A Liverpool Fan On Why Scousers Hate The England Football Team…

I have very little interest in international football as a whole. I mean I’ll watch the big tournaments as we all do, and maybe if there’s an exciting match involving two big nations I might tune in to get my fix, but other than that, beyond checking out some highlights, I couldn’t care less; it’s an inconvenience to club football that I could do without. In fact, if the whole concept was scrapped I’d be delighted. As for the England national team, I feel absolutely no connection towards them; I never say ‘we’ when talking about them, and I’ll only ever watch them as a last resort if there’s nothing else on, or if I’m already down the pub and the game is on.

There has been a distance between Scousers and England that has gone back years. I wasn’t alive in the mid 80’s when Thatcher’s continually sh*t all over the city, but it’s impossible to ignore the ill feeling towards her and the Tories – and it’s definitely one of the primary reasons why many fans don’t support England. It’s not one of the reasons I usually give – although the wounds from her reign are still apparent throughout certain parts of the city – but I don’t feel English (I honestly don’t know the words to ‘God Save Our Queen’) – although I was pleased for Team GB and their brilliant efforts at both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Maybe I’d be more receptive to the idea if, as a footballing nation, England weren’t so arrogant and detestable

Liverpool was, and still to a certain degree is, treated like a second class city. I love going down to London, and do it every month or two, but even now, announcing to someone I’ve just met that I’m from Liverpool is often met with derision and a protest of “don’t rob my phone, HAHAHA” or an original shout of “calm down, calm down!” It’s nothing particularly insulting, but it highlights the mindset and stereotypes that many people still have towards us. Still to this day the divide between the city and the country remains, and never is it more so than with the football teams of the country’s third largest city.

There used to be a great banner that would regularly take its place at the front of the Kop a few seasons ago. It perfectly summed up mine – and many others – views towards the country, but in a very self-depreciating fashion: we’re not English we are Scouse. It is a phrase said mostly in jest because we often feel ostracised from the rest of the country because of the mentality outsiders - and especially southerners - have towards us. Football does at times become too partisan, but I can’t even bring myself to wish our players well when they play for their country; I just want them to return to club duty uninjured and get knocked out of tournaments at the earliest opportunity so they don’t tire themselves out.

I have always find patriotism to be a strange concept, although I accept that my reasoning for it may sound hypocritical given my devotion to the club who just happen to play in the city I grew up in. Automatically supporting the country that you were born and raised in – without having any control over until you’re an adult – is baffling to me, especially when there are so many social and cultural differences between Liverpool and the rest of the country. Why should you feel some connection towards it? It wasn’t your choice to live here, so supporting them by default makes no sense. Not to me, anyway. But maybe I’d be more receptive to the idea if, as a footballing nation, England weren’t so arrogant and detestable.

It’s the b**lends who sing “always the victims, it’s never your fault” and then protest their innocence when it’s suggested that there are vile undertones in the chant

My feelings towards the national team range from ambivalence to hatred depending on the circumstances, for so many, many reasons:

It’s the absolute shambles of a Football Association. The spineless, incompetent, corrupt hypocrites who are more concerned about milking every penny out of the new Wembley and bleating on about respect, than accepting responsibility for the failings in the modern game when they have to power to make the necessary changes.

It’s whole stance on football and the way it should be played. Knock it long, stick it up ‘em, bla bla blaaa. The applauding of work rate in an attempt to mask a player’s technical deficiencies (see James Milner).

It’s the media circus, and their hypocritical stance on all things English. Their adulation of Woy ’30-odd years of international experience’ Hodgson when he’s done f**k all in the game compared to many talented managers who have never been given a fair crack of the whip by Fleet Street’s finest, perhaps because they’re not as willing to give a revealing interview at their behest.

It’s the b**lends who sing “always the victims, it’s never your fault” and then protest their innocence when it’s suggested that there are vile undertones in the chant. “No, it’s just about the whole Suarez thing,” apparently. Then why do you sing always the victim? What are these other times when we claim to be the victim? United sang it before the Suarez saga, and they f**king know they did, but instead of having the stones to admit that it’s indirectly mocking Hillsborough they try and protest their innocence. C**ts.

Yeah, because mocking the struggles of finding meaningful employment after the city constantly gets s*** on by the Tories is boss banter, you f**cking neanderthals

It’s the fans who travel to Anfield and, without fail, belt out their repertoire of outdated, tedious songs that mock Scousers and the city. “Sign on, sign on, with a pen, in your hand, and you’ll never get a job, you’ll never get a job,” they sing. Yeah, because mocking the struggles of finding meaningful employment after the city constantly gets s*** on by the Tories is boss banter, you f**cking neanderthals.

It’s the horrible players. The likes of Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Wayne Rooney are all loathsome individuals. That they play or have played for rival teams is bad enough, but they are massive tw**s and the thought of having the give them my support makes me throw up a bit in my mouth.

It’s the ridiculous level of expectation heading in to every tournament that England should be getting to the latter stages with ease, despite constantly falling in the early stages.

It’s the desperate need of the media and fans to always find a scapegoat instead of accepting that despite boasting arguably the strongest domestic league in world football, they’re not one of the elite international sides.

It’s that band. That stupid f**king band. Playing The Great Escape tune over and over and over and over and over and over again.

It’s the fans who normally follow lower league teams who boo top-flight professionals because they’re not backing up their reputation and paycheck with the type of performances they put in for the clubs.

It’s everything about this nation when it comes to football. Rule f**king Britannia.

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