Mr Giggs thinks its not acceptable

[The Doctor]

Would sound a bit weird.  You can bob up and down like Prommers if you want.  That'd psyche Johnny Foreigner right out to see all of Wembley doing that in unison

[Berserker]

What's that other Elgar piece that's played alot, think it was in the film Elizabeth, and one i think is absolutely bueatiful

[Gozorich]

Without wishing to cause disharmony ...he!he!... I would like to point out that the sixth verse of God Save the Queen is;

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.

I wonder why the Scots don't sing it? Mind you not many people sing it these days.

[Gozorich]

...of course the last line nowadays would be 'God save the Queen'...

[bobby01]

 The Spanish never sing their anthem. :hook:

[cmg]

All members of national teams should be made to take full part in pre-match ceremonies whatever their personal feelings. You can't possibly go wrong that way:



England v Germany  Berlin  May 1938

[LBNo11]

What's that other Elgar piece that's played alot, think it was in the film Elizabeth, and one i think is absolutely bueatiful

Nimrod:-

Edward Elgar - Nimrod

[jarv]

I am a Scot. I see no way the Scots can support the singing of a song which celebrates the Engish royals. It is nothing personal (with most Scots) but given the history it is hard for many to accept. Fact is, it is not any personal hatred or jealousy. Scotland just does not care about joint football ventures. I believe Scotland and Northern Ireland chose not to be part of this, but I could be wrong. Despite the recent peace in Ireland, can you imagine the trouble this might have caused with some people. The Scots would just ignore it, even if say, Bannan and Rhodes had been selected..
So, what did we end up with? An English team, (and a couple of ageing Welshmen, OK 5 Welsh) with an English manager, playing at Wembley and singing the English national anthem.
I watched today's game and enjoyed it and have to say I felt neutral. The Brasil game (what I saw of it) was miles better.

[Bassey the warrior]

I object to people objecting to Giggs refusing to sing. 

Me too.

[Lighthouse]

I may have mentioned this before.

Where have you all gone?

Oh well I will say it again. WTF are we doing singing National Anthems and appearing under flags of Nations. It made sense when the Olympic Games were amateur but now it makes no sense. Tennis,soon to be Golf and Football amongst other sports have slowly made the Olympic Gold Medal just another part of the Pro Calender.

So Team Olympics must take over from this silly Nation pride.

Re Giggs -  I  just object to the Welsh per se  :015:

[NogoodBoyo]

Oooh, I see a four-fingered Welsh longbowman launching his arrow right up into Lofty's bulb in his Repunszel house by Bognor. 
And just to confuse the gabardene masses further, when I post a letter home, I have to put GB on it, but when I list my country of origin on immigration forms I have to use the abbreviation, UK.
And my pasaporte says that I am a "subject" of THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND.
Nogood "identity crisis or branding balls-up, isit" Boyo

[timmyg]

Say, I have a novel (if not naive) idea to end all this silly fuss surrounding 'Team GB':

How about England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland just stop this charade and become independent sovereign nations?

[Lighthouse]

How the hell did my bulb get broken? Oh well must send for more hair extensions.

[Holders]

I am a Scot. I see no way the Scots can support the singing of a song which celebrates the Engish royals. It is nothing personal (with most Scots) but given the history it is hard for many to accept. Fact is, it is not any personal hatred or jealousy. Scotland just does not care about joint football ventures. I believe Scotland and Northern Ireland chose not to be part of this, but I could be wrong. Despite the recent peace in Ireland, can you imagine the trouble this might have caused with some people. The Scots would just ignore it, even if say, Bannan and Rhodes had been selected..
So, what did we end up with? An English team, (and a couple of ageing Welshmen, OK 5 Welsh) with an English manager, playing at Wembley and singing the English national anthem.
I watched today's game and enjoyed it and have to say I felt neutral. The Brasil game (what I saw of it) was miles better.

I'm English but neither a royalist nor a christian and, like you Jarv, I cannot relate whatever to a dreary dirge that celebrates both. Neither are the royals "English": the Tudors were Welsh, the Stuarts Scottish, the Plantagenates French, the "Windsors" German x Russian - the English royal line ended years before that lot.

What every country needs is a secular song of which they can feel proud (the Scolts and Welsh seem to have theirs, ours is sadly lacking except for the rather overlooked Land of Hope and Glory) and maybe an overall one for the whole UK. "Jerusalem" for England - I think not!

[JBH]

I am a Scot. I see no way the Scots can support the singing of a song which celebrates the Engish royals. It is nothing personal (with most Scots) but given the history it is hard for many to accept. Fact is, it is not any personal hatred or jealousy. Scotland just does not care about joint football ventures. I believe Scotland and Northern Ireland chose not to be part of this, but I could be wrong. Despite the recent peace in Ireland, can you imagine the trouble this might have caused with some people. The Scots would just ignore it, even if say, Bannan and Rhodes had been selected..
So, what did we end up with? An English team, (and a couple of ageing Welshmen, OK 5 Welsh) with an English manager, playing at Wembley and singing the English national anthem.
I watched today's game and enjoyed it and have to say I felt neutral. The Brasil game (what I saw of it) was miles better.

Even if the Scottish FA had let their players be considered for selection to the GB squad none of the current crop would have made it into the team because they just aren't good enougth  065.gif

[sipwell]

Does it really matter whether he sang it or not? There was a time when none of the Belgian players would sing our anthem (beautiful by the way, with fairly neutral lyrics) and nobody really made a fuss. I think that if no journalist would have asked a question about it, nobody would have 'noticed'. This is like looking for a stick to beat someone...

[fulham pete]

As has been said already "God save the Queen" is the anthem for the united kingdoms, even with verse 6, which is my favorite :005: :005:

As an Englishman I would much prefer Land of Hope and Glory when England play & GSTQ when we compete as GB/UK.

Anyway if the SNP win their referendum all this will be academic in a few Olympics time :scarf:  

[JBH]

As has been said already "God save the Queen" is the anthem for the united kingdoms, even with verse 6, which is my favorite :005: :005:

As an Englishman I would much prefer Land of Hope and Glory when England play & GSTQ when we compete as GB/UK.

Anyway if the SNP win their referendum all this will be academic in a few Olympics time :scarf:  

Being English I would actually prefer the Hokey Kokey as the anthem   098.gif

[Two Ton Ted]

Being English I would actually prefer the Hokey Kokey as the anthem   098.gif

Agree entirely.

As a Athiest Republican I certainly wouldn't sing our national anthem.

[ImperialWhite]

Say, I have a novel (if not naive) idea to end all this silly fuss surrounding 'Team GB':

How about England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland just stop this charade and become independent sovereign nations?

Ha ha! Can't foresee any problems!

The Scots (some of them) want independence. There is a referendum coming up soon-ish.
The Northern Irish - well... some of them are rather passionate about staying in the UK. Some the opposite.
The Welsh? Actually the Welsh don't want independence, do they?

I (personally) don't see much gain for anyone with a break-up of the union.

The Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish would be economically poorer.

England would be stuck with being English and successive Tory governments.