Allardyce calls for return of Olympic football team

[ronaldo7]

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37148094

I've made my support for this clear on the Scott Brown thread but just to open the debate up a bit more widely, what, if anything, should our objection be? Aside from the fact Scotland doesn't presently have any players good enough to take part, the principle of entering a nationwide team is surely not a bad one? Having attended games in both the men's and women's football competitions at London 2012 I can testify to them being very enjoyable spectacles. As this story points out there were 155,000 fans at the four women's games (games which featured a couple of Scottish players) alone!

The Rio Olympics have been brilliant, with Team GB outstanding and numerous Scots among the medal winners. Competitors from a vast array of sports, both team and individual, are proud to represent the nation at the Olympics, so why do we adopt such a head in the sand attitude when it comes to football?

No thanks 😉

[pacoluna]

Absolutely no!

Last GB team never included any Scottish player,anyone know if that was down to Scottish players refusing to play or pearse just not selecting any of them?

[G B Young]

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I disagree regarding the aim, who says its to provide global/european success? Surely the aim of the National team is to provide a sporting representation of the nation? Yes we want to win but if success is what its all about where do we draw the line? Why were teams like Gibraltar & San Marino allowed on the European stage when relistically they have no chance of that.

I don't think teams like Gibraltar and San Marino should be entered into the pool stages for the Euros or the World Cup. They should play in a lower tier international competition where they can be genuinely competitive. They will gain nothing from shipping five, six, seven goals every game and the teams dishing out the hammerings will gain nothing from the experience either. Euro 2016 itself showed that there are far too many mediocre teams even at the tournament stage and they should be reducing the number of qualifiers rather than increasing it.

[G B Young]

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Absolutely no!

Last GB team never included any Scottish player,anyone know if that was down to Scottish players refusing to play or pearse just not selecting any of them?

Initially it was down the SFA refusing to sanction Scottish players being selected, but they relented and there were half a dozen Scots selected for the initial pool of players. This was reduced to two (Steven Fletcher and Barry Bannan) when Pearce named his short list of 35. Neither made the final cut. No real surprise as Scotland don't presently have players good enough to represent a nationwide team. Craig Gordon might have been in with a shout at his peak but that would have been about it.

[northstandhibby]

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37148094

I've made my support for this clear on the Scott Brown thread but just to open the debate up a bit more widely, what, if anything, should our objection be? Aside from the fact Scotland doesn't presently have any players good enough to take part, the principle of entering a nationwide team is surely not a bad one? Having attended games in both the men's and women's football competitions at London 2012 I can testify to them being very enjoyable spectacles. As this story points out there were 155,000 fans at the four women's games (games which featured a couple of Scottish players) alone!

The Rio Olympics have been brilliant, with Team GB outstanding and numerous Scots among the medal winners. Competitors from a vast array of sports, both team and individual, are proud to represent the nation at the Olympics, so why do we adopt such a head in the sand attitude when it comes to football?

It wouldn't bother me overly if there was to be a uk team as such as I stopped following Scotland around the 1986 world cup. However it would be sad to see Scotland swallowed up by England which would have the vast amount of players actually playing. Maybe a quota of each home nation would be the answer although I'm not a fan of quotas either per say. I suppose if enough people wanted a uk team then it would be accepted by most.



GGTTH

[Dalianwanda]

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I don't think teams like Gibraltar and San Marino should be entered into the pool stages for the Euros or the World Cup. They should play in a lower tier international competition where they can be genuinely competitive. They will gain nothing from shipping five, six, seven goals every game and the teams dishing out the hammerings will gain nothing from the experience either. Euro 2016 itself showed that there are far too many mediocre teams even at the tournament stage and they should be reducing the number of qualifiers rather than increasing it.

It's not the competition we are in or the pool of players we have to pick from thats the problem. Its the structure of the game as a whole in this country & the attitude of those who are supposed to be moving us forward & making decision to get the best out of what we have now & in the future. Going to a team GB just smacks on giving up on he potential we have because we cant work out what to do ourselves.

[Scouse Hibee]

Yes as long as their is some form of criteria for selection rather than a manager just picking the team. Not quite sure what but some form of monitoring system that enables players with the best stats to be in the squad.

