It's flying garden chair day - England v Croatia

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

It's going to be hotter in England than Mykonos today, the pubs will be full by noon, and of course people will display all the restraint and observance of social distancing that you'd expect to accompany an England game, especially when the players take the knee.

Gareth said last week he only has one decision to make, so he must have a clearer idea than me, as I'm still trying to work out how to put Rice, Phillips, Mount, Foden, Grealish, Sancho, Sterling and Kane into a side that doesn't end up playing 2-3-5 and getting overrun by possibly the best midfield in the tournament.

[Duncan Gardner]

Here's to Novi Zagreb Land making it a double Super Sunday

[Patrick Thistle]

In all seriousness, who is supporting England and who is ABE this time around?

The horrid elements in the support aside, Southgate seems a decent guy and several of the players are quite likeable.

(Back before the plague hit, I had a ticket for this game.)

[DCI Harry Batt]

who is ABE this time around

I'm AEB rather than ABE, tbh. For life.

I see that

Croatia captain Luka Modric believes there has been a sense of arrogance around the England team but knows Gareth Southgate's side carry no such ego and are ready for Sunday's Euro 2020 opener.

Three years ago, the 35-year-old inspired Zlatko Dalic's men to a 2-1 extra-time comeback win over England in the World Cup semi-finals.

So he's 38 now?

Anyway, what hope for an England defeat?

[My Name Is Ian]

England here, though I tend to give this place a swerve during tournaments, and particularly during England matches. I don't feel particularly welcome, to be honest.

[Patrick Thistle]

So he's 38 now?

No. He's 35. Three years ago, the (now) 35-year old...

[Guy Profumo]

Yeah. England.

But with the usual caveats about that section of support that the FA welcome with open arms into the Engls and Travel/Supporters Club

[DCI Harry Batt]

No. He's 35. Three years ago, the (now) 35-year old...

Well quite. Ludicrous piece of writing. There's something particularly special, I think, about football "writing" and the circumlocutions and synonyms and morbid fear of using a word or a name more than once.

[Satchmo Distel]

I'd rather not label myself but I enjoy England losing because it upsets the type of people who bullied me at school. OTOH this is irrational because I suspect that Croatia, having been pro-Nazi in the war, has far more of those types as a proportion of the support. I'm willing to own the fact that my AEB-ness is at core an emotional symptom of childhood trauma.

OTOH again, I'm sure that verbal abuse of minorities increases when England make deep runs in tournaments, and we know what happened in Euro 96. Then there's the Boris/Brexit factor this time round; the place is nastier than it's been for a while. And why should I support a team just because I was born there, which seems equally irrational? It's like being pressured to wear a poppy. But those are rationalizations for a PTSD on this issue.

Obviously I have no animosity towards OTF England fans and I'm sorry that Ian and others feel unwelcome.

[Sporting]

The English football team seems reasonable enough?

[Satchmo Distel]

Yes, if I were purely choosing a team on the likeability of boss and players, they'd be a fine choice.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

OTOH again, I'm sure that verbal abuse of minorities increases when England make deep runs in tournaments, and we know what happened in Euro 96.

What happened in Euro 96? I actually remember that being quite a "feelgood" one (certainly compared to France 98 and Euro 2000, when our fans demolished Marseilles and Charleroi)?

[Satchmo Distel]

A Russian man was murdered after the SF because the attacker assumed he was German. This after the Daily Mirror had done an 'Achtung' headline.

[ursus arctos]

It kicked off in a number of places after they went out

England woke up with a familiar hangover yesterday after defeat in the European championships was followed by hooliganism across the nation.

In scenes that most fans had consigned to history, mobs rampaged through cities, towns and villages smashing windows, burning cars and looting shops.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/r...m-1339100.html

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I remember the headline, not the murder. Piers Morgan was Mirror editor at the time, wasn't he.

[DCI Harry Batt]

1996 was fucking horrible, yeah. But it always is. Best for England not to qualify. If they must qualify, best for them to go out as early as possible.

[Sporting]

I don't quite understand the antipathy towards England if it's based only on a - perfectly reasonable - dislike of some of their fans, press; and misplaced patriotism in general. What's not to like about, say, Rashford?

[ursus arctos]

Looking for a rigorously rational basis for football supporters' loves and hatreds may take some time, Sporting

[DCI Harry Batt]

I don't quite follow, Sporting. Did you mean to say you do understand it on that basis? Or do you mean that any negative feelings about all those things should be overcome by a liking for Rashford?

[Guy Profumo]

AEB rather than ABE?

[Duncan Gardner]

He's been distracted from the day job as LOTO?

[DCI Harry Batt]

Yeah, an emphasis thing. I'm just anti-England.

[ursus arctos]

AEB rather than ABE?

Anti England Brigade, as opposed to Anyone But England

This has been a thing here for at least 20 years

[delicatemoth]

In all seriousness, who is supporting England and who is ABE this time around?

AEB is better because ABE suggests one would be happy to see Russia, Poland or Hungary win, which obviously isn't the case. But this time I'm not just AEB, I'm AEWSB. All component parts of Britain can get in the bin.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

It's just the traditional factionalism and tyrrany of small differences