Today a guest post from The Beck.
Last night, the Telegraph released an interview with Jack Wilshere. He was speaking to the infamous/famous Henry Winter about his views on the possibility of Adnan Januzaj representing England.
This is what he was directly quoted to have been saying:
“If you live in England for five years it doesn’t make you English, the only people who should play for England are English people.”
“If you live in England for five years it doesn’t make you English. You shouldn’t play. It doesn’t mean you can play for a country. If I went to Spain and lived there for five years I’m not going to play for Spain.’’
Immediately after I was aware, I began to ask myself if there was any way I could possibly defend Jack for his comments and I realized that I couldn’t.
I’m aware that he is a young man, 2 years younger than me, and that he’s possibly lived a life growing up where his national identity was never in question and his views on “Englishness” was always pre-defined by his surroundings. Questioning the intellect of most footballers will usually not get you very far in accomplishing anything, but I truly believe he has brought up an interesting subject to discuss and to elaborate on. In the first quote, Jack directly attributes that that his version of being English is universal and cannot be changed. His version of national identity appears static and archaic to me.
“If you live in England for five years it doesn’t make you English” – and I suppose you’d have to ask, why not? Who sets these time constrictions on what it would take for someone to have an accurate grasp of English identity and culture? The government certainly does based on both research and economical aspects. When Jack is saying this, he’s not thinking about all the players who became citizens elsewhere and played for their new adopted country, whether they loved that country, or were grasping that culture and identity is completely subjective and personal to them, it is not something we can decide for others.
Luis Figo, once dismissed Deco for being part of the Portuguese team prior to the Euro 2004 (where they were both hosts and finalists and Deco played a vital role), Figo said:
“I don’t think people would be happy in Spain if I had become a Spanish national and played for the Spanish side,” said the Real Madrid midfielder. “It’s something that distorts team spirit and I don’t agree with it. If you’re born Chinese, well, you have to play for China.”
“It looks like you’re trying to take advantage of something. That’s my opinion and I’m not going to change it because he is in the team.”
Figo there has already decided that Deco was using Portugal, taking advantage of a situation, when in fact it was Portugal who were taking advantage of his new citizenship too.
Deco responded by saying:
“I don’t regret choosing to play for Portugal, I was born in Brazil and it would be a lie to say that I’m Portuguese now and not Brazilian. But I love Portugal and I love playing for the national team.”
See Deco’s experience is also subjective, he recognizes his Brazilian identity to be higher than his Portuguese, but it is not difficult to imagine it the other way around. We live in a very multicultural society in an ever-growing multicultural world, we recognize many different tribal and nationalistic ideas and associate them and stereotype them with what we/our governments and media see fit. The debate was high and live last night, many were suggesting that age mattered, that there was a certain point where players stop adapting to culture or want to belong to another culture, that it is just purely convenient for them to swap nationalities so that they gain caps.
Marcos Senna became a citizen of Spain at the age of 29 and won the European Championship with Spain in 2008. Many would argue that he did so to his advantage, but did not Spain get the advantage too? Was it not convenient for Spain to have a citizen of its country play for them and win them the trophy? So many questions; you all know where I am going with this. Plenty of players in the Spain squad feel more Catalan than Spanish, yet they play for Spain, they love Spain, they play for Spain because they know collectively they will win trophies (some play for Catalonia too).
Owen Hargreaves is another good example, born in Canada, raised in North America, moved to Bayern Munich at 16, lived there until he was 26 before moving to Manchester. He amassed 42 caps for England until the injuries got the better of him, he probably felt more German than English at times? Or more Canadian than German? Or more English than Indian? I don’t know, it gets all confusing, but are we in the game to guess what players feel and how they think before asking them how they truly feel?
I feel like that is one of the biggest flaws in this debate, we assume what players want and ultimately believe they want to “take advantage”, expecting them not to be as “English” as the “Englishman” (vague term, so vague).
Colin Kazim-Richards born in London, raised in England, plays for Turkey, his mother is a Cypriot Turk and his father is Antiguan, does it get confusing yet?
“It’s difficult because half my family is Muslim, and the other half is Christian. I’ve always felt Turkish, though. My nene [grandmother], she can’t speak English. Half of my family, their first language is Turkish, and so I went to Turkish school before I played football, although I can’t remember any of it now”
Owen Hargreaves may have grown up feeling German but playing for England, Colin Kazim Richards may have felt Turkish in that interview, but felt very English had he been a better player? Who knows? I just find it hard to see how footballers and fans have the audacity to tell players and people how to feel and what to be about their national identity? It is you, yourself that gets to choose what you want to be, not them, not an oppressor or a simpleton.
