International minnow farce, make them play each other?

[Bert]

So when San Marino get knocked out straight away what do they do for two years when everyone else is playing the main qualifiers?

Carry on with their Full time jobs?

[Zingari]

I  sort of agree and was thinking along the same lines a few years ago.

But I think it's probably best to leave things as they especially as the political map of the world  seems to change  .  How many new nations have come out of the former eastern bloc ? How would it be decided which were worthy to enter without historical judgement.

I doubt the inclusion of a few minnows makes much difference to the international diary , and probably gives some of the better teams a chance to try out new players /formations etc that they wouldn't normally risk.

[Manwell Pablo]

I've not devised a whole perfect way of doing it yet

 

I'd be bringing one or two up and sending one or two down each major tournament, would probably have to decide the teams 'relegated' in the same way we decide 'best second place' now. A league table of all the bottom sides and the two worst go.

 

It's done on FIFA ranking in the other confederations which would probably be the only way to do it.

[purpleronnie]

While we are about farcical subjects in International football I'd like to raise this one again.

 

Some nations are not fit to be playing the top sides, its annoying, uncompetitive, rips fans off and is generally looked upon as wrong. Also losing 5,6,7-0 every week does not aid development.

 

San Marino simply shouldn't be allowed to play in any International competition. 8 games, 8 lost, scored 0 conceded nearly 50, in a group as shit as ours as well. It's humiliating and wouldn't happen in any other sport if a team or individual was that far below the rest of the field.

 

So let's dump all these teams at the bottom in a pre group to be played next time around, shorten the other groups by one, saves two fixtures a season to create space in the calender while this lot battle it out against each other. The winner can try and qualify next time around and the next most hopeless teams drops into the minor tournament.

 

So it's (as it stands)

 

Liechenstein

Azerbaijan

Cyprus

Andorra

Faroe Islands

Malta

Belarus

San Marino

Wales

 

These lot have their own group while the rest of Europe plays and the winner of that comes back in for 2018 World Cup qualifying.

 

Thoughts?

Its something I've always thought should happen, but won't.

[Zingari]

Its something I've always thought should happen, but won't.

Sounds like my sex life 

[brockmyster]

Bet you cant wait to have Gibraltar in the next Euros qualifiers then.

[Guest MattP]

Bet you cant wait to have Gibraltar in the next Euros qualifiers then.

 

Not at all, that's potentially the best away trip in Europe, they'll need a 100,000 stadium for a game v England

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

San Marino holding Moldova at half-time!

[Jordan]

Or this:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/10/uefa-internationals-nations-league-friendlies

[Aus Fox]

So when San Marino get knocked out straight away what do they do for two years when everyone else is playing the main qualifiers?

Start pre qualifying for the Euros?

[davieG]

How long will it be before we're considered minnows as 'new' countries progress with their large populations and growing interest coupled with our drive to fill our leagues with the best and not so good foreigners it seems inevitable we'll fall further behind maybe not to minnow level but..........

[OzFox]

The Aussies are rapidly heading for minnow status. They've conceded 19 in the last four matches including two 6-0 defeats in a row,

 

They're so worried about being an embarrassment at the next world cup they've sacked the manager and have approached Hiddink again

[Guest Bilo]

There's a reason you'll never see Tre Fiori or Airbus UK strutting their stuff in a Champions League group tie at the Nou Camp.

 

If there are pre-qualifiers in Asia and Africa, confederations with less quality than Europe with all due respect, I see no reason why this shouldn't be extended to here.

 

Every other sport has qualifiers to some extent, you don't see fat blokes from Equatorial Guinea and Micronesia up against Usain Bolt in the Olympics. It might not be the charitable or kind view but it's the most efficient one.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

I'm not biting.

 

 

As soon as I saw Wales in there I thought you would be on to it.

[Jordan]

I don't really like the UEFA qualification format and I would agree that having San Marino pick the ball out of their net 46 times cheapens things.

 

A simple way to weed out some minnows would be to have the 12 teams with the lowest FIFA World Rankings points be paired into 6 two-leg ties, which would whittle the field down to 48 teams. I know, I know, FIFA rankings... but to be fair, those teams would be Gibraltar, San Marino, Andorra, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Malta, Cyprus, Kazhakstan, Moldova, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Lithuania. If any six of those teams didn't make the main phase of qualifying, I don't think we would miss them.

 

(An alternative method would be to place the teams in 3 groups of 4, playing home and away or 3 games in a week hosted by the group's top seed).

 

With 48 teams left, draw the teams into 8 groups of 6, playing home and away, similar to how it is now. The group winners qualify along with the 2 top 2nd-place teams, and the other 6 2nd-place teams playing a 2-leg playoff for the remaining 3 berths. If UEFA gets another half or whole berth for 2018, then the top 4 2nd-place teams qualify, and the other four play off.

 

[Dylan]

Take it I'm the only one who doesn't mind it the way it is now?

 

Gives these 'minnow' countries a chance to play against top countries, and players representing them a once in a lifetime opportunity... don't get it when people say it must be 'embarrassing' for San Marino/Andorra etc and their players losing 6-0 every game, they still get to represent their country, and I'm sure most of us would kill to play at Wembley against some of the best players in the world!

[reynard]

While we are about farcical subjects in International football I'd like to raise this one again.

 

Some nations are not fit to be playing the top sides, its annoying, uncompetitive, rips fans off and is generally looked upon as wrong. Also losing 5,6,7-0 every week does not aid development.

