England V San Marino

[chriscl]

This is the FIFA rankings though.

I'm sure the Turks & Caicos Islands are better than that!

[LTLF Sponsors]

[Anatoli]

I think we should join the African Nations Cup Qualifiers. It would be more exciting.
Uganda and Zambia ground out a 9-9 draw today.
Last year the final finished 8-7. You'd be happy leaving a game like those I think.
Cornwall is practically in Africa anyway, as is most of Kent.

[chriscl]

The African Cup of Nations is always excellent entertainment - it's often on Eurosport and they provide decent coverage.

And if Algeria got there, we'd have our own Adlene Guedioura to cheer on!

[PsYcHoSpiKe]

It was mentioned who they were joint bottom with at least once. Bhutan and Turks and Caicos Islands.

must have drifted off at that point

[PynchonForest]

To answer an earlier question, yes, you must field a clearly differentiated goalkeeper. To have any variation on that would be pure and utter chaos, and, quite frankly, uneccessary. A keeper can do whatever they wish at any time during a match. If they want to go challenge the other teams center backs for headers, thats their perogative. Or take corner kicks. Chilavert used to regularly go take free kicks around the 18, and he scored on more than a few. I loved that guy. He was a character.

[Anatoli]

To continue in an exciting African Cup of Nations mode, tonight's Senegal game was abandoned due to rioting in Amicis Senghor.
Ivory Coast were leading 2-0 on the night and 6-2 on aggregate when the match was stopped around the 73rd minute at the Stade Leopold Senghor.
Play was temporarily halted in the 65th minute when a person ran onto the pitch and almost reached Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba before being wrestled to the ground and escorted off the field.
Drogba had given his side the lead in the 51st minute with a free-kick and the former Chelsea man then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 70th minute.
Following that second goal there were disturbances in the stands, with small fires being set alight and objects reportedly being thrown as players and staff from both teams grouped together in the centre circle.
A host of Barclays Premier League-based players were involved in the match, including Newcastle pair Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse lining up for Senegal, along with West Ham's Mohamed Diame.
In Ivory Coast's starting line-up were Arsenal striker Gervinho, Manchester City brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure, and Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote.
City said on their official website: "City's Yaya and Kolo Toure are both safe after crowd trouble halted play as Senegal hosted the Ivory Coast in Dakar.
"Disturbances broke out as Didier Drogba put the Elephants 2-0 up, after what was deemed a controversial penalty decision in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
"Fires were started in the stands at Stade Leopold Senghor and missiles were launched on to the pitch before the players were escorted to safety.
"Yaya and Kolo were both involved in the second leg clash and early reports suggest the brothers are unharmed."
This seems like a good competition to be involved with.

[Raymondo Ponte']

Them Africans know how to conduct themselves

[LostThatLovingFeeling]

I think we should join the African Nations Cup Qualifiers. It would be more exciting.
Uganda and Zambia ground out a 9-9 draw today.

That didnt happen it was a penalty shootout haha

[incapable hulk]

Realistically though, many of the minnow teams will never be able to compete because of their tiny population in comparison to the likes of England. San Marino do rather well for a country of 32,000 people or whatever it is.

Going forward, there will need to be fewer international matches and I can see pre-qualification coming in.

Thatd be a shame, because it would become like the champions league where freak results by the minnows just dont happen anymore.

Football is becoming far too geared to protecting the big teams.

[Alf-Inge of Fudge]

I was half pissed when watching this so my opinion may bit a bit flimsy, but to me the majority of England's players just look like they'd far sooner be out living the footballer's lifestyle rather than playing for their country. The fact that our first goal came through a peno didn't sit well with me, and we just don't seem to have anyone dominant in the side anymore. Rooney did OK, but if he's the level of player folk claim that he is he should be hypnotizing opposition like this.

Good result at the end of the day, but we've still no real core or backbone.

[chriscl]

Thatd be a shame, because it would become like the champions league where freak results by the minnows just dont happen anymore.

Football is becoming far too geared to protecting the big teams.

It is geared to protecting the "big teams" because that's where grubby FIFA and UEFA get their big money from - coverage rights in the largest football markets.

As to the Champions League, we will never see the like again of a team like Red Star Belgrade or Malmo getting to the final, and more is the pity.

Money, it has been said, had ruined football.

[Alf-Inge of Fudge]

It is geared to protecting the "big teams" because that's where grubby FIFA and UEFA get their big money from - coverage rights in the largest football markets.

As to the Champions League, we will never see the like again of a team like Red Star Belgrade or Malmo getting to the final, and more is the pity.

Money, it has been said, had ruined football.

