THE clamour for a British Soccer team to strut their stuff in the London Olympics continues to grow.

Spurred on, no doubt, by this weekend's results, when England could only manage a disappointing draw with Macedonia and the flying Scots surprised everyone by beating France, our experts have got down to analysing the chances of a Great British superteam going for gold in 2012.

Walter Smith's inspirational management skills have put him in the frame as the likely head coach and our soccer pundits have highlighted the exceptional talent that the former Everton boss could call on to give us a world-beating side.

British teams for all Olympic sports are theoretically made up of athletes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - countries which have held a privileged position in the world of soccer for more than half a century with individual seats on FIFA's rule-making international board.

The country has not competed in an Olympic soccer tournament since 1960, although it tried to qualify as recently as 1972, initially because of fears that a combined team would open the door for the removal of the cherished status of the individual FAs, sanctioned after World War Two.

Olympic qualification has been impossible in recent years because it is based on FIFA's Under-21 competitions in which the four home nations compete individually.

With London hosting the 2012 Games, however, Great Britain gets automatic qualification and FIFA president Sepp Blatter has told British Olympic officials that a combined team can take part with no threat to the countries' individual position.

"We have confirmed in writing that they have to provide a Great British team for the 2012 Olympics but the four associations will not lose their rights and privileges that they have already acquired," he said last week.

"It will be one team but is up to them how they do it," he added, hinting it could be a combined team or one of the home unions representing the whole.

"The English FA is fully behind this and the possibility of contributing to the medal table of 2012," said British Olympic Association chief executive Simon Clegg.

Britain won the Olympic football tournament when it hosted the Games in London in 1908 and took gold again in 1912 in Stockholm.

Here, MEN writers put forward their views...

Stuart Mathieson

A BRITISH team in the 60s, 70s and 80s would have taken on the world and beaten most of them.

Best, Law and Charlton under Alf Ramsey with Pat Jennings vying with Gordon Banks for the goalkeeper slot, Billy McNeill and Bobby Moore at the heart of the defence, Jimmy Johnstone feeding the likes of Jimmy Greaves and Derek Dougan.

Take it on another generation and you have éNeville Southall battling with Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence in goal, Alan Hansen and Kevin Ratcliffe in defence, Graeme Souness, Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside in midfield and Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, Gary Lineker banging the goals in.

But now I cannot look beyond a British side wrapped in the St Georgeés flag with Ryan Giggs thrown in and a couple of subs from elsewhere to pacify the Scots and Irish.

SQUAD: Robinson (Spurs & England), Neville (Man Utd & éEngland), Ferdinand (Man Utd & England) Terry (Chelsea & England), Cole (Chelsea & England), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea & England), Gerrard (Liverpool & England), Lampard (Chelsea & England), Giggs (Man Utd & Wales), Rooney (Man Utd and England) , Owen (Newcastle & England), Crouch (Liverpool & England), Carragher (Liverpool & England), McFadden (Everton & Scotland), Pressley (Hearts & Scotland), Healy (Leeds & N.Ireland)

Neil Barker

SIR Alex Ferguson is the obvious choice to manage a British team but have we missed the boat?

This exciting concept should have been seriously considered when Mark Hughes, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush were all at their peak.

Unfortunately, such talent is no longer found in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to boost the British cause. A British team makes sense and while it would limit chances of international recognition, it would guarantee selection for The Best.

Excellent PR would be needed to win over many fans but combined nationality teams do work é look at the Ryder Cup in golf.

This involves Europeans but The Scots, the Irish, the English and the Welsh players always gel brilliantly with other Europeans and invariably humble the mighty Yanks.

SQUAD: Goalkeepers Chris Kirkland (Wigan & England), Craig Gordon (Hearts & Scotland), Gary Neville (Man Utd & England), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd & England), John Terry (Chelsea & England), Ashley Cole (Chelsea & England), Stephen Pressley (Hearts & Scotland), Midfield: Ryan Giggs (Man Utd & Wales), Stephen Gerrard (Liverpool & England), Frank Lampard (Chelsea & England), Scott Parker (Newcastle & England), James McFadden (Everton & Scotland), Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd & England), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool & Wales), Kenny Miller (Celtic & Scotland), David Healy (Leeds United & N Ireland)

Chris Bailey

LETéS stop this talk of a Great Britain soccer side in the Olympics right now and instead appoint Walter Smith manager of England with Lawrie Sanchez as his No2!
The idea that the nations of these islands should all band together for the Games is nonsense.

Instead letés revive the Home Nations tournament and stoke up some healthy sporting rivalry. In the past when Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland produced their own brilliant footballers and their homegrown talent wasnét being squeezed out by cheap foreign imports, then picking a composite British side might have been fun and challenging.

Now, Ryan Giggs apart, it is almost a complete waste of time.

For the sake of their own development, the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish should maintain their own identity for footballing purposes even if their managers are more talented than their players.

They are each proud nations and the wrangling and arguments over what would inevitably become an English dominated Olympic set up would be damaging to each of them.

SQUAD: Robinson (Spurs & England), Taylor (Birmingham & N.Ireland), Neville (Man Utd & England), Ferdinand (Man Utd & England), Terry (Chelsea & England), Cole (Chelsea & England), Pressley (Hearts & Scotland), Caldwell (Celtic & Scotland) Gerrard (Liverpool & England), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich & England), Giggs (Man Utd & Wales), Lennon (Spurs & England), Rooney (Man Utd & England), Crouch (Liverpool & England), Healy (Leeds & N.Ireland), Bellamy (Liverpool & Wales).

Stuart Brennan

A GREAT Britain team? What a great idea, if only for the endless hours of comedy it would provide.

It is a concept which could bring the four home nations together like never before, each having something to contribute.

The English would provide the discipline and stoicism; the Scots the passion; Northern Ireland would come up with the occasional flawed genius; and the Welsh could bring the cheese toasties.

The thought of selecting such a team would give United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan a headache.

Come on FIFA, get your finger out and force the issue, because British international football é crashingly dull as it is é badly needs something to liven it up.

SQUAD: Robinson (Spurs & England), Taylor (Birmingham & éN Ireland), G. Neville ( Man United & England), A. Cole (Chelsea & England), Ferdinand (Man Utd & England), Terry (Chelsea & England), King (Spurs & éEngland), Lampard (Chelsea & England), Giggs (Man Utd & Wales), Gerrard (Liverpool & England), Carrick (Spurs & England), Davis (Aston Villa & éN Ireland), Rooney (Man Utd & England), Crouch (Liverpool & England), Bellamy (Liverpool & Wales), Johnson (Everton and England). Manager: Walter Smith (Scotland)

What do you think? Have your say.