Adam Lallana

[G Richards]

International friendlies should only be allowed in the two or three weeks before a major tournament.

 

The qualifying games for the tournaments could be played in one two week break, and at the end of the season.

 

Having three fucking international breaks before Christmas is fucking ridiculous.

Exactly. Reform is urgently needed. I'm not sure exactly how authority in the game works, but it seems to me that money will be the determining factor. If that's the case then the riches of the Premier League, combined with the other major leagues, should mean that in a battle with FIFA they will prevail.

 

International football used to be the pinnacle. Those days are long gone. Occasionally the international calendar throws up a top game - Argentina v Brazil the other day; or the latter stages of most tournaments; but for the most part, the large bulk of international football is unexciting to say the least.

 

Time for the clubs to exert more authority.

 

I would like to see international football tacked onto the end of the domestic season. Shorten the amount of qualifying games too. Make the minnows battle it out among themselves before having a crack at the big boys. Eliminate the sort of nonsense we just saw like Germany v San Marino. Each summer there would be international football. Qualifying games one year and then tournament football the next. But the qualifying games would also be like a mini tournament in their own right. But less of them.

 

It shouldn't be too difficult. FIFA have got their noses in the trough like everyone else. But it's all wrong. They should be the ones who have the genuine, old school, Corinthian spirit. They should guard that sort of ethos and keep the game in touch with its roots from yesteryear. Instead they are trying to out-sleek the likes of the Premier League and it really doesn't work. We get too many crap games, and the load on the players is too great.

 

It's time for the clubs to take a stand and sort this out.

[an tha]

So this international shite has fucked Coutinho as well then...at hospital yesterday having scans it seems

[SasaS]

So, in essence, fuck everybody outside the five or six richest leagues and the rest of the world where internationals are usually the only chance to watch good football since the reach have bought everybody. Everything for us as we have money,  and what trickles down to the rest, you can have it.

[Jairzinho]

So, in essence, fuck everybody outside the five or six richest leagues and the rest of the world where internationals are usually the only chance to watch good football since the reach have bought everybody. Everything for us as we have money,  and what trickles down to the rest, you can have it.

 

Why would it be a bad thing for International football?

 

It would be significantly better for International managers. Rather than having the team once every month or two for a few days, they'd have a period of a couple of weeks where they would have several training sessions and games to work with their teams.

 

It would be a considerably better spectacle as well. At the moment the vast majority of International football is fucking awful.

[SasaS]

Most of world's football is awful, compared to the richest leagues, where all the money and quality is concentrated. There are ways to reform international football (which I barely follow any more btw) but it is an important driver of popularity of the sport around the world and having a big (home) match every so often is crucial for keeping fans interested. How would you play 6 or 7 qualifiers and 2 to 3 friendlies over a 1 to 2 week break?

[mgw100]

Maybe the should hold qualifying groups exclusively in the summer preceding the tournaments...I.e 12 months before

[Jairzinho]

Most of world's football is awful, compared to the richest leagues, where all the money and quality is concentrated. There are ways to reform international football (which I barely follow any more btw) but it is an important driver of popularity of the sport around the world and having a big (home) match every so often is crucial for keeping fans interested. How would you play 6 or 7 qualifiers and 2 to 3 friendlies over a 1 to 2 week break?

 

You wouldn't. Why have you suggested that you would need to?

 

For Russia they could have had - 3/4 qualifiers in a two week break in Nov 16, same again May 17 after the season has finished, same again Nov 17, then a couple of friendlies June 18 just before the tournament.

[SasaS]

But don't we already have essentially 3 2-week breaks? You would just consolidate them in what is in many countries borderline winter weather (late November early December).

[Jairzinho]

But don't we already have essentially 3 2-week breaks? You would just consolidate them in what is in many countries borderline winter weather (late November early December).

 

I mean two Saturdays where there isn't club football. So within a three week period (obviously not playing in the first few days or the last few). So they'd play an international game every three or four days. At the moment we have two week periods where they usually play one friendly and one proper game.

 

Have it in early November then, or late October. Who cares? Just stop having so many international breaks to play one game of football that means anything.

[SasaS]

Oh, they are going to change something, don't you worry, but it will probably be even worse.

[mgw100]

Ultimately Lallana is injury prone. That's the main reason he's injured. He could have just as easily done it a training session. Little point in whinging about it.

[stringvest]

Ultimately Lallana is injury prone. That's the main reason he's injured. He could have just as easily done it a training session. Little point in whinging about it.

