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[Albion] November internationals



Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo

Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo

I believe in Joe Hendry
Oct 4, 2003
12,064
Swansman said:
Why do they have no right to travel around Europe playing on the biggest stages? Who do you think should decide who has "the right" to play on the biggest stages?
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UEFA have the right, it's their qualifying competition so they have the right to decide how it's structured. As [MENTION=70]Easy 10[/MENTION] points out other sports have lower ranked players/teams having to qualify for the right to face the big names on the biggest stages and UEFA should do the same. Other footballing federations have preliminary stages making the lower ranked sides play off for the right to make it into the later stages of qualifying for the World Cup.

UEFA should follow suit and restructure as no one wants to watch the likes of San Marino, Andorra and Gibraltar getting thrashed each week. Get them playing off against each other first and make them earn the right to share a pitch with the best players rather than just giving it to them. You may see them slowly improving as they actually build some confidence from winning a few games rather than thinking losing 6-0 is a good day at the office.

When a non league side get drawn against one of the best PL clubs you know they've earned the right to play on the pitch on that day. It makes the training and hard work worth it, it gives other players something to strive to. Nothing is handed to them and it means so much more, win or lose.
 
Last edited:






Easy 10

Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,405
Location Location
Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo said:
UEFA have the right, it's their qualifying competition so they have the right to decide how it's structured. As [MENTION=70]Easy 10[/MENTION] points out other sports have lower ranked players/teams having to qualify for the right to face the big names on the biggest stages and UEFA should do the same. Other footballing federations have preliminary stages making the lower ranked sides play off for the right to make it into the later stages of qualifying for the World Cup.

UEFA should follow suit and restructure as no one wants to watch the likes of San Marino, Andorra and Gibraltar getting thrashed each week. Get them playing off against each other first and make them earn the right to share a pitch with the best players rather than just giving it to them. You may see them slowly improving as they actually build some confidence from winning a few games rather than thinking losing 6-0 is a good day at the office.

When a non league side get drawn against one of the best PL clubs you know they've earned the right to play on the pitch on that day. It makes the training and hard work worth it, it gives other players something to strive to. Nothing is handed to them and it means so much more, win or lose.
Click to expand...

Nicely put, could't agree more.

Unfortunately its in the interests of FIFA and UEFA to have bigger groups of 5-6 teams and, in turn, bigger and bigger tournaments so they can sell more TV rights. So we have to put up with meaningless clutter like SM, Gibralter and Andorra making up the numbers in every bloody qualifying group to fill the frigging schedules.

The notion that it makes the game more "inclusive" somehow is a nonsense. If you believe that, then you'll no doubt readily swallow the guff about Qatar being awarded the World Cup in order to "expand the game to new regions".
 


Swansman

Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo said:
UEFA have the right, it's their qualifying competition so they have the right to decide how it's structured. As [MENTION=70]Easy 10[/MENTION] points out other sports have lower ranked players/teams having to qualify for the right to face the big names on the biggest stages and UEFA should do the same. Other footballing federations have preliminary stages making the lower ranked sides play off for the right to make it into the later stages of qualifying for the World Cup.

UEFA should follow suit and restructure as no one wants to watch the likes of San Marino, Andorra and Gibraltar getting thrashed each week. Get them playing off against each other first and make them earn the right to share a pitch with the best players rather than just giving it to them. You may see them slowly improving as they actually build some confidence from winning a few games rather than thinking losing 6-0 is a good day at the office.

When a non league side get drawn against one of the best PL clubs you know they've earned the right to play on the pitch on that day. It makes the training and hard work worth it, it gives other players something to strive to. Nothing is handed to them and it means so much more, win or lose.
Click to expand...

The obvious solution to the numerous and increasing number of games against poor sides is to allow nations to compete with just one team.

Currently there are 55 members in UEFA. This is a lot and I can agree it results in too many not particularly competitive games. Allowing nations to compete with only one team would decrease the chances of two or more minnows ending up in the same group. It would also make a lot of sense if each nation only had one team, as it is a cup between nations rather than regions. This would mean a merger between Faroe Islands and Denmark, and between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. Seven teams reduced down to two. 50 nations left.

To further decrease the number to make it easier to make more competitive groups, another thing equally obvious to just allow one team per nation would be to only allow European teams in the European qualifiers. Bye bye Israel and Kazakhstan.

48 teams left, one less than in the qualifiers to World Cup 1998.

This solution would limit the number of games against the two weakest tiers of teams and while still allowing all sovereign European nations to compete in the group stage of the qualifiers.
 








Scappa

Scappa

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2017
1,584
Swansman said:
The obvious solution to the numerous and increasing number of games against poor sides is to allow nations to compete with just one team.

