World Cup, European Championships - I don't give a shit anymore.

Ireland guaranteed they'll be in the European Championships. While I am happy about that, the feeling is insignificant to me compared to an Arsenal win.

I've long since realised, I don't care if there ever is another EC or WC again. In the past, the WC and EC were exciting because they afforded us the chance to see players we had only ever heard of before. They were exotic, unknown quantities and often they amazed us with skills we never saw before.

Now, we see these players almost every other week playing in our League or the CL for better teams than they play in when competing in the World Cup or European Championships. International football is of a lower quality and is more often than not mind-numbingly boring as teams try to avoid losing and the new skills we saw in the past are replaced with new ways to simulate and time-waste.

And don't get me started on the corporate greed that envelops those competitions - I can't do it the justice NQ would.

For me, how interested I am in International football is directly related to how interested I am in watching/supporting England. I think it follows the same trend as club football (or, at least, top level club football) that fans can identify less with players - with the money involved, their general rubbish behaviour and the media over-doing the praise doesn't help. We don't feel they deserve that.

I also think top players don't care as much in playing for their country. Club managers are quite easily pulling players out of international games - Fergie being the main culprit.

When England knocked out of the WC last year - I wasn't too disappointed. There aren't many players I respect in that line-up.

I'm with you (GB) on that. The feel of the game has changed. On the world stage, as you say, it just does not seem to matter as much as it used to. Don't get me wrong - as an Englishman I'd like to see England win something, unlikely as that might be, but when England get knocked out, while I am disappointed, it does not hurt like maybe it did a few decades ago and certainly when England lose a match, it does not feel anything like as bad as even an Arsenal draw.

I will still watch internationals - sometimes - but only when it is an actual competition (WC/EC) and even then, in the group stage for the European Cup, I didn't watch a few matches because, quite honestly, I simply couldn't be arsed.

I think not having an England manager is one factor for me. I can't accept a non-Englishman running a team that is supposed to be representing me and my country - it makes no sense to me. And then watching a team where a lot of the players don't seem to care pisses me off. It's not like a manager has to sell some players to buy others so why do they keep selecting non-performers in the hope that next time they will improve. There are any number of players out there who would give their all to play for England, so I don't care who they are - if they don't perform on the pitch for England, pick someone else. I don't care if the press think the sun shines out of your arse if you don't perform on the pitch.

And fuck the friendlies. If we must practice outside the World Cup and European Cup, bring back the Home Internationals where the teams seemed to care and be fighting for something - Wales, Scotland and NI might not be the greatest teams in the world but when they played against England in the HIs, they went for it big time and made our players work for it, which is what we want to see.

Oh - and not in the middle of the bloody season. What is this crap about? On odd number years, have a 4 week-period where all the teams do the group stage shit, then the next year, do the knock-outs over a 4-week period, and leave the rest of the year for the actual football we want to see - the team we really care about winning the important matches against opposition in fixtures that give us a bit of passion for the game and results we actually give a toss about.

On the contrary, I feel I'm getting back in to International groove after a few years of it being absolute shit bar the tournaments which should always stay cos we need our summer football. With Arsenal shit these days and getting no enjoyment from them, you look elsewhere. I'll never follow another club so internationals it is.

International football will never compare to club football for me. When Arsenal lose I'm fucked off until the next game. When England lose, it's disappointing but I can't be arsed to have a good moan because, well, I don't care as much.

For me tournaments have always been about the novelty factor, the fever that takes over the country just for few long summer weeks, I love being part of it.

Love the world cup. Love how at the start, there is 3 matches pretty much every day. Just days and days of nothing but football.:cloud9:

International football is still decent to watch, the quality is a lot better than it was 10 years ago.

Love them international tournaments tbh, although can understand a few of the above not liking internationals given England is shite and the players are (mostly) cunts.

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Originally Posted by Young Guns 11

Love the world cup. Love how at the start, there are 3 matches pretty much every day. Just days and days of nothing but cheating, diving foreigners and Blatter and his mates lining their pockets.

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:good: