Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

If it is an issue for them, and that's an if then it should be those teams who ask for it.

---------- Post added at 10:28 ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 ----------

Really? Really?! So how do teams go up in the rankings if they're not given the chance to perform against bigger nations?

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

You're really, really..in a mood this morning :p:

Losing against a bigger nation doesn't increase their rankings, playing against the lower teams give them a better chance to win and increase rankings, get to a certain point and more competitions are open to them with higher ranked teams.. It's the same with our leagues you start off at the bottom with teams equal to yourself and work your way up as Rangers is just finding out..

[joke]...perhaps it would be a good place for Wales to start ;) [/joke]

Perhaps another approach might be to lose the area restrictions on qualifying instead which could see lower EU teams playing against more equal teams? Just that San Marino ends up in a group with some of the EU's top teams where Fiji/Somoa in the oceanic group have a lot fairer chance as they're playing against local islands.. Just that it's a one sides competition on one side of the planet and totally different on the other..

---------- Post added at 10:44 ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 ----------

The team management or the countries FA won't ask for it as it's money in their pockets, I wonder though if it would be different if you asked the players??

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Wales is what I'm talking about. We went up the rankings during Gary Speed's era and were going in the right direction. Nothing wrong with the systems as it is and if it did need fixing then I'm sure the 'lesser nations' would be the first to speak out.

England for example have only made it to the semis once in 80-odd years whereas other nations get there more regularly. I'm sure if an 'elite' competition was proposed where team that got there more than once were the only one able to qualify you'd have something to say against that.

If it isn't broken (or even acknowledged as broken by those it affects) then it does not need fixing.

---------- Post added at 10:50 ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 ----------

Conjecture to back up your theory.

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

It wasn't a theory and "wondering" isn't exactly conjecture just a few simple basic viewpoints based on the fact that Moldova and San Marino every four years are constantly put down in the media and basically have minimal chance from the very start of the contest..

The current seeding system doesn't seem to work so how about byes for the top teams and allow the smaller teams to progress..

PS.. Wales being in the top 50 ranking isn't exactly in the same league as Moldova who's 141 having dropped 4 places after playing England

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Where's the incentive for lesser teams in a 'tinpot' (for that's how it would be viewed) tournament?

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Yep it probably would but at least they can have a decent chance at winning something..

As for incentive even winning against lower teams can raise your rankings, raise them enough and you have a cross-over point as where they could enter a higher competition..

I never said it was a perfect idea or even workable but I'm sure that some modern day competitions were viewed that way when it first started and possible had similar roots ;)

Watching the match I just felt sorry for the Moldovan team and was shocked at some of the media comments

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

How kind....

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

I'm just that sort of person :D

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Wrong...

---------- Post added at 20:44 ---------- Previous post was at 20:42 ----------

Countries are getting better though, look at Turkey, Finland and USA not that many years ago.

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

What, about England? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England...FIFA_World_Cup

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

I make that one win (1966), and one semi-final (1990)?

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Yes, we have played in 2 World Cup semi's, not one

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Well if you're going to win it (albeit with an illegal goal but that's by-the-by) then obviously you would get to the semi-final too. But more teams make it past there more often - that should be an ideal measure of an 'elite' tournament if there was one.

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

Yes so obvious you neglected to mention it, wonder why and ranking based performance would be the ideal measure imo :p: :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19177783

Re: World Cup road to 2014
 

By that reasoning, Brazil only made it to three semis. Seems a rather flawed way of looking at things...