The problem now is there's a lot more arrogant players that play for the big 4 that we hate. How can you support Terry, Ferdinand, Lampard, Gerrard, Cole, Lescott, Rooney and Barry — when we hate them every time they play against us —just because they play for England?

I support Everton Players and hope Stevie P or anyone else who plays for Everton can lift the cup.

I feel the same way, although it is since Euro 2004 that I have felt that way.

The way that Rooney was taken away still leaves a bad taste... but, more than anything else, I have to say that I don’t actually like the players that play for England. These fine upstanding people include:

Ashley "I have a beautiful successful wife and yet I like pulling slappers" Cole;
Rio "Too good for Drugs tests" Ferdinand;
Wayne "let me kiss my Manure badge in front of the Street End after shagging some grannies" Rooney,
Stevie "Diving, Jury conning" Gerrard,
Gareth "I thought I wanted CL football, but actually all I wanted was a barrowload of cash" Barry;
John "I’ll park my fucking Bentley in a disabled space in Esher High St" Terry;
Frank "Thanks Mum — for making me a mercenary bastard" Lampard;
David "I'm so into myself, I’ll play NFL and model posing pouches" James,
Gary "I hate Scousers" Neville,
Carlton "Spit Roast, Drunk Driver" Cole...

What a pile of steaming shite! I can’t identify with these people, I don’t want my kids identifying with them, I don’t like seeing top fellas like Jags and Bainesy in their company (after Lescott), and I couldn’t give a toss if they win or lose.

Was I the only one pleased I was unable to watch them put in minimal effort (how predictable) and lose yesterday? When you add in the sizeable proportion of arseholes (not all I know) who follow them, I really can’t think of anything to like about ENGERLAND at this moment in time.

To my mind, international football just gets in the way of club football, which is where the game’s really at, imho.

That Rodwell comment has really hit home and you are right, we are not worshipping this guy because we know he is off; two more good years and a sniff of Chelsea/Manure and that will be it.. Gone.

As for England, the best players are the should-be-jailed DJ-punching shithouse, and necrophilia-boy... so it's right we should hate them.

I feel as though I can only love one team. I physically couldn’t bring myself to sit in a stadium packed full of other teams’ supporters and pretend to be friends for the day and ’root’ for the England team. The thought makes me feel sick to be honest. Putting differences and allegiances to one side for the day is pathetic in my eyes.

I am happy, I suppose, if England do well, but from a great distance. I enjoy international football too; but I’d rather watch Italy Vs Germany than England Vs. Denmark.

I’d also say Evertonians get their own share of disappointment and supporting England as well would maybe be a health risk. I wouldn’t necessarily say Evertonians are a family, but I feel a more united spirit with our supporters than I can detect at other clubs. It would almost seem like adultery supporting Eng-er-land. Wearing an England shirt, St George cross face paint and chanting Rooney’s name is the equivalent of Max Mosley’s antics in my opinion.

When Hutchinson, Wier, Collins and Naysmith played for Scotland against England a few years ago, I wanted them to win. Only rarely bothered about England if any Blues are playing; saying that, I’m from Irish stock so they come first anyway.

But it’s changed now ’cause I always want the Mancs and Chelsea to win every week when at one time it was the other way, so long as they stop the Shite from getting their claws on the PL. One season out the Champs League will kill them.

I almost treat the Mancs as our big brother bashing the Shite for us ’til we're big enough to do it ourselves on a regular basis. Am I the only one like this or do others think the same?

John, I respect your opinion, but can’t find it in myself to respect this England team. I supported - like yourself - the 1970 and 1986 squads because of the preponderance of Everton players in both, but since then I’ve had the dry heaves every time an Everton player’s been called up to the England squad, because every time since has presaged an intense period of tapping up. Barmby, Rooney, Lescott ... do we see a pattern here? Next on the list is Jagielka.

Not to mention Rodwell.

I’m half-expecting "Hibbert for England!" posts now.

Tony, my thoughts exactly. I have to defend myself sometimes against older blues for saying it but I don’t have no real malice against United, even going as far as to say their hatred of the shite makes them my fave Sky 4 team.

Also down to some of the signings we have had (Kanchelskis, Howard, Neville and Saha but a few) being good for us, and Ferguson, despite the odd dig, seems to be someone who gave us respect and bigged us up long before other managers saw us as a genuine threat.

I guess it’s each to their own, but I do support the England team. Because I’m English. It’s never the same as it is with Everton, and never can be — I’ve watched England at the quarters in Lisbon in 2004 (Rooney’s last kick as an Everton player), but not a patch on watching Everton in the quarters of the League Cup. I don’t get the same post-win buzz with England that I get with Everton. Not even close.

I am a football fan as well, and have been to many neutral games. But I still do support the national team. I guess part of it is now living overseas, you become a little more aware of your nationality when in a cosmopolitan mix.

