore feel very little patriotism towards my national team.

It's a country full of small minded, bigoted racists run by small minded, bigoted racists.

It is not full, far from it, but there are far too many and it's growing, seems to have really increased over the past 10 years or so and social media stuff, it saddens me greatly.
Regarding England, I am starting to get some feeling back, we have some great young talent and we have seen them grow through U21 etc and they seem to be really playing for the country at last.
We seem to be doing a Greece or Portugal this time, the quality has been quite poor but we are improving every match and you can only play the team put in front of you.
It does seem that Denmark are a good side but I would not say a great side, I think we can win if we put in the same level or better our performance.
All I want to do is support a team that is trying and playing for the shirt and this seems to be the case.
To say it is not cool is ridiculous and I still do not think that Southgate is the best man for the job but if he is installing this new belief and we keep winning then obviously he is.
Right behind England on Wednesday but we need to get to the final to get the negative folk, like me,back on track after years of dissapointing crap.

 

[DJ NOBO]

Italia '90 I really thought we had momentum to win with a quite superb team but dreams were crushed in Turin, Euro '96 we grew in that tournament but we met our nemesis and again were crushed.

This team have momentum and look good, it feels good as well but having seen the dream disappear I am enjoying it for what it is, however, two semi-finals in two consecutive major tournaments is no fluke.

Euro 2004 was the one. What a team that was, on paper at least.
It’s incredible we haven’t reach a final over the past 40 years when you look at which European countries have won a trophy.
It feels like we are long overdue, but of course it doesn’t work like that.

 

[Goldstone1976]

In football terms, it ranks like this for me:

1. The Albion stay up
2. The Albion win a cup (FA for preference)
3. The Albion get into Europe
4. England win the Euros
5. Palace get relegated
6. The Albion finish anywhere between 17th and Europe
7. England win the semi

England have done well to get as far as we have (I really thought we'd lose against Ukraine), but I won't lose too much sleep in we lose the semi. I'd probably lose more sleep if we lost the final.

TL;DR? I want England to do well, but the Albion is far more important to me.

 

[DJ NOBO]

Italia '90 I really thought we had momentum to win with a quite superb team but dreams were crushed in Turin, Euro '96 we grew in that tournament but we met our nemesis and again were crushed.

This team have momentum and look good, it feels good as well but having seen the dream disappear I am enjoying it for what it is, however, two semi-finals in two consecutive major tournaments is no fluke.

Euro 2004 was the one. What a team that was, on paper at least.
It’s incredible we haven’t reach a final over the past 40 years when you look at which European countries have won a trophy.
It feels like we are long overdue, but of course it doesn’t work like that.
The good thing is that the players won’t feel the baggage that us fans do. Most of the them weren’t even born in 1996.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I'm not as excited as previous tournaments but I think that's down to two things

1. My age and the number of tournaments I have seen and been ultimately disappointed in have meant that I try to hold my optimism in check.

2. As in the Albion second half of the season, there seems to be a new found professionalism about the way England are going about their job which tends to offset a lot of my normal anxiety.

I'm still thoroughly enjoying it, believe we have a great squad both in terms of skill and the level of maturity and responsibility being shown by a lot of young lads, and my optimism levels are increasing.

All we need is to go a goal down, or a man sent off, and my anxiety levels will also be addressed

 

[Simster]

I still maintain that Brexit has a lot to do with why I'm not excited although I see some NSC Brexiteers on here feel the same sort of lethargy, so maybe it isn't that. The players and manager have been a credit to the country for the large part and the lack of pot-bellied pissed-up twats has been a breath of fresh air, all of which has helped me feel less embarrassed about being English.

 

[zefarelly]

I am walking alongside the Band Wagon but I have yet to get on board…

This. Asides getting older and the reasons already said, I think the emotional roller coaster of watching BHA the last few seasons has taken it's toll, Ingurland just isn't that important by comparison.

The Denmark game is a proper test, they're doing well and will not give up.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I'm in two minds about the whole thing.

First, it's especially satisfying to see the England team continue win while taking the knee and defying all the haters and the racists who wilfully refuse to accept the squad's stated reasons for doing it. And exposing the hypocrisy of the Johnsons and Patels as they now tweet their love for the team having earlier indicated their support for those who jeered and booed them.

But second, I think Albion being in the Premier League has changed my attitude to so much in football, and not for the better. When we were in the Football League, I used to enjoy it when a club near the bottom got one over on a club challenging for the title. But now I can only see results in relation to their effect on us. Fulham winning at Anfield would have gladdened my heart five years ago, but last season it depressed me for days.

