Football The 2013 / 2014 Season Thread

[Everz]

Januzaj hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread after one match. English media hyping top side player shocker.. haha.

I await his inevitable career flop.

 

[Everz]

Wheres' @cHodAX so I can claim my victory over Macheda ending up at Doncaster ?

https://forums.freddyshouse.com/members/chodax.1448/

 

[Raven]

Januzaj hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread after one match. English media hyping top side player shocker.. haha.

I await his inevitable career flop.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport...england-letdown-hero-discovered-2013100780112

 

[caLLous]

Januzaj is eligible to represent Belgium through birth, Albania through his parents, Turkey through his grandparents and Serbia due to the disputed status of his parents' homeland of Kosovo. He is also eligible to represent Kosovo at international football although they do not have a FIFA-affiliated team but do have a FIFA-sanctioned youth teams which plays in non-FIFA and non-confederation tournaments and exhibition games against full FIFA members. He is also eligible for England, due his residency status.

So he can pick out of 6 countries he wants to play for? That's madness.

He's apparently rejected a call-up to Belgium's senior team so it's down to 5.

 

[Everz]

So he can pick out of 6 countries he wants to play for? That's madness.

He's apparently rejected a call-up to Belgium's senior team so it's down to 5.

Albania is his choice, don't know why it's even been discussed. Kosovo would be if the team would be correctly made official.

 

[rynnor]

Is it me or is this season's Premiership simply a battle to see who's marginally the least shit?

I'm starting to wonder if there's an element of match fixing going on - it would be extremely lucrative and has been attempted in the past?

 

[caLLous]

Nope, everyone has just been shit at least once so far.

 

[Lethul]

Andy Carroll ‏@AndyTCarroll_

I honestly believe Man Utd will win the league under Moyes next season.

They'll face stiff competition from Blackpool and Watford though.

 

[rynnor]

Nope, everyone has just been shit at least once so far.

Maybe they control the lot now <dons tinfoil hat> ;-)

 

[Raven]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24455721

Someone needs educating. Also, has he been watching the same England games as me?

 

[rynnor]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24455721

Someone needs educating. Also, has he been watching the same England games as me?

Pretty stupid - plus all countries do it - a bunch of the German team are turks for example.

 

[Aoami]

As we've learnt through History - just because the Germans do something, it doesn't mean everyone else should.

I agree with Wilshere. If the country isn't producing good enough players, the focus should be on sorting out why, and not recruiting mercs from elsewhere.

 

[Raven]

The "why" is because the FA has its head in the sand. Not enough football for kids, not enough proper football when they do actually get to play football. Hoofing a ball about the rec on a Saturday afternoon isn't enough.

...and actually he could be considered English through living here and get a British passport, as with any nationality, this has been the case for some time. Regardless of whether he is a footballer. We have absorbed foreigners for a long time and are a better country for it.

 

[Aoami]

He will never be eligible for England due to the home nations agreement anyway

 

[Aoami]

...and actually he could be considered English through living here and get a British passport, as with any nationality, this has been the case for some time. Regardless of whether he is a footballer. We have absorbed foreigners for a long time and are a better country for it.

Also, whilst I don't disagree with this, I do take slight issue with it. When it's been touted that we play foreign players before (Almunia is the one that sticks out), it's been because they've not been good enough to play for their birth nation, and it's not through any great desire to play for England. If someone was born somewhere else but has grown up in England and shows a great desire to play for the Country, then sure, have them. Someone like Januzaj who has only lived in England since age 16 and has already expressed a desire to play for another country, if he was to change his mind and say he wants to play for England... that's a mercenary.

Also, playing for your country and moving from a poor country to a richer one to make a better life for yourself are very different. If Januzaj is as good as people say he is, he could move to any of around 7 or 8 countries and make a huge amount of money for himself, he has no ties to England in particular.

 

[Raven]

Quite frankly, England are that bad I would be glad of other countries leavings. English players seem to have the mindset that they are all legends of the game when they are in fact mediocre at best when in an England shirt.

 

[Aoami]

Also, with regards to Germany, the only 2 big names they've got from other countries are Podolski and Klose, who moved to Germany at 2 and 8 respectively. That I have absolutely no problem with as they did most of their growing up in Germany, and i'd expect consider themselves to be German in someway. Nabbing a player who moved to the country at 16 just to play football for a British team, when he was already a known 'wonderkid'... it's very different in my opinion and I don't like it.

 

[caLLous]

Cardiff City suspend Malky Mackay’s right-hand man and replace him with unknown 23-year-old friend of owner’s son

That doesn't seem very clever.

