Brothers in arms?- England fans give the team a bit of support
The longest running debate in football continues this weekend, not only amongst all football players, coaches and managers but amongst all football fans up and down the UK and no doubt across the world.
Club versus Country – where are the loyalties of a footballer and of a football fan?
A professional footballer earns his salary by training and playing matches for his club, he is also contracted and paid to do numerous PR campaigns, appear for television interviews and above all be a sterling ambassador for that club in which he is employed by.
Like any job, you want to earn as much money as possible and do your job to the best of your ability. In comparison, he does not receive a salary for appearing for his country; however it seems that to play for your country is suppose to be the peak of a footballers career and something that footballer should do with pride… I beg to differ.
As a Manchester United fan I have seen our players be the subject of vicious and hurtful attacks through the years – whether it is the likes of abuse from fans or excessive and extremely critical media coverage, all relating back to incidents in international matches.
We all know that in this country, our media will do anything expose a national hero as a Jeremy Kyle type ‘dreg of society’ – anything goes from entrapment and the worst case of undercover reporting to phone tapping and looking at personal texts (and photos messages in white pants) – I always took the view that the national press in this country only build a man up to knock him down, and this is something I still stand by.
I fell out of love with England after the ’98 World Cup when I read the headline ’10 heroic lions and one stupid boy’. Our national treasure David Beckham had to take full responsibility for England’s departure from the tournament. No blame was placed on Hoddle for tinkering with is formation, Batty for missing a decisive penalty, or even Diego Simeone for antagonising Beckham into kicking out which lead to his red card – no, it was all a massive scapegoat campaign and Becks was at the brunt of it.
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A few years later, Phil Neville again was made a scapegoat for giving away a last minute penalty to Romania in the European Championships – this type of victimisation baffled me further as England were dismal in this tournament and did not even deserve their only victory which came at the expense of Germany – surely the manager should have taken the blame? Or those who surrendered a 2-0 lead in our 3-2 defeat to Portugal?
Finally – and the final nail in my International coffin was the Ronaldo/Rooney incident. For those who do not remember, Rooney stamped on Carvalho, Ronaldo made a scene to the referee, Rooney got sent off, England carry on with 10 men and ultimately exit the tournament.
Bad day all around but the positive was that for the first in my life the English media did not victimise the England player for our exit – Brilliant, maybe they have finally decided to back our boys instead of killing them with headlines.
Error, what the media did in fact do was blame Ronaldo. Why? Because he was playing in England at the time. This meant similar volumes of newspapers were still sold, similar abuse could be given but it was all ten fold. Ten times worse coverage, ten times worse fan abuse, ten times longer to forget and ultimately making Cristiano Ronaldo the most hated player the English game has ever seen.
During World Cup 2010 I overheard a group of fans wholeheartedly expressing how much they would rather see England lift a World Cup in their life time than witness their respective clubs win a trophy; for me, I simply do not agree with that.
I am a Manchester United fan, MUFC is my club, my pride, my life – I choose Manchester United over England every time. This does not make me less passionate than any other England fan, it just makes me realistic.
Why would I carry on supporting our national team knowing at the end of a game or a tournament, a player from my club, English or not, will be the subject of vile and unacceptable abuse for the next 12 months?
Why would I carry on supporting our national team knowing it is being captained by a footballer that has zero respect amongst 99% the English public?
My conclusion to the debate in this club versus country topic is although footballers have a sense of pride when appearing for their country, they know where their bread is buttered thus ensuring club comes firmly before country. If you do not believe me, just look at the amount of games our so called passionate English men pull out of just in case it jeopardizes their club form.
With regards to fans – there are plenty of people who back the country until the end of time, but not me. Club comes before country.
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Great article, Nathon.
Small time fans often use the “you should always put country before club – typically United fan” lines together…until I ask them what they’d choose if they had to choose between their club going out of existence, or their country…
…without the clubs you get no international football, and you at least support your club properly – you don’t get chance to do that when you’re one of the amoeba’s who watch England regularly.
Some of my thoughts.
“My conclusion to the debate in this club versus country topic is although footballers have a sense of pride when appearing for their country, they know where their bread is buttered thus ensuring club comes firmly before country. If you do not believe me, just look at the amount of games our so called passionate English men pull out of just in case it jeopardizes their club form.”
– Bread and butter? So you have no comment on the flow of money in the game that sidetracks the a player’s passion to just play football for the country? So you don’t support the national team just because it’s not a main money maker for the players? I don’t understand your argument.
“Why would I carry on supporting our national team knowing it is being captained by a footballer that has zero respect amongst 99% the English public?”
– Rio was caught in a sex video that also featured Dyer and Lampard. His past disciplinary track record is also dodgy but you don’t mention it because we as United fans, are biased when it comes to our own players. Then again, having to pick an English captain based on their morals is dodgy anyway. Future captain hopefuls Rooney and Wilshere aren’t known for their peaceful life off the pitch.
Why do you let the media affect your view on the national team? English fans are highly critical of the national team too due to our own overblown expectations. Club football is great but pitting a nation against another still has significance.
Engerland fans hung a efigey of Becks in London,verbaly abused him and his wife,so bollocks to England supporters,I take UTD to my grave and England 2nd,its just the way.I want UTD to win more than England,thats just the way it is!Why spend money following no hopers like England I say!
obviously united will come first.
I dare say majority of utd fans are not even English. this is what makes united the best supported team in the world. Probably the Asian contingent alone will account for this. For these fans, what goes on in the English national team will always be a distant second to what happens at OT.
-Ur resident Asian fan.
Yes that is my argument exactly.
Players pick playing for their clubs over their country as it is the clubs who pay their wage. (hence the bread and butter statement).
I pick my supporting my club over my country as a club feels like a family, whereas England – the fans and media are so overly critical, I just do not waste my time with them anymore.
This doesn’t mean I want England to lose, but an example would be sections of Wembley booing Rooney because he had a poor world cup. Why would I want to be associated with that?
As for the captaincy thing, you are right, finding an English footballer without a dodgy history is impossible, but surely giving it to worst possible candidate is something Capello knows will lose his team more and more supprters?
Great article mate.
it is really simple, UNITED>>>>> anything else in the world>>>>>>>ENGERLAND!
Nice article,although am not an english,my opinion is same as urs cos i prefare UNITED than my country Nigeria cos UNITED is something that makes me happy wen am not………….UNITED 4 EVER