It’s now just a tale of old. For 100 years the Home Nations, or ‘British Home Championship’, was hotly contested to determine the pride of Britain. In 1984, it was scrapped. The tournament held some great memories, of course I’m too young to remember the competition itself but I know some of the stories. The year Scotland became ‘World Champions’, the year it was abandoned due to civil unrest in Northern Ireland and the infamous pitch invasion after Scotland defeated England at Wembley. Many argue that it was pointless, but in 1950 it was used as qualification for the World Cup. Should it return?
I believe so. People often talk of the huge rivalry between the nations on the isle, most of them directed towards the English. However, we rarely get to experience these derbies. England had Wales in their qualifying group a few years back and Scotland are currently alongside the Welsh in qualification for the 2014 World Cup. However, this is regular enough.
The biggest derbies in football are the ones that occur on a regular basis, otherwise they filter out. Middlesbrough v Sunderland, Luton Town v Watford, Southampton v Portsmouth. Still massive derbies in the eyes of the fans but amongst neutrals, they sometimes get forgotten about due to the fact they are not in the public eye.
The tournament used to occur every year, this isn’t necessary to be honest. Every 2 years would be consistent enough, the years when there is not a European Championship or World Cup to occupy our minds. I’d love to see England play in a competitive competition more regularly, plus this is one where we actually stand a chance of winning. It would still be beneficial if it was just used as a competition for the young players, such as the U21’s, personally I can’t identify any huge negatives.
International football doesn’t grab my attention as much as it should. The best players of that country joining up should really get the adrenaline pumping, it doesn’t at all. Why? It’s not competitive enough. Qualifying is boring the majority of the time because all the big teams get separated. I know why this is done and I would’t have it any other way. However, all it does is leave teams like England, Spain, Germany and Italy facing small fry which they should, and usually do, shred apart. San Marino, Andorra, Azerbaijan. No one gets excited for that.
Bring back the Home Nations and we’ll have something to get excited about. Something to discuss with colleagues and friends, plenty to banter the opposing nation with. If England were to win it would prove the dominance many seem to think the three lions have over their counterparts. For the others, it would be a huge boost of confidence and a big deal. Besides, how can we as England fans say we are better than the other home nations without playing them on a regular basis. Let’s put our money where our mouth is, issue a challenge and witness the rebirth of an old tradition that should never have exited the game.
Follow me on Twitter @Challies11
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.