Three flags flew in front of Abingdon County Hall at half time when England were leading Croatia 1-0. It could easily have been 2-0 or 3-0.
The run of play changed in the second half as Croatia got the upper hand. They scored to equalise, and scored again in extra time to take the lead.
The dream is over. Long live the dream! There is another world cup in 2022.
I’m not a football follower, but it seems to me that the UK/GB is the only country in the world that, in football and rugby, dissipates its best players between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales!
Is it because the UK is a union of four different countries? It seems that we unite on the sports fields for Olympic sports (though not just at the Olympics) – even then at the Commonwealth championships we revert to separate identities.
Good luck to Croatia – though I will be expecting France to win that game. Mr Southgate deserves some formal recognition; I hope he and his super team go on to greater glory. They have it in them.
Good effort by the team. Exceeded expectations, which were admittedly near-zero.
Something to build on for the Euro tournament in 2020, assuming we qualify (big assumption).
Looks like rain today.
ppjs, we have been in the present state (although some powers have been devolved) for 96 years.
Northern Ireland 1922
Ireland 1801
Scotland 1707
Wales 1284
Peter Del; I wasn’t trying to defend the situation. The history you accurately describe is political history, and that takes little or no account of cultural and linguistic sensibilities.
Neither the Welsh nor the Scots asked to join. The Welsh were conquered by Norman kings; the Scots were pulled into the mix when the English got fed up with the Tudors and installed the Stuarts.
And it is a foolish English person who tries to explain Ireland…
Still, the footy was good wasn’t it 😉
ppjs. Firstly I am not foolish, but British, then European.
Your explanation does not explain why we have four teams, rather than one!
I did not watch the match, Maigret was much more interesting!!
The team made us proud…and we recorded Maigret!
I think Gareth Bale is the only non Englishman who would make the team…
Martin: Aaron Ramsey would be in.
Game lost in midfield – Bale and Ramsey would win the WC for us.
ppjs: Scotland got in a financial mess over the Darien scheme.
No single GB football team because having 4 separate national Football Associations give us a bigger voice in FIFA.
Also, in footballing terms, the nations all hate each other!
…I think you’ll find; none of us are British, and not European.
we arrived here from Africa about 500,000 yes ago. (According to current thinking)
I would class anyone from another ethnic group as British if they come to live here and support Britain and as Trump said, put Britain first. However, there are a few people who come to live in Britain and will not integrate and hate our British way of life and wish to destroy it. They will never fly the English flag and wish for Britain to succeed. I am reminded of the Queens birthday and the Womans Instittute A.G.M. Some people of ethnic groups walked out when they presented a homage to the queen and played Land of hope and glory and rule Britania. They hated our Britsih culture.
England is not Britain; the English flag is the cross of St George; the British flag is an amalgam of English, Scottish and Irish flags.
Any clue here why the Welsh don’t buy in?
I hope we never pick Land of Hope and Glory as a national anthem. The tune is great; the words are old-fashioned empire (Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set). Rule Britannia is impossibly silly.
These opinions do not make me less British; but I am also an internationalist, but that doesn’t mean that I hate my country. When I go abroad, I sometimes find groups of expats. How are they different from immigrants to the UK who want to meet together to celebrate their homeland?
Life is more complicated than questionnaires designed to find out whether someone is “British” enough. Of course, there are some who do not wish us well and we have to know whether dislike turns to something actively hostile and deal with it promptly. You see, like the Union Flag, my politics includes blue and red. Nothing is simply either/or; usually, it’s both/and.
Still supporting in England against Belgium; but Belgian choc and beers aren’t so bad 😉
Ugh – but I’m English – that’s why I support England !
I think England Half English should be our national anthem.