“But you have to have English roots.”
Say that to all the Jamaicans that came to the U.K. in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and became part of the English national team in the 70’s, how they themselves must see the irony in the apparent need for roots. The need for those former Jamaican men that became naturalized British citizens to play was huge. Besides, the whole concept of English roots is absurd. If you need to look into that, there are thousands of pages about DNA and how none of us are a 100% anything, (except me; I’m a 100% pure blooded twat.
Each government that is part of the EU/EEA has substantially given each person a chance to discover another country and become a resident of it, perhaps even share the national identity of it. I am a person who has taken those chances (through war and opportunity), a person who feels no particular tie to one specific country/administrative state/stateless state, but half a dozen, Iraq, Kurdistan, Norway, England, Wales, Hong Kong.
I am a piece of all of them, but I am also none of them.
I’ve seen many people over the age of 30 adapt to a new culture and totally capture it, a friend of mine never felt American and moved to Japan, he speaks the language, lives the culture, is part of the Japanese identity, especially to himself (as he might be an outcast to others). Who am I to tell him that he’ll never be Japanese to me? Isn’t that an oppressive archaic view of nationality and personal identity, that someone’s personal state of national identity is directly related to my own lack of perspective?
Who is Jack Wilshere or any of you to say Januzaj won’t fall in love with British culture/values/identity and become more than a naturalized citizen?
Who is to say he won’t feel English or British in 6 years? People change, people adopt values that adhere to their reason sometimes, it is not always back to tradition and thinking that it always is perhaps why we are having this debate right now (or I’m having it by myself).
What is a nationality, but a giant tribal government construct on what you are or who you should be?
You know, I grew up with a Geordie, a Brummie, a Mancunian, a Scouser and a Cornish man and none of them could ever tell me what it meant to be English other than to point to regurgitated stereotypes that some of them were not even fond of. To each of them, it was different, they had different views on many different things, and the thing that made them English to me was probably the language and the location.
To measure someone’s Englishness is an exercise in taking a stereotype from a world full of propaganda, stereotypes and agenda’s and turning it against those who do not practice it. You could effectively have English ancestors, be born in England, raised in England but not feel English. People are very complex and to simplify them is a disservice to both their thoughts and abilities to change and grow and become more than a piece of propaganda or national pride (tribal/government construct).
If you look at all countries as if they were all going through a constant transitional cultural change, I believe your view on nationality would change, but most only see it in the moment.
Have a lovely day.
Should you wish to take The Beck to task or agree with him,he can be found on twitter @The_Beck_
Positively Arsenal 
interesting from arseblog:
“We have to remember what we are. We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat. We have great characters. You think of Spain and you think technical but you think of England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard. We have to remember that.
What is that other than some ingrained way of thinking about the English national team? Sleeves up, Bulldog spirit, Terry Butcher’s blood and all that. Remember, Wilshere has been brought up at Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger, in possibly the most forward thinking football club in England.
It’s all about the ball, passing, technical ability. He’s grown up watching Bergkamp, Pires and Henry. Even those with physicality, like Vieira, could play to the same level. So what he said about what defines an English team is little more than parroting the kind of headlines that appear every time England lose a game.”
+++
I notice a tendecy to cover him by talking bollocks that he was only repeating the known narratives about the English game…….what media and people like to hear so whast teh fuss about
But actually, Jack was paying tribute to these kick and rush and the – lets fight on the field for England – ‘qualities’. It wasnt like he was saying : we are idiots to still approach football in the 21st century like bravehearts, we should focus on passing and movement just like we get educated at the University of Arsenal. ..which frankly is what i would personally expect of him after the education and upbringing from Mummy.
LikeLike
DC @ October 9th 1.07 p.m.
Haha.
Bit before my time but I suppose even though Cascarino played for Marseille after their disgrace and fall that he was not entirely awful.
LikeLike
In the mean time if you haven’t already seen C. Davies latest compilation, something to pass the inter lull with.
http://vimeo.com/75919912
I hope that the Wales manager recognises that Aaron doesn’t need to play and needs a breather. Ha who am I kidding! Conversely more games is probably exactly what Jenkinson needs after a good start to the season before Sagna’s return.
LikeLike
I could watch the second goal against Swansea til the cows come home
LikeLike
if england were hard to beat, i suppose they should have been and be winning trophies. i think on the contrary their style makes it hard for them to beat anyone.
