Short shrift given to Union Jack

HOME secretary Jack Straw's proposals for a united British football team have gone down like a lead balloon.

But why Surely he is right to assert that if the home nations pooled their talent we might have a serious chance of some long overdue success on the international stage. Or is he

It all looks well and good in theory, but what about in practice

Let's be brutally honest. If you were to pick a Great Britain XI on current standings it would be hard to argue against the England team plus Ryan Giggs.

That wouldn't go down well with the Scots, who have players you could make a case for - Paul Lambert and Barry Ferguson for instance. But what about Northern Ireland, who have to trawl the lower leagues for the bulk of their international side They wouldn't get a look in.

The basic flaws in the concept are apparent even before it comes to picking a side.

For starters you've got to find a manager that every party will agree on, no easy task in itself.

Imagine the outrage north of the border if, say, Peter Taylor failed to pick a single Scot in his starting line-up, or the wailing and nashing of teeth from Berwick-on-Tweed south if Craig Brown favoured Mattie Elliot over Rio Ferdinand.

Then there are the players themselves. It seems that even in these days of loyalty to the pay-packet as much as to the cause, the one game domestic players need no firing up for is one against the 'auld enemy', be it England or Scotland.

Even if a collective British team could be shown to be stronger than its parts, asking players - possibly club colleagues - to shrug off born and bred rivalries for a new cause is like asking Rangers and Celtic to merge for the greater good of Glasgow.

The home nations have been quick to put the boot in. Scotland manager Brown stated what everyone else seemed to be thinking when he said: "I don't think any country wants to lose its autonomy, and certainly Scotland wouldn't."

The English FA were just as quick to distance themselves on the grounds that traditional rivalries between the countries are integral to British football culture.

It also made the very valid point that four national teams rather than one allow four times the number of players to experience international football.

Is parochialism doing British football a disservice Or are you of the opinion that until we can wipe away history, a British team is likely to remain a twinkle in a politician's eye. What do you think Click here to have your say.