Not Long Now Until Proper Football Comes Home Friday, 9th Dec 2022 09:33 Although no one can deny that the World Cup has thrown up some exciting and interesting games, the truth is that for many it is tainted and they just can't get into it, however for those who prefer club to country there is not long to go.. Usually for two years there is not great interest in the England team aside from those that watch their teams regularly in person and also some fans who are squarely club Country before Club and are England supporters rather than any team. Certainly 30 years ago the England support at away games was firmly drawn from those who actively followed their clubs. These days though things have changed, although normally an England game against say Hungary in qualifying would draw little interest outside of football, suddenly when a World Cup or European Championship finals loom, mass hysteria starts to build and hence we get TV news pictures of drunken teenage girls staggering out of bars or nightclubs who have had a mass showing of the game against Senegal and asking the World "Have You Heard ?" and then screaming "It's coming home" For those of us of a certain age who follow football actively the answer is "Yes we have certainly heard", scores of drunks have told us this on tv for 27 years now and it hasn't come home yet, so excuse us for not getting too excited about beating Senegal and facing one of the World's best teams in the Quarter Finals, one swallow doesn't make a summer as they say. Suddenly the country has forgotten the controversy surrounding this tournament, how FIFA awarded it to Quater for no obvious reasons other than money, how allegedly hundreds of workers have been killed building the stadiums, the human rights issues in Quatar, the way that those who follow the National side to these tournaments have had to pay through the nose for everything surrounding it, flights, accommodation and food and drink. That matters little for those casual once every two years and then only after we get to the quarter finals England fans, their disappointment when England fail again is fleeting, the traditional public disorder in some places is soon yesterdays news and they can once again put away the little flags and hats they have bought in Tesco for another two years. But for those of us who go to football matches in the top two divisions, or for that matter even in the lower leagues where kick offs are being altered at short notice to ensure that fans can watch big games, our seasons have been disrupted, we have had to twiddle our thumbs for six weeks to make those in FIFA richer. When a World cup is held in the Summer it is a welcome distraction, but in mid winter, suddenly we have no news from our clubs, not even a transfer window as is the case usually in a summer tournament. But fear ye not, this cringeworthy tournament is almost over, of course i want England to win it, of course I will leap off my sofa if it actually does come home, but truthfully for me and many I speak to, this tournament has been tainted ever since it was announced and i can't find much enthusiasm for it when I watch the games in sterile stadiums populated by rich Quatari's and those fans who can afford paying out thousands of pounds to watch it. Soon the fans will leave Quatar, these new stadiums will crumble with nothing or no one to fill them and we will get back to being able to watch our clubs again. There are now only 12 games to go before we get back to actually being able to watch a match live, I never thought I would ever be that desperate to watch Lincoln City play, but I am ! No disrespect to the Imps here, I am sure their supporters will be saying something similar about playing Southampton. We can get back to supporting and moaning about our teams, back to having a pre match drink with our mates and instead of asking the fella next to you in the stadium about his summer holiday, asking if he can afford his Gas bill. Perhaps the only good thing about this tournament is that whatever the result, even if England lose the Final on penalties, I wont care as much as i will if Southampton lose to Lincoln City and I suspect that around the country there are millions who feel the same. I of course don't mean that the country is waiting with baited breath on the game at St Mary's, but they care more about their own team than the national side, ask me whether I would prefer England to win the World Cup of Saints the League Cup or Carabao Cup or whatever it is called these days and there is only one answer. That is not unpatriotic, just that for most of us, we live and breathe our clubs day in and day out and England pops up every two years. Come on England against France on Saturday night, but my heart and thoughts won't totally be focused on this game, they will be on a cold night at St Mary's in 12 days time. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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