The Wall

[Savy]

The funny thing about England is they excel at no particular sport but are passionate about them all. Whenever a big tourney comes up people start going mad and are all rah rah England and flying flags, and then they're out after three games.

After that it's all 'well the coach sucked and the players sucked and we should have known this would happen.' It makes me think, well if you know your team sucks why are you getting all excited about it?

What?

We have one of the best rugby teams in the world currently (only team to be ranked #1 except NZ).

Our cricket test team has been ranked #1 in the world not that long ago and has been on top in the ashes along with some great performances against other top teams recently. Our one day team has gone from being a laughing stock to up there with the best & we should have won the T20 world cup.

Football we're a top 16 side in the world and at stages through my life we've been a top 8 side in the world. We also have by far the best national league in the world. This isn't the same as having the best team in the world but at various points in the past 10-15 years we've had teams at that level (I mean we had two all english semi finals in the CL).

We've also been doing pretty great at Olympics for the past 12 years.

[Poopadoop]

What?

We have one of the best rugby teams in the world currently (only team to be ranked #1 except NZ).

When you're competing with countries with a third of your population how is that anything to be proud of?

Our cricket test team ...

Not a sport. Next.

Football we're a top 16 side in the world and at stages through my life we've been a top 8 side in the world.

You haven't won a major tourney since 1966 afaik.

We also have by far the best national league in the world. This isn't the same as having the best team in the world but at various points in the past 10-15 years we've had teams at that level (I mean we had two all english semi finals in the CL).

That's a nonsense argument. If you have a good market for football teams in your country, that isn't because your nationals are the best players in the world.

We've also been doing pretty great at Olympics for the past 12 years.

Granted.


Also, I should point out I was mostly referring to football ITP. I don't notice people going mad over any other sports, barring the Olympics when they were in London.

[Savy]

Also, I should point out I was mostly referring to football ITP. I don't notice people going mad over any other sports, barring the Olympics when they were in London.

We don't have a bad national side. Recently it's been boring and poor relative but our team in the early 70s was better than when we won the world cup, our team in the 80s and 90s was very good. Even now it's still a very good football team just not close to winning anything.

Also Tennis.

I can't think of any sports we don't have a pretty amazing team or individual players in those sports for.

[Poopadoop]

We don't have a bad national side. Recently it's been boring and poor relative but our team in the early 70s was better than when we won the world cup, our team in the 80s and 90s was very good. Even now it's still a very good football team just not close to winning anything.

Also Tennis.

I can't think of any sports we don't have a pretty amazing team or individual players in those sports for.

I admit to not following anything but hockey since I got the ability to stream games, so things may have changed laterly.

My recollection of tennis is this latest guy is the first good player you've had (also isn't he Scottish?) pretty much ever. The Tim whatshisname was the big player when I moved here and so that's my prism.

'Very good' at football and yet 'not close to winning anything' seems an odd combination of descriptions to me.

[Savy]

I admit to not following anything but hockey since I got the ability to stream games, so things may have changed laterly.

My recollection of tennis is this latest guy is the first good player you've had (also isn't he Scottish?) pretty much ever. The Tim whatshisname was the big player when I moved here and so that's my prism.

'Very good' at football and yet 'not close to winning anything' seems an odd combination of descriptions to me.

Tim Henman was a very good tenis player he was just never an elite tennis player. This is a classic example of England supporting the underdog at Wimbledon then getting really mad when he gets to the last 4 and loses. Murray on the other hand is an elite tennis player, not the best in the world but capable of beating anyone. If anything he's unlucky to play Tennis at a time when Nadal, Fed and more importantly Djok were just so good.

And the football thing isn't at all. As I said we're a top 16 side in the world and used to be a top 8 side. That makes you a very good footballing team. How often does the 8th seed win a tournament? That 8th seed would be doing find getting to quarter and semi finals unless the media booked him as winning it every tournament.

The problem in this country is we big up our sports teams massively and then are the first people to crucify them.