BRITS on FOOTBALL | Easy English 127

English football, in my opinion,

is probably the best football out there,

at the moment.

I've had times when I've had to

lock myself in the changing room.

My feelings are; it was given Qatar

through bribery and corruption.

My son's really crazy on Manchester United.

Is he a diehard fan, is he? - Yeah, yeah.

Brighton fans peed on the Crystal Palace fans

off an un... overpass.

And Crystal Palace s**t the er...

Brighton changing rooms.

Oh my God. - That's where the rivalry comes from.

That's true! - That's insane.

That's where it emanates from.

Hiya! Welcome to Easy English.

So this week, I thought we could talk about

all things football.

I want to know, what teams people supported,

If they're watching the Euros  (European Championship),

If they'll be watching the controversial

Qatar World Cup.

And what football means to them.

Before we get started, please don't forget

to like and subscribe to Easy English.

Here we go.

Yeah, what football team do you support?

I support Brighton Hove  Albion, which is my hometown.

Who do you support? Which football team?

Manchester United.

Well obviously, I'm City,

but then I am Brighton.

Do you support a team?

Er.. yeah, Liverpool, basically.

I support Manchester United.

I grew up in South London,

so my dad dragged us along to Crystal Palace.

Brighton and Hove Albion. - Oh really?

I'm born in Brighton and bred.

Well, depends on which country I'm talking about.

But now we are in England, I think Manchester,

that's my favourite team. - Manchester...?

United, United of course. - United, okay.

I thought that was obvious, but no, I guess not.

Not anymore!

And how long have you supported them?

I supported them for about... I'm 73.

I was about seven or eight  when I first went there,

so we're talking about 65  years. - Oh, really? - Yeah.

How long have you support them for?

Since 1972, I think it was.

Since er... my dad took me to my first game

when I was about... sort of, 12/13.

How long have you supported Manchester United?

Since I was a very young kid.  - And are you from Manchester?

I am not, I am from the U.S.

Okay. And so then, why Manchester United?

Why not... whereabouts in U.S. Are you from?

I'm from Connecticut.

Who is your like, relevant football team?

Relevant? Like, in what?

Relevant will be like...

it's still Manchester United, anywhere else.

But like, who's your respective  football team in Connecticut?

We don't have any like...

But there's no like, football team there?

Not even American... not even American football.

Not even American football. Really?

It's a small town - What  do they do in Connecticut?

Uh, nothing much, nothing.

We just chill around.

And so then, can I ask  why... why Manchester United?

Oh, I... actually, I don't know.

It's always... it's always  just been Manchester United.

I... from... from the time...

since I was just a small kid, I just loved them.

Are you watching the Euros at the moment?

Oh, I've watched some of the Euros, yeah.

And what's your opinion of the England team?

Er... well, it was a great result  against Norway the other night.

Absolutely. - Obviously, they  got Northern Ireland next,

which won't be too much of  a challenge, I don't think.

But... - Yeah. - It will get tougher after that.

And what's your prediction. As  in, for the whole tournament?

I'd like to see England play  France in the final, I think.

And? - And we win five-nil, that'll do. - Nice.

I tried to get tickets the other  night for the England match.

That sold out, didn't it? - Yeah.

And what are your predictions  for the women's team?

How far (are) they gonna get?

Oh. - Well, after a seven-nil thrashing of Norway.

I know, but everybody puts  England's under pressure that way.

As soon as they win, everyone's going;

''they're gonna go all the way''.

That's what happens. - There's  a massive disappointment.

And then, there's a huge disappointment, so.

But I feel that's part of... -  I'm trying not to go down there.

Okay, yeah.

But I feel that's kind of part and parcel

of being an English football supporter.

What, eternal disappointment?

Building everything up and then being let down,

right at the end, kinda thing.

Yeah. And that's what they're  going to do with the women's.

Lnyx England; smells of  cigarettes and disappointment.

Will you be watching the Qatar World Cup?

Erm... - And what are your feelings kind of,

towards the Qatar World Cup? 'Cos  it's a bit controversial, no?

My feelings are; it was given Qatar  through bribery and corruption.

I don't think that it should have been held there,

not with their record.

And erm... I feel a bit ashamed of  our own FA (Football Association),

they didn't speak up at the erm...  sort of, unveiling ceremony.

The Scandinavian countries  were the only ones that did.

Oh, is that right? - Yeah, or it felt like it.

Okay. And then, yeah... controversial question;

will, after that, will you  still be watching it, anyway?

Erm... probably not as much  as I would have, usually.

Yeah. - But the trouble is,

you tend to watch the game wherever it is held.

Well, I will watch it, because,  you know, my... England's playing.

I... I'm supporting England this year.

But you... we're in the same group as USA.

I don't really support USA.

I've never supported US, even  in 2014, I didn't support USA.

Really? - Yeah.

What is it about this kind  of loyalty thing in football?

Actually, I don't understand  why... why people are not glued.

I mean, if you have a club  then I don't think... why?

How can you just change?

I mean it's... for me, also  it's kind of, in your...

in your heart.

