Gunter / HRK / Wales

[Binfield Royal]

If you are Welsh, please feel free to comment but bear in mind this post is not aimed at you.

If you are English, given the video that emerged yesterday of the welsh squad celebrating Englands defeat like they had just won the competition outright, does this affect the way in which you feel about Gunter / HRK / Wales football?

With the Welsh, it so often seems like more than simply banter - a real chip on the shoulder type of "we will always support anyone else against England"

Last question, now England are out, will you support Wales because of Gunter / HRK?

FWIW, I think I would have cheered on Wales before that video came out and now I wont. I also think Gunter and HRK may have damaged their standing with Reading fans but whether that is true and whether it will last remains to be seen.

[Top Flight]

Don't be silly. They're just having a laugh.

If I was Welsh, I would find England's exit absolutely hilarious.

Doesn't affect my opinion of Gunter or HRK in any way whatsoever. I really want them to do well and I am hoping Wales will win the Euro's as unlikely as that is. They are the team that I am supporting now.

[edinburghroyal]

I am supporting Wales, only because of Simon Church!

[Maguire]

Welsh people in petty-minded inferiority complex shocker.

I'd say I've been supportive of Wales thus far but when they do eventually get knocked out I'll probably take a moment to chuckle at the likes of Ashley Williams weeping into the turf.

[Bazooka Joe]

I will be supporting Wales, who I think have done amazingly well at seem to have great team spirit, as I would N.I. ROI or indeed Scotland!!!!!

The local connection is a bonus too.

I totally understand the celebrations at our demise in the context of the competition and relaxing watching games during it as we always over-hype our chances and some of it was at Wales expense this time.

[Royal Lady]

Seeing as everyone thought we'd walk our group and Wales would probably get knocked out, I'd say Wales had every right to celebrate. In the same way that people wrote off Iceland when we drawn against them. They are a UK team and so I will be cheering them until they get knocked out. Chillax. It's only football.

[Sutekh]

No change, good luck to them. Their players were only having a laugh just as the Irish or the Scots would have done and just as the English players would probably do if Ireland/Wales/Scotland were big enough a team to be embarrassed by such a result.

I hope Iceland win the tournament (although I have a feeling France will easily rip them apart on Sunday) and Wales beating Belgium would not be unwelcome either.

[Forbury Lion]

They want to win the competition, they're just happy to see the so called stronger sides knocked out as that will make things easier (remember, we did beat them and they wouldn't have liked that), plus they are now the top UK side and that's something to celebrate for what was, not so long ago the 3rd best behind England and Scotland.

I imagine Gunter and HRK were also happy for their ex-Reading team, Gylfi.

England were shit, we were all booing/upset at the crap performance so we can hardly blame others for laughing at it - We may well have done the same had it been Wales.

I hope Wales or Iceland go on and win it, It's a tall ask but Greece managed it.

[Binfield Royal]

If you are Welsh, please feel free to comment but bear in mind this post is not aimed at you.

If you are English, given the video that emerged yesterday of the welsh squad celebrating Englands defeat like they had just won the competition outright, does this affect the way in which you feel about Gunter / HRK / Wales football?

With the Welsh, it so often seems like more than simply banter - a real chip on the shoulder type of "we will always support anyone else against England"

Last question, now England are out, will you support Wales because of Gunter / HRK?

FWIW, I think I would have cheered on Wales before that video came out and now I wont. I also think Gunter and HRK may have damaged their standing with Reading fans but whether that is true and whether it will last remains to be seen.

Are you a fucking child?

yes I am 7 3/4

and did no one ever tell you that resorting to personal insults is the refuge of the feeble minded...?

[Binfield Royal]

They want to win the competition, they're just happy to see the so called stronger sides knocked out as that will make things easier (remember, we did beat them and they wouldn't have liked that), plus they are now the top UK side and that's something to celebrate for what was, not so long ago the 3rd best behind England and Scotland.

