Great Britain Olympic Team?

[bassface]

Actually... It has nothing to do with the Scottish being worried that the Team GB will be overrun by Englishmen... we know that will happen as they have a better and bigger pool of players to pick from.

What Scotland and the SFA is worried about is that FIFA might just turn around and say... well if you can play as the United Kingdom in the Olympics... why should we let you have 4 teams for international competitions. Stripping Scotland, N Ireland and Wales of a dedicated international team and forcing us all to play under the banner of the United Kingdom.

You know then that if we all had to play as the UK in the World Cup and Euro's etc that there would be a team of 8 Englishmen and then a token player from each of Scotland, N. Ireland and Wales. If that at all.

THATS what they are worried about... I think a team GB should go ahead at the Olympics... but I don't want to loose an entire Scotland squad over the head of it... regardless of how ***** we play.

Thats alright then but most english people would go nuts, as we don't want to be associated with scots, welsh and the n.irish as much as you wanna be associated with us.

If there had to be a gb team on the condition it stays as team gb i think the fa would be the 1st to say **** that, as we dont want bellamy, fletcher etc etc on the bench when we could have better english players.

this isnt a rant on how ***** scotland are or wales and that but your teams are poor compared to englands but its like you said we have a bigger pool and that so reverse roles then scotland would be the biggest team in the uk.

Personally i would like a gb team for the olympics but i think fifa will only agree to a nation cap where you have to pick so many players from each of the four nations to make it fair and not just have the england team in a gb kit

so in all fairness a gb team is sorta a stupid idea, noone will agree on it, if ferguson is the manager he will pick scottish players, if redknapp gets the job it will be a full english, if toshack get the job expect ramsey and bellemy to start when you could have gerrard and rooney its a no brainer.

 

[FoolInjection]

Thats alright then but most english people would go nuts, as we don't want to be associated with scots, welsh and the n.irish as much as you wanna be associated with us.

If there had to be a gb team on the condition it stays as team gb i think the fa would be the 1st to say **** that, as we dont want bellamy, fletcher etc etc on the bench when we could have better english players.

this isnt a rant on how ***** scotland are or wales and that but your teams are poor compared to englands but its like you said we have a bigger pool and that so reverse roles then scotland would be the biggest team in the uk.

Personally i would like a gb team for the olympics but i think fifa will only agree to a nation cap where you have to pick so many players from each of the four nations to make it fair and not just have the england team in a gb kit

so in all fairness a gb team is sorta a stupid idea, noone will agree on it, if ferguson is the manager he will pick scottish players, if redknapp gets the job it will be a full english, if toshack get the job expect ramsey and bellemy to start when you could have gerrard and rooney its a no brainer.

I totally agree with you here and thats infact something I had never factored into it... there would be no way of getting a manager from the UK to manage a Team GB as they would obviously favour players from there home nation over players from others.

Honestly as much as I would love to see a Team GB at the Olympics I just can't see a way of doing it fairly and unbiased. Your gonna **** someone off down the line somewhere.

Plus could you imagine the amount of ******** that would go on between the home nations fans and press "why the **** did they pick `welshman x` over `englishman y` when `y` is clearly better" and visa versa.

So what to do about a Team GB... I can see either one of 2 things.

1) Just have the English FA field a team of England U21's... lets be honest the ONLY reason they want a Team GB at the Olympics is because its being held in London for 2012... It's never bothered them before to my knowledge that we didn't enter that event. Before someone jumps down my throat... why not only field Englishmen if they are playing in London plus as far as I know the Ladies Curling team that won at the Winter Olympics a few years back was all Scotswomen.

or

2) Can the idea all together... pull out of the event... watch from the sidelines BUT... try and add football to the list of Commonwealth Games events, as I'm not sure if it is in or not already, and that way all the home nations can field U21's in an Olympic style tournament. Not as glitzy as the Olympic Games, sure, but it would remove the need for a Team GB.

 

[bassface]

I totally agree with you here and thats infact something I had never factored into it... there would be no way of getting a manager from the UK to manage a Team GB as they would obviously favour players from there home nation over players from others.

Honestly as much as I would love to see a Team GB at the Olympics I just can't see a way of doing it fairly and unbiased. Your gonna **** someone off down the line somewhere.

Plus could you imagine the amount of ******** that would go on between the home nations fans and press "why the **** did they pick `welshman x` over `englishman y` when `y` is clearly better" and visa versa.

So what to do about a Team GB... I can see either one of 2 things.

1) Just have the English FA field a team of England U21's... lets be honest the ONLY reason they want a Team GB at the Olympics is because its being held in London for 2012... It's never bothered them before to my knowledge that we didn't enter that event. Before someone jumps down my throat... why not only field Englishmen if they are playing in London plus as far as I know the Ladies Curling team that won at the Winter Olympics a few years back was all Scotswomen.

or

2) Can the idea all together... pull out of the event... watch from the sidelines BUT... try and add football to the list of Commonwealth Games events, as I'm not sure if it is in or not already, and that way all the home nations can field U21's in an Olympic style tournament. Not as glitzy as the Olympic Games, sure, but it would remove the need for a Team GB.

You got good ideas but the thing with the whole just pick england under 21's still wouldnt work as the olympics is recognised by fifa and you know how uefa and fifa feel about enlgish football, if they had their way the premiership wouldnt excist because of our domination.

Look at platini he's fumin again because there are 4 english teams in the cl q/finals, well im sorry mate if the french, italian, ducth etc etc teams are **** it aint our fault that we attract the best players in the world oh and an eglisman shone last night in lampard scoring two goals.

Everyone with a footballing mind knows a gb team will not work, to much rivalry and yes the stuff with why did you pick bellamy instead of rooney thing etc will be a major factor.

