To be sick of this 'it's coming home' nonsense

[autumn57565]

It's not coming home. Who ever said England is home? It makes us look idiotic to the rest of the world. Someone on the radio said they really believe England is going to win this year. The rest of the world must be pissing themselves looking at England cheering over such a mediocre team and having such delusions of grandeur.

It also seems to make people behave like hooligans. I've seen some crazy driving before the matches start, and people were making noise until the early hours last night.

It's just a game! We never get this excited about the olympics, Wimbledon or even Rugby.

I normally dislike football, but even I manage to muster enthusiasm for the World Cup.

I love the way everyone (OK, obviously not quite everyone) gets involved. We've been watching the England games with friends and I've really enjoyed seeing the kids get really excited about something, particularly my stroppy 13 year old who normally wouldn't lower himself to look excited about anything.

The Op not knowing why people chant football's coming home has made me feel very old though

Yes, Strugglingtodomybest, my "cool" teen dd actually leapt off the sofa with joy when England won. Almost as unbelievable as England winning a penalty shoot-out!

Feeling old? I still have my Italia 90 mug

What is it about the World Cup that's sooooo infectious?

1. each game is self contained, so it's not like dipping into a live episode of Corrie where new people are thinking 'who's that?' 'are those two related?' 'Why are they doing that?' No prior knowledge needed with the World Cup (although I'm sure it enhances the experience!)

2. the rules are simple - it's attack and defence - goals for our team are good, for the other team are bad - it's not like some sports where people cheer and you have to ask 'is that good then?' and someone sighs and explains 'duh, yeah- of course it's good! If we win the next squiggle, we're on track to compete at concrete level in the Greenland tournament for the eighth-hemisphere trophy, which in turn means we could be eligible for the purple forest cup! obviously'.

3. the World Cup knockout process is simple and there are (as far as I know!) no hidden rules - you either win or you lose and the winners go on to play each other

4. national teams are competing, which gets people interested on many levels, in addition to highlighting the enormity of the game. Personally, I like the fact that people all over the world were (before they got knocked out!) invested in the same competition and having these same conversations in their countries. I also like the fact that to a large extent it transcends politics and that we can have one relationship with a country in business or politics but can put all that to one side while we acknowledge that essentially, we're all just little people running round in shorts and t-shirts and nothing more.

5. for many, the World Cup fosters a sense of community in a way that they haven't experienced since before brexit. Humans need a sense of belonging and it gives us a platform where strangers can connect with each other regardless of class, etc

I'm not saying football will solve everything, but I think there are many positives and I love the fact we can enjoy this for at least a few more days!

IT'S COOOOOMING HOME!!!

IT'S COMING HOOOOOOOOME!!

THREE LIONS!!!

The Op not knowing why people chant football's coming home has made me feel very old though

People do know, it’s one of those tiresome superiority complexes dressed up as faux naïveté

🦁🦁🦁 it’s coming Home it’s coming home!

Footballs coming home!

Woop 🙌🏻

In the song it says '30 years of hurt' but is it now 52? shock

Yep my poor mum was carrying me that summer, maybe that's why I hate football. Maybe I picked it up in before birth.

You're allowed to not like football.
But don't;

1. Call all fans fat drunken hooligans when football can and is a family event.
2. Suggest it's bad to get behind your own countries team.
3. Say you don't get why people get excited watching people play when you probably watch TV, listen to the radio, go to theatres etc. You don't get take part in that you just watch but apparently that's not boring but watching a game is?

24.4m watched England win the penalty shootout
17m voted for brexit

The nation cares about its national team

The players represent England. I am English. Therefore, 'we' won

It it wrong that I find it depressing that more people watched a game than voted for the future of the country?

That said, I’m Scottish and watched it.

And I agree with the statement that the players represent England, so English people saying “we” are quite right to do so.

I say “we” talking about Celtic.

In total 33m voted on brexit issue. But 17m for, 16m against

It's just a David Baddiel/Frank Skinner song for Euro 96. Which was held in England which is where football started. The song caught on.
Chill out.

I agree the whole WAGS and “David Beckham is a God” thing always made me switch off. It’s a team game. And the sight of Victoria in her bug eyed sunnies looking miserable as sin.