 

[soze]

I like it. It opens up the door to players like Arteta claiming an English passport and we can then say he counts as English in our squad

As a child of two nations I really do not care about this. The one thing I would say though is our national pride is really shit, just look at our team not singing the national anthem. Bringing in players from another country is not going to help that. Is this guy going to go into a dicey looking tackle and risk an injury when his only real loyalty is to United?

 

[caLLous]

If you moved to a country before you're like 10 or something then it's ok but otherwise you should play for the country where you spent your formative years imo.

 

[Hawkwind]

If you become a citizen of the country I see no issue in playing sport for that country. Regardless of whether you for another country at any level.

 

[Hawkwind]

If you become a citizen of the country I see no issue in playing sport for that country. Regardless of whether you for another country at any level.

Whether you played for another country*

Must stop posting shit when on calls and not paying attention properly

 

[DaGaffer]

If you moved to a country before you're like 10 or something then it's ok but otherwise you should play for the country where you spent your formative years imo.

Why? That would seem like a pretty arbitrary criteria to me. If someone wants to become a citizen that would seem like a much better justification for becoming an international player than "me granny banged an Englishman on the Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire ferry and never went home again", which seems to be how half the Irish squad get picked. Far better to be someone like Deco had made the choice when he was 19 frankly.

I do think once you've chosen a country that should be it (if only to avoid the temptation to "bribe" successful players to change allegiance) but other that I don't see an issue. The most interesting thing about the Januzaj story to me is that the English FA are still deluded enough to think that playing for England would be any kind of aspiration for him.

 

[Raven]

Also, why shouldn't people who have chosen to make England their home and to become English be barred from representing their country at a sport?

Not saying he will or should but the option should be available.

 

[Calaen]

I like Wilsheres interview. "The Spanish are known for being technical and England are known for being tough to beat, lets keep it English." hahahahahahhahahahahaa what a dick.

At the end of the day Southgate has it right, it's a very grey area, we have children moving here at such a young age that England is all they know and they should be allowed to choose provided they fit the requirements.

 

[Scouse]

that's a mercenary

What if he couldn't give a fuck about nationalism and just fancies playing for the country he identifies most with?

Why should he have a burning desire and a bleeding heart for a country?


Thinking in nationalist terms is an archaic fallout of outdated governmental systems, which only abides because the tinpot ruling elite won't give up their grasp on random patches of earth. Why should footballers feel the same?

If he qualifies under the rules (which are set up in a way that recognises that nationality is a bullshit concept and is there to give a certain amount of freedom to the players involved, whilst doffing the cap to the bleeding-hearts who actually give a shit about 'country'), is good enough and fancies playing for England then why shouldn't he?

 

[Aoami]

What if he couldn't give a fuck about nationalism and just fancies playing for the country he identifies most with?

Why should he have a burning desire and a bleeding heart for a country?


Thinking in nationalist terms is an archaic fallout of outdated governmental systems, which only abides because the tinpot ruling elite won't give up their grasp on random patches of earth. Why should footballers feel the same?

If he qualifies under the rules (which are set up in a way that recognises that nationality is a bullshit concept and is there to give a certain amount of freedom to the players involved, whilst doffing the cap to the bleeding-hearts who actually give a shit about 'country'), is good enough and fancies playing for England then why shouldn't he?

Also, with regards to Germany, the only 2 big names they've got from other countries are Podolski and Klose, who moved to Germany at 2 and 8 respectively. That I have absolutely no problem with as they did most of their growing up in Germany, and i'd expect consider themselves to be German in someway. Nabbing a player who moved to the country at 16 just to play football for a British team, when he was already a known 'wonderkid'... it's very different in my opinion and I don't like it.

 

[Scouse]

That doesn't answer my question Aoami. It just says 'Germany doesn't do it'.

it's very different in my opinion and I don't like it

Why is it different? Why don't you like it? Why does it matter?

 

[Aoami]

Because if you move to a country at a young age with your family and you grow up there, you are schooled there, whilst your ancestry is from somewhere else, most of your identity will have been formed by your adopted Country. It is completely different to moving there as a young adult, moving for a better job like you or I might, there is nothing to tie you to that country other than the fact you are living and working there. Personally I view those as two very different situations, and I'm not saying i'm right or wrong because I believe that this is a debate with no right or wrong answer, but it's my opinion.

International football is all about national identity, and allowing anyone to play for anyone defeats the object of it. If we won the World Cup with a group of Kosovans who received their footballing and social education outside the country and moved to here at 16 just to play for the national team, I wouldn't be as happy as if a group of English lads had won it.

Just FYI, i'm not fussed where people are born, but I feel that where you grow up is important.

 

[Scouse]

Meh. Like I said - outdated anachronistic thinking.