Change my view: England, N.Ireland, Wales & Scotland should merge into a UK team

Most generations would have like 9 or 10 English players in the starting XI anyway

Which would come at the expense of other nations fans, can hardly imagine the Scottish, Welsh, Irish lads taking pride in watching an England XI represent 'their' countries. I mean I don't give a shit anyway but it would ruin International football for a lot of people just for a marginally better England team.

Betty La Fea wrote:I don't see why they are allowed to compete separately in the first place. If we are giving FAs, and qualification spots, for each and every separate historical ethnic group then the Asian confederation needs at least 5 more qualification spots for China, at least 3 for Japan, and like 4 for Indonesia. It becomes even more absurd if you open a history book and see Scotland hasn't been independent, in any real form, since 1707. That is over 300 years ago, yet they have their own national team?

Whats next? Philistine and the Olmec getting their own FIFA memberships?

Northern Ireland and Wales have taken 2 spots that could have gone to ACTUAL nations in this years European championships.

Wales topping a group and NI possibly qualifying



Unlike whatever ACTUAL nations would've turned up in their place and maybe scraped a point.

Pretty much any of the UK lads would beat China, Japan and Indonesia never mind pub team mini groups from said Nations.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:

Betty La Fea wrote:I don't see why they are allowed to compete separately in the first place. If we are giving FAs, and qualification spots, for each and every separate historical ethnic group then the Asian confederation needs at least 5 more qualification spots for China, at least 3 for Japan, and like 4 for Indonesia. It becomes even more absurd if you open a history book and see Scotland hasn't been independent, in any real form, since 1707. That is over 300 years ago, yet they have their own national team?

Whats next? Philistine and the Olmec getting their own FIFA memberships?

Northern Ireland and Wales have taken 2 spots that could have gone to ACTUAL nations in this years European championships.

Wales topping a group and NI possibly qualifying



Unlike whatever ACTUAL nations would've turned up in their place and maybe scraped a point.

Pretty much any of the UK lads would beat China, Japan and Indonesia never mind pub team mini groups from said Nations.

The US could have a team Massachusetts or a team Colorado that could win and move out of their groups in the gold cup too. That doesnt strengthen an argument for splitting up a single nation.

In the end the people of the UK would be the winner. Put Bale in that English side and they make an argument for being favorites to win the entire tournament.

Japan, and maybe even China, would walk Northern Ireland too

China couldn't walk my old school team ffs

And that doesn't change the fact that the non English nations would absolutely hate it. Their identity getting stripped away from them, they would NEVER support a 'team Britain' because everybody knows it would be team England and friends.

Sure from a foriegners perspective it's a tiny Island next to an even smaller blip on the map and joining makes sense. In reality, it doesn't.

Might as well merge a couple of European countries too or have a Mexico - Usa XI

Tomwin Lannister wrote:China couldn't walk my old school team ffs

And that doesn't change the fact that the non English nations would absolutely hate it. Their identity getting stripped away from them, they would NEVER support a 'team Britain' because everybody knows it would be team England and friends.

Sure from a foriegners perspective it's a tiny Island next to an even smaller blip on the map and joining makes sense. In reality, it doesn't.

Might as well merge a couple of European countries too or have a Mexico - Usa XI

Is it them losing their identity, or is it like a woman on her wedding day? Hoping she'll be the same person, although not quite with the same name?

Wales is never going to win a world cup
Scotland is never going to win a world cup
Northern Ireland is never going to win a world cup

They can however join forces with their fellow countrymen, and create a real shot at having a go for it. They can feel pride in seeing Bale, Williams(who I would start over Cahill in a team GB) or even someone like Ramsey representing the Union jack and having a go at a tourney.

We wouldnt even have to merge countries with the UK example. You guys are already ONE united country with a culture, and heritage, tied together. What binds you all is much greater than what could ever divide you.

As somebody who lives in England and up until recently went to Scotland a LOT to see family I can tell you there is not a big feeling of being 'United' at all Certainly not on a footballing level.

