anyone else find International week boring and meaningless?

[Slaphead in Qatar]

can't wait for league to start again, even though we have had a bad start and very few fulham matches are televised live here.

[Lighthouse]

My interest in International football has all but disappeared. I really have little interest in how England do now. I don't like the players and not keen on the football. On the whole, as Englands recent games have proved. The actual standard of football is lower than the Championship.

So bring on the proper football. When we have Wayne Rooney equalling Bobby Charltons goal scoring record I tend to think I lived through the better part of International football.

[jarv]

totally meaningless. Poor football and the seeding has turned football into tennis. Might as well not bother with the qualifiers, although the Welsh and Irish amongst us will disagree. Good luck to them both, they deserve it.  If England were playing in my back garden, I would not open the curtains to watch them. (I stole that quote, anyone remember who???) That's todays puzzler.

[Craven Mad]

Considering we've a totally new back line, I'm pleased they've got a couple of weeks to gel in training.

But I take your point... Definitely not finding it exciting and really just want to watch us play; couldn't care less about the eternally disappointing national team.

[FFC Sydney]

Yes I agree, its a waste of time and we have to endure it. We have to pretend that imaginary countries  like Lichtenstein, San Marino, Schlweiswig-Holstein etc... deserve a game.

[tommy]

I agree that it's not as exciting as it used to be but I still love watching England play. There is something really special about watching them out there in an England shirt, whether it's good football or not.

[kevin]

It's mind numbing at times....we should be beating teams like San Marino by a cricket score but we tip tap it about and pass across the pitch too often. International football has deteriorated hugely , watered down by the tiny nations who just want their moment in the floodlight.

[F(f)CUK]

Anyone who thinks that is obviously not Welsh.

[Texas White]

The money makes them detached from reality. Its hard to be normal with the obscene amounts they get paid.

At least with ours they are playing for there jobs.

[cmg]

I agree that something seems to have gone out of the international game which may have something to do with the big money gravity pull of the PL but may also be a result of our lack of recent success. A successful tournament would re-ignite a lot of enthusiasm. It also seems annoying to have a league break so soon after the start for a relatively undemanding fixture, although this may work to Fulham's advantage on this occasion.

...and yet. If you look at it another way, is it not the case that big(-ish) boys like England have some sort of responsibility towards the minnows? I was rather taken, last evening by the sound of the kids in their beautiful little stadium (rather optimistically called Stadio Olimpico) chanting 'San Marino' even though they were 5-0 down as if it was the best day they ever had. Maybe it was.

[Chutney]

I love watching england, international football is always important.

[alfie]

My interest in International football has all but disappeared. I really have little interest in how England do now. I don't like the players and not keen on the football. On the whole, as Englands recent games have proved. The actual standard of football is lower than the Championship.

So bring on the proper football. When we have Wayne Rooney equalling Bobby Charltons goal scoring record I tend to think I lived through the better part of International football.

Why all this stuff against Rooney, this guy may not be among the best, but he gives 100% every time and for every team he plays for, I really do get so tired of hearing how today's players cannot be compared with players that stopped playing years and years ago, it is a different game now, much faster, changes in rules, not being able to make a simple challenge without getting booked for it. I do not believe that players like Rooney do not care.

[tommy]

These small teams have every right to be playing at this level. It's international football so if they are a nation then they should have a team, whether they are good or terrible. Who cares if playing San Marino isn't important to the English, I bet there was 1000's of San Marino fans in that stadium that had the best day of there lives for watching teams like England play. That's what football is all about.

[David Allen Crankshaw]

I'm totally disinterested in the international break. We play against five teams whose total populations are less than quarter of ours. I look forward to watching Fulham at the weekend and watching England is simply no substitute. Totally bored yesterday so it was a walk in the Peak District. The one positive was badly needed exercise.

[Burt]

Not me... Watched the match last night, not exactly a classic and the result never really in doubt but always important to back the home nation, no matter who they are playing.

[Denver Fulham]

I don't mind qualifiers. There are too many international breaks for friendlies. The U.S. plays against Brazil on Tuesday and then Tim Ream has to fly back across the pond. He hasn't had time to work in with the new back four.

[MikeW]

Sort of watching Wales v Israel as I write.  Reminds me of our Div 1 /Champ days when teams like Tranmere sent a back 5 of 6' 3" Neanderthals who never moved out of their own half and then moaned about our payroll!

[Blanco]

Sort of watching Wales v Israel as I write.  Reminds me of our Div 1 /Champ days when teams like Tranmere sent a back 5 of 6' 3" Neanderthals who never moved out of their own half and then moaned about our payroll!

I knew it would be 0-0. Nearly put some money on it. Oh well.

[Pluto]

I enjoy international breaks. Nice to have something different to break up the season. It's not as if there isn't more than enough league games to watch over the course of the year.

[res]

These small teams have every right to be playing at this level. It's international football so if they are a nation then they should have a team, whether they are good or terrible. Who cares if playing San Marino isn't important to the English, I bet there was 1000's of San Marino fans in that stadium that had the best day of there lives for watching teams like England play. That's what football is all about.

  But playing them in the big international tournaments does nothing to improve their standards. In cricket/rugby there are Associate Tournaments where the winner and runner up go through to the bigger tournament. So, in football, you could have (say)San Marino, Andorra, Gibralta, Luxemborg, Leichenstein, Malta playing against each other with the winner advancing to the top level  tournament. At the moment they are just whipping boys, in an Associate tournament they would have a chance of development.