You... you can't change your wife either...

of course you can, but I  don't think it's a good idea.

Wasn't that a famous saying by... who said...

someone said like, did Eric  Cantona say that or something?

Or some famous footballer said;

you can change your wife,

but you can never change your football team.

Yeah, that's... that's true.

I don't know if it was Cantona.

Maybe it was, but I... I remember  that someone said that, yeah.

Do you know what a 'diehard' fan is?

Or why disappointment is 'part  and parcel' of English football?

My son is really crazy on Manchester Untied.

Is he a diehard fan, is he? - Yeah, yeah.

But I feel that's kind of, part and parcel

of being an English football supporter.

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What is it about... not necessarily just Brighton.

What is it that... what does football give to you?

Well, I've always loved football.

Erm... growing up, I played at youth level,

'cos when... in school, we couldn't play.

But when we got to about 12/13/14,

we could join a youth team.

And I went and played for the  local; Woodingdean has a team

and then, I went refereeing.

I went refereeing for about 40 years. - Oh reall?

Doing all around Sussex and all that.

Refereeing local teams and erm... going...

oh, I even done an FA Cup game.

So, I sort of, worked my way up, doing that.

Brave man. - Yeah.

And by doing that, I've met a lot of people,

you know what I mean? - Yeah, yeah.

All different people through  different lives, you know.

And it was quite, you know,

travelling and meeting people,  (it) was lovely, you know.

But, d'you get much stick? - A lot at stick, yeah.

But then you've got to have a... you know,

grin and bear it and just sort of, you know.

Yeah, so yeah, I've... I've had...

I've had times when I've had to  lock myself in the changing room,

Away from the teams. - Oh really?

Yeah well, because I've made,  you know, I've sent a player off,

or made a... you know, decision  that they didn't think was right.

So yeah, I've had that, yeah.

Why do you think England is like,

notoriously so in love with football  as opposed to other nations?

Oh Christ, it's all about the  working class and bread and circuses,

isn't it really?

Er... it started off as a  poor man's game. - Right.

And you'd... you know,

a lot of football clubs are  related to work. - Right, yeah.

You know, Millwall was dockers,

West Ham; dockers, either side of the river,

fierce rivaly between the two teams.

All the locals go and support them,

because there's not a lot else to do.

And so, it tended, it all  began in 1898 or whatever.

It's all to do with the industrial revolution.

Yeah. - Or development of modern society.

I love your answers. - Oh Okay.

They're just... - It's true!  It's historical, real football.

You know, Liverpool - (Everton), Celtic - Rangers;

Catholic - Protestant.

Two sides of the city, absolutely hate each other.

What does football then, mean to you?

Is there some sort of, spiritual meaning,

or is that like a... almost like a romance,

because you went there with your dad?

No, it's just... I just enjoy the game, really.

Yeah? - Yeah and er... I just sort of...

when I grew up, at schoo....

well, when I went to school in  Brighton, it was the eighties,

so most people supported  Liverpool and not Brighton.

But yeah, just support my local team.

And do you play football? - No, used to,

not very seriously.

Like, you know, jumpers  for goalposts, in the park,

that sort of thing.

But no, I was never very good.

What does supporting Manchester United,

or what does, just football  in general, mean to you?

It's a sport where anyone can play.

Not... it's not like, it's  not like you can't play,

we all can play.

It's not like American football,

we're you have to put a pad on

and had to be built strong...  - Okay. - just to play, yeah.

Oh, I thought you meant like,

there's no sort of, exclusivity  in the same way that like...

Yeah. - Like cricket or rugby has.

Like America, same as American football,

you got to be strong, you  gotta be like, fast. - Okay.

Soccer; anyone can play,  if you can just kick a ball

and then you're... - You don't have to go to like,

a special school or anything to  do it. - No, you don't have to.

What does football then, mean to you then?

What kind of part does it play in your life?

Well, it does not play a huge  part anymore, of my life.

But in my childhood, in... when I was a...

I've played football myself,  pretty much, until I had family

and then it kind of, died out; my own activities.

But... but now I just follow it as much as I can

In TV and but, it is not...  it's not like I'm a huge fan

that... that goes to the stadium  every weekend at all. - Yeah.

But I like football, my son plays football,

my... my daughter plays football

and I'm a coach myself in  the local club. - Oh really?

Yeah, so I do think it's er...

it's the best sport that  young people can... can do,

because you have physical  activity and you have social stuff

and it's just, you have coordination,  everything is there, so.

And it's not very exclusive then, if...

all the things you're saying,  shows me that football is maybe,

the one of the most open-armed kind of, sports.

You know, it's not like rugby  or cricket or something, it's...

No, no, no. It is football.

And... actually, I don't like rugby and cricket,

I don't... I don't... I mean,

I don't... I don't think that's...

well, I just think football is... the sport.

Thanks for watching this week's episode,

let us know in the comments below

the football team you love the most,

why you love football and if  you'll be watching the Euros

and the World Cup in Qatar.

See you next week, te-ra.