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Hi

I have to say that good as those 2 teams are I bloody well support every single team that plays against them, reason why, the bloody media who are so bloody patronising. Classic example today was the Rugby coverage on ITV where Jim Rosenthall was positively patronising towards Francois Pienard. As a Scotsman it bloody infuriates me and most of probably Wales, Ireland etc who think likewise.

But before all the little Englanders respond to this may I take the opportunity to say that in 99% of other sports I and every one else in Britain probably supports English Sportsmen, no-one more than me shouts more for Athletes, Boxers, Rowers, etc who predomitely are English, my initial sporting memories are Scotland at the 78 World Cup and Coe/Ovett at the 80 Olympics (Bloody Brilliant as a 10 yr Old)

JP

is there no such thing as a little scotlander?

You must never forget that its the game thats important. It doesn't matter who wins as long as its not bloody England.

Mart

It's wee Scotlander, Woodgnome.

JP is voicing what many Scots (can't speak for the Welsh, Irish or Manxmen) think. There was a time when I would cheer England on at football and so on. But the "we're worldbeaters" attitude of the media (personified by the illiterate yobbery of "It woz the Sun wot won it") annoys the hell out of us.

The chances are the English will win the rugby World Cup, and good luck to them; but heaven preserve us from the gloating of the press and broadcasting media.

There certainly is Woodnome, I'm only 5'7 and have been known as a shortarse all my life

JP

Spot on Caractacus

There's no-one on this earth who can dispute the talents of the English Rugby team, in Jonny Wilkinnson they trully have the best player in the world and are quite rightly favourites for the World Cup.

All we ask for is for the press/media to stop going overboard, a classic example was the England V Turkey game, 10 minutes before the game all we heard from the media was the apparent mess that the English team was in, (Ferdinand and all that), 1 minute after the final whistle and all the media could talk about where who was going to stop England winning the bloody thing.

JP

this sort of resentment, almost unavoidable given the disparity in size between the populations of england and scotland/wales, is one reason why i favour the dissolution of the british isles - a political entity/identity which seems to have fewer adherents by the day.

at least then, the english could just be what they are in their own house, for good or ill, without causing the inevitable annoyance/frustration that comes from being the elephant in someone elses living room.

the existence of the eu makes it all the more of a no-brainer, imo. scotland and wales would both derive positive benefits, from forging anew their cultural/social/economic selves in a european context and i believe england would do the same: although, in a sense, english identity is more of an imponderable, subsumed as it historically has been with britishness, in a way that welsh and scottish notions of selfhood/nationhood never were.

i think its a shame though that you are put off supporting a side because of the attitudes of that nation's TV sports presenters or the national tabloid papers.
afterall, its not jonny wilkinson or michael owen that is being arrogant or patronising. its just the same as saying something on TV was crap, simple answer: turn over. You don't have to read the papers or listen to the so-called pundits. personally i support the 11 guys out on the pitch, i'm not bothered what the likes of jim rosenthal (he's always been a twat, whether he's talking to a s.african or a brit) or any other part of the media have to say.

I have to agree with you guys, that has to be the smugest panel in the history of broadcasting, with Will Carling & Jim Rosenthal (who looks like one of the puppets out of a punch and judy show), hats off to England though, they are a good Rugby team, but those bastards make you want to see them get well and truly gubbed, and is it just me or does ITV seem to think this is the English Rugby World Cup this year very little, if any mention of the other home nations, but plenty of air time for you know who.
come on the fucking All Blacks .....

It is this very point that is often ignored. Too often a networked show being sent to all four corners of the UK is treated as a clubroom for English supporters. When the commentators or reporters do remember the British aspect it tends to be in negative situations: "British fans ran riot through the streets of wherever today hours ahead of England's game against . . . " And maybe it's the paranoia germ that's in our water, but I'm sure an athlete having success is referred to (though not in recent years; our sport is even worse than our football at the moment) as British if they win, and Scottish if they don't. Strange.

I'm not making this out to be some sort of nationalistic campaign, Woodgnome, and the last thing I want is the border closed and all the inbred Gaelic speakers handing everyone their own loom to make sweaters while speaking gibberish. But Wales, Ireland and Scotland have contributed a great deal to the UK, and it would be nice if those smug, obnoxious folk at ITV and BBC sport, whose vocal cords are attached to their arseholes, gave a little thought to those who may not share their passion for all things Engerland.

A prime example a few years ago, must have been a football World Cup qualifier or something, the BBC went live on air with the Lineker, Hanson and friends 75 minutes before kick-off. Five minutes before going over to the start of the match, it was "I suppose we'd better speak about the opposition." Pitiful.

A couple more boring quotes, I'm afraid:

"Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on his own dunghill." ~Richard Aldington

"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind." ~Albert Einstein

Oh, and I have no problem with the English nation celebrating its saint's day, or its achievements. The Irish, Welsh, Scots and the rest of the world do it, so why not the folk of Albion? You've a lot to be proud of.