LikeLike
@double canister at 11:47 am
Did you read that excellent piece by Patrick Barclay on exactly that subject of Scots players and technical football? It was a couple of years ago now but boy did he get some abuse from ‘English’ readers……
LikeLike
In other news Mezut Özil states that there ain’t much difference in the coaching of his old manager and his new manager. And Rooneh hints that Sah Slurgusson’s mismanagement led to him eating too many pies and a resultant decline in form last season. Heh.
I sure am glad that I do no longer have to read tedious expert Arsenal fans sniping at the Arsenal manager and his training regime at every half-arsed opportunity, a topic on which they are completely ignorant. Like others I came here to get away from that snide and malicious ignorance.
So, thanks PA, again.
LikeLike
I used to be an ACLFer but now I’m a Positivista…
does that make me unworthy of playing for PA?
do I have to wait 5 years?
(can’t wait for the interbreak to be over)
LikeLike
..in my soul, I was born a positivista.
LikeLike
no youre not…i know you ..you are on a sabotage mission….youre here to cause havoc arent you, you raser ?
( cant wait for us to click and start humiliating them all like in early 00s, and this time we finnish the business )
LikeLike
Nice read, also highlights how many youngsters born in England to foreign footballers since the inception of the premier league will choose England if they follow in their fathers footsteps and make it to international level.
We are getting closer to this situation.
I think it should be as simple as a personal choice, where a person has adopted the passport, they should be met with no restrictions.
LikeLike
Alex Beck: “Arsene Wenger isn’t actually defending Jack, he’s twisting it 180 to make Jack look better, Arsene himself is doing exactly what my blog has done, questioning what it is to be English, saying players from multi cultural backgrounds have reason to do the things they do and that it is not as vague as people put it.”
Arsene Wenger: “I agree with him. I always said also an Englishman should manage the England team.”
How is this turning things around to make Jack look better? He agreed with him one hundred percent. If you know Wenger, you know that he isn’t a big fan of cutting corners. Going FA shopping or putting a rush on a person’s citizenship because your NT needs a good left winger, is the epitome of cutting corners in order to gain an advantage.
LikeLike
Hey, Hunter, someone should have taught Xavi Alonso how to tackle as he became a very dirty player later on in his career. And had he been a decent tackler, he would be a better deep lying play maker.
LikeLike
but deep lying playmakers dont tackle that much ( in europe) ….pirlo….the greatest 6 i have ever seen ..he dont tackle…..xavi who had to play that role in the years of deco and ronaldinho didnt tackle like flamini. ..cesc when he played as deep lying playmaker for us did a few but only because he was in england where tackling is perceived as a quality to have….later on …song..didnt takcle..he positioned himself brilliantly and won ball off players…arteta tackles as last resort and only because he as well is playing in england. do you remember redondo tackling much? or albertini?
LikeLike
i think that there is a misunderstanding…..lately that ive been playing with english people in camden kentish town and upper holloway ..they tackle liek crazy and the comments are all about ” great committment” ….apaprently tackling is seen as being commmitted…when in reality its closer to what xavi alonso said..its a last resort form of defending….perhaps by tackling all the time they think that they show passion and commitment for the game/win/team…..i dont know…. it is silly though….running liek headless chickens, noone keeps position but they all cheer when someone slides in and sends the ball out for a throw in …
LikeLike
dino baggio?
LikeLike
Gains
I had been pining for Xavi Alonso to joining us for years.
A player like him in midfileld was what I though was the missing link.
Now we have Flamini back, I don’t pine anymore.
LikeLike
carrick? does he tackle much? not really…..cleverley does the tacklin or previously fletcher ..
LikeLike
oh, England, oh England
55 minion people can’t produce 11 decent footballers.
Jack, Theo, Gibbs – OK but not at the same standard as their Spanish/German counterparts. (yet).
Stevie G and F Frankie – now in decline.
Rest of England’s Midfield – On a par with Ireland’s. Which is not intended as a complement. Ramsey is better than anyone else on these Islands.
Wazza – Better coaching or man management and he would have been really something special.
Rest of England’s forwards – oh God no.
L Baines – Reasonably OK; Cashley – You know what to say.
Any English CB – No. Slow and too “hands-on”.
England’s No. 1 Goalie – oooops.
Wasn’t Almunia looking for a passport!!!??
LikeLike
There is no need to tackle anyone when you already have the ball.
