I’ve lived in Scotland all of my adult live, nearly half of my life has been spent here. I properly love it. My kids have all been born here and I regard them as scottish.

I’ve always thought scotland has a problem with looking forward, it seems very hung up on the past, and not always in a good way. One of these hang ups results in the undercurrent of anti Englishness, particularly in sport.

So many of my friends today have been on Facebook cheering on the welsh, they are genuinely delighted that England lost. I think this is really sad, sport should be about cheering the winners not the losers.

Maybe I am naive but I just don’t understand it. I’m pretty sure this type of attitude is not shared with other home nations (but happy to be told otherwise).

Not for a second suggesting that this is full on racism, I’ve never knowingly been subjected to racism. I’m just interested to hear the alternative view on this, why do so many scottish people really dislike English sports teams? Does anyone else think this just reflects really badly on those people who are so negative?

This is clearly not a serious post.

Cheer on France later for the sake of balance?

Make a serious one then 🙂

I was in Aberdeen a good few years back during a euro championship where England did very badly. The locals were absolutely euphoric! Mind you a chap in an England top got dragged out of his car and beaten up. His was a blue badge holder so you can imagine the reaction. Many of the aberdonians I knew reckoned it was his fault regardless. 🙂

Proper Scotsmen don’t a shit about rugby

Do you support a football team? Any at all?
If their main rivals lose, does that not make you happy?
It’s a bit like that I guess..

If there was a South of England football team I would cheer their defeats. But then I want to be Scottish. 😀

I hate all the A.B.E people

why do so many scottish people really dislike English sports teams?

Something deep-fried on their shoulder?

Do you support a football team? Any at all?
If their main rivals lose, does that not make you happy?
It’s a bit like that I guess..

I see your point but I wouldn’t go to the pub to watch them play just to see them lose.

Give us a break, if we had to wait until we won something, well life’s too short. I cheered on the Welsh today, they played the better rugby. I’ll be listening to the cricket tonight, hoping the English win. I can’t really explain it, it’s probably just because I’m happiest supporting the underdog, which was England for years in the cricket. English rugby and football players always seem a bit too arrogant to support. I’m quite happy for all the English people I know to slag me when Scotland get beat, I’m used to it. Presumably you don’t live in Edinburgh.

I’m English, and I’m about to support Scotland, and I’d delighted to see them stuff the Frenchies

Do you support a football team? Any at all?
If their main rivals lose, does that not make you happy?
It’s a bit like that I guess..

But it’s a one way thing though. I can’t think of a single sport other than rugby union where England and Scotland could be called rivals. One set of supporters think there’s a rivalry in everything. The other don’t give a flick. Says a lot.

I will tell you the exact problem, watching the rugby forum on the red button, and they are talking about all the 6 nations side and how they have done n the championship, guess what, they only mention 5 of the sides, and totally miss out Scotland. That’s why, English press and commentators are feckless and I hate the fact some of my licence fee money are paying for them. P.s. JD is the same too.

I think we balance eachother out, I will cheer on the other team if Scotland is playing. Having said that they are playing France…..

Good to hear Clive Woodward talking sense, John inverdale is a tawt.

I will tell you the exact problem, watching the rugby forum on the red button, and they are talking about all the 6 nations side and how they have done n the championship, guess what, they only mention 5 of the sides, and totally miss out Scotland.

This pretty much sums it up. I’ll be surprised if they manage to mention the Scotish team in the pre match chatter before we play the French… they’ll still be prattling on about England (with some honorable mentions for Wales, who were very deserving winners… what a match!!).

I will tell you the exact problem, watching the rugby forum on the red button, and they are talking about all the 6 nations side and how they have done n the championship, guess what, they only mention 5 of the sides, and totally miss out Scotland. That’s why, English press and commentators are feckless and I hate the fact some of my licence fee money are paying for them. P.s. JD is the same too.

But that is a complaint against the BBC, not a reason to hope a team loses.

I wonder what will happen when/if the Scots declare their independence?

