Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
The only POSSIBLE way of making this non-event farce of a fixture even remotely interesting is by having a sweepstake on how many England score. Think I'll get that ball rolling down the pub tonight.
England tonight
- Thread starter patchamalbion
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I know lots of people don't like the format where the minnows are included, but it's their moment in the spotlight, and UEFA has a responsibility to all it's member countries
Oh I'm not vindicating it, I very much enjoy teams like San Marino being in qualification, and I think it's disgraceful the way that ITV have poked fun at teams like San Marino in the past. Pre-qualification in competitions like the FA Cup makes sense to some extent due to sheer volume of teams involved (although it punishes smaller teams by making them play more games with less resources), but I think it would be completely unnecessary in UEFA.
Hillian1
( . ) ( . )
What side is it on?
pasty
A different kind of pasty
Looking forward to the usual game of "throw-in's and corners" tonight. May well suggest including goals into the equation too.
atfc village
Well-known member
Adrian smug Chiles side.
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,579
I know lots of people don't like the format where the minnows are included, but it's their moment in the spotlight, and UEFA has a responsibility to all it's member countries
Yeah, a responsibility to ensure games actually mean something for BOTH teams. A minnows group would mean something to play for for everyone in that group as they all have a more realistic chance of getting out of it or of actually winning a few matches for a change, perhaps? Then when, if they get out of that group, they go on to get battered by the bigger teams they can at least say they've earnt the right to be up against those opponents. It shouldn't be that difficult to administer, most other sports have pre qualifying, and indeed we do it here with the F.A Cup for example.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Other than for shooting practice then, do you actually think its worthwhile having the likes of Gibralter as a competing nation ?
As tonights match is a non-competitive non-event, I think the San Marinos and their ilk should certainly have to pre-qualify. We could then go back to having Euro Qualifer groups consisting of 4 teams instead of 6. The qualification process is now a tedious slog of 10 games, many of which are against hopeless junk nations who are just there as cannon fodder for the goal difference.
But of course, less games = less TV rights = less £££. As always, thats the bottom line.
Official Old Man
Uckfield Seagull
England playing a football match. Couldn't care less. Will be watching a rerun of the worst bits of X-Factor series 3 or Big Brother the bit were they are all asleep in bed or anything else. Get excited watching overpaid dumb thingies making excuses for a bad game, no thanks.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Do you watch England in the Finals though ?
Vegas Seagull
New member
- Jul 10, 2009
- 7,782
9 qualifiers, 8 friendlies & 3 group games at expanded Championships with most going through to knock out means 20 games before England's next competitive match....
seagullsovergrimsby
#cpfctinpotclub
#Curryfest
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,654
If Rooney scores a hat-trick tonight and equals legend Jimmy Greaves on 44 goals I guarantee there will be people saying he's just a flat track bully.
I'm going for 5-0. I was tempted by 4-0 as we're away in Estonia on Sunday and most of the side will have one eye on that match, but I fancy there's plenty of pace about us and, with places up for grabs, enough players should give a sh1t to make it five-nil.
There's also part of me that thinks Rooney might have a special night tonight. He's the captain, he's fresh, he has Falcao and RVP forcing competition for places in the Man Utd side and has that Greaves carrot dangling. A Rooney hat-trick at 4-1 looks good odds.
I'm going for 5-0. I was tempted by 4-0 as we're away in Estonia on Sunday and most of the side will have one eye on that match, but I fancy there's plenty of pace about us and, with places up for grabs, enough players should give a sh1t to make it five-nil.
There's also part of me that thinks Rooney might have a special night tonight. He's the captain, he's fresh, he has Falcao and RVP forcing competition for places in the Man Utd side and has that Greaves carrot dangling. A Rooney hat-trick at 4-1 looks good odds.
Is it reasonable to make the worst teams who, generally, have much more limited resources play more games? Working it out you would force 8 teams to play 2-6 games extra games to qualify (depending on two legs vs one leg in pre-qualification etc...). On the one hand they'd probably get some more TV cash as they'd play more games, and they'd likely be the only teams playing a competitive match, but I do wonder what effect it'd have on them performance wise.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,654
The USA have always seemed to play an insane amount of games and I think it HAS helped improve them over time - staggering numbers: Cobi Jones 164 caps, Landon Donovan 156 caps, 57 goals, Clint Dempsey 109 caps, 39 goals.
Taybha
Whalewhine
9-0 @ 10-1
Stirling to score 3 or more @ 7-1
Taking into account a Hart Flappamoment 8-1 @ 33-1
Stirling to score 3 or more @ 7-1
Taking into account a Hart Flappamoment 8-1 @ 33-1
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,579
Yeah, I'd be concerned for how it might affect their performance too. It would be a travesty if they regularly started losing by say...9 or 10 goals... rather than the 5 or 6 they currently lose by. Would be devastating for the confidence I'd imagine
Yeah, I'd be concerned for how it might affect their performance too. It would be a travesty if they regularly started losing by say...9 or 10 goals... rather than the 5 or 6 they currently lose by. Would be devastating for the confidence I'd imagine
But the teams losing 9-0 wouldn't be the ones getting the out from pre-qualification would they? It'd be teams like Scotland and Wales, Poland and Slovakia who are likely to get through (assuming we have 8 spots from pre-qualification that is). While their performance probably wouldn't be drastically effected, it's probably going to have some negative consequence surely.