Okay, it’s taken me a full two weeks since the start date of the “tournament proper” to get my head round it but, hey, I never was the sharpest tool in the box.
So, was it basic, ordinary, common or garden, green-eyed jealousy that has caused my ill feeling towards any and all English teams in any and all sports? No, it really isn’t. I know that some people have been joking that “the Ivory Coast strip comes with an elephant on the shoulder…and the new Scotland strip comes with a chip on the shoulder”. Now, I’m quite sure that many, many Scottish individuals DO harbour some kind of jealous grudge towards the English football team. After all, they HAVE managed to progress beyond the group stages and have even managed to WIN the thing.
I’m quite sure that nobody needs reminding about when and under what circumatances they won it but, again, the constant nonsense spouted by the English media is not my reason for wanting the English national team to fail. In fact, quite the opposite as it turns out. As I have sat reading through the BBC and ITV web coverage of this year’s World Cup, I have found myself giggling at the ammount of pressure these over-paid dumplings are putting the current crop of players under.
No, it turns out that the reason that I want England to fail as a nation, regardless of which sporting endeavour they are undertaking, is…
…I’m Scottish!
It really is THAT simple! As I have attempted to illustrate in the graphic at the top of this blog, I see England sides in pretty much exactly the same way that I see Hibs.
I am a Hearts fan. Always have been, always will be. Do I want to see Hibs doing well in Europe this coming season? Do I f**k! In fact, it’s not even just England. If they had made it to the South Africa showpiece, I would no more have wanted to see Wales, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland do well than I would like to see Rangers, Celtic, Dundee United or Motherwell progress in their European adventures.
Small minded?? Possibly….but surely that’s what being a football supporter is all about, is it not?
There is nothing better than a good rivalry. No, scratch that…There is nothing better than a LOCAL rivalry. That is why, despite the odious nature and history of the Old Firm, I actually dislike Hibs far more that I dislike Celtic or Rangers and, as a result…it is also the same reason that I could never, EVER support, or even tolerate England winning a World Cup whilst I exist on this planet.
