home internationals

[IrishMacca]

I'm sure there was an idea like this on the table, or something, but the English didn't agree to it. I think..

Anyway, sounds like a decent enough idea, give players all round experience, but..people could see reasons not to do it before they even think about it.
The chance of trouble with the English Scotland fans. And Ireland hasn't played England since what happened 1990, a long time ago, but still.

But I can see people benefiting from it..God forbid though some of the English players might be too tired.

 

[mat]

Without wishing to offend our Celtic brothers, I don't see how playing against N. Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic is going to improve the standard of our international football. We all play the same shit style of kick-and-rush, pace-and-power football with lots of bluster, very little skill and technique and zero focus on retaining possession.

In fact, having thought about the idea over the last few days, I think it would have the opposite effect and promote that style of shit football even more cos we'd probably win it and decide it's clearly the way forward.

An annual spanking off the likes of Germany, Spain and Holland would be much more useful. At least then our players might eventually figure out how international football should really be played.

Do you work for the FA?

;)

Personally my feelings are well known. I'd love to see it as a round robin every 2 years between the WC/Euros. Maybe even have a france or a Germany join in.

 

[Anonymous]

When would we fit it in?

Also as someone else said, playing Scotland, Ireland and Wales will not improve anything. Now if a tournament was played between us, Spain, Argentina, Holland and Brazil every so often then that would improve us in a way.

 

[malg]

won,t make any difference, when the hooha has died down the same team will be picked, it is a closed shop even now?

I'm afraid you are right. Nothing will change. The England team are an old boys club. No matter who the manager is, the same old names will be on the team sheet. No one will dare drop Rooney, or Lampard, or Terry, even though they all deserve it after this World Cup.

This balls about being tired is a smokescreen. The clamour for a winter break is led by millionaire football players so they can jet off to the Caribbean or the Middle East for a couple of weeks, while we all freeze our nads off with just a hangover to look forward to.

 

[Dubai Blue]

Without wishing to offend our Celtic brothers, I don't see how playing against N. Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic is going to improve the standard of our international football. We all play the same shit style of kick-and-rush, pace-and-power football with lots of bluster, very little skill and technique and zero focus on retaining possession.

In fact, having thought about the idea over the last few days, I think it would have the opposite effect and promote that style of shit football even more cos we'd probably win it and decide it's clearly the way forward.

An annual spanking off the likes of Germany, Spain and Holland would be much more useful. At least then our players might eventually figure out how international football should really be played.

Do you work for the FA?

;)

Ha ha, it does sound like something the FA would say, but unfortunately it is the truth. Playing other teams that play a similar (poor) style of football to us would no more prepare us for future international tournaments than playing against a team of performing seals.

And it would be viewed by our pampered millionaires as nothing more than a meaningless end-of-season friendly tournament, so I don't see how it would improve their experience of competitive international football.

Club football is everything now. You will not get players putting themselves on the line for their country in a tournament like this. I mean they can't even be bothered to get up for the World Cup FFS!!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

i know that england have planned a series of friendlies for the autumn. iceland at wembley, and if that's a success, it'll be aldi and netto up next.

And there's the Gorton and District Sunday League AllStars on Hough End to be finalised. It's about this fixture that SWP is the most anxious.

 

[blue jim]

There already is one, just without England as they had no interest in it (thinking they are above us when all of our teams could beat England and have). NI ROI Scotland Wales in the Celtic Cup, kicks off in Dublin 2011 lasts for a year I think then moves to Scotland to be played at Hampden. Not sure who gets it after that but I would assume it would be Wales as Windsor Park is to be done up.

 

[dctid]

a poster mentioned this the other day and i think its the way forward to kick start the quality of international football within the uk,maybe bring the republic in aswell and make it 5 teams. its things like this the fans miss,anyone know why they stopped them?

FA wont go for it - one of the reasons for the home internationals being dropped was the lack of interest - cant see us filling Wembley for games against NI or Wales - maybe playing Scotland yearly is viable - always nice to twat the jocks from tiddly winks to football.

 

[Dubai Blue]

(thinking they are above us when all of our teams could beat England and have)

We ARE above you, whether you can scrape the occasional win against us or not. Yes, we are shit, but that doesn't preclude us from being above the other home nations. We need to start focusing on how we're going to improve our standard of football on the international stage. Giving the Scots, Welsh and Irish the chance to grab a bit of glory against their conquerors in a pointless friendly tournament every year isn't going to help achieve that.