Always baffle me how money men seem so eager to "streamline" various formats of any entertainment, and can never seem to realize that by smoothing out all the edges they kill what makes it so entertaining in the first place.

Pretty soon we'll have X-factor style team selections, where the fans vote their fave players in.

[TheRedForest]

I don't feel sorry for the San Marino team in the slightest, in fact, I'm completely jealous that they get the chance to come up against most of the World's best players in Europe's best stadiums. Getting paid to play in front of 86,000 fans on the Wembley turf, yes please.

The smallest of thoughts crossed my mind when watching the game, "poor old San Marino, losing every game 4/5/6-0." But then I thought, these players have it so well. Part-time jobs back in the beautiful Italian sunshine, local celebrity status, playing European football every other month; lucky buggers.

[Andy!]

How long do you have to be living in a country to represent their football team?

[PynchonForest]

Depends upon teh country. Canada, three. Belgium, same. Germany I think is 7 years. Or, if you have dual citizanship.

Money has kinda ruined the entire planet the apst 30 or so years. You can thank Reagan and Thatcher for that.

[Caveman Ninja]

I know I'm in the minority here but I love seeing the minnows play. I spent Saturday afternoon watching Brunei beat East-Timor 2-1. The joy in letting the tiny nations take part is when they win games. I watched Liechtenstein beat Lithuania in a qualifier last year; the Lithuania manager resigned out of shame straight afterwards but it meant so much to the Liechtenstein players.

There's talk of setting up a tournament for the worst UEFA nations if, as seems likely, Gibralter get full admission to FIFA next year. I'd actually be tempted to go to a tournament like that. Football is important to smaller countries. Have you ever wondered why every country wants a football team? I mean, it's obvious even to people from Bhutan that they're never going to get to the World Cup. But it's still important to them that they compete at all. It cements their identity as a nation. To suggest that countries like San Marino shouldn't get to take part has a hint of arrogance to it in my mind. I think you're still sore that they knackered your chances of getting to USA '94!

Still, at least you didn't lose to Wales

[fisher]

There's talk of setting up a tournament for the worst UEFA nations.

A tournament Scotland could have a chance of winning?

[Alf-Inge of Fudge]

I know I'm in the minority here but I love seeing the minnows play. I spent Saturday afternoon watching Brunei beat East-Timor 2-1. The joy in letting the tiny nations take part is when they win games. I watched Liechtenstein beat Lithuania in a qualifier last year; the Lithuania manager resigned out of shame straight afterwards but it meant so much to the Liechtenstein players.

There's talk of setting up a tournament for the worst UEFA nations if, as seems likely, Gibralter get full admission to FIFA next year. I'd actually be tempted to go to a tournament like that. Football is important to smaller countries. Have you ever wondered why every country wants a football team? I mean, it's obvious even to people from Bhutan that they're never going to get to the World Cup. But it's still important to them that they compete at all. It cements their identity as a nation. To suggest that countries like San Marino shouldn't get to take part has a hint of arrogance to it in my mind. I think you're still sore that they knackered your chances of getting to USA '94!

Still, at least you didn't lose to Wales

Depends on the quality/effort put in, but I do enjoy watching smaller/lower league teams. If they'd get decent keepers women's football would be alright too, but I just can't be doing with seeing their flaps in the air when they try and claim the ball.

[McLeftfoot]

5-0 was a disgrace. We were playing against a bunch of amateur footballers, apart from one of their defenders who plays for Rimini in Serie Sodding D!

If we cant put at least 8 past a team like this then we have no hope of being World Champions. Yes, we can all argue that it was a weakend squad but I believe all of our players play in an English league called the Premier League?

I expected us to destroy San Marino and show some enthusiasm. Not mope around thinking a goal will come at somepoint anyway!

[Alf-Inge of Fudge]

I expected us to destroy San Marino and show some enthusiasm. Not mope around thinking a goal will come at somepoint anyway!

That's a good summary of how I felt too. Part of me really wishes we'd not have been given a peno to get a truer reflection on the team - it's as if we've players who are convinced in their own heads that without set-peices we can't score.

[PynchonForest]

A tournament England could have a chance of winning?

There, fixed.

[Windows]

There, fixed.

Very impressive result for Canada today in Honduras, was it only the 7 goals they lost by this time?

[Caveman Ninja]

A tournament Scotland could have a chance of winning?

Low blow! No need!

[Psycho's Dragon]

A tournament Wales could have a chance of winning?

Cheeky!

Not without Gareth Bale though

Back to earth on a terrible surface tonight!

Wonder if Serbia were banned what effect it would have on our group - nullify our tonking out there?

Wishfull thinking on both parts there