Lets forget anti-English Chants

Terry Cooke: Criticised Wrexham Fans

Tim Lawrence tackles a thorny issue...

I never was much of a fan of Terry Cooke, who famously criticised Wrexham after leaving our club, having represented us without distinction. The fact that I appear in this article to agree with something he said should not be taken out of context. 

The mention of that whinging Mancunian git can only suggest one topic…anti-English singing and its effect on the team on the pitch. This is so because ever since I can remember, we have had more English than Welsh players on the field at any one time. Unless it has escaped fans' attention, our manager and assistant are also currently both English.

First of all, correct me if I am wrong, we are supposed to be supporting our team aren't we? I mean if there are people who pay £11 and above just to disparage the players, then we're all more weird than I thought. Shouting offensive remarks to the other fans is a fundamental part of being a football supporter, but it's a bit counter-productive if in doing so you are also insulting your own team and, for that matter, members of its management.

It is not after all just English Wrexham players who may not like it. I imagine that people like Carlos, Hector and Dennis Lawrence are somewhat puzzled by it, having traveled half the width of the world to play for us. It might be the case that Ferguson, being Scottish, and Brian Carey, being Irish, could possibly be amused by it all, but it is just as likely that they disapprove and are distracted by it. Either way, I doubt that many of our players, even the Welsh ones, think that it is helpful when it comes to team spirit.

You cheating English b******s! There's nothing wrong with the chants which accuse the other side of cheating. That is likely to encourage our players in the knowledge that the crowd are on their side. It may also have a commensurate negative effect on the other team's players. However, there is no need for the word 'English' to form any part of it. Ironically, the players subjected to the insults may not even be English! It's all a bit ridiculous and some away fans might even think we're a bit dim.

After all, we would not appreciate it in reverse. How do you think Joey Jones' career at Liverpool would have been affected if the crowd at Anfield had habitually spouted anti Welsh abuse, even if it was at the other team. Or Mickey Thomas at Man U? He has written in this magazine about his pals in football and they clearly mean a lot to him. They were certainly not all Welsh. Just think also that some of our traditional targets of our abuse are themselves Welsh. I am referring to Cardiff City, Robbie Savage and now Brian Flynn, for example. Don't you think that it all looks a bit strange and inconsistent? Some of our biggest heroes were English. I need only mention the more recent examples of Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, Lee Trundle and now Andy Morrell.

At the same time, we have plenty to be positive about. Our new Dragons identity should be an inspiration. We are different from the vast majority of other league teams because we're Welsh and we should make that a matter of pride. Our own team would respect us more for it. The humour at the Racecourse is good value and there's no reason why we should not emphasise that rather than being drawn to slagging the other side just because they are English.

Don't get me wrong. I am not seeking to make any serious allegations here. We all get carried away at times during games, and we're hardly likely to trouble the Kick Racism out of Football Campaign, but our own 'sheepshagger' chants do so much more by turning the opposition fans' ignorance back on them. Let's not descend to their level. When our national team gives us so much to be proud of at the moment, shouldn't we be celebrating our own achievements? Simply chanting the name of the last team to beat England is just sad by comparison.

Back to the start and Terry Cooke. He hardly covered himself in glory when playing for Wrexham. It's a shame that we gave him a way of avoiding that issue and a chance to criticise our fans after he left. It made quite extensive headlines and did us no credit as a club. Who knows, it may even have discouraged other promising players from coming to Wrexham to play, either on loan or permanently. It might even deter some English fans from coming to support Wrexham. Let's try to be more positive in the hope that a similar attitude finds its way onto the pitch!