Teams Who Will Be Missed?

[Satchmo Distel]

Serbia would, I feel, be better than some of the finalists. Any other absentees who would have improved the finals?

[Jimbags]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

It's not like Serbia were in the group of death, they finished below Estonia who were thrashed by the Ireland.

Bosnia were unlucky not to finish ahead of France and then drew the best team in the playoffs.

[G-Man]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Serbia stank out the place in the last two world cups. There really is no need for them to be missed.

[Bored Of Education]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

I'd like to have seen Montenegro continue their form into actually qualifying for the finals.

Wales, of course

[Purves Grundy]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

G-Man has it right. Serbia / rump Yugoslavia have an almost flawless record for stinking out every major tournament they qualify for. They're perennially a nasty, sneaky bunch of diving, spitting cheats, with it. Don't miss them at all.

For personal reasons I'm sad that Romania aren't there, even though they're so poor right now that they'd add nothing to the tournament's quality levels (and they generally never do, with one or two high profile exceptions). Just look at how craven they were in the Group of Death last time around, when a bit more adventure against a desperately poor France and a less shitly-taken penalty against Italy would have seen them through.

And no attempt for moral high ground vis-a-vis the ABE thread or anything, but I'd have loved it if Wales and/or Scotland were there.

[Duncan Gardner]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Jimbags wrote:

It's not like Serbia were in the group of death, they finished below Estonia

Depends on when you analyse- in August last year Serbia's group looked quite strong, with three 2010 finalists. Obviously less so now, with two of them having been pretty mediocre throughout.

And that's even before we get on to Ultonia. Although it should be said the Ukrainians would welcome us enthusiastically after the previous visit in qualifying for Euro 2004.

Norway are the unlucky team this time, their record in qualifying was better than six of the play-off sides and France.

[Sean of the Shed]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Montenegro spent most of the qualifying grinding out results in a very defensive formation. They were about as entertaining as Greece or Switzerland. Slovakia were good value at the World Cup, particularly against Italy. I'd rather have seen them qualify.

[blameless]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Showing my age here, but it still doesn't really feel like a proper big tournament to me unless Belgium are there - and increasingly, they seem to be missing out these days.

Norway, Scotland and Austria's absences I now take for granted, however.

[via vicaria]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Sean of the Shed wrote:

Montenegro spent most of the qualifying grinding out results in a very defensive formation. They were about as entertaining as Greece or Switzerland. Slovakia were good value at the World Cup, particularly against Italy. I'd rather have seen them qualify.

The last half hour of the Italy-Slovakia game was probably the best part of the World Cup.

Armenia seemed to be improving at a rapid rate, coming from nowhere towards the end of the group stage to seriously threaten to overhaul Ireland. They don't seem to be in the Greece-Swiss mould so it would've been nice to see them, particular as a new qualifier.

Hungary looked to be on the cusp as well, haven't seen them play though so not sure whether they'd have been a good watch.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Showing my age here, but it still doesn't really feel like a proper big tournament to me unless Belgium are there - and increasingly, they seem to be missing out these days.

It's coz they stopped fixing home qualifiers.

According to wikipedia, the people of the transdinaric alps are the tallest people in the world, with an average height of 6'1". Serbia have a team of large slabs of beef, who all look like they should be playing at centre half, with the resulting effects on their ability to play pass and move football. Consequently they have a team that seem to more resemble Stoke, without the sense of urgency, or rory delap, than the more traditional Yugoslavian teams of the past.

The tournament isn't going to miss them. We'll provide more than enough stodgy anti-football for anyone's needs.

[Logan Mountstuart]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

blameless wrote:

Showing my age here, but it still doesn't really feel like a proper big tournament to me unless Belgium are there - and increasingly, they seem to be missing out these days.

This will be the last tournament they'll miss for the next 12 years.

[The Bean Counter]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

I suspect if I wasn't Irish, I'd really be regretting that we qualified instead of Armenia.
Draw's in a few minutes, but surely we've used up all our luck for the season just qualifying?

[G-Man]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Logan Mountstuart wrote:

This will be the last tournament they'll miss for the next 12 years.

Why's that?

[Logan Mountstuart]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Golden generation time, G.

[ale]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

once it becomes a 24 team tournament threads like like this will become looked back on in pure nostalgic terms...

[The Bean Counter]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

henry wrote:

I suspect if I wasn't Irish, I'd really be regretting that we qualified instead of Armenia.
Draw's in a few minutes, but surely we've used up all our luck for the season just qualifying?

