International Break Thread

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Southern A

Southern A

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2020
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Who's ****ing idea was it to put an international break so early in the season? Jesus.

Anyway I thought it would be good to have a thread to track how our lads are getting on on international break. It can also be used to discuss random SAFC stuff whilst we go through this boring period without a match thread, a transfer window thread, a new head coach thread or a takeover thread :D

Random thought to kick things off - wtf is Chris Rigg doing in the U18s? If you dig out the U19 squad, not one of them in midfield can lace his boots. I'd even argue that he should be in the U20 squad with Jobe. Archie Gray is only a year older than him, but is a hipster's dream so has moved for £40m and is in the U21s.

Here's who's on international duty:

Dan Ballard and Trai Hume – Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg
Thursday 5th September
UEFA Nations League
Windsor Park
7.45pm

Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland
Sunday 8th September
UEFA Nations League
Hristo Botev Stadium
5pm

Alan Browne – Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland vs England
Saturday 7th September
UEFA Nations League
Aviva Stadium
5pm

Republic of Ireland vs Greece
Tuesday 10th September
UEFA Nations League
Aviva Stadium
7.45pm

Milan Aleksic – Serbia

Serbia vs Spain
Thursday 5th September
UEFA Nations League
Red Star Stadium
7.45pm

Denmark vs Serbia
Sunday 8th September
UEFA Nations League
Parken
5pm

Chris Mepham – Wales

Montenegro vs Wales
Monday 9th September
UEFA Nations League
Gradski Stadion Niksic
7.45pm

Jobe – England Elite League

Turkey U20s vs England U20s
Friday 6th September
5pm

England U20s vs Romania U20s
Tuesday 10th September
7pm

Chris Rigg – England Under-18s

Portugal U18s vs England U18s
Wednesday 4th September
2pm

Switzerland U18s vs England U18s
Friday 6th September
2pm

France U18s vs England U18s
Sunday 8th September
5pm

Finn Geragusian – Armenia Under-19s

Armenia U19s vs Lithuania U19s
Saturday 7th September and Monday 9th September

Rhys Walsh – Northern Ireland Under-19s

Northern Ireland U19s vs Norway U19s
Thursday 5th September
6pm

Northern Ireland U19s vs Slovakia U19s
Sunday 8th September
12pm
 
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Because I'm bored at work I've also pasted the matches our lads are involved in, on a day by day basis below:

Wedneday 4th September
2pm - Portugal U18s vs England U18s - Chris Rigg

Thursday 5th September
6pm - Northern Ireland U19s vs Norway U19s - Rhys Walsh
7.45pm - Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg - Dan Ballard and Trai Hume
7.45pm - Serbia vs Spain - Milan Aleksic

Friday 6th September
2pm - Switzerland U18s vs England U18s - Chris Rigg
5pm - Turkey U20s vs England U20s - Jobe

Saturday 7th September
5pm - Republic of Ireland vs England - Alan Browne
Armenia U19s vs Lithuania U19s - Finn Geragusian

Sunday 8th September
12pm - Northern Ireland U19s vs Slovakia U19s - Rhys Walsh
5pm - Denmark vs Serbia - Milan Aleksic
5pm - France U18s vs England U18s - Chris Rigg
5pm - Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland - Dan Ballard and Trai Hume

Monday 9th September
7.45pm - Montenegro vs Wales - Chris Mepham

Tuesday 10th September
7pm - England U20s vs Romania U20s - Jobe
7.45pm - Republic of Ireland vs Greece - Alan Browne
 
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Fair bit of travelling for the Lethal Weapon there. Suspect he will get a breather from us for Plymouth.

And as for him being in the older age groups. You are right on talent, but it wont do him any harm from a development perspective to play a few games exclusively with peers for me.
 
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FellTop said:
Fair bit of travelling for the Lethal Weapon there. Suspect he will get a breather from us for Plymouth.