LikeLike
Gainsbourg69
Arsene is saying he agrees with Jack on the basis that it might appear that players are buying passports, the headline is not really carrying the weight of what Jack said, nor is the reply.
He then GOES ON, to say that the definition of what is English is important, Jack neither defines or explains it. It is simply because he cannot and neither can Arsene, it is a muddle of stereotypes, it is not one thing and it is very subjective.
LikeLike
oh, England, oh England
55 minion people can’t produce 11 decent footballers.
they dont know how…..thats why they should respect wenger more and actually drop on their knees and kiss his feet for producing a generation of english players who are much closer to their european counterparts than ever before…ferguson kept his generation only fired up for united, nothing else…most of times he denied them from the national team.
LikeLike
I think its as simple as this.If a person considers themselves to be English,then that is what matters.
When asked ” Are you English” if they say yes,then they are in.
However,people being people they would have to answer the question whilst being attached to lie detector.
LikeLike
Quotes from Joachim Low,
He is talking about Ireland, but it could just as easily be England, as nearly all the Irish team play football in England.
Also, nice works about Ozil at the Arsenal.
Low does not expect _______ to have changed much following the departure of manager ____________ either, saying: “It doesn’t matter who the coach is or even who the players are, they cannot radically change their system – they are defensive, compact with the maximum physical involvement.”
“They will never play any kind of holding game or pass it around like Barcelona do – you will never see any _____ team playing like that, so it doesn’t really matter who coaches them.”
“They like to get the ball towards goal quickly. They may not be world champions in keeping possession, but they get the ball forwards quickly and that’s the way they are.”
Germany are quite the opposite, focusing on an arguably more attractive build-up play based on getting the midfielders involved, both at the back and moving forwards.
Mesut Ozil is a key figure for that style, as he is for Arsenal, and Low believes his move to the Gunners is a match made in heaven.
“I saw him play his first home game and he created all three goals and the fans really took to him,” Low said.
“You got the feeling that Arsenal’s technically strong game needed a player like him, and it suits him down to the ground.
“He was a pivot in the team and Arsenal’s highly-cultured game is very good for him. He is a player who always wants the ball.”
Ozil should take his usual place in the Germany midfield on Friday night, but Philipp Lahm is set to revert to full-back, despite playing as a midfielder for Bayern Munich for much of the season.
LikeLike
Lmao why would someone lie about feeling/being English? possibly the worst thing you could do?
LikeLike
I have to say, you guys are all brilliant, the replies, the discussion, its top notch.
LikeLike
Hunter @ 5:01pm
Excellent point.
Who else is producing a line of quality English players?
Mind you, we have got some of them in from Southampton, and Charlton.
LikeLike
double canister
October 10, 2013 at 5:11 pm
ahahahahhaa ….he basically is saying what der keizer was saying only being a lot more polite and cultured in his descriptions
LikeLike
double canister
October 10, 2013 at 5:20 pm
yeah..and the thank you he receives is watching his players getting smashed, scum journos throwing feces at bachs and kenny daglish telling him “its a penalty..furk orf” and then his fans telling him “thank you for the doubles and all you can fuck off now”…
🙂 …..
LikeLike
Mind you, we have got some of them in from Southampton, and Charlton.
and? i hear that a lot…that homegrown is only jack…..wrong…..to me any player who isnt under professional contract yet and joins a club and IMPROVES tenfold …then surely the club that had the eye to see them and develop them and educate them in a more serious way than ten yearolds runnign around cones deserves the most credit.
in that sense all them clichys cescs walcotts ramseys i consider them arsenal products and fuck what all the spitefull haters say to knock wenger down…
cause if wenger or arsenal dont get credit for them players then why should fergie/united get for giggs who was poached from city..or beckham from london…..even scholes i think was salford fc…
LikeLike
Hunter 13
Just saying there are some other enlightened coaches of junior talent working around in England, not many mind.
Most of the products get smashed up before delivery, but Wenger is the true diamond polisher.
Didn’t some thicko coach at some non-entity club recently give out about a young Arsenal loanee or transfer not being physically strong enough?
Look at the quality in the feet, man – any fool can pump iron in a gym and kick lumps out of a football.
LikeLike
Hunter: “but deep lying playmakers dont tackle that much ( in europe) ….pirlo….the greatest 6 i have ever seen ..he dont tackle…..xavi who had to play that role in the years of deco and ronaldinho didnt tackle like flamini. ..cesc when he played as deep lying playmaker for us did a few but only because he was in england where tackling is perceived as a quality to have….later on …song..didnt takcle..he positioned himself brilliantly and won ball off players…arteta tackles as last resort and only because he as well is playing in england. do you remember redondo tackling much? or albertini?”