And I think I now also see England through an Albion prism. To me, the squad is made up of Albion's opponents and full of players we've often disparaged and despised on here. The cheating Kane and Maguire, the diving Grealish, the mediocre Mings whose presence ahead of Dunk still rankles, and makes me dislike Southgate for his Dunk-sixed blind spot, I admit it's pathetic, but I can't put all those resentments aside. Luckily big Bob is unlikely to be in the Spain goal if England play them in the final, but I think I'd be seriously conflicted if he was. Maybe I just need Ben White to get some minutes and it'll all be fixed.

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

In football terms, it ranks like this for me:

1. The Albion stay up
2. The Albion win a cup (FA for preference)
3. The Albion get into Europe
4. England win the Euros
5. Palace get relegated
6. The Albion finish anywhere between 17th and Europe
7. England win the semi

England have done well to get as far as we have (I really thought we'd lose against Ukraine), but I won't lose too much sleep in we lose the semi. I'd probably lose more sleep if we lost the final.

TL;DR? I want England to do well, but the Albion is far more important to me.

1.England win the Euros

The rest can wait

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

For me, it's a matter of contrasting affinity to club as opposed to country.

Then there's all that horrific England baggage - Massed St George's flags [racists!]. Booing other countries' anthems [cretins!]. Spontaneously singing the UK's dreary national anthem during an England game. [Why?]

Hence, for me, the Albion are forever 'we', whereas England – however successful – can only ever be 'they'.

 

[A1X]

Been burned too many times before. Don't fancy going through all of that again.

 

[Weststander]

Thanks mate. I do read back my posts and compare to others and do think I manage to call a lot right. There’s prob 30% in that bracket on here who are level headed enough not to make bold statements. The Welbeck thread is a good example. Fine to have worries about fitness etc but to write ‘no way he’s shit and always injured’ - black and white without research - can make you look a bit silly when he does well etc…

Ditto ….. Lallana.

Class is permanent, they just needed to get over niggles, match fit and given a run of starts.

 

[Mellotron]

Seriously, if you can't actually enjoy what England are doing this summer, you might as well just give up.

This. It's absolutely fantastic, I don't want to sound patronising but I genuinely feel sorry for anyone unable to enjoy it. It doesn't get better than this, England-wise.

 

[DavidRyder]

I do want England to win the Euros. But I've found, watching at home, on my own (wife vacates to another TV), with no-one to share the experience, I haven't flinched one bit when any of our goals have gone in.

 

[Commander]

This. It's absolutely fantastic, I don't want to sound patronising but I genuinely feel sorry for anyone unable to enjoy it. It doesn't get better than this, England-wise.

Same. It's absolutely bizarre.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Still not fussed in the slightest about England. I watched the game on Saturday, but only because I was out with a group of mates who were all into it.

I LOVE the Albion, but England just leave me cold. Clearly it is an alien concept to a lot of people (including my family), but it is what it is. I have no connection with the players, I've never seen them live and I hate the bandwagon jumping done by politicians and people who ordinarily don't give a shite about football.

However, from what I've seen, they do seem to be playing well, so I'm pleased for the England fans. Personally, I can't really contain my indifference

 

[m@goo]

I do want England to win the Euros. But I've found, watching at home, on my own (wife vacates to another TV), with no-one to share the experience, I haven't flinched one bit when any of our goals have gone in.

This might also be partly my issue. I've only been able to watch the Ukraine game with others and even that one was muted as the result was fully expected.

Also, where are all the England flags? In years gone by the cars and streets would be covered in them if we'd reached a semi-final.

 

[vagabond]

This. It's absolutely fantastic, I don't want to sound patronising but I genuinely feel sorry for anyone unable to enjoy it. It doesn't get better than this, England-wise.

[emoji106]

 

[Icy Gull]

This. It's absolutely fantastic, I don't want to sound patronising but I genuinely feel sorry for anyone unable to enjoy it. It doesn't get better than this, England-wise.

You may not want to sound patronising...but you do!!

Why would you feel sorry for people who are fanatical football fans but don't feel the same way about England. Just enjoy it, don't waste energy feeling sorry (really, you feel sorry? ) for people who don't share your enthusiasm.

It's like me feeling sorry for people who don't like nice cars, just because I do, complete waste of time and pointless. Live and let live