Attitudes towards the national team

[Matt]

So it's mentioned whenever England play that we're not too bothered about the result but has it always been like that for you?

I've always chosen club over country and I think this is the case for a lot of people, particularly supporters of successful teams.

I'm 24 and remember growing up that there wasn't such a division in my loyalties - if England played I'd fully get behind them. I remember being gutted after various disappointments in tournaments and so it's hard for me to pinpoint when I became so apathetic.

Maybe it's because I have a greater dislike for most players who play for England these days than I did when I was younger but I still get caught up in the euphoria and frenzy that accompanies an international tournament. I ended up being quite disappointed when Portugal knocked us out in '04 and '06.

So when did you stop caring? Or have you never cared at all?

[Matt]

By the way this isn't restricted to the England team but I get the impression that Liverpool fans of other nationalities are in general far more supportive of their national sides.

[dom9]

I used to support England until about the time that the cult of celebrity took over I guess.

The last time I was really interested was the Japan / Korea world cup, which was just the final straw. The whole Sven / Beckham sideshow tookover imo, plus on the pitch, there was the obligatory incompetence.

I have now come to despise everything to do with the England Team, and the hysteria surrounding it, particularly, but not confined to the, the tabloids.

[dom9]

I might add that I've gone from not caring whether they win or loose, to actually enjoying hearing about their failures.

Having said that, if they ever were to anything, unlikely as that is, I wouldn't begrudge them it.

[Woobus]

From Northern Ireland and really dont care to much about the internation team. Would watch any of their big matches on the TV, but its to hard to get tickets for the home games now a days.
To help stamp out sectarian chanting you have to block book all the home games which costs far to much unless you really support them. Friend always goes to the away matches so hope to get away on one of them next year.

[Matt]

So true - I think I was so sick and tired of it all I laughed when Croatia won at Wembley.

[JohnnyLambert]

Brought up in England with an Irish family and always followed the Republic, great when in a major tournament but the side has gotten worse in past couple of years just as LFC have prospered!! Definitely a region thing I think with England national side though with not much interest in North West and it seems smaller league clubs i.e. Grimsby, Huddersfield, Carlisle etc are always at the games and dominate the support! Probably due to the fact that they're sides are ****e!!

[PTP]

we had a big thread on this not so long ago - i went on in a bit of lenghty post but i do believe i made some excellent points regarding this - i'll dig it out

[Matt]

It was a similar thread but I'm more interested to know when and why people stopped giving a damn.

[Reece]

I still give a damn. Admittedly I lost a lot of enthusiasm towards the end of the Sven era and throughout most (well, all) of the Mclaren era. Obviously things are looking up under Capello.
I can understand how people find it hard to support players who week-in week-out they despise but at the end of the day I love football, and I am proud to be English so I will support my country in the football.
I really can't understand how someone could want their country to lose though.
I would however choose club over country everytime, and there is no comparison as to how excited I get for an England game compared to a Liverpool one.

[Neil Young]

I don't care at all about England for itself but I would rather the team did well just because it makes life more interesting.

So, I lost interest in about 1973, found it a bit interesting around 1990 and 1996 and since then have found it less and less interesting, reaching the nadir with the appointment and predicted incompetence of Steve (now Shteve) McLaren.

So the fact that Capello knows what he's doing and has instilled a serious approach with the consequence that the team is playing much better makes me more interested than I was a year ago.

Also if England do well it p*sses off the Scots and the French and frankly that's got to be a good thing.

[Reece]

So, I lost interest in about 1973

Mid-life crisis?

[Neil Young]

Mid-life crisis?

No thanks, I've already had one.

[The_weatherman]

Mid-life crisis?

Shhh, don't mock the elderly!

[kev776]

I always have and still do give a dam, the individual players dont concern me, I just get very wound up when England play.