 

 

There's no arguing with logic like that.

[mgw100]

There's no arguing with logic like that.

Thanks. I appreciate that.

 

If it was the case that he'd been mismanaged by England, then I can see the point. I don't think anyone is suggesting that.

 

By all accounts, it's the same injury as he suffered for us early in the game against Swansea. One of those things and more likely to happen to him than other players based on his injury record, for us anyway.

[G Richards]

In the FA Cup the big boys don't come in until the third round. All the other teams are fighting it out in various qualifiers before then, even to get to the first round proper. The prize for doing well is to hopefully get a tie against one of the big boys as that becomes a real filip for the whole club, and even a point of interest to non-football fans, or casual fans in the town.

 

International football should have the same sort of mechanism to reduce the amount of games. With less games you could have qualifying tacked on at the end of the season, so it's like a mini-tournament - which would also serve to add interest to the qualifying games. The following year would be the actual tournament. Rinse and repeat.

 

Leave the main season alone for club football and add a winter break, both for the benefit of the second half of the season, and also for the summer international football.

[Barnesey]

I question the arguments for a mid-season break. It is all about the number of games played at the end of the day; if you miss a couple of satdees in January you extend the season towards June. Then we will bemoan the lack of a summer break. The only option is to cut the number of fixtures.

 

Or, The Barnesey solution. Every industry gives its workers an amount of holiday each year. Footballers cram a lot of work into their year but, rather than give them all a break at the same time, why not insist every squad player has to take a compulsory 2 week break at some time between (say) November and March? During that time he is not allowed at the training facility and cannot play.

 

This would mean the "mid-season break" can be taken by individual players at a time that suits their fitness and fatigue levels rather than a "one size fits all" approach. This is likely to mean fresher players and, more importantly, the PL has a fixture every week.

 

There would have to be controls and safeguards but this seems to tick all the boxes for players, fans and TV.

 

I, of course, will take a small fee from the Sky/BT deal for coming up with the idea.

[Bjornebye]

I question the arguments for a mid-season break. It is all about the number of games played at the end of the day; if you miss a couple of satdees in January you extend the season towards June. Then we will bemoan the lack of a summer break. The only option is to cut the number of fixtures.

 

Or, The Barnesey solution. Every industry gives its workers an amount of holiday each year. Footballers cram a lot of work into their year but, rather than give them all a break at the same time, why not insist every squad player has to take a compulsory 2 week break at some time between (say) November and March? During that time he is not allowed at the training facility and cannot play.

 

This would mean the "mid-season break" can be taken by individual players at a time that suits their fitness and fatigue levels rather than a "one size fits all" approach. This is likely to mean fresher players and, more importantly, the PL has a fixture every week.

 

There would have to be controls and safeguards but this seems to tick all the boxes for players, fans and TV.

 

I, of course, will take a small fee from the Sky/BT deal for coming up with the idea.

What a fucking ridiculous idea. Jesus wept.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

As has been suggested gib the meaningless money making international friendlies and problem solved.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

As has been suggested gib the meaningless money making international friendlies and problem solved.

There may have once been a point to friendlies - to try new players, tactics, etc. before the serious business of competitive qualifiers.  However, since the break-up of the USSR and Yugoslavia, there are so many shit countries, that most qualifying matches aren't competitive in any real sense, anyway.  So if you want to blood some new players, do it against Andorra or Gibraltar.

 

Friendlies are shit.

[Paco]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-duo-adam-lallana-jordan-9295603

 

 

Love the bit at the end where the dancer is slagging off Lallana.

[Paulie Dangerously]

He probably injured himself slipping on strippers fanny excretions because they were so excited looking at him and Hendo

[SammyAftershave]

I'm so personally offended at their behaviour I'm calling for both of them to be removed from the England set up....along with Sturridge and Clyne too.

[Paco]

I'm so personally offended at their behaviour I'm calling for both of them to be removed from the England set up....along with Sturridge and Clyne too.

Can't really blame England, Lallana is never out of the place the arrogant, tight, shit cunt

[Dr Nowt]

BET SHE SHOWED HIM HER CRUYFF TURN.

[Carvalho Diablo]

I'm so personally offended at their behaviour I'm calling for both of them to be removed from the England set up....along with Sturridge and Clyne too.

And Firmino, Coutinho and Mane.

 

Mignolet gets a pass.

[Paulie Dangerously]

BET SHE SHOWED HIM HER CRUYFF TURN.

HE HIGH PRESSED HER IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN