A UK national football team

[blue jim]

Havent been to a game since I've been back actually, but the leagues just started I suppose.

I reckon an all Ireland league would work depending on the teams, but I was happy enough with the Setanta Cup, could have been better ran though. Clubs cant do much when you get about 100 people at a match these days

-- Wed Sep 08, 2010 1:06 am --

As for the all Ireland football team arguments. Personally would be in favour of it if it was done right, but neither the FAI nor the IFA could run a piss up in the brewery, both are extremely incompetent and neither would want to bow to the other, so who would run it?

Both teams do okay for their size, NI have had a good run the past few years and ROI was unlucky not to be in the world cup.

You can't use the Rugby argument, different fan base, most Irish Rugby fans I know don't like football and politics is rarely an issue. The players grew up wanting to play for Ireland as playing for your national team is the biggest thing you can do in Rugby. In football, playing in the Champions League knockouts is arguably bigger than playing in the World Cup. So the mentality of the players is very different, and they've spent their youth playing for youth teams in different associations.

I will continue to want to see both teams play their best.

I agree rugby fans are more relaxed, they don't get caught up in politics, well most of the time, and most have little time for football. But I'd disagree with the fact that playing for Ireland, or your country, is the biggest thing you can do in rugby (unless you're an All Black and if you play for them that says a lot) and it's the CL in football.
Obviously everyone wants to play for their country, but in rugby like Munster players or Leinster etc dream about winning Heineken Cups, there was a time where Munster fans were not Irish fans and had no interest, playing for Ireland is a dream but the Heineken Cup is the equilivant of the CL in many respects, most players dream of doing both, as they do for football.
BUt in a sense ya, they do have more loyalty to their clubs, and the way it works in Ireland is that in the provincial system there are 4 teams, Munster, Leinster and Ulster being the main providers for the national team, there are a few outside as well, but they have to, and I think that's how it works in most country's release the international players and especially now in a world cup year, limit the amount of games they play.

So in a way things are very different in rugby, but I think if you turned around and asked a Munster/Leinster player what was the highlight of their career, winning the Heineken Cup will be right up on that list.

Fair nuff mate, I know little about Rugby to be honest, I only watch it when Ireland play and I'm not very interested in it, I'm just going by my Ulster supporting mates telling me they'd rather watch Ireland than Ulster. But then again 3 of them are rags as well so... says enough!

-- Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:16 am --

What's stopping us having England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for the World/European Cups and A combined UK team for the olympics?

Because if we fielded a UK team for the Olympics, FIFA would see that as reason to press for an all UK team the rest of the time.

Whilst I can't say as I'd like to see it, we are the only political country in the world that is allowed more than one team, and I don't think that it's right.

That said, no self respecting Scot or Welshmen would support a UK team anyway and just about the only interest outside England would come from half of Glasgow and half of Northern Ireland, so we'd just end up killing off football for good in those 'countries'.

Oddly enough NI fans would be very against it. There are only two NI players that would be good enough to play for a UK team and thats Jonny Evans and Steven Davis. The Nationalist/Republican half of NI wouldnt care, the IFA would have to fold and give control to either FA or a new UKFA, and the FAI would try to claim responsability for the entire islands football to higher degree more than they try now and you'd see a lot more Northern Ireland born players playing for the FAI because theyd simply not get into a UK team. A lot of the players from Nationalist areas stayed with the IFA because theyd get a better chance to play and they went through the youth system, or they just werent eligiable for the Republic team before the Good Friday Agreement, so had no Irish passport. Clingan, NI midfielder, grew up a few streets away from me in most notorious Republican area in the whole of Ireland bar Crossmaglen!

Jesus I waffle.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

That particular team I have never understood. The UK is a country and sovereign state constituted of 4 countries that individually are not sovereign states; England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland. Great Britain is merely a name for an island which contains England, Wales and Scotland, it has no constitution of its own accord and is not a sovereign state, why therefore do athletes represent an island (GB) and not a sovereign state (UK) in the olympics?

thank god i re-read that i was about to go history geek internet warrior there would have looked like a total twat trying to prove you wrong by providing evidence to back up everything you say

however i can tell you the reason why its GB not UK... it could be either look at your passport the official name of the country is 'the united kingdom of great britain, northern ireland and dependencies' (dependencies being isle of man etc)

actually thinking about it that backs up your point again... touche sir

Yeah confusing isn't it. Username: sam the drummer provided a good answer as to why it is that way that involved the IOC naming system earlier in the thread, I still don't understand why the letters UK cannot replace GB now!

 

[Boff]

thank god i re-read that i was about to go history geek internet warrior there would have looked like a total twat trying to prove you wrong by providing evidence to back up everything you say

however i can tell you the reason why its GB not UK... it could be either look at your passport the official name of the country is 'the united kingdom of great britain, northern ireland and dependencies' (dependencies being isle of man etc)

actually thinking about it that backs up your point again... touche sir

Yeah confusing isn't it. Username: sam the drummer provided a good answer as to why it is that way that involved the IOC naming system earlier in the thread, I still don't understand why the letters UK cannot replace GB now!

It could if you only want to be buddies with the Welsh & the Scots.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

Yeah confusing isn't it. Username: sam the drummer provided a good answer as to why it is that way that involved the IOC naming system earlier in the thread, I still don't understand why the letters UK cannot replace GB now!

It could if you only want to be buddies with the Welsh & the Scots.

Huh? Wouldn't that imply keeping it as GB (E,S,W) and not changing to UK (E,NI,S,W) as I suggested?