[Dildil]

Jankulovski fixes Czech out date
10.4 || webmaster

Football Italia

Marek Jankulovski plans to quit international football after the Czech Republic’s Euro 2008 adventure in order to dedicate himself to Milan.

The talented wing-back has been plagued by injury this season and has started just 10 games.

However, the 31-year-old is expected to be an important figure for the Czech Republic in Austria and Switzerland this summer – a tournament that is set to be his international swansong.

“I thought hard about the idea of quitting international football and I decided to commit myself solely to my club,” Jankulovski explained to Czech newspaper Sport.

The former Udinese man made his national debut in 2000 and has since made 62 appearances for Karel Brückner’s side.

[Darunia]

Good decision, maybe he'll remain healthy now..

[kurtsimonw]

(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

I don't know if it's just me, but doesn't anyone think that it's completely wrong to do this?

Playing for your country is an honour, not something you can just throw to the side and say "I don't want to do it anymore". The only time you should EVER stop playing for your country is 1) when you retire from football altogether or 2) when you're simply not good enough anymore. I personally think it's a disgrace to do this, whether it's Carragher, Nesta, Maldini or anyone, it's just wrong. If your country needs you, you help your country, it's as simple as that.

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Apr 10 2008, 09:25 AM

[dst]

^^It's obvious that to retire one feels that he can't play both for his club and country any more... and if playing for his country means he underperforms for his club (which is his job I remind you...) then I don't think it's unethical or anything to retire. I never use the words right or wrong cause it's too dependent on one's personal view.

[kurtsimonw]

Well I say it's wrong because that's just my opinion of it, and I'll stick by that. If your country needs you, regardless of what it is, you do it. There shouldn't even be a moment of doubt in ones mind.

There shouldn't even be a question of not being able to perform for your club because of your country anyways. You have a few qualifiers here and there, but the tournements are held in early summer where you are on holiday leave from your club anyway.

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Apr 10 2008, 10:33 AM

[redbabies]

Retire or not... he'll probably stay on the bench next season (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[whoarethepatriot...]

I hope he has a glorious internation swansong then (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/king.gif)

[dst]

Well I say it's wrong because that's just my opinion of it, and I'll stick by that. If your country needs you, regardless of what it is, you do it. There shouldn't even be a moment of doubt in ones mind.

There shouldn't even be a question of not being able to perform for your club because of your country anyways. You have a few qualifiers here and there, but the tournements are held in early summer where you are on holiday leave from your club anyway.

I'm just saying that judging what's right and what's wrong is kinda flimsy. Marek obviously thinks it's right so... I mean that you can say 'I would not do that' but 'wrong'?... well... anyway... that's just a technicality. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I would not retire either. If my country needed me then I would keep on playing. Unless I felt there were better players then me and I block them by being there...

Well there is a question... in my opinion there are too many games (and very high pace) in football nowadays and I'm only counting the clubs' games. Interstitial national games prevent footballers from having the normal recovery that's required after a game and before another one. Also the national tournaments are not held when footballers are on holiday, they are held when footballers SHOULD BE on holiday... it's essential that they rest some time of the year don't you think? When there are national tournaments it means that a player has to be playing non-stop for 22 months! In the first few months of the season after such a tournament the players are underperforming.

Nesta for example retired because he had many injuries and most of them were the result of not being able to prepare properly for the number of games he had to play.

Anyway... I don't think we should be judging anyone's decision on such matters... I mean... who's to say that every footballer is or has to be ethnically "active"? How much one loves his country is his/her own personal issue. And I'm not saying that retiring means you do not love your country.

You mentioned Maldini. He only retired after making a costly mistake and when there were others waiting.

This post has been edited by dst: Apr 10 2008, 12:46 PM

[kurtsimonw]

Well there is a question... in my opinion there are too many games (and very high pace) in football nowadays and I'm only counting the clubs' games. Interstitial national games prevent footballers from having the normal recovery that's required after a game and before another one. Also the national tournaments are not held when footballers are on holiday, they are held when footballers SHOULD BE on holiday... it's essential that they rest some time of the year don't you think?

