Why I hate international football

Anyone remember Charlotte Church’s recent apearence in the 6 nations? She was on TV so much I thought she was playing.... insert position here.

Anyway, add to your list Kevin, commentators referring about the history of playing at Wembley, as if the demolition of said holy ground, and the erecting of the world’s largest restaurant and bar with football pitch attached was a seemless transition. A shining example of football selling its soul.

Oh, and England wearing an all white kit? No, no, no. Where are the blue shorts?

Oh, and I just don’t care about England. Half the squad play for teams your wouldn’t inform that they have too much ice on the wings of their plane. Was there ever a time when England players were so disliked? Terry, Gerrard, Cole, Rooney, Lampard, Ferdinand etc etc etc...

All the players rate CL as more important, at least they show that in their performances. Too often, England games are drab, and they do just enough to get picked again the following game. This has changed slightly under Copello, so at least now in a major tournament they won’t be too scared to go out and win.

Other than that, I just don’t care about them. Croatia knocking them out at Wembley was beautiful. As for the World Cup, I’m going for the other home nations and the Eastern Europeans with their jazzy anthems.

Shame, I used to love England...

I support... Greece cos of O N-John and cos their white with blue second strip in the bees’ knees; and any national side (bar Ing-er-land) with a Blue in it.

Working in Essex, I get called Traitor! Scouse git! etc; stuff ’em.

When Jack Rodwell inevitably gets awarded his first call-up, I dread that rather than being proud of, and pleased for him, I fear that that will be the beginning of the end of his Everton career. So England can piss off for that reason too..

Bring on the fuckin’ Blues!!! Good article..

Even as a spectator sport I don’t think football compare’s to other sports. As I said, I wouldn’t watch Man Utd v Chelsea if I was paid, but I wouldn’t miss the tour or a televised rugby game.

"Hung around on the corner by Queens of Martyrs with my hands down my pants. Went up the Dog and Gun and buzzed off the smackhead with one leg. Shagged a granny once cos no one else would, etc....."

At least then, we can see a match where two teams we don’t see every week may give us some good old endeavour played at an entertaining level rather than watching Rooney mouthing obscenities to the TV cameras and John Terry and Lampard leading an organised harassment of the referee when something does not go their way.

Gerry: I really love cycling. Me and about 7 or 8 mates go out most weeks and we get exercise, to enjoy the beautiful Kent countryside, some pub stops, and a great cameraderie. We don’t usually do 52 miles though, more like 25/30, but we got carried away today! Professional cyclists are super-fit (you have to be to go up those hills and get 50mph out of a bike on the flat) and put many footballers (although not all, our own Tim Cahill is clearly somebody who looks after himself and is humble with it - what an irony with an Aussie teaching us manners! :) ) to shame.

The most worrying feature of the England set up is the ease with which Everton players who break into the team are then spirited away from Goodison: Lineker, Stevens, Steven, Keown, Barmby, Rooney, Lescott... is this the result of dressing room chit-chat... or is it something more sinister?

Who was the last Everton player who was regularly selected to play for England? Ball? Wilson? Latchford (with his modest clutch of caps)? Moreover, look at those recently who have broken into the team (apart from Lescott): Jagielka (one slip in a friendly against Spain and that’s your England career over, mate).

Forget about the errors of lesser players in important games in the advanced stages of international competitions, who were then selected with horrifying inevitability until they were past it...) and Johnson (never the same player for Everton after his call-ups... where Rooney snubbed him at every opportunity).

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Everton and England don’t mix... any more. This has completely alienated me from England, but all the other things you mention have only exacerbated my feelings. International football? Pah!

Australia’s games are just as important as any other nations. They actually played a friendly this weekend and Tim Cahill was nowhere to be seen as he didn’t play because the Australian manager told him to stay at home!

I can understand your negativity towards the England team as they are a joke, any team that is playing Emile Heskey up front as a serious option are gonna be found wanting when it matters.

I’m not sure what you mean about Hampden — Scotland (and Ireland) have always had fantastic away support. All those guys with Hoops shirts — I’d guess that they are Irish guys who support Celtic and not Scots coming to support Ireland.

Anyway, we digress. My point was that, in most countries, country comes before club. That goes not just for small countries but also for "big" countries (like Italy, Germany) with strong club traditions.

Why this is, I’m not sure. Might a good thesis subject for someone!

My favourite was from a shite fan who ended with "....anyway, my national team is Liverpool", to which I replied "So you’re Spanish then?" For some reason he failed to see the humour in my remark!

As for those countries who don’t play over the winter, they’d have to take a five- or six-week break in their league schedules, starting three weeks earlier than they normally do and finishing three weeks later than normal.

The benefits are several:

1. If a player gets injured (not majorly), he’s only lost to the club or national team, depending on when the injury occurred;

2. No "club vs country" rows and no players jetting halfway around the world for a meaningless game (i.e. Cahill);

3. National teams stay together for weeks at a time, building far better team cohesiveness.

Tim Welsh, Steven and Stevens left because they were tapped up on international duty, so which Rangers player did the tapping up? Of course they didn’t leave because they where ambitious young men who wanted to play in Europe, which was never going to happen at Everton. That would just be silly.

As for Lineker, he went to play for Barca, on the biggest stage in the world; you never hear Liverpool players complain that Rush was tapped up before his move to Juve. Some players just want to play in more than one country; it's called "experiencing all that life has to offer"...

As for Rooney, his leaving had nothing to do with the fact that Moysey wouldn’t let him be a prima donna. DM expected him to have the same work ethic as everyone else in the club, but Spud Head felt he was better than the rest and wanted recognition for it. That caused friction and when Stretford came round offering big bucks and fame at Old Trafford, he quit. I guess it was easier than toughing it out under DM.

