United Kingdom Team

[liam88]

The go ahead has been given to be able to enter a United Kingdom team into tournaments without having to disband the national teams i.e The UK can enter the world cup and England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can enter the European cup.
This was not allowed before and was one of the main reasons a UK team was never created. Obviously hundreds of issues have been raised involving representation, fans, grounds, trouble etc.

I have just thought of an issue that has not been mentioned before...
The UK team would be new so where would they go in the world rankings?
Would they-
i) Start at the bottom under Montserrat
ii) Start at the position of their highest country-England in 7th
iii) Start at the place of their lowest country- Northern Ireland at 124th
iv) Possibly the most sensible idea, take an average of the four nations points and place them in between Israel and Latvia, just below Scotland but above Wales and Northern Ireland though way below England.

Surely it would cause a bit of dispute :rolleyes:

[Schumi]

A UK team would likely only be entered into the Olympics so I doubt it would have a FIFA ranking.

[MikeW]

I don't see how this would work at all. How would they qualify for the Olympics? Since the under-21 games that are played parallel with the senior Euro Campionship qualifiers are also the qualifiers for the Olympics, I really don't see how it could work. Are they proposing to have just one combined under-21 team? If so which group does it go in?

A UK team would be virtually all English players anyway. No Scottish or Northern players would get in. A few Welsh would have a chance (Giggs, maybe Bellamy if he's ever fit) but that'd be it. The only reason there isn't a UK team now is because they were playing as individual entities before proper structures were put in place for international football, the same reason several Welsh clubs play in England.

[Plastic Paddy]

Originally posted by MikeW
The only reason there isn't a UK team now is because they were playing as individual entities before proper structures were put in place for international football, the same reason several Welsh clubs play in England.

And because when Sir Stanley Rous as president of the FA bailed out an almost-bankrupt FIFA in the late 1940s, he wrote it into the terms and conditions of the grant that the four home associations could remain separate in perpetuity. The crafty old bugger also wangled a permanent seat on the FIFA governing board for the FA.

:D PP

[NigeSausagepump]

I'd say the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish would really go for a UK team in a big way :rolleyes:

Come to think of it, I'd say most England fans would probably be against it as well, given the complete lack of support they get from the other 3 in major championships. They can't disband the 4 UK nations as separate entities without their say-so, and I just can't ever see that happening.

[sylvo]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by davros
WHO CARES;All part of a Mutant-'Hun'dream?!F*eck' em alll.......... [


nicely put.:D

[Paddy Ramone]

Liam 88 your bringing up the subject of an United Kingdom national side makes me think that Celtic FC supporters have some hidden unionist agenda. Do Celtic supporters think Scotland is a bigoted anti-Catholic country and shouldn't have thier own team?

You get fourth generation Celtic supporters (not eligible to play for Ireland) supporting Ireland against Scotland because they regard they own native side as "Huns". Furthermore it's an historical fact that your chairman SIR Robert Kelly (an "Irish" nationalist who had no problem in accepting a Knighthood) in the 50's supported a Great Britain side.

[liam88]

What the heck?!?
I'm not a unionmist and I wasn't saying this as a Celtic fan!
IT is an issue int football at the moment so I thought i'd discuss it in the General Football forum?
Wierd ey?
I think it's a bit strange that your looking for nationalist/unionist links in something that has nothing to do with them.....I think the idea was to win more competitions :rolleyes:
Mabye your the Bigot? Who knows

[Paddy Ramone]

Just that I don't think the majority of Scots, Welsh or Northern Irish would accept an United Kingdom side in the World Cup. The Olympic games are different because "Great Britain" enter it. The British enter as Great Britain because some sports in Ireland like boxing are 32 county.

I didn't mean to insult you or Celtic fans. But a small minority of Celtic and Rangers fans do seem to be anti-Scottish. Maybe they'd like to see an United Ireland all-Catholic side playing against a mainly Protestant UK side bringing Old Firm sectarianism into international football. Most Protestants in NI would side with the UK while the Catholics would support Ireland.

I'm not saying these are your views but some Old Firm fans who get off on bigotry may like to see that day coming.

