Some games from the past in which England probably didn’t wear poppies
14/11/2009 Brazil 1-0 England (Qatar)
12/11/2005 England 3-2 Argentina (Switzerland)
10/11/2001 England 1-1 Sweden
13/11/1999 Scotland 0-2 England
09/11/1996 Georgia 0-2 England
13/11/1991 Poland 1-1 England
11/11/1987 Yugoslavia 1-4 England
12/11/1986 England 2-0 Yugoslavia
13/11/1985 England 0-0 Northern Ireland
14/11/1973 England 0-1 Italy
10/11/1971 England 1-1 Switzerland
12/11/1952 England 5-2 Wales
14/11/1951 England 2-2 Austria
10/11/1948 England 1-0 Wales
13/11/1946 England 3-0 Wales
The full list is here:
http://www.eloratings.net/England.htm
Don’t get me wrong, the poppy thing is wonderful and it’s terrific that we as a nation have found a way to remember those who gave so much for us in the past, and indeed those who continue to give so much today. But it doesn’t really have a great deal to do with football and if we’re going to pick fights with FIFA I’m not sure this is the best issue to go for. And as for David Cameron sticking his oar in….
(as an aside, England played Germany on November 19, 2008. How would it have looked if we’d worn poppies then?)
7 Comments on “Some games from the past in which England probably didn’t wear poppies”
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I heard on the news that Scotland intend to wear Poppies on their training kit which they will wear for the 2 minute silence and will then play in the normal shirt. That seems the simple solution that still enables the team to show respect to our war heroes without any unnecessary brouhaha.
Seems to me like the politicians and media are just using this as another point scoring exercise. Sad.
During the 50s to 70s, the earliest I remember, Remembrance Day was about remembering those who died or were injured in the Great War (primarily), raising money for the British Legion and above all about the folly of war and the need not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
There were still plenty of Great War veterans alive who could give personal testimony.
Increasingly since the Falklands and exponentially since 9/11 it’s become a jingoistic exercise directly at odds with its initial purpose and designed to create support for our country’s military adventures.
I object to the glorification of the military because that is the mentality that leads to suffering for all participants in wars including, primarily, innocent civilians.
Rememberance Day should be an annual wake up call not to allow this lunacy to continue.
The older I get the more convinced I become of the need for militant pacifism.
Rant over.
Funny, I was about to commend the poppy for expressing such notions with a simple, seemingly unrelated, non-jingoistic symbol.
As compared to our celebrations that have no one simple symbol, but lots of bravado and weaponry.
I wish we would adopt something similar to the poppy.
As a combat veteran and a long-term Cold Warrior, I must say that I agree with what Tony says. I left England in 1993 and, for me, the Remembrance Day observances was always about the cost of war and respect for those who paid the ultimate price. Respect and reverence for the dead should stand on its own. It should not be used as a club. I prefer to remember buying my poppy on the streets of Bedford, with the cold wind blowing right through me, and then watching the observance at the Royal Albert Hall on television. Even today, I almost cry and the memory of thousands of poppies drifing down from the ceiling.
The LAST thing this ceremony should be is a recruiting tool.
None of my business, I guess, but Tony struck a chord.
Totally agree with Rich. I happily buy a poppy and don’t wear it.
If Japan, Serbia, Turkey or some other nation on the wrong side of a conflict who hasn’t made amends in a manner fully acceptable to the world wanted to do something similar all hell would break loose and the English would be on the forefront of the protest. These rules are there for a good reason and probably one we supported back when there was some sense in the world.
Excellent article which says pretty much the same thing we’re saying here.
http://www.thestilescouncil.com/england/englands-poppy-battle-turns-sour-at-fifa-hq/