[Billy McKirdy]

Not being a believer in the British state I look forward to the demise of Team UK and the rise of Team Scotland, only then will I take an interest in the fortunes of our various sporting achievements in the Olympics, including football.

[Glory Lurker]

No Thanks.

Geddit???

:-)

[Deansy]

Personally I think that this 'Team GB' nonsense is just England's desperation to win something at international level in football and I hope thd GFA NEVER entertain the slightest notion of helping them out !

[Bishop Hibee]

No Team GB.

[ScottB]

As long as the Home Nations current status is guaranteed, I wouldn't have a problem. Rugby seemed to manage it without any drama.

[Bristolhibby]

Anything that weakens Scotland position in world football is a no from me.

I believe a semi regular British team would be a nail in the coffin of Scotland, Wales, NI and England.

Olympic football is a farce anyway, nobody really takes it seriously. Brazil were only up for it because of their poor showing at the Copa America and their humiliation in their home World Cup v the Germans. They needed a good news story.

J

[G B Young]

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As long as the Home Nations current status is guaranteed, I wouldn't have a problem. Rugby seemed to manage it without any drama.

Yes, this was the first year for Team GB in the Olympic rugby sevens and as you say there's been not a peep of concern that the home nations would see their status undermined. It's worth remembering though that the British and Irish Lions rugby team has been on the go for well over a century. It brings fans of all the home nations together, with over 20,000 regularly travelling to follow them on tour. Beyond the pocket of many but I gather it's a great experience.

[Phil MaGlass]

***x yir British olympic fitba team.

[Dalianwanda]

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Yes, this was the first year for Team GB in the Olympic rugby sevens and as you say there's been not a peep of concern that the home nations would see their status undermined. It's worth remembering though that the British and Irish Lions rugby team has been on the go for well over a century. It brings fans of all the home nations together, with over 20,000 regularly travelling to follow them on tour. Beyond the pocket of many but I gather it's a great experience.

7's is a completely different game to 15's & the lions only tour every four years with the cream of the crop not an underage side.....Your not comparing like with like..

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Never watched any Olympic football at all. Maybe a bit of inverted snobbery but I always associate the Olympics with athletes individually and not in teams.

[G B Young]

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7's is a completely different game to 15's & the lions only tour every four years with the cream of the crop not an underage side.....Your not comparing like with like..

I wasn't trying to compare like with like, just suggesting that perhaps the fact the Lions have for so long combined the home nations on the rugby front made the establishment of a GB Olympics rugby sevens team more seamless than it might otherwise have been. Like the Lions tours, the Olympics also only take place every four years which is part of the reason I find it hard to fathom why football remains pretty much the only sport where the prospect of a GB team causes such angst. Maybe a five-a-side tournament featuring a GB team would attract less opposition?

[Pretty Boy]

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Yes, this was the first year for Team GB in the Olympic rugby sevens and as you say there's been not a peep of concern that the home nations would see their status undermined. It's worth remembering though that the British and Irish Lions rugby team has been on the go for well over a century. It brings fans of all the home nations together, with over 20,000 regularly travelling to follow them on tour. Beyond the pocket of many but I gather it's a great experience.

Let's be honest there's no threat to the home nations rugby teams because world rugby can't afford to lose half the teams who play the game at a decent level in Europe and the 3 of them are consistently in the worlds top 10.

There's a few European countries who would be only too happy to see 4 potential rivals for qualification to major tournaments reduced to 1.

[monktonharp]

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Yes, this was the first year for Team GB in the Olympic rugby sevens and as you say there's been not a peep of concern that the home nations would see their status undermined. It's worth remembering though that the British and Irish Lions rugby team has been on the go for well over a century. It brings fans of all the home nations together, with over 20,000 regularly travelling to follow them on tour. Beyond the pocket of many but I gather it's a great experience.

the fact that you are pointing out, that this rugger thing, albeit British Lions , followed by so many well off fans, tells it's own story. the ordinary man, certainly where I'm at, has no interest in that. some have hardly got enough to get the bairns to a club game every second week.

