Supporting Ingerlund

[Der Kaiser]

What about the England and Wales cricket board who play under the name of “England”?

Never quite understood why you'll get some real ardent anti England football/Rugby fans in Wales but then they'll get behind a team that outwardly disrespects us by not even bothering to acknowledge on their shirt or pretty much anywhere else that they represent England AND Wales, that's a massive slap in the face which people seem happy to overlook. No thank you. Anyone but England.

[cardiff55]

I did support England in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups, and 1968 European Championship. But after that I stopped. I was obviously a Wales fan too, but enjoyed watching the England team then, and the fans weren't as bad, nor was the media hype about them. In 1966 I don't think they expected to win the World Cup and and were grateful they had, and there were Union Flags everywhere.

Nowadays I only watch Wales and not the other Home Nations on TV at all. I just take a passing interest in their results. At the moment Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are poor and England above average. I will support England at cricket though.

[Stanmore Bluebird]

Yes Uncle Dapps

Thank you Mr. Anonymous. Better known here as “AlwaysAway2”.
It is high time you started one of your interesting, contentious threads - me thinks.

[Stanmore Bluebird]

Never quite understood why you'll get some real ardent anti England football/Rugby fans in Wales but then they'll get behind a team that outwardly disrespects us by not even bothering to acknowledge on their shirt or pretty much anywhere else that they represent England AND Wales, that's a massive slap in the face which people seem happy to overlook. No thank you. Anyone but England.

As you know, any Glamorgan players good enough can be selected to play for England. Hence my statement- and I would never support England in any other sport. When an English person represents Great Britain in a sport that interests me like athletics or gymnastics; then that person I readily admit to supporting.

[Moodybluebird]

It's more the English media I dislike rather than the England teams themselves (although that may not be true with the England rugby team, which exudes arrogance at times).

I know the newspapers themselves cater for more English readers than the rest of the home nations but it is galling when there is more coverage on an England under-21 game than a Wales world cup qualifier.

I could go on but it's been done to death so I'll stop here !

[Trigger]

I don't get the I'm British argument. I couldn't give a monkeys about them anymore than Scotland.

That said I want England to lose at every sport, whereas I'm apathetic about any other nation.

So you do give a monkeys about them then. I don't get that.

I suppose each to their own. I've always not minded them personally, never understood any serious dislike that some carry.

[City123]

I did support England in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups, and 1968 European Championship. But after that I stopped. I was obviously a Wales fan too, but enjoyed watching the England team then, and the fans weren't as bad, nor was the media hype about them. In 1966 I don't think they expected to win the World Cup and and were grateful they had, and there were Union Flags everywhere.

Nowadays I only watch Wales and not the other Home Nations on TV at all. I just take a passing interest in their results. At the moment Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are poor and England above average. I will support England at cricket though.

Eh? We're ranked 18th in the world and poised to enter our second consecutive Euros, things aren't going to get much better for Wales

[Moodybluebird]

Eh? We're ranked 18th in the world and poised to enter our second consecutive Euros, things aren't going to get much better for Wales

Spot on. This is our golden generation so why the other poster referred to us as poor beggars belief.

[splott parker]

It's more the English media I dislike rather than the England teams themselves (although that may not be true with the England rugby team, which exudes arrogance at times).

I know the newspapers themselves cater for more English readers than the rest of the home nations but it is galling when there is more coverage on an England under-21 game than a Wales world cup qualifier.

I could go on but it's been done to death so I'll stop here !

It’s also bloody galling when the Welsh TV news on a Wednesday morning fails to mention a World Cup win the previous evening.

[Moodybluebird]

It’s also bloody galling when the Welsh TV news on a Wednesday morning fails to mention a World Cup win the previous evening.

That's inexcusable but why am I not surprised.

[Harry Paget Flashman]

What about the England and Wales cricket board who play under the name of “England”?

Couldn't support them either.

[jimmyscoular]

I did support England in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups, and 1968 European Championship. But after that I stopped. I was obviously a Wales fan too, but enjoyed watching the England team then, and the fans weren't as bad, nor was the media hype about them. In 1966 I don't think they expected to win the World Cup and and were grateful they had, and there were Union Flags everywhere.

