To think the anyone but England mentality is cringe?

[SolitaryMind]

I’m Scottish, I was brought up to be anti English, SNP mad household, despite having English grandparents. I’ve always thought it made no sense, England is part of the UK like we are. I now have an English dp who is step- parent to my child, I support England in football as does my dc, every match my social media is filled with support for any country playing against England, I don’t get it! Can someone explain the logic to me, I can’t be the only one surely!

Me too. Utterly pathetic. Commiserations to our friends and neighbours south of the border.

No explanation is needed. ABE is just jealousy amongst the home nations. Nothing whatsoever to do with other countries. Strawman tbf.

Because in general it seems to me that England people like the Home Nations thing. Many Scottish people do not.

@ExcuseeeeMe yes exactly!! This is my point, much better put. The English are all like "aww but we'd support you, go home nations team!" Meanwhile to many people in Scotland it's like supporting your local rival, or at least supporting some other irrelevant team.
The assumption that you'd just support England is what then turns people fully ABE.

👆🏻This is so accurate 🤣

I agree.

Its utterly embarrassing and they cant even see it.

@AuntiesWoodenLeg fantastic post . Thank you

I have lived in many countries across the world and I've said this before but the only time I have ever experienced outright racism was in Scotland, and I grew up in a northen working class town in the 80's, the anti english sentiment was apparent in most of my interactions as well.

It's part of the reason why I like to point out the hypocrisy and lacking of history knowledge of the 'oh so liberal' scotnats who try to insuate colonialism is a uniquely english problem.

I'm a non white immigrant, who is british, my dad took me to watch cricket,rugby and football and we both proudly wear the england shirts on internationals (along with the wider family), the fact that Scotland supporters think it is somehow a win because of a recent draw is just comical. A lower half of the table chamionship team always lives on the time where a proper team only managed a draw, my friend is Lincoln city fan, she still talks about beating Man City 3-1 20 years ago.

I don’t assume Scotland or any other Home Nation should support England as a default if they haven’t qualified themselves. Everyone can decide for themselves but that is quite different from ABE sentiment.

According to you, based on anecdata of a few 10’s of people say who apparently don’t know Scotland has a football team, that’s justification for ABE sentiment.

Do we really need this argument? It's one of those things that has turned into a caricature - a joke. I'm Scottish, been watching every match and bloody hell - no one I know says "Anyone but England" seriously. It's is always followed by "Can you imagine? - we would never stop hearing about it". I mean 1966 is relentlessly picked up on....

No one I know that is English (and I know a lot of English people) supports Scotland really - why would they? And lets be honest how often are Scotland playing when England aren't? As for jealousy - Yeah, maybe a bit. England get to see their team play a lot more than we do. And sometimes they even think they have a decent chance of winning! That's great - we can SEE that is great. We would like it. But it's not jealousy in that we don't want England to play. Who would want that? It's just... we hear a LOT about it. Imagine (if your English) just for a minute - imagine Scotland were better and all you hear about is how well we were doing. And you hear it a lot! Would you like that? Who would? I think it's human to want that for yourself. It doesn't mean we resent you guys for having it.

Anyway. As the only female in a family of five - Two were rooting for England, two for France and I was just hoping it wouldn't go to extra time/penalties (because I was making the dinner - no malice, no joy when Kane missed the penalty - nothing like that!). In my experience the vast majority of Scottish people don't care , some support England, some support anyone but England.... But this focus on it just isn't going to help is it. Sorry you were out - you played well in the second half and it was a good game!

Yabu and clearly have not clue about footballing rivalries.

The fact is you never, ever support your closest neighbour. Simple as that.

Add to the fact that the supposedly neutral UK media ram England centric content down the throats of everyone else throughout the competition and it's no wonder nobody but England likes England.

Take the Netherlands v Argentina game yesterday, a great game in its own right yet more than half of half time was dedicated to England. Maybe if the BBC and ITV were a little less England centric the rest of the UK would tolerate them more.

I couldn't give a shiny shite about football - couldn't be more disinterested if I tried - BUT I agree that the arrogance of the media about the England side is so very grating and I understand why people will support ABE!! And I am saying that as someone who doesn't support a team at all.

It's similar to when you read threads about cities here and Paris always get slated in particular - but there is a perception in Europe about English attitudes in general, and having lived in England too as have both my elder DC, I can see what they mean!

