#FreeBTS
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Post by #FreeBTS on Jun 20, 2018 20:40:41 GMT
Iran won their part of the Asian qualifying section at a canter, they’re absolutely not what people are meaning when talking about a reduction in quality.
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Jun 21, 2018 9:22:39 GMT
Iran won their part of the Asian qualifying section at a canter, they’re absolutely not what people are meaning when talking about a reduction in quality. obviously not talking about Iran specifically, I'm talking about great journeyman moments. Bring back Trinidad & Tobago, Togo and China. I know Iceland are a proper tough team now but the fact you've got probably the greatest player ever missing a penalty versus a guy who was a part-timer until a couple seasons ago is why the World Cup is great. The more opportunities for the top players to be kicked around, bullied or nutmegged by someone you've never heard of, the better imo. Nevermind the fans of these places tend to be nuts and bring a load of colour. It's not like international football is flowing with quality anyway
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#FreeBTS
Talisman
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Post by #FreeBTS on Jun 21, 2018 11:02:34 GMT
But Iceland won their group as well, these teams are very well deserving of their place. Plus Europe could easily send another 5 teams to the tournament who have the requisite quality anyway, they’re not going to be responsible for a dip in quality. And then when you have 15+ ‘journeyman’ teams at a tournament those moments are going to mean less, not to mention giving the format a kicking which is going to mean you have teams that qualify with 1 point from 2 games in the next tournament. At the perfect number now which gives a good amount of quality without making it impossible for lesser nations to qualify, adding Uzbekistan vs Scotland isn’t going to make it anything but worse. The stories are great but when they don’t come naturally and feel manufactured like a 48 team tournament would they lose what makes them special.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 11:47:10 GMT
From 2002 until this year the fact England waltzed into every tournament bar Euro 2008 was dragging the quality of each tournament down.
Honestly considering the ‘golden generation’ they were absolute shite. All brilliant players for their clubs and then absolute shite for the national team.
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Jun 21, 2018 11:51:40 GMT
I'm not saying Iceland are reducing the quality or don't deserve to be there lol. I'm very specifically talking about the stories and moments these types of teams can bring to the competition.
Got the federation breakdown from the wikipedia but if 2018 was a 48 team tournament, you'd have the following (caps is new teams obv):
AFC: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia, SYRIA, UZBEKISTAN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES CAF: Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, DR CONGO, BURKINA FASO, UGANDA, IVORY COAST/ZAMBIA CONCACAF: Mexico (host), Costa Rica, Panama, HONDURAS, UNITED STATES (host), CANADA (host) CONMEBOL: Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, CHILE OFC: NEW ZEALAND UEFA: France, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Switzerland, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, ITALY, NORTHERN IRELAND, GREECE
Then they have 2 spots down for "playoff", I dunno which federations they come from tbh but hopefully they'd be the proper pub teams like Scotland.
Seems a great world cup to me in all honesty.
I dunno I don't see how it devalues it at all, it's a proper festival of football and people from all over the world go nuts for 5 or 6 weeks. More the merrier. I don't think I would ever get sick of someone failing at a flip throw-in, or scoring a last minute winner for their country's first ever world cup win or goal. My favourite part of the world cup has always been those little stories, it's why the group stage is always class because there's so much going on at once imo.
Here maybe I'll be proven horribly wrong and it'll be an awful shitshow but personally I look forward to Syria vs Brazil.
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jun 21, 2018 11:59:44 GMT
Eh, if it wasn't the World Cup I'd never be watching Colombia Japan or Denmark Australia so give me five games a day and Uzbekistan vs Armenia any day of the week
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Stu
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Post by Stu on Jun 21, 2018 12:03:47 GMT
Pretty much that, I've been watching some absolute dross in this tournament but I'm still sat here excited at 1pm for Australia vs Denmark loool
its the world cup, make it 100 teams and I'd still attempt to watch every game
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#FreeBTS
Talisman
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Post by #FreeBTS on Jun 21, 2018 12:43:19 GMT
From 2002 until this year the fact England waltzed into every tournament bar Euro 2008 was dragging the quality of each tournament down. Honestly considering the ‘golden generation’ they were absolute shite. All brilliant players for their clubs and then absolute shite for the national team. I mean we got to the quarter finals of two world cups in your timeframe, we’re hardly Saudi Arabia that’s a ridiculous comparison. Went out to Germany and in the group of death. Habitually disappointing yes but hardly offensively bad to anyone who isn’t an England supporter.