Nowadays I only watch Wales and not the other Home Nations on TV at all. I just take a passing interest in their results. At the moment Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are poor and England above average. I will support England at cricket though.

Some of this, I think, is a natural result of just growing older. I remember the 1970 World Cup so well. I was 13, a John Toshack devotee, a regular in the Grange End, and completely committed to England's World Cup team. That loss to Brazil was heartbreaking, not to mention that devastating 3-2 loss to West Germany after leading 2-0. But time passes. About five generations of footballers have passed under the bridge since then, and, well, the passions and commitments of a 13-year-old are hard to sustain. I have, on occasion, found myself feeling faintly ridiculous for caring which group of grown men is more able to push a ball over a white line. That's when I slap myself and quickly regain my senses.

I wish England success. But, no, I don't have nearly the interest in this latest crop as I did for the Banks-Moore-Charlton era.

[splott parker]

The ‘66 World Cup did grip the UK, not just England, well it did in my little world. I was rooting for them as were all my mates, 11 years old and football mad, games live on telly and played at ‘our’ grounds, what wasn’t to like. Saying that though about rooting for them, looking back I do remember having a vague memory of me wanting Portugal to beat them in the semi final and in the myriad of posters and wall charts that were about I’d filled in one in advance of the semis having Portugal to beat West Germany in the final. May have been a Eusebio thing, he’d had a great World Cup and certainly left an impression on the young me. I’ve spent the majority of the years since wishing my Portugal prediction had come true

[jeepster]

The ‘66 World Cup did grip the UK, not just England, well it did in my little world. I was rooting for them as were all my mates, 11 years old and football mad, games live on telly and played at ‘our’ grounds, what wasn’t to like. Saying that though about rooting for them, looking back I do remember having a vague memory of me wanting Portugal to beat them in the semi final and in the myriad of posters and wall charts that were about I’d filled in one in advance of the semis having Portugal to beat West Germany in the final. May have been a Eusebio thing, he’d had a great World Cup and certainly left an impression on the young me. I’ve spent the majority of the years since wishing my Portugal prediction had come true

I remember running back from a friends house singing we won the cup and this guy say stupid cnut it was England not us.

[jimmyscoular]

The ‘66 World Cup did grip the UK, not just England, well it did in my little world. I was rooting for them as were all my mates, 11 years old and football mad, games live on telly and played at ‘our’ grounds, what wasn’t to like. Saying that though about rooting for them, looking back I do remember having a vague memory of me wanting Portugal to beat them in the semi final and in the myriad of posters and wall charts that were about I’d filled in one in advance of the semis having Portugal to beat West Germany in the final. May have been a Eusebio thing, he’d had a great World Cup and certainly left an impression on the young me. I’ve spent the majority of the years since wishing my Portugal prediction had come true

I was 9 years old in 1966, and I have just one memory of that tournament: My dad, falling to his knees with his head in his hands when Germany equalized in the dying moments. I think I was more into Crackerjack at that stage of life, laughing at Peter Glaze's inability to get out of the way of a squirty flower.

[Swiss Peter]

I was 9 years old in 1966, and I have just one memory of that tournament: My dad, falling to his knees with his head in his hands when Germany equalized in the dying moments. I think I was more into Crackerjack at that stage of life, laughing at Peter Glaze's inability to get out of the way of a squirty flower.

I find this fascinating. I'd read before about how many in Wales were supporting England in that game. I was a 6 year old living in Germany at the time, but we were back visiting my parent's friends in London. All I remember was the stick we took after the game driving across London in a car with German plates. All good natured though (at least through the eyes of a 6 year old).

Something changed not so long after that, and the whole thing got nastier.

[Moodybluebird]

I was 9 years old in 1966, and I have just one memory of that tournament: My dad, falling to his knees with his head in his hands when Germany equalized in the dying moments. I think I was more into Crackerjack at that stage of life, laughing at Peter Glaze's inability to get out of the way of a squirty flower.

