Team GB for the Olympics 2012

[SwindonTartanArmy]

Just trying to get a guage on what most england fans think about the idea that Seb "(Cough) tosser" Coe has about a combined team GB for the London Olympics. Most Scotland and wales fans are dead agaisnt it. What are all your views.


The main reason that alot of Wales and Scotland fans are against it is the fact that FIFa have tried many times to merge the home nations as alot of asian and african countries arent happy that we have a huge say in the running of the game due to our 4 guarenteed places on the FIFA council.


What do you all think of the idea?

bearing in mind it could see the end of an england football team too!

[Dazzza]

I may be mistaken but I'm pretty certain the Scotch's have already nailed it on the head and said no.  The Welsh and Northern Irish authorities at last count weren't to keen on the idea either.  

Not that it makes much of a difference by that time the one player who in recent memory that may have got in a British/England side from the Taffs and N-Irish is Ryan Giggs who will be a long time retired.

It’s a no go for me to partly because it would be akin to playing a combined England/Ghana team completely insignificant in terms of football and who wants to play on the side of their rivals?

Won’t happen as you say it would give FIFA a stick to poke at the different FA’s and undermines a wealth of history and standing.

[janaage]

No, no, no from me.  Quite happy how we are at the minute.

We should have a one off British Championship in 2010 to decide who gets to represent GB.

[SwindonTartanArmy]

Wales have said no aswell. For the same reasons as I gave above. Seb Coe is still bleeting about it though! Some cunts just wont take no for an answer!

His main argument is that Sepp Blatter has guarenteed that FIFa wont force a merger. And FIFA have never done a U-turn on a promise have they??? remember how they screwed over South Africa for the 2006 WC??? Plus Blatter wont be in charge in 7 years time and the cheif back stabber will be either an asian or an african, yes... the same countries that want us to merge!!! :x

[Batch]

I say Yes. Let's be honest, with one or two freak exceptions it'll be England waring GB tops anyway.

Isn't the Olympic tournament for < 24 year olds anyway. i think you used to be able to have 1 or two 'elders', but they are getting shot of that.

[mattboyslim]

Doesn't bother me, if the celts have the fear over losing FIFA places then tough.  The team will be 90% English anyway, and now no over age players are allowed so it's all under 23s.  The other countries are the ones missing out as it's a great experience, with lads like Theo Walcot likely to be in their pomp at 23 in 2012.  Reality is the celts are largely not going to be good enough, NI don't even have a U21 team any more.

The talk of quotas is nonsense too, ie 5 from each nation.  We don't do it in athletics or Hockey, which is a good thing as our 400m runners seem to come from Wales.  You can imagine it, 'sorry Mr Rooney we've got too many English players, Billy McSpazza from Celtic under 12s has to keep the numbers up for the jocks'.  Rant over.

[land_of_bo]

No, no, no from me.  Quite happy how we are at the minute.

We should have a one off British Championship in 2010 to decide who gets to represent GB.

I like this idea.

Team GB would not be good, we are seperate countries after all. Just because we are called Britain....you don't see a Scandanavian team much like you don't see a West Indian team...

[fatbury]

Shud be combined .. tho it will have all England players in it anyway  

[mattboyslim]

But Britain, like it or not is a country, our passports say British not English, Scandinavia is a region, only in (some) sports are the components of the UK split up, the queen governs us and most politics are done centrally.

[janaage]

Hate to disagree with you Matt but England and Scotland are countries.  Wales is a principality and Northern Ireland province.  Britain is a union, not a country.

[mattboyslim]

Thanks Jan, You learn something new everyday, but regardless in terms of governance and our representation in the international sphere Britain, or more correctly the UK is more widely recognised than teh individual components of it.

[SwindonTartanArmy]

 I was beginning to respect england fans after they started flyin england flags instead of british ones, but it appears you still coudlnt care less about whether you are english or british, or even know the difference!!!!

[janaage]

To be fair I've gained a lot of respect for the modern day travelling England fans.  Seem to be up for a laugh nowadays rather than a scrap.  Agreed about it's about time they used St George's flags and good to see.

Reserve the use of the Union flags for Olympics and British Lions!!

Did you see Rangers the other day, A St Andrews at one end and Union Flag at the other.  Although they're complete scum, it looked pretty good.

[mattboyslim]

Don't get me (us?) wrong, I am very proud to be English, but for the Olympics we compete as Britain, and in the games in our own country the national obsession should be represented by us.  My main theory is that the Scots and Welsh etc are more worried about having only 1 or 2 players in the sqaud than anything else.  They'd hate to be represented by a nearly all english side in the football.  Most of them probably support English runners or swimmers when they compete for Britain but would hate it in footy.

[janaage]

Daley Thompson was alright.