Did all real Scottish fans (i.e. those who do define themselves primarily by the country they love rather than the one they hate the most) not find all this a bit of an embarrassment?
And as for the First Minister signing a card from that august organ, The Scottish Sun, lauding Maradona’s Hand of God which did for the English in 1986, well...
Can you imagine Angela Merkel popping her name down on a similar card from Bild thanking Mario Kempes for sorting out the Orangemen in 1978?
No, of course not and the reason not is all down to a little thing called "class" and that’s what sorts out the true statesmen(women) from the parish-pump populists.
(And my patience has finally snapped, Worthington Must Go!)
12 comments:
Not a bright move although a populist one.
But there you go.
Of course UK politicians do not go into populist gladhandling. Like Tony Blair demanding that Deirdre Rachid from Corrie should be released (cos he has an interest as his late step-mum-in-law Elsie Tanner was a former neighbour and friend of Deirdrie's - so there!).
World Class Statesman indeed. How long was he in No.10?
World Class Statesman indeed.
Blair???!!!
In his own imagination perhaps.
It's sporting rivalry O'Neill. Try telling the English not to enjoy seeing the Germans or French lose or Man U fans not to smirk when Liverpool lose. (Not sure who NI count as their big footbal rivals).
HF is correct there concerning the Germans. What about "Who do you think your kidding Jurgen Klinsman" to the tune of "Dad's Army"
The video even had Bill Pertwee in his ARP uniform on it.
Sometimes of course German-phobia is not resticted to England.
One friend - a fellow Scot and indeed part German! - on hearing of England beating Germany a few years back, went with some friends through the streets of Edinburgh with arms outstretched to look like aeroplanes doing the tune to "Dambusters".
The new tolerant Europe indeed.
Or indeed the video for "Three Lions" where the Germans all have on their football shirt the name "Kuntz"!
God this is making Salmond's actions look mild!
Particularly if you compare him to former New Zealand PM Bob Bolger who when asked if he was concerned about Kiwi heavy emmigration to Oz replied he thought it benefited both countries as it raised the average intelligence of both countries!
It's sporting rivalry O'Neill. Try telling the English not to enjoy seeing the Germans or French lose or Man U fans not to smirk when Liverpool lose.
A better club comparison would be Man city (affectionately known as The Bitters by Utd fans). Their whole identity is formed round hating Utd, so much so that other clubs' fans simply refer to them as the ABUs (Anyone But Utd). Of course rivalry exists elsewhere, but not to the obsessive level practised by the Tartan Army.
Two amusing examples come to mind. They played the ROI a couple of years ago in Dublin and according to an acquantance the most popular song by far was "We hate the English more than you". The majority of ROI fans were simply laughing at them. The second example was this summer when NI got a credible draw at hampden, but the song that really got them literally foaming at the mouth was "Are you England in disguise?"!!
Now, we were reasonably pleased to beat England in 2005, but our satisfaction was put towards a rather fetching mural of the goal painted up in east Belfast and a new song; "Who put the goal in the English net, super David Healy". The ROI would be our other rival and the only song thta comes to mind regarding them is "One team in Ireland". See the difference between rivalry and unhealthy obsession?
(Not sure who NI count as their big footbal rivals).
"Who do you think your kidding Jurgen Klinsman" to the tune of "Dad's Army"
Was it starring any notable English/British politicians? Can you imagine Blair or Brown with arms out wide singing "Two World Wars and World cup we've won"?
That's the difference in this case, salmond has pandered to the rather pathetic anti-Englishness. of the tartan Army
No, but if Thatcher could still talk she might of. Indeed a lot of her thinking was based on the two allied victories, particularly in her attitude to German re-unification.
She also used to wheel out portraits of Wellington and Nelson whenever Mitterand came to visit. Mitterand observed on on occassion dryly that he had a picture of Napolean in his office. To which Thatch snarled the difference between her pictures and his was her pictures were of victors and his a loser. And she recorded this in her memoirs!
Middle England had spoken.
O'Neill:
I remember the Millenium Stadium bouncing to "We hate England more than you" when we played Scotland. I've also seen a video of Welsh and German fans joining together to sing "England's Staying Home" after England lost to Croatia.
To say that man City's identity is just ABU and Scotland football's only identity is ABE is stupid. Both teams have a hell of a lot more to their identity. Ask a Scot of his fav footballing moment and he'll tell you of the goal against Holland not of any English defeat. It's only when you look at them from the point of view of the "other team (Man U/England) that it sems tha they are defined by their opposition to the other team.
It's merely sporting rivalry. It will happen again this weekend as the rugby ets going again. Welsh fans will be cheering on South Africa against the English while Aussie fans will be cheering for Wales against the Kiwis.
I remember being at the stadium when Wales lost to New Zealand a few years back and ater the game a Kiwi asked me to promise tha we'd beat Australia the next week if he promised that they'd beat England.
Both football and rugby would be worse off without such deep rooted sporting rivalries.
An Irishman telling the Scots and the English to grow up and stop their silly fighting certainly is a turn-up for the books.
Where would you get it other than from a combination of football and NI politics? Almost never fails :-), although on this occasion it's refreshing to see that the weirdness has nothing to do with Celtic and Rangers.
Welsh fans will be cheering on South Africa against the English while Aussie fans will be cheering for Wales against the Kiwis.
I bet not Welsh newspaper published a "Good Luck S.A. card" signed by your First Minister though and I also bet not one anti-English song was heard during your match. Regarding Man city, you really need to get to one of their games to see how deep their anti-Utd obsession is.
O'Neill - When England won the rugby World Cup the Wales on Sunday had a picture on the front page with an English fan with face painted etc and a cross through it with the words "No Gloating Zone" and something like "we promise that this will be the only newspaper not to mention the final". It sold out in the local shop before 11am!
As for anti-English songs, have you never heard of "you can stick your ******* chariot up your arse"?
And as for man City there's no doubt that they play on the anti-Man U rivalry, just as Wales do to England and England do to Germany. But to suggest that it's the cornerstone of their identity is plain wrong, just as it is for Scotland.
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