Poll Do you support England?

[rurikbird]

Just thought I'd make a little poll. From the recent threads it seems like England national team gets almost no support around here; many people seem to be happy to see them lose. But I don't if that really reflects a shift in opinions or just a few more active/visible posters who make it seem this way. Vote away.

 

[Piedro]

I support England. Patience is being tested with him in charge however...

 

[SummerOnions]

I'm scouse not english

 

[peterhague]

I support them but I haven't really felt enthused by anything around the team since Euro 2004.

Hodgson's awful but for me that's counterbalanced by the final retirements of the 'golden generation'. Somehow I hated that team. There was just something stultifying about the presence of so many automatic starters, particularly the last few years, as they'd been proven serial failures. I always felt that some weight would be lifted once the likes of Gerrard and Cole (OK, there's still Rooney, but anyway) had gone, and so it's proving.

I quite like England again at the moment. Once Euro 16 is done with and Hodgson's gone then things should be moving nicely.

 

[Mersey86]

I can say that if England are playing I hope that they win. But it hardly matters to my day if they do not. I feel they have under-achieved over the last decade and put a lot of that down to Eriksen and Capello, who were unsatisfactory as managers and wasted a very strong team they had. I was dumbstruck at the decision to then make Hodgson the manager - and totally in awe of the stupidity of the FA in persisting with him.

 

[Squiggles]

England deserve support in international tournaments, but, given all the recent failings and the continued support of Roy Hodgson, asking me to care about qualification is just too much. For example, I didn't think I could give less of a fuck when I heard Liverpool ladies won the league, but then I discovered England played Estonia, and won, and then, right then, I realised I could.

I also find the whole 'I'm not English, I am Scouse' mantra sad and pathetic. Coming from anyone over 16 and I will give you the look of being a massive weirdo.

 

[rurikbird]

So far 16 votes, only 3 in the "yes" camp. Wow. I need to make a poll with another random national team ("Do you support Belgium?") and the numbers will probably be similar.

 

[jexykrodic]

I support England. I support Liverpool. Always.

 

[Ceefax the Cat]

As long as that snide budgie-faced cunt is in charge they can get to fuck.

 

[Frogfish]

I can say that if England are playing I hope that they win. But it hardly matters to my day if they do not. I feel they have under-achieved over the last decade and put a lot of that down to Eriksen and Capello, who were unsatisfactory as managers and wasted a very strong team they had. I was dumbstruck at the decision to then make Hodgson the manager - and totally in awe of the stupidity of the FA in persisting with him.

All of the above.

 

[tombrown]

Couldn't give a flying f*%k about England, never have really.

Well ....I will admit to a little fluttering with them when they got to the semis of Italia 90, but I am deeply embarrassed about that & would never admit it in public

(I am English by birth, but, as a Trot, I owe no allegiance to the nation state )

 

[Whirly]

I support their continued hilarity.

The whole charade is just amusing to me, and the unrealistic expectations that go along with it.

 

[Mystic]

I love the England team and have some great memories watching them, when the times are good it unifies us all, and its generally great to watch, people who don't follow football get exciting, and the atmosphere is superb. However the terrible trio have ask but destroyed my enthusiasm for the team. Wayne Rooney as captain frustrates but is just about bearable, Greg Dyke in charge make you're skin crawl, but you can try your best to ignore him, but that saggy arse egotistical backwards bell end cunt of a manager is just too much, I hope he goes and hunts for prey around a motorway

 

[cloggypop]

Not really into nationalism myself.

 

[Buddha]

Me neither.

 

[Athens]

Couldn't give a flying f*%k about England, never have really.

Well ....I will admit to a little fluttering with them when they got to the semis of Italia 90, but I am deeply embarrassed about that & would never admit it in public

(I am English by birth, but, as a Trot, I owe no allegiance to the nation state )

What's a trot?

 

[cloggypop]

What's a trot?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism

 

[Athens]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism

I see.

 

[Silver Sean]

To me any Liverpool fan who supports England is showing a lack of knowledge and understanding of what we represent. We were started by Scots, we're Scouse not English, the FA is vile, the Ing-ur-lund set up, fans and media circus surrounding it are vile. It has nothing to do with us. Absolutely nothing. Graham Kelly, the treatment of John Barnes, international breaks, meaningless friendly so the spineless, incompetent corrupt FA can pay for their ridiculous corporate bowl, Beckham, John Terry, Shrek, Hodgson, St George flags with Banbury written on them, that fucking band, braindead muppets singing the national anthem as they watch their team of brave boys play in Estonia, the constant pisstake over the fitness of our players – there is not one single positive thing to recommend any Liverpool supporter to root for them for one solitary second.

 

[Judge Jules]

I support England. Patience is being tested with him in charge however...

This.

 

[Judge Jules]

To me any Liverpool fan who supports England is showing a lack of knowledge and understanding of what we represent. We were started by Scots, we're Scouse not English, the FA is vile, the Ing-ur-lund set up, fans and media circus surrounding it are vile. It has nothing to do with us. Absolutely nothing. Graham Kelly, the treatment of Jon Barnes, international breaks, meaningless friendly so the spineless, incompetent corrupt FA can pay for their ridiculous corporate bowl, Beckham, John Terry, Shrek, Hodgson, St George flags with Banbury written on them, that fucking band, braindead muppets singing the national anthem as they watch their team of brave boys play in Estonia, the constant pisstake over the fitness of our players – there is not one single positive thing to recommend any Liverpool supporter to root for them for one solitary second.

