Team GB Football: What Should Happen Next?

Wise heads: Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy

It is widely accepted that Great Britain’s first foray into Olympic football for more than half a century will be their last for a long time, so it is little wonder that Stuart Pearce’s men have been keen to make a big impact.

But what if this was not the last time a team was assembled from the four countries that make up Great Britain? What if there was a future for Team GB football?

As Pearce himself has said: "We've got a fantastic opportunity to sow a seed and say 'can this happen more often?'”

Following the disappointment of the European Championships with England, it has been refreshing to see this alternative outfit representing us on the international stage.

The greatest delight has been in seeing the likes of Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy, both in their 30’s, finally getting to compete in a major tournament. The travesty is, with Wales they never got the chance.

“It's just great to be involved in this,” Bellamy admitted. “We're representing four countries and it's a proud occasion.”

Both Giggs and Bellamy have been instrumental in guiding the predominately youthful squad to the top of their group at these Olympic Games, with each scoring in the opening two matches.

Their experience and, it must be said, sheer quality has stood out, and as the team steadily begins to gel, there is a real feeling of excitement as to what could be achieved.

Any decision to take this team beyond this one competition is sure to meet a fair amount of opposition, though.

Most notable is the fact that, of Great Britain’s four countries, only two are represented, with English players dominating the team sheet. Scottish and Northern Irish fans would hardly be warm to the idea of replacing their national teams with a bunch of Englishmen.

It’s not hard to see why there are no players from those countries involved, of course.

Voted for by fans, Northern Ireland’s greatest ever XI would struggle to beat the current England side, despite having the likes of George Best and Pat Jennings amongst their ranks, while Scotland suddenly seemed to stop producing top-level international footballers in the 80’s.

And whilst they are represented in the current squad, Welsh footballers are hardly any better. The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Neil Taylor are talented, but you would still struggle to fit them into the current English senior team.

Then there is the small, but quite apparently significant issue of national anthems. We’ve already seen resistance to ‘God Save the Queen’ from the Welsh contingent in the three games that have already been played.

Such a situation surely could not be viable in the long term. There would have to be an alternative, but changes to national anthems supersede the responsibilities of football associations.

Those issues aside, however, what an interesting prospect a permanent Team GB would be.

For non-Olympic tournaments, the under-23 rule would not exist, so the likes of Bellamy and Giggs would be picked on their own merit, rather than to fulfil an ‘obligation’.

Add to that some of the stars of the Premier League who we have not seen at the Olympics – Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, and Steven Gerrard – Gareth Bale, even.

Indeed, if he can get back to full-fitness, how brilliant would it be to see Darren Fletcher playing competitive tournament football?

These are opportunities that, in modern football, such gifted players have had to miss out on.

Perhaps, in years to come, a Great Britain football team would have more chance of winning silverware than England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Just a handful of additional star players would make a huge difference.

A lot of work would need to be done to get such an idea pushed through, and even if it was discussed, it would most likely be on a possibility basis rather than probability.

It’s just a thought. But then again, wouldn’t that have been how the campaign to bring the Olympics to London this year began?