So the new FIFA rankings came out yesterday and as usual there was a bunch of hubbub about underrated and overrated. While in general I support the FIFA rankings for what they're worth (a debate starter and a general, albeit flawed measure of relative squad strength), I figured it might be interesting for other Big Soccer users to compile our own Top 25. Here in the United States, to devise the rankings for college sports, we have a poll each week where a certain number (it can be anywhere from the high teens for hockey to nearly 100 for American football) of press people submit their own lists of who they think the top 25 teams are. Any team receiving a first place vote gets 25 points, second place 24 points, all the way down to a 25th place vote getting 1 point. The points are added up and the rankings go from highest point getter to lowest point getter. So, the methodology will be similar here. After the first 50 people submit lists, I'll compile the standing and "publish" the list in this thread as the Top 25 rankings (because I have not so much of a life). Then once a month, we can do the same thing again once the new FIFA rankings are published. You can use any criteria you want for ranking. Myself, I'm using performance since the last World Cup, quality of competition, and general impression of potential in any competition they participate in. Here's mine: 1. Brazil 2. Argentina 3. Czech Republic 4. Holland 5. England 6. Portugal 7. Mexico 8. Spain 9. Ukraine 10. Sweden 11. Ireland 12. Greece 13. Japan 14. Poland 15. Italy 16. South Korea 17. United States 18. Turkey 19. France 20. Slovakia 21. Denmark 22. Norway 23. Senegal 24. Switzerland 25. Ecuador If you submit less than 25, 1st still counts for 25, down until the last one you submit counting for its value. For example, if you submit 12, the 12th place team would be worth 14.
Let me guess. Is this some sort of a provokation or did you realy forget germany? and putting switzerland on this list (even though I lived and loved it) is just proving you dont have a goddamn clue!
No provocation I swear. I just personally don't feel Germany warrants a Top 25 place. Switzerland has been pretty impressive in both World Cup qualifying and getting itself in Euro and that's why I put them on the list. See, that's how this thing works. People's differences of opinion are compiled into a master list where it becomes relatively objective in the end as opposed to subjective.
LOL... no Germany, how does Grece get put behind Ireland? I would not have them top 10, but I would not have both Portugal and England that high either.
It really pained me to rank the Greeks at all since I can't handle watching their matches. But, they did win Euro so I had to rank them.
If I try real hard it actually works ! Damn! @Fires, do you realy believe a match Germany against switzerland would turn out a victory for switzerland? I will definetly post in this thread a final reply during the end of WC 2006
In a head-to-head matchup, probably not. But that wasn't my ranking criteria. If that's yours, I really want to see your list. It would take weeks for me to run the possible scenarios where every team ranked below another team would lose to them every time. As it stood, that list took me about 10 minutes which I figure would be about what people would be willing to spend on making their own lists.
Yeah, I know. Any soccer fan had this debate at least once in his life and probably invested hours thinking about it and staying awake when he should sleep.
The Germans have been playing pretty sh1tty soccer for the last 14 years and they are one of the countries & people I dislike the most (boy are they a fvcking whiny culture).....but what you all don't understand is that German pride is so great...that it eclipses their self-consciousness. They don't realize that they are so sh1tty....and this is their greatest flaw AND virtue. Flaw....because this is the characteristic that makes them self-centered & hence so whiny and annoying. Virtue....because the fact that they don't realize they look bad allows them to never give up...to keep trying to the last whistle. When it comes down to it...the Germans will get outplayed (like Australia did yesterday)...but they will keep coming at you, with their clumsy attacks, until you make a mistake and then they win. Because of this, Germany will at least make the quarterfinals next year. So...if you take a team that was a finalist in '02 & a quarterfinalist in '06....there is no way they can not be ranked in the top 25....and probably in the top 8.
So how is mexico at 7 and the US at 17? And Poland's ahead of us too? After you're top 3 these are just as fvcked up as the FIFA rankings are, well not quite so bad but still fvked up.
Touching story mate! But dont waste forum space! But back to the topic. Watch the US, they are coming. I dont hope for it but I can feel it!
Somehow I don't really think you would have. And mine is serious - in my personal opinion - just like yours would be too. Again. That's the point! It's subjective lists coming together to make a more objective list. Though I do realize now that I forgot Croatia who really should be ranked. Sorry.
Because I've lived in my own little US Soccer world for the past year or so and I couldn't accurately rank all these teams if for no better reason than I haven't seen some of them play in 3 years (like south korea even thuogh I don't think they're good enough to get as far as they did). I know this much though, no CONCACAF team is top 10, and I've got my doubts about greece too. I can't accurately rate these teams and I don't think anyone really can. But I'm no less skepitical of your list than I am FIFA's.
Anyway: 1.Brazil 2.Argentina 3.England 4.Holland 5.Portugal 6.Czech Republic 7.Italy 8.Germany 9.Spain 10.France 11.Sweden 12.Mexico 13.Turkey 14.Germany 15.Ukraine 16.Greece 17.USA 18.Japan 19.Ireland 20.Ecuador 21.Iran 22.Denmark 23.South Korea 24.Colombia 25.Tunisia
I actually like the idea, but I doubt you'll get 50 serious lists here on WR. Why don't you try this on the Beautiful Game forum? I'd contribute there. I just don't see a point in trying to get the whole thing up and running in WR.
(1) England should not be ranked higher than Germany (2) There is no way Italy or Portugal should be ranked ahead of Mexico.
Tricolore.. now you put Germany twice. Do you mean West Germany and East Germany? This classification would be new to me but appears fair!
Yeah, I realize that now. I just wasn't sure if this kind of thing was a-go on the Beautiful Game since I'm not a regular over there and thought that was a little more factual oriented as opposed to opinion. Wonder if a mod is around to move this over there.
