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“I used to
“I used to support my local football team but I’ve decided that they will never win anything so I’ve given up on them. Even when they are on TV, I can’t be bothered watching. The players are all overpaid these days and I get the impression that their hearts aren’t in it any more. I’d rather watch Premiership football on TV.”
I find it amazing how many people would criticise the person making the above comment yet it sums up exactly how they feel about England.
I’ve always understood the fact that a lot of Premier League fans who only watch football on TV might not have any interest in how England get on. They support their club because of the fact that they are successful rather than because of any loyalty stemming from it being their local team. Why logically would they act any differently when it comes to international football?
When I hear it coming from fans who follow their local club through thick and thin, however, I can’t get my head around it. I don’t support Oldham because they are the best team in the world, I support them because I am from Oldham and, to me, football is a tribal sport where you follow the team that represents where you are from. Exactly the same logic applies to supporting England.
I see international football as the purest form of the game. It is the only time there is a truly level playing field. You have to make do with what you’ve got. You do not have the opportunity to go and sign up a new centre back just because you don’t like the look of those available. You can’t go from mediocrity to world beaters because a Sheik decides he’d like you as his new play thing.
I accept the argument that the players are overpaid but I would extend that to all football in this country. Premier League players are all paid obscene amounts and even lower down the leagues, the players are taking home much more than they are worth. Somehow, however, when a player pulls on an England shirt, his salary becomes a much bigger issue than it is when he’s wearing his Liverpool/United/City shirt.
The accusation is also thrown at the players that they don’t want to play for England and so don’t perform. I have said it myself on the back of yet another defeat but in reality if they didn’t want to play, why would they? It might be partly because they get lucrative sponsorship deals on the back of it but if that’s all, they would still be putting 100% in to maximise this income stream. Nobody is going to pay a player millions of pounds in sponsorship for playing badly.
The other argument is that because of club rivalries, fans don’t like most of the England players and can’t bring themselves to cheer them on. When they play for England, they are England players. I hate Man United as much as anyone and I cannot stand a number of their players. When they pull on the three lions they are representing England though and I will give them my all for 90 minutes. You might hate a player because of who he plays for but it doesn’t necessarily mean you wouldn’t want your club to sign him. It’s the same thing. Most Chelsea fans would be happy if they signed Ronaldo whatever they thought of him when he was at Old Trafford.
The reason that England struggle is because the players are not quite good enough. It’s sad but it’s true. That is not, however, a reason not to support them. Oldham are not quite good enough to get out of this damn division we’ve found ourselves in for the last 15 years. That doesn’t mean I give up on them. It means that I keep giving them my support in the knowledge that when we do finally manage it, it will be so much sweeter for me than it will be for those who only come back as we top the table.
England might not be the powerhouse of world football that they once were but with a bit (lot) of luck they are still capable of winning a tournament. The best team does not always win it. Sometimes it’s about playing as well as you possibly can and hoping that you opponent has an off day. If that day comes, suddenly everyone will be an England fan again and the streets will be full of flags and banners. Football’s not about being a glory hunter though. It’s about being a supporter.
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