The Scottish people would mostly stop watching international football if the merge happened, and although I have family in the republic of Ireland somewhere I have never been as an adult so I couldn't tell you exactly but I imagine they would feel even more disconnected.

Every team that's participating in the Euros from the British Isles progress to the knock-out stage - and here we have people think they should merge to be more successful

I will bet you my sig and avatar for the rest of my life none of them will pass the quarter finals.

As a result of Brexit, and assuming N. Ireland and Scotland are out of the UK, that leaves Wales + England as Britain. Surely Britain > England or Wales separately? And both Ramsey and Bale would make the British team, so everyone would feel represented.

Wales and England might not be too much of a stretch

Cruijf wrote:I will bet you my sig and avatar for the rest of my life none of them will pass the quarter finals.

Irrelevant, the argument is that 'actual' nations could get their spots instead. So which of the nations not at this EURO would have done what these Nations have? Spoiler, none.

You don't have to be in contention to win an international tournament to be a legit nation, that would DQ all but a handful.

A scene of modern Britain played out on a bus in Newport yesterday. A woman wearing a niqab was chatting to her son in another language. After five minutes, a man suddenly snapped. "If you're in the UK, you should speak English." At this point, another passenger turned around and explained: "We're in Wales and she is speaking Wlesh.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:

Cruijf wrote:I will bet you my sig and avatar for the rest of my life none of them will pass the quarter finals.

Irrelevant, the argument is that 'actual' nations could get their spots instead. So which of the nations not at this EURO would have done what these Nations have? Spoiler, none.

You don't have to be in contention to win an international tournament to be a legit nation, that would DQ all but a handful.

The original argument from BC was that no one in the UK has a chance at winning anything on their own, so they should merge. Northern Ireland and Wales making it to the R16 in a tournament where you have to actively try to get eliminated means nothing. If one of them made it to the semis, that would refute BC's point because it would show they don't need England to mount a title challenge. But they won't.

I say as long as they remain a single country, which is now doubtful, they can have their 4 teams. But they should have to play off amongst themselves for the right to represent that country in any major tournament.

NI will probably merge with the republic and Scotland will probably become an independent country, so all there will be is Wales and England to merge.

Maybe Prince Charles will decide he finally wants to become king and declare the independent kingdom of Wales, when everything goes south anyway?

Look at the case of Team GB in the Olympic rugby 7s. Neither Scotland, nor England nor Wales made the rugby WC semi-finals, but now they have beaten heavy weights Australia and Argentina to make the final. Imagine what they could achieve in football.

You know why there isn't a women's football team representing the UK?

England FA tried. but Scottish FA bitched and refused saying no chance. And olympics 2012 was a one off. It's a lot more political than just football

This will never happen.

Imagine if they had Bale today

Midfield is the problem not the forwards lol.

Bale doesn't fix anything.

Just read that stores in Scotland have run out of Croatia jerseys.

Unified team my ass.

I do agree. It's unreal just imagine Wales, Scotland and England qualifying for the world cup, taking up 3 spots while being the same *bleep* nation.

Unacceptable and has to be changed. They should play under the same flag. I couldn't care less about the identity, culture and politics that's internal and irrelevant to International tournaments.

It's about time England stop getting favored for a lot things in sports to be honest.

Also it's irrelevant how strong these teams are individually or how competitive they are in tournaments when they are the same *bleep* country lmao

Do you think India and Pakistan should merge into one team.

Unique wrote:Do you think India and Pakistan should merge into one team.

Unique wrote:Do you think India and Pakistan should merge into one team.

India and Pakistan are different nations. England, Scotland, NI and Wales aren't. Nish is right.

Having England and co. as separate teams in FIFA is the same as having Catalonia, Euskadi etc.

Yes we are lol.

Nobody in Scotland or Wales think they are in the same country lol.

You are being just as ignorant as Unique with that post tbh.