[sylvo]

Chill now fella's, this subject of the uk having a national team has indeed been spoken about over here so Liam is right that it has been an issue, but the only time I have heard it being spoken about is in relation to london getting the 2012 olympic's were they said they'd enter a uk team, but that's the only time i've heard them talking about it.

[lopez]

Originally posted by sylvo
Chill now fella's, this subject of the uk having a national team has indeed been spoken about over here so Liam is right that it has been an issue, but the only time I have heard it being spoken about is in relation to london getting the 2012 olympic's were they said they'd enter a uk team, but that's the only time i've heard them talking about it.
That as far as I know is the only time it will play. As potential hosts, there is nothing to be concerned about qualifications etc. Personally, unionist or non-unionist, Britain is one country and should have one team. If they want to have seperate sides, they should have kept the British championship for it or play friendlies like Cataluna, Andalucia and the Basques.

[Paddy Ramone]

Would be in the British government's interest to see a UK team? The Scottish and Welsh national sides provide a safe outlet for nationalist sentiment which then could be channeled into politics instead. The first international was between England and Scotland. I don't think the vast majority of Scots would want to lose their national side after such a long tradition except for some Rangers fans.

[sylvo]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by davros
[B]It would be like Turkeys,quite literally voting for Christmas......



Are'nt you the manager mr Davros of a united uk team on a sunday or is it more of a la quinte brigada team these day's.:cool:

[sylvo]

TRUE.:D

[BannsideBoy]

If London wants to be successful in bidding for the 2012 Olympics, a strong factor would be if the soccer stadium venues would be full, and one way of ensuring this would be to have a ‘home’ side, therefore a uk team would be necessary if not vital. The concept of a uk team just for the Olympics could create lots of complications, regarding other European nations asking if this should not be the case anyway, so why not have a British championship style competition over two legs to see which team would represent Great Briton out of the four uk teams.

Seems simple enough to me without rocking the boat too much.

[Duncan Gardner]

Originally posted by davros
Would be difficult for me to manage/recognise any team purporting to represent a mythical place,only real in the minds of the people who purported to create it & their mutant heirs.........

Strangely, Davros's dislike of teams from 'non-existent' countries like England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is temporarily forgotten when they qualify from non-existent leagues to play in UEFA competitions.

I phoned the slapheaded supremo during his holiday in Sevilla to remind of this, but he was too ****ed/ arrested to reply :)

[Paddy Ramone]

The non-existant country is the United Kingdom. British nationality is a fictional conceit. The only people who really are British are Rangers fans, unionists and loyalists in NI and the British upper class.

Most Engish people regard themselves as English, Scots regard themselves as Scots and Welsh are first and foremost Welsh. Wake up and smell the coffee Duncan.

[Duncan Gardner]

Thanks for the politics lesson Paddy. Election results suggest otherwise, of course. Clear majorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales vote for 'unionist' parties, hardly anyone in England for separatists.

Any more ill-informed cliches you want to pass on?

[Paddy Ramone]

Yeah right maybe politically most Scots and Welsh want to stay part of the UK but culturally they have their own seperate identities.

There's an anti-Home Rule poster from before the first world war with Pat (Ireland), Sandy(Scotland), Taffy(Wales) and John Bull(England). There was no sign of Billy the Ulsterman though.
:D

[Duncan Gardner]

As we go to press the 'Tans' as you so charmingly call them are a lot more likely to win this year's European Cup than Celtic :D

For all this talk of indoctrination, mutation, stupidity and the rest, you are probably the most pompous and PC contributor to this board. Anyone who disagrees with you must by definition be a bigot. Be sure to tiptoe through the Teplice :(

[BannsideBoy]

Davros, the complete irony of your one man quest against all things British, (or in any other derogatory way you wish to refer to Britons in your helpful and irrelevant brackets), is that you infact, by looking at your location, reside in the heartland of that regime that you say you have such political issues with. Any credibility that may have been hidden in your statements, often with no connection to footballing matters what so ever, is null and void. Your fixation with spelling and grammar is also ironic as your grasp of the English language is very poor with regards your punctuation, even after it has been pointed out to you. I normally disagree with calling people up on their writing skills online, it shows an inability to continue a debate intellectually. However your insistent regurgitating of the same rhetoric seems to show, now I am speculating here, an inferiority complex, lack of satisfaction in your own existence, and the constant need to make yourself seem and feel more important than you really are.

