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Nations Cup


Burj_Alba

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Looking at what the Scotland team are going through to just play the match ( read Dr John McLean in link) I think this Nations League should be scrapped or revamped.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/54036595 

Some of the matches (not only ours) have been shocking and players just look like they are going through the motions. They are not fully match fit and the whole thing of playing in empty stadium resembles a training session.

I love international football (like most others on here) but this is a tournament too far. Best let the players go back to their clubs to prepare for the season ahead but I know teams like Scotland need this route into potential world cup qualification.

What I would do is scrap it until November then just have two semi finals in the November international break. Then the four winners of group C will play for a place in the WC 2022 as scheduled.

Something has got to give in the season ahead and clubs will start withdrawing their players if injuries or COVID related incidents starts happening. Sure David Moyes will be fuming at the Czech player being isolated for two weeks when they start the season next weekend.

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I agree....  I wouldn’t bother with it at all.   In my ideal world we would go back to euro and World Cup qualifiers and then bring back the British home international championship every other year on odd years when the wc and euros not on.  Unfortunately at the moment that would mean regular pumpings from England.

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I disagree.

Who wants the return of meaningless putrid friendlies against Canada, Australia, Outer Mongolia and Jamaica? Certainly not me.

Of course things are chaotic player-wise but there is a pandemic going on and the football season has needed hasty rearrangement. That is not the tournament's fault but more down to COVID-19 which has wreaked havoc on every sport on the planet.

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2 hours ago, Malcolm said:

I agree....  I wouldn’t bother with it at all.   In my ideal world we would go back to euro and World Cup qualifiers and then bring back the British home international championship every other year on odd years when the wc and euros not on.  Unfortunately at the moment that would mean regular pumpings from England.

You just want to play the same three teams over and over and over again "fir traditions sake" ? Nobody wants that stupid competition back.

What happens if we drew Wales and the six counties in a qualifying group for the World Cup or the Euros and then have to play them again in this pointless daft wee outdated competition. Boring.

I can see why some people might like the idea of our players shaking hands with a some inbred member of the royal family too and encouraging everyone to join in with "God Save Mrs Windsor".

Leave the Home Championships in their grave. What a lot of shite.

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I like it.  

The current situation isn't helping it but all football seems worse without the crowds.  

Is it obviously a farce that we beat Israel last time only to draw them in the play-offs and then again this time.  That shouldn't happen again because I think they have the structure right now, but they might want to consider putting something in place to stop you drawing teams out twice in a row. 

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2 hours ago, Caledonian Craig said:

I disagree.

Who wants the return of meaningless putrid friendlies against Canada, Australia, Outer Mongolia and Jamaica? Certainly not me.

Of course things are chaotic player-wise but there is a pandemic going on and the football season has needed hasty rearrangement. That is not the tournament's fault but more down to COVID-19 which has wreaked havoc on every sport on the planet.

Spot on.

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  • Army bands on parade 
  • "Four united countries with so much in common"
  • Players meeting the royals before the match
  • GSTQ being played
  • Two fingers to johnny foreigner's competitions

You can see why the completely crap, outdated BHC appeals to a certain kind of individual.

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6 hours ago, Burj_Alba said:

Looking at what the Scotland team are going through to just play the match ( read Dr John McLean in link) I think this Nations League should be scrapped or revamped.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/54036595 

Some of the matches (not only ours) have been shocking and players just look like they are going through the motions. They are not fully match fit and the whole thing of playing in empty stadium resembles a training session.

I love international football (like most others on here) but this is a tournament too far. Best let the players go back to their clubs to prepare for the season ahead but I know teams like Scotland need this route into potential world cup qualification.

What I would do is scrap it until November then just have two semi finals in the November international break. Then the four winners of group C will play for a place in the WC 2022 as scheduled.

Something has got to give in the season ahead and clubs will start withdrawing their players if injuries or COVID related incidents starts happening. Sure David Moyes will be fuming at the Czech player being isolated for two weeks when they start the season next weekend.

I don’t even know where to begin telling you what is wrong with this suggestion. 

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43 minutes ago, ErsatzThistle said:
  • Army bands on parade 
  • "Four united countries with so much in common"
  • Players meeting the royals before the match
  • GSTQ being played
  • Two fingers to johnny foreigner's competitions

You can see why the completely crap, outdated BHC appeals to a certain kind of individual.

 

ha ha ha.... I love all the responses when I suggest the home internationals....  people assume:

I support rangers....    I don’t.

i am a unionist....  I’m not.

i enjoy triumphalist military parades...     I don’t....  but I do believe in the poppy.

 

As  a SUPPORTER, some of my best memories are from these games.  Loved that competition... so much better that friendlies, or this tin pot nations league.  I’d much rather beat our local rivals than Israel.

 

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

I like it.  

The current situation isn't helping it but all football seems worse without the crowds.  

Is it obviously a farce that we beat Israel last time only to draw them in the play-offs and then again this time.  That shouldn't happen again because I think they have the structure right now, but they might want to consider putting something in place to stop you drawing teams out twice in a row. 

It could well happen again if neither team is promoted or relegated. 

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2 minutes ago, Malcolm said:

 

ha ha ha.... I love all the responses when I suggest the home internationals....  people assume:

I support rangers....    I don’t.

i am a unionist....  I’m not.

i enjoy triumphalist military parades...     I don’t....  but I do believe in the poppy.

 

As  a SUPPORTER, some of my best memories are from these games.  Loved that competition... so much better that friendlies, or this tin pot nations league.  I’d much rather beat our local rivals than Israel.

