[Albion] November internationals

[Brovion]

You don't have to buy tickets for these games, it is optional!

Also, don't forget, our failure to score enough goals against San Marino in 1993 stopped us going to the world cup!

The sense of entitlement that some are displaying is what led to project big picture and the European Super League. Beggars belief.

Rubbish. All people are saying is that, like the FA Cup, there should be some sort of elimination process so that these contests have a least a level of sporting integrity.

 

[amexer]

These games are totally pointless. Football could learn much from cricket where the "minnows" play a qualifying tournament and the top teams from the qualifying tournament then go into the main draw with the big boys.

Both mens and womens England football teams learn nothing from hammering these part-time / semi pro sides. It also puts our top players at risk - playing unnecessary fixtures against cloggers (as we have seen in the mens two recent games).

The football structure is as it is as mugs still buy tickets for these lop-sided fixtures. A one-sided hammering is not a sporting spectacle and benefits neither side.

Agree All credit to cricket 20/20 No meaningless games. Many qualifying games took place before World Cup. Once there they all played each other and top 2 Scotland and Nambia went through to main competition. Dont know why football cant do something similar. Looking at Englands league from start 100% certain 4 of the six sides had no hope of progressing which seems a farce... Maybe can be a shock in a one off game but not when you have to play each other twice

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

The reason the status quo exists, is that the smaller, less rich, less good at football nations do wield a lot of power in international football. They can do so because every country has one vote in FIFA appointments, so Infantino has to woo them, with stuff like 40 team, biennial world cups in order to keep getting voted back.

Contrast this with the club scene where the power is wielded by a small number of oligarchs, oil states and other assorted billionaires.

I'm not totally convinced that the club set up is healthier

 

[Badger Boy]

Every country should be able to play the best National football teams. It's how the game grows in those countries and it's a source of national pride that they get to compete with Nations we all know, on merit, they shouldn't be. San Marino getting spanked last night doesn't matter to the population or the players because they got to play one of the best National teams in the world. Also worth remembering the number of fans who travel with England and the boost those games provide for the host nations.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Every country should be able to play the best National football teams. It's how the game grows in those countries and it's a source of national pride that they get to compete with Nations we all know, on merit, they shouldn't be. San Marino getting spanked last night doesn't matter to the population or the players because they got to play one of the best National teams in the world. Also worth remembering the number of fans who travel with England and the boost those games provide for the host nations.

I'm not convinced getting tonked 10-0 at home and hardly getting a meaningful touch on the ball helps grow or develop the game. They would be better off playing genuinely competitive fixtures that offer a pathway for qualification to a different competition. (It's why alongside the FA Cup we also have competitions like the FA Vase etc). Shooting fish in a barrel is fine unless you happen to be one of the fish.

I don't dispute that every country should be able to play the best national teams, but I also believe that if you are ranked 210th in the world, that right should be earned in someway through pre-qualification, otherwise it is just a waste of everybody's time.

.

 

[Badger Boy]

I'm not convinced getting tonked 10-0 at home and hardly getting a meaningful touch on the ball helps grow or develop the game. They would be better off playing genuinely competitive fixtures that offer a pathway for qualification to a different competition. (It's why alongside the FA Cup we also have competitions like the FA Vase etc). Shooting fish in a barrel is fine unless you happen to be one of the fish.

I don't dispute that every country should be able to play the best national teams, but I also believe that if you are ranked 210th in the world, that right should be earned in someway through pre-qualification, otherwise it is just a waste of everybody's time.

.

Luxembourg are no longer the joke they once were. They have improved and developed. Last night on its own won't do anything positive for them, no. The money they'll have made from the game last night can be invested in youth development, etc, to develop better standard players. It's not a quick process, obviously.

I didn't watch the game, I haven't seen many of the qualification matches because most of them are a procession, but surely anyone engaged in the England games would have enjoyed the last couple of games and seeing England dish out a battering to a couple of smaller nations.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Every country should be able to play the best National football teams. It's how the game grows in those countries and it's a source of national pride that they get to compete with Nations we all know, on merit, they shouldn't be. San Marino getting spanked last night doesn't matter to the population or the players because they got to play one of the best National teams in the world. Also worth remembering the number of fans who travel with England and the boost those games provide for the host nations.

If there was qualifying they can still play them

I’m not sure the locals do care, Andorra and San Marino didn’t sell out to see England.