[BannsideBoy]

Your ‘I know you are, but what am I response” hasn’t enlightened me any further as to why you seem stuck in the past. I am also perfectly aware of the Irish Diaspora, in-fact one could argue that the fact there are more, and I use the term lightly, ‘Irish’ who live outside of the Island, that could be considered colonialist in itself, or that those in the Diaspora have deserted Ireland to seek fame and fortune in other lands.

As for your charge of my ‘arrogance’, I fail to see how you have come to that conclusion, I am merely pointing out to you that you continue to bring up irrelevant politically under-toned comments on what is primarily a football forum. I do not see the need for it.

If you wish to realistically make any effort to politically change the fortunes of those you claim are oppressed in Ireland, then there are correct domestic and European channels to go through. Rather than spouting off about how much you have learned about Irish history from drunken lullaby’s sung around a Guinness fuelled fireplace, in the hope that you will come across as more than an ex-pat with a chip on his shoulder. It reminds me of the Australian and American ex-pats sending home funds for ‘The Cause’ from their comfortable and peaceful homes on the other side of the world, a wonderful selfless act on their part I must say.

If you would take off your emerald tinted spectacles, and actually look at 21st century Ireland you would see a multicultural and cosmopolitan land looking forward to a prosperous peaceful age (something Ireland has never had, even long before the Normans/British came on the scene). But sadly there are those hell bent on living in the past, with a desire to cling on to some outdated religious struggle irrelevant in most intelligent young peoples eyes, who actually live here.

[liam88]

Let's calm it down a bit guys.
This thread has the potential to blow up in our faces. I suggest anyone who is being offended by anything posted on this thread doesn't visit it and it might all calm down a bit.
Remember that we're here to discuss football and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I have read and respected all of yours, but if it's going to cause offence it probably shouldn't be posted here.
I'm not saying this to anyone specific and I'm not having a go at anyone, just trying to keep this thread calm and open to all :)

[BannsideBoy]

Ah sure it is all just a bit of banter, i'm sure no-one is stupid enough to take anything written on messageboards to heart.;)

[Paddy Ramone]

Originally posted by davros

As for the mutant'kingdom'(pseudo-Kraut dependency?!)....it comes down to sheer ignorance,indoctrination & stupidity....all'propaganda',of which the Puppets are the biggest fall-guys of all,often literally!

Isn't the British 'kingdom' based on loyalty to the illegimate British Royal family. The legimate Stuart family were overthrown and replaced by some German lot whose only qualification to rule Britain was because they weren't Catholic.

And the only reson Scotland became British was because Queen Liz I had no children so the thone was inherited by her Scottish cousin Jimmy Stuart.

British identity is an artificial idea based on anti-Catholicism. What if the act of succession was changed allowing Catholics to inherit the throne? I couldn't see the Paisleyites accepting a Catholic king.

[BannsideBoy]

paddy............................and that has what to do with football :confused:

[Paddy Ramone]

Your last few posts haven't had much to do with football either. But it does partly have relevance to the thread which is on the UK.

[BannsideBoy]

But if we all get away from this political hot potato, and concentrate on footballing matters, then this thread will be more interesting to other forum members rather than just those of us who enjoy a little nationalistic debate.

[lopez]

Originally posted by davros
DG,To coin a Lopez cliche,'Ouch!'
Ouch!

Originally posted by Duncan Gardner
For all this talk of indoctrination, mutation, stupidity and the rest, you are probably the most pompous and PC contributor to this board. Anyone who disagrees with you must by definition be a bigot. Be sure to tiptoe through the Teplice :(
Ouuuccchhh!!!!

Originally posted by BannsideBoy
...Your fixation with spelling and grammar is also ironic as your grasp of the English language is very poor with regards your punctuation, even after it has been pointed out to you. I normally disagree with calling people up on their writing skills online, it shows an inability to continue a debate intellectually...
It's called Great Britain, not Great Briton, although it needs a hell of a makeover to make it 'great' again for the Olympics (they could start with the London Underground). If a GB/UK team is dependent on London getting the Olympics then tranquilo amigos, they've got as much chance as Ian Paisley being the next president of Ireland.
:D

[TommyT]

Originally posted by Duncan Gardner
Clear majorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales vote for 'unionist' parties, hardly anyone in England for separatists.

