West Ham Till I Die
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Talking Point

Club or Country?

It may be difficult for younger fans to comprehend that the following question I am going to ask used to be a difficult one. It would be my bet that today’s answers would deliver a landslide result yet a few decades ago it would have probably eventuated in a hung parliament. So to the question. “What would you rather. West Ham win the (PL) league or England win the World Cup?”

Certainly, following the Nations long lived celebrations on winning the 1966 World Cup the answer would have probably swung to England. It was a time when our National pride was at an all time high. The whole country celebrated and eating baked beans on toast still felt like a three hat experience. Just how much it meant to everyone radiated through to our core with the disappointment of defeat when trying to retain the Cup in 1970. Giving up a 2-0 lead against West Germany in the quarter final was like a dagger to the heart.

Back in those days many England games were shown live on free to air television. Certainly all the World Cup games were on the box although for most in ‘66 and ‘70 it was still in black and white. In contrast none of the league games were shown live and if you did not get to games you had to rely on the BBC and ITV showing highlights and goals only from selected matches. This was an era when many football fans would prefer an FA Cup to a League title. The Cup was really something back in those days as was the European Cup Winners Cup.

But what of today? Unlike yesteryear, domestic football is everywhere. Depending on where you live in the World or what internet streams you are prepared to risk, you can watch any and every game played each weekend. The back page coverage of football has now turned into many pages and the internet now provides sites like these if you want another dose of the football drug. Some of the best footballers from all over the World now play the game on our shores and the whole game has been revolutionised. Forty five years ago the players that were selected for England were the best of what the domestic league had to offer and there were plenty to choose from as the vast majority were English. In recent times some of the players selected can’t even get a decent run in their club team due to the foreign influx.

Perhaps too, the English public has got fed up with the same old, same old stuff from the National side. A failure to perform in the big games and a seemingly too often passive approach from the players has hardly inspired. There appears to be a lop sided system in place where unless the players are playing for the top sides they won’t be selected. It makes it a bit more special to follow England if there is a player from the club you support in the set up and quite a few clubs in the Premier League seem starved of this opportunity.

So, what would you rather? If you are not English, please feel free to comment on your own National team.

Please note due to holiday commitments this will be my last article until May.

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