shuggy's blog
Like you Shuggy, I live in Glasgow. Unlike you, I'm English and have lived in Glasgow for 6 years. On the morning that Brazil knocked England out of the World Cup in 2002, Partick turned into Rio. Samba music wafted out of tenenment windows and everyone at Safeway was wearing yellow. The reason this bothers the English is simple: the vast majority of them support Scotland, Wales, N Ireland and Republic of Ireland in international tournaments. The fact that the support is not reciprocated represents what, if it isn't underlying racism?
I grew up among real Scots, amongst whom there wasn't much anti-English stuff, and that not much more than teasing. We were quietly happy in our superiority over our charming, if ill-educated, neighbours. Now it would seem that Scotland has been Glasgowfied. Sad.
What? We support you, so you should support us otherwise you're racist?
I'm very fond of watching the Brazilian play, but I don't go into a strop if the some Brazilian doesn't reciprocate. If English people don't like that we don't return the support - STOP SUPPORTING US! I guarantee Scotland will not lose a wink of sleep if the Tartan Army doesn't have a Morris-dancing contingent. It is a kind, but futile gesture. Hell, WE wouldn't support Scotland if we didn't have to.
And what other possible reason could Scots have for their non-support of England if it isn't racism? Geez, I don't know... experience?
"It is a kind, but futile gesture. Hell, WE wouldn't support Scotland if we didn't have to."
That's the funniest thing I've read all week.
Ach, c'mon Nick and dearieme - if y'all are familiar with Glasgow you should be aware that there's a sizable proportion of the population that will be supporting England. They're called Rangers supporters - but a bit thin on the ground in Partick, perhaps? (Actually, maybe not - there's Memories and the Rosevale, after all.) Anyway, haven't opinion polls shown a majority of Scots do indeed want England to do well?
If I could make a serious point, I think a lot of the football animosty has to do with the assumption of sameness that we've had from England over the years. It's only comparatively recently, for instance, that English supporters have stopped using the union flag as their own.
Isn't everyone taking this a little too seriously, anyway? As I've said before, I popped out of an English womb myself - but that doesn't stop me being pissed off with people telling me what team to support in the bleedin' World Cup. It's nothing to do with racism.
Come on, Shuggy, let it go. Either Teutons or Brazilians will clean the English clock quite soon. Then you will be able to join me in celebrations.
Some people, especially of second-rate football nations, tend to lose perspective when Mondial is on, you know. And I am not saying I mean the English now, but neither I am stating the opposite.
Cool 
Well I think this is a class issue (i would wouldn't I
Posh English want the Scots to support the England team. That's because they are all tossers who like telling everyone else what to think and do and interfering in the 'lower orders' lives.
Working class English people couldn't give a shit what or who you lot support (I know I do slightly, in that I want you lot *not* to bother giving support or anything else to the English team). It's not needed and when we win the whole tournament It'll be all the sweeter to give you lot the finger 
It's not needed and when we win the whole tournament
Meanwhile, back in the real world...
Still, must be nice for all those Trinidadians and Tobagonists to know how well regarded they are in Scotland.
"Posh English want the Scots to support the England team. That's because they are all tossers who like telling everyone else what to think and do and interfering in the 'lower orders' lives."
I have never heard of a single English person posh or otherwise espousing this view. The English of all classes couldn't give a squirt of piss who the Scotch support.
However moving on, what the fugg is Shagger McConnell doing supporting Trin & Tob? Does he have any connections that would explain his support for this team? If the answer is naw, then it is difficult to believe McFondle has merely picked them at random, and it does ergo smack of mild anti Sassenachness. It would be ridiculous for McFondle to be givin it the “Come oan Englund, show us yer Saxon spunk”, but nor should he be indulging in the retarded “anyone but England” mentality (and nor should any self respecting Scot).
Now I am sure this all doesn't really reflect Shaggers strongly held views, but he is keen to play the tartan card to try and trump the SNP, indeed this has been a Labour tactic for a long time. In Scotland not being sufficiently Scottish seeming can be perceived as being anti Scottish, so politics does play a significant part in this.
