[Football] Andorra vs. England

[Milano]

It’s basically a ski resort, not that many of them either!

It’s a ski resort and a tax haven, basically Monaco up a mountain, not exactly your average football supporter territory!!

 

[redoubtable seagull]

It’s basically a ski resort, not that many of them either!

Yep, you’re right. My son told me last night the population of Andorra is 77000. That’ll be a bit like England rocking up to play Bognor Regis.

 

[Swansman]

It really is high time junk like these mountain goat-herders should have to pre-qualify before being cut loose in a World Cup group. Its like air-dropping Barnet into the Champions League.

Meh. Thats the ESL type of thinking. Think Ildefons Lima said it quite well when Lineker expressed the same thing:

"If Lineker was born in Andorra, he could not play against big teams? Why? It's a country like England is a country. It's not a problem for a big team to play once a year against us. It's like a pre-season game that you play sometimes. It's not a problem for them. It's good for football that there's this type of football. It's not the football of money, the number of Instagram followers you have, or anything like that. It's a football that's more pure."

I agree with him. The games might not be interesting but I think small nations should compete on equal terms as the larger ones. To make their road longer through "pre-qualifiers" wouldnt be fair.

 

[Easy 10]

Meh. Thats the ESL type of thinking. Think Ildefons Lima said it quite well when Lineker expressed the same thing:

"If Lineker was born in Andorra, he could not play against big teams? Why? It's a country like England is a country. It's not a problem for a big team to play once a year against us. It's like a pre-season game that you play sometimes. It's not a problem for them. It's good for football that there's this type of football. It's not the football of money, the number of Instagram followers you have, or anything like that. It's a football that's more pure."

I agree with him. The games might not be interesting but I think small nations should compete on equal terms as the larger ones. To make their road longer through "pre-qualifiers" wouldnt be fair.

Non-league clubs have to "pre-qualify" for the FA Cup 1st round proper, with the big boys not joining till the 3rd. Nobody calls that unfair.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Non-league clubs have to "pre-qualify" for the FA Cup 1st round proper, with the big boys not joining till the 3rd. Nobody calls that unfair.

That's the product of practicalities and history. Faversham Town vs ManUre would cause chaos. And the match would be switched to Pissfilled. And some lagered up fat centre half would try to make a name for himself by maiming Ronaldo. Who whouldn't be playing anyway because the reds would put out the third team. And with everyobody from The Leeds all the way down to Shoreham Fridge Raiders in the same draw the competition would take years to complete.

International qualification is different. Even Andorra, with it's one ski resort and only three working lifts and no black runs can erect a decent three thousand seater stadium with reasonable access from an airport located in a nearby country, and play Ingerland without creating an existential crisis across the social and fixture landscape.

Meanwhile the A2 to Salters Lane is currently under heavy traffic manners, with roadwords and tailbacks almost to Brenley Corner. This is England, and the FA cup is a very bespoke solution to the aspirations of minnow football clubs.

So on this momentous occasion, I agree with the unvaccinated, tin-hatted, pizza herbert.

 

[Swansman]

Non-league clubs have to "pre-qualify" for the FA Cup 1st round proper, with the big boys not joining till the 3rd. Nobody calls that unfair.

I dont think it is comparable. As the old naive herd animal says in the post above, its mainly for practical reasons rather than the whole "my country is way too good and fancy to interact with these shitty minnows" thing.

The current system is good. All nations should be given the same chance to qualify for the World Cup. Good for you that you are from a country with 56 million people so that you would always get to see big games on big stadiums but I dont see the reason why people from smaller countries shouldnt get that opportunity.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

That's the product of practicalities and history. Faversham Town vs ManUre would cause chaos. And the match would be switched to Pissfilled. And some lagered up fat centre half would try to make a name for himself by maiming Ronaldo. Who whouldn't be playing anyway because the reds would put out the third team. And with everyobody from The Leeds all the way down to Shoreham Fridge Raiders in the same draw the competition would take years to complete.

International qualification is different. Even Andorra, with it's one ski resort and only three working lifts and no black runs can erect a decent three thousand seater stadium with reasonable access from an airport located in a nearby country, and play Ingerland without creating an existential crisis across the social and fixture landscape.