Steven Green, you want all of our players to play over the summer so that they don’t get a break, that’ll improve the quality of football during the season when they are knackered. What about the non-European players in the squad? Do we just accept that they will be absent several times a season and get on with it? Why do you think everything should be arranged to suit the Europeans? — a bit unfair on the rest of the world.

Nick, please don’t tell me you hate international football because of the money. Small ticket allocations, FA Cup Final, extortionate fees for tv rights, Premier League, football on available to watch on Sky, Premier League again... I take it you are going to stop supporting Everton for those same reasons then?

Roger, you prefer the intelligent Columbians who shoot their players then? What about the really sweet Dutch fans? — they never get into fights... Or the Italians? — just as bad. You are ignoring the truth to further your arguments. A small minority of fans in every country are trouble, but you don’t judge everyone based on that.

Of course, as a Northern Ireland fan (and incidently a Republic of Ireland follower too — I was at the World Cup in 1990 and 1994), I really look forward to the international games. And there have been some unforgettable nights at Windsor Park in recent years when we beat Spain 3-2 (cracker of a match), Sweden 2-1, Denmark 2-1, Poland 3-2 and of course England 1-0.

As a result, interest in the international team here is at an all time high — you have to book and pay for the home matches on block for all the qualifiers to get a seat at all.

It has to be said, however, that support for the Northern Ireland team comes by and large from one section of the community and unfortunately there are many understandable reasons for this, which I’ll not go into, but which any of you who know anything about Northern Ireland and its poltics will appreciate. The shameful booing of Neil Lennon for example, was motivated by darker factors than a general dislike, which seems to be the reason for the unpopularity of say, Frank Lampard, who is booed at some England games.

So I suppose the point I’m trying to make is that there are profound historical and political reasons why not everyone in Northern Ireland supports its international team, whereas in England it’s something different.

And I can’t help feeling that it’s symptomatic to some extent of the PC society which exists there, with Nationalism/Patriotism no longer fashionable and generally frowned upon by the mainstream, with the ’defence’ of English culture and heritage now claimed by far right elements such as the BNP. I can only speak as an outsider looking in, and may be well off the mark and hope I haven’t offended any of you in the process.

Anyway, I have rambled off the point to some extent. Why do I like International football?

Because for me it is the last link the game has, at the highest level, to its origins. Even the grossly overpaid England footballers still pull on the shirt for national pride and prestige first and foremost. Sure, they get paid for playing for England, but they don’t need the money. The exposure maybe, but I’d like to think it’s for national pride primarily.

And you can’t raid the transfer market for players. You’re stuck with what you’ve got, just like the local pub or our street against your street down the park.

Perhaps this a romantic view of the international game, but for me it’s still the highest level you can play football at, and come next year’s World Cup finals, there will be the usual madness and Nationalistic nonsense, with swathes of England resembling a Loyalist estate in Belfast. And everyone will be going nuts if England do well.

And who knows, maybe we’ll have a few other home countries there and if that’s the case, as Kevin Keegan would say: "l’d love it"...

Remember Mexico ’86? The whole country knew who Robson had to select, but it was only when ’he’ had no option that he chose some Everton players (and Beardsley). This started it for me.

The FA seem to have a problem with Everton. If you dig back a bit further... pick Latchford but not the person who gave him more assists than anyone else — Dave Thomas. Put Peter Barnes in instead!!!!

Dave Thomas had the start of an England career when he was at QPR. He came to Everton and that was that. Likewise Martin Dobson.

As I say ’it’s all speculation’, but when you stand back and look at the big picture, there does seem to be a pattern. I have always said that when we buy a player who has been capped by England, that once they pull on a blue shirt it will be the end of their England career (Tony Cottee?). It also seems that when an Everton player pulls on a white shirt then it spells the end of their Everton career.

Speculation... That’s all.

You know the dickheads, face painted ’for a laugh’... St George car flag... usually got their bird in tow who has also just took an interest in football.

Give me domestic football anyday and fuck these international breaks off, especially the friendlies, an it spoils the footy coupon.

Representing your country should be an honour; as bad as it is to see overpaid players not achieving the weight of expectation from the nation’s media, it’s a shame this country’s are seemingly never satisfied and only hope to congratulate themselves for not caring the minute that their dreams are not met.

However, from my point of view I get right behind England in sports like Rugby Union/League, Cricket, even the English golfers get my support — it’s just the England football team that draw my derision. I’ve explained why above... in my very tongue-in-cheek article.

When we do qualify for a major tournament, I don’t miss a second and watch every game, whether we’re involved or not.

I’ll tell you what though; hand on heart I’d rather see Everton beat Liverpool in a meaningless league match than watch England win the World Cup. I’ve seen Everton win cups and league championships... non of that beats the feeling I get when we turn Liverpool over...

Everton came rock bottom with I think less than 1%...... that made me extremely proud! Inverted scouse snobbery if you like.

If you want reasons, I suggest you research Liverpool’s history and ethnicity as the least English of cities. The same reason why it and its inhabitants have consistently and habitually been castigated by all and sundry from this "green and pleasant land". So, why should we feel any affiliation, false patriotism or even an affinity for the beauts who follow them?

I don’t remember any of them rallying around for us when the place was going down the pan; far from it, they all gleefully rubbed our noses in it at every opportunity!

As far as the "minority" of loons who follow England, you obviously weren’t at the "friendly" game in Dublin a few years back... it was like a nazi rally!

You also conveniently forget the numerous tournaments they have rampaged through over the decades, long before others decided to join in... thankfully they haven’t always qualified or no doubt there would have been more incidents to taint us all with!

Incidentally, I may be going to the World Cup next year, but doubt I’ll take any England games in unless Brazil or Spain are the opposition perhaps.