And as for him being in the older age groups. You are right on talent, but it wont do him any harm from a development perspective to play a few games exclusively with peers for me.
Click to expand...

The only promising thing with Rigg's schedule is that he finishes by Sunday. 3 games in 5 days is ridiculous though. I'd like to think he'd be rested for one of them.
 
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I have absolutely no interest in international games these days unless it's a tournament (a proper tournament, not the league bollocks). I just see them as annoyance which disrupts the club league.

No idea who is in the England squad or even who and when we are playing against :emoticon-0100-smile
 
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Southern A said:
Who's ****ing idea was it to put an international break so early in the season? Jesus.

Anyway I thought it would be good to have a thread to track how our lads are getting on on international break. It can also be used to discuss random SAFC stuff whilst we go through this boring period without a match thread, a transfer window thread, a new head coach thread or a takeover thread :D

Random thought to kick things off - wtf is Chris Rigg doing in the U18s? If you dig out the U19 squad, not one of them in midfield can lace his boots. I'd even argue that he should be in the U20 squad with Jobe. Archie Gray is only a year older than him, but is a hipster's dream so has moved for £40m and is in the U21s.

Here's who's on international duty:

Dan Ballard and Trai Hume – Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg
Thursday 5th September
UEFA Nations League
Windsor Park
7.45pm

Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland
Sunday 8th September
UEFA Nations League
Hristo Botev Stadium
5pm

Alan Browne – Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland vs England
Saturday 7th September
UEFA Nations League
Aviva Stadium
5pm

Republic of Ireland vs Greece
Tuesday 10th September
UEFA Nations League
Aviva Stadium
7.45pm

Milan Aleksic – Serbia

Serbia vs Spain
Thursday 5th September
UEFA Nations League
Red Star Stadium
7.45pm

Denmark vs Serbia
Sunday 8th September
UEFA Nations League
Parken
5pm

Chris Mepham – Wales

Wales vs Turkey
Friday 6th September
UEFA Nations League
Cardiff City Stadium
7.45pm

Montenegro vs Wales
Monday 9th September
UEFA Nations League
Gradski Stadion Niksic
7.45pm

Jobe – England Elite League

Turkey U20s vs England U20s
Friday 6th September
5pm

England U20s vs Romania U20s
Tuesday 10th September
7pm

Chris Rigg – England Under-18s

Portugal U18s vs England U18s
Wednesday 4th September
2pm

Switzerland U18s vs England U18s
Friday 6th September
2pm

France U18s vs England U18s
Sunday 8th September
5pm

Finn Geragusian – Armenia Under-19s

Armenia U19s vs Lithuania U19s
Saturday 7th September and Monday 9th September

Rhys Walsh – Northern Ireland Under-19s

Northern Ireland U19s vs Norway U19s
Thursday 5th September
6pm

Northern Ireland U19s vs Slovakia U19s
Sunday 8th September
12pm
Click to expand...
Tuesday being the latest anyone plays is good, thought we may have to rest some of these for Plymouth but I don't think we will now.

I believe Mepham is suspended for the first Wales game, think I read that somewhere.
 
Rather than starting a new thread, I thought I'd use this one for hopefully a debate - what player has stood out the most for people in the first 4 games?

Like Danny Collins being thrown as to who to give the MOTM for any of the games, for me its also hard to pick out a stand out player. Roberts looks to have got his confidence back although if he could just get the ball into the back of the net at times to cap it all off! Jobe has come back a seemingly different player to last season - strolling about the pitch, making tackles and leaving opposition players in his wake when he gets out of trouble, Mayenda showing us that there's a striker in there, Mundle showing us that there's life after Jack Clarke, Cirkin showing us what we missed last season, Alese was solid at centre half before his injury, Browne has shown us what a good player he is - the list goes on.

But if I had to pick out 1 player that's really stood out it has to be Chris Rigg! For a 17 year old to do what he does on a football pitch up against more experienced players than he and actually instructing team mates the way he does beggars belief. That tackle last weekend to set us away for the third goal was something else and a hark back to days when you could actually tackle like that, his overall play shows why clubs were lining up for him before he signed his first professional contract. For a 17 year old he ticks all the boxes and then some!
 
