Bulgaria - Italy

[tommy_c12000]

Thought De Rossi's free kick was in!

[Fergie's Son]

Bulgaria playing for a draw.

[tommy_c12000]

Ur only chance of seeing him take a free kick with Roma is if Totti isnt playing

[holidaysong]

0-0 ft :)

[fionnsci]

Full time. Awful, awful game.

[mypost]

Good result for us, should we win on Wednesday.

[Fergie's Son]

Good point for Bulgaria.

[Noelys Guitar]

Georgia can do us a big favour on Wednesday by not losing.

[fergalr]

Big big game now on Wednesday (for Bulgaria).

[tommy_c12000]

2 good results 2day for Trap. Hopefully we'll be able to follow it up on wed. It would leave us looking good heading into the winter break and will certainly help me in my battle against SAD this winter

[Colbert Report]

I don't understand why people think this is somehow a good result for us. The best result for us would be an Italian win, and for Italy to win all their matches. They're simply not going to drop points home or away to Ireland.

[irishultra]

how won't they? they could clearly lose in dublin....thats a stupid thing to say. ''wont drop points''--------your saying we won't draw with them at home?

[Noelys Guitar]

I don't understand why people think this is somehow a good result for us. The best result for us would be an Italian win, and for Italy to win all their matches. They're simply not going to drop points home or away to Ireland.

They just dropped 2 points today. Scored a last minute goal to beat Cyprus. And our recent record against Italy is good.

[geysir]

Faroes 1 Austria 1 full time

[geysir]

There is a long way to go in our group,
so far we have almost the best away record.

[Colbert Report]

They just dropped 2 points today. Scored a last minute goal to beat Cyprus. And our recent record against Italy is good.



Huh? We've only played them once in the last fourteen years. We lost 3-0 to them in Dublin in August 2005.

[mypost]

We lost 3-0 to them in Dublin in August 2005.

:D

We lost 1-2.

The longer the group is competitive, the more chance we have of qualifying. Italy running away with it, benefits nobody bar themselves.

[Colbert Report]

:D

We lost 1-2.

The longer the group is competitive, the more chance we have of qualifying. Italy running away with it, benefits nobody bar themselves.

It benefits us if Italy beat everyone and drop no points. Then it is between us and Bulgaria for second. Now we're in a position where we need to get points off of the world champions. Terrible result today for us.

[geysir]

Slovenia ahead by 2 against NI,l a few minutes left.

2 goals scored in the 85th minute

[irishultra]

I'd expect to go into a qualifcation campaign with the hope of getting points against everyone.

I also fail to see how its a terrible result for us. Bulgaria dropped 2 points anyway AT HOME.

[Noelys Guitar]

Very interesting to here the Setanta crew say Trap wanted Carsley in the squad before he got injured in his last game for Birmingham.

[tommy_c12000]

It benefits us if Italy beat everyone and drop no points. Then it is between us and Bulgaria for second. Now we're in a position where we need to get points off of the world champions. Terrible result today for us.

You are overestimating Italy. They are still a team in transition since Lippi took over and he still doesnt have a clue of his strongest 11, indicative of the changes in his Italy squads so far in the campaign. Also Rossi is no where near good enuf to be an Italian no.9. Ive seen him play for Villarreal a number of times and whilst being a nice tidy player, he is not an Italian international. The very fact that he's getting a chance shows that they are not the force they once were. The ailing fortunes of Italian clubs in Europe in recent seasons is beginning to translate itself onto the national team. While still a strong side, they were certainly nothing special tonight and ireland have every chance of beating them at home. As Dunphy said "There are no great teams in European football."

[NeilMcD]

Yeah Trap mentioned that in his squad announcement last week. Carsley needs to get an operation.

[FarBeag]

It benefits us if Italy beat everyone and drop no points. Then it is between us and Bulgaria for second. Now we're in a position where we need to get points off of the world champions. Terrible result today for us.