 

[drew]

Agree All credit to cricket 20/20 No meaningless games. Many qualifying games took place before World Cup. Once there they all played each other and top 2 Scotland and Nambia went through to main competition. Dont know why football cant do something similar. Looking at Englands league from start 100% certain 4 of the six sides had no hope of progressing which seems a farce... Maybe can be a shock in a one off game but not when you have to play each other twice

Isn't that what football is doing, a qualifying competition before the main tournament?

 

[Badger Boy]

If there was qualifying they can still play them

I’m not sure the locals do care, Andorra and San Marino didn’t sell out to see England.

Someone has to man the bars and cubs post-match for the England fans!

 

[Swansman]

I'm not convinced getting tonked 10-0 at home and hardly getting a meaningful touch on the ball helps grow or develop the game. They would be better off playing genuinely competitive fixtures that offer a pathway for qualification to a different competition. (It's why alongside the FA Cup we also have competitions like the FA Vase etc). Shooting fish in a barrel is fine unless you happen to be one of the fish.

I don't dispute that every country should be able to play the best national teams, but I also believe that if you are ranked 210th in the world, that right should be earned in someway through pre-qualification, otherwise it is just a waste of everybody's time.

.

Old San Marino goalie - one of the "fish in the barrel" - Simoncini said:

"A professional player wouldn't be able to tolerate a series of similar defeats—he would surely collapse. I live it all like it's a dream, and I put all my effort into it: For me it's a privilege, and all the matches I've played have been a great life experience for me."

Too bad for English, Spanish, French and German TV viewers that someone is forcing them to watch these "boring" games, cant be easy to sacrifice a nights episode of Eastenders in order for 30 000 people or so to be excited about watching their small countries go up (and lose) against the best footballers in the world, but that is how international football is structured. Maybe it would be better like in the Champions League where big countries had 1 (then 2, later 3, now 4) places in the CL while smaller nations needs to play 10-12 qualification games to get there. Personally I think it would be a shame if international football headed in the same direction as club football.

Every national team that has qualified for 15+ World Cups have one thing in common: a population of 45+ million people. They "earned the right" to compete in World Cups by being nations with large populations. So the way to "earn your right" to watch and play football at the highest level is by being born in the right country. Luckily for most nations outside the big ones, every country has a vote worth equally much in international football and the day that is no longer the case, you will be playing in your World Super Cup and other nations will form their own union where they are treated as equals despite being unlucky not to be able to choose between millions of footballers.

 

[Swansman]

If there was qualifying they can still play them

I’m not sure the locals do care, Andorra and San Marino didn’t sell out to see England.

If England had a stadium that took a fifth (11 million) of its population, how often would it sell out?

 

[Herr Ing Gull]

If England had a stadium that took a fifth (11 million) of its population, how often would it sell out?

Every time The Dirty played the Massive

Sent from my moto g(9) play using Tapatalk

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Also, don't forget, our failure to score enough goals against San Marino in 1993 stopped us going to the world cup!

No it wasn't, we didn't get to the 94 World Cup because we'd lost to Norway and Netherlands in qualifying. Going into the final game there was a potential scenario where England could qualify if they won the San Marino game by 7 goals and Netherlands lost to Poland. As it was Netherlands won 3-1 so the results against San Marino were immaterial.

 

[amexer]

Isn't that what football is doing, a qualifying competition before the main tournament?

Nothing like cricket where qualification is just for lower ranked sides and only best go through to main event

 

[AZ Gull]

I'm old enough to remember when this thread was about Albion's players on international duty. And back on that theme....

We've got a Gabonese, inter-nat-ional!

Yep, Frenchman Ulrick Eneme Ella made his debut for Gabon today as a substitute in the 2-1 defeat in Egypt.

 

[AZ Gull]

Albion U-16 Jaydon Fuller came on as a substitute for the Welsh U-17s as they drew 1-1 against Kazakhstan. The Welsh progress to the Elite qualifying round of the 2022 UEFA U-17 European Championships as one of the four best third-placed teams; the Elite round takes place next spring.

Andrew Moran came on as a half-time substitute (and was booked) as the ROI U-19s beat Bulgaria 2-0 and move forward to the Elite round of the 2022 UEFA U-19 European Championships.

