El Final: 🇪🇸 Spain v England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[topcat(The most tip top)]

1 minute ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

Now we’re talking.

She’s the Spanish Olivia Coleman

[Miguel Sanchez]

Since I've only seen Scottish coverage of Scotland at tournaments in the past few years (and since the media is so different now compared to 1998 anyway) I feel you can actually compare it with English coverage of England, and there is a difference. We all know BBC Scotland pundits and commentators are clowns, and we all know they're Scottish and want Scotland to win, but the coverage is still professional. It's not filled with "we" or "yes" or "come on" (Neil McCann does this slightly tbf) and when Scotland do well it's celebratory, but it's just... happy. Caught up in the natural excitement of the crowd which they're an extension of. 

To a man, every single English person covering this tournament for the BBC and ITV are the exact opposite. I have no problem with them wanting England to win. I have no problem with them overtly wanting England to win on a broadcast which is also shown in the rest of the UK because that makes up such a small percentage of their total audience that, well, suck it up taffs/socks/Irish.

But the scale, depth, absurdity and composure of the coverage evaporates about three minutes into their first game and it does it every single time. Alan Shearer has been a genuine embarrassment in co-commentary in all their games. Matterface is so obnoxious he's almost making me miss Tyldsley. Lee Dixon is like Mark Lawrenson without the charm. Lineker is experienced enough to be tolerable on the BBC, but pretty much everyone who's been sat next him has been shown up consistently by their foreign guests in both footballing analysis/knowledge and ability to speak English.

If the coverage of England is representative of the English audience then I really worry about them because they all seem to exist on a completely primal level. I know... I don't know what it's like to be in a country which can, reasonably, expect to compete for tournaments but hasn't managed it outside of two occasions but it seems to have reached a point where nobody involved in the coverage can take a step back and say, maybe this isn't the way it should be. 

All of that said, I still hate them on an  equally primal level and will be as delirious if they lose as I will inconsolable if they don't. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

3 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:

She’s the Spanish Olivia Coleman

Was she in el mundonuevo?

[topcat(The most tip top)]

2 minutes ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Since I've only seen Scottish coverage of Scotland at tournaments in the past few years (and since the media is so different now compared to 1998 anyway) I feel you can actually compare it with English coverage of England, and there is a difference. We all know BBC Scotland pundits and commentators are clowns, and we all know they're Scottish and want Scotland to win, but the coverage is still professional. It's not filled with "we" or "yes" or "come on" (Neil McCann does this slightly tbf) and when Scotland do well it's celebratory, but it's just... happy. Caught up in the natural excitement of the crowd which they're an extension of. 

To a man, every single English person covering this tournament for the BBC and ITV are the exact opposite. I have no problem with them wanting England to win. I have no problem with them overtly wanting England to win on a broadcast which is also shown in the rest of the UK because that makes up such a small percentage of their total audience that, well, suck it up taffs/socks/Irish.

But the scale, depth, absurdity and composure of the coverage evaporates about three minutes into their first game and it does it every single time. Alan Shearer has been a genuine embarrassment in co-commentary in all their games. Matterface is so obnoxious he's almost making me miss Tyldsley. Lee Dixon is like Mark Lawrenson without the charm. Lineker is experienced enough to be tolerable on the BBC, but pretty much everyone who's been sat next him has been shown up consistently by their foreign guests in both footballing analysis/knowledge and ability to speak English.

If the coverage of England is representative of the English audience then I really worry about them because they all seem to exist on a completely primal level. I know... I don't know what it's like to be in a country which can, reasonably, expect to compete for tournaments but hasn't managed it outside of two occasions but it seems to have reached a point where nobody involved in the coverage can take a step back and say, maybe this isn't the way it should be. 

All of that said, I still hate them on an  equally primal level and will be as delirious if they lose as I will inconsolable if they don't. 

When Mark Poutgatch is covering football always seems like he’d rather be talking about Rugby 

Which is odd because when he’s covering rugby he always seems like someone who hates Rugby 

He makes Tom English seem like he’d be great company by comparison 

[eindhovendee]

15 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:

Penelope Cruz?

