QuoteYeah agree we did, just saying that they were technically better than us but so is most of Europe
Tbf, was at that Armenia game. We were the better team and deserved to win!
Yeah agree we did, just saying that they were technically better than us but so is most of Europe
I
We're not top 3 in our current group so no one can ever take qualification for granted. With a greater chance of making the Euro's following it's expansion, it's important the right manager is brought in that'll make sure the team does not under perform. There's a good chance of making the Euro's and surely the FAI will be thinking of the cash injection that brings for their coffers. Finishing in the top 2 in a group has never easy. Finishing third and going into a play-off does not guarantee a finals place.
https://foot.ie/forums/117-Kerry-FC
A Championship: 4 years - 8 first teams - 0 financially ruined. First Division '14: 7 first teams.
Opportunity lost for new clubs/regions to join the LoI family.
From our rotund 'friend'...
http://www.wsc.co.uk/forum-index/27-...016-qualifying
Ireland v Netherlands - sept 2001Originally Posted by as_i_say
Game and qualification should have been over for us in 5 first half minutes, and God knows how that stonewall penalty against Given wasn't awarded, I suppose you could argue the toss for Dunne's hand ball. Then fortune of all fortunes, we got the weakest team in the play offs, nearly made a hash of it at home, managed by some miracle to avoid conceding a goal and with a major slice of extra fortune, Iran bottled it at home when with a bit more conviction we would have collapsed into a heap of jelly.
Oh I forgot, those were our good days, only a Trap team gets lucky
Nothing lucky about that campaign. Bad analogy.
I'm totally biased Geysir, but all RVN did was run straight into Shay. Shay stood his ground and barely moved into RVN's path. Probably the right call, albeit one always called wrong. I agree about the first 5 mins though!
I agree that we got through totally on merit to WC2002, Just the same that we got through to Euro 2012, totally on merit.
However the comparison with 2002 is good. Netherlands should have beaten us that day, just the same as Russia should should have beaten us in Russia. Iran were the weakest play-off opponents just the same as Estonia were the weakest.
And as heroic as Dunne's performance was in Russia, the point we won was not a qualification deal breaker. Not losing in Dublin to Netherlands was a qualification deal breaker.
Then we were fortunate the ref saw it that way, If ever there was a clash in the area that you could say, 'I've seen them given', that was one.
If it was our player who clashed with the goalie and denied a penalty, i'm sure we would all be saying, 'good one ref'
Except we deserved it over the whole '02 campaign...
Not just one excellent performance.
Whilst I agree on the day the Netherlands were the better team (they possibly may have deserved a 1 goal win) there wasn't that much in the game. Russia on the other hand pummelled us for the full 90 minutes and should have beaten us by about 4 goals. The Dutch were also extremely lucky to get a point off us at home earlier in the campaign so swings and roundabouts.I agree that we got through totally on merit to WC2002, Just the same that we got through to Euro 2012, totally on merit.
However the comparison with 2002 is good. Netherlands should have beaten us that day, just the same as Russia should should have beaten us in Russia. Iran were the weakest play-off opponents just the same as Estonia were the weakest.
And as heroic as Dunne's performance was in Russia, the point we won was not a qualification deal breaker. Not losing in Dublin to Netherlands was a qualification deal breaker.
Then we were fortunate the ref saw it that way, If ever there was a clash in the area that you could say, 'I've seen them given', that was one.
If it was our player who clashed with the goalie and denied a penalty, i'm sure we would all be saying, 'good one ref'
The main differences between both campaigns were in 2002 we were a good team who played decent football (as shown when we qualified) and fully deserved our place in the last 16 of the World Cup. In 2012 though we were dreadful. We bundled our way through the qualification groups playing horrible, primitive football and were the worst team in the competition by a distance once we got there.
Last edited by youngirish; 15/09/2013 at 11:32 PM.
There wasn't that much in the game against Holland?
You have to be kidding, the Dutch were superior on the day and went home banging their heads against the wall, wondering how they lost to that team.
We were good against Netherlands away, still ended up having to escape with a draw.
Ultra defensive against Portugal away, one 1/2 chance - one equalising goal.
Pretty scrappy against Portugal at home, we were negative and killed football that day.
Crap games against Estonia.
We got Iran the weakest team in the draw and got through that shakily. Where was all the good football in the qualifiers and the play off? There was some no doubt - most of it against Holland, but not very visible in most of the qual games.
We qualified for the play off in 2012 with 4 points to spare, we beat Macedonia and Armenia away and easily qualified for the finals. How on earth is that called 'bundling ones way to the Finals' ? you need your head screwed on youngirish if thats 'bundling ones way to the finals'.
You can say we bundled our way after we qualified.
The revision of history continues...
You do remember the home game against Portugal? We should have been 4 or 5 goals down at half time and Keane single handedly kept us going in the 2nd half in a one man show..
Don't torture the history records by claiming that we played good football against Portugal. We survived by the football grace of Roy Keane. They were on another planet from us in the first half and it's not as if they had a great team by Portugal standards.
Here's the lineups: http://www.soccerscene.ie/ss_gen/mat...level=sssenior
Pretty good team from Portugal
What about the opening game in Holland where we really should have beaten them and were indeed the better team?
Swings and roundabouts
Folding my way into the big money!!!
Could Ireland (or any country our size) ever qualify for a tournament without some slice of luck on the way? We've been eliminated by some outrageous bad luck over the years. I'm happy to accept some good luck when it comes along without having my head wrecked by catholic guilt for years afterwards.
We have had more than our fair share.
At this stage I am convinced we are owed a tournament win.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
So what? They didn't win. And we were unbeaten and thoroughly deserved qualification. As someone else said 'Get over it'.
Plenty of times had no luck at all.
No doubt we played very well that night and going 2 up, you would hope for the best. One of, if not the, best away performance I can rember being at). The reality however (as geysir states above) is we were very lucky to get out of there with a point and were it not for an outstretched Richard Dunne leg in the last few seconds we would have been coming home empty handed.
I thought you were off the drink Ronnie?
"No, I drink to help me mind my own business....can I get you one? (c) Ronnie Drew
Maybe we "should have", but we didn't. We might have been 2-0 up but they also scored as many goals as we did on the night. Was that really "bad luck" or just another case of our chronic inability to hold on to leads and see out games? I remember Mick expressing his delight with coming away from Amsterdam with a point in an interview after the game.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks