THE NEXT 12 hours could make us think differently about English football forever.
Or until Sunday.
For the team and fans alike, Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final with Argentina is an opportunity for a new generation to transcend old stereotypes and tropes by forging a new, lasting identity for the future.
In a fixture of such emotion, charged by politics, war, decades of ingrained thinking (something which so many of us can understand) and the Hand of God, England can show it is actually capable of something different and more profound than we could ever imagine.
They can win when it really matters and their supporters can set an example others around the globe should follow. If only they would bin that 10 German Bombers song.
By reaching a World Cup final – a first since winning the competition in 1966 – the team can break the kind of ground that would instantly cease any kind of mocking about previous shortcomings or misguided expectations.
They may have their extra Bank Holiday, after all.
On Monday, one of their fan representative groups, Free Lions, released a statement. It felt like it was part rallying call, part plea for calm.
“England’s support at this tournament has been second to none. With the quality of this team, we’ve never been able to plan for just a couple of weeks away. Many have travelled back and forth, and some have done the full seven-week journey including the friendlies.
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“The commitment, sacrifice and loyalty you’ve shown to England has been nothing short of incredible. Just as importantly, the way England fans have conducted themselves across North America has done our country proud.
“We’ve continued to show that the outdated stereotypes don’t define us, and everywhere we’ve gone the focus has been on the passion, humour and backing you’ve given the team.
“Let’s make sure we continue to look after one another, represent England with pride and give everyone another reminder of why we have the best fans in the world.”
That’s the thing, the culture of match going fans in England – and Britain – is something incredible. A mass movement of people on a weekly basis with football the strongest link for communities across the country.
Harry Kane (left) and Jude Bellingham celebrate against Mexico. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
It is not unique but it should also be recognised rather than dismissed. Conversely, the BBC reported on Monday how there were over 100 arrests in the UK after more than 500 domestic football-related incidents in the aftermath of their win over Norway in Miami.
Chief constable Mark Roberts, the head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), was quoted as urging those still in England to follow the lead of those fans who actually travelled to the United States.
“The atmosphere during the game was passionate but friendly, with no animosity between fans at the end of the match,” said chief constable Mark Roberts, the head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU).
“It’s a real shame that the same cannot be said about the behaviour of fans back home here in the UK.”
Some may not like to hear this but from New Jersey to Boston, Atlanta to Mexico City and Miami, England fans have been having great craic. They’ve sung Wonderwall and Angels and Hey Jude arm in arm after games. You know you would buzz off doing the same. Don’t lie to yourself.
It feels like this could be a pivotal day in shaping, or reshaping, perception of what it is to support England. These are not the same people who came to Lansdowne Road in 1995.
Maybe having a team that tends to now go deep in competitions – runners-up in the final of the last two Euros as well as quarters and semis of most recent World Cups – has helped to dilute some of the anger.
The days of flying plastic chairs and water cannons are long gone, especially when you have to hang around until the end of tournaments rather than going home early.
England fans have been enjoying themselves and perhaps this has played into some of the discourse doing the rounds about their team which seems to have taken hold and become an accepted fact.
The England players are nice guys, apparently. All really likeable. Good skins. No, they’re not, and that’s part of the reason they are one game away from a World Cup final.
Sixty years of varying levels of self-inflicted hurt and self-pity eventually led to a period of introspection from the English FA after their disastrous 2010 World Cup in South Africa. As well as the £105 million (€123.22 million) investment in St George’s Park which opened two years later, the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in conjunction with the Premier League has helped bring them to this point.
Curiously, none of England’s goalscorers in this competition played for a Premier League club last season.
England are a team who have earned respect once more by reaching the semi-final for the second time since losing to Croatia in 2018.
They have an edge and ambition that is admirable, there is a ruthlessness there that belies the sanctification of their character.
Harry Kane’s posturing and incessant desire to influence referees either through playacting or being in their ear constantly has been an eye-opener during this tournament.
His behaviour in the quarter-final is a case in point, feigning injury in the build up to Norway’s opening goal and then using the benefits of the captaincy to press his case further with referee Clément Turpin.
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Lionel Messi in action against Switzerland. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Jude Bellingham has gone stratospheric during the knockout stages, scoring back-to-back braces of such significance that it feels like he has become the single most important figure of all.
Yes, even more than manager Thomas Tuchel who has yet to pick a starting XI with the right balance or intent yet still felt compelled to berate his players for not being technically good enough with their performance against Norway.
Bellingham rallied against such assertions from his manager, suggesting he wouldn’t know what it’s like to perform in such games, while Kane did his best to smooth it out earlier this week by saying it was a very English reaction by the media. Even if it was an issue created solely by the manager’s own loose lips.
Bellingham’s response was cutting, and there are also coarser elements to his game that place him firmly outside the “nice guy” category. He’s in the cross-section of that Venn diagram that houses spacer and genius.
One late foul in the first half of the 0-0 draw with Ghana in Boston during the group stage summed up how his frustrations can bubble up. He left one on Jerome Opoku by coming in from the side as the defender cleared the ball, and it led to angry words being exchanged with the bench as they left for half-time.
It felt like a needless show of recklessness. Of course, you’d do anything for someone as gifted and resilient as Bellingham in your team. It’s why there should be genuine belief that England are capable of overcoming Lionel Messi and Argentina.
They have the perfectly curated veneer of respectability off the pitch but on it is where they show their true competitive selves. There is no shame in that, they should not deny that primal instinct coming to the fore.