Haria.

[Oceanlineayr]

6 hours ago, TONTROOPER said:

       ^^^ Did you really  have to?

I was struggling to think of an alternative image that conveyed my reaction to someone saying they liked Harry Kane.

Felt this was the only appropriate choice.

Edited July 11 by Oceanlineayr

[Oceanlineayr]

6 hours ago, Monkey Tennis said:

Aye, I always think he comes across as a decent bloke.

 

Might come across as a decent bloke off the pitch.

On it he is a cheating cretin who falls over in the lightest of breezes and screams any time he throws himself to the ground.

[MarkoRaj]

I've been trying to come to terms with England winning something in the near future for a while now, since 2018 when they were almost as jammy with the draw.

I try not to let it bother me. I've stopped watching any build up and switch the TV off at half time and immediately at full time (if they win). I don't read any analysis, I avoid the news etc.

I can't help but get caught up in it though. I'm almost as wound up as when I watch Scotland in big games. I'm nervous when they're chasing a lead and raging when they're winning.

I try to be rational about it - it's just a game, they're bound to win one eventually - but it's just impossible. I fucking hate the c***s. I hate every one of their players, I hate their fans, I hate the pundits. I hate every single one of them. I hope they get ridden on Sunday and I hope they never win anything. I'll never stop hating them.

And then when they lose I go back to normal and watch the same players and the same pundits every week without a second thought.

It's pretty pathological tbh, it's mad how ingrained it is

[Delicate Flower]

28 minutes ago, MarkoRaj said:

I've been trying to come to terms with England winning something in the near future for a while now, since 2018 when they were almost as jammy with the draw.

I try not to let it bother me. I've stopped watching any build up and switch the TV off at half time and immediately at full time (if they win). I don't read any analysis, I avoid the news etc.

I can't help but get caught up in it though. I'm almost as wound up as when I watch Scotland in big games. I'm nervous when they're chasing a lead and raging when they're winning.

I try to be rational about it - it's just a game, they're bound to win one eventually - but it's just impossible. I fucking hate the c***s. I hate every one of their players, I hate their fans, I hate the pundits. I hate every single one of them. I hope they get ridden on Sunday and I hope they never win anything. I'll never stop hating them.

And then when they lose I go back to normal and watch the same players and the same pundits every week without a second thought.

It's pretty pathological tbh, it's mad how ingrained it is

Eloquently put. That's exactly my mindset. It IS mad. But I fell exactly the same.

[RawB93]

4 hours ago, VictorOnopko said:

Kane does come across OK in interviews

He comes across like he has a cow's tongue where a human tongue should be.

[Bairnardo]

25 minutes ago, RawB93 said:

He comes across like he has a cow's tongue where a human tongue should be.

Like Jamie Oliver? 

[scottsdad]

Alexa Tomas is Spanish.

Come On Alexa Tomas!!

[Stevie Kirk]

3 hours ago, Monkey Tennis said:

I think they forget it because they don't give a shit.

Lots of English people will rarely make any real or regular distinction between the UK and England in their thinking.  

The reality is that the vast majority of British viewers are English.  Where football is concerned though, the differences matter.  

I get what you are saying but I think you are giving the media way too much credit here.
 

It’s not accidental, it’s intentional.

[BucksburnDandy]

Aye all the best to Spain. England are rivals and I always want rivals to be beaten

[eez-eh]

The Nigels are awful touchy these days with the “how dare they not support us???” screeching. It wasn’t always like this was it?

[dstuart82]

3 hours ago, MarkoRaj said:

I've been trying to come to terms with England winning something in the near future for a while now, since 2018 when they were almost as jammy with the draw.

I try not to let it bother me. I've stopped watching any build up and switch the TV off at half time and immediately at full time (if they win). I don't read any analysis, I avoid the news etc.

