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    Er, yeah, that video nails it.

    One of the selling points to the lower-ranked nations was that it gives them a route to qualification from playing matches against other lower-ranked nations, i.e. win your D-group then win the D-League playoffs and you're there, irrespective of how badly you get on in the EC2020 qualifiers.
    Last edited by Kevin S; 24-01-2018, 16:41.

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      I get it now, I hadn't realised that this wasn't the whole qualification process. Thanks

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        Cool. So, looking back at League D:

        D1 = Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra
        D2 = Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino
        D3 = Azerbaijan, Faroes, Malta, Kosovo
        D4 = Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar

        It's got to be Macedonia on paper, hasn't it? They got some half-decent results in the World Cup qualifiers last year.

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          I was going to post the Alan Partridge Soccermeter video, but I see that the connection has already been made.

          I looked at the schedule--it runs from early September to November 2018. It's pretty complicated right now, but I think that people will like having the group games in such a tight window so it doesn't feel like a drawn out exercise.

          I don't really see what the motivation is for the teams at the very top to try to win it is, since they still need to qualify for the Euros through the traditional means.

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            And in a further example of the attempt to drain the life out of international football, not a single Saturday among Wales fixtures;

            Thursday, 6 September: Republic of Ireland (h)

            Sunday 9, September: Denmark (a)

            Tuesday, 16 October: Republic of Ireland (a)

            Friday, 16 November: Denmark (h)

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              It's purely a vanity competition for the top tier if you assume they have no risk of finishing below 2nd in a traditional group.

              The material incentive is whatever TV money they get from the semis and final next Summer, and I think they can also protect their top seeding in the group draw (as there are only 10 groups but 12 teams in Tier A, thus in theory 12 teams are chasing 10 places in the top pot).

              In some ways, fear of failure might be greater than incentive. If you get relegated from the top tier, you risk losing top seeding in the WC 2022 and Euro 2024 draws.

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                At least this time O'Neill will get a point for drawing in 0-0 Denmark.

                Maybe the match in November was practise for the Nations League.

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                  AP may well get his wish of a glamor friendly against his hero, Messiah Mike. Both Irish sides have a free date in the 2nd matchday in September. As do 7 other European teams, but we've played all of them bar England in competitive games since WC 2014 qualifying.

                  It's likely to be 'closed' though (like the one in 2014) to avoid public disorder. And because the facilities at that golf club by the M50 allow players to move from breakfast to links to training pitch without any demanding need to fully dress or board a bus like they would in BT.

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                    I'll tell you what, all this is a big pile of shite, isn't it?

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                      Originally posted by Kevin S View Post
                      However, you of course have to exclude teams who have made it as one of the 20 already-qualified teams. Which will account for all or nearly all of League A as well as some teams from the other Leagues.
                      On behalf of the Netherlands, I thank you for including us in your post by the addition of the word "nearly".

                      So teams who didn't win their group can be shunted up these playoff brackets to be given a shot at qualification. And we are guaranteed at least one League D team will qualify via this route.
                      ...unless at least thirteen League D teams already qualify via the other route. In that case, the League D playoffs will contain at least one team from another League, which may cause no League D team to qualify via this route.

                      This is extremely unlikely, of course.

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                        Ireland fans have more than enough mediocrity right now, without indulging the North, who're even duller than us.

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                          Originally posted by Toby Gymshorts View Post
                          I'll tell you what, all this is a big pile of shite, isn't it?
                          Quite.

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                            Is it basically all a big front to try and get Het Elftal into the actual Euros?

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                              Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post
                              And in a further example of the attempt to drain the life out of international football, not a single Saturday among Wales fixtures;

                              Thursday, 6 September: Republic of Ireland (h)

                              Sunday 9, September: Denmark (a)

                              Tuesday, 16 October: Republic of Ireland (a)

                              Friday, 16 November: Denmark (h)
                              No matches for me, again.

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                                One of Scotland's home games is on a Monday night. FFS.

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                                  Originally posted by blameless View Post
                                  One of Scotland's home games is on a Monday night. FFS.
                                  Yeah, it will clash with Garnock Way.

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                                    Originally posted by Kevin S View Post
                                    Cool. So, looking back at League D:

                                    D1 = Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra
                                    D2 = Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino
                                    D3 = Azerbaijan, Faroes, Malta, Kosovo
                                    D4 = Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar

                                    It's got to be Macedonia on paper, hasn't it? They got some half-decent results in the World Cup qualifiers last year.
                                    I'd have given Azerbaijan a shot (having picked up 10 points in World Cup qualifying) but they've got a more challenging group.

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                                      I would say that the Nations League fixture I am most looking forward to is Luxembourg - San Marino.

                                      I'm serious. I might even pop up to Luxembourg to watch it.

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                                        I'm not looking forward to the humiliation of family members saying. "Ian, what the fuck is this European Nations League business?" And I won't be able to tell them because I haven't got a fucking clue and I'm not interested in finding a clue, and they're going to go, "Whaaaat? You always know this shit. It's the only shit you know." My one area of expertise, and now my reputation will be crushed.

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                                          Rather like Scotland, then

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                                            Jesus, I didn't realise that James McCarthy had broken his leg as well. And that Robbie Brady did his knee in.

                                            Coleman, McCarthy, Brady.

                                            Arguably the three best players in the side.

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                                              Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                              Rather like Scotland, then
                                              Fuckssakes, Ursus. Mate. Please.

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                                                Originally posted by Gerontophile View Post
                                                Yeah, it will clash with Garnock Way.
                                                Garnock Way. Good god. Programmes recessed so far back in the memory I wondered if I'd actually dreamed them. Garnock Way, Pipkins and John Robertson scoring endless penalties against Israel at Hampden.

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                                                  This League of Nations will never work. Italy versus Abyssinia, who's going to watch that?

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                                                    Originally posted by Sean of the Shed View Post
                                                    What the fuck is this? I have never heard of this before. I bet the top European club side just fucking love this idea.
                                                    Same. Is this instead of Euro qualification?

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