Inertnational Soccer - Does anybody care anymore?

[Dinny Breen]

Last year after the Cyprus away debacle I posted that International soccer was dead and that professionals only care about their clubs and that the Champions League was the pinnacle of their ambition. I see Declan has posted a very similar post on the Muppets v Cyprus thread which I agree with 100%

I've said it before but international football is finished. There are no great "teams" anymore and the players are only interested in their clubs and champions league is where its at. You may get some good games in the actual finals but the qualifying campaigns are non events. The lads from Wolves on our team are the smallest earners and they are getting 5 grand a week sterling - thats 260K per annum basic without bonuses. Lads like Keane, O'Shea and Given are pulling in multiples of that so it's not surprising where their loyalties lie. I don't begrudge it to them at all but spare me the hypocritical posturing of "loving" to play for your country. Its obvious from their performances and results that when push comes to shove they couldn't be arsed.

On top of this John Toshack's comments this week are even more revealing....

"The players will say they do care, and it is rubbish to say they don't. But did it look like they cared? It didn't look like it to me.

"I was in charge of that team, and people will look at me and wonder what I was doing. That hurts my pride. I would hope that some of them feel the same – but I am not sure that they do."

Toshack insists he has not considered resigning and he does not believe the squad are no longer playing for him.

"Things went on out in Cyprus that made me wonder what we had been doing for two-and-a-half years," said Toshack. "I did question the attitude of some of the players.

Bottom line is that all the countries with the top Leagues bar Germany are struggling to qualify, England, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal, this is hardly a coincidence, deep down these guys are loyal only to their paymasters and cannot identify with the public anymore. The 2nd Russian goal against was quite simply scored by a guy who wanted it more, the baby bently culture has destroyed the passion and pride that players use to have in playing for the country..

How many more Stephen Ireland's do we have to have before this is apparent to even the most myopic soccer supporter...

[whiskeysteve]

agreed

[Great Leap Forward]

I have always been a fan of international football until recently. I reckon this is because one of my earliest sporting memories was the 86 World Cup. I was only 7 at the time but I can remember watching nearly every match which was due to being off school with a broken foot. That tournament was illuminated by Maradona but it also featured some fine performances and moments from the likes of Careca, Negrete, Belanov, Butrageuno and Platini. After that I was hooked and enventually started to buy video upon video about previous World Cups.

Unfortunately you couldn't watch international football now. I suppose most people will blame the money in the game and that is the most likely explaination. However the larger clubs are dictating who plays and who doesn't and guys are quitting internationals in their 20's.

The way things are going, in a few years time International teams (especially the big nations) will consist of players under 25 who aren't playing champions league football.

[Bord na Mona man]

I'd have to agree. It seems that the teams that are doing well nowadays are the ones with young enthusiastic players, who are hungry. The well paid established pros just don't seem to want it as much.

Clubs and their managers have probably helped create this culture of the international game being a nuisance too. Alex Ferguson with Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs being two blatant examples.

In Ireland's case, for 10 or 15 years we thrived on having pride in the jersey and finding out windy sides who didn't want it as much as our players. Now we're just as lethargic as the rest.

[whiskeysteve]

Further evidence of 'pride for the jersey'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7050010.stm

And this from a panel lauded for their determination. What a joke north and south. Clowns

[Snowed Under]

You can't really blame the players for not giving a stuff; they are taking the piss; they are paid exorbitant amounts of money to play 90 minutes of the most boring shite you could ever imagine sitting through.  Soccer really is the Emperors Clothes of sport - most males in this part of the world feel they need to be affiliated to some English Club and pay huge Sky rental fees to watch 90 minutes of drivel which usually ends 0-0 or 1-0.  

Fair play to the players, they must be laughing their asses off getting paid the money they do and seeing the masses pile in every year no matter how much ticket prices go up or how many satellite stations joe bloggs from Armagh or Kerry or Dublin have to subscribe to, to watch their team.  Soccer fans, especially over here must be the most fickle sports fans going, people who love – hate a player because he moves to another club and who love English Soccer but despise the English Soccer team, fair play to the players – why risk an injury playing for your country when you are raking it in at your club.

[Bord na Mona man]

International soccer looks like it's heading the way of the Railway Cup.

[Bud Wiser]

I suppose one would want to remember what county they are from before being critical of a teams performance in Croke Park so all I will say is that this bloody soccer is all about money and should never have been let near the place.  Why dont the FAI appoint Micko for a while?  He will accept a two year contract and do it for nothing. He'd have them boyos doing forty laps of Howth Head as opposed to forty laps of the dance floor in Tamango's in no time and show them that it is not about money.

[ludermor]

International soccer looks like it's heading the way of the Railway Cup.

But its in Croke Park already

[mannix]

I like watching united play, as for the irish team i would prefer a challenge game between mayo and wexford than watch that type of stuff.
If the players are not worried about performing how can fans be expected to worry about watching.At least when you watch united or their counterparts you can see they want to win and play like they do.
Roy Keane was right in Saipan, a half assed effort from all involved when he knew what it took to be a winner.It is like walking around the block when training for a marathon and wondering why you ran out of steam after 5 minutes of running in the marathon.
If Keane took charge he would put the skates on some of the team,Cyprus are a tiny country with a tiny pick of players,Ireland should be beating them with the second 11 on the field.

[Bord na Mona man]

Why dont the FAI appoint Micko for a while?  He will accept a two year contract and do it for nothing. He'd have them boyos doing forty laps of Howth Head as opposed to forty laps of the dance floor in Tamango's in no time and show them that it is not about money.

You must be thinking of a different Micko than me so!

[5 Sams]

Straw poll around the bar in our club last night showed that the only time anyone watches soccer nowadays is when Match of the Day is on because the thought of sitting through 90 mins of torture is too much. Most people there including myself would have been glued to an Ireland match for the duration a few years ago shouting like fcuk at the telly.....like the players a lot of poeple couldnt be arsed now.

[lynchbhoy]

Bottom line is that all the countries with the top Leagues bar Germany are struggling to qualify, England, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal, this is hardly a coincidence, deep down these guys are loyal only to their paymasters and cannot identify with the public anymore. The 2nd Russian goal against was quite simply scored by a guy who wanted it more, the baby bently culture has destroyed the passion and pride that players use to have in playing for the country..

would agree with you Dinny.

but in the case of Ireland, its also being destroyed from within by the ineptitude and tight fisted nature of the FAI.

There is a similar thing in Gaelic football too btw - I have long thought that a lot of Cil dara's players were more interested in their clubs than county. This is the case in a few counties - and has been levelled at a few in Derry also.
Meath players never really gave that much of a damn about their clubs - therefore meath clubs hadnt much of a record in the leinster club championship, but look at the success record of the county team...esp when you see that they have no fantastic talent in comparison to most other counties...

[delboy]

Straw poll around the bar in our club last night showed that the only time anyone watches soccer nowadays is when Match of the Day is on because the thought of sitting through 90 mins of torture is too much. Most people there including myself would have been glued to an Ireland match for the duration a few years ago shouting like fcuk at the telly.....like the players a lot of poeple couldnt be arsed now.

Fair weather fans 

[Great Leap Forward]

I walked into a house last night where there was 3 TV's on and not one was watching the match.

Ireland being on TV was good for Supernannys' ratings!