I can't help but get caught up in it though. I'm almost as wound up as when I watch Scotland in big games. I'm nervous when they're chasing a lead and raging when they're winning.

I try to be rational about it - it's just a game, they're bound to win one eventually - but it's just impossible. I fucking hate the c***s. I hate every one of their players, I hate their fans, I hate the pundits. I hate every single one of them. I hope they get ridden on Sunday and I hope they never win anything. I'll never stop hating them.

And then when they lose I go back to normal and watch the same players and the same pundits every week without a second thought.

It's pretty pathological tbh, it's mad how ingrained it is

You have just described the exact emotions that I have toward England!!

The prospect of them winning the Euros or the World Cup is unthinkable to be honest!

However, recently I am beginning to realise that some of my ‘hatred’ of the English football team stems from the lack of success from Scotland. For example, if we’d perhaps won a World Cup back in the 1930s and maybe a Euros in the 1970s, would it mean so much for England to fail!? Don’tget me wrong, I’d still not want them to win anything, but I think I’d be far more relaxed about the idea.

It’s actually a disgrace that, in my lifetime, the vast majority of my most celebrated sporting moments have been watching England lose. 

I’m 42 years old, and our national team has given me, barring a few results, nothing to celebrate in terms of achieving any sort of success, during that time. I very much envy my equivalent Croatian, Uruguayan, Danish, Irish, etc, etc national team football supporter. Just think how many memorable moments they have given their supporters since 1982.

Just the other night, Uruguay knocked Brazil out of the Copa America at the quarter final stage. Can you imagine how good it would feel if we beat the likes of England or Germany at that stage of a Euros or World Cup!!?? We wouldn’t even dream that such a thing was possible!!

I genuinely think that this inferiority complex is manifested from the fact that we do not govern our own nation, and this lack of self-belief runs through the veins of our country, and our football team is representation of this.

I wonder if Uruguayans care too much about Argentinas recent successes, or are they at peace with it due to their own track record (2 x World Cups and a record number of Copa America victories). Either way, i’m fairly certain that they do not have to endure Argentinian TV, media, radio etc.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that part (not all) of my sheer desperation for England to fail is fostered by the lack of our own success. We should be aiming for much more, but our mentality (as a nation) sadly seems to be to accept mediocrity and second best.

[Fuctifano]

I live in England, my wife is English, I work remotely but my team is 80-90% English. Plenty of English friends. 

None of them are glory hunters and the wife and all her family all support their local (non EPL) team so they're not used to footballing success. 

Am I willing to sacrifice all of their happiness to avoid the happiness of the tens of thousands of people with custom made St George flags hanging out the windows with names and poppies on them, and also the happiness of Ian Wright? Yes. 

Am I coming up to Scotland this weekend and going back on Monday to avoid being in England on Sunday night if they win it and avoid having to listen to people singing in the street and setting off fireworks*? Also yes. 

Am I petty? Very much so. 

*this happened after the Denmark semi at the last Euros 

[AMMjag]

I will be supporting Spain in this match because:

- My girlfriend is Spanish

- Spain's 'pre-match' top is a work of art.

- Their opposition are a shower of utter c***s.

I also just spent 3 weeks in Germany and had a great time, it would be a shame to have to enforce a mental block on the whole experience (a frightening amount of beer has done most of the work there in fairness).

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I honestly, by several orders of magnitude, care much more about England losing this than I ever have about any Scotland game.

[Chripper]

It all started with Andy Murray being roasted for jokingly saying that he'll support anyone but anyone England.

Since then Scots have been painted as people who have chips on their shoulders. It actually predated that, but the Murray thing put it in the spotlight.

It's OK to be rivals. It's OK to want your neighbour to be heartbroken. It's OK to want to see your neighbour having their heart cut out.

However, If there's a Labour voters in here, they might as well as sing "3 Lions" and wave the St George's cross.

Scotland, as a nation, have had to endure 58 years of references to "1966". If England win this one then the next 58 will be nothing but '66" and "2024".

I'm 1/8 Spanish. So, Viva Espana!