Our system detected that your browser is blocking advertisements on our site. Please help support FoxesTalk by disabling any kind of ad blocker while browsing this site. Thank you.
Jump to content
Koke

San Marino

By Koke, in General Football and Sport

Recommended Posts

Dan

Dan

Posted
Posted

It's just stupid now.

My uncle came up with an idea a couple of months ago, thinking of sides like San Marino and Liechtenstein.

Basically, he'd make divisions, start it off with the top 6 European sides (Fifa rankings based, as daft as they are) in Division One, the next 6 in Division Two and work the way down until you get to say Division 8/9 where you've got the likes of San Marino playing other crap sides.

Say every 5 games (just one game against teams, luck of the draw if you get more homes than away or not) you could relegate the bottom side in every league and promote the top.

You could also say whoever's in the top two divisions by the time a major tournament like the Euro's/WC comes along, all sides in divisions one and two qualify and if Europe have 13 entries, then top of D3 can enter too.

It may seem a daft idea but I quite liked it if I'm honest, a more even playing field and it saves sides like San Marino the embarrassment (although even against the likes of Malta etc.. they'd probably do poorly, just not AS poor). It would also give more accurate Fifa world rankings and far more interest in qualifiers.

Thoughts on that?

The Doctor

The Doctor

Posted
Posted

So only the best are allowed the slightest chance at playing in a major finals? **** that.

The group stage works fine(ish) at the moment, with everyone having a chance to play at a major finals. If you change anything then just throw in some pre-qualifying for a certain number of the "worst" teams, then some qualify and go into remaining slots for the groups.

shen

shen

Posted
Posted

It's just stupid now.

My uncle came up with an idea a couple of months ago, thinking of sides like San Marino and Liechtenstein.

Basically, he'd make divisions, start it off with the top 6 European sides (Fifa rankings based, as daft as they are) in Division One, the next 6 in Division Two and work the way down until you get to say Division 8/9 where you've got the likes of San Marino playing other crap sides.

Say every 5 games (just one game against teams, luck of the draw if you get more homes than away or not) you could relegate the bottom side in every league and promote the top.

You could also say whoever's in the top two divisions by the time a major tournament like the Euro's/WC comes along, all sides in divisions one and two qualify and if Europe have 13 entries, then top of D3 can enter too.

It may seem a daft idea but I quite liked it if I'm honest, a more even playing field and it saves sides like San Marino the embarrassment (although even against the likes of Malta etc.. they'd probably do poorly, just not AS poor). It would also give more accurate Fifa world rankings and far more interest in qualifiers.

Thoughts on that?

So basically something like the Champions League format with coefficient and umpteen qualifying rounds with the big and rich getting byes, yeah that sounds fair. The minnows today are nowhere near as crap as they were 15-20 years ago. No-one fancies an away tie against Iceland, Faroes or Estonia these days. Even Malta and Luxembourg regularly escape with narrow defeats. Look at how Bosnia nearly qualified ahead of France, how Armenia nearly got into the play-offs and how Estonia and Montenegro actually made it! Long live the minnows I say, and may this format continue as it is. It's already bad enough that they seed for the groups and for the playoffs (bewildering that!!)

Finnegan

Finnegan

Posted
Posted

Given that it's safe to say they're not close to actually qualifying for a major championship, I'd like to see some of the micro nations form an annual or bi-annual competition of their own. No qualifying, maybe eight or so teams in a format akin to the Six Nations in rugby. More frequent competitive football on a level they can compete at could really help develop and encourage the sport in their countries and bring things along.

But I wouldn't want that to replace their chance to compete as they currently do in major qualifiers. I've had this argument on here numerous times before but at the end of the day, the fact that the tiniest of minnows have the chance to play the greatest of giants is exactly the point of the spirit of the competition in the first place. Qualifying for qualifying would just be absurd.

So every now and then you have an international break in which your country plays Andorra. Not the end of the world, is it?

Guest Bilo

Guest Bilo

Posted
Posted

Given that it's safe to say they're not close to actually qualifying for a major championship, I'd like to see some of the micro nations form an annual or bi-annual competition of their own. No qualifying, maybe eight or so teams in a format akin to the Six Nations in rugby. More frequent competitive football on a level they can compete at could really help develop and encourage the sport in their countries and bring things along.

But I wouldn't want that to replace their chance to compete as they currently do in major qualifiers. I've had this argument on here numerous times before but at the end of the day, the fact that the tiniest of minnows have the chance to play the greatest of giants is exactly the point of the spirit of the competition in the first place. Qualifying for qualifying would just be absurd.

So every now and then you have an international break in which your country plays Andorra. Not the end of the world, is it?

I like that idea, such teams would grow far more that way than they would by getting tonked 8-0 by Austria every time they run out. I'm sure if San Marino could grab the odd win against Liechtenstein or Luxembourg it'd do them the world of good. Similar tournaments already exist for non-FIFA affiliated teams already such as The Island Games. Personally, I'd run it concurrently with either the World Cup or European Championship.

We'll beat em 1-0 next year. Mark my words

If we put less than 10 past them over the two games, it'll be very disappointing to say the least.

They're on a whole different level of shit to Andorra.

Miquel The Work Geordie

Miquel The Work Geordie

Posted
Posted

So only the best are allowed the slightest chance at playing in a major finals? **** that.

The group stage works fine(ish) at the moment, with everyone having a chance to play at a major finals. If you change anything then just throw in some pre-qualifying for a certain number of the "worst" teams, then some qualify and go into remaining slots for the groups.

Scotland might win a game in some kind of contest for the weaker sides, though....

Heart-Shaped Fox

Heart-Shaped Fox

Posted
Posted

I think they should almost have to pre qualify to get in to the qualifying stage, as people have said playing matches against similar level teams can only help confidence etc.

On a different note, although we didnt qualify I enjoyed Euro 2008 qualifying more when there were like 8 teams in the group and top two went through, it gave us a few more 'harder' games vs the likes of Croatia, Russia and Israel.

We're hardly good, but Id rather se us playing Russia and Croatia than the teams we have been playing in the current qualifying stage.

Miquel The Work Geordie

Miquel The Work Geordie

Posted
Posted

I think they should almost have to pre qualify to get in to the qualifying stage, as people have said playing matches against similar level teams can only help confidence etc.

Why can't they do that (play each other) outside of competitive qualifying, though? Everyone deserves the dance of qualifying, regardless of ability.

Corky

Corky

Posted
Posted

Scotland might win a game in some kind of contest for the weaker sides, though....

Like in the Faroes all those years ago? :whistle:

Koke

Koke

Posted
  • Author
Posted

109 games - 1 win, 3 draws, 105 defeats

17 goals scored, 463 conceded

:(

That said, San Marino is the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world, so if anyone deserve their spot in UEFA it is them.

davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

If San Marino don't mind I don't see why we should be bothered.dunno.gif

Guest shearfox

Guest shearfox

Posted
Posted

Is it good for a nation to just get battered every time, the minnows should have to qualify for the qualifacation stage, that way at least they have a chance of picking up a few results.

ScouseFox

ScouseFox

Posted
Posted

I've always wondered why there was no UEFA Cup styled B-competition to the Euros.

Shove all the shit in a different competition, they can still try and qualify for the Euros, but when they fail, they can have a chance at glory against other nations their size etc.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...