I imagine Gunter and HRK were also happy for their ex-Reading team, Gylfi.

England were shit, we were all booing/upset at the crap performance so we can hardly blame others for laughing at it - We may well have done the same had it been Wales.

I hope Wales or Iceland go on and win it, It's a tall ask but Greece managed it.

Can't disagree with any of this TBF. Not sure I would have "celebrated" quite so hard as the welsh squad did but there you are.

[From Despair To Where?]

Club before country every time so I was supporting Wales before England got knocked out for a number of reasons.

A) Gunts and HRK

B) England are a bunch of preening, clueless tossers and a national joke

C) I was born in Wales.

I was also supporting Ireland, N Ireland and Iceland ahead of England.

[MoorgateRoyal]

Their reaction tells you everything about Wales as a country. They're determined to shit on the English and will revel in our defeats. I didn't lose any sleep over it and I don't get all excited when they lose (although I went mental when we beat them).

I'd like Gunter to do well as he's a Reading player, and Hal and Church because they came through the Academy. It's the same with Norwood for Norn Iron and Gylfi with Iceland. I'm not so bothered where they finish but I'd like Reading players and our offspring to do well.

[leon]

has this thread gone the way you expected, Binfield Royal?

[Stranded]

Not sure why anyone would care about them celebrating the English defeat - not exactly a big deal or earth shattering news is it.

And yes, I will be supporting them on Friday as I am part Welsh.

[tidus_mi2]

I was laughing at them when they were losing to Andorra, I laughed at them some more when it took an 81st minute goal to win the game and I laughed at them more than that when they had a mini pitch invasion for scoring that late goal, against Andorra.

So I get it when they're laughing at us.

[muirinho]

Welsh people in petty-minded inferiority complex shocker.

I'd say I've been supportive of Wales thus far but when they do eventually get knocked out I'll probably take a moment to chuckle at the likes of Ashley Williams weeping into the turf.

I don't think it's inferiority complex - or at least, not completely - To me it's like watching say Leyton Orient taking on Man City. Unless you support Man City, you'll really want Orient to win, and absolute bonus if it's because City are shocking. Doesn't mean you hate City, or have a chip in your shoulder about big clubs or anything like that.

[Binfield Royal]

has this thread gone the way you expected, Binfield Royal?

Didn't really know how others would feel. It doesn't affect Reading at all but football supporting is usually more emotion than intellect. I felt momentarily annoyed and let down that fellow UK residents were gleefully siding with Englands opposition as my general disposition is to support home nations against other teams unless its England.

The general trend from the responses so far is that England fans self deprecation exceeds any pride they have in their national team - which in my view is a shame, regardless of how useless they were in this tournament.

[tmesis]

Smaller rivals always take more joy in the downfall of their rivals than the other way round, and that's all it is.

I went to the Wales v Russia game, and their fans were fine, and able to talk about England without being bitter etc.


The only thing I would say though, if the England team was shown going wild about and of the home nations losing, they'd get a massive media backlash for it.

[harry]

Club before country every time so I was supporting Wales before England got knocked out for a number of reasons.

A) Gunts and HRK

B) England are a bunch of preening, clueless tossers and a national joke

C) I was born in Wales.

I was also supporting Ireland, N Ireland and Iceland ahead of England.

Pretty much this apart from C.
I normally always follow Ireland first then England then Russia through family. Then all the other home nations. It's great this year to have so many other nations to support through current or former Reading players. Shane & Gylfi are still Royals as far as I'm concerned.
Now all the others are out I wish for a Wales v Iceland final although I accept the chances are probably 5000-1.

HRK & Church would have been in the Academy with Gylfi. Gylfi plays for Swansea & Gunnarsson plays for Cardiff. If Iceland had been Portugal at the knockout stage instead of England everyone would have gone mental celebrating.
In my view their celebrations were more about Iceland than England.

[From Despair To Where?]

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