 

I like this tin pot league, it is 100's of time better than friendlies

But  with you regarding the Home Internationals that would be 10 times better than  meaningless putrid friendlies against Canada, Australia, Outer Mongolia and Jamaica, s some one once said.

 

 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Malcolm said:

 

ha ha ha.... I love all the responses when I suggest the home internationals....  people assume:

I support rangers....    I don’t.

i am a unionist....  I’m not.

i enjoy triumphalist military parades...     I don’t....  but I do believe in the poppy.

 

As  a SUPPORTER, some of my best memories are from these games.  Loved that competition... so much better that friendlies, or this tin pot nations league.  I’d much rather beat our local rivals than Israel.

 

 

 

 

 

You’d rather play against NI, Wales and England every 2 years than playing against different teams (the Israel debacle aside) with an extra chance to qualify for a tournament?

I’ve read some crazy ideas on here in my time but this one is right up there. 

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7 hours ago, Malcolm said:

I agree....  I wouldn’t bother with it at all.   In my ideal world we would go back to euro and World Cup qualifiers and then bring back the British home international championship every other year on odd years when the wc and euros not on.  Unfortunately at the moment that would mean regular pumpings from England.

I view the Nations league as a friendly competition.

People bitch and moan about friendlies by being, this, that and ths other, but it least it gave teams and managers a chance to experiment. Therefore, we should experiment during the Nations league.

Maybe this isn't the best place to talk about change and experimentation. If it was up to a certain mob in this place, we'd still be hunting animals with rocks and sticks and living the best neanderthal life we could.

Edited by Taylor1996
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29 minutes ago, Taylor1996 said:

I view the Nations league as a friendly competition.

People bitch and moan about friendlies by being, this, that and ths other, but it least it gave teams and managers a chance to experiment. Therefore, we should experiment during the Nations league.

Maybe this isn't the best place to talk about change and experimentation. If it was up to a certain mob in this place, we'd still be hunting animals with rocks and sticks and living the best neanderthal life we could.

Neanderthals were not our direct ancestors. Different species. So regardless of the rest of your argument, we certainly wouldn’t “still” be living a Neanderthal life.

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1 hour ago, Taylor1996 said:

I view the Nations league as a friendly competition.

People bitch and moan about friendlies by being, this, that and ths other, but it least it gave teams and managers a chance to experiment. Therefore, we should experiment during the Nations league.

Maybe this isn't the best place to talk about change and experimentation. If it was up to a certain mob in this place, we'd still be hunting animals with rocks and sticks and living the best neanderthal life we could.

It’s too important a tournament to use it for major experimentation, especially the ones prior to a European championship as it determines what seeding pot you are in.

We had 3 dead rubbers last year to experiment with formations and line ups. Ok, so Tierney wasn’t involved but Clarke could still have used those matches to try a 3-5-2 or whatever. 

We really need to be in League B (or A, which admittedly is unlikely) for the next Nations League to have any chance of pot 2 for the Euro 2024 qualifiers. 

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20 minutes ago, Texas Pete said:

It’s too important a tournament to use it for major experimentation, especially the ones prior to a European championship as it determines what seeding pot you are in.

We had 3 dead rubbers last year to experiment with formations and line ups. Ok, so Tierney wasn’t involved but Clarke could still have used those matches to try a 3-5-2 or whatever. 

We really need to be in League B (or A, which admittedly is unlikely) for the next Nations League to have any chance of pot 2 for the Euro 2024 qualifiers. 

Totally agree. I doubt if any of the players see it as a friendly competition and hopefully Clarke doesn't either.

Clarkes use of the dead rubbers was shambolic, it was almost like he set them out as if his job was on the line.

Staying in league B is very important not just for the off chance of a playoff spot but to ensure that we can continue to have meaningful competitive games against sides who aren't either a mile better than us or a mile behind us as normally happens in seeded qualification groups. 

If we did get to the point were a win would get us into league A I would hope the players would be advised to think about it.

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1 hour ago, duncan II said:

Neanderthals were not our direct ancestors. Different species. So regardless of the rest of your argument, we certainly wouldn’t “still” be living a Neanderthal life.

Recent DNA studies would seem to indicate that each of has about 2-5% Neanderthal DNA. Which, under current FIFA rules, would probably qualify us to play in the Neanderthal international team, if they had one. ;)

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4 hours ago, Malcolm said:

 

ha ha ha.... I love all the responses when I suggest the home internationals....  people assume:

I support rangers....    I don’t.

i am a unionist....  I’m not.

i enjoy triumphalist military parades...     I don’t....  but I do believe in the poppy.

 

As  a SUPPORTER, some of my best memories are from these games.  Loved that competition... so much better that friendlies, or this tin pot nations league.  I’d much rather beat our local rivals than Israel.

So basically if a nation isn't English speaking and doesn't have the Windsor's as their head of state you find it distasteful to play them ?

Even if it did return, it would become redundant when we inevitably become independent and then when six counties inevitably become part of the Republic again.

Thankfully however there is zero demand for the utterly shite BHC to be brought back. :ok:

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Loved the NL.   Something to play for at every level.   It's covid that's buggered it up like everything else.   If it isn't strangled in infancy, it may someday be regarded as prestigious.   We Brits once looked down upon the World Cup don't forget :whistling:

Used to do my nut in that we (I include Jock Stein here!) regarded Euro qualifiers as friendlies, and most fans were more interested in the annual England friendly*.   Blinkered and petty.

 

 

*Don't tell me it was a championship, as nae bugger turned up to see us vs N.Ireland or Wales.

 

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