Increasingly over the last few years, I have heard and read that the average English football fan is becoming less and less interested in the National side. I know some fans that do not even watch England play any more. I guess those of us that were lucky and old enough to watch the 1966 World Cup success can at least say we have seen them win something. Especially for the younger generation, it has been a long hard road since then for England. Back in that era and beyond, the England friendly and competitive qualifying games were played midweek and were sandwiched between the domestic games played at 3pm on a Saturday. There were no International breaks to endure and the players involved would have little rest and even less time to settle into new surroundings. The definition of the International break was to help our National sides personnel blend in together and acclimatise away from their domestic scene. It was to give support to the National teams manager and give him more time with the players. Back in the sixties and early seventies the England games were rarely shown live on TV and sometimes not at all despite the general football public craving it. Back in those days the English football fan did support and want to see England play and win. They did want to see their own teams players play for their country. It was a badge of honour as our club should know more than most. After all, wasn’t it West Ham that really won the World Cup in ‘66?
But fast forward to today and often the matches are shrugged off by the fans and players. Nowadays, many fans do not want to see their teams players picked for fear of injury or burnout. How many times have we seen England players pull out of the friendly matches, to only make miraculous recoveries to play for their domestic clubs soon after? Is it this perceived nonchalant approach to playing for your country that has turned the fan off or perhaps the dismal record of not even reaching a major final for nearly 50 years? Is supporting West Ham or any other club for that matter, much more important than the National team? I guess the question must be asked in an article of this nature. What would you prefer – West Ham to win the Premier League or England to win the World Cup?
But back to the International breaks themselves. This is the third one already this season and I am sure there will be those who say it is required when less than a year from a World Cup. Here we are though, half way through November and the Hammers have played just eleven League games. The stop start nature of it all can make you stir crazy! What has made it worse for us is that two of the breaks have followed our worst two performances of the season – a home loss to Stoke and an away capitulation at Norwich. To have to suffer two weeks of getting over those two events is like a judge doubling your prison sentence. How great it was that the other International two week break followed our best game of the season. The 3-0 walloping of the Spuds! But even after a few days of wallowing in our own glory along came old ‘Arry who just had to divert our attention away to other less palatable matters.
So, how do we cope with International breaks and do we care about the National team? Whilst I have centred the topic towards England, this site does encompass fans from around the World so I am sure those fans may also have a viewpoint about their own country’s side and how important it ranks for them?