Well, Xabi Alonso does tackle. And badly at that. It’s kind of odd that his teammate and childhood friend, Arteta, is a hell of a lot better tackler than he is.
Song didn’t tackle? WTF?
LikeLike
Alex Beck: “Arsene is saying he agrees with Jack on the basis that it might appear that players are buying passports, the headline is not really carrying the weight of what Jack said, nor is the reply.
He then GOES ON, to say that the definition of what is English is important, Jack neither defines or explains it. It is simply because he cannot and neither can Arsene, it is a muddle of stereotypes, it is not one thing and it is very subjective.”
I thought Wenger was pretty clear on what he said. He and Jack agree that going NT shopping, like Deco and Pepe did, or taking in a player with dubious connections to his host country, is not good for international football.
That headline makes it appear as if Jack believes only people who are born in England can be considered English. That is complete and utter bullshit. He was talking about players who grow up playing abroad, come to England when they’re fully formed professionals and try to get into the England NT because they can’t get into their NT back home. They are trying to make him appear as if he hosts the leaders of the EDL for afternoon tea on a regular basis. It’s bullshit journalism and you fell for it hook, line and sinker.
LikeLike
Song didn’t tackle? WTF?
not in the sense that most english midfielders do…no. i think our player with the highest tackling ratio in them periods was clichy. and it is more traditional for the fullbacks to tackle. song was strong, read the game well and most of the times stole the ball from opponents instead of throwing himself at their feet.
as for jack and the national team comments….i seriously dont give a shit what jack considers english or not or who should be eligible to play for england or not. my position is that it took us a lot of work to get rid of little england mentalities and i would hate it if our future number ten inspirator leader boss was closer to little england than internationalism…thats all….but thats just me who despises patriotism, especially when football ( a sport) is used as the medium to promote it.
LikeLike
what jack said is what people like psycho would say…..lol…..perhaps thats what i want to say…
LikeLike
Gains, if we are going to use Wengers words as a golden rule, both you and beck (and George) are right. He’s against passport shopping but he also thinks “at the end of the day I think you’re from the country were you feel the most comfortable with the culture of the country”.
Last two paragraphs:
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsene-wenger-may-end-career-at-arsenal-and-spend-retirement-in-england-8871362.html
It’s all really an old discussion. The extremity of the Januzaj case, and the existing grey zones in this matter, just laid it up for the sensationalist journalists to have a go at it again.
LikeLike
To examplify the stretch of the grey zone we might aswell bring up the Eduardo case. He owes much of his career and personal life (married with a Croatian woman) to Croatia. He lived long enough to learn the language well and to judge by it assimilated well to the culture. Deemed not good enough for the Brasilian team he accepted the offer to play for the Croatian national team. His public rationale for this was to repay the country of Croatia for all it has given him. Now it might just be pr stunt but maybe because of his honest disposition the Croatian ppl took him in and went on to idolize him. Or maybe it was only because of his success. Either way, was it right for Eduardo to represent Croatia?
LikeLike
But I agree with you gains. The media went over jacks body to get their story.
LikeLike
Hmm I’m fast developing a hamletsk tendency for monologues on here. I blame hunter.
LikeLike
Hunter: “my position is that it took us a lot of work to get rid of little england mentalities and i would hate it if our future number ten inspirator leader boss was closer to little england than internationalism…thats all….but thats just me who despises patriotism, especially when football ( a sport) is used as the medium to promote it.”
Jack grew up playing with players from every corner of the globe and his best mate is a black boy from Ghana. I highly fucking doubt he has the same mentality as some Stoke supporter.
His comments make sense when they’re not twisted into some racial nonsense. If he was Brazilian, his comments wouldn’t have mattered.
LikeLike
Hunter: “what jack said is what people like psycho would say…..lol…..perhaps thats what i want to say…”
How are you different than the idiot journo who twisted Jackie’s words?
LikeLike
Apropos, although perfectly legal, I think players who come to a country to play football shouldn’t be allowed to join the NT. It’s hard enough for players from outside the big clubs to get a call up, only for them to have to compete against the surplus from Brazil, Argentina and the other football powers. Further, this practice masks the deficiencies in the local football set up and it ruins the whole purpose of international football. However, If you’re a Polish kid, whose parents took you to Germany as an infant, and you were made a footballer in that country, then I have no problem with that. It’s not like the kid had a choice where his parents took him.
