Better luck next time England, really

So that’s it for another four years – England are out of the World Cup after a shameful 4-1 loss against Germany. Alan Hansen hit the nail right on the head when he described the English play as, “Four levels lower than abysmal.” Now that is a pretty bad level to be at. In fact, I don’t think there’s a word in the English language to define that level of abysmalness.

But why do I care? I was born and raised in Wales, a country that Anne Robinson put into Room 101 the same week that Jeremy Clarkson put a 3D plastic map of Wales in a microwave on his show, Clarkson. If I was a true Welsh woman, then surely I’d fight back to those childish, discriminatory actions and not support England in anything?

Well, quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to stoop to that level, as it is four levels below abysmal. But there is also a more valid reason why I support England in any tournament that Wales hasn’t qualified for.

Although Wales is a nation in itself, it is of course part of Great Britain, and so it seems only right to support our neighbouring country in an international competition that Wales isn’t in. Yes, we may have had our run-ins with the English (mostly on Six Nation rugby match days) but deep down, we want our neighbour to do well. Really. And that’s because we’ve been through a lot together. 

Step outside of the world of sport for one moment and think about what Wales and England have achieved. Yesterday’s Armed Forces Day celebrations brought a reminder that both Welsh and English troops worked together (along with Scottish and N.Irish) to win two world wars and are currently fighting hard in a third war. The scale of this partnership and achievement outweighs any Wales/England nationalist banter that takes place during rugby season. 

A quick look at my Facebook news feed from Welsh friends during today’s game reinforced the view that a lot of Welsh people wanted England to win today, with Karen Samuel from Aberdare claiming that Lampard’s goal was, ”Totally in. Unbelievable,” and Angharad Thomas from Newport voicing her anger at the referee’s decision, “That was IN! Right then England, just smash them.”

It would be easy for the Welsh to take England’s embarrassing 2010 World Cup defeat and throw it back in their faces for the next four years, but we won’t. And that’s because we feel defeated too.

Better luck next time England, really.

Welsh friends updating their Facebook status to show their support for England today

Advertisement