This year, I’ve no idea who’s married to who; what scandal’s happening behind the scenes. There don’t seem to be the massive egos we’ve had in the past.

IrmaFayLear 1990 mug? I'm impressed. I've still got my France 98 mug, which I'm guessing was the euros and my South Africa 2010 mug and thought that was good going!

JacquesHammer ha ha! But it just makes the person sound either thick or too young to remember. Having said that, in these days of Google there's no excuse for the young, so just thick then. Why would you want to come across as thick?

I am heartily in agreement with Ken Bruce, who gets very annoyed when PopMaster contestants bleat, "It was before my time" if they don't know a tune from, say, the 70s.

Is one only defined musically by "my time"? And what about Mozart or Bach or whoever? You don't hear people say, "Tchaikovsky? Nah, he was before my time."

We still got the vuvuzela from 2010

I liked the 'wavin' flag' song

Bloody hell I don't even like football, never watch the matches, can only name one player on the England team but I won't begrudge anyone a bit of enjoyment when the team do well. The rest of the world aren't pissing themselves laughing at us (at least not about football commentary) - they're setting their hopes on their own teams and couldn't give less of a toss about what someone says on a sports program in the UK. By all means look down on the people who get drunk and actually cause a problem but surely we can let everyone else enjoy it while it lasts?

@araiwa The way they arrive at the viewing figures is so ridiculous you cannot rely on them at all. It may actually be higher, because they have no idea how many people are watching in a pub, a club or even a cinema that's doing a live screening. But by the same token, it could be considerably less.

Even in the current digital age, they still do it in this fashion - they have just over 5,000 boxes in homes which represents some 13,000 people in those homes. Now, let's say 60% of those boxes register that the channel showing football has been selected. All it means is that 3000 sets are tuned to the football. It doesn't follow that 7800 are watching it. But they assume it does. And they then assume that that percentage is repeated across the entire country.

Added to which, let's say Coronation Street was scheduled to start at 9.30 after the allocated time for football. But the match goes into extra time and penalties. You switch over to ITV at 9.30, and watch 40 seconds of adverts then 20 seconds of football as you discover Corrie isn't happening for another hour or whatever. You then switch to another channel. The box records you as a viewer of the football.

YABU. The England team represent England so of course if they win, the cup will be coming to their home. The song says fans are confident, supportive of the team, and believe that the "home" of the cup will be here because England will win. (We all know they might not win, but it's a self-belief thing).

I dislike EastendersCoronationstreetLoveIslandXFactorStrictlyBakeOffWhatever but I don't waste my time whinging about the fact some people do.

Asking in earnest: can someone explain the mass appeal of football - or spectator sports in general - to me? I'm genuinely not getting it!

I'm especially irked by people saying things like 'we won'.

I think I get it now. I'm 32 years old and never really had any interest in it. Hubby only really watches England matches now. I watched Eng Vs Panama and the drama sucked me in. I was gobsmacked at how the Panama players behaved in full view of cameras. It was exciting watching the goal numbers go up. I watched Belgium beat us and I started recognising players by their names. Then I watched England Vs Columbia and was again gobsmacked at the opposition's behaviours. I now started to feel really proud of 'our boys' as they stayed calm and held their own. I listened to the commentators and got caught up in the hype, my nerves were on edge and I felt as if I was going through it with them I had to leave the room for most of extra time as I was so anxious!

I couldn't do this full time because I couldn't deal with the 'heartbreak' of them losing but now I totally get it and I want to see our team win because they deserve it, you can see the attitude and spirit in the team, they are just keeping their heads down and playing their hardest, with a passion other England team have lacked for years.

So from someone not interested in football, it's the journey you see them go on, you become invested in that and feel there emotions too which then gives you a feeling of being on the same level as them.

As said by a PP, it's definitely nostalgia of 1996 when it was a hot summer that felt like summer and we had good team.who worked for it.

"bitter, twisted, miserable, ignorant idiots"

😂 Tadd OTT?

@Hum2, thanks, that's actually a compelling explanation.

I don't feel this about sports at all but do root for and relate to people in similar circumstances engaged in something I can get vaguely excited about.

I keep thinking of you OP, sneering about how the rest of world must be watching and laughing at us for thinking we have a chance . I bet they're not laughing now! 🥅 ⚽️