The fans may be nicer but the players don’t have to be.
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England's chance to transcend old tropes and forge new identity in World Cup
THE NEXT 12 hours could make us think differently about English football forever.
Or until Sunday.
For the team and fans alike, Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final with Argentina is an opportunity for a new generation to transcend old stereotypes and tropes by forging a new, lasting identity for the future.
In a fixture of such emotion, charged by politics, war, decades of ingrained thinking (something which so many of us can understand) and the Hand of God, England can show it is actually capable of something different and more profound than we could ever imagine.
They can win when it really matters and their supporters can set an example others around the globe should follow. If only they would bin that 10 German Bombers song.
By reaching a World Cup final – a first since winning the competition in 1966 – the team can break the kind of ground that would instantly cease any kind of mocking about previous shortcomings or misguided expectations.
They may have their extra Bank Holiday, after all.
On Monday, one of their fan representative groups, Free Lions, released a statement. It felt like it was part rallying call, part plea for calm.
“England’s support at this tournament has been second to none. With the quality of this team, we’ve never been able to plan for just a couple of weeks away. Many have travelled back and forth, and some have done the full seven-week journey including the friendlies.
“The commitment, sacrifice and loyalty you’ve shown to England has been nothing short of incredible. Just as importantly, the way England fans have conducted themselves across North America has done our country proud.
“We’ve continued to show that the outdated stereotypes don’t define us, and everywhere we’ve gone the focus has been on the passion, humour and backing you’ve given the team.
“Let’s make sure we continue to look after one another, represent England with pride and give everyone another reminder of why we have the best fans in the world.”
That’s the thing, the culture of match going fans in England – and Britain – is something incredible. A mass movement of people on a weekly basis with football the strongest link for communities across the country.
It is not unique but it should also be recognised rather than dismissed. Conversely, the BBC reported on Monday how there were over 100 arrests in the UK after more than 500 domestic football-related incidents in the aftermath of their win over Norway in Miami.
Chief constable Mark Roberts, the head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), was quoted as urging those still in England to follow the lead of those fans who actually travelled to the United States.
“The atmosphere during the game was passionate but friendly, with no animosity between fans at the end of the match,” said chief constable Mark Roberts, the head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU).
“It’s a real shame that the same cannot be said about the behaviour of fans back home here in the UK.”
Some may not like to hear this but from New Jersey to Boston, Atlanta to Mexico City and Miami, England fans have been having great craic. They’ve sung Wonderwall and Angels and Hey Jude arm in arm after games. You know you would buzz off doing the same. Don’t lie to yourself.
It feels like this could be a pivotal day in shaping, or reshaping, perception of what it is to support England. These are not the same people who came to Lansdowne Road in 1995.
Maybe having a team that tends to now go deep in competitions – runners-up in the final of the last two Euros as well as quarters and semis of most recent World Cups – has helped to dilute some of the anger.
The days of flying plastic chairs and water cannons are long gone, especially when you have to hang around until the end of tournaments rather than going home early.
England fans have been enjoying themselves and perhaps this has played into some of the discourse doing the rounds about their team which seems to have taken hold and become an accepted fact.
The England players are nice guys, apparently. All really likeable. Good skins. No, they’re not, and that’s part of the reason they are one game away from a World Cup final.
Sixty years of varying levels of self-inflicted hurt and self-pity eventually led to a period of introspection from the English FA after their disastrous 2010 World Cup in South Africa. As well as the £105 million (€123.22 million) investment in St George’s Park which opened two years later, the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in conjunction with the Premier League has helped bring them to this point.
Curiously, none of England’s goalscorers in this competition played for a Premier League club last season.
England are a team who have earned respect once more by reaching the semi-final for the second time since losing to Croatia in 2018.
They have an edge and ambition that is admirable, there is a ruthlessness there that belies the sanctification of their character.
Harry Kane’s posturing and incessant desire to influence referees either through playacting or being in their ear constantly has been an eye-opener during this tournament.
His behaviour in the quarter-final is a case in point, feigning injury in the build up to Norway’s opening goal and then using the benefits of the captaincy to press his case further with referee Clément Turpin.
Jude Bellingham has gone stratospheric during the knockout stages, scoring back-to-back braces of such significance that it feels like he has become the single most important figure of all.
Yes, even more than manager Thomas Tuchel who has yet to pick a starting XI with the right balance or intent yet still felt compelled to berate his players for not being technically good enough with their performance against Norway.
Bellingham rallied against such assertions from his manager, suggesting he wouldn’t know what it’s like to perform in such games, while Kane did his best to smooth it out earlier this week by saying it was a very English reaction by the media. Even if it was an issue created solely by the manager’s own loose lips.
Bellingham’s response was cutting, and there are also coarser elements to his game that place him firmly outside the “nice guy” category. He’s in the cross-section of that Venn diagram that houses spacer and genius.
One late foul in the first half of the 0-0 draw with Ghana in Boston during the group stage summed up how his frustrations can bubble up. He left one on Jerome Opoku by coming in from the side as the defender cleared the ball, and it led to angry words being exchanged with the bench as they left for half-time.
It felt like a needless show of recklessness. Of course, you’d do anything for someone as gifted and resilient as Bellingham in your team. It’s why there should be genuine belief that England are capable of overcoming Lionel Messi and Argentina.
They have the perfectly curated veneer of respectability off the pitch but on it is where they show their true competitive selves. There is no shame in that, they should not deny that primal instinct coming to the fore.
The fans may be nicer but the players don’t have to be.
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