Friendly International games?

[Achiles74]

Can anyone explain what is the point of them during the season?

Players don't want to play in them and play below par trying to avoid injury.

Managers get critical media reports if they lose.

It bores the **** off the average fans who miss out on a weekend of Premier league games.

Fantasy football is on hold.

Just who gets any use out of friendly international games?

[forestfan]

Where would the extra PL fixtures come from, every team already plays every other one twice...

Friendlies don't deserve a blank weekend in the calendar though (especially since the ridiculous decision to move Saturday games to Friday and leave the traditional football day empty). I think in this case it's only because there's play-offs, otherwise it would be just play for your clubs at weekends, go off and play a friendly in midweek then return for the next weekend.

Alternatively, make clubs play without their internationals like they do in other sports. Would make it interesting and give youngsters a chance to impress!

[Achiles74]

Where would the extra PL fixtures come from, every team already plays every other one twice...

Friendlies don't deserve a blank weekend in the calendar though (especially since the ridiculous decision to move Saturday games to Friday and leave the traditional football day empty). I think in this case it's only because there's play-offs, otherwise it would be just play for your clubs at weekends, go off and play a friendly in midweek then return for the next weekend.

Alternatively, make clubs play without their internationals like they do in other sports. Would make it interesting and give youngsters a chance to impress!

I would rather have the season finish a week early and have the friendlies at the end of the season.

[trampie]

Preparation for international managers, at one time international football was all important until football became a bottom up game.

I listened to some Irish bloke on the radio before the England v Chile game saying the result didn't matter blah blah, i was saying too myself it does matter if England lose 2-0 and are second best they can not win the World Cup unless there is a miracle, low and behold England did lose 2-0 and were second best, i didn't think England would lose per se but thought that they might as i follow international results, the result and performance has told us loads about England's chances in the WC.

Chile finished behind Argentina and Columbia in qualifying all 3 should beat England in South America, Uruguay were the surprise strugglers and they have just come good beating arch rivals Argentina and scoring 5 in their play off match, i would not fancy Englands chances against them out there, Brazil are Brazil, favourites, home advantage and historically the #1 football nation, i don't fancy Englands chances against them, what about Ecuador and Mexico out there i wouldn't put my house on England beating them, last nights result meant if England won and performed well that it would only leave Argentina and Brazil as dangers to them from South America but since they were well second best it means 6 or 7 South and Central American teams will be a danger too them.

England didn't have Southern European teams in their group that may be better suited to South American conditions like Italy, Spain, Portugal or Greece, what chances against those teams out there and as regards Northern Europeans there is Holland and Germany, not even mentioning South Korea, Japan and the Africa nations, a lot might depend on the group draw, although England are a traditional football power and highly ranked it could be like the last Brazilian WC were England don't even get out of the group stage and all based on the England v Chile friendly, the result seems to be a very telling .

Internationals who says internationals aren't important.

[Tim Bisley]

How do you think Wales will get on?

Oh....hang on a minute

[Achiles74]

I would also like to know which eejict organized these games for England.

Let's organize 2 impossible to win friendlies for England, vs Chiles and Germany

Then once England are thumped in both matches he will get lots of pressure from the English media before the world cup next year

[jimmy ching]

This could be a brilliant Hussle in disguise

[murf]

I would also like to know which eejict organized these games for England.

Let's organize 2 impossible to win friendlies for England, vs Chiles and Germany

Then once England are thumped in both matches he will get lots of pressure from the English media before the world cup next year

You moan about meaningless friendlies then moan that they are against decent teams. How less meaningless would games against whipping boys have been?

[blahblah]

Hopefully the defeats will set the expectation level

[Bob Newhart]

Can anyone explain what is the point of them during the season?

Gardening, DIY and Christmas Shopping [by creating football free time].

[Judio]

It bores the **** off the average fans who miss out on a weekend of Premier league games.

Fantasy football is on hold.

Just who gets any use out of friendly international games?

1 Go and watch a Football League or Non League Game

2 Do you think any of the Southampton boys would have got a chance if there were no friendlies ??

[murf]

I would also like to know which eejict organized these games for England.

Let's organize 2 impossible to win friendlies for England, vs Chiles and Germany

Then once England are thumped in both matches he will get lots of pressure from the English media before the world cup next year

Slovakia have got it right then......

Heard about the tiny British Overseas Territory that is five times smaller than Blackpool and about to make their historic debut as European football's newest member?

Gibraltar, who have 600 players to choose from, face Slovakia in a friendly on Tuesday.