Any more ill-informed cliches you want to pass on?

Perhaps you'd pass on your election results argument to revisionist historians everywhere ?

BTW anyone else think we should give the Brits Louth, Leitrim and the three odd men out in Ulster and then see what they think of democracy ?

Completely irrelevant to football of course-so eh should ther be a united EU team, it'd be quite a force :D

[lopez]

Originally posted by TommyT
Completely irrelevant to football of course-so eh should ther be a united EU team, it'd be quite a force :D
Got one in golf so should be a winner with much of the b*llox that go to the more attractive Ireland away games. :rolleyes:

[SÓC]

Just to get this (slightly back on topic). At present how is it decied if a player can play for Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland/England seeing as you cant, per se, be a Wales/Scottish/Northern Irish/English citizen but a British citizen.

Amouruso (sp? the guy who played with Rangers) can now take up British citizenship because he's been there for 5 years and then go play for Scotland, even though he wasnt there for all of the 5 years.

Kevin Hunt can play for Ireland.

Di Canio could have played for England even though he spent time in Scotland. Can anyone who aqquires a British passport just chose who he want to play for?

My grandmother and grandfather were born in Ireland preindepence. So I could claim British Citizenship right? Then I've lived/live in Wales. So I could just 'become' Welsh even though I've no actually connection to Wales. Seems silly. At least Morrison's grandmother was born in Ireland.

[sylvo]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SÓC

Di Canio could have played for England even though he spent time in Scotland. Can anyone who aqquires a British passport just chose who he want to play for?


Apperantly so, I remember when Zola Budd got the Brit passport pre Los angeles olympic's, it was due to a great grandfather being born in Scotland, (i know friend's in the passport office) but when it came to the comonwealth game's she was running for England, another one was Everton's Pat Van Den Howe in the 80's, he was a Belgian citizan but got a brit passport enabeling him to play for whichever team he wanted, which he oppted for Wales. John Barnes @ one time in the early 80's was even watched by Scotland before he played for the tans u21 team, but they thought it unwise to pick a player with no Scottish link's. How ironic that a team who kicked up a bit of a fuss in the Charlton era about the grandperent rule, should then start doing the same themselves. :rolleyes:

[BannsideBoy]

And people wonder why education is going down hill:rolleyes:






....................yawn

[Duncan Gardner]

Anyone fancy a nice cup of tea? :)

[Duncan Gardner]

No one calls me Fianna Fail :(

[sylvo]

Yes a cup of tea for everyone would be a good call DG, ;)

[TommyT]

Originally posted by davros
Irish,

MUTANT Puppets,in the osc.............


Same thing surely ??? :rolleyes:

[liam88]

Mabye we should tie up this thread beofre anyone goes overboards with insults.
We're all proud of where we come from and no ones going to budge so flame wars won't results in anything but a mess.
Having said that nothing to bad has actually benen said but this thread does have the potential to turn ugly ;)

[Duncan Gardner]

I'm already ugly :D

[lopez]

Originally posted by Duncan Gardner
I'm already ugly :D
Not to me you are, darling!!! :D

[sylvo]

Davros and Lopez, i think you will find that gezzerville will indeed get the 2012 olympic's, and i have heard this from a good source.
Lopez remember that arguement, sorry conversation i had on a 329 bus with that barrceiode england rugby fan after his team had just beaten australia in a game of wwf wrestling last november.
Davros this gentelman started talking to me due to the fact that i was the only other person on the bus to have a honky complection and he were'nt happy that all them forigner's were'nt
interested in a bunch of tory's rolling round on the floor so he looked to me for some back up, which instead i gave him a load of abuse.
Anyway when thing's calmed down he started talking about London getting the olympic's, and he said ''If we get dem limpic's day gonta ave da besht limpic's dat dave evaa faar kinn ad, much betta den any of dem forin lympics hic hic''.
I belive that after meeting that gentleman that they will indeed get them, with a man of that caliber and drive behind them there is no way gezzerville can fail.:o

[lopez]

Where's Duncan? Is he still in bed, lazy fat f*cker!

