Socrates MacSporran

Socrates MacSporran
No I am not Chick Young, but I can remember when Scottish football was good

Tuesday 5 January 2016

Let Them Have Their Fun - It Doesn't Really Matter

"Keep the Heid" - ok, that same expression is used in other languages, even in "the Queen's English", but, the use of heid rather than head, I think, gives it extra emphasis.
 
We "Sweaties" will need to do a good deal of keeping the heid in 2016, particularly during Euro 2016, when, dare I remind you, we will again be outside looking in, whilst the rest of these islands has more than passing interest in events in L Belle France.
 
No nation will be under greater pressure to perform than England, because, in spite of the evidence of 24 successive tournament failures, the English media's default position going into the tournament will again be: England Expects.
 
These great expectations will be ramped-up even further this year since, it happens to be the 50th anniversary of England's greatest, indeed only football triumph in a competition where the opposition came from furth of the British Isles - the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
 
Those bastions of good taste and moderation, Sky Sports and the BBC will gradually feed-in even-greater reminiscences of that glorious day in late July, 1966, when they thought it was all over - it was; when the Charlton brothers wept together, wee Nobby danced his jig of joy and the cursed Hun were given a bloody nose, oh aye, and Denis Law flung his golf clubs away in disgust at having his day ruined.
 
Let's be honest, the 1966 tournament wasn't a great one; how could it be when Pele, Garrincha and some other stellar talents were hacked out of the game. What have been the lasting memories of that tournament?
 
The sterility of the opening game - the arrival on the world stage of Franz Beckenbauer - the Italian implosion - the North Koreans - Eusebio's goals - Rattin's sending-off during the quarter-final "kicking match" between England and Argentina - a couple of Bobby Charlton goals - the goal that never was in the final, coupled with the "Russian" linesman (from Azerbaijan) - and Kenneth Wolstenholme's career-defining ad lib when Geoff Hurst completed his "hat trick".
 
That tournament, however, was a turning point, not least in football relations between English and Scottish fans. If you look at the newsreel film of the time, or at "Goal", the official film of that tournament, you will notice the lack of English flags - the cross of St George. To a man, those England fans who took a flag to games took the Union Flag, the "Butcher's Apron". To them England and the United Kingdom, or Great Britain, were one and the same.
 
Prior to 1966, there had been rivalry between England and Scotland fans at the annual encounter of international football's oldest enemies, but, this was a friendly rivalry. Even in 1966, many of the rival fans had a shared history - of wartime service together, of doing their National Service in the same unit. Cockneys, Geordies, Scousers, Brummies, West Countrymen, Cornishmen, Men of Kent, Yorkshire Tykes, Lancastrians, Weegies, Edinbuggers, Doric-speaking Aberdonians, Perthshire farm hands, Teuchters from the islands, men from the Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Lothians coalfields, not forgetting Taffy and Paddy, all had suffered tongue-lashings from corporals, sergeants, WOIs, Petty Officers and Flight Sergeants. They were in it together, they pulled together and pulled through.
 
Any Little Englander who tried to insinuate that England was better would quickly be put in his place. OK, given the disparity in size between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, some Englishmen, knowing little of these smaller, far-away other nations of the UK, might mix-up England and the UK, but, there was a sense of Britishness abroad pre-1966.
 
The way the English media went totally over the top in hailing England's win, and, let's make no mistake here, there was nothing lucky about it. Yes, getting to play all their games at Wembley definitely helped, but, let's not forget, that England team had: the world's best goalkeeper - Gordon Banks, the best left-back - Ray Wilson, the best central defender - Bobby Moore, the best attacking midfielder - Bobby Charlton, and the best penalty-box striker - Jimmy Greaves, who didn't even play in the final. That's five genuine World Class player. England was a very good team, worthy of winning the event. That media reaction rattled some cages, not least in Scotland.

Thus began the drift from the old, impartial BBC to an organisation which became the de facto cheer-leaders for "Engerlund, Engerlund, Engerlund".
 
Of course, we Scots were reluctant to give that England team the credit it deserved, we hankered after showing them we were as-good, if not better, and, less than a year later, we did beat them. But, I would suggest, these two games sparked-off the bad feeling between the fans which eventually helped end the more than a century of annual games between the Auld Enemies.
 
But, these days are past, and in the past they must remain. Let's try, difficult thought it will be, to allow the English to celebrate their great win this year. They are unlikely to deliver the European Championship success which their media will almost demand, in tribute to the Boys of '66; they will most-likely find some new and outrageous way of failing, then, they will be torn to shreds by their media.
 
Let England enjoy 50 Years On, their great days are behind them; those of us who can see Independence just around the corner, we believe, Scotland - freed from the shackles of having to subsidise England - has its greatest days before it.
 
But, in football, only if we can finally cleanse Hampden of the stumblebums on the sixth floor corridor.  

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