chrisp65 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I don't think there's a worry about it being english dominated. With the double whammy of having 90% of the population and the better ranked national team being english dominated looks fairly obvious. Then you have the issue of do we stick in a minimum quota for the other homies? We wouldn't in rowing or cycling teams so why would that even arise? I think that's the last concern really, the make up of the team. It's the perception of it becoming the 'norm'. Just remember, if it became the norm, home games get distributed differently and what system do you use? Rotate one home game in four is in england? Or tell Northern Ireland they only get 1 home game in 20 'home' matches? It could get horrible, bin it, or just sign it over to england for them to play with. Olympic football is hardly going to be the pinnacle of achievement anyway, perhaps we should make it strictly amateur? That would be ironic, the football being the only truly amateur sport in the GB Olympic Squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 As long as Stuart **** Pearce isn't managing it then I am all for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted March 19, 2015 Author VT Supporter Share Posted March 19, 2015 Olympic football is hardly going to be the pinnacle of achievement anyway, perhaps we should make it strictly amateur? That would be ironic, the football being the only truly amateur sport in the GB Olympic Squad. Never going to happen, of course. The bell can't be unrung. Would create a whole new set of problems, with other countries, too. A side question: is boxing amateur in Olympics? Thought I heard that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 boxing is that new variant of 'amateur', where the state pays you handsomely if you're a prospect once you've maxed out that pot, you go professional... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Plans for Great Britain football teams at the 2016 Olympics in Rio have been scrapped by the Football Association Looks like its orff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 im sure the other 3 can veto it though So is that the reason there is no Team GB? Incredible to think that the country that invented AF isn't fielding a team. The reasons are quite understandable though. Undermining the legitimacy of the four home nations is a genuine concern. true but I think the other nations are also probably worried they will be mainly English dominated as well Probably, but when 85%+ of the population something are from one group then that group is always going to dominate, wittingly or unwittingly. Let's not forget that the population of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales combined is about the same as the population who live inside the M25. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Paddy McNair Johnny Evans (over aged) Ben Davies Andy Robertson Ryan Gauld Ramsey Oliver Norwood Bale (over aged) Lafferty (over aged) Hmm got to about nine but ran out of options as none of the home nations got a keeper under 23 and Scotland's only forward under 23 is Stevie Facking May. Still it's not impossible to knock up a team like that which could give England a game as a few of those are having a great time on the international front currently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Ramsey be overage as well but Adam Matthews seems a decent player off Celtic also Jon Williams was meant be a big talent a few seasons back also how did you forget Bannan, we worth an overage spot even ahead of Bale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted March 31, 2015 Author VT Supporter Share Posted March 31, 2015 Plans for Great Britain football teams at the 2016 Olympics in Rio have been scrapped by the Football Association Looks like its orff Thus ends another chapter in a most dysfunctional history ... British non-involvement Football in the United Kingdom has no single governing body, and there are separate teams for the UK's four Home Nations: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Only the English Football Association (FA) is affiliated to the British Olympic Association (BOA), and the FA entered "Great Britain" teams to the football tournaments until 1972. In 1974, the FA abolished the distinction between "amateur" and "professional" football, and stopped entering the Olympics. Even though FIFA has allowed professionals at the Olympics since 1984, the FA did not re-enter, as the Home Nations feared that a united British Olympic team would set a precedent that might cause FIFA to question their separate status in other FIFA competitions and on the International Football Association Board.[5][6] When London was selected to host the 2012 Games, there was pressure on the English FA to exercise the host nation's automatic right to field a team.[7] In 2009 the plan agreed by the FA with the Welsh FA, Scottish FA and Irish FA was only to field English players;[8] however the BOA overruled this,[9] and ultimately there were Welsh players on both squads and Scots on the women's squad.[10][11] After the 2012 games, the FA decided that no team would be entered in subsequent men's tournaments, but was open to fielding a women's team again.[12] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Nah, I just don't see the point of football at the Olympics, it patently isn't the pinnacle of the sport, it isn't the best of the best. Leave it to minor sports and novelties. Probably ideally suited to rugby, poetry, swimming about a bit or following a funny little motorbike round and round on your bicycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) Other nations take it (Olympic football) incredibly seriously and the Olympic football tournament predates the World Cup by several decades so it's not like the games are just trying to cash in on Football's modern popularity is it? I dare say the UK would take it a bit more seriously too if it weren't for the very obvious political problem which comes with fielding a united team. It's not for us to say scrap it. Edited March 31, 2015 by The_Rev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 also I think 40% of tickets for London Olympics was sold on football matches so cant see IOC wanting rid of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Aye, fair enough, good points. I was in Cardiff on the day of a few of the games and there was a lovely chilled out family atmosphere too. From memory there were fans of at least 4 different teams milling around taking photos of each others face paint. Didn't persuade me inside though, and I've gone and watched Gillingham because I was bored one evening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Not particularly interested in a team GB, happy to sit this one out and happy for england to stick a team in under that name if they feel they have players (and managers) that would like the extra games when they moan about existing friendlies and qualifiers.... Anybody that thinks a team GB wouldn't add to the African nations claiming 'we' should only ever be a team GB is fooling themselves. Not worth the risk. Obviously I get that it isn't happening and this is all academic anyway, but why would 'African nations' care? They didn't obviously seem to after 2012, and it doesn't actually affect them in any way whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted March 31, 2015 Author VT Supporter Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) I guess I mostly just feel bad for the British athletes, especially the women, who would have been given a rare international stage and at least a chance at a medal. It's seriously got to be bitterly painful for at least some of them. TBH, I feel very sorry for them. It's too bad they couldn't have at least fielded a women's squad. It would have been logical compromise. Edited March 31, 2015 by Plastic Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Not particularly interested in a team GB, happy to sit this one out and happy for england to stick a team in under that name if they feel they have players (and managers) that would like the extra games when they moan about existing friendlies and qualifiers.... Anybody that thinks a team GB wouldn't add to the African nations claiming 'we' should only ever be a team GB is fooling themselves. Not worth the risk. Obviously I get that it isn't happening and this is all academic anyway, but why would 'African nations' care? They didn't obviously seem to after 2012, and it doesn't actually affect them in any way whatsoever. Not sure why Africa was specified but there are plenty of people who would want to see the UK go from four teams to one as it would reduce a lot of our political power (we currently have four football associations...) and more importantly, undermine IFAB who as far as I can tell are an organisation that FIFA would gleefully dance on the grave of. The flip side is that there are plenty of people who want what we currently have too, ie multiple national teams within a sovereign state. Catalonia are the most high profile example but there are plenty of others. Grandfather rights are a hell of a thing, aren't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I can't substantiate this with a source or a reference. Back in the day, my local team was forced out of the english pyramid and in to the new welsh one against all economic and popular judgement. The reason given, the reason cited, was that many nations and most vociferously, the African nations wanted less european footballing nations thus making more space for them. Wales had been singled out by CAF as a non state that didn't even have it's own national league but took a place and had a vote. From that point, lots of subsequent shit has flowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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