International Football

[Dels]

If Portugal cared that could have been a bloodbath.

[Duncan!!]

Italia actually won a game. With an assist for Lasagna!

[Dels]

Italy are a work in progress, you'll be fine.
If football was about playing backwards and not scoring goals, Scotland would also be work in progress, but since its not Scotland are not.

[Ian]

For the first time in ages there was an indication that the National team under Mancini is beginning to look as though it is improving. The recovery from the awful Ventura stewardship has taken a lot longer than I had originally expected.

[Duncan!!]

Just need a forward to step up that can score on the international stage

[Lupo Pazzesco]

Like 55 international goals Dzeko?!?!

[Duncan!!]

Hardy har har…...

[Dels]

Paddy Power Twitter summing up how I feel about this international break...

How the f*ck is it another f*cking international break? We've already had a f*cking couple of the f*cking things and I don't need the f*cking sh*te bored out of me for another b*starding weekend. Just when things are getting f*cking going. Rather sh*t in my hands and clap.

[Liam]

There's too many international breaks in this first part of the season, it really doesn't feel like long since the last one. Then there'll be a lot of club fixtures packed into a short space around Christmas. There needs to be better balance as I remember a few injuries being picked up in England after last season's Christmas schedule.

[Dels]

Far far too many. This is the third or fourth since the season started. They must be having one every month. Has it always been this way? Qualifying for Euro20 hasnt even started yet.

[Liam]

There's been breaks in September, October and November for a long time now. For some reason they feel more regular this season, perhaps because the Euro 2020 qualifiers haven't been a part of it and the Nations League is perceived as being a load of glorified friendlies, although I quite like the idea.

The World Cup being last summer and players returning late from that may also make it seem that way.

[Dels]

Believe it or not but I actually got a lump in my throat when Rooney came on tonight

[Lupo Pazzesco]

[Myles]

I think the breaks in November were only every second year for the qualifier playoffs, and they were only eight teams, who were second in their group so not even the top dogs. Internationals are tripe, especially if you're from Ireland. Even the world cup doesn't become interesting until the quarters because there's too many shite teams allowed to qualify now.
Now the euros have 24 teams, wtf, there's only 53 teams in Uefa, so basically half the teams qualify, that's a lot of crap!
I just about remember euro88 in West Germany, only eight teams, everything was better in the old days!

[Lupo Pazzesco]

I think the breaks in November were only every second year for the qualifier playoffs, and they were only eight teams, who were second in their group so not even the top dogs. Internationals are tripe, especially if you're from Ireland. Even the world cup doesn't become interesting until the quarters because there's too many shite teams allowed to qualify now.
Now the euros have 24 teams, wtf, there's only 53 teams in Uefa, so basically half the teams qualify, that's a lot of crap!
I just about remember euro88 in West Germany, only eight teams, everything was better in the old days!

England were woeful in 1988 but you're right about the format because it was better!

[Myles]

I think i read somewhere that the 48 team world cup will have a preliminary finals tournament right before the finals proper. That's basically a world cup for the shitier teams, sell big money TV rights to those schmucks as they'll be hyped up for that tournament, then sell the proper tournament to everyone. FIFA's only income barr their membership fees so they flog the shit out of it until they'll eventually kill it. I bet they'll be up to at least 64 teams by 2030.
Like they did with the club world cup. That should just be the old continental cup. Nobody cares for a team from Timbuktu or Bangkok.

[Dels]

Internationals are tripe, especially if you're from Ireland.

I'll see your Ireland and raise you a Scotland.

My first Euros was 96 and it was magical, also, they happen to be the last Euros that Scotland graced with their presence.

[Duncan!!]

Euro 88 was really really good! Italia-USSR and West Germany-Holland semi;s. Great Final with THAT Van Basten gol I remember the England-Scotland game in 96 as well. Suck ass result.

[Liam]

The Euros have been destroyed by the expansion to 24. Euro 2016 had its moments, but overall wasn't a particularly interesting tournament. I'm not really looking forward to the 2020 version as it'll be more pointless group matches for most of it, with some one sided knockout matches thrown in too. 16 teams was perfect for that competition, as it needed expanding from 8 once the USSR and Yugoslavia broke up, but this latest expansion is nothing more than an attempt by somebody (probably Platini I think) to get more votes.

Now Fifa have gone and killed the World Cup, firstly by playing it in Qatar, and secondly by pushing forward a damaging expansion. There'll be too many teams and too many crap games to make it a memorable tournament.

It also needs to be pointed out that massive underdogs do still qualify for these tournaments under the 16/32 team formats. Iceland would have qualified for Euro 2016 if it has been 16 teams, and they also made the last World Cup. Panama also qualified for that World Cup and I remember Latvia being in Euro 2004, so underdogs are hardly excluded from these competitions under the old formats. By expanding it they're reducing the level of achievement for these countries, and potentially reducing the need for countries to get better at the game as they won't need to if there's extra places available.

[Myles]

Exactly Liam, it leads to complacency and no need to improve when everyone's qualifying willy nilly, lowering the bar.
You’re right, the 16 team format in the Euros seemed the best.