The Relationship Is Officially Over
Jun 7th, 2009 by 'holic
I can say it is now official. I no longer have feelings for a former love. Which is something of a surprise, given the hold they once had over me. Time though has ravaged the features that once held an allure for me.
It is around twenty years since we were actually in each others company, but I had kept in touch from afar, a kind of long-distance stalker, if you will. Yesterday provided another opportunity. I knew my desire was on the wane. This was the first of half a dozen recent opportunities I had taken to run my eye over the England football team.
Even a four goal win on foreign soil (where the hell is Kazakhstan?) did not prompt once-familiar feelings. Apart from an early burst from Theo, there was nothing that made the soul stir. The football was barren, the opposition weak. It was, in truth, a non-event.
There was a time when part of the footballing calendar included a much-anticipated dual with the Scots, and the over-production of adrenalin that was generated by attending that particular game. I could not imagine going nowadays even if the fixture remained, and if the tickets were complimentary.
How did it come to this?. I have not fallen out of love with football. Already I am missing my Arsenal fix, even after a season which has prompted such disappointment and disagreement. I am starting to think it is something to do with the regard the modern day player has for himself.
Nowadays the top players are remote idols to their fans. Six figure weekly salaries enable these people to socialise in places that you and I will not have access too. When I watch the England team today (or rather yesterday!) I see only remote characters who I happily abuse on the once or twice a year I am lucky to see them.
I have seen Arsenal over the years of plenty grow into a side that delivers something more in the way of quality than it used to. That, and the huge emotional hold that the club has over me will keep me coming back for more.
I’m afraid the turgid stuff that England are delivering these days ensures I will not waste another penny on them. There is wall to wall football available on television and the internet these days, and I can be pickier about what I choose to watch. I’ll never have that choice as far as Arsenal is concerned, but the attributes that once earned England a place in the ‘holic heart have long since been surrendered.
34 Responses to “The Relationship Is Officially Over”
kazakstan played prettier football than england and their left winger was the best player on the field by miles. its a shame borat was out injured. a club for me holic
Haven’t been to watch England for nearly 20 years. Why would you want to pay the earth, take on the combined incompetence/disinterest of London Transport and the police to get to Wembley, queue for overpriced, under strength beer, watch a team of largely average plodders toil on a pitch more fit for rugby league before enjoying the return journey home being stopped at every possible opportunity by the obnoxious mobile tax collectors formerly known as the Metropolitan Police in an unholy alliance with the ritual train engineering works/delays?
England? Yawwnn. Didn’t the FA sell the game to an Irish pay-per-view channel? What a clever way to bolster the England fan base.
Really though, how can you get excited about watching a team that plays like a mid-table club?
I’ve felt nothing for the England setup since Terry Venables left in ’96. The football is passionless and tedious, the players lack determination, ambition, patriotism, interest, character and even morals.
The fact is that I’ve spent just over half of my life watching some truly horrible people playing some equally bad football and any kid younger than thirteen would never have seen any better and no one under eighteen would remember any better.
I don’t want to climb onto a political soap box here, but does anyone else think the state of the squad and the characters of the players, has reflected the country and its current average inhabitant?
I want to like watching the England team I really do, but it’s just so sterile and devoid of passion these days, I’m thunking of becoming an honourary Dutchman so I can follow a team in the international matches.
The last England game I watched? 1966 Vs Portugal, WC semis.
After that, only on the telly. Last time was Vs Holland. We won 4-1. And that was only because I was playing crib in a pub and the match was on.
All this would disappear in a heart beat if WE won something!!! Don’t worry, in a few years time the England team will feature Arsenal Legends such as Wiltshere, Watt, Wallcott, Lansbury, Thomas, Frimpong and so on. And once again we will have a vesting interest in Internationals!!!
How’s this for an England team:
Seaman
Dixon Adams Bould Winterburn
Ball Merson Rocastle Armstrong
George Wright
Or This:
Almunia
Hoyte Bartley Emmanuel-Thomas Gibbs
Walcott Lansbury Frimpong Wilshere
Simpson Murphy
I was so bored, I switched to the cricket.
but thanks TA … anyone who puts George Armstrong as an England right-winger helps to restore my faith. In a time before Brady, Bergkamp and Henry, he was my hero!