 

San Marino simply shouldn't be allowed to play in any International competition. 8 games, 8 lost, scored 0 conceded nearly 50, in a group as shit as ours as well. It's humiliating and wouldn't happen in any other sport if a team or individual was that far below the rest of the field.

 

So let's dump all these teams at the bottom in a pre group to be played next time around, shorten the other groups by one, saves two fixtures a season to create space in the calender while this lot battle it out against each other. The winner can try and qualify next time around and the next most hopeless teams drops into the minor tournament.

 

So it's (as it stands)

 

Liechenstein

Azerbaijan

Cyprus

Andorra

Faroe Islands

Malta

Belarus

San Marino

Wales

 

These lot have their own group while the rest of Europe plays and the winner of that comes back in for 2018 World Cup qualifying.

 

Thoughts?

 

I completely agree with this and in fact would go even further.

I would reduce the final qualifying groups to just four teams in each and have the whole thing played out at the end of the season before the world cup over the summer period. This would both eliminate all the completely pointless matches which take place and also get rid of a number of the really irritating international breaks.

 

Pre qualifying works in other zones and it is about time it was done in Europe. You could use current fifa rankings or just take the worst twenty or so sides from the current qualifying tournament and make them play in pre qualifying with the top sides going through to the main qualifying groups. That would mean that even teams as "big" as Hungary, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland etc would have to pre-qualify but so be it.

[Manwell Pablo]

Take it I'm the only one who doesn't mind it the way it is now?

 

Gives these 'minnow' countries a chance to play against top countries, and players representing them a once in a lifetime opportunity... don't get it when people say it must be 'embarrassing' for San Marino/Andorra etc and their players losing 6-0 every game, they still get to represent their country, and I'm sure most of us would kill to play at Wembley against some of the best players in the world!

 

 

How nice for them, you seem to be forgetting one very important thing though, much as I would love to play against the England side at Wembley I wont get to, because I'm not good enough, and I don't see why being born in a small microstate in Italy should entitle you to jet set round Europe playing quality international sides losing close to double figures every game. Every other confederation apart from South America, and that's purely down to the fact that they don't have that many countries and the ones they do have are all capable of competing against each other, has more than one qualifying stage I don't see why we shouldn't follow suit.

 

If you can cut 2 games out for every international nation in world cup qualifying you can do away with one of the international periods during the season which help with this "fixture congestion" every man and his wife has been moaning about for years, to the extent where we now need to play international games on Friday nights and Tuesday nights to give an "extra day" recovery. Just a simple qualifying round to knock 5 or 6 of them out would be perfect, it's not even denying these countries the chance to play in the World Cup they are doing so just at a earlier stage, and they still can qualify if they go out and win the qualifying stage.

[RonnieTodger]

I completely agree with this and in fact would go even further.

I would reduce the final qualifying groups to just four teams in each and have the whole thing played out at the end of the season before the world cup over the summer period. This would both eliminate all the completely pointless matches which take place and also get rid of a number of the really irritating international breaks.

 

Pre qualifying works in other zones and it is about time it was done in Europe. You could use current fifa rankings or just take the worst twenty or so sides from the current qualifying tournament and make them play in pre qualifying with the top sides going through to the main qualifying groups. That would mean that even teams as "big" as Hungary, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland etc would have to pre-qualify but so be it.

 

The way they're going at the minute, they should be dumped with the minnows

[Guest MattP]

How nice for them, you seem to be forgetting one very important thing though, much as I would love to play against the England side at Wembley I wont get to, because I'm not good enough, and I don't see why being born in a small microstate in Italy should entitle you to jet set round Europe playing quality international sides losing close to double figures every game. Every other confederation apart from South America, and that's purely down to the fact that they don't have that many countries and the ones they do have are all capable of competing against each other, has more than one qualifying stage I don't see why we shouldn't follow suit.

 

Absolutely spot on.

[The Blur]

This will never happen because any president who present this idea will lose votes from smaller nations.

[Donut]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJbICivJf2w

 

On the subject of minnows, just thought id post San Marino's one and only goal from the qualifying group, and the jubilant celebrations that followed.

 

Quality delivery and header!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A threat from set pieces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Captain...]

Would this apply to Euros qualification as well or just World Cups?

 

I agree in principle, ad think there should be a minnows World cup tournament, or even a semi pro world cup for these countries give them the something to fight for, as well as a chance to get into the big boys draw.

[Super_horns]

It must be a bit dis-heartening for these nations to get hammered so often but then I suppose the part-time players just see it as a dream to play against such top players they see on the TV each week!

 

They'd probably enjoy winning a game or two as well in a mini group.

[Aus Fox]

My idea is that the bottom 16 ranked European nations are pooled in two 2 groups of 8 with the top 4 in each group playing off for 4 spots in World Cup and euro qualifying meaning instead of 48 teams we have 36 and 6 equal groups of 6 teams. With 12 teams qualifying for the World Cup and 24 for the euros.

The top team in group a plays the 4th team in group B 2nd v 3rd and vice versa over two legs. Giving the smaller nations lots of game time in games they could win.

To offset the problem of not playing the big nations every 4 years the top 16 are required to play one friendly against one of the minnows at home, giving the sides still a chance to play at Against the big guns.

For the top sides these could be a great chance to experiment and have a look at fringe players.

I haven't got all the details worked out but seriously think this keeps everyone happy, even the French who were complaint about less games in their group meaning less ranking points. Every team has an opportunity to qualify.

Plus because the lower teams will win some games their ranking would improve meaning it wouldn't always be the same 16.