International football this week

thebaz

anyone else find it strange, if not irritating, to have international football this week - even before the EPL kicks off - give the players at least 4 weeks of club football, before switching focus to international football - or is just Mr. Blatter trying to stamp his authority -

mike65

Same every year, utter fvckwittery. Either the week before or during the first week.

thebaz

mike65 wrote: »

Same every year, utter fvckwittery. Either the week before or during the first week.

has it not just crept in , the past few years ?

G.K.

I would mind less if the friendlies were scheduled to then allow players 3 days rest. But they aren't. Mindboggling decision tbh.

mike65

You might be right

http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/3932/international-football/2012/02/28/2934535/clubs-and-uefa-agree-to-drop-august-dates-for-friendly

anyone know if this is the case?

double GG

One of the worst ideas ever if truth be told. Why is there the need for a friendly this time of the year? Absolute ridiculous, especially with some players flying 10 hours away to play a meaningless friendly game. I'm sure an injury or two will be picked up in these friendlies causing uproar.

thebaz

mike65 wrote: »

You might be right

http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/3932/international-football/2012/02/28/2934535/clubs-and-uefa-agree-to-drop-august-dates-for-friendly

anyone know if this is the case?

what I don't understand is how the major clubs agreed to such bull**** planning

Richard Hillman

IMO all friendlies should be scrapped but these ones in particular are absolutely disgraceful, as are the qualification matches in June. Thankfully the clubs stood up and they are getting rid of them.

ArmaniJeanss

thebaz wrote: »

anyone else find it strange, if not irritating, to have international football this week - even before the EPL kicks off - give the players at least 4 weeks of club football, before switching focus to international football - or is just Mr. Blatter trying to stamp his authority -

Friendly slots have been reduced to just two a year so if anything its Blatter/FIFA/International Friendlys being undermined (none of which is necessarily a bad thing obviously).

The 4 week run in you refer to is actually there, except it'll be the competitive qualifiers for the WC (Sep 7/8 and 11/12)

So if you scrap this particular set of friendly fixtures, you are effectively saying that the 16 teams who took part in Euro2012 go into the WC qualifiers without any friendly match at all. Which obviously some people would approve of, but I don't think it would be a good move myself.

thebaz

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

The 4 week run in you refer to is actually there, except it'll be the competitive qualifiers for the WC (Sep 7/8 and 11/12)

no its not - if there was 4 week club run in, we would not be breaking for international football until mid September

ArmaniJeanss

thebaz wrote: »

no its not - if there was 4 week club run in, we would not be breaking for international football until mid September

Yes, which would be straight into WC qualifiers. The leagues start and after roughly 4 weeks there will be an international break.

The key issue is whether you feel it's correct for teams (many who've had 5 or 6 retirements) to go straight into World Cup qualifiers without a friendly match. Personally I don't think that would be fair at all and see no other slot for the game other than midAugust, but I realise that I'm in the minority on this and won't change anyones mind on the issue.

thebaz

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

The key issue is whether you feel it's correct for teams (many who've had 5 or 6 retirements) to go straight into World Cup qualifiers without a friendly match. Personally I don't think that would be fair at all and see no other slot for the game other than midAugust,

i realise a friendly match would be necesary- personally I'd reduce the amount of qualifiers played , since the breakup of the Eastern bloc, ther are far too many qualifiers played - a blatter / platini pact to put manners on the clubs ;-)

Fowler87

****ing ridiculous and pointless especially with the euros and Olympics during the summer

kitakyushu

thebaz wrote: »

has it not just crept in , the past few years ?

The August friendly thing is only around a decade old. I certainly remember when I started watching Ireland the tradition was : friendly in September then one qualifier in October and one in November.

I really hate the qualifying process these days. All this doubling up of games and then play-offs after all of it. A major drawback on the double-date fixtures is they usually try to make it "one tough game & one weak game" and as a result you get the impression that teams aren't even trying during the easier game. So much boring football.

I'd love to go back to the days when it was just 6-8 games that actually felt like they meant something and at the end you either qualified or you didn't.

That_Guy

It's an utter shambles that friendlies are on this week just days before the main European leagues start back.

I understand that WC qualifiers are just around the corner but surely this friendly could have easily been played the weekend just gone.

I am liking the prospect of Germany V Argentina on Wednesday night having said that though.

NeVeR

Doesn't make sense.

Top players could get injured and managers won't / should not release them. They are to valuable to the teams.

thebaz

it just seams to be a flood of withdrawals -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19247933

absolute joke

thebaz

with the EPL yet to start, after what seam an eternity, am I right in thinking that after just one game , the players yet again will be off on International duty - I stand to be corrected , but if I am right , who organises such dreadful planning - surely what everyone needs and wants is a good run of club form ,before any international sabbaticals , who benefits from such ?

