An UK national football team

IRISHSPORTSGUY · 14-10-2010 6:20pm #1

Is there even the slightest chance of this ever happening? Do FIFA have any opinion on England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland forming a single association etc?

Duff · 14-10-2010 6:23pm

Don't we'll ever see it. Don't think the UK countries would want it either tbh. Cause too much trouble much like a united Ireland team IMO..

#15 · 14-10-2010 6:28pm

The UK associations would not want a unified team in case they lose their voting rights.

Royale with Cheese · 14-10-2010 8:13pm

It'd just be England + Gareth Bale if it happened.

OPENROAD · 14-10-2010 8:25pm

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

It'd just be England + Gareth Bale if it happened.

Throw in Ramsey also imo

IRISHSPORTSGUY · 14-10-2010 8:27pm

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

It'd just be England + Gareth Bale if it happened.

Fletcher, McGregor, Evans, Ramsey and maybe Bellamy (everyone knows he's quality even though he's at Cardiff) would have cases for the squad, imo. All hypothetical of course, haven't heard any movement on the issue.

But in the event it did happen, it might indirectly benefit us in that people with Irish ancestry (eg Mark Noble) could be more likely to declare because of the even bigger player resources available. Not ideal by any means but hey...

flahavaj · 14-10-2010 8:34pm

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

It'd just be England + Gareth Bale if it happened.

Definitely Fletcher also - he'd be comfortably better than any defensive midfielders England are playing currently - G Barry for instance.

Royale with Cheese · 14-10-2010 8:42pm

Fletcher yes, forgot about him. Couldn't see Bellamy getting in the squad after deciding to drop to the Championship. Nobody knows how Ramsey will recover from his injury, Evans not a hope.

Pinturicchio · 14-10-2010 9:41pm

Evans is even worse than the ageing and overrated centre halfs England already have.

Fletcher would walk into the England team.

Le King · 14-10-2010 10:13pm

Fletcher and Bale. Both would start too. Thinking about it there is no RB in the UK atm.

LeeroyJones · 14-10-2010 11:27pm

A UK team would probably pave the way for a United Ireland team too if it happened. On a similar basis to the Olympics where everyone in the North could choose who they could represent.

It's all hypothetical cos it just isn't going to happen

bonerm · 15-10-2010 12:35am

LeeroyJones wrote: »

A UK team would probably pave the way for a United Ireland team too if it happened. On a similar basis to the Olympics where everyone in the North could choose who they could represent.

It's all hypothetical cos it just isn't going to happen

Speaking of which I read (and I believe it's still the case?) that there is going to be a "Great Britain" team represented at the 2012 Olympics (because it is in London). Usually the home nations never get to play at the games because they cannot appear under their individual national banners. It'll be interesting to see who will appear in this particular Team GB. As far as I know it may just be only England players due to some technicality. Thing is I doubt there is any Scot/Wales player who be better than his England equivalent anyway.

Broxi_Bear_Eire · 15-10-2010 6:59am

bonerm wrote: »

Speaking of which I read (and I believe it's still the case?) that there is going to be a "Great Britain" team represented at the 2012 Olympics (because it is in London). Usually the home nations never get to play at the games because they cannot appear under their individual national banners. It'll be interesting to see who will appear in this particular Team GB. As far as I know it may just be only England players due to some technicality. Thing is I doubt there is any Scot/Wales player who be better than his England equivalent anyway.

There will be a GB team at the Olympics but no Scots.Welsh or NI players will be includes as they refused to allow there players permission to take part. Blatter said this would not have any effect on the status of the individual nations but they didn't believe him.
It won't happen anytime soon and rightly so Scotland also have a veto on anything like this ever coming about due to there position at FIFA

#15 · 15-10-2010 7:04am

It's a bit silly that the UK don't play as one team.

ctrl-alt-delete · 15-10-2010 7:25am

Sure why not lets all just hold hands and play as continents? 7 teams on a league basis......

Lets roll back 100 years though, I wouldn't like to be part of a UK&Ireland team and I assume the majority of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people (excluding a few decent players who might want a shot at winning the WC :pac: ) wouldn't want to be for the same reasons.

It, for me, would be a bit embarrassing for an Irish person to be advocating a UK team in any form really.

GavRedKing · 15-10-2010 7:34am

Le King wrote: »

Fletcher and Bale. Both would start too. Thinking about it there is no RB in the UK atm.

Hutton? Id have him over Johnson everyay of the week

LeeroyJones · 15-10-2010 10:32am

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

Scotland also have a veto on anything like this ever coming about due to there position at FIFA

Is that the same as Wales and Northern Ireland too?
The Home Associations have an individual vote for general voting procedure in FIFA don't they?

abouttobebanned · 15-10-2010 10:34am

A* UK National football team.

IRISHSPORTSGUY · 15-10-2010 10:54am

abouttobebanned wrote: »

A UK National football team.

'U' is a vowel so my title sounds okay to me.

8-10 · 15-10-2010 11:14am

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

'U' is a vowel so my title sounds okay to me.

It is actually 'a' but it's no biggie, we all know what was meant. It's like university. Starts with a 'u' but you don't say an university.

But that makes me think about the name fully. United Kingdon implies the countries are united. The United States play as one team, I don't see why the UK couldn't. What would maybe be beneficial would be Scotland, Wales and NI uniting. They could be much stronger together.

LordSutch · 15-10-2010 11:22am

ctrl-alt-delete wrote: »

It, for me, would be a bit embarrassing for an Irish person to be advocating a UK team in any form really.

Maybe, but then it is it not ironic that most Irish football supporters support English Premiership teams!

MickShamrock · 15-10-2010 11:28am

Never gonna happen.

Broxi_Bear_Eire · 15-10-2010 11:37am

LeeroyJones wrote: »

Is that the same as Wales and Northern Ireland too?
The Home Associations have an individual vote for general voting procedure in FIFA don't they?

Yep all the "Home nations have these voting rights due to their historical role
Bit about it here
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=591787&cc=5739

ctrl-alt-delete · 15-10-2010 11:39am

LordSutch wrote: »

Maybe, but then it is it not ironic that most Irish football supporters support English Premiership teams!

No not at all, because apart from sharing players, club and country are totally different things.

Warper · 15-10-2010 1:31pm

Who cares, they'd still be crap anyways

#15 · 15-10-2010 3:07pm

ctrl-alt-delete wrote: »

Sure why not lets all just hold hands and play as continents? 7 teams on a league basis......

Bit silly.

Lets roll back 100 years though, I wouldn't like to be part of a UK&Ireland team and I assume the majority of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people (excluding a few decent players who might want a shot at winning the WC :pac: ) wouldn't want to be for the same reasons.

Eh, Scottish, Welsh and N.Irish are part of the UK. The UK is their country too.

There is little point in projecting your own feelings about the UK onto UK citizens.

It, for me, would be a bit embarrassing for an Irish person to be advocating a UK team in any form really.

Only if you have a mammoth inferiority complex.

There are not many valid reasons, other than tradition, why the UK should not be playing as one team.

Otherwise why not have other national regions playing as seperate teams
? We could have Catalunya being officially recognised, or the German Laender.

An UK national football team

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