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.

Am I a Football Mongrel - are you?

You didn’t read the title wrong…I’m asking if any of you would admit to being a football mongrel.  That is to say that you have, for whatever reason not just supported the team you support now or have other teams that you ‘keep your eye out’ for either domestically or internationally.  We’ve all admitted to supporting Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup (yeah, cheers Turnip head!), or wanting plucky AFC Wimbledon to rise through the leagues as they have - but have you ever taken it a bit further than that?

I have. I do.

I support Stockport County now, a season ticket holder on and off for 20 years.  Away game goer, tattoo donning, ‘buy a new shirt every year’ supporter.  Aren’t we all?  But underneath my blue and white exterior lie a plethora or reds & blues and blacks and reds.  The first of which was Liverpool.  As an impressionable youngster on the Stockport council estate playground there only seemed two teams to support - United, the Trafford variety or Liverpool.  It was really no contest at the time as Liverpool were then the most successful domestic English club, WHY would I want to support Man Utd?  Incidentally, you can see irony of that statement not just then, but now, and the future of the kids today in the playgrounds - football is cyclical is it not?

I soon outgrew this phase as I got older, just a few years older in fact - as I became more involved in the game I wanted more, not just on the pitch but off it.  I wanted to see the football first hand, I wanted to bring the Subbuteo figures to life and not rely on Match Of The Day or Granada Reports to see goals.  Having been born in Stockport, raised in Stockport, proud to be from Stockport and now living in Stockport, I saw it only fitting that County would be my team - regardless of level.  Why actively pretend to be from somewhere you’re not?  Again, you see the irony.

That’s when my then step Dad took me to County.  I was hooked.  You can’t beat that match day feeling from waking up on a Saturday morning to catching the goals you’ve already seen in the flesh repeated on TV that night, or the next day, or the Monday night round up.  It’s priceless.

Wait, there’s more!

Around the age of 15/16 the football management games were all the rage - Championship Manager, Club & Country and Ultimate Manager to name just a few - but one caught they eye that still lives with the hardcore of us today.  Championship Manager.  To the point where I downloaded a (legit) copy of CM0102 recently just to play it’s football management super awesomeness again.  Me and 3 mates used to sit in night after night competing for honours and looking back, wasting hours on end.  Our clubs of choice were spread across Europe, me, I plucked for Paris St Germain.  Ajax, Man Utd and Liverpool were the other choices, but nothing stopped me winning the Ligue 1 and Champions League in my first season.  It’s amazing how that can get you in football terms - beating your mates at what was then and still is now an excellent game to play. I’m 30 years old by the way!  I can still remember some of the players, Chrispohe Revault in goal and Patrice Loko up front.  Signings followed, a young Mickael Silvestre at left back.  I bet my mates can name some of their signings of the time.  Mario Paletti anyone?  Since then I’ve kept my eye on PSG and watch them on the box when I can.  I’ve purchased a few shirts and will continue to do so.

Did I mention that my middle name is Colin……..after Colin Bell.

That’s my story - what’s yours?  E-mail me at russcjohnson@hotmail.com with your story and I’ll post it on here - make it bloggy style though!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little blog - until next time.

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