Meanwhile the A2 to Salters Lane is currently under heavy traffic manners, with roadwords and tailbacks almost to Brenley Corner. This is England, and the FA cup is a very bespoke solution to the aspirations of minnow football clubs.

So on this momentous occasion, I agree with the unvaccinated, tin-hatted, pizza herbert.

Andorra actually has 2 main ski resorts, encompassing 9 different resort. The largest being Grandvalira which is massive, with plenty of black runs.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Andorra actually has 2 main ski resorts, encompassing 9 different resort. The largest being Grandvalira which is massive, with plenty of black runs.

Why do you have to undermine my beautifully formed narrative with so-called facts?

On another thread I was reminded about trips to Southend. Did we not drive down there after work one evening in my car once? Probably more than 20 years ago now

 

[drew]

Meh. Thats the ESL type of thinking. Think Ildefons Lima said it quite well when Lineker expressed the same thing:

"If Lineker was born in Andorra, he could not play against big teams? Why? It's a country like England is a country. It's not a problem for a big team to play once a year against us. It's like a pre-season game that you play sometimes. It's not a problem for them. It's good for football that there's this type of football. It's not the football of money, the number of Instagram followers you have, or anything like that. It's a football that's more pure."

I agree with him. The games might not be interesting but I think small nations should compete on equal terms as the larger ones. To make their road longer through "pre-qualifiers" wouldnt be fair.

Surely if Lineker had been born in Andorra his skills would have meant he would have, at an early age, moved to bigger country where he would have qualified to play through residency!

 

[portlock seagull]

In the old days I enjoyed Qualifiers because they were competitive. Now they’re just another rinse cycle in the money making washing machine that is UEFA and FIFA.

Moreover, the expansion of “the finals” means it’s only worth tuning in sometimes after the group stage, because that’s now effectively what used to be the qualifiers. It’s like everything’s been elongated, and surprise surprise boy is it dull. And the latest “development of the game” now being touted is to have a World Cup every 2 years.

When will they learn that less is more? Money really is a cancer, it’s gone way past the paying for safer, better stadiums point and killed it as a sport in any sort of meaningful sense. No wonder fans of a certain vintage like myself are increasingly voting with their feet.

 

[Easy 10]

That's the product of practicalities and history. Faversham Town vs ManUre would cause chaos. And the match would be switched to Pissfilled. And some lagered up fat centre half would try to make a name for himself by maiming Ronaldo. Who whouldn't be playing anyway because the reds would put out the third team. And with everyobody from The Leeds all the way down to Shoreham Fridge Raiders in the same draw the competition would take years to complete.

International qualification is different. Even Andorra, with it's one ski resort and only three working lifts and no black runs can erect a decent three thousand seater stadium with reasonable access from an airport located in a nearby country, and play Ingerland without creating an existential crisis across the social and fixture landscape.

Meanwhile the A2 to Salters Lane is currently under heavy traffic manners, with roadwords and tailbacks almost to Brenley Corner. This is England, and the FA cup is a very bespoke solution to the aspirations of minnow football clubs.

So on this momentous occasion, I agree with the unvaccinated, tin-hatted, pizza herbert.

I dont think it is comparable. As the old naive herd animal says in the post above, its mainly for practical reasons rather than the whole "my country is way too good and fancy to interact with these shitty minnows" thing.

The current system is good. All nations should be given the same chance to qualify for the World Cup. Good for you that you are from a country with 56 million people so that you would always get to see big games on big stadiums but I dont see the reason why people from smaller countries shouldnt get that opportunity.

All nations would STILL be given the same chance to qualify - they should just have a pre-qualification round first. And its not purely for practical reasons at all - the principal is exactly the same. I've seen PL teams visiting crummy little lower-league stadiums far worse than the functional tiny municipal grounds we end up playing in in Andorra and San Marino - never any major issues, save for the odd fire.

Smaller clubs compete against each other in order to earn the right to step onto the field and compete with the big boys. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with that. Emma Raducanu arrived at the US Open as the world 150th player, so had to work her way through 3 qualifying rounds before entering the main draw. Nobody said she didn't have the "same opportunity" as the higher ranked players. It gives opportunity to earn the right, rather than just turning up for another ritual mullering.

Last night, as usual, was not so much shooting fish in a barrel, more like machine-gunning a guppy in a teacup. Akin to watching Tyson Fury vs Philip Schofield (with a mandatory rematch, being as we have to play them twice). I always watch, because its England. But its almost not worth the effort with these type of games, and there are too many of them. Good to see we did the job again, but its such a wearisome spectacle when these games come around.

 

[Swansman]

All nations would STILL be given the same chance to qualify - they should just have a pre-qualification round first. And its not purely for practical reasons at all - the principal is exactly the same. I've seen PL teams visiting crummy little lower-league stadiums far worse than the functional tiny municipal grounds we end up playing in in Andorra and San Marino - never any major issues, save for the odd fire.

Smaller clubs compete against each other in order to earn the right to step onto the field and compete with the big boys. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with that. Emma Raducanu arrived at the US Open as the world 150th player, so had to work her way through 3 qualifying rounds before entering the main draw. Nobody said she didn't have the "same opportunity" as the higher ranked players. It gives opportunity to earn the right, rather than just turning up for another ritual mullering.

Last night, as usual, was not so much shooting fish in a barrel, more like machine-gunning a guppy in a teacup. Akin to watching Tyson Fury vs Philip Schofield (with a mandatory rematch, being as we have to play them twice). I always watch, because its England. But its almost not worth the effort with these type of games, and there are too many of them. Good to see we did the job again, but its such a wearisome spectacle when these games come around.

Why are you comparing international football with club football, tennis and boxing?

A club have multiple ways to "earn the right" to compete with the big boys. They can find ways to make money, buy players, improve their team that way. Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein and similar nations cant do that. I understand that in English sports or at least football "earn the right" means "find a billionaire/millionaire who can take you to the top" but I dont think anything similar should be the case in international football. There is no good reason to add multiple layers of challenges just because a nation isnt as big and powerful as another. Adding pre-qualification is not to "give all the same chance to qualify", there is no logic to that statement.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Why do you ha2ve to undermine my beautifully formed narrative with so-called facts?

On another thread I was reminded about trips to Southend. Did we not drive down there after work one evening in my car once? Probably more than 20 years ago now

Yes. The night Paul Watson was outstanding for them, and we lost 2 nil. If a recall correctly, you tried to drive through the East End and we were stuck in traffic for about 2 hours.

Edit... Looking back, I can't find a game th
at reflects my memory as written above.

It was an evening game. 8th April 2008?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

All nations would STILL be given the same chance to qualify - they should just have a pre-qualification round first. And its not purely for practical reasons at all - the principal is exactly the same. I've seen PL teams visiting crummy little lower-league stadiums far worse than the functional tiny municipal grounds we end up playing in in Andorra and San Marino - never any major issues, save for the odd fire.

Smaller clubs compete against each other in order to earn the right to step onto the field and compete with the big boys. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with that. Emma Raducanu arrived at the US Open as the world 150th player, so had to work her way through 3 qualifying rounds before entering the main draw. Nobody said she didn't have the "same opportunity" as the higher ranked players. It gives opportunity to earn the right, rather than just turning up for another ritual mullering.

Last night, as usual, was not so much shooting fish in a barrel, more like machine-gunning a guppy in a teacup. Akin to watching Tyson Fury vs Philip Schofield (with a mandatory rematch, being as we have to play them twice). I always watch, because its England. But its almost not worth the effort with these type of games, and there are too many of them. Good to see we did the job again, but its such a wearisome spectacle when these games come around.

Alright. I'll concede you point.

However, be careful how much excitement you wish for:

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Yes. The night Paul Watson was outstanding for them, and we lost 2 nil. If a recall correctly, you tried to drive through the East End and we were stuck in traffic for about 2 hours.

The problem was the A217, and being stuck in commuter traffic. I seem to recall I had a white deisel Cavalier that had set me back several hundred pounds, back then. The body eventually parted company with the chassis as I drove out of the 'car park' at Camber sands. Happy days

 

[Easy 10]

Why are you comparing international football with club football, tennis and boxing?

A club have multiple ways to "earn the right" to compete with the big boys. They can find ways to make money, buy players, improve their team that way. Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein and similar nations cant do that. I understand that in English sports or at least football "earn the right" means "find a billionaire/millionaire who can take you to the top" but I dont think anything similar should be the case in international football. There is no good reason to add multiple layers of challenges just because a nation isnt as big and powerful as another. Adding pre-qualification is not to "give all the same chance to qualify", there is no logic to that statement.

Agree to disagree then. Sport is sport, its all about competition - there's no competition in observing (yet another) 10-goal+ aggregate mullering, and certainly precious little in it for the paying public. The principals are the same across International/Club football and other sports. When the gap is so large, it simply ceases to be a worthwhile contest.

Alright. I'll concede you point.

However, be careful how much excitement you wish for:

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Actually, thats EXACTLY the amount of excitement I'd wish for. Far more meaningful and challenging games with less room for error. Qualification has become such a breeze these days, I'd far rather watch some games with some edge. The closest we've had to that recently was that game in Poland last month. Defeat there would've potentially put the cat amongst the pigeons and added the pressure a bit, and it turned out to be a cracking competitive game. Thats much more like it, rather than the 4 dreary non-contest snoozefests we've been lumbered with vs Andorra and San Marino (again).

 

[GT49er]

Agree to disagree then. Sport is sport, its all about competition - there's no competition in observing (yet another) 10-goal+ aggregate mullering, and certainly precious little in it for the paying public. The principals are the same across International/Club football and other sports. When the gap is so large, it simply ceases to be a worthwhile contest.
Actually, thats EXACTLY the amount of excitement I'd wish for. Far more meaningful and challenging games with less room for error. Qualification has become such a breeze these days, I'd far rather watch some games with some edge. The closest we've had to that recently was that game in Poland last month. Defeat there would've potentially put the cat amongst the pigeons and added the pressure a bit, and it turned out to be a cracking competitive game. Thats much more like it, rather than the 4 dreary non-contest snoozefests we've been lumbered with vs Andorra and San Marino (again).

So bloody thoughtless, wasn't it, for Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Russia (and Bulgaria?) to split up into loads of tin pot little countries with tin pot little teams!

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Non-league clubs have to "pre-qualify" for the FA Cup 1st round proper, with the big boys not joining till the 3rd. Nobody calls that unfair.

Rest of the world minus South America all have qualifying rounds as well

Some of the “tackles” Andorra put in last night were horrible.

Absolutely no need to have these games

 

[Eeyore]

In the old days I enjoyed Qualifiers because they were competitive. Now they’re just another rinse cycle in the money making washing machine that is UEFA and FIFA.

Moreover, the expansion of “the finals” means it’s only worth tuning in sometimes after the group stage, because that’s now effectively what used to be the qualifiers. It’s like everything’s been elongated, and surprise surprise boy is it dull. And the latest “development of the game” now being touted is to have a World Cup every 2 years.

When will they learn that less is more? Money really is a cancer, it’s gone way past the paying for safer, better stadiums point and killed it as a sport in any sort of meaningful sense. No wonder fans of a certain vintage like myself are increasingly voting with their feet.

It wasn't always the case. Some of the weaker nations then are strong now. I remember England putting eight past Turkey (twice) and lamenting only a couple being squeezed past Luxembourg. There was always a lot of canon fodder in there. Who can forget the sack cloth and ashes rituals after the defeat in Switzerland in 1981 ? A draw would be an okay result now.

There's a bit more now. But the major nations have simply got more major.

I think a lot of folk enjoy turning up at Wembley for a good 'anging. Yet I'm looking at the Albania match and seeing that they can still reach the play-offs and it could be quite competitive. But I also think the tournaments are excellent for the minor teams. If only to give a reality check to other nations. Just because we are born in England we shouldn't get all high and mighty about things.

And who will think of our Harry ? He wants that record.

 

[Bodian]

Alright. I'll concede you point.

However, be careful how much excitement you wish for:

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I agree with [MENTION=70]Easy 10[/MENTION] here. The fear/excitement/drama of not qualifying for the finals is precisely what the qualifying groups should be about.