I put him on the left-wing mate. Ha ha
He was pretty versatile!
England’s players always look so wooden and bereft of technique- and style- they just do not seem to be able to entertain- even when they win well. They play football like a Chelsea reserve side.
……………….and England still play the long-ball game. A few passes up and down the back line and then…..Hoof!….a 50 yard lump into the channel, to nobody in particular. England have been doing this for decades now and we are the laughing stock of the international football world. I really hoped that Coppello could have got rid of that awful, mid-19th Century tactic.
I’m now supporting Spain or Holland. I’d rather see Arsenal win the Champions League once than see England win the World Cup five times. Why am I supposed to get excited over watching a load of Chelsea/Man U/Spuds/Liverpool/Villa c#nts?? That guy was right who said it reflects the sad state of the country today. Up the Gunners!!
Hey, there’s another GoonerGerry! A lower case version. Double bubble.
I’m with V Persie on this. It’s a bit like being expected to support the English team in the CL final. Why would I (how could I?) cheer United when I’ve been booing them all season? I did support them in last years’ CL final, but only because they were the lesser of two evils then.
Strangely, I found I was interested enough to check the live scores a few times, but even when I knew they’d won 4-0, I couldn’t summon up any enthusiasm to watch the highlights.
There was a time when you loved England players regardless of who they played for. I remember 1996 and loving not only Tone and Dave but also Gascoigne and even Darren Anderton. Now you loathe players from other teams. Why?
ps I’m 52.
Beat ya! I’m 53. I had nothing against Gazza and Anderton, or Lineker and Sheringham. Although they played for Spuds, I appreciated them as players. Gazza was a nutter, but more a victim than a villain. This bunch of England players are particularly unlovable though.
The captain of England should be somebody you can look up to. JT’s attitude and behaviour demean the armband. I can’t abide the arrogance of Lampard, the petulance of Rooney, and don’t even get me started on that twat Cole!
Ive always followed England, and always get my hopes up, only to end up gutted and feeling let down by em. I aint old enough to remember 66, but think it was the worst thing that happened to us! We were effin jammy and basically seem to have used up all our luck at International levels in that tournament! Not to mention the horrendous tabloids and their arrogance and xenophobia that spews out every time England plays. This supoeriority complex based on what exactly? A flukey win over 40 years ago? Sad
As for the England players… Cant stand em, in the main and it says something when beckham is seen as an elder statesman…
Footballers see playing for England as more ego massaging and a few extra 0’s on their already inflated pay packets…
I agree, I’ve fallen outta love with England – expect so much, but just don’r deliver (sounds a bit like the arse recently – but thank god I haven’t fallen outta love with them !).
I think you should not get paid playing for your country, you should play for the shirt and the honour of representing your country ! there are no leaders anymore, no passion – Stuart Pearce is sat watching from the bench these days, but when he played, he played with his heart and soul in it, he gave it everything. Lets hope he can inject some of his spirit into that bunch of overpaid apathetic tw@ts that pull on the shirt these days !!
Do Arsenal fans still actually watch England games? I think the last time I bothered to care about watching England was Euro 96. Since then I haven’t got a clue how or what they have been up to.
Can’t be supporting Chelsea, Liverpool and United players I’m afraid.
This house (comprised only of females) hasn’t supported England since Euro 96. The disappointment of that (and Italia 90) were the final nails in our coffins. When it comes to internationals, it’s better to support another country, one that can actually play. Last year’s Euro’s were better for the absence of England (as was USA 94) and watching football without hype was a pleasure. There’s less devastation if you pick a foreign team (apart from Argentina going out in the last WC) and, usually, much more to coo about football-wise.
Personally, I’d prefer NONE of our players to be in the England squad – I don’t want them subjected to such an ugly way of ‘playing’. Nor should they have to mix with a bunch of overpaid chavs.
The current England squad are the most shockingly obnoxious, ghastly bunch of creatures on this planet. WTF any sane person actually want them to win a trophy is beyond me. And you would have to be infinitely stupid to even believe they’re capable of winning a WC/Euro trophy. I dread them being at the next WC and wish the FA had kept McLaren as manager – he’s a hero in my book.
