England passion....deflated

I haven’t blogged in a while, and although I have had ideas for a blog it hasn’t filled me with eagerness to put fingers to keyboard.  The odd plastic Manc expressing their love for their winning team via social media sites having not step foot out of their house doesn’t really bother me too much anymore - I can only think that this is now becoming old hat.  Although still good sport when you get on one of their cases.  Like recently on Twitter.

A City fan posted that ‘Stockport is in Manchester’.  I quickly came to the rescue of all Stopfordians by saying that it isn’t, and if he didn’t know his local boundaries then he should bloody well go out and learn them.  He promptly told me to mind my own business…………erm……on Twitter - you know, that public social media site.  I do like a good footballing related discussion/argument, but this youngster was just too easy, so I let him go.   

The massive amount of rubbish that I’m going to place in my binbag today is around the England match recently against Wales.  I’m not sure about anyone else, but I was just inanely bored by the whole thing, wishing in some part of me that Wales would score to prompt the players into action.  It just didn’t do it for me.  So, sat there in a bar in France whilst on my honeymoon/family holiday (congratulations…..thanks….) I started to wonder if this is what supporting an ‘Arsenal’ is like, and what football was all about.

We all get very passionate about the football don’t we?  But do you ever ask yourself.  Why?

Watching England is for most Englishmen the pinnacle of the English game - unless you think that your club football is more important, which is terms of spending habits is probably true for most of us - but ultimately we all want to see the best English players playing for the England side beating other nations with aplomb.  We want to see them Barca style pass their through the opposition defence before sidestepping the keeper to nestle the ball firmly in the back of the open net at Wembley - when was the last time this ever happened?  Or will ever happen.  Furthermore is the other chart topping success of the World Cup, but I may as well shelf that along with Liverpool’s title ambition.

Thinking about this during the match it was clear to me that we only have 1 truly world class player - Wayne Rooney.  The others can be selected/dropped with no real impact to the team and how it performs.  Joe Hart is an up and coming exception to the rule - absolutely superb ‘keeper who is getting better and better with every passing match played.

So what’s to get passionate about?  These lads earn ridiculous amounts of money and it just doesn’t make sense to me to add to that by contributing my efforts too - albeit, my efforts on this occasion were to sit in a bar and watch it with other disappointed Englishmen.  Ok we won, but to beat what is effectively a bottom half Premiership team with a Champions League team 1-0 on home soil is a bad shout - and I couldn’t get geared up for it at all.

The adverts from the England team sponsors shout passion, bravery and that ‘English spirit’ - all of which I can’t see emanating from the pitch - with the exception of one Wayne Rooney.  I have wondered that it may be me getting older, finding other things to concentrate my efforts on (family etc). 

This will surely come to most - as I can’t see a passionate England performance coming anytime soon.