Andy Dunn

CHIEF SPORTS WRITER

How can anyone hate the English? We gave them football, for goodness’ sake. Okay, we gave them hooliganism, the long ball and David Beckham, but what else is there not to like?

If it weren’t for us, there would be no beautiful game. That is why we have THE Football Association. Not the English Football Association.

That would make us the same as everybody else.

We would be on a par with those imposters Brazil or those Johnny-come-latelies Germany. What have they ever done, apart from winning nine World Cups between them?

We have the best league in the world. Who says? We all do.

And look at our great exports. Who else could belch into an Italian microphone like Gazza? And Ian Rush had a point when he said it was a bit of a downer not being able to buy digestive biscuits in Turin.

No one can say the English do not buy into foreign cultures. Look no further than John Trewick and West Bromwich Albion’s trip to China in 1978.

“We’ve got a day trip to the Great Wall planned,” the Baggies midfielder was told. “Count me out,” he said. “When you’ve seen one wall, you’ve seen them all.”