You have got to be kidding? Of course it was a good result for us. For one Italy are nothing near as good as they were in 2005 and I think we can at least draw with them in Dublin. We thought it was a good idea to let Germany walk away with the group for Euro 2008 and fight it out with the Czechs .We know what happened there. It’s better to have two teams to catch than one.

[NeilMcD]

I don't think it was obvious was the best result was, so in the end a draw was probably the best result using the logic that a total of 2 points was handed out tonight, rather than 3 points. Italy do not run away with the group and Bulgaria do not get 3 points at home.

[geysir]

That must be the deal with Carsley then, Trap calls him up if he is needed and close to getting a game. Fair enough.

[Crosby87]

It’s better to have two teams to catch than one.

Ummm, Huh?

[KR's Post]

Ireland are top of the group on Wednesday if we win handsomely.. After 3 games what more could we ask for! I see Italy struggling in Montenegro, big time. They were very fortunate against a poor cypriot team, last minute and were fortunate AT HOME against Georgia. 3 years ago the italians would've had them games wrapped up by half time. They are no mean team anymore and i really think we should be aiming to win this group, not settle for second best. We all no our playoff record.. Trap will have the best inside info on italy, We will surely take a point from them in Dublin, if not a crucial win. In Italy it'll be tough but a 0-0 there would do... The Bulgarians on the other hand, Again can see us beating them in Croke Park, and at the very least getting a draw there if not the win over there!

[FarBeag]

Ummm, Huh?

Ok.Let me try and explain. If Italy are running away with it and have the harder run in or take their foot of the pedal it may be possible that Bulgaria could over take them if they have an easier run in. There is no doubt that Italy will finish in the first two. I think there is a good chance we could beat Italy on one of our meetings. Let’s say Italy Bulgaria and us are level with two games to play. We win both and Italy slip up then we could top the group. I just think a three horse race is more interesting than a two horse one; there is more chance of the outsider winning while the two favourites concentrate on each other.

[co. down green]

A good performance on Wednesday will see us sitting joint top of the group going into the break, i think we would all have taken that at the start of the campaign.

We where always going to have to take points off, or outperform Bulgaria in the group to finish above them. I don't see why Italy running away with the group is an advantage to Ireland.

[stojkovic]

Both our rivals dropping two points is obviously good for us.

[mypost]

It benefits us if Italy beat everyone and drop no points. Then it is between us and Bulgaria for second. Now we're in a position where we need to get points off of the world champions. Terrible result today for us.

We'd have to take points off them anyway.

Assuming Italy win on Wednesday, we will still be 3 points behind them. If we win the next 2 home games, and rack up a few goals, we will be top going into the crunch spring programme.

I am aware that with Trap in charge, we are unlikely to rack up many goals, but we have Cyprus on Wednesday, and we owe them geezers a hiding.

Anyone running away with the group, is bad news for everyone else in it.

[TheBoss]

In truth, a dreadful game of football, no team deserved the win and the 0-0 was flattering to both sides.

[Maroon 7]

In truth, a dreadful game of football, no team deserved the win and the 0-0 was flattering to both sides.

Personally I would dock both teams a point.

[kingdomkerry]

We should aim to win the group. Looking for second place is par with Staunton saying we dont expect to qualify for this one but we have a great chance of qualifying for the next one.

[gilberto_eire]

Agreed, sure who's to say we'll win the play-off game anyway!!. Hopefully they draw again when they meet in Italy

[0325422]

Definately aim to top the group... this is the attitude we need, and im sure trap is trying to drill into the irish players

"It disappoints me that I didn't win the World Cup. People say 'but Roy, you played for Ireland, you were never going to win the World Cup'. I never saw it like that"

[Saint Tom]

People seem to be ruling Cyrpus out of the mix too easily. They will cause problems for everyone in this group, in paticular in Nicosia. Was not impressed with either bulgaria or italy tonight but I am delighted with the start we have made, the shape and plan we seem to have under Trap and we would be in a great position going into the crucial games home vs bulgaria and away vs italy in March/april if we take maximum points from our next two home ties. Montenegro will be a very difficult side to beat at home also and dont rule out the fact that both Bulgaria and Italy have trips to Tbilisi which we have avoided. There are no "gimmies" in international football any more, we above all should know that.