Meanwhile, back in the real world...
Australia beat Japan 3-1 today. Not that I thought they would lose at the beginning of the game ... but at 0-1 with 6 minutes left in the match I was feeling a little gloomy.
"I have never heard of a single English person posh or otherwise espousing this view."
Now you're not making sense. The first sentence of mine is a statement. The second sentence is a view. You are therefore saying that you haven't heard any English person espouse my own view. That's not suprising really - It's only me who's thought of it (and why should they and why is that a problem to the validity of my statement).
"The English of all classes couldn't give a squirt of piss who the Scotch support."
Yes they could. Posh people. It's all over the papers and look at the post that this bizarre comment thread is on.
Anyway I posted my advice to our Caledonian cousins a while ago...
http://www.gentheoryrubbish.com/...ves/
000665.html
THe point is not whether the Scots (or Welsh or Irish) should support England. They have every right to support whom they wish and every right not to support the English. What is silly is to say to your customers "We hate you so much we'll support whoever you're playing" That's silly. And who cares who McConnell supports. But if he's tactless enough to say he'll support whoever his neighbour and biggest trading partner is playing he seems a little childish. Isn't he First Minister or something?
Pity that the Italians won tonight as well.
Cheating, moaning, diving bastards.
Isn't he First Minister or something?
Yes but he's from Lanarkshire so we have to make allowances.
I might have more sympathy with your viewpoint if we didn't also have the likes of Matalan refusing to stock English football shirts in their Scottish stores.
Choosing to support one team consistently is fair enough. Choosing to oppose one team consistently is something else.
I don't expect the Scotch to support England in anything. It would be nice if they paid their way in the union but with luck the union will be scrapped soon anyway.
What a bitter wee bunch you are.
I don't expect the Scotch to support England in anything. It would be nice if they paid their way in the union but with luck the union will be scrapped soon anyway.
It's Scots, you ignoramus. And it sounds like you're the bitter one.
I don't mind English people at all indivdually. Many are very nice. It's the tv coverage that's the problem. All that wittering on and cameras all over England showing the fans' reactions to the goal on Saturday. Yawn, yawn... There is no way the coverage would have been on the same scale had Scotland, Wales or Ireland been there instead. A scunnered Glaswegian made the comment on the radio last night that the BBC are crap. Like many of us, he's had it up to here with it all.
I don't mind English people at all indivdually. Many are very nice.
This I know. My mother's English, most of my living relatives are English; that's what annoys me about all this crap. Support England otherwise you're indulging in anti-English racism? What a crock of shit.
As a Scot living in London, 23 months out of 24 i have no problem watching England as a neutral. I'll happily cheer on a Premiership Team in the champions laegue, etc. It's just that when a big championship comes around (especially the world cup) the nice,respectable football fans i know are drowned out by a tide of roaring anglophilia. I realise that supporting your team is all about bias, but when the papers and even the beeb join in as well, it can get to be a bit much to take...
Scots not Scotch then :D tee hee
Decades of family support [my grannie had a season ticket] for East Stirlingshire leave me past caring in this debate.
Heh - supporting Scotland did it for me. Remember, "We're on the march with Ally's army"? Then getting humped by...was it Iran and Peru? Embarrassing. I feel a bit guilty for all this now - I don't even care about it that much but obviously other people do.
Anglophilia, eh Fez. Disgraceful, especially in England. They should all be waving Swiss flags or something. Because presumably there'd be no end of objections if they waved the Union Jack.
I used to think nice things about Scotland but for some years now I have been for anyone who plays them too. It means nothing of course. It is, to use Hak's term from a later post, just a dip into the shallow pool of gesture politics.
And I'm Hungarian.
So, go Faroe Islands! Or Iran. Or Peru.
(But actually I still think nice things about Scotland, occasionally. Damn! Must stop it.)
ps Just popping abroad to kill a few foreigners.
"I don't mind English people at all indivdually. Many are very nice."
I know, I know, some of your best friends are Ebglish but....
(That's 3 from me on this. I'll get my hat now.)
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