British Olympic Football team.

[Gromit]

The 2012 London Olympics will have a Great Britain football team it has been announced.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been endorsed to manage the team by British Olympic chiefs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2452 124/BOA-chairman-pledges-London-2012-football- team.html

Several quesions arise:
- Is this a threat to our national sides?
- Will the GB team win anything?
- Is SAF the natural choice, or someone else?
- Will the team have any Welsh, Scottish or N.Irish in it?
- Should this question have been in the defunct Sports Section?

[y-cymro]

I think it's great that we'l have a soccer squad at the Olympics and dont see it as a threat to our national teams.

The Olympic competition is an Under 23's competition, so it would give up-and-coming youngsters on the fringes of International squads the chance to take part in a major sporting event, and that can only benefit them.

Any player who would be playing in four years time is probably 15 or 16 at the moment, so it's too early to tell who'd be playing.

As for Sir Alex Ferguson... he'll be retired from management by then, and I think he would be ideal to oversee things, and he would obviously have the experience to bring in the right younger coaches to do the actual coaching. There cant be many young footballers who wouldn't want to play under one of the greatest British managers ever.

[nedflanders]

Yes. Fifa (Sepp Blatter in particular) will jump all over this asap
No. England are not good enough to win anything.
Yes. He is the best manager in history.
No. Not a chance.
No (the sports section is a waste of server space).

[Loosehead]

- yes, Fifa will use it as a precident, this has always been why in the past we have never entered a GB team
- I wouldn't write us off so readilly but we'll do well to get a medal
- Yes I think SAF is a good choice but he'll probably fill the team with sweaties.
- If they are any good, yes.
- What sport section?

[nedflanders]

Loosehead

The Scottish, Welsh and N.Irish FA's have all refused to entertain this idea, they are not going to backtrack on this as they know Uefa will start making noises about it.

[Loosehead]

So what are you saying ned? Only English players can take part? Not sure what you are getting at. Will it be England run by Fergie known as GB then?

[nedflanders]

Yes Loosehead.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/70682 31.stm

It would be like the the Lions playing with only English players and Ian McGeechan coaching.......... which means they wouldn't be very good :-)

[Gromit]

Do you think the Scottish, Welsh and N.Irish FAs have taken this stance to save embarrassment if non of their players get picked?

[dundurn]

No to your last question. It's because as 4 home nations we get to send 4 lots of administrators on foreign junkets and four votes on every FIFA voting issue. It also allows Scotland, Wales and Ireland a chance to thump England at something every so often, but that's for the fans, not for the people who're in charge of this decision.

[y-cymro]

The FA's have voted against it through parochialism, and worried about losing all their freebies.

[Gromit]

Next question:

Bobby Charlton is on the British Olympic Committee and guess what, SAF gets the job without even a job interview. Is that nepotism, jobs for the boys, corrupt or just a token Scotman?

[y-cymro]

All it says is that an approach has been made to Alex ferguson,

Like most managers posts, a club will approach a manager to offer him a post. Did Scolari have to apply and wait for an interview with Chelsea?

There would be no better manager for a British team - as no current manager would want such a temporary post. He's in the Top 5 British managers of all time, whatever people think of him as a person.

[Gromit]

Chelsea is a private business, this is the Great Britain team, national pride and all that.

[y-cymro]

I agree Gromit, but best to get the best man for the job in early - I don't like Ferguson as a person (from all that I've read about him) but undoubtedly a superb manager.

Actually will be interesting to see how he copes without Quieroz this season, as I've heard that he's been the main man on the trainging-ground and in the dressing room for the last couple of years, and was groomed to take over at Man U until Sparky has served his apprenticeship, learnt his trade and is ready to step into the breach.

[david1702198]

GROMIT SHUT YER A R S E ITS BURST!! The reason the Scottish,Welsh, and Irish FA dont weant involved is because we dont want our individual status compromised, and why not Sir Alex?? Why would the manager have to be ****** English if its as you say THE BRITISH OLYMPIC TEAM!!Also who that is English is good enough!! When was the last time an english managrer won your own premier league?? Howard Wilkinson in 1992!!!get a grip

[david1702198]

Why wouldnt any scottish, welsh or irish players get picked?? Northern Ireland have one of the most prolific strikers in International Football in David Healy?? who would you rather have?Emile Heskey?? David James has to be one of the worst goalkeepers ive ever seen in my life!! Scotland have 2 of the best young keepers in Europe in Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor. Alan Hutton would easily get right back, Ryan Giggs would easily get in the side maybe even Bellamy also. or would you rather have David Nugent!!! After all Gromit you didnt qaulify for the euros w=eithere from a group which was far easier than Scotland or Norther Irelands!!!

[Gromit]

david1702198, you get a grip.

Ryan Gigg would get into an under 23 squad in 4 years time.

Next.

[stokemaveric]

the scots havent exactly set the world of football alight have they?not saying that there are not good individual scottish players because there are,the irish are in the same vein,the welsh havent won anything since they defeated the zulus at rourkes drift [and even then it was mainly the staffordshire regiment] and in recent years the english national team hasnt been too good.....mmmm it doesnt look to good for 2012 does it?

[Quinlad]

Gromit,

It's not entirely an under 23 team. Each country can field 3 older players. But you're right - he'll be too creaky by 2012. He's too creaky now.

There will be a handful of Welsh and Scottish players. Too early to say who but the likes of Gareth Bale, Ched Evans, Craig Bellamy (Wales), Scott Brown, James McFadden and maybe little Jmaes McCarthy (Scotland) might have a shout. NI's Healy would have made the squad this time last year I reckon.

Fifa and Uefa have both repeatedly said that a GB Olympic team will no affect the individual associations. It's all massively paranoid.

[anotheoldgit]

I think it would be a good idea, why not a team picked from the best players of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? Perhaps then we may have a chance of winning something.

We already have a Parliament made up with members from all the four countries, without any concerns of it being a threat to National pride, so why not a football team?