Off Topic Why do we need to ask them for this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30770517

I don't really get this. Surely the easiest way round it is just for the FA to tell them its compulsory? or move the meeting earlier if that is the problem?

Or say to Cahill, non-attendance will be regarded as a sign you do not want to play for your country and tell him to sort with Mourinho/Chelsea.

I'd wouldn't be surprised if this is true (though could easily be journo gossip - doesn't have a quote form Chelsea).

 

The FA can compel players to show up for England duty on specified dates. They can't schedule meetings at places and times to suit themselves and expect them to be compulsory - - they have to work out a time that's convenient for everybody, just like any other organisation would have to do.

 

FA and Mourinho are at loggerheads with each other at the minute aren't they, this is probably a direct order from Mourinho.

He really doesn't like it when things aren't going his way.

Funny, he seemed desperate to come back to England and manage here again, he was saying it every 5 minutes when he was in Italy/Spain.

 

That is the point I'm making though, they are talking about scheduling this on a Thursday this month. How is not convenient for everybody? If Chelsea (or more likely Mourinho) are just going to play silly buggers and not give a sensible reason, then why not just set the date anyway, make it compulsory and force Mourinho to stop messing about.

I could be missing something obvious that the proposed dates could somehow effect Chelsea's prep for a game but not really. W e are talking about one meeting for one player! At the end of the day a date has to be found somewhere soon. It has to be somewhere in a mid week, there will always be a game you can use an excuse.

 

Other organisations do not have seem to have the same problems with clubs that we do. Its a constant battle that goes back to the FA losing power to the clubs and PL. In my opinion this is a bad thing. Personally I want the national team to do well. You need the support the of the clubs as evidenced if you read how the federations in Spain and Germany approached their long term vision to get their national teams performing and winning. Not only did the coaching need to improve, they targeted the major clubs to get them on board in terms of supporting them things like this, giving opportunity to players and coaches. Its worked out pretty well.

At every turn we seem to have this problem with club/country conflict. Some managers seem to have a less selfish approach to it than others. The problem is that the managers who have no interest in our national side can just hide behind the PL.

It needs resolved in my opinion. It appears the only way to resolve it is for the FA to grow a spine and take some power back, taking a harder line. The softly softly approach is being rode roughshod over as far as I can see, whether through petty disputes or otherwise.

 

If I wanted a key employee from an associated company to attend an extraordinary meeting which was being held for my benefit, I would expect that I might have to make adjustments to suit that company's convenience. Alternatively, if I wasn't willing to make the meeting convenient for them I could hold it without their employee.

As this is all being done for my benefit and not for their's, though, I can't reasonably insist that they do anything they don't really fancy doing, can I ?

 

My pet hate bar none. The application of normal working parameters to an occupation that is anything but. This not a typical work situation. This is a footballer being requested to attend one meeting to assist with his national teams planning for the upcoming year, a year which the manager is hoping he wants to be involved and will be involved in. Not massively unreasonable is it? While it is all very nice to apply normal working rules to the workplace, it is not entirely sensible.

I could go on and list countless normal working practices that are not really suited to a profession like football, but that would be a bit silly.

You are not just talking about Chelsea either, there are maybe 10 companies or more involved in any national team selection. So finding this convenient meeting in a packed January schedule is not as simple as it sounds. Or maybe, like your good self, maybe one manager is just being a bit of an awkward bastard?

 

rather my point

 

So don't bother because international football is not important? As long as the sacred PL, Sky and player trinity is preserved I suppose