My reasons for giving up were due to a lack of unity within the side and also the media + attitude of the fans. The Beckham witchunt and fall out from the 98 WC turned me away, Seaman in 02 was the final straw though.
Bobby Robson was the last of the good England coaches for me. If Pearce is the future then Odin help us.
Totally agree. Why say "I want to finish my career here" if you don't accept that that means you might not be first choice, especially towards the end of your career? If he meant what he said then I'd take that as a sign that he accepts being part of a squad. If that's the case then keeping him is a no-brainer for me. For one look at what the opposition fans on this thread think. Put it this way - If Spurs are desperately hanging on to a 1-0 lead with twenty minutes to go would you want to see Defoe come on for the opposition? I think every single one of the teams above us and around us have far less daunting options (Dzeko, Wellbeck, Podolski, Torres, Anichebe...). I'd much rather see Torres come on in that situation than Defoe.
I'd never give up on England. That's not how you support teams. If we won the World Cup, I'm sure you'd all be out getting pissed and celebrating so sit through the crap too. You don't have to sit through it quietly while bad decisions are made and whilst the national side won't be as important to you as the club side it's still important, in my opinion.
For me supporting a team is about feeling part of it. I've always felt that connection with Chelsea, but never with England and the problems after the WC highlighted that.
Nah it's not pick and chose to me. I'm sure Blackburn fans struggle to idnentify with their club but they're still fans whether they're protesting and staying away, or not. Presumably it's the media reaction that's put you off, or is it the fans that booed Beckham at club games? Fans have been through much worse with their side.
Bit of both really coupled by the fact England fans deliberately targeted Chelsea players after the WC failure. I could understand booing of Terry and even Cole to a lesser extent, but Lampard?! Very much an us and them attitude. I remember in the 90s when United players got booed. It's just the whole mentality really and the media that put me off. In the old days there was a bigger sense of unity, it didn't matter who you supported they were England players, not Chelsea/West Ham etc. Football has become increasingly more tribal, that may be down to the PL and acrimonious transfers like Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole that have caused divisions, not sure really.
Which World Cup failure? There's so many! As I say, I don't think it's an opt out, especially not over a bit of booing and a few articles you didn't like. Other fans have owners driving their club off a cliff and don't quit.
to be honest, at present, probably Sturridge, then Welbeck, then **shudder** Andy Carroll But don't think any of them offer the same as Defoe for an off the bench impact sub against tiring opposition legs as JD does (well Sturridge, maybe...)
Sky's comments just summed it up for me (after Israel loss). Looking for excuses, as if England have a divine right to win. Hoddle et al then patronising Israel by saying it was a "great scalp" for them. No it's not, England won a fluke cup based on corruption and dodgy officiating and believe they are a nation comparable to Brazil. The delusion knows no bounds.
The FA are saying that in the 2020s and beyond, England will win a World Cup. So England fans have to sit on their hands for the next seven years of nothingness then?
we won't even win it then,not unless our coaches improve and change,to keeping the ball and using skill,instead of run ,run,run
the reason I don't watch england is because we're so boring and clueless most of the time. In the past, we have messed about with the team far too much, where every tom dick and harry has been called up to play in a friendly. This is then followed up by another friendly 4 or 5 days later where 11 different players get a game. It's not so bad these days, but under capello there seemed to be no continuity whatsoever. IMO, we've been completely unprepared for the major competitions in recent years because of this. There was a time where you knew who were the regular starters for England because they were the best. Now, it's a mess IMO. The only player who seems to be a dead cert on the team sheet is Joe Hart.
There's two reasons I don't watch England. Firstly, I cottoned on to the fact that The Sun seems to be picking the team back during Hoddle's reign. Secondly, I cannot tolerate the blinkered, jingoistic bollocks that goes with the team, be it from the pundits, commentators or fans who all appear to be watching a different game to the one going on right in front of them.
Some seriously poor players have been capped under Hodgson: This selection from those would struggle to stay in the PL Ruddy Jenkinson Shawcross Huddlestone Kelly Downing Livermore Henderson Johnson Shelvey Carroll Some are young and might improve but there's no way any of them should have been capped.
Some of you are talking like England being crap is relatively new. As I've already said, it's not!!...
Every England team goes into a tourny with a level of expectancy driven by the media, pundits would have little to say if they weren't interviewed/questioned in the first place. Germany for example are simply wished good luck by their press, because thats exactly what you need. How can you put demands on a team in a sport knockout comp, where a ref can ruin a game and your chances, no matter who you've got playing or how well?, as we well know!
I think that might have been Alan Smith in the commentary the first coined that we're a "scalp". But we are just as Brazil are to us no matter how weak they are. We beat them, we get carried away. You beat Barca, you get carried away
