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.

And we’re still shite.

You can have this opinion while still enjoying the tournament.

The French fans seem to riot when they win and when they lose football.
I would say not every country, but England isn't alone is thwir behaviour.

It may well be joyous watching the French team, the Scottish team who may get to the knockout stages for the first time, I agree.

I know, it's so bloody tiresome now...

I’m sorry but you’re talking out of your arse @WhenTheDustSettles

Of course the England team or supporters don’t think they’re entitled to win .

Where have you got this notion from?

Wanting to win isn’t entitlement

Not in our household. Flag flying, wine, 🍺 and snacks 😋 already being bought. Love the atmosphere but dread the inevitable penalties 😔. I don't bank on England winning now so just enjoy the whole tournament 😉 😀

Flag flying?? That’s brave. Don’t let a mumsnetter see that, you’ll have a thread about you being a “flag shagger” in no time.

I hate football, but jesus christ, you're just looking for things to get offended over.

😆 🤣 it's flying high with pride

England invented the football league and has a huge and long history.

It's in the blood.

It's not entitlement, it's hopes and dreams.

I’ll nip out with me paint pot and do a couple of roundabouts.

They've ran out of red and white paint where I live. Flag shagging fascist far right thugs that we are 😉

There is no entitlement. The song you're referring to is the opposite of entitlement. It's a self-deprecating lament about how we always manage to mess it up. The 'coming home' bit isn't even about the trophy. It was written for Euro 96, which was hosted in England. So it was the tournament that was at "home". You're looking for offence I think.

I think it used to be more entitled but that hasn't been the case for a while now. Perhaps ironically, as they did pretty well under Gareth Southgate.

But football brings out the worst in people and I don't think that's a uniquely English thing at all. And at least referees and players don't get murdered like they do in South America! In fact Gareth Southgate might not have been around to be England manager if they did!

Football was codified in England. The formal game was invented here. 1863 and all that.

When England hosted Euro96, football (the tournament) came home (to our home).

It's the opposite of entitlement. Listen to the lyrics of Three Lions. We were hoping against hope that we might win, that we could win, even though we kind of suspected we wouldn't win.

Christ, it's worrying that I can remember Des Lynam opening the semi final coverage by saying "you've obviously heard there's a football match on tonight" 30 years ago(!!!) but I cannot remember where I last left my keys.

This poster knows this. And still thinks it’s entitlement because it must mean that the English think other teams have less of a right to win 🙄

Shite is a bit harsh. Iran are shite. The Faroe Islands = shite. England? A perennial underachiever?

You're not being unreasonable. England fans seem to think we have the worst football team in the world if we don't win the entire tournament every time. Only one team in the world can win it! (I'm guilty of it, by the way, but acknowledge that my expectations are completely unreasonable!)

What do countries have who don’t have national exceptionalism? Whatever it is, I am guessing it’s not as good?

I don’t feel anybody should have to apologise for the - imo completely dotty and unfounded - belief that where they live (what they grew up with, what they are used to, and what they therefore like) is Absolutely The Best Thing Ever. The harmless section of such beliefs (includes football) are frankly a great blessing in living a contented life and people who begrudge such harmless beliefs are grinchy grudge muppets.

I went to see The Lightening Seeds recently, and we all sung "Three Lions". A lot of fun.

We are even getting beaten by foreigners at cheese rolling and wife carrying. 2 other spots that Brits invented. So it's not just football.

By and large, they don't believe they are inherently superior to or exempt from the norms of other countries, or that they are a pinnacle of social achievement. They aren't desperately trying to compensate for the loss of an empire and the colossal act of national self-harm that was Brexit, and swinging, based on comments on here, between a weird, default self-loathing ('all foreigners are better than us by default', 'I want to emigrate to somewhere less shit where my children will be safe') and an equally weird, touchy sense of grievance about England flags connoting racism for some and a schizophrenic attitude to the NHS, which is either an unimpeachable national symbol, or a wreck barely able to function. (And it is, it seems to be, English national exceptionalism pushing this, rather than Scots or Welsh.)

Don't get me wrong, I lived very happily in England for years. I think it's a great country currently having a temporarily difficult phase. (Not eliding England and the UK, but I never lived outside of England when there).

I just think that the idea of exceptionalism feeds into all kinds of unhelpful stuff, like Brexit. Brexiteers leaned heavily into the idea that Britain would soar free of European bureaucracy and thrive globally. Which is obvious nonsense.

TL;DR. It's not harmless.

It’s why other nations find it hard to support England, the arrogance! They gloat when they win and sulk when they lose…