National manager Allen Bula tells BBC Sport: "Now we are Uefa members, we are in qualifying for Euro 2016 and that is the aim. People might say it is not realistic and it's crazy, but I want Gibraltar to be respected. Liechtenstein are minnows and they are respected. That is my target."

[Bert.]

Can anyone explain what is the point of them during the season?

Gardening, DIY and Christmas Shopping [by creating football free time].

[foxinthebox2001]

So, England play an 'experimental' team against Chile and get a lesson.
Now they put out a stronger team against Germany that are 'experimental', I cant see what Hodgson is going to learn from these 2 games.
It would have made more sense to swap the lineups, play an up for it team at full (ish) strength and then see how the fringe players fare against the German fringe players, at least that may be useful 3 years from now.

[forestfan]

Well, we can't control what side the Germans put out, sure it will turn out half decent though. If not, we get some bonus ranking points ahead of the Euro '16 draw...

Anyway, England v Germany is always an occasion so hope it delivers. As an aside, it shows the dominance of Vettel and Red Bull in F1 that it now seems strange to hear the German national anthem without the Austrian one following on from it!

[foxinthebox2001]

Well, we can't control what side the Germans put out

I am sure they could have had a gentlemans agreement about the strength of the teams, well before the Chile game.

[Groomyd]

International football has lost much of its lustre IMO

When clubs from each country were made up almost exclusively of national players the the national side felt like it represented not just the country but also the league.

It was also clearly a superior brand of football the any - the best playing against the best

Now of course that's no longer true - top club sides from around Europe are far better than national sides who are limited to players from just one country - our multi national sides in all the leagues are now all star 11s from several countries.

So international football is no longer a superior brand

As an arsenal fan tonight for example I'm just as interested in how Giroud or Mertesacker get on as much as England - and I'm really just looking forward to proper football at the weekend

Not sure if friendlies have much of a future long term - so many games now as groups for the major championships are larger and there is plenty of scope for experiment against the lesser sides

[forestfan]

Qatar could effectively finish off international football if the clubs put their foot down, reduce it to a semi-amateur sideshow.

Blatter doesn't realise that without the World Cup, FIFA is nothing and he's doing his best to destroy his prize asset which is struggling to retain its stature even before we consider the crazy decisions of world football's so-called leaders.

[Groomyd]

Why should he give a shit?

He won't be alive much beyond 2022 will he?

[forestfan]

He will still be running the show at 100 if he has his way, a shrivelled football version of the Emperor from Star Wars... probably announcing a 256-nation World Cup to be held on Mars. Meanwhile the world's best players will have been playing in the World Premier League with an NFL-style setup for a decade or so while Conference standard players take part in FIFA's competitions.

[Zimmerman]

far be it from me to defend Blatter…. but hasnt he himself criticised it? Wasnt it more Platini's doing (and his son working for the Qataris blah blah blah)?

[Groomyd]

It's on his watch isn't it?

[Judio]

Dont forget that in Euro 2016 they are letting 24 teams qualify

That will probably mean Top 2 qualify directly plus third in the play offs in a Group of 7 (three of which are poor sides)

Meaning teams will be qualifying with 2 or 3 games to spare and having dead competitive games !!!

[Bert.]

I'm really just looking forward to proper football at the weekend

+1

[murf]

Dont forget that in Euro 2016 they are letting 24 teams qualify

That will probably mean Top 2 qualify directly plus third in the play offs in a Group of 7 (three of which are poor sides)

Meaning teams will be qualifying with 2 or 3 games to spare and having dead competitive games !!!

Everyone will be scared of the team, newly admitted to Euro qualifying, who are the only unbeaten team in world football.......


Gibraltar - 0-0 v Slovakia on their debut

[murf]

Another reason to not play friendlies - even winning one against a high ranking team like Brazil can reduce your FIFA ranking score!

Playing (and beating) Indonesia in a friendly actually cost Holland a top seeding at the World Cup.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25134584" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[blahblah]

Not sure how Brazil can be second in the without Friendlies table without having played qualifiers. However that list looks more realistic, imho.

[Shaggy365]

... and the big international friendly is due this weekend, when the only undefeated international team take on Faroe Islands. (Some seats still available, if you can get across to Gibraltar)

[murf]

... and the big international friendly is due this weekend, when the only undefeated international team take on Faroe Islands. (Some seats still available, if you can get across to Gibraltar)

Oh no, will any of my TFF players be involved and so missing from Premiership action???

[forestfan]

... and the big international friendly is due this weekend, when the only undefeated international team take on Faroe Islands. (Some seats still available, if you can get across to Gibraltar)

They play "home" games in Portugal don't they...