FU, FA

[blameless]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31702679

This shit again? Seriously?

England fans aren't interested, and the other three are dead set against it. Try fucking listening for once.

[Gerontophile]

FU, FA

I am so glad I wasnt here for the Lulu thing, as it would have been tedious.

The only way I will want a unified team to play football, would be if Celtic joined up with Barcelona, and we could win important stuff (that isn't you know, parochial and shit. Bit like Airdrie really, on a BIG scale... Pass me that helmet and anderson shelter please.)

(oh, and didnt involve Barcelona. Or anyone that isn't my team. Scotland aren't my team. I can't watch them. It makes me physically ill to worry to that extent about something so unimportant as football, which I suppose makes it important. (ad infinitum, etc, insert icon for eternity here >))

When Mars get a team, and it's the World's Cup, then think about playing 9 England players and Bale and Ramsey, and see how many sweaties support them.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

FU, FA

UEFA have already scheduled a playoff between the two third-placed group teams at the U-21 championship to fill the (fourth) Olympic spot should England reach the semi-finals. I would have assumed it's up to them who goes to the Olympics. We were hosts last time.

[Janik]

FU, FA

The Men's tournament is an irrelevance, but not the Women's one. That is a major deal, and British players not having even the possibility of playing it in is a serious shame.

A lot of hot air was talked last time about how British teams playing in the Olympics would mean the end of the individual nations in other international Football. Those fears have proved completely ungrounded. Why the insistence that things are structurally consistent?

[DCI Harry Batt]

FU, FA

Why does it matter?

[Janik]

FU, FA

Why does anything?

[Janik]

FU, FA

Kim Little's answer to TonTon's question, "I don't see why anyone would want to stop a player from playing at a massive tournament like the Olympics, it's the biggest sporting event ever. If I get the opportunity I'll grab it with both hands – I would definitely play."

OK, it was an answer to a slightly different question, but the sentiment applies.

The chances of any of the men saying something similar are very limited. Simply it is not 'a massive tournament' for them, as it is within the Women's game. A Men's team as a consequence can go hang, but politics denying Women sporting opportunities yet again is not acceptable to me.

Pointless hypothetical: Would people have been more willing to support this if it had just been the Women?

Or maybe not pointless. If, by going for both, the FA end up with a situation where they get neither then they can also go in my 'politics denying Women opportunities' box.

[Ray de Galles]

FU, FA

Janik wrote: The Men's tournament is an irrelevance, but not the Women's one. That is a major deal, and British players not having even the possibility of playing it in is a serious shame.

A lot of hot air was talked last time about how British teams playing in the Olympics would mean the end of the individual nations in other international Football. Those fears have proved completely ungrounded.

I think the fears were "ungrounded" as it was seen as one-off not the permanent creation of a united GB team for every Olympics.

I'd wholeheartedly support it for the Womens team for the reasons you've already mentioned.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

FU, FA

Janik wrote:
A lot of hot air was talked last time about how British teams playing in the Olympics would mean the end of the individual nations in other international Football. Those fears have proved completely ungrounded.

Not really. We were told Team GB football was a one-off for London. Now it's not. How is that "ungrounded"? We had well grounded fears that we were being lied to.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

FU, FA

Janik wrote: A Men's team as a consequence can go hang, but politics denying Women sporting opportunities yet again is not acceptable to me.

I'm conflicted about this. On the one hand, as a fan of the Wales Women's National Team, I'd love to see the likes of Jess Fishlock and Tash Harding on the biggest stage, getting the recognition they deserve.

On the other hand, I'm a fan of the Wales Women's National Team and not of Team GB. If it jeopardises the future of a team I support, it's pretty hard to get behind.

In addition, last time Team GB was handled so poorly that politics denied women sporting opportunities anyway. I mean, if you're going to let the England manager pick the entire England team (plus Kim Little) regardless of sporting merit, what's the point in having a Team GB at all?

[Janik]

FU, FA

Little and Iffy Dieke, who started games until she got injured (which cost the team, she was playing well). Fishlock said she would reject a call-up, didn't she? Julie Fleeting certainly said that.

Plus that was the end of Hope*. She always went with the tried and tested, not neccesairly to the benefit of her sides. Players had to be wildly better than those she had worked with long-term to get a chance, and that was regardless of nationality.

* - Very fair question whether the current England manager (or indeed manager of any of the home nations) should have been in charge. Too much of a conflict of interests.

[DCI Harry Batt]

FU, FA

I meant why do people get up in arms about it. I don't understand the problem. Admittedly I'm not a fan of national stuff anyway.

[Ray de Galles]

FU, FA

TonTon wrote: I meant why do people get up in arms about it. I don't understand the problem. Admittedly I'm not a fan of national stuff anyway.

You don't understand the problem of people worrying they might lose their national side?

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

FU, FA

Janik wrote: Little and Iffy Dieke, who started games until she got injured (which cost the team, she was playing well). Fishlock said she would reject a call-up, didn't she? Julie Fleeting certainly said that.

No.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/olympics-welsh-womens-star-jessica-2040965

Julie Fleeting was the only player who publicly ruled herself out. I think her father is the SFA director of development and she was also pregnant with her second child at the time.

But the fact that the FA essentially made Team GB England-plus confirmed a lot of fears about how the other nations would be sidelined.

[DCI Harry Batt]

FU, FA

Harry Truscott wrote:

I meant why do people get up in arms about it. I don't understand the problem. Admittedly I'm not a fan of national stuff anyway.

You don't understand the problem of people worrying they might lose their national side?

Is that what they think? Ok. Seems unlikely. Would it really be "losing", though? I guess people think it would. Ok.

[Duncan Gardner]

FU, FA

gerontophile wrote: The only way I will want a unified team to play football, would be if Celtic joined up with Barcelona

B'arse-tic? Who would they play, Real Gers?

And what BLT said.

[Kevin S]

FU, FA

The 'Cel' in the middle of the name means you can merge them and just call the team Barcelona. No problem.

[Janik]

FU, FA

Dead in the water? Probably. The Women should string whichever FA Official thought including the Men's team in this was a good idea up by the balls.

[Kevin S]

FU, FA

FA scraps plans for Great Britain football teams. Teams plural.

[blameless]

FU, FA

As Janik says above, there would probably have been a women's GB team if the FA hadn't tried to shoehorn the men in too.

The whole fiasco though has been a textbook example of why the other three associations don't trust the FA as far as they could kick them.

[sw2borshch]

FU, FA

It'd be kind of nice to have a football team for my country, but I probably wouldn't bother supporting them.