GavRedKing

thebaz wrote: »

with the EPL yet to start, after what seam an eternity, am I right in thinking that after just one game , the players yet again will be off on International duty - I stand to be corrected , but if I am right , who organises such dreadful planning - surely what everyone needs and wants is a good run of club form ,before any international sabbaticals , who benefits from such ?

Theres international friendlies before the start of the season, dont think its after the season starts anyway, Chelsea will probably lose 3 to the Spanish squad going to bloody Ecuador or Coloumbia, then we have the WCQ in the first week of September to contend with as well.

Mint Sauce

So is there internationals this week or not?

/zombie thread

GavRedKing

Not until the 13th or 14th.

citytillidie

GavRedKing wrote: »

Not until the 13th or 14th.

With 1 WC Qualifying game in the mix. Nothern Ireland V Russia as 1st game was unplayable with waterlogged pitch

Zebra3

thebaz wrote: »

anyone else find it strange, if not irritating, to have international football this week - even before the EPL kicks off - give the players at least 4 weeks of club football, before switching focus to international football - or is just Mr. Blatter trying to stamp his authority -

Plenty of leagues in Europe run through the summer. The world doesn't revolve around the English top flight.

Will I Amnt

Zebra3 wrote: »

Plenty of leagues in Europe run through the summer. The world doesn't revolve around the English top flight.

They are the exception rather than the norm. Summer is generally known as out of season, hence the transfer window opening and closing dates.

Let me guess... LOI fan???

Benimar

Will I Amnt wrote: »

They are the exception rather than the norm. Summer is generally known as out of season, hence the transfer window opening and closing dates.

Let me guess... LOI fan???

Holland, Belgium, Scotland, France and Germany will have started by then. Italy doesn't start until the 24th.

It's really only the English league that starts the saturday after the internationals.

Zebra3

Will I Amnt wrote: »

They are the exception rather than the norm. Summer is generally known as out of season, hence the transfer window opening and closing dates.

Let me guess... LOI fan???

LoI fan yes, but what has that got to with the point I made.

The English league sets its starting date knowing when the internationals are scheduled, so that's their fault.

Over 20% of UEFA's members' leagues play through the summer, but oh no, some Little Englanders have a problem. :rolleyes:

Will I Amnt

Benimar wrote: »

Holland, Belgium, Scotland, France and Germany will have started by then. Italy doesn't start until the 24th.

It's really only the English league that starts the saturday after the internationals.

And I'd say they're just as pissed off with the international schedule as anybody else.

Will I Amnt

Zebra3 wrote: »

LoI fan yes, but what has that got to with the point I made.

The English league sets its starting date knowing when the internationals are scheduled, so that's their fault.

Over 20% of UEFA's members' leagues play through the summer, but oh no, some Little Englanders have a problem. :rolleyes:

That's nearly 80% that don't. As I said, exception rather than the norm.

thebaz

Zebra3 wrote: »

Plenty of leagues in Europe run through the summer. The world doesn't revolve around the English top flight.

how many internationals play for these summer league teams - the reality is most top internationals play for the 5 top leagues in europe, none who play through summer - unless I'm wrong

Zebra3

Will I Amnt wrote: »

That's nearly 80% that don't. As I said, exception rather than the norm.

And if you'd bother to read the thread, some leagues like in Italy won't start til after the internationals.

And some leagues started last month.

Yet the world is meant to stop because the English league decides to do something different. :rolleyes:

thebaz wrote: »

how many internationals play for these summer league teams - the reality is most top internationals play for the 5 top leagues in europe, none who play through summer - unless I'm wrong

Most of the internationals play in the top 5 leagues? Maybe most of the internationals you've heard of, play in the top five leagues, but there's a world of football outside the one with the pop star girlfriends and oligarch owners.

And has been pointed out the Serie A doesn't start til after the internationals, so I'm not sure what your point is.

thebaz

Zebra3 wrote: »

Most of the internationals play in the top 5 leagues? Maybe most of the internationals you've heard of, play in the top five leagues, but there's a world of football outside the one with the pop star girlfriends and oligarch owners.

And has been pointed out the Serie A doesn't start til after the internationals, so I'm not sure what your point is.

you were the one saying plenty of leagues play through the summer - when I pointed out the top 5 leagues don't - you have a pop at the EPL - no other leagues have oligarch owners? - think ther is more in France now - the pop star girlfriends I wont get into now

Zebra3

thebaz wrote: »

you were the one saying plenty of leagues play through the summer - when I pointed out the top 5 leagues don't - you have a pop at the EPL - no other leagues have oligarch owners? - think ther is more in France now - the pop star girlfriends I wont get into now

So what if the top five leagues don't play through the summer? I never said they did. :rolleyes:

The international date was set before the English league set their fixtures, therefore the reason why the English league breaks after just one round of fixtures is the fault of the English league.

Is that too difficult to understand?

Lawrence1895

I think, I'm gonna watch England vs Scotland...because I like the Scottish anthem