http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/72873,fergusons-flame-on-friendlies.aspx and http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/72815,future-of-friendlies-uncertain--wenger.aspx
Pretty interesting point these two supremos of football management make.
This is basically what I said commenting on the Wenger article:
Club managers may not like it, especially when a key player gets injuried during one but friendlies are pretty important for sorting out tactics before qualifiers and tournament matches, they suggest training camps but there's even less intensity there and how are coaches meant to know how the tactics will work out in a match?
The best alternative to standalone friendlies in my opinion is to only play friendlies in those international windows where you have two games in a week, play a friendly to sort out tactics, give young players a run etc then have a qualifier a couple of days later.
I also guess we could just have small 3-4 team tournaments over those two-game windows or just during the summer.
What do you guys think, friendlies good or friendlies evil?
Pretty interesting point these two supremos of football management make.
This is basically what I said commenting on the Wenger article:
Club managers may not like it, especially when a key player gets injuried during one but friendlies are pretty important for sorting out tactics before qualifiers and tournament matches, they suggest training camps but there's even less intensity there and how are coaches meant to know how the tactics will work out in a match?
The best alternative to standalone friendlies in my opinion is to only play friendlies in those international windows where you have two games in a week, play a friendly to sort out tactics, give young players a run etc then have a qualifier a couple of days later.
I also guess we could just have small 3-4 team tournaments over those two-game windows or just during the summer.
What do you guys think, friendlies good or friendlies evil?
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Friendlies = waste of time and money. Get rid
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They do serve a purpose though. Why do you think we all play them before the season? There's the answer. Top flight managers don't like them cos the stakes (dollars that is) are so high, they hate to risk their expensive investments (players that is).
That's why the Alex Fergusons of the world jump up and down at the thought of international friendlies. They seem quite happy to trundle off to Asia pre-season, play some friendlies, and sell millions of shirts though. That seems a bit hypocritical.
I think that prior to a major international tournament, the countries are entitled to have their players available for friendlies to try out team combinations and do all that stuff. Within reason though.
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There's a difference though. Pre-season friendlies are about match fitness and trying things out. Middle-of-the-season international friendlies can't be about fitness because the players are already fit. So they're just a chance for international managers to try things out.
Or are they?
What nobody else has mentioned is the considerable amount of revenue generated for national associations by friendlies...
Or are they?
What nobody else has mentioned is the considerable amount of revenue generated for national associations by friendlies...
Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.
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They also hold a lot of interest in this part of the world and countries similar to Aus/NZ where all our best players are playing in Europe, if Nelsen/Killen/Cahill/Kewell are in town everyone with a vauge interest in football wants to go watch.
That's an aspect of the money spinning and boy do FA's like ours need some spare cash.
That's an aspect of the money spinning and boy do FA's like ours need some spare cash.
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This friendlies thing makes my blood boil. Of course there has to be friendlies. If international matches were only played for cup tournaments then many countries could not play each other, today NZ & Australia, Australian V England.
Additionally in a friendly that when coaches look at new players get combinations working trial new plays.
The problem as I see it is the G14 clubs seem to think they are football, essentially more important than FIFA & UEFA.
I am all for increasing the power of nationals sides and friendlies are hugely important, take the Australian Singapore match, the coach found Jade North and he played very well and was selected to play China in the WCQ, a number of A-League players were tried and given a chance to prove themselves, Holland, Jedi, Adam Griffiths, Jade North, Bridge, Dijet, to name a few who all earned praise from the Pim and will no doubt be grooming these guys for later years.
Socceroo/ Mariner / Whangarei
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Seems pretty clear to me that nations have a right to use their best players on occasion for friendlies. Problem is that the national pride of representing your country has been overtaken amongst the wealthy football nations by wages paid by clubs. Fair enough that the club pays the players wages and is entitled to have them, but I would have thought the value of representing your nation in any match was priceless. Obviously that has changed in many people's eyes, and I believe it's simply because money talks.
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those of you saying friendlies are stupid need to look at the other side of it.
Would we ever have got the chance to play Brazil before the last WC if it wasn't for them?
also, if the English, French, Argintinian (insert whatever large national team here) wanted to play a friendly against the AWs in NZ would you go?
Would we ever have got the chance to play Brazil before the last WC if it wasn't for them?
also, if the English, French, Argintinian (insert whatever large national team here) wanted to play a friendly against the AWs in NZ would you go?
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