[eirebhoy]

We should aim to win the group. Looking for second place is par with Staunton saying we dont expect to qualify for this one but we have a great chance of qualifying for the next one.
Dunne said Trap wants 7 points from the next 3 games. Right now I'll be disappointed with anything other than 9 tbh.

[irishultra]

Tardelli said he would have liked Italy to win. I honestly don't see that big of a difference between no points and a measly 1 point won at home.

[geysir]

You get the sense that both Trap and Tardelli don't want a showdown between us and Italy for top spot, that we won't win that showdown and that we are better off if Italy wins all around them.
There is an element of fear there, that did not exist with Charlton re England.
What Trap and Tardelli need are a few chips on their shoulders about the disgraceful and humiliating way they were treated by the Italy FA :rolleyes:

[carloz]

It benefits us if Italy beat everyone and drop no points. Then it is between us and Bulgaria for second. Now we're in a position where we need to get points off of the world champions. Terrible result today for us.

This is a silly way of looking at it. Why should we view the group as Italys already. They are never the greatest in qualifying campaigns, and have started this bad. It would be wrong of us just to settle for second place. Remember that one 2nd place team does not make the playoffs and looking at the difficult nature of our group, its a god chance that worst second place team may be from our group

[NeilMcD]

Tardelli said he would have liked Italy to win. I honestly don't see that big of a difference between no points and a measly 1 point won at home.

He added this aso.


Tardelli said: 'I would have preferred Italy to win, because Bulgaria would have stayed on one point. But it is also good. But we need to beat every team to finish first, also Italy

[Qwerty]

It was a good result for us, both teams played poorly and the fact that Bulgaria seemed happy from early on to settle for a point is interesting. But we have to pick up the points, other results help only if we do the business and it is very early days yet. If slip up against Cyprus then we are under pressure.

[yablazer]

You get the sense that both Trap and Tardelli don't want a showdown between us and Italy for top spot, that we won't win that showdown and that we are better off if Italy wins all around them.
There is an element of fear there, that did not exist with Charlton re England.
:rolleyes:

I agree with this. I hope I'm wrong but I get the impression Trap and co. feel like we are good for a play-off place at best. Charlton always said his biggest regret was never beating England at Wembley. I don't think beating Italy at home or away is something that Trappatoni believes Ireland can do. I think he even said that he'd like Italy to win all their games except those against Ireland, which he'd like them to draw. I don't like the idea of playing for a home draw against anybody. That being said what Trap says and what Trap feels maybe 2 different things. But his proposed target of 7 points from the next 9 puzzles me, especially because he knows that to even gain a play-off place we need to out perform Bulgaria, and that means beating them at home because dropped points against Cyprus or Georgia at home would be a disaster.

[paul_oshea]

bulgaria will be 3 points, we will be 7 on wednesday if we win and bulgaria draw again. It has to be good for us. hopefully thats the outcome come wednesday.

we need to hope italy slip up again though, so that they have to beat us in croke park.

[fergalr]

The Italian press seemed happy enough:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/oct/13/bulgaria-italy

[Razors left peg]

The Italian football association have banned their fans from travelling to away games and FIFA have launched an investigation into the violence at the Bulgaria game. I just wonder if the Italian football association have taken this action because they may have already been warned about behaviour of Italian fans in club competitions around Italy and Europe... Is there any danger of them being thrown out of the competition and getting a ban??? FIFA probably wont go that far but it might be a developing story in this group

[fergalr]

Is there any danger of them being thrown out of the competition and getting a ban???
In a word - No.