2018–19 UEFA Nations League

[Stuttgart88]

My spirit has been broken on this forum in recent weeks. I haven't the strength to argue.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Actually, you did. "Four friendlies/NL games per calendar year is more than enough", you said, and when asked to back this up, you said "By the fact have been to more sh*t internationals than I care to remember."

Nice misinterpretation.

[ArdeeBhoy]

So you reckon scratch teams play better when they have less playing time together?

'Scratch teams', like who?
All sportspeople are more inclined to perform less well if tired...

[Charlie Darwin]

'Scratch teams', like who?
All sportspeople are more inclined to perform if less tired...

International teams are scratch teams. They play together for like 5% of the season. Who said they were tired?

[ArdeeBhoy]

You implied they play less well...

[Stuttgart88]

International Heritage XI did OK in my recollection. Lack of talent rather than tiredness was the limiting factor though.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hah, that was only when we had 'scratch' teams...

[Crosby87]

My spirit has been broken on this forum in recent weeks. I haven't the strength to argue.

I just got back from a long weekend betting college basketball 12 hours a day in Vegas. Maybe you should ask Tets or POSH to fly you out there so you can recharge your batteries with a nice massage. When was the last time you frolicked in the spring mist? Not since you went to Sweden last year I would bet.

[Stuttgart88]

Anyway, away from the surrealism, UEFA has approved the new tourney but details are still to be finalised.

I'd like to see similar thought given to European club competition, making it more inclusive of lesser nations.

[Real ale Madrid]

I think at times Platini has done a good job as president of UEFA.
He has introduced the champions route to qualifying for the champions league which has seen a Cypriot team into the quarter finals and teams competing from countries like Belarus, Denmark and Scotland that otherwise may not have been able to qualify in the previous structure.
This week long festival of football is really going to be great for football fans when it comes to qualifiers. Personally I can't wait to be able to attend an Ireland match and maybe see Germany/Spain/Italy etc on the night we are not playing.
And now this league of nations tournament to replace some of the God awful friendlies we have to put up with currently, id scrap the idea of offering places at tournaments for the lower tiers - let the tournament stand on its own too feet, I think the carrott of playing at the highest level possible will be motivation enough for teams.

[Dodge]

I'd like to see similar thought given to European club competition, making it more inclusive of lesser nations.

This new tournmament isn't more inclusive of lesser nations. It's a way for big teams to play more games against big teams. Nothing more

[paul_oshea]

Does anyone remember when the camera fixed in on hodgson when managing liverpool when he scratched his arse and then sniffed his hand?

[paul_oshea]

This new tournmament isn't more inclusive of lesser nations. It's a way for big teams to play more games against big teams. Nothing more

And also less opportunity for glamour ties for smaller nations or for smaller nations to play bigger teams.

[DeLorean]

This new tournmament isn't more inclusive of lesser nations. It's a way for big teams to play more games against big teams. Nothing more

But big teams play big teams in friendlies as it is.

And also less opportunity for glamour ties for smaller nations or for smaller nations to play bigger teams.

Do the smaller nations actually get glamour friendlies anyway though? They're few and far between from what I've noticed.

[Dodge]

Do the smaller nations actually get glamour friendlies anyway though? They're few and far between from what I've noticed.

Within space of about 15 months Ireland will have played Italy, Spain and England in friendlies. If those countries are limited to the amount of frinedlies, they play those opportunities will dry up

[DeLorean]

Are we not a bit of an extreme case? We get these 'glamour' games because of our diaspora more than anything else. It's a long time since we've brought a top team to Lansdowne for a friendly but I reckon we'll always have the opportunity to play these types of games in the States or wherever.

[Charlie Darwin]

Are we not a bit of an extreme case? We get these 'glamour' games because of our diaspora more than anything else. It's a long time since we've brought a top team to Lansdowne for a friendly but I reckon we'll always have the opportunity to play these types of games in the States or wherever.

We'll have England next year. The games outside of Ireland has more to do with the companies selling the rights than the diaspora - we could sell any of these games out in Dublin. We'd play Spain in Papua New Guinea if the maths worked out.

[Stuttgart88]

This new tournmament isn't more inclusive of lesser nations. It's a way for big teams to play more games against big teams. Nothing more

It's easy to summarise it in a cynical soundbite but it has real relevance for countries like us: it replaces meaningless friendlies with meaningful competitive matches.

[DeLorean]

We'll have England next year. The games outside of Ireland has more to do with the companies selling the rights than the diaspora - we could sell any of these games out in Dublin. We'd play Spain in Papua New Guinea if the maths worked out.

Yeah, fair enough. I just don't think there's much we're losing by the new format. I think there's a bit of nit-picking going on. An England friendly will always be a possibility due to geography and so on. If the occasional (and forgettable) friendly against Spain at 1am is all we have to sacrifice then I'm in!

[Dodge]

It's easy to summarise it in a cynical soundbite but it has real relevance for countries like us: it replaces meaningless friendlies with meaningful competitive matches.

Your post was

I'd like to see similar thought given to European club competition, making it more inclusive of lesser nations

I don't see how separating nations based on coefficients is doing anything to make international football more "inclusive"

At least in the club game there is a possibility of smaller clubs playing big clubs