[Kavinho]

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Yes, this was the first year for Team GB in the Olympic rugby sevens and as you say there's been not a peep of concern that the home nations would see their status undermined. It's worth remembering though that the British and Irish Lions rugby team has been on the go for well over a century. It brings fans of all the home nations together, with over 20,000 regularly travelling to follow them on tour. Beyond the pocket of many but I gather it's a great experience.

Theres been almost 150 years of home nations internationals, with the lions in effect acting like a call up to a supra-national event which in no way undermines the sovereignty of the under lying nations.

You've compared Apples and pears all across this thread and ended up with coconuts.
I can't take this one seriously at all.

[CropleyWasGod]

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I wasn't trying to compare like with like, just suggesting that perhaps the fact the Lions have for so long combined the home nations on the rugby front made the establishment of a GB Olympics rugby sevens team more seamless than it might otherwise have been. Like the Lions tours, the Olympics also only take place every four years which is part of the reason I find it hard to fathom why football remains pretty much the only sport where the prospect of a GB team causes such angst. Maybe a five-a-side tournament featuring a GB team would attract less opposition?

To echo another thread, why just a GB team? Why exclude the NornIrons?

[G B Young]

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Theres been almost 150 years of home nations internationals, with the lions in effect acting like a call up to a supra-national event which in no way undermines the sovereignty of the under lying nations.

You've compared Apples and pears all across this thread and ended up with coconuts.
I can't take this one seriously at all.

It's not my intention to make this confusing so apologies if I've not made my point clear. For me it's a simple comparison between football and all manner of other sports where there appears to be no problem when it comes to forming a combined side drawing from all the home nations, be that the Olympics or a Lions tour. The debate over sovereignty just doesn't seem to exist for any sport except football.

Having done a little research on this I've discovered that a GB football team has, in fact, competed at the Olympics on nine occasions, winning the gold three times in the early years. The team has comprised a mix of amateur-only sides and professionals over the years and was actually managed by Matt Busby in 1948 when they finished fourth. From 1960 until 2012 they either failed to qualify or didn't enter so it's clear that for many years there was no big deal surrounding whether there should be a GB team. So I guess my question now is not so much why is there a problem with entering such a team but why has it become such a no-no for some in more recent years?

[Dalianwanda]

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It's not my intention to make this confusing so apologies if I've not made my point clear. For me it's a simple comparison between football and all manner of other sports where there appears to be no problem when it comes to forming a combined side drawing from all the home nations, be that the Olympics or a Lions tour. The debate over sovereignty just doesn't seem to exist for any sport except football.

Having done a little research on this I've discovered that a GB football team has, in fact, competed at the Olympics on nine occasions, winning the gold three times in the early years. The team has comprised a mix of amateur-only sides and professionals over the years and was actually managed by Matt Busby in 1948 when they finished fourth. From 1960 until 2012 they either failed to qualify or didn't enter so it's clear that for many years there was no big deal surrounding whether there should be a GB team. So I guess my question now is not so much why is there a problem with entering such a team but why has it become such a no-no for some in more recent years?

Sorry I'm getting mixed up with your Scotty Brown comments and the national team........I'll just go back to my original comment of why is football included at all? Theres no need & very little interest. For me the olympics was a nice escape from the football season..Was anyone that fussed when we didnt enter a team this time around? Perhaps womens soccer which could do with the exposure...And five a side isnt a sport where as rugby sevens is..Just chucking a thing in there in order to have a team doesnt serve any purpose..

[CropleyWasGod]

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It's not my intention to make this confusing so apologies if I've not made my point clear. For me it's a simple comparison between football and all manner of other sports where there appears to be no problem when it comes to forming a combined side drawing from all the home nations, be that the Olympics or a Lions tour. The debate over sovereignty just doesn't seem to exist for any sport except football.

Having done a little research on this I've discovered that a GB football team has, in fact, competed at the Olympics on nine occasions, winning the gold three times in the early years. The team has comprised a mix of amateur-only sides and professionals over the years and was actually managed by Matt Busby in 1948 when they finished fourth. From 1960 until 2012 they either failed to qualify or didn't enter so it's clear that for many years there was no big deal surrounding whether there should be a GB team. So I guess my question now is not so much why is there a problem with entering such a team but why has it become such a no-no for some in more recent years?

