2012 Team GB

leftbehind

I see the highlights of Scotlands game and noticed a huge banner no team GB

You for it or against ?


Clearly some Scots are against, not just the SFA who say they will slip down the rankings fans as well, wonder if its anti GB thing or due to the slippage?

Goonerhater

really dont mind as such let them throw their toys out their pram . Its the London Olympics, we should take no notice of some gingers in skirts in a far off place.

BlackForestReds

Britain is hosting the Olympics and it'll look a bit daft if we can't raise a team to compete in what is supposed to be our national sport. If the various FAs from Scotland etc won't support a united GB team then it makes them look small minded and parochial. The Olympic GB team is supposed to be above nationality and politics.

scruffle

didn't mr Blatter already say FIFA wouldn't mind if it was just England entered and not a 'TEAM GB', and it wouldn't effect world rankings

so why the hell are we bothered if the scots/irish/welsh don't want in?? what are they worried that none non english would get in??

sayin that I'd take a few of the young welsh lads in the squad (esp if they carry on improvin the way they have)

LenGlover

Prospective players should be asked whether or not they sing the National Anthem.

If not then they don't play....

Henry and I might get a game:-)

cfgs

I personally feel that only sports where an olympic gold is the pinnacle should be allowed. So there should be no football, tennis, cricket (2000) and the new possibility golf.

Having said that I very much want a team GB to enter and then pull out all the stops to win a medal, any medal and shove it back up the noses of those bitter sweaties and their equally inbred celtic brothers.

It would be amazing if the all English GB team won gold without the help of our fellow British islanders.

C_f_W

A pal of mine is a Rangers supporter and since I've known him I've learnt a lot about the Scottish psyche. The split in Scotland is quite amazing, the auld firm thing kind of typifies it all - the celts couldn't wish the English and all things British further, they see their allegiance very much with Ireland. The 'blue half' on the other hand are very much pro-GB and the monarch.

All we tend to hear is that Scots are anti English and therefore anti GB (the stuff surrounding Andy Murray hasn't helped in recent times) but this isn't completely true. I think you tend to hear and see more from the anti-GB Scots, not sure whether that's a reflection of the % split or just the media but I'm sure it's not the way the whole of Scotland feels.

razil

let all the home nations enter, then any medals they win go to team GB simple, and frankly would anyone really give a flying wotsit?

bingaddick

I think the perfect solution, if the Scots/Welsh/NI don't want to take part is to get the Olympic Commitee to agree that the Team GB team will be called England (representing GB). So no Scots/Welsh/NI FA's have to send a team only the English FA. This surely has to be the way forward?

Edit - Now having seen Scruffles comment from Splatter, this seems even more the way it should go.

MrOneLung

As if what is basically an under 23 tournament would affect the rankings anyway.
We should just ask all the pros in each of the nations if they are available for selection.
If they say yes, then they are considered, if they say no, then so be it.

Chunes

My understanding is that England are entitled to enter a purely English team under Team GB. And too right, not our fault if the jocks and paddies don't want anything to do with it.

This is basically all Sepp Blatters fault (surprise surprise) for saying that if GB did enter a football team into the olympics, he sees no reason why GB shouldn't replace the english/scottish/irish teams in other international competitions. The man is one of the biggest twats going.

Mortimerician

As any inbred bitter skirt wearing sweaty can i just say that i' d' welcome it. Reading this thread though i' d' have to say that the vitriol is pretty one way. Andy Murray, aged 19 makes a crack about wearing a Paraguay shirt two years ago and people are still crying about it. We've been the UK number one at bitter small mindedness for years so it"s nice to have some competition from you guys

Nutte11a

Im all for a Olympic footy team it might give fringe England (and Scotland if they would just F**king realise its their only oppurtunity to actually WIN something) a chance to play in a major international tournment. we have also won Gold three times before in the Olympic Football tournment 1903,1908 and 1912.

Kap10

If a joint team is not going to be allowed by the authorities, why ot have a home countries qualifying tournament?

KillersBeard

You can't really blame the Scottish, Welsh and Irish FA's for not trusting Blatter, who would?

I think it was the collective FA's who put the spanner in the works in the 70's by doing something with the status of professional and amatuer footballers so that British players could no longer be deemed as amateurs and so were ineligable for the Olympics at the time.

That may not be 100% accurate, but I'm sure it was the status of the players rather than the status of the national teams that was the initial reason for not having a GB team after 1972.

Of course that has now changed, but I also seem to remember, (although I could be wrong), Blatter and his crew opposing a GB entry in the past because of our 'Home nations' individual identity in other tournaments and that it would only happen if the nations merged for ALL tournaments.

If so, you can again sort of understand the scepticism of Blatters change of stance from certain areas.

Rothko

It'll be an all English team captained by Jon Jo

Henry Irving

Why have four separate teams anyway? Italy doesn't have a team for each region and Spain doesn't have a basque or Catalan side. No Flemish and Walloon team in Belgium either.

It made sense in 1872 when there was no one else to play but does it now.

Why not have a GB football Team?

If we can be proud of the GB Olympic team or even the British (and Irish) Lions (not me) then why not one team for one nation (under a groove)

Off_it

can't say i'm that bothered either way