I think the tapping up thing is a red herring. Lescott only had a couple of appearances for England (and was poor), and Man City had been rumoured to be after him for most of the second half of last season.

Ultimately it was City’s money that allowed us to sign Distin, Heitinga and Bilyaletdinov - and most fans agree we’re better off now, so what gives?

Rooney was sold because the club was in dire financial straits.

Memory may be playing up, but I think only Barmby was sold when we didn’t have to sell — and he’d not set us alight apart from one good season, and didn’t do much for Liverpool.

If Rodwell is sold in the future, it’ll be because the finances at the club dictate that. Whether or not he makes the full England squad.

I stopped suporting England during the Mexico World Cup (of 1978??) when they played favourites with Robson who was injured over Latchford who was raring to go. We won when Latch played but lost when Robson played. Well at least that’s how I remember it.

Like Tony Doran, I’m of Irish stock so it’s Ireland for me. I am only strenghtened in this view by the English arrogance in pointing out the number of players who play for/have played for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND who qualify on the basis of parents/grandparents yet have failed to take into account the likes of John Barnes. This is also the case in other sports — e.g. Rugby were there is very little mention of Dewi Morris England’s Welsh scrum half in the 1990s, Athletics — Zola Budd, and of course Cricket were the prerequisite it would seem to be an England captain is to be born in South Africa!!!

Also the fact that England play all of their home games at Wembley — the old and the new — even when against the "lower ranked nations" I don’t think has helped.

Two facts from history — the World Cup Finals in 1978 was in Argentina and England weren’t there, I presume Eric you mean the Mexico World Cup Finals of 1986.

Secondly — back in 1966 when the World Cup Finals where in England — according to the pre-tournament fixture schedule, the winner of the Wembley Quarter Final was supposed to play their Semi-Final at Goodison. This was England v Portugal. However, the match venue was changed to Wembley with the West Germany v USSR semi being played at Goodison.

I don’t think that decision by the FA endeared the England team to either Evertonians or Liverpudlians. Indeed I think England are the only team to have won the World Cup who played at only one venue throughout the tournament — possibly taking home advantage a bit too far!!!

I’m a football fan.
1/ I prefer playing to watching
2/ I support Everton
3/ I like watching good football
4/ I support England
There are certain players I enjoy watching, it has fuck all to do with their personalities, Big Dunc for example when on form (albeit rarely) was great to watch but was also a mindless thug.

I want England to play well and do well in tournaments and it fucks me off when we don't, same as Everton, although Everton will always come first.

John I feel exactly the same, for me though it was the end of the game v Brazil in 2002. Those guys were much younger then and hadn’t quite been exposed to all the money they get now. They were a young potentially golden generation that let us down with an appaling 2nd half.

After that for me the turning point was Sven Goran Erickson, I blame him for the overated overhyped players we have now. At some point during his reign the current crop became untouchable and disassociated with the fans. Now I can’t bring myself to give my support to them as individuals.

As a country I would still love us to do well but only once this bunch of players are gone.

Everton all the way for me.

I couldn’t care less about the England team.

For me it was the moment Terry Vendables took over. All the problems with footballers' egos and being flash without putting any effort in can be traced back to him.

Zola Budd, eh, Michael? That takes me back. She was one of the only people who’s ever made the tedium of watching people run in a circle interesting by bringing down half the field like it was the Grand National, including the favourite (that yank, Mary Decker?)! Mind you, as I recall, she was running in the colours of UK rather than England.

However, your point about these people performing under a flag of convenience is valid, but I don’t think England are any more "arrogant" about that practice than any other country & I only recall there being a few jokes about it as regards any other country back in the days of Jack Charlton’s Irish team.

Of course, the joke was on England when he not only had players who could have played for England that were better than some of those who actually did, but also proved it on the field of play, where it really matters.

Can’t believe some of the pro-ManU garbage spouted in some of the posts.

Clearly I’m from a different age. Started going to games in the 70s and formative years in the 80s. If I used my accent anywhere within the area of Old Trafford without back-up or an escort I was fair game in those days — whether I was red or blue.

I have been to Man U a few times in recent years and cannot say it is that different. When they came for the FA Cup game in 2005, I understand it was like the early eighties all over again on Everton Valley; this time complete with YouTube excerpts. Scuffles, taunts and dislike aside, I do not know of anything like this with our arrogant brothers from across the park. I do not know of large groups causing havoc in OUR town centre as they did on this day, verbally abusing pensioners, bar staff as they did on the day of that game.

My view is that Man U fans — especially those from the south and rarely Salford etc — regard fans from our city as untermenschen. Something less than them. No other fans from any city are singled out for abuse in this way.

Wayne Rooney would never sign for Liverpool, we know that. Yet he still plays for a team that sings and abuses scousers every game. I wish he had signed for anybody but them. No doubt he will clarify his reasons later in his career for this choice, probably in that scouse-loving rag "The Current Bun" which he loves so much.

