World Football Thread V

[Kropotkin]

Liechtenstein's team has a bunch of galacticos if you compare 'em to Montserrat. They are ranked as 123rd and 202nd national sides in the world. Montserrat are better than those losers in American Samoa though... They are ranked as the worst nation in the world and their last game was a 0-10 home defeat against the gigants of Papau New Guinea...

[Cort Haus]

Mexico and the USA, decent sides though they both are, don't get as tough a journey to the World Cup as the S.American and European teams. I expect many of those teams in CONCACAF are small Caribbean nations like Trinidad & Tobago. Not quite the same as Europe, where some of the worlds top teams like the Netherlands and the Czech Republic regularly have to defeat each other in the qualifying stages.

[Dauphin]

I wouldn't overly begrudge the US and Mexico qualifying because of weak opposition. If all teams had to face stiff opposition you wouldn't have the likes of Angola and Saudi Arabia qualifying for the WC.

What would be amusing, and totally unfair, is a wild card spot allocated in random draw to one team that did not qualify for the world cup. The draw could be weighted to favour countries with a higher world ranking.

[duke o' york]

Well the way they've been playing lately, does anyone reckon Germany would have qualified if they'd had Holland's group?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, actually before this year, the US has ALWAYS had a tough journey to the World Cup for THEM. This is the first time we've qualified (except the 94 WC) before the last game of qualification, IIRC. Even for the 2002 WC, the US qualified in its last match.

[Footie Mad]

Originally posted by Dauphin
If all teams had to face stiff opposition you wouldn't have the likes of Angola and Saudi Arabia qualifying for the WC.

Actually Angola had to beat a team like Nigeria in order to qualify, so they are definitely worth it in my book. Saudi Arabia on the other hand...

[MikeH]

YAY! England have qualified with a game in hand for the first time in 20 years!

We are AWESOME, world - fear our wrath!

(ok... so we were **** but we always are/have been against poor teams haven't we? )

Friendly against Argentina in November might be a more realistic test.

[Cort Haus]

That's a very positive spin on things, Mike. I doubt the world is fearing our wrath, but they'll certainly be looking to provoke it. Wind up Beckham & Rooney any you're playing against nine. Easy.

btw - how long are you supposed to parade that link in your sig?

[MikeH]

I can change it whenever I want now but I'm lazy.

Yeah, I was trying to be controversial and stir up some lively debate.

[Footie Mad]

The problem with the english is that you always think you're one of the worlds top teams, and imprint that in the minds of the players, people and the press. And then when you have a bad run and still manage to qualify it's all doom and gloom. There's always a negative atmosphere surrounding the team, even if they win they are **** somehow. At least that's the impression I get from british media and fans on forums.

[Cort Haus]

It's not just the English, FM. Our manager is Swedish and he thinks England are good too.

The Danish public foolishly thought that England were a side worth turning out to watch, but all they saw was a drubbing. Denmark might have been playing Luxembourg that night for all the contest the Danish fans saw.

The fact is that this England team does actually contain the best group of players we've had for 35 years. The yawning chasm between their potential and what they actually deliver as a team is what frustrates people. The prevailling thinking is that it will probably take a new coach to make this side realise its potential. You need either a great tactician or a great motivator. Sven is neither.

[MikeH]

Yeah, for once we actually have the players to live up to the hype, but now we don't have the team...

[Kropotkin]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
You need either a great tactician or a great motivator. Sven is neither.

Not that I usually like to defend Erikssson, but considering the average quality of british managers around, I'd say it'll be pretty hard finding a decent replacement. You probably end up with Souness.

[C0ckney]

rubbish. you don't need to be a tactical genius to get one of the best groups of players in the world to play some half-decent football against 3rd rate opposition

[duke o' york]

Originally posted by Kropotkin

Not that I usually like to defend Erikssson, but considering the average quality of british managers around, I'd say it'll be pretty hard finding a decent replacement. You probably end up with Souness.

Except he's Scottish, and would never take the job in a million years.