All of that anti- English sentiment is perpetuated by people who have a vague sense of what happened in the past but no real understanding. Although the Duke of Cumberland was pretty awful in the 18th century but then the Scots were equally happy to invade England in the 14th century whilst they were all rolling around with the Black Death and put the English to the sword. We’re all as bad as one another but we all have selective memories.

I’m Welsh anyway…

Sorry but the BBC pretty much represents England on the world stage.

Why should I support England, I just don’t get it. Why?

Something deep-fried on their shoulder?

This.

I would think most English people wouldn’t give Scotland a second thought…..

Cheer up and have some Irn Bru

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UprxM_aBWk[/video]

Why should I support England, I just don’t get it. Why?

No one said that you should,that is the point of my post. It is not about expecting you to support anyone, it,ore more about trying rounder stand why you would really want a team to lose. It is not as if today’s result changed Scotland’s position in the table.

How many Man U fans want Liverpool to lose every match?

Sorry but there is a bit of touchiness about Scotland, Wales and Ireland and their relationship to their former colonial masters.
Women can make jokes about men; blacks can make jokes about Whitey; Jocks, Taffies and Paddies can cheer on ABE.
Afloat in crocodile tears here post Wales match! 😆

Allez la France

If you’re not Scottish, it’s hard to describe. Got nothing personally against any English individual. Living in Edinburgh, I’ve got many English friends, and they’re cracking! But there’s something about the English nation or culture as a whole which is ripe for rallying against! I’m not a nationalist (Alex can **** his independence plans), and I can’t rationally explain it. It is what it is!

I’m pleased that the Welsh won- smaller country, better travelling fans (that might seem anti-english to some but come on, you know it’s true, Edinburgh town centre when the welsh are up is fab), better singing… And generally more interesting to watch. And I think the welsh and the scots just generally have more in common (if nothing else, we both hate those ****s the english)

Also, it’s totally understandable that the national press bang on about England, after all they’re the biggest market, but it does get a bit wearing. I remember watching a world cup match between 2 foreign sides and it took the commentators 2 minutes to mention ’66, frinstance.

It was great watching the Wales v England match in HD. I guess they can’t afford nice cameras in Paris though.

And you can hardly single out the Scots for disliking the English. Is there any nation that doesn’t?

So many of my friends today have been on Facebook cheering on the welsh, they are genuinely delighted that England lost. I think this is really sad, sport should be about cheering the winners not the losers.

It’s just rivalry, mostly. This is fine. If everyone’s glad when you lose then it means you’re the one they want to beat, so it’s a compliment really. I’m sure the English supporters will relish the next time they thump Wales.

For me, and it seems common in Wales, it’s not England the nation, it’s the English rugby team. We’re more than happy to support England at football, we even play cricket on the same team along with most other sports. But rugby is worse because of the class divide, the 70s backlash, and the way that England fans seem to think they are going to win the world cup every time they fumble a few points past an ailing rival.

However some people do use it as an excuse for racism and nastiness, this is not so good.

(if nothing else, we both hate those ****s the english)

Well that’s you off my Christmas card list 😀

****!

I can’t rationally explain it. It is what it is!

Xenophobia? 😀

Just read an interesting old article on the guardian about this. Although it generalises a bit, the last paragraph seems to sum things up more articulately that I can

Whatever the explanation something not very pleasant is afoot in the public air and conversation of Scotland, and it is time we stopped making excuses and confronted some unpleasant myths about ourselves. How we Scots see ourselves and our place in the world should not be about being anti-English or defining ourselves as not being English, but part of the Scots nation. This seems further away than it ever has been.

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[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcWSpPkf78s[/video]

Maybe I am naive but I just don’t understand it. I’m pretty sure this type of attitude is not shared with other home nations (but happy to be told otherwise).

Reallly? I think it’s shared by all the other home nations.

Something deep-fried on their shoulder?

I think this is a little unfair. Most Scottish people I’ve met have been pretty well balanced. They have a chip on both shoulders. 😆

A good mate of mine is a taff, they were obviously the better side today and glad for my pal the Welsh won.

If my mate had been a sweat mind….

To be fair Scotland are that crap at sport, it doesn’t surprise me that some of them STILL demonstrate the bitterness mentioned in the OP towards the English.