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Post by ChappyHova on Jun 21, 2018 12:49:14 GMT
We got mollywhopped by Germany and got 6 points less than Costa Rica. Was pretty offensive IMO.
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#FreeBTS
Talisman
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Post by #FreeBTS on Jun 21, 2018 12:50:01 GMT
I'm not saying Iceland are reducing the quality or don't deserve to be there lol. I'm very specifically talking about the stories and moments these types of teams can bring to the competition. Got the federation breakdown from the wikipedia but if 2018 was a 48 team tournament, you'd have the following (caps is new teams obv): AFC: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia, SYRIA, UZBEKISTAN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES CAF: Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, DR CONGO, BURKINA FASO, UGANDA, IVORY COAST/ZAMBIA CONCACAF: Mexico (host), Costa Rica, Panama, HONDURAS, UNITED STATES (host), CANADA (host) CONMEBOL: Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, CHILE OFC: NEW ZEALAND UEFA: France, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Switzerland, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, ITALY, NORTHERN IRELAND, GREECE Then they have 2 spots down for "playoff", I dunno which federations they come from tbh but hopefully they'd be the proper pub teams like Scotland. Seems a great world cup to me in all honesty. I dunno I don't see how it devalues it at all, it's a proper festival of football and people from all over the world go nuts for 5 or 6 weeks. More the merrier. I don't think I would ever get sick of someone failing at a flip throw-in, or scoring a last minute winner for their country's first ever world cup win or goal. My favourite part of the world cup has always been those little stories, it's why the group stage is always class because there's so much going on at once imo. Here maybe I'll be proven horribly wrong and it'll be an awful shitshow but personally I look forward to Syria vs Brazil. But you still get those moments now? Should at least be a decent standard of quality imo, might as well just watch the CONIFA World Cup if you just want nice stories. Qualification would be a complete mess as well, might as well not make Brazil etc bother. My concerns over the tournament would be more that you make the group stage shite by having 48 go into 32, rather than the teams not being great quality.
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Jun 21, 2018 13:26:31 GMT
Yeah I know we get those moments now, that's kinda my point, I want more of them
Is there any point in making Brazil, Argentina, England, Germany bother with qualification at the minute anyway?
Agree to disagree I suppose but I don't watch international football for the standard of play, that's what the Champions League and club football is for. I watch it first and foremost because seeing your country win a big match is second to none, and then if we don't make it to the big competitions, it's great seeing countries like Panama or New Zealand in 2010 for example.
But sure look, we'll talk this over in eight years time when we will most definitely still be posting on this website
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#FreeBTS
Talisman
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Post by #FreeBTS on Jun 21, 2018 13:32:53 GMT
let's just have everyone in the world cup then. scotland, syria, shetland islands
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Jun 21, 2018 13:34:03 GMT
now you're talking!
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Post by ChappyHova on Jun 21, 2018 13:34:43 GMT
There's always one who has to be silly and go to the extremes.
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jun 21, 2018 15:36:21 GMT
And isn't part of the fun of the World Cup seeing players we know at club level who are surrounded by great players suddenly have to play with postmen and accountants?
And seeing those guys actually thrive on the world stage. I mean, literally every single goal has been wildly celebrated bar maybe Salah's when they were 3-0 down. Just being at a world cup in general really matters to most countries, I'm all for giving more of them the opportunity to experience it. When else would the supposed minnows get the chance to play the top countries also?
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