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I don't know about that, international tournament football is actually the best football there is! It's just a shame that qualifying for them is such a drudgery. It's particularly annoying that it keeps happening just as you're starting to get into the league's new season.
Qualifying for many tournaments is a chore. The actual World Cup is fun. But mostly I agree. Especially about England and Scotland.
Generally I'd agree with you, but the Euros were 90% dross. I don't think many would argue with that, except maybe Iceland and Wales.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
The qualifiers themselves are a joke as well. Italy and Spain in the same group, but group D and E are all B-teams. Teams that would normally not ever make it in.
Yet in the Asian qualifiers teams like North Korea gets in. Or Iran. I suppose they need a few sacrifices for the opening game, so that the referee doesn't have to blatantly cheat *cough*Brazil*cough*
"This group has two big names, but this one doesn't" - they're all pulled out of hats in which they get into based on merit, last I checked. So I think that's pretty harsh to the teams that got in.
Hoo boy...
As far as I know, what they usually do is to put the top teams from the FIFA ranking into their own seperate group. Then all the other teams are drawn from a hat (although god knows that can't be cheated).Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
You do this to avoid having France, Italy, and Spain all being in the same group, of which a maximum of 2 can progress. You do this avoid having Finals-type games played out in the bloody primaries. As well as insuring that even if you are good enough to be there, the rules and luck in the draw determine whether you can or cannot.
That way you also avoid having a group of top-ranking teams like Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Denmark, Kazachstan, and Armenia. Where the top team (Montenegro) is 105th of the FIFA world ranking.
I think it's safe to say that Leicester City's 15 minutes of fame is over.
Yeah, it was kind of depressing to watch.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
Indeed. Although even if relegation happens it'll have been worth it.
Everton - Man City was a good watch, though. Two stopped penalties, not what I'd thought would happen. Still, more stalling near the end, annoying.
I had a dream that Liverpool v United finished 3-2 to United with a late Wayne Rooney header being the decider. Posting this here so we know whether or not I'm psychic!
Poland - 21Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerith's Knight
Romania - 32
Denmark - 46
Montenegro - 74
Kazakhstan - 83
Armenia - 112
Just because Montenegro are top of the table after three games doesn't turn the whole group into a farce. They beat Denmark, drew with Romania, beat Kazakhstan. They are currently top on merit, and the group isn't lacking in competent teams. It is entirely possible for a low ranking team to perform well, and I love seeing it happen. Hell, I am so proud of NZ for finishing unbeaten at the 2010 World Cup. They drew with Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia when nobody really expected us to have a chance. No other team finished unbeaten. :D
"Small" teams should be applauded when they do well rather than their group derided.
Didn't even realize Poland had risen so far up the table, but that's beside the point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
The qualifiers are supposed to ensure that only the teams who have a certain standard of quality enter the world cup, so that every match is worth watching.. It's like the Champion's league in that sense.
By using a system that can set 2-3 teams that do have that quality in the same group, which ensures only 1 can pass, and 1 maybe, you are effectively eliminating strong teams before the tournament even starts. Having groups where if not the 1st, at least the 2nd place would be a doubtful team for the world cup (at best), makes it even more of an insult.
My point is that the randomness of the EU qualifiers, together with the qualifying system itself, can/will decrease the overall level, and therefore validity, of the "World cup".
I mean, you could have one group of France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, etc. And then another of a bunch of city states, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein, and you basically say that the winner of that group deserves to be in the world cup.
tl;dr: I don't care about the individual countries that may or may not be performing well. The system is silly, and decreases the validity of the world cup, in the same way that the Baseball world cup doesn't mean that much because the biggest baseball country (USA) doesn't allow their players to join (as far as I know).
I dunno man, looking at the system they used, it seems pretty legit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_F...A)#First_round
If anything, the surprise was that Romania was ranked 8th inEuropeTHE WORLD (!?) at the time.