Not sure how it is in Italy, but in England, players that're coming back from the WC or Euro's get an extra 2 weeks holiday than the rest of the squad to rest up and do as they please.

Nesta for example retired because he had many injuries and most of them were the result of not being able to prepare properly for the number of games he had to play.

You mentioned Maldini. He only retired after making a costly mistake and when there were others waiting.

As for these 2.. I will probably get toasted for it, but Maldini just isn't good enough for Italy anymore anwyays. And I'm not sure I'd say Nesta would be a starting player for the NT anyways.

Anyway... I don't think we should be judging anyone's decision on such matters... I mean... who's to say that every footballer is or has to be ethnically "active"? How much one loves his country is his/her own personal issue. And I'm not saying that retiring means you do not love your country.

But THIS is the main point of my arguement.

Why do players have to come out and say "I am retiring from International football, I will not play for my country again so I can make sure I'm putting all my effort in for my club." or things to that effect.

Why do players feel the need to announce that they won't play again. If they were picked but they have a bit of a knock they're trying to recover from, fair enough if they withdraw from that squad. But to come out and say they'll never play again is what I would call wrong.

So this is why I say it's wrong to retire. There's no reason to say you'll never play again, if you never get picked again or withdraw through injury from squads then that's fine. There's a difference between not being able to play for your country and you deciding yourself that you won't play for your country. I still haven't, and never will forgive Shearer for what he did!

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Apr 10 2008, 01:02 PM

[dst]

Not sure how it is in Italy, but in England, players that're coming back from the WC or Euro's get an extra 2 weeks holiday than the rest of the squad to rest up and do as they please.

So when there's no international competitions in June, the players have close to a month of vacation. When there is, they have to play and train for at least two more weeks and they get half the recovery time they normally get...

As for these 2.. I will probably get toasted for it, but Maldini just isn't good enough for Italy anymore anwyays. And I'm not sure I'd say Nesta would be a starting player for the NT anyways.

Yes Maldini was just not able to play any more because of his age. I just said this cause you mentioned him.
As for Nesta, well that's your personal opinion... and mine is that Materazzi should not have ever been called to play for the Azzurri... (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Why do players have to come out and say "I am retiring from International football, I will not play for my country again so I can make sure I'm putting all my effort in for my club." or things to that effect.

It's better this way... I mean if they feel they can't be there most of the time then why should they not retire? You either show up when they call you or you retire, there's no such thing as "be there when you can" in my view... every team is bigger than it's players and slackness should not be allowed.

[kurtsimonw]

As for Nesta, well that's your personal opinion... and mine is that Materazzi should not have ever been called to play for the Azzurri...  (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Then again, some good things would come out of it, like Italy not being World Champs. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

But I do think no player is above his countr. if you can't play an extra couple of games a year, then you shouldn't be playing football in my opinion. But this looks like something we'll not agree on.

[dst]

Then again, some good things would come out of it, like Italy not being World Champs.  (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) How would Materazzi not being there mean Italy would not win? After all, Pirlo was voted Man of the Match for the Final... and if take certain incidents so seriously as to say that Italy would not have won then I have the right to say that the game would have ended 0-0 cause Materazzi was the one involved in the penalty incident... (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

But this is all ridiculous... what you said and what I said is ridiculous. Like we've said many times before everyone has his own opinion about each player and we can't base our way on thinking on anything, more so on stupid things like these.

But I do think no player is above his countr. if you can't play an extra couple of games a year, then you shouldn't be playing football in my opinion. But this looks like something we'll not agree on.

But why should one do it in the first place? Don't think what you'd do... not everyone feels the need to serve his country like you do...

[kurtsimonw]

It's nothing to do with how I feel, I just think it's wrong and there's nothing wrong with me thinking that. Anyways, like you said it's a pointless discussion.

[morgoth]

Nowadays football is about money, since the international teams don't pay anything, players tend to prefer their clubs because the club pays the bill, simple as that.

[Jack Sparrow]

I would not retire either. If my country needed me then I would keep on playing. Unless I felt there were better players then me and I block them by being there...

(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) Like MizNelson says Horsepuckey. I'll believe it when you post a pic in milanfan of you in army fatigues. You know what I'm talking about... (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)