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Southern A said:
Who's ****ing idea was it to put an international break so early in the season? Jesus.

Anyway I thought it would be good to have a thread to track how our lads are getting on on international break. It can also be used to discuss random SAFC stuff whilst we go through this boring period without a match thread, a transfer window thread, a new head coach thread or a takeover thread :D

Random thought to kick things off - wtf is Chris Rigg doing in the U18s? If you dig out the U19 squad, not one of them in midfield can lace his boots. I'd even argue that he should be in the U20 squad with Jobe. Archie Gray is only a year older than him, but is a hipster's dream so has moved for £40m and is in the U21s.

Here's who's on international duty:

Dan Ballard and Trai Hume – Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg
Thursday 5th September
UEFA Nations League
Windsor Park
7.45pm

Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland
Sunday 8th September
UEFA Nations League
Hristo Botev Stadium
5pm

Alan Browne – Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland vs England
Saturday 7th September
UEFA Nations League
Aviva Stadium
5pm

Republic of Ireland vs Greece
Tuesday 10th September
UEFA Nations League
Aviva Stadium
7.45pm

Milan Aleksic – Serbia

Serbia vs Spain
Thursday 5th September
UEFA Nations League
Red Star Stadium
7.45pm

Denmark vs Serbia
Sunday 8th September
UEFA Nations League
Parken
5pm

Chris Mepham – Wales

Wales vs Turkey
Friday 6th September
UEFA Nations League
Cardiff City Stadium
7.45pm

Montenegro vs Wales
Monday 9th September
UEFA Nations League
Gradski Stadion Niksic
7.45pm

Jobe – England Elite League

Turkey U20s vs England U20s
Friday 6th September
5pm

England U20s vs Romania U20s
Tuesday 10th September
7pm

Chris Rigg – England Under-18s

Portugal U18s vs England U18s
Wednesday 4th September
2pm

Switzerland U18s vs England U18s
Friday 6th September
2pm

France U18s vs England U18s
Sunday 8th September
5pm

Finn Geragusian – Armenia Under-19s

Armenia U19s vs Lithuania U19s
Saturday 7th September and Monday 9th September

Rhys Walsh – Northern Ireland Under-19s

Northern Ireland U19s vs Norway U19s
Thursday 5th September
6pm

Northern Ireland U19s vs Slovakia U19s
Sunday 8th September
12pm
Click to expand...

Great thread, fingers crossed for our lads ... ....

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Good effort Southern A - thanks.

Like everyone else I hope they all come back unscathed. The one I will be interested in following is Aleksic in the Serbia games. Not sure how much time he will get on the pitch as its his first call up to the senior squad ( as far as I know ), but even if he gets on for 10-15 minutes it will be good to see how he gets on against top class internationals
 
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Daz said:
I have absolutely no interest in international games these days unless it's a tournament (a proper tournament, not the league bollocks). I just see them as annoyance which disrupts the club league.

No idea who is in the England squad or even who and when we are playing against :emoticon-0100-smile
Click to expand...

I'm with you mate, I've no idea what these things are all about tbh.

I'll watch our new lads, if the play, but cringe watching Ballard or Hume going into tackles with players I've never heard of and countries I couldn't find on a map.

The best part of this break is that I get time to recover from Portsmouth before I trek down to Plymouth.
 
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Ronald Koeman has just leapt up the rankings of my admiration ...

... he's effectively ended the national career of a valuable player, Steve Bergwijn, who featured in the recent Euros.

Why, because he's sold his soul to the Saudis, so f*ck him.

I haven't read the article, too busy, but how on earth can national managers possibly evaluate a player in such a totally fake environment. And why should they be forced to go to Saudi to see how players are doing.

Absolutely brilliant from Koeman imo.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx2g3g9zepyo

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