Is England’s World Cup entitlement unique, or common in other countries?

[WhenTheDustSettles]

Do other countries have the same sense of entitlement to winning the World Cup as we do? All this 30, now 60, years of hurt thing, all the comments about how useless England are, that's gone on for as long as I can remember, how rubbish the managers are etc.

I've never researched it but we can't be the only country to have only won one, or zero World Cups.

Is it unique to England? Or our supporters, I doubt the team has the same sense of entitlement.

Spot on.

The players have to believe in themselves. If the English believe wholeheartedly that their guys will win, it must be such a boost to the players.

I thought it was about the sport coming home, not the trophy. Football was invented and officially created (codified by the FA as a professional sport) in England, so England is the home of football.

England always gives off the vibe that they are entitled to win, and it gets tedious tournament after tournament. @WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing As a fellow Scot, it’s not 'chippiness' it’s just exhaustion from hearing about 1966 every time two completely unrelated teams play. We know our team is shite and we aren't going to win; it's no shock to us. And honestly, asking a Scot to support another UK team is like asking us to root for Germany or France. It’s just rivalries, plain and simple.

But your country didn’t invent football so it wouldn’t be going home would it?!

Every team and every country dreams of winning. 🤷‍♀️

I get what you’re saying about ‘entitlement’, OP. I think it goes further than optimism, and strays into ‘it’s ours for the taking’. And the continual theme of how ‘deserving’ England are – despite frequently playing quite crap football in international competition.

Since modern football originated in England, I’m sure that’s part of it.

There’s this very odd sense that the fans literally embody the football team. Which is the case in league football as well. I think it’s can get pretty unhealthy really. And annoying.

It’s a shame most of the games are at terrible times for GMT this time.

Yes, it probably exists in other sports invented here too.

It’ll be similar with baseball in the USA and Kabaddi in India.

Sorry OP, I didn't see your bit abput the missed penalities - I did not know they did that to DB. That's pretty grim

What people tend to forget is that when Three Lions was released, England were hosting the tournament for the first time in a long time. So the 'coming home' element referred to the fact that the tournament was being held on home soil for the first time in generations, and at that time, we had a capable squad that could have won it. It was tongue-in-cheek banter.

What I think is interesting is that the Lionnesses have won the Euros twice and got to the World Cup final. The under 21 mens team won the tournament last year. It's just the senior mens team and I think thats because the coaches (including southgate) have always taken the best 'players' not necessarily the best team.

This year, Tuchel seems to have selected the best mix of the team, so everyone can play in their best role, rather than selecting a 'better' player and asking them to play somewhere different.

This is one of the few times where the country can be optimistic, enjoy it, and we can pick up the newspapers without reading something that could invariably lead to WW3. So as much of a shitshow as this WC will be, let's enjoy that!

It’s generally a left-wing thing. It goes along with their need to explain how there’s not really any English cuisine, or culture, or language and to claim that everything good was built by immigrants.

It’s the sort of sneering disdain that George Orwell was thinking of when he wrote

”In intention, at any rate, the English intelligentsia are Europeanized. They take their cookery from Paris and their opinions from Moscow. In the general patriotism of the country they form a sort of island of dissident thought. England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution, from horse racing to suet puddings. It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during ‘God save the King’ than of stealing from a poor box. All through the critical years many left-wingers were chipping away at English morale, trying to spread an outlook that was sometimes squashily pacifist, sometimes violently pro-Russian, but always anti-British.”

The ‘football coming home’ bit is a reference to the modern came being codified here, I think?

I see it as a triumph of hope over expectation rather than entitlement but maybe I am being charitable 😂

I think other football crazy nations have a similar build up and expectation of success (even if it’s objectively unlikely)

Er, no they weren’t!

It’s “home” as England is where football originated.

Thefe are probably Seedes who feel the same about the great world sports that come from there and feel the same when billions of people’s emotions hang on the Rinkball final or the sledge hockey World Cup.

George Orwell was absolutely spot on and NOTHING has changed! You read it on here all the time (the Left sneering)

Recollections may vary....

I actually think entitlement is quite accurate. And it's entitlement born primarily of the fact that we gave the world football, yet can see the irony that we've won the WC just once, a very long time ago!

Dh said to me the other night "I think it's our time" and I'm afraid I just laughed. We've been here sooooooo many times!

Always enjoy watching the Tartan Army, too. They know how to have a good party and are the epitome of "it's the taking part that counts"! I'll be cheering Scotland on, too.

We English are very self-depracating, and it's always a bit of a mickey take. Of course we all want to win it but we know we probably won't. It's the hope that kills you.

Watch Dear England OP!

I'm aware thats the intention however that is my issue and why I agree with op its entitlement. A sport can have a place its invented this doesnt mean that is its "home"

You dont see Norway claiming slalom as being home in Norway or the Danes claiming handball is home in Denmark. Both countries are passionate about their sports but equally are welcoming others to participate without the view that they somehow have more of a claim.

Also we dont see it with Rugby yet rugby was also invented here. I deliberately used rugby here as I think its the best comparison with engagement we could also say badminton, netball, cricket, tennis, darts or boxing all invented in England yet its only football thats coming home.....

Edited spelling

Well i didn't even know England had a World Cup song!

I've just been basking in the fact Scotland are going to be there and steeling myself for the inevitable disappointment to come.

I would say I'm one of those horrible " anyone but England " people if it weren't for the fact there is a whole list of nations i don't want to win it, for a variety of reasons. The USA, France, Brazil to name three.

I would love there to be a miracle and if Scotland can't win it somebody like Haiti winning it would be absolutely wonderful given the poverty, injustice and oppression their country has suffered and is suffering. As that's an impossibility I'll settle for Mexico winning and I would truly celebrate that.

Doesn’t the home bit also refer to the fact that England were playing at home too (just like when they won the World Cup)

We did invent the game.

I’m in Ireland and I don’t speak for everyone but for myself, we know we are not going to win and but absolutely delighted to be there and having then craic. If we win any matches it’s amazing. There are no expectations.

If we actually won the World Cup it would be a huge surprise and the country would likely close for a week, the likes of the celebrations would be like nothing ever experienced before on earth, and it would likely change the world. It would be declared a miracle.

But I think with England you actually could win, and really believe you could win, and then are disappointed if you don’t win. I don’t think you can enjoy it as much as countries that haven’t much chance at winning.

There is zero sense of entitlement, that's sort of the point -- England might have "invented" the game, but it doesn't own it, it never did. The "coming home" stuff is tongue in cheek sarcasm, the triumph of optimism over experience. We know we're not the best team, although we've had a better run over the last 8 years or so in major tournaments than we usually do.