My dad has always derided English football, especially when compared to football played by the 'continentals', as he called them. Inevitably as a young kid, I became heavily influenced by his views but I could see what he meant regarding ball control and movement. In 1966 I worshipped two players in particular, Eusebio and Beckenbauer. Pele was being kicked to death so it was difficult to pass judgment on him.

On to the final, I was jumping for joy when West Germany equalised to send the game into extra time and rather disappointed at the final result.

In 1970, I was obsessed with the Brazilians and every one of their games I looked forward to with eager anticipation and they never let me down. For me, the 1970 England team was, even to this day, their finest ever, and were very unlucky not to go further in the competition.

Fast forward to today and while I see an improvement in England's technical ability, there is still something missing in their game that will stop them claiming the game's very top prizes. At times England's passing looks stilted and predictable and not good enough to worry the very best teams in the world.

[delmbox]

My girlfriend's English but I absolutely cannot support them, in fact I can't wait to see them fail in major tournaments. She's fine with it.

I don't mind the English cricket team and like to see Anthony Joshua do well but that's about it off the top of my head

[splott parker]

Around about the time of the ‘66 World Cup I s’pose the UK was still pretty much united. Not long after the war where lads from all over fought alongside each other with not a lot of time for regional infighting. These war ‘veterans’ may have only been middle to late 30s/early 40s in the 60s, with ex comrades all over the country. I’d imagine they’d seen times where they didn’t give a shite where their fellow troops were from as long as they were on their side.

[Citizen's Nephew]

Never quite understood why you'll get some real ardent anti England football/Rugby fans in Wales but then they'll get behind a team that outwardly disrespects us by not even bothering to acknowledge on their shirt or pretty much anywhere else that they represent England AND Wales, that's a massive slap in the face which people seem happy to overlook. No thank you. Anyone but England.

I seem to recall Glamorgan CC actually voting in favour of dropping the W and agreeing that it should just be referred to as the ECB and not the EWCB - something I was very much against (as a member of Glamorgan). During the World Cup games at Sophia Gardens I spoke to a lot of people that didn't even know Wales were part of the World Cup (even though they were in Cardiff!). The same when I spoke to people at Trent Bridge during the West Indies v Australia game. It's embarrassing. They've even played 'Jersulaem' at Sophia Gardens which really p**ses me off!

[jimmyscoular]

Around about the time of the ‘66 World Cup I s’pose the UK was still pretty much united. Not long after the war where lads from all over fought alongside each other with not a lot of time for regional infighting. These war ‘veterans’ may have only been middle to late 30s/early 40s in the 60s, with ex comrades all over the country. I’d imagine they’d seen times where they didn’t give a shite where their fellow troops were from as long as they were on their side.

Very good observation. As a Welsh kid in those years I never had a sense of "otherness" about the English or the Scots. Programmes like Morecambe and Wise, Till Death Do Us Part, The Likely Lads, On The Buses (so, so many) were an unquestioned part of our lives without any consciousness of nationality. Steptoe and Son. The Carry On films. Every New Year's Eve we gathered around the TV to hear Andy Stewart sing in the new year from some far-flung Highland location and never for a moment thought of it as anything other than an expression of "us."

[ToTaL ITK]

i was two when my poo hit the loo
what isthis thread about?

[Ivortheengine]

It’s 12 inches high and made of solid gold- Kenneth Wolstenholme 1966. Say no more

[Gofer Blue]

Very good observation. As a Welsh kid in those years I never had a sense of "otherness" about the English or the Scots. Programmes like Morecambe and Wise, Till Death Do Us Part, The Likely Lads, On The Buses (so, so many) were an unquestioned part of our lives without any consciousness of nationality. Steptoe and Son. The Carry On films. Every New Year's Eve we gathered around the TV to hear Andy Stewart sing in the new year from some far-flung Highland location and never for a moment thought of it as anything other than an expression of "us."

To be honest though, it was absolutely boring stuff was it not? Unfortunately the only TV channel we could get back in the early 60's was BBC so it was Hobson's choice.

[splott parker]

To be honest though, it was absolutely boring stuff was it not? Unfortunately the only TV channel we could get back in the early 60's was BBC so it was Hobson's choice.

ITV was about in the early 60s