[lopez]

Originally posted by sylvo
Lopez remember that arguement, sorry conversation i had on a 329 bus with that barrceiode england rugby fan after his team had just beaten australia in a game of wwf wrestling last november.
Davros this gentelman started talking to me due to the fact that i was the only other person on the bus to have a honky complection and he were'nt happy that all them forigner's were'nt
interested in a bunch of tory's rolling round on the floor so he looked to me for some back up, which instead i gave him a load of abuse.
Anyway when thing's calmed down he started talking about London getting the olympic's, and he said ''If we get dem limpic's day gonta ave da besht limpic's dat dave evaa faar kinn ad, much betta den any of dem forin lympics hic hic''.
I belive that after meeting that gentleman that they will indeed get them, with a man of that caliber and drive behind them there is no way gezzerville can fail.:o
Hey Sylvs. Didn't you say at the time: 'That's probably the cooooolest guy I've ever seen.' :D

[sylvo]

Lopez Your getting him mixed up with bobcat from dagenham, who was indeed the most coolest guy i've ever seen, in fact they made a mistake in casting snoop dogg as huggy bear in the starsky and hutch movie, they should have got bobcat. His performance the night of the meeting in the summer when the Russia ticket's were being handed out was real cool.
No this guy did turn cool after i told him to **** off, you ******g boring *****. Just cause his team of over privalleged tory's won a wrestling match I did'nt want to hear about it, I wanted to look @ the traffic which was far more intresting.;) .

[lopez]

Originally posted by sylvo
Lopez Your getting him mixed up with bobcat from dagenham,
Ahh Bobcat. He's the coooollest guy I've ever seen!!! First met Bob in Belgrade. As per u, he was muy, muy, borracho.

Dis tan dude must have got lost landing on a bus in your hood. Only honky ass round your way who isn't H'Irish is Daniel Bedingfield. :D

Speaking of scooby scooby dog dog, a certain Fred Williamson (who he??? Exactly!) is playing Captain (not Inspector) Doby in the new S&H filum. ;)

[sylvo]

First meet Bobcat @ one of the meeting's when me and Barney were talking jazz with paul and pamala about an upcoming game, Bobcat came up to me and Pamala and accused us of dissing his mom, I told him to chill but Barney told him to **** off, he then went over and picked a fight with the dj booth on the edge of the dancefloor which was empty @ the time. I had a tenner bet with Barney that the dj booth was gonna kick his ass.
Yea the rugby tan, sorry fan was indeed a strange sight on the 329 bus going through Palmer's green going on about Immigrant's, he is a very lucky to be alive. He told me he was a spurs fan, so he was proberly just being an eggchaser for the day because it was hip for a couple of week's. He was on his way to Tanfield, sorry enfield, so he proberly could'nt wait that extra twenty minute's to get home and show off his racist view's.
As for doby, Fred who? :confused: .

[sylvo]

Mind you dav, he did put up a good reason why Laaandaaan should get the olympic's, I think on his reason's Laaandaaan will get it.;)

[lopez]

Let's take a break from dissing the hood. Laaandaaan is a great town. One of the best in the world IMO. Even more so for tan man being in the minority there. The reason it will never get the larf-a-lympics is that it's got a sh*te public transport system. Imagine the hoo-hah from the septics getting to Hackney two hours late for the 100m egg and spoon race that their man (someone incidentally they'd shoot if they saw bouncing around in their 'nay-bur-hood') is expected to romp home in.

Laaandaaaners aren't prepared to pay extra poll taxes for a bit of Butchers' apron waving, back slapping, Gary Line-acre being on more than he presently should, drugfest. Neither are the people out in Luton, who'll be expected to do their bit.

[sylvo]

I, just like the buckled gezzer on the bus am backing the london bid to the last.
The opening cermony would be a true spectacular. Just the thought of the 2012 olympic anthem being sung by Pavarotti and chas 'n' dave would be a musical masterpiece, I heard on the radio that there would be a good chance that the olympic flame would be carried into the stadium by dizzy rascal, with the olympic bonfire high up in the stadium (which will proberly be a ford focus) will be lit by posh spice and Michael Barrymore.
As for the transport problem's could'nt yer good self have a word with the boss's @ London underground and put on an extra train to go to Stratford;).