Personally, I’d prefer NONE of our players to be in the England squad – I don’t want them subjected to such an ugly way of ‘playing’. Nor should they have to mix with a bunch of overpaid chavs.
Round of applause for Chicken!
Buch of mongs the lot of you! I guarentee that when it comes to the World Cup finals youll all be sitting there in your England Tops with your face paint on.
None of you would like Walcott to score the winning goal in a world cup final? If not then a lot of you have problems!
anyone who puts George Armstrong as an England right-winger helps to restore my faith.
A player that could cross with both feet. Something our current crop can’t do with one.
re:15 by V Persie.
About him saying he’d rather see Arsenal win the Champions League then England win the World Cup.
In all honesty, i’d rather see Arsenal win a throw-in, inside our own half, in the 21st minute of a midweek League Cup round 3 fixture away at Macclesfield… then England win the World Cup.
Yes its a sorry state of affairs to make a comment like that. But for me, England are just like any other team. If Arsenal were playing them i’d want us to completely tear them apart.
re 24 Issy
‘None of you would like Walcott to score the winning goal in a world cup final? If not then a lot of you have problems!’
Prime example of the infinite stupidity I mentioned.
‘England winning the WC’ – what planet are such people on?!
I’ve been rooting for the Dutch for years, the national team play great stuff even though their league isn’t up to much, plus they usually fall out with each other reflecting their club allegiances whereas our boys all seem to enjoy each others highly paid company.
Get some of these stiffs out and freshen up with some young blood.
Arsenal youth could beat Kazahkstan (no disrespect intended to the K’s). So come on Capello wake us all up.
Or maybe Gooners are bored of England as we haven’t had a player for years in there!!
They didn’t pick Wrighty even if he was the best. When did they pick the whole Arsenal back 5?, that would have been the smartest pick. Rock solid England for years, but no…! Adams should have been captain for a decade…England could have been winners but for the clueless tactically weak managers.
Lets see in 5 or 6 years….
Interesting. I’m not English, so have no emotion invested in your NT one way or the other. I agree, however, that it’s difficult to support a team comprised of such obnoxious players like Terry, Lampard, Rooney. I’d be curious to know if any of you support your youth team? The youth Euros are coming up and Theo and Gibbs will be playing in that tournament.
I’m Brazilian and while I can’t say I don’t support my NT (and we have several obnoxious players too), my enthusiasm has definitely waned as our football has changed to something much less enjoyable to watch, and as our players have become more remote from the fans.
I enjoy watching other NTs like Argentina (I try not to tell my family that), Holland, Turkey, Russia, Egypt and definitely Spain. I watched the Holland-Iceland game over the weekend with RVP and the Dutch were magnificent to watch. Just brilliant.
Scotty Davis’s comment –
In all honesty, i’d rather see Arsenal win a throw-in, inside our own half, in the 21st minute of a midweek League Cup round 3 fixture away at Macclesfield… then England win the World Cup.
Hahahah…Spot on!
Like watching that shithead Tim Henman in Wimbledon, it’s kind of funny seeing England screw up now days.
Welcome spanner and the rider. Thanks everyone for your input. Interesting to see I am far from alone.
While I still support England, and enjoy watching the games on the box, I could never get up the enthusiasm to attend in person. I can remember when Liverpool, Villa, and Forest were winning all those European Cups that I almost ached for them to put one over on the big continental sides, it was a British thing; but now, sad old git that I`ve become, unless it is Arsenal, I will support the opposition. I raised a glass (of nice bourbon) when Barca did the business.
Excellent stuff as always ‘holic. Echoed my sentiments exactly.
Why should I cheer for a bunch of cunts once or twice a year when i spend the rest of the year hating them.
Roll on the start of the next season.
I used to feel like you ‘holic a sort of dull duty that generally ended in disappointment when I watched the England boys often do no more than go through the, often loose, motions.
And then I fell upon the truth that we are actually a middling football nation, not a top country.
Instead of belieiving to the claptrap of the meejaa about how we are gonna do this and that (cos we are a GREAT football nation), which we never do, I now look on each game as a chance to support a group of fairly limited jouneymen, local lads, as you might find your local Vauxhall Conference South mid table squad.
I had let go.
Since then I have not looked back – every game is a triumph – face paint – the conga – dancing in the fountains – ah yes – true enlightenment