@Daydreamer12345 and there will be plenty in England who don't think like you ... so what the fuck is the point of what you've just said? we can all have our own opinions and I know every scot/Welsh/ni/ person I speak to sees the media bias and hype and gets fed up of it.

Again, I don't have a problem with the England men's team. I was glad the lionesses did win. I just can't stand the arrogance of the media acting like (a) England will win everything and (b) everyone in the U.K. should automatically support them and be oh so interested in them when sporting wise they are nothing to do with the 3 other nations who all have their own teams.

It's an ugly symptom of hatred and shouldn't be taken lightheartedly. I was born in England and now live in Scotland; I just want all our home nations to do well and I can't understand why anyone would feel differently.

Yet thousands ofEnglish fans were chanting about Scotland during this World Cup so maybe you should look close to home . Or do they just hate Scotland ?

Shhhhhhh didn't you know? England is the greatest nation on Earth and can do no wrong and everyone should love them and anyone who doesn't is just a jelly ignorant savage with no class?

Agree completely. DH is Scottish so my Scottish in laws always go crazy on social media supporting the other team whenever England is playing. It’s really immature.

(And then they happily visit places in England for mini breaks!)

I’m Irish and live in Ireland and everyone I know was cheering England on!

Your point ? English people are quite happy to visit France or Germany even though the majority want them out of every competition.

ITV devote so much time to England because that's what the majority of viewers want to see. If they thought more viewers wanted more analysis of Netherlands vs Argentina, that's what they'd do. 84% of the people in the UK are English and support England. There's nothing stopping the BBC and ITV from providing separate opt-out coverage for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with their own commentators and pundits etc, but they don't, because there isn't the demand to justify the additional expense.

Because the English are deluded. They score 1 goal in the first half of their very first match against a low rated team in the group stages and immediately you get “it’s coming home!”. Well it clearly ain’t is it and hasn’t since 1966 ffs, not that England is the home of football anyway! The English fans are loathed across the world for that reason alone. Their hooliganism doesn’t help either.

I think you may be a couple of tournaments (read years) behind the curve, as for doing a diservice of being a low ranked then it speaks volumns of Scottish national team who can't even make the tournament.

I would suggest you also brush up on your languages and not look for oppresion, the Germans/Spanish/Brazilians/Dutch/Italians etc etc all have anthems about winning the world cup, they all know it is just an anthem that has taken hold on the terraces, the only people who take it litterally are the ABE crowd and those who don't really watch football and think all 'other' supporters are respectful, it is like the last Euros where people where calling out racism among england supporters (which turned out to be some random in the middle east) and support Italy where bananas are regulalry thrown onto the pitch against black players.

It's not the England team itself but the conduct of a significant number supporters that really puts many people off.

It can be a genuinely frightening experience for anyone to end up surrounded by England supporters. Mike Tindall described his experience of sitting amongst England supporters at the Euro 2021 final.

www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/15/mike-tindall-broke-up-fight-between-england-fans-inside-wembley-euro-2020-final

Contrast this with Sweden and Ireland fans at the 2016 Euros:
www.facebook.com/FansofEuro2016/videos/swedish-and-irish-fans-singing-dancing-queen-by-abba/1623841141267528/

Yes i know the violent scenes from some England fans after they lost the final in 2020 was awful to watch. Also the racism thrown at the players by some of their own fans after. I hope we don’t see repeats of that tonight .

Ok, you don't assume that Scotland should support England as default, just because of the Home Nations thing. But lots of English people do assume that, there's even people on this thread expressing surprise that they don't. This is grating, and leads to ABE sentiment.

Really though @AuntiesWoodenLeg 's excellent post hits the nail on the head. Our own media assumes that we should support England as the default by the very fact of giving us English coverage instead of our own coverage. This also grates, and leads to ABE. Everyone on your TV in your own country telling you "we're really in for a chance this year lads" when the 'we' refers to your neighbouring country, it's infuriating.

Scottish here but live in England. DP is English and my son born in England. I was cheering them on tonight in support of my family but also because I think the team (mostly) are lovely young men and after the shit a few of them were put through last year, they deserved to do well.

I would love to see Morocco win now. Talk about underdogs!

because there isn't the demand to justify the additional expense.

this is precisely the problem - imagine an entire country full of people who pay TV licences and taxes being told that since there are so many more people in the county next door, there really isn't any need for you to have your own media, just have theirs instead. Cheaper that way.