General Football 2013

[Kenneth]

He's ranty but right. There is basically no point to international football. The only possible point is to pit one country against another for no good reason, and when you start having dubious qualification rules and foreign imports as players and managers then it undermines even that.

[Shaggy]

I get that point. Wilshere expressed it atrociously though.

[Alex]

I dont think it does.

If someone wants to live and work here. Thats good enough for me. Its the same with Cricket. Perhaps the player thinks there is a better opportunity in England than SA for example.

[Kenneth]

Well it does.

[Alex]

Oh ok. Well thats my mind changed then.

[Kenneth]

[dom9]

[dom9]

Jack Wilshere in an England for the English rant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24455721

The 21-year-old Arsenal player added: "If I went to Spain and lived there for five years, I'm not going to play for Spain."

Sorry Jack, but I don't think you would be playing for Spain even if you were born there to Spanish parents

Another quote from that article:

"We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat.

"We have great characters. You think of Spain and you think technical but you think of England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard. We have to remember that.

And that is why Spain are World and European Champions since like forever.

[Sarb]

You can tell Roy Hodgson is manager of England with those quotes from Jack. Rather ****ing tackle hard and be brave than actually play good football and win something!

[BobTheCharmer]

You can tell Roy Hodgson is manager of England with those quotes from Jack. Rather ****ing tackle hard and be brave than actually play good football and win something!

But then you take what has been said and the player that has said it and for me it adds a different tone on things. If John Terry had said it you'd automatically think typical English brawn over skill but the fact is that Wilshere is one of the most technical youngs players in the league, who happens to like a tackle too.

[dom9]

You could over analyse it, but it's just another example of the typical English mentality.

[BobTheCharmer]

I like the mentality that we play hard and tackle hard. Only we don't even do that these days very well.

[dom9]

Nothing wrong with having those tools in the kit. But when it's your entire armoury, then you have problems.

[BobTheCharmer]

Of course Dom, you need a bit of everything without an over reliance on just one part.

I've said it before but for me personally, I used to love a Stuart Pearce slide tackle on the touchline, where the ball was won and the player was thrown up into the air more than someone doing a fancy bit of skill. Or a McMahon crunching two footer. Hence the reason that I find football these days is nowhere near as enjoyable as back in the 80's/early90's.

[The_weatherman]

He's ranty but right. There is basically no point to international football. The only possible point is to pit one country against another for no good reason, and when you start having dubious qualification rules and foreign imports as players and managers then it undermines even that.

I agree, like I said last august the USA poached Aron Johannson from Iceland, this is a guy who received his entire footballing education in Iceland, played for the youth setup and has two icelandic parents. But he was born in the USA, and they can offer him better sponsorship deals, and he'll have more chances at tournaments of course.

Still, I think this shouldn't be allowed. And the way the huge country of USA is picking an Icelandic player is also morally wrong for me.