England

[Franny DelMucho]

Things is, any player called up fir England duty is unlikely to be playing against Brazil and Argentina though, and least of all in any kind of competitive game! Maybe every 6-8 years they'll get a match of that magnitude that actually means something. WOO!

They're much more likely to be involved in a pointless friendly against some no-mark part timers or have a role in a qualfying game against a team with players in it no better than what they face on a weekly basis in their own league and on their own training ground.

So they learn nothing, risk injury, have their regular training methods disrupted, and as is the case THIS WEEK, it throws a massive unwelcome fucking spanner in to the momentum that we've just worked so hard to build over the last few games!

 

So it doesn't benefit the players as players, and so it certainly doesn't benefit us. And as "us" is my main priority I see no point in it.

 

20 years+ ago I could genuinly see the benefit in players getting international experience, as they'd be sent to play against and with great international players who they would learn a lot from. Different coaching techniques and a more cosmopolitan approach to games But these days there are better players in their own squads in most instances, and they play against the same or better players on a weekly basis and they experience top international coaches on a sometimes daily basis!

 

I know what you say about the players "wanting to play" as well. But all that is just for their fucking egos. It's not benefitting them as players and they're kidding themselves if they think it is. And so are you.

 

Good response that, yet more things i failed to consider when weighing up my argument. I dunno, i think having Liverpool player's in the England squad is good because it means you have produced home grown talent of a high quality but i understand your dislike of the international game because of the risk of injury. The thing is, can different training regime's really have that a big impact on a player's ability to stay fit? Surely no coach is going to select training method's that will bring a greater risk of injury? That would be insane. How do you know the difference between the training method's of say RB and FC? I don't see how you could know that much about what goes on and the effect's various method's have on player's. A pro can get injured at anytime in the season, be it playing for club or country.

[Gerschenkron]

"Great artists have no country" as Alfred de Musset once said. It should be a badge of honour to care the least amount about the outcome of national teams - especially England whose fans tend toward the cretinous. I'd rather win a throw-in in a friendly whilst 1-4 down in the last minute than England win the world cup. Beat that!

[WaltonRed]

I'm not arsed about them one bit, the new shirt is pretty nice though.

[Tom R]

Good response that, yet more things i failed to consider when weighing up my argument. I dunno, i think having Liverpool player's in the England squad is good because it means you have produced home grown talent of a high quality but i understand your dislike of the international game because of the risk of injury. The thing is, can different training regime's really have that a big impact on a player's ability to stay fit? Surely no coach is going to select training method's that will bring a greater risk of injury? That would be insane. How do you know the difference between the training method's of say RB and FC? I don't see how you could know that much about what goes on and the effect's various method's have on player's. A pro can get injured at anytime in the season, be it playing for club or country.

 

I don't think any coach ever sets out to use a training regime that would injure! But as was mentioned earlier in the thread, at the very highest level the slightest change to your regime can have a bad effect on your body.

 

 

Some coaches will place more emphasis on cardio, more running or sprinting perhaps, causing more strain on hamstrings, ankles and knees.

Or there may be more twisting and agility than what you're used to, which could lead to strain on your lower back or hips etc.

 

It's a really big factor as it's the main part of a player's life. The bit we see is only a tiny fraction of what a player does physically and a change of that very strict routine is major factor in why players may pick up injuries when on internationals but not when at their clubs.

 

As I also said earlier in the thread - look at Torres. In the last 4 times he's been away with Spain he's picked up muscular injuries on no fewer than 3 occasions.

 

That is not a coincidence.