Arrogant Germans as usual nothing changes .

[Easy 10]

The problem with it is they want to hold all of it in the autumn/early winter. There's not another break till March now. I think they could do a better job of spreading them out throughout the year, but then you run into issues with other competitions.

Also you know they'll keep it the same. Current qualifying takes 10 rounds. Even if you went to groups of four it'd take 7 rounds, which gives plenty of scope of qualifier/friendly double headers.

Groups of 4 would only be 6 games. Perfect. Top 2 to qualify, or (if they must) top team qualifies, 2nd place goes into Playoffs. Either way its leaner, and makes it highly probable that just about EVERY game would actually be meaningful.

The trouble with that is, there's just not enough TV rights to sell. Which is obviously the singlemost driving factor these days, along with votes to buy.

 

[halbpro]

Groups of 4 would only be 6 games. Perfect. Top 2 to qualify, or (if they must) top team qualifies, 2nd place goes into Playoffs. Either way its leaner, and makes it highly probable that just about EVERY game would actually be meaningful.

The trouble with that is, there's just not enough TV right to sell. Which is obviously the singlemost driving factor these days, along with votes to buy.

Ah yeah, me being an idiot and doing the maths wrong.

And you've hit the nail on the head. TV rights are why they'd never reduce the number of international breaks. That's exactly what I mean.

 

[NooBHA]

What a horrible thread title, it says more about you than it does the German people.

Let's be honest, Muller is completely right.

I disagree. if the Germans don't want to risk injury to the like of Muller then they are free to select a 2nd string team. I am sure Herr Muller didn't refuse to collect his fee for playing in that match.

I don't mind these smaller countries taking part. Many years ago countries like Iceland and Cyprus and Finland and Norway were whipping boys but they have improved a great deal in recent years. Latvia and Slovenia and Albania have reached national finals.

The top sides can take matches against them seriously or not, that's up to them but we have to recognise their existence. Great Britain is not very good at Ski Jumping or speed skating but no ones tells us we cant take part in it because we are not very good at it and that's the way it should be.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I don't mind these smaller countries taking part.

Hardly surprising, as a Jock

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I also vote that the German is right. We should disband all these little football countries national teams starting with England.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

And fvck knows what kind of a MESS we're going to have in qualifying when they expand the Finals to 40-50 odd teams..

Agree with the thrust of your post, but confused by the last line. Surely the MORE teams they allow into the finals, the LESS qualifying matches are required?

 

[Biscuit]

I disagree. if the Germans don't want to risk injury to the like of Muller then they are free to select a 2nd string team. I am sure Herr Muller didn't refuse to collect his fee for playing in that match.

I don't mind these smaller countries taking part. Many years ago countries like Iceland and Cyprus and Finland and Norway were whipping boys but they have improved a great deal in recent years. Latvia and Slovenia and Albania have reached national finals.

The top sides can take matches against them seriously or not, that's up to them but we have to recognise their existence. Great Britain is not very good at Ski Jumping or speed skating but no ones tells us we cant take part in it because we are not very good at it and that's the way it should be.

So Brighton have an England or a German international, who gets injured playing in a totally pointless 8-0 thrashing of San Marino. It effects our promotion chances hugely. You'd be OK with that?

San Marino are involved purely to create more games to sell TV rights at inflated prices.

 

[Easy 10]

Agree with the thrust of your post, but confused by the last line. Surely the MORE teams they allow into the finals, the LESS qualifying matches are required?

Well maybe I'm jumping the gun, but I'm assuming more teams in the Finals = bigger qualifying groups = more games.

But thinking about it, the qualifying groups will probably be the same size they are now with all the same old crap floating about. It'll just be piss-easy to get to the Finals as they'll let top 3 go through, or top 2 plus playoffs. Either way, I can't see it ever leading to LESS qualifying matches. That ship has long sailed.

 

[tiberious]

To be honest there is no place for such teams in WC qualifiers, we all know its a joke and the likes of Andorra, Gib, San M should do a pre-qualifying round

Don't forget to add Scotland to that list

 

[NooBHA]

So Brighton have an England or a German international, who gets injured playing in a totally pointless 8-0 thrashing of San Marino. It effects our promotion chances hugely. You'd be OK with that?

San Marino are involved purely to create more games to sell TV rights at inflated prices.

I would never want to see any Brighton player get injured in any match. Nor would I like to see him deprived of an International Cap for his country

 

[NooBHA]

Don't forget to add Scotland to that list

Exactly..............They are not even an independent country after all

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Not just the Germans...

"What is the point of the San Marino football team? Excuse the bluntness but any Sunday league side with a record as bad as theirs would have disbanded years ago."

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...waste-their-time-with-san-marino-8201266.html

What is the point of the England team ? Let alone Scotland !

 

[AZ Gull]

I disagree. We don't have International breaks for friendlies, they're PRIMARILY for qualifiers (friendlies just occur sometimes if there's not a qualifier double-header). I cannot see FIFA / UEFA grinding all the domestic leagues to a halt for another 2 weeks just for a round of International friendlies - the clubs would kick off big time. And I doubt a series of meangingless midseason friendlies would be a serious of moneyspinner for FIFA/UEFA anyway.

Nope, if we had less flotsam washing around in these oversized groups, we could indeed cut down on the number of International breaks. 3 breaks between the start of the season and mid-November is utterly RIDICULOUS now. Something needs to be done about it, but unfortunately there isn't the political will within FIFA. So we're stuck with it.

And fvck knows what kind of a MESS we're going to have in qualifying when they expand the Finals to 40-50 odd teams. They are absolutely killing International football.

The problem with it is they want to hold all of it in the autumn/early winter. There's not another break till March now. I think they could do a better job of spreading them out throughout the year, but then you run into issues with other competitions.

Also you know they'll keep it the same. Current qualifying takes 10 rounds. Even if you went to groups of four it'd take 7 rounds, which gives plenty of scope of qualifier/friendly double headers.

You may have forgotten (or perhaps not have been aware) that UEFA are effectively planning on doing away with international friendlies after the 2018 World Cup, and introducing the UEFA Nations League.

This will also be linked to qualifying for Euro 2020 - Wikipedia - UEFA Euro 2020

I've just spent 15 minutes trying to make sense of it, and I can't.

 

[Bigtomfu]

Thomas Muller is a fine footballer but an arrogant CJT of the HIGHEST order.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Wouldn't happen in Germany

Wouldn't happen in San Marino

 

[Easy 10]

You may have forgotten (or perhaps not have been aware) that UEFA are effectively planning on doing away with international friendlies after the 2018 World Cup, and introducing the UEFA Nations League.

This will also be linked to qualifying for Euro 2020 - Wikipedia - UEFA Euro 2020

I've just spent 15 minutes trying to make sense of it, and I can't.

I got about halfway through and it started giving me a migraine. Jesus.

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

how they came back from 2-0 down to beat the mighty magyars in the 1954 final is beyond me

 

[ATFC Seagull]

If they had preliminary qualifiers, wouldn't this mean that a proportion of these teams get through anyway? And therefore some teams would still have the "inconvenience" of having to play them? So given that they are separated by seeding and no side plays more than one minnow in a campaign, why not let them all in?

It's not like the prelim qualifying is going to weed out weaker sides or send forward a competitive side. We're not going to see "oooh Liechtenstein look good this year, I reckon they'll give the big guns a good run in the first round proper".

Let them play!

 

[Leekbrookgull]

0.2% Growth in Germany.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Bring it on.