The only reason it is going ahead is because it was gordon browns idea as a political, propoganda stunt just for the 2012 games , so i dont really see the point in going ahead with it when it is to much hassel, to much rivalry and to much politics involved its stupid.

It would be good in theory like the whole 39th league game in dubai, china, america but ethicly it wont work because the real fans, the ones who will pay to watch the football, pay the players wages won't agree on the idea its just stupid really.

We already have an under 21's world cup, european chmapionships, we dont need a one off team for a micky mouse tournament

 

[FoolInjection]

It would be good in theory like the whole 39th league game in dubai, china, america but ethicly it wont work because the real fans, the ones who will pay to watch the football, pay the players wages won't agree on the idea its just stupid really.

Totally O.T. here but you know where they got that idea from ? The NFL.

Lately all your US sports leagues like the NHL, the NFL and the NBA have been playing token league games in the UK. I dunno if this is to drum up more fan support overseas or if its just for the fans they already have but thats where that idea came from.

An EPL game in the US would work though. Look at a few years back when Seattle wanted to have Man U play Celtic in an exhibition game. They lifted the astroturf at the Seattle Seahawks NFL staduim and put grass down JUST for them to play on. They bent over BACKWARDS to get them to play there for them.

The only factor is then, like you said, that your season ticket holders are getting one game a year less as who's going to travel to Seattle, Washington to see Chealsea play Hull for example. In this economic climate... not many I should suspect.

As for English teams dominance in Europe. If the other teams aren't happy with it then they have to improve in my book. They are playing under the same rules as pretty much every other league in the world.

Granted it would seem its fashionable for big businessmen from the US, Asia and the Middle East to buy up English teams and pump them shitless with money *cough*Man City*cough*... which is probably helping to attrack some big names. No-one plays for the jersey anymore, its all money.

Speaking of domination though up here in Scotland, since about 1984, the league has been won by either Rangers or Celtic with NO sign of that ever changing. How's that for domination.

 

[UKMACKIE]

Alex Ferguson has spent quarter of a decade now in England I believe he will have the decency to pick a mixture players, remember he is the man tutoring Rooney and he knows all the english players I think we could have a healthy balance under this man.

 

[bassface]

Totally O.T. here but you know where they got that idea from ? The NFL.

Lately all your US sports leagues like the NHL, the NFL and the NBA have been playing token league games in the UK. I dunno if this is to drum up more fan support overseas or if its just for the fans they already have but thats where that idea came from.

An EPL game in the US would work though. Look at a few years back when Seattle wanted to have Man U play Celtic in an exhibition game. They lifted the astroturf at the Seattle Seahawks NFL staduim and put grass down JUST for them to play on. They bent over BACKWARDS to get them to play there for them.

The only factor is then, like you said, that your season ticket holders are getting one game a year less as who's going to travel to Seattle, Washington to see Chealsea play Hull for example. In this economic climate... not many I should suspect.

As for English teams dominance in Europe. If the other teams aren't happy with it then they have to improve in my book. They are playing under the same rules as pretty much every other league in the world.

Granted it would seem its fashionable for big businessmen from the US, Asia and the Middle East to buy up English teams and pump them shitless with money *cough*Man City*cough*... which is probably helping to attrack some big names. No-one plays for the jersey anymore, its all money.

Speaking of domination though up here in Scotland, since about 1984, the league has been won by either Rangers or Celtic with NO sign of that ever changing. How's that for domination.

Exaclty its all about money, why do you think clubs bend over backwards just to sign an aging david beckham?? You wouldnt catch arsenal, manure etc doing that cos they don't care only clubs who think a player is bigger than the club will do that which is la glaxys down fall.

And yeah that idea does come from america, we get their crappy egg ball game at wembley that no1 cares about cos they think we might all put down our footballs and pick up a egg throw it get charged down stop 4 half hour then restart lol imaging playing nfl manager how boring is that.

Yeah true aswell we have all been playing with the same rules for years and if the prem is miles ahead of any other league in the world its just means the people running it are smarter and more business mided than the rest, what people dont remember the prem only started 20 years ago there abouts whilst other leagues have been going for decades longer.

Maybe the spl is scottish footballs down fall though, bcos the other teams havent got the money from gates revenue, shirt sales etc to buy good players thats why celtic and rangers are dominate.
I dont think your ever hear the aberdeen chairman or hearts bloke ask his manager for a top to finish coz its not economical with money. But then again it does give young scots the chance to play week n week out in the spl gaining much needed experience, but i spose when they get good they will get poached by celtic rangers manue etc cos the club wont be able to turn down the money being offered

Money does buy league titles chelsea is the best example they were mid table before abramovich, but then mans city are fighting relagation so swings and roundabouts.

 

[FoolInjection]

Money does buy league titles chelsea is the best example they were mid table before abramovich, but then mans city are fighting relagation so swings and roundabouts.

Give Man City time and they will be right up there. Remember bringing in a lot of high quality foriegn guys is all well and good but if they don't play well with each other... still ain't gonna win.

Best recent example of money buying titles. Gretna. They went from 3rd Division in Scotland to Prem in 3 seasons with MASSIVE money backing and when the money dried up they went bust and now aren't even a team.

 

[bassface]

Give Man City time and they will be right up there. Remember bringing in a lot of high quality foriegn guys is all well and good but if they don't play well with each other... still ain't gonna win.

Best recent example of money buying titles. Gretna. They went from 3rd Division in Scotland to Prem in 3 seasons with MASSIVE money backing and when the money dried up they went bust and now aren't even a team.

Thats pretty bad, id set fire to the chairmans mansion if he did that 2 my club (H)