I was right.

[G-Man]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Logan Mountstuart wrote:

Golden generation time, G.

Ah yeah. That worked out well for Portugal and England.

[Jimbags]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Haven't Belgium supposedly had a "Golden generation" for the past 5 years at least?

[Kurt Bafokeng]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

One country that my nostalgic mind always wishes to qualify is Hungary. Unfortunately there are no footballing reasons for that wish at the time of speaking, and probably non-footballing ones against it.

[StephL]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

"It's coz they stopped fixing home qualifiers"

Where is that bullshit coming from??? I know Anderlecht fixed their game vs Forest in 1984 (bribing the ref) but the national team??? A bad decision in our favour in some distant game is not match fixing, unless you've got some facts to prove this ridiculous allegation.

As for our "Golden Generation", unless the players change their attitude we won't qualify for any major finals soon. We've got a very hard and even WC qualifying group in which we will do very well to get out.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

steph, belgium almost certainly fixed the home qualifier against ireland in 1981. We had an early goal ruled out for reasons that no-one can understand, and then belgium were given a host of inexplicable late freekicks. Ceulemans eventually scored from one of them.

If belgium didn't win that game, we would have gone to the 1982 world cup instead. Ireland getting a last minute penalty in the 1986 qualifier when pfaff ran nearly 20 yards to chop down frank stapleton was greeted with national disbelief.

Constant vanden stock wasn't a big man for leaving things to chance. I believe that there is a stadium named after the bent old cunt. And raymond goethals always had a stink following him whereever he went. belgian football in the early eighties was as bent as a corkscrew.

[Sam]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote:

According to wikipedia, the people of the transdinaric alps are the tallest people in the world, with an average height of 6'1".

I have just done a Google search for "transdinaric alps", and it returned this thread as the sole result. What does it mean, Berbie?

[alyxandr]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

It means your Google is broken.

[historyman]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote:

steph, belgium almost certainly fixed the home qualifier against ireland in 1981. We had an early goal ruled out for reasons that no-one can understand, and then belgium were given a host of inexplicable late freekicks. Ceulemans eventually scored from one of them.

If belgium didn't win that game, we would have gone to the 1982 world cup instead. Constant vanden stock wasn't a big man for leaving things to chance. I believe that there is a stadium named after the bent old cunt. And raymond goethals always had a stink following him whereever he went. belgian football in the early eighties was as bent as a corkscrew.

Standard Liege and Eric Gerets were also convicted of match fixing in the early '80s , IIRC, but it's a bit of a leap to go from there to suggesting that the national team were bent as well.

I mean, we're talking about Belgium here, who hadn't been at the previous two WCS, they were hardly a big country with an impressive pedigree whose presence at Spain '82 would be sorely missed. Unless getting to the final at Euro '80 somehow elevated their status.

I had a link to a good summary of the ROI's qualifying campaign for Spain '82 - including the infamous match in Brussells - but I can't get it to work for some reason.

Here's a nice photo though of a smug looking Michel Platini shaking hands with the man whose position he was going to take at Juventus - Liam Brady.

[StephL]

Teams Who Will Be Missed?

Yes Standard fixed a game vs Waterschei in 1982 to secure the title and an easy game before their Cup Winners Cup final vs Barcelona. Exactly the same as Marseille did vs Valenciennes, same circumstances.
No words about the match fixing of Barcelona v Standard then? The German ref Eschweiler was a disgrace in that game.

I was at that Belgium v Ireland game in 1981, I remember that it was played in the pourring rain. What are the evidences of match fixing there? Just asking. Belgium had a very good team back then, they came top of a group with the likes of France and the Netherlands. Don't think they had to fix the game against an Irish side who had never qualifyied for a Final back then (even if they were a very good opponent at the time). The second qualifying place was decided in the last game of the group in Paris between France and the Dutch. Anyway, if you want to believe that this game was fixed, that's your opinion and I can't do anything to change that.
There is no stadium in Belgium named after Raymond Goethals (who was active at both Standard and Marseille when the corruption cases occured so I can see your point there - and I don't disagree with it). There is a stand named after him at the Edmond Machtens Stadium in Brussels, which is now home of FC Brussels and was the home of my team RWD Molenbeek (RIP) until 2002. Goethals never managed any of these clubs but he lived next door and went to see his local team whenever possible. But there is no stadium named after him in this country, get your facts right please. And Goethals was not Belgium's coach for that Ireland game, it was the late Guy Thys, since 1976, 5 years before that game you are refering too.