...just watching 'Premier League Preview', where they're doing a pretty shameless job of condescending international football - World Cup Qualifiers, nonetheless.
They showed clips of a few managers complaining about players being injured on international duty.
To me, this seems totally ridiculous.
Is there a greater prize in football, than winning the World Cup? (let alone the honour of representing your country - read: family, friends, culture, ancestry)
Players are totally entitled to 'turn down' an international call up (as we in New Zealand have seen, quite recently...) - but what employers in their right mind would deny their staff an opportunity to compete for arguably the highest (footballing) honour available!
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But what if like Island Bay United had a Central League play-off with Olympic and then Ricki Herbert texted me saying "Hey Dave, we've got a World Cup play-off against this team from Asia. Do you want to play in goal? It will be really fun!"
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If I was a manger of, let's see, a Serie A club and my star striker went off to play with full FIFA sanction for, say Kenya, in the East African FAs competition ( Yes it exists) and came back with a broken leg I'd be a tad frustrated.
Anyone else remember when the Cote d'Ivoire players didn't come back after the African Nations Cup because as they'd "disgraced the nation" and held them "prisoner" for ten days?
- What was it Dr Johnson said?
dairyflat2008-10-19 13:08:45
Anyone else remember when the Cote d'Ivoire players didn't come back after the African Nations Cup because as they'd "disgraced the nation" and held them "prisoner" for ten days?
(let alone the honour of representing your country - read: family, friends, culture, ancestry)
dairyflat2008-10-19 13:08:45
Profile pic. Should you be interested. Lakhsen, on the right, lost touch with him.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20
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Pretty sure I mentioned condescending.
On what grounds is a club more important than playing for your country?
And, please, tell me what Dr Johnson said...
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sh*t I piced the wrong option and said club, but for me country is far more important.
Ultimately it should be entirely up to the player whether he turns out for his club or his country.
You know we belong together...
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I'm an Australian who supports an NZ club. Yet I say country 
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you see a lot of top players really show a lot of pride when they play for there country, surely this would be the case for most players. I have no idea why you would turn down that opportunity. Unless you're a fringe player at a club and you get the idea that the manager wont be too pleased if you got off for internationals and might give you a few weeks in the reserves.
as a manager you might be a bit frustrated, when your players are coming back tired/ injured
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