Diamond Oracle Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Matt Ritchie is more Scottish than Raheem Sterling is English. Doubt you have England supports saying he shouldn't play for them. Jeez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpoonTon Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Matt Ritchie is more Scottish than Raheem Sterling is English. Doubt you have England supports saying he shouldn't play for them. Jeez. Only if you value an idea of 'blood' over actual participation in the life of a country, and totally disregard the feelings of those involved. I would assume that there isn't much difference legally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzyAffro Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 This is the thing I find a bit strange about International football. Some have drawn a comparison with France, and the background of some of their international players. But on the whole that's to do with immigration, an example of the benefits of immigration for a country if you like. I find the link to a parent, or especially a grandparent a bit more tenuous. The idea that a family relation, which often amounts to a minimal level of some sort of cultural heritage, should qualify you for playing for a national team makes me think that the criteria has taken a misstep somewhere along the line. There are football players who have lived and played in Scotland for a large portion of their life, contributing to the country and developing a feeling of home here, yet cannot play for Scotland (which is down to our position as only a sort-of-country, but still a bit unfair I think). Yet someone with a grandparent born in Scotland can play for the national team? It makes the whole conversation about how to improve the national team a bit weird if nothing else. It seems to me that it comes down to a rather archaic idea of nationality. That being said, those are the rules, and the whole thing isn't to be taken seriously. I'll support whoever's playing for Scotland. I'm just a bit uneasy about the rules themselves rather than our use of them (by the management or the players themselves). To be clear, I'll give Ritchie as much of a chance as anyone else (and of course he's English, he's lived there his whole life, I have no problem with him saying that - although if he had a PR guy I bet he wouldn't have, it just would have been the second part of the quote). The grandparent rule should be rescinded. It was brought in simply to make the rubbish international sides decent, thus making it a bigger draw for TV. Jamaica can't field a decent team of Jamaicans, but if you allow them to call up people from England with Jamaican grandparents they can. It has merely served to dilute international football and demean it imo. It was special before, now not so much. Parents and citizenship I am fine with, but the grandparent rule should be done away with. Ritchie being English I don't really care about, his Dad is Scottish that's Scottish enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~~~ Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 No such thing as a Scottish, English, Welsh, NI citizenship though Wasn't there a famous Hibs striker who wasn't allowed to represent Scotland despite both him parents being Scottish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzyAffro Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Well that's true but there are rules governing it, schooling etc and British citizenship. I am fine with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Joe Baker. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Baker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Prince Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 No such thing as a Scottish, English, Welsh, NI citizenship though Wasn't there a famous Hibs striker who wasn't allowed to represent Scotland despite both him parents being Scottish? Eventually ended up getting capped for England. First player to get capped for England whilst playing outside England. Super Joe Baker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SodjesSixteenIncher Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 How does it make international football "less special"? Say Ritchie keeps a place in the squad and ends up scoring the goal that takes Scotland to their first tournament in nearly 20 years. The pubs and living rooms of Scotland will be filled with quiet, cross-armed Scots mumbling "it's just no special any more" aye? Of course not, if he's eligible and wants to play, the only thing worth worrying about is whether he's good enough. Speaking as someone who was briefly in Germany last Summer, their squad having a few pesky foreigners in it didn't seem to make the occasion less special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzyAffro Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 As you have players representing countries who have a tenuous link to them. I would have thought that was obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieD Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Matt Elliott never said what has been attributed to him. In fact, in one of those YouTube things the SFA do he said precisely the opposite. And I really don't see what's wrong with what this new guy has said. Presumably people won't celebrate if he scores, and presumably James Morrison didn't enjoy his goal against England in the minds of some of those TAMB folk? Yeah he did say it. I heard it with my own ears on Soccer AM when he sat on the sofa and said it. I don't mind grandparent rules and 5 year schooling rules really. I'm just shocked someone would be stupid enough to say when being interviewed about being called up for Scotland "I'm English". FFS, just lie if you really think that! If a player signed for your team and said he was only there for the money or whatever on the day he signed, you wouldn't brush it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 If I was in Ritchies position id of said exactly the same thing. Most people getting wetting the bed over this will have no idea how somebody with dual nationality through their parents feel. This conversation coming up all the time is boring. It's not a tenuous link it's his DAD!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Yeah he did say it. I heard it with my own ears on Soccer AM when he sat on the sofa and said it. I don't mind grandparent rules and 5 year schooling rules really. I'm just shocked someone would be stupid enough to say when being interviewed about being called up for Scotland "I'm English". FFS, just lie if you really think that! If a player signed for your team and said he was only there for the money or whatever on the day he signed, you wouldn't brush it off. If you had a Scottish mum and an English dad bringing you up, had played football for ages and stayed here would you turn down England knowing that Scotland will probably never call you up? No chance you would. And you'd more than likely say 'I'm Scottish but I'm also half English through my Dad and would be proud to represent the country'. You wouldn't just dismiss your nationality because you'd been called up would you???? You also would be thrilled to get the chance to make your dad proud and represent England seeing as you were of dual nationality. People greeting need to get a grip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomGuy. Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 If a player signed for your team and said he was only there for the money or whatever on the day he signed, you wouldn't brush it off. I would, probably. Theres numerous players signed for Scottish teams over the years who've blatantly said upon signing they see the club they're joining as a "stepping stone to bigger things", virtually saying they'll leave the moment another team comes in for them. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Gaines Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 RobbieD, on 17 Mar 2015 - 19:31, said:If a player signed for your team and said he was only there for the money or whatever on the day he signed, you wouldn't brush it off. Why would anyone care about that either? If he does the job he's being paid for, who fucking cares why he's there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpoonTon Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Why would anyone care about that either? If he does the job he's being paid for, who fucking cares why he's there? Not to get too sidetracked, but whether they should or not fans do care when players suggest that they're only there for the money. It's quickly forgotten if they do their job well, but it won't be if they don't. From that point of view it isn't a clever thing to say. It's not quite the Marc Fitzpatrick school of PR, but it tilts in that direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aufc Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Why would anyone care about that either? If he does the job he's being paid for, who fucking cares why he's there? I can't believe scottish fans that think players genuinely give a shit about the club. Most of them are only interested in maximising money and I have no problem with that. There is no loyalty in footie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBud Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 If he's good enough and he's eligible, get him in. Couldn't give a flying f**k what the Hamish Husband section of the TA think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Oofya. The TAMB has gone into meltdown over this Ritchie character. Some genuinely savage fruit loops with views on national identity Herr Hitler would have been proud of. And an inability to grasp rudimentary grammar too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClydeNewcomer Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I don't see the problem with his feeling English. If he was born in England, grown up in England then it's natural that he would. Maybe he's just comfortable with having both English and Scottish heritage, it doesn't care If he feels english what the f**k is he doing playing for scotland Absolutely absurd state of affairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClydeNewcomer Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I can't believe scottish fans that think players genuinely give a shit about the club. Most of them are only interested in maximising money and I have no problem with that. There is no loyalty in footie Bring back the days of proper human beings and patriots like denis law. He would have missed the european cup final to play for scotland if the situation arose. There is very little loyalty today which I certainly do have a problem with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.