As far as Eduardo is concerned, I don’t think he should play for Croatia. If he didn’t get a call from the Brazilian NT, tough shit. Brazil is littered with wonderful players who for some dumb reason or another never make it into the full national squad. Hell, I can’t even begin to count how many wonderful Brazilian players of the nineties were ignored because the coach they had at the time only called up players who were employed by Italian clubs.
In conclusion, I just think that if players are allowed to play for whatever NT they please, then they should just drop the charade and abolish international football altogether. I mean, why feed the public stories about patriotism and all that, when behind the scenes the huge amounts of cash NT’s stand to make off the free labor of their players is what really matters.
LikeLike
1)Jack grew up playing with players from every corner of the globe and his best mate is a black boy from Ghana. I highly fucking doubt he has the same mentality as some Stoke supporter.
yep i sincerely hope so 🙂
2) His comments make sense when they’re not twisted into some racial nonsense. If he was Brazilian, his comments wouldn’t have mattered.
i dont think you understand buddy…i expect the arsenal players to be above such basic mentalities (wherever they come from) …their ‘education’ suggests so. ..well thats how i see it anyway…i think i mentioned that considering how the media have treated his Mummy that i expected he would be reluctant to give interviews to the same people that castigate him and his team and manager the last 6 to 7 years….
3) How are you different than the idiot journo who twisted Jackie’s words?
in the sense that youre a bit unfair for im not twisting his words or even caring about what he said but focusing on the fact he gives them value by replying to them…. you might detect a bit of ferguson “us against all” mentality in my words and youre right…im guilty.
LikeLike
Gains, i think if various national FAs are intent on exploring the current loophole of a regulation on who’s eligible for what national team, then you’re right. In 10-20 years the landscape of international would totally change. I think FIFA is struggling to catch up with the globalization, parallelled with the need to adhere to laws on movement of labor force. And this is where I think it all stops, not the players, national FAs but the highest governing authority on this issue.
LikeLike
*…laws on movement of labor force AND citizenship.
LikeLike
Gainsbourg69
This post was not an attack on Jack, I carefully checked exactly what he said said over and over, the next day he reiterated what he said, I have a problem with what he said, the specifics of it, how vague it is. I wrote this blog to encourage the discussion in the vagueness of what personifies the Englishness that Jack is talking about.
He specifically said that he doesn’t think after 5 years of living in England it makes you English, I specifically disagree with that. Arsene Wenger protects him by saying he agrees with that idea but then rebuts it by saying the Englishness is not defined and he has to train players with three or four different cultures, so his proposition is that the football authorities might want to be stricter with it so that players don’t buy their passports.
I didn’t chase Jack down for racism or xenophobia, nor do I think I chased him the way the media did, I don’t expect him to say smart things, he fell for Henry Winter’s shit and he has to learn from it.
Learn that you can speak your mind but if you do, make sure you are well educated in what you talk about, especially if you feel it could be controversial or make headlines for wrong reasons.
LikeLike
@Gainsbury69
I agree with you on nationalism/patriotism, I find it only helps government or those in power to retort to such rhetoric, I care more about community and various tribes than a singular form of identity, I’ve been raised that way and I’ve pushed myself further to become less singular and more diverse.
Considering how countries were formed, especially countries like America, and how U.K. France have instigated in a significant amount of slavery, war, economic downturn, both the introduction and conclusion of liberty, it is of course in the best interest of the world that countries do not have borders and all become effectively counties. That is if we care about sharing wealth, redevelopment, giving back to those whose countries have been used and left to starve.
Needless to say I don’t believe International Football is all that important.
LikeLike
I never focused on “born in England makes you English” I never even used it as it was not in the transcript, Jack never said it.
I focused on
“If you live in England for five years it doesn’t make you English, the only people who should play for England are English people.”
I could not believe how vague it was and how people were all “I’m team Jack, he’s right”
I don’t expect him to be a genius, but I expect more from those I interact with.
I am still the only person who actually took what he said and dissected it, other blogs just wrote about how he has to not do this and talked about the “English” game.
LikeLike
GP
No I don’t think I read that article, but thanks very much for the reference.
iIwill look it up.
Every gooner should read this, its part of the rich history of our Club.
LikeLike
Apropos @ 9:35pm
We blame hunter for everything!
everywhere.
LikeLike