Right now is an extremely exciting time to be an Englishman smitten by the beautiful game. The Three Lions have progressed to the knock-outs of Russia 2018 and have done so by playing encouragingly decent fare under the stewardship of a coach who impresses with every passing week. More so the squad is arguably the most likeable it’s ever been, largely made up of young, relatable, hungry but humble players who lack the superstar egotism of yesteryear.
Wherever you go St George flags fly high or drape from windows while optimism is building to a collective belief that football might just be coming home. It certainly helps too that the weather is sweltering and the beer is cold.
Yup, right now is an extremely exciting time to be English but as World Cup fever sweeps across the UK, monopolising every conversation and front page, what of the 10.1 million Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish occupants of this sceptred isle? How are they dealing with this unavoidable patriotic party going on in next door’s garden?
This is the fifth consecutive World Cup where England have been Britain’s sole representative so flippantly it could be suggested that we (‘we’ because I myself am Welsh) should be used to it by now. But that would be discounting the sheer enjoyment so many of us got from watching across the border as a Golden Generation turned to rust before our very eyes; from seeing the hype become hope then implode to self-loathing.
That is not to state of course that every non-English resident of the UK actively wants England to flop every four years but conversely, it’s naïve to believe that the intense rivalry that used to make the Home Championships so fiercely contested simply dissipates whenever a major tournament rolls around. It is the same naivety that recently had Liverpool fans insisting that Manchester United supporters should back their boys in Kiev because both are British clubs and on that very note Jim – a proud Scot living in Manchester – relays his torment these past two weeks as the ‘auld enemy’ have brightly furrowed a path to the last sixteen.
“With every passing game and each poor performance by a big team my anxiety gets worse. Imagine your greatest club rivals winning the Champions League but practically every one you know; work with and travel with supports them. Imagine that horror!”
Jim has been candid on Twitter from the tournament’s get-go that he hopes England get ‘pumped and humiliated’ in every game they play but is equally keen to stress that his support of Tunisia and Belgium in the group stage was born only from a footballing rivalry, nothing more. Frankly the same applies to me too.
And the same can be said also of Owen, a Scot hailing from Glasgow, who admits that in the past he has celebrated England’s failings and wanted them to lose ‘by a huge margin’. This time though, intriguingly – and mainly for the reasons touched on at the start – that is less the case.
“What’s changed? I like the players more on a personal level and I like the management of the team/set up - they have a clear playing identity which is quite progressive, have clearly worked on having smart edges such as the set pieces and the coaches are open in talking about how they arrived at that point”.
Owen has also been enamoured by the social media videos put out by the FA that embraces the diversity within the team. There is, however, a limit to his goodwill.
“While there is much to admire about this team and I like many English people I would never support England. Ultimately I still want them to lose.”
From a personal perspective, I’ve found it entirely possible to vicariously root for England down the years so long as it’s in isolation. By that I mean just me, ideally some English friends so I can share in their happiness and a television showing the game with absolutely no newspapers to hand.
Andy from Northern Ireland agrees that the bombastic nature of the tabloids can so often divide where unity might otherwise be possible.
“The English mainstream media are off putting. Not so much biased, more just over the top”.
As for the current campaign he would like to see England enjoy a successful tournament without replicating their achievements of 1966 that ever so occasionally gets brought up in dispatches.
“I’d like a stoic performance in the final and a slim defeat”.
It is a specific scenario that illustrates perfectly the delicate balancing act taking place presently in the minds of millions of football fans. Another ’66 would be unbearable and yet while England remain in the competition the feel-good spirit can also be rather infectious.
A possible solution to this dilemma lies in the supporting of your club’s players rather than the England team with Gill, a Welsh Manchester City fan stating: “In past years I’ve been more indifferent than antagonistic but I want the City lads to do well”.
Martyn meanwhile, a fellow Welsh Blue goes slightly further: “This time, it’s easy to support them with four City players in the squad.”
Focussing on the individuals rather than Team England and everything that comes with it - the media’s jingoism and the painted faces of those who’d probably vote in John Terry as Prime Minister if they had the chance – might just be the answer in making the next week or two bearable, if not fun.
Additionally, there is also an unquestionable truth stated by Andy: “We’ve more in common from these isles than that which makes us different”.
That’s it, I’m swayed. Here’s to a stoic performance in the final and a slim defeat.