Kaoru Mitoma is a fully-fledged Japanese international - he came on as a half-time substitute as Japan take on Oman. Currently 0-0 after 72 minutes.

 

[AZ Gull]

Marc Leonard starts for the Scottish U-21s against Belgium.

Evan Ferguson is on the bench for the ROI U-21s against [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION]'s boys.

 

[Easy 10]

Old San Marino goalie - one of the "fish in the barrel" - Simoncini said:

"A professional player wouldn't be able to tolerate a series of similar defeats—he would surely collapse. I live it all like it's a dream, and I put all my effort into it: For me it's a privilege, and all the matches I've played have been a great life experience for me."

Too bad for English, Spanish, French and German TV viewers that someone is forcing them to watch these "boring" games, cant be easy to sacrifice a nights episode of Eastenders in order for 30 000 people or so to be excited about watching their small countries go up (and lose) against the best footballers in the world, but that is how international football is structured. Maybe it would be better like in the Champions League where big countries had 1 (then 2, later 3, now 4) places in the CL while smaller nations needs to play 10-12 qualification games to get there. Personally I think it would be a shame if international football headed in the same direction as club football.

Every national team that has qualified for 15+ World Cups have one thing in common: a population of 45+ million people. They "earned the right" to compete in World Cups by being nations with large populations. So the way to "earn your right" to watch and play football at the highest level is by being born in the right country. Luckily for most nations outside the big ones, every country has a vote worth equally much in international football and the day that is no longer the case, you will be playing in your World Super Cup and other nations will form their own union where they are treated as equals despite being unlucky not to be able to choose between millions of footballers.

Which is all lovely - give the San Marino squad Blue Peter badges for being admitted by FIFA into these qualifying groups and trying their bestest, even if they have a population less than the average pretendance of the Amex. I'm sure it IS a privilege to get dry-humped by every country in Europe on their way to a -548 goal difference (last goal away from home v Latvia - in 2001). As long as they're enjoying the privilege I guess thats the main thing ?

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu had to bash her way through 3 qualifying rounds before she earned the right to be in the 1st Round of the US Open. EARNED - not gifted. Similarly the wheat is sorted from the chaff in the prelimary rounds of the FA Cup. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with that system - its not excluding teams, everyone has a chance. But it must be earned.

San Marino earn nothing, and have no right to travel around Europe playing on the biggest stages, or receiving the biggest nations, when its just a quirk of FIFA to allow the likes of them and Gibralter to clutter up serious qualification groups. The likes of them need to be culled from the fixtures, they are (literally) utterly pointless. It provides no spectacle, and is a waste of time for all involved.

 

[Swansman]

Which is all lovely - give the San Marino squad Blue Peter badges for being admitted by FIFA into these qualifying groups and trying their bestest, even if they have a population less than the average pretendance of the Amex. I'm sure it IS a privilege to get dry-humped by every country in Europe on their way to a -548 goal difference (last goal away from home v Latvia - in 2001). As long as they're enjoying the privilege I guess thats the main thing ?

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu had to bash her way through 3 qualifying rounds before she earned the right to be in the 1st Round of the US Open. EARNED - not gifted. Similarly the wheat is sorted from the chaff in the prelimary rounds of the FA Cup. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with that system - its not excluding teams, everyone has a chance. But it must be earned.

San Marino earn nothing, and have no right to travel around Europe playing on the biggest stages, or receiving the biggest nations, when its just a quirk of FIFA to allow the likes of them and Gibralter to clutter up serious qualification groups. The likes of them need to be culled from the fixtures, they are (literally) utterly pointless. It provides no spectacle, and is a waste of time for all involved.

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?

 

[Easy 10]

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?

I think the FIFA world rankings have the right to decide.

The teams in Europe who are in the bottom 16 of the European rankings should have a pre-World Cup group tournament, where 4 of those countries progress into a World Cup qualifying group. That way, they have an incentive to improve to avoid that bottom 16, so they earn the right to go straight into a group. And those that are bottom 16 then play some competitive games against each other, again, to earn the right to share the bigger stage.

San Marino have been rock bottom for as long as I can remember. Its a stale, worthless International existence, there's zero motivation or reason to even get any better, because they'll always get their BDO's at the main footballing nations regardless. They don't have the right, any more than Burgess Hill have the right to play Arsenal home and away in a preliminary round of the Cup.