Sorry, Sean, I'm not having anyone tell me, a born Scouser and a supporter since Shankly's time, that I have "a lack of knowledge and understanding of what we represent". I agree with a great deal of what you say, but not that. Let's not, for Heaven's sake, have this nonsense start driving wedges between us all.

 

[Silver Sean]

Sorry, Sean, I'm not having anyone tell me, a born Scouser and a supporter since Shankly's time, tell me I have " a lack of knowledge and understanding of what we represent". I agree with a great deal of what you say, but not that. Let's not, for Heaven's sake, have this nonsense start driving wedges between us all.

Not trying to drive a wedge at all. Just my own personal view. Everyone is free to do what they like of course. My Dad was born and bred in Liverpool in 1938 and was a red all his life. He never, ever, once supported England and that rubbed off on me, in the same way supporting the reds did. In fact the only time I ever saw him leap up at any international goal was Houghton's header against England. The reason? Ireland had four reds players on the pitch, England three.

 

[nealmac]

Not English, so I don't support them.

I don't know why, but I find it amusing that the "I'm not English, but I happen to be a fan" option hasn't received a vote yet.

 

[rurikbird]

Not English, so I don't support them.

I don't know why, but I find it amusing that the "I'm not English, but I happen to be a fan" option hasn't received a vote yet.

Yeah, I thought there would be at least a couple. I am sure there are a few fans of Netherlands or Spain on these boards who are neither Dutch nor Spanish.

 

[Best Believe It]

I want to support England, but I am increasingly finding it difficult to do so. As a club we seem to have a history of our players being undervalued by the national team or its fans - Barnes, McManaman, Fowler, Carragher spring to mind. Even Gerrard got shunted about for ages and had to curb his game for the sake of Lampard. I had hoped with the number of Liverpool players playing for England now that it would be easier for me to support them but after hearing people in the office start to slate Henderson I can just see where this is going. Hodgson is getting back to his full on bitter, shitty ways which characterised his time at Liverpool so I am running out of ways to support the national team.

 

[Woland]

I wasn't born into a particularly bothered household either way. My dad didn't really care about England but he wasn't obviously anti them. They did their thing and he did his. No problem. I didn't form a solid opinion on them and I've had times when I've enjoyed watching them, but ever since I was a kid, the whole Captain Marvellous Bryan Robson-ness and Butch Ray Wilkinsness got to me. I did vaguely support them out of a kind of feeling as if I should... I grew up in pubs and I railed against the 'England are shit' grunts I constantly heard because I guessed it reflected as badly on the fat bastards shouting them as the players failing in whatever tournament it was. I loved Mexico 86... England were fucking ace... The Hand of God game was amazing... only a couple of months after Liverpool had just snatched the double from Everton.... everything about football was fucking brilliant... And then there was a time about ten years ago when Wembley 1 was demolished and Wembley 2 was still unbuilt when they toured and played at Anfield and I took my then little kids and they loved it and I thought it was an ok night out, thought that if they were going to move around the country forever then I could see the attraction - while I couldn't get into it myself. I couldn't support John Terry and Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard and Ashley fucking Cole. I could watch, but I couldn't care. The whole thing was just a bit too Tony Blair. A bit too Live at the Apollo.

Then a mix of things happened. Wembley got finished, social media exploded, and various utter cunts were put in charge of both the FA and the national side. The team retreated back to it's north london shithole, the web became filled with what England supporters actually thought, The FA started putting semi finals on in that dump, Gerrard started getting the blame for civil war in the balkans, Chelsea and West Ham fans continued hanging England flags up... and although I'd never felt particularly English I don't think I'd ever wanted them to get beaten before... but that really kicked in, I just started to hate the cunts. Nothing since then has changed for the better, it's been a steady vortex downwards.... The fawning dickhead media, the thick cunts in pubs who only come out when Engerlund are on. David Gill, Hodgson, Chiles, four bars of symphonies in advert breaks, boring dreadful football, James fucking Corden. The utter Clare Baldingness of sporting nationalism. The gradual bourgeoisification of everyfuckingthing, the listless decline into the loss of once instinctive passions - it's all summed up in the stinking shithole FA and the England national team.

 

[SummerOnions]

England deserve support in international tournaments, but, given all the recent failings and the continued support of Roy Hodgson, asking me to care about qualification is just too much. For example, I didn't think I could give less of a fuck when I heard Liverpool ladies won the league, but then I discovered England played Estonia, and won, and then, right then, I realised I could.

I also find the whole 'I'm not English, I am Scouse' mantra sad and pathetic. Coming from anyone over 16 and I will give you the look of being a massive weirdo.

It's tongue in cheek obviously, though there's a whole twitter crew on that level

Anyway, I affiliate more with the city than i do the country and whilst I feel some connection to Liverpool no matter where I end up living, I feel absolutely no feeling towards English culture, especially that within English football

 

[Mystic]

100% agree about the touring, the national team should tour the country, there was never any real justification for the gross expense that Wembley is, not with a nation full of world class stadiums.

 

[Dirkus_Circus]

Don't support England but I do enjoy seeing them do well when Liverpool players are in the squad.

 

[peterhague]

Wembley is definitely a part of the problem I had with the Capello era. It's just awful. Is there an uglier large modern stadium? It seems to stand as a perfect symbol of everything bad about the FA and the football establishment. Give it to some NFL franchise and be done with it - there could hardly be a more fitting tenant.

As for Englishmen hating Englishness and patriotism - that does seem to be in a certain English tradition. I think it was George Orwell who wrote about the peculiar anti-englishness among a part of the British left. I suppose it's a good thing in many ways.