I do not wish LFC well. I do not wish ManU well. I would never cheer a ManU goal, even to the detriment of another club’s fortunes.

To be honest, it felt a bit odd even as a kid cheering Gazza, Paul Ince, Tony Adams and Co.

Now I’m a bit older, I know why. England are an easy team to dislike. Due to their personnel (thugs and mercenaries, as previously discussed...I loved the John Terry "I’ll park my fucking Bentley in a disabled space in Esher High St" line too — classic!).

But it’s not only the players that are unlikeable with England: it’s 89% of the set-up. The manager is generally a clueless git. The media hopelessly overrate the team pre-major tournament... only to then ruthlessly castigate them when they fail to live up to the false billing.

It’s a pure accident if the correct team is selected anyway — 99% of the time, there’s generally spots reserved for perennial international flops. This has been the way from Seaman to Anderton to Beckham.

England generally play the worst sort of turgid grinding crap, and to boot, there’s an element of their support that are contenders for Worst Human Beings In The Western World...

As I said, they’re an easy team to dislike.

Michael B - England v Portugal was switched to Wembley for "security and safety" reasons. I’ve stated on here once before that, from that moment on, I’ve hated the Inger-Land International set-up ever since, and still reckon Portugal should have won in 66. They were a magnificent team that died in the last quarter of the match in that semi at Wembley — mostly cramping up. Eusebio 9 goals, Torres, Baptista, Festa — what a forward line... 15 goals in 5 matches.

Karl M — brilliant summary of the players — do you have an Everton line-up of similar description?

Some humourous comments, thanks for the giggle, my sentiments almost entirely.

I think I liked the England team up to the 2002 World Cup. I was in Korea and had a blast for that one and remember our moment of glory — it was, beating Argentina, watched in an Irish pub in Pusan with my bro. I liked Beckham and Owen in some sense anyway, though not the teams they played for, and I loved the guys of 66, they were the greatest no matter what club they played for!

Now the players are so unattractive, both as personalities and even how they look and play — Milner even makes Rooney look postively debonair! Where is the dignity the panache the intelligence footballing and otherwise, the quality?

I tried to watch Ukraine game but switched off after five minutes, good God even had Heskey on, and Carlton Cole!

I was a bit bored this weekend having no Everton game to look forward to. It’s annoying, why can't they play their often absurd nonentity games midweek? Cut their number — why play so many games just to qualify?

At WC I guess I might raise to support England, a dose of patriotism, or simply because most other teams are even less appealing! I think too it’s a sign of the times and how football has changed and perhaps too many foreign players now — the new squad rule I think is a very positive step, I think no other league is so swamped with non- nationals purely there for the monies.

Capello seems an odd bloke who never smiles too, we even have to have an Itralian manager! I like a few foreign players by the way and love Mikel and Stevie and the hairdo but Brit players need a priority too.

Best to all, roll on a hammering the Wolverines!

Dennis, the point I was trying to make was that England teams and British teams also make use of the parental/grand parental rule when it suits. Unfortunately, it was too early in the day for me to remember examples other than John Barnes for football — although I think there are others!!!

Yes I remember Ireland’s victory over England in the European Nations Cup of 1988. But I think that had a lot to do with English over-confidence! It seems to me that, every time Englad qualify for either Euros or World Cup Finals, they are rated as one of the favourites, regardless of how they have been playing.

Gerry, I didn’t realise that the official reason was "security concerns" — a pretty flimsy excuse if you ask me. Yes, that was some team that Portugal had — As I was 8 at the time, I remember playing footy in the street with my mates and someone would want to be Eusebio, another Torres. The general view always seems to be that the Dutch team of 1974 was the best team "never" to have won the World Cup, but the Portugal team of 1966 would have given them a run for their money.

Is it just me but I can never understand the near reverence of Sir Alf Ramsey... I grew up being bored silly watching England on TV — no Ireland games on BBC — unlike the rugby!!!

And before anyone says anything, I always thought Jack Charlton over-hyped in what he did for Ireland. He was ok when things were going well... but he never seemed to have a Plan B.

I heard the other day that Rooney wouldn’t be unhappy if Portugal and Argentina miss out on qualification. But wouldn’t there then be a danger of England being over-confident and over-hyped as usual?!

Still, there’s always Rio Ferdinand to keep everyone on their toes... but doesn’t it annoy you how these guys never seem to make a stupid mistake when they play against the Blues!! As a kid I always hoped I would see Gary Sprake drop a clanger when he played at Goodison, such as his trick of throwing the ball into his own net at Anfield!!!

Karl Masters for Prime Minister! The use of the phrase "steaming pile of shite" was almost poetic and can apply only to two things — England and LFC. I completely agree with everything you posted and could not have said it better myself.

I would add that I think England are completely boring to watch and completely up their own arseholes. (Have you ever noticed when one of them has a good effort on goal, how they look across to the TV camera?) I can’t bring myself to support players I can’t stand.