Currently there are 55 members in UEFA. This is a lot and I can agree it results in too many not particularly competitive games. Allowing nations to compete with only one team would decrease the chances of two or more minnows ending up in the same group. It would also make a lot of sense if each nation only had one team, as it is a cup between nations rather than regions. This would mean a merger between Faroe Islands and Denmark, and between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. Seven teams reduced down to two. 50 nations left.

To further decrease the number to make it easier to make more competitive groups, another thing equally obvious to just allow one team per nation would be to only allow European teams in the European qualifiers. Bye bye Israel and Kazakhstan.

48 teams left, one less than in the qualifiers to World Cup 1998.

This solution would limit the number of games against the two weakest tiers of teams and while still allowing all sovereign European nations to compete in the group stage of the qualifiers.
Click to expand...

And combine Denmark, Sweden, Norway & Finland into one Scandiwegian side, reassemble Czeckoslovakia, Yugoslavia & the USSR.


In fact, why not just condense it down to continents, although someone would end up whining about the team of penguns making up the numbers
 








Easy 10

Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
62,405
Location Location
Swansman said:
The obvious solution to the numerous and increasing number of games against poor sides is to allow nations to compete with just one team.

Currently there are 55 members in UEFA. This is a lot and I can agree it results in too many not particularly competitive games. Allowing nations to compete with only one team would decrease the chances of two or more minnows ending up in the same group. It would also make a lot of sense if each nation only had one team, as it is a cup between nations rather than regions. This would mean a merger between Faroe Islands and Denmark, and between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. Seven teams reduced down to two. 50 nations left.

To further decrease the number to make it easier to make more competitive groups, another thing equally obvious to just allow one team per nation would be to only allow European teams in the European qualifiers. Bye bye Israel and Kazakhstan.

48 teams left, one less than in the qualifiers to World Cup 1998.

This solution would limit the number of games against the two weakest tiers of teams and while still allowing all sovereign European nations to compete in the group stage of the qualifiers.
Click to expand...

This is so flawed I think you must be on a wind-up. The issue of uncompetitive minnows clogging up qualifying groups is NOT resolved by dissolving / diluting long-standing historic Football Associations. Your example of lumping England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibralter all into 1 International team - just read that back to yourself and ask how that makes more sense than simply having the worst ranked countries play off against each other before hitting the main groups. At a stroke you're wiping out 4 countries, certainly at least 2 of them entirely.

Either I'm being whooshed, or you're being tiresomely facetious
 


GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,183
Gloucester
Swansman said:
The obvious solution to the numerous and increasing number of games against poor sides is to allow nations to compete with just one team.

Currently there are 55 members in UEFA. This is a lot and I can agree it results in too many not particularly competitive games. Allowing nations to compete with only one team would decrease the chances of two or more minnows ending up in the same group. It would also make a lot of sense if each nation only had one team, as it is a cup between nations rather than regions. This would mean a merger between Faroe Islands and Denmark, and between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. Seven teams reduced down to two. 50 nations left.

To further decrease the number to make it easier to make more competitive groups, another thing equally obvious to just allow one team per nation would be to only allow European teams in the European qualifiers. Bye bye Israel and Kazakhstan.

48 teams left, one less than in the qualifiers to World Cup 1998.

This solution would limit the number of games against the two weakest tiers of teams and while still allowing all sovereign European nations to compete in the group stage of the qualifiers.
Click to expand...

Spot on. Sweden, Norway and Finland can enter a Scandinavia United team. Sorted.
 




mikeyjh

mikeyjh

Well-known member
Dec 17, 2008
4,607
Llanymawddwy
Kinky Gerbils said:
When Kane gets the record (potentially before the World Cup)

He will be the top England scorer
Most competitive goals by some distance
Most goals in tournaments
Currently 1 behind the hattrick record
2018 Golden Boot winner

That’s not too bad
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And all before he's 30. There hasn't been a better all round English striker.
 




Swansman

Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Easy 10 said:
This is so flawed I think you must be on a wind-up. The issue of uncompetitive minnows clogging up qualifying groups is NOT resolved by dissolving / diluting long-standing historic Football Associations. Your example of lumping England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibralter all into 1 International team - just read that back to yourself and ask how that makes more sense than simply having the worst ranked countries play off against each other before hitting the main groups. At a stroke you're wiping out 4 countries, certainly at least 2 of them entirely.

Either I'm being whooshed, or you're being tiresomely facetious
Click to expand...

What does "long-standing historic Football Associations" have to do with anything?

It makes a lot of sense.

What does "historic" and "long-standing" have to do with "earning your right"? The main criteria for the right to participate in FIFA/UEFA competitions is to be a sovereign nation. England, Scotland, Wales, NI and Gibraltar have not earned their right until they are sovereign nations. So if you go out there, take the streets and make England independent - then you've earned the right to play San Marino in a World Cup qualifier.
 


















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