Why Football Support Is Not A Welsh Nationalist Issue

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

At a club level Welsh football occupies a particularly freakish position. After all there is a local pyramid structure and we've chatted about these games in the past. But we have a small number of clubs who play in the English league structure primarily Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham.

But on Twitter recently I've seen a relatively common complaint. That people could slag off England at country level and yet support at club level a team playing in the English leagues. In other words if you support an English team you're not truly Welsh.

To me football support is not a Welsh Nationalist issue and it needs to be addressed.

Now I can see this argument if you were born say in Cardiff or Swansea for example. I've always felt that you should support the closest team from where you were born wherever life takes you otherwise. That's why my first love will always be West Ham United.

But despite being born in the East End I've known members of my family who pick, excuse me whilst I hold my nose, the North London Arsenal as their team. So this "glory seeking" is not necessarily a Welsh issue.

Furthermore you could argue why should you support Cardiff if Aston Villa say is the closest team from where you were born?

There is actually a simple solution. As regular readers of this blog will know whilst West Ham is first amongst equals I've always believed that watching other leagues are more interesting when you support a particular team. Thus I follow in no particular order Barcelona, Celtic, Fiorentina, Paris St Germain, Ton Pentre and Werder Bremen.

There is no reason therefore that the Welsh football fan could not pick the closest team from the Welsh football pyramid from where he/she was born as well as a team from the English league and support them both. By doing that if you don't live near Cardiff, Newport Swansea or Wrexham you will have the chance of actually going to watch a game (which will of course be cheaper). You are not betraying either team as they play in different leagues.

And by supporting a Welsh team Welsh league club football will improve. I'm not saying you'll be watching Barcelona. But different leagues are not unlike food. I like bacon, eggs and chips. But I also like Spaghetti. There is a different taste to different leagues. It's still football though.

Of course at an international level the Welsh football fan should always support Wales.

Whilst I of course (for reasons I've explained last year) will always root for England first.

Until the next time.

Bremen With Hope

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Sunday afternoon. Not any ordinary Sunday afternoon but a Six Nations Sunday afternoon. Not just any Six Nations Sunday afternoon but the first match this weekend where Wales are playing. And what this all means is that the wife is out of the house and watching the game between Wales and Italy with "the girls". I and my daughter (who considers rugby "too violent") are at home.

Of course after the events of Saturday I wouldn't have gone out anyway. Was feeling a lot better. Not a hundred percent but enough to know that my vazovagal fear has long since gone. Still to be on the safe side a trip out in the getting increasingly cold weather was best left for another day, that day depending on the weather being next Saturday when the Welsh play England.

I might have spent the afternoon joining most of the rest of Wales and watched the game. Or ploughing through my Pobol Y Cwm recordings (moving to the beginning of December - they are being gone through at last). But instead decided to watch Werder Bremen, the Bundesliga team I follow.

Clearly an explanation to my choice of team is required at this moment. After all it's not closest to where I was born (West Ham) or the closest Serie A team to where my Italian relatives live (Fiorentina) or even that I bought a travel bag in Paris during my honeymoon years before the team become the dominant force in French football (Paris St Germain). Indeed I've never been to Germany in my life let alone Bremen (and the way the exchange rate seems to be going at the moment it looks as if I need to negotiate a loan just to buy lunch there).

No the reason I support Werder Bremen is that many (and I mean many) years ago I walked into the Nike store (no longer there) in the Macarthur Glen outlet store and saw this tasteful number on sale for just six pounds.

Radioactive Orange is the new Black

I have many years later bought a Bayern Munich shirt for my small haphazard collection. But it doesn't matter, this shirt was the first Bundesliga one I've ever bought so unless they ever play West Ham (I want them beaten) or the other teams in foreign leagues I follow (neutral) I'm one hundred percent Bremenite. I suppose I'm unique in supporting Bremen in this way. You could say I'm a Werder Original (sorry couldn't resist).

Indeed no one could accuse me of being a glory hunter by following Bremen. In the last couple of seasons they've hovered precariously on the cliff edge of relegation and this time is no different. Before the game they were just above the drop zone. They had lost the first two games of this year having been unlucky in facing not just Bayern Munich but Borussia Dortmund. The team had by all accounts been playing well. But unfortunately playing well in football is no substitute to winning.

The team they were playing against was Augsburg. Also in the lower half of the league but in a better position than Bremen. So it was a game that the team I supported needed to win if only to provide more impetus for the battles ahead in the rest of the season.

So the match began. The shirt was worn. The drink and food was ready.

A West Ham mug by the way

A quick aside. Nestle: The Blue Riband biscuit has shrunk to such an extent that it's only slightly bigger than my finger. You have to eat more than one of them to be satisfied and then you're accused of being greedy. Come on now.

It was a lively match. Early on Augsburg missed two chances because their striker had a sudden amnesiac attack and had forgotten how to head a ball. But gradually Bremen took control of the game and Selassie scored.

So then dancing in the streets....for all of two minutes given that was all it took for the home team to equalise. That's how it stayed at half time. In the second half Kruse scored for Bremen from the penalty spot, Kruse control if you will. However Augsburg equalised with about ten minutes to spare.

A draw then....a disappointment but not a disaster.

Then, in the last extra time minute of the match......disaster.

From a cross the Augsburg player was able to stick his leg out despite a defender nearby to score a late,very late, winner. It was as if someone had wrenched your heart from the body.

Football can be very cruel. Particularly for those teams battling to avoid the drop. Still whilst there is life there is still hope and the players of Werder Bremen showed a fighting spirit that's encouraging. Even to a follower far away in Wales like myself.

Until the next time.