Football's a Funny Game

[be-bop]

I laughed like a drain the other day when watching a report by the BBC news from the SNP conference they were asking delegates there whether in the upcoming World Cup would they be supporting England as Scotland failed to qualify (yet again).
Now whether the report was tongue in cheek or they were trying to get a headline about raving anti English feeling at the Conference I’m not sure but most of the reasons given were anything but anti English rhetoric.
Reasons from the media frenzy by the English press to the style and aggressive play of the current English team were given as to why Scots people would not support them in their current campaign and not once was the reason given that any of the Scots delegates “Hated the English” .
I remember when Andy Murray the tennis player got real stick by wearing a tee shirt at a previous competition that England football team had qualified for that had the letters A B E ( Anybody But England) and the Scots get grief for not having a sense of humour.
Now I’ll give you my take on why I won’t be supporting England
It’s nothing to do with the players or the team as football skill is to be praised and admired no matter what nationality or colour you are it’s the bloody media from tabloids to the TV coverage, the tabloids who stir up the great unwashed with the “ two world wars won” gung ho reporting and the biased TV commentaries and crass comments like “ England Expects” for Gods sake its a game of Football not the start of WW3.
The TV and press get themselves into a froth with the attitude that it’s England playing and we are better than everyone else and we have a God given right to win any competition we enter because we’re playing against Johnny Foreigner and they’re not like us.
When the inevitable happens and England get knocked out they can’t believe it and you get riots in Middle England and biased coverage on TV.
I remember in the last world cup when England has exited the commentators and pundits spent 30 minutes before the start of a game involving two other countries that had progressed further discussing England’s unfair exit and one of the presenters casually mentioned that they had better talk about the game they should have been covering.
It’s this attitude that puts Scots off supporting England, not Hatred of the English or the English people, sour grapes people say because Scotland haven’t qualified for a major tournament in decades no it’s the Scots are more pragmatic and we Know our limitations as a wee nation if we qualify it’s a party for two weeks until we get gubbed and knocked out.
So until the press and TV coverage calm down the situation won’t change much, So a cheer for the teams ABE you know it makes sense.

[Undertoad]

Last time, when England got knocked out, I asked my English counterpart at work if he would support the USA now. Might as well, you won't want Germany to win it, and after all we are you.

He said no chance.

Ian, I told him, I completely understand that.

Portugal 2018!!

[Griff]

I haven't even considered who to root for since our national embarrassment...

[sexobon]

Wear a tee shirt with the letters A B E on it; but, don't tell them the E is for Egypt.

[Squawk]

I don't follow football very much, but I believe it to be a game of two halves.

[Griff]

I guess I'll root Iceland. There is a Brazilian in my house this morning so we'll throw them in. Maybe toss in Croatia since I saw 10 minutes of them yesterday.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Wait to see who wins then root for the retroactively.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Squawk

I don't follow football very much, but I believe it to be a game of two halves.

At the end of the day, it's the score that counts

[monster]

me:

England #1.

then USA.

Then Wales, Scotland, NI not necessarily in that order

Cameroon

any underdog.


I do believe you should support your "local" team. But there's nothing more joyful than an underdog victory. Fortunately for me those things sometimes coincide. And yes, Man City over Man United, Birmingham City over AV.

[Elspode]

So...football with a round ball? Cuz football with that oblong thing here in KC is just a 50+ year source of sports fan pain...

[Griff]

Watching the Belgium Tunisia replay this morning. I could get behind Belgium, they play a tight classy game and Lokuku!

[Griff]

Won't someone talk about Germany / Sweden? Cuz holy fuck what a game.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Soccer...

[Griff]

It's time to enforce hockey rules, 5 minute major for embellishment. I only saw it misapplied once... turned out to be a concussion, oops.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Most penalty shots take one second to reach the goal so the defender has to move before the kick.
Success of penalty shots...