The Lions example does confuse things, though. It's a combination of players from 2 separate countries, albeit 4 rugby federations.

[Gordy M]

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It's not my intention to make this confusing so apologies if I've not made my point clear. For me it's a simple comparison between football and all manner of other sports where there appears to be no problem when it comes to forming a combined side drawing from all the home nations, be that the Olympics or a Lions tour. The debate over sovereignty just doesn't seem to exist for any sport except football.

Having done a little research on this I've discovered that a GB football team has, in fact, competed at the Olympics on nine occasions, winning the gold three times in the early years. The team has comprised a mix of amateur-only sides and professionals over the years and was actually managed by Matt Busby in 1948 when they finished fourth. From 1960 until 2012 they either failed to qualify or didn't enter so it's clear that for many years there was no big deal surrounding whether there should be a GB team. So I guess my question now is not so much why is there a problem with entering such a team but why has it become such a no-no for some in more recent years?

The issue was, and im not sure if it is still the case, that various nations in europe and africa stated that if GB had a regular national GB team at the olympics, then they would be pushing for that in FIFA competitions, thereby reducing the teams that could qualify and creating more chances for their own country. FIFA gave assurances that this wouldnt happen for the London olympics but the feeling was if that continued then these countries would raise the issue again.

[G B Young]

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the fact that you are pointing out, that this rugger thing, albeit British Lions , followed by so many well off fans, tells it's own story. the ordinary man, certainly where I'm at, has no interest in that. some have hardly got enough to get the bairns to a club game every second week.

Straying off the thread topic a bit here, but it's easy to dismiss rugby as an elitist sport played and supported only by the wealthy. From a Scotland point of view, the picture is distorted by Edinburgh's public school system, but there have been many great Scottish players from working class backgrounds, especially during the great days when some tough as teak Borderers used to make up the bulk of the team. Guys like Gary Armstrong and Peter Wright (lorry drivers by profession) were stalwarts of the side, while former England captain Brian Moore (regarded my many as the archetypal arrogant Englishman) was born into as deprived an upbringing as most could imagine. Further afield, the class system simply doesn't apply to the game in other nations and as you'll see in this article (written by a Labour party stalwart), revolutionary heroes like Che Guevara and Steve Biko were talented and enthusiastic rugby players:

http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2013/02/01...the-posh-boys/

As for admission prices to club football, you're right, it's hard for many (myself included) to take the kids. For less than half the price you'll get into a club rugby game, which is usually far more entertaining than international rugby these days and where you're never likely to see a nil-nil draw!

It's a similar story with cricket and given your own background you might be aware that the dearth of good English fast bowlers is often attributed to the demise of the mining industry in the UK. It used to be said you just had to whistle down a Yorkshire mine shaft to unearth a new England fast bowler. Good article on the cricket/mining connection here:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/crickete...ry/261262.html

Sorry to prattle on about this if it's something that holds no interest for you. I'll sign off now!

[yekimevol]

100% no from me.

[hibee_nation]

Hopefully there will be a team Scotland come the Tokyo games. Alba Gu Brath.

[NAE NOOKIE]

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As long as the Home Nations current status is guaranteed, I wouldn't have a problem. Rugby seemed to manage it without any drama.

That's the problem though ... push this and it wouldn't be guaranteed, the independence of the 'home nations' was guaranteed by FIFA because the British associations ( or at least the English FA ) gave them financial assistance at the end of WW2 with the price being that the home nations would be left alone.

The world is a very different place now with far more independent states than existed then and far more able to enter a team into the world cup .... as far as they are concerned our 'bribe' is long past its sell by date ..... The fact that what is supposed to be one country had 3 different teams at the finals of the Euros ( and could have had 4 ) wont have gone unnoticed by those with a vested interest in GB competing as one team at world cups. From their point of view team GB at the Olympics and 4 different entries into the world cup would be having our cake and eating it and I for one wouldn't blame them for being angry about it.

As for Rugby ... as somebody else on here pointed out, they barely have enough countries good enough at the game, or interested enough in it, to make a world cup viable ... if you had a GB team in that you would lose three of the most competitive countries at a stroke and replace them with one.