Match Prediction

[danonion]

Danonion's ramble

I can see us getting a result because I think a lot of our players have the potential to score.

I think Keane, Folan, Andrews or Duff could score from open play. I think from a set piece Dunne, St. Ledger or Kilbane could hit the net.

In past squads I could just not see where the goals would come crom but some of these guys have either a knack for popping up with a goal. In the case of St. Ledger he just seems to have the charactersitics and mentality to be a scoring centre half.

So prediction....

Ireland 2 Bulgaria 0
St. Ledger ~1st 3 minutes
Keane late after the 65th min.

please score early and ease my poor nerves!!

COME ON IRELAND!!!!!

[Lionel Ritchie]

I just had a dream in which we were 0-3 up inside half an hour! (when was the last time we did that away from home? ...Belfast 94 maybe?)

Didn't stay in dreamland long enough to hear the final whistle but Bulgaria were pants.

I think we can win this one -though my head says another 1-1.
If we were to win I'd call it for 0-2 with the first goal not being scored til after the hour and Bulgaria being picked off with a break late on as they pushed for an equaliser.

If we do get the right result I hope all ours out there stay safe and keep their wits about them as there'll be an element in the local support who'll be open for business.

[Stuttgart88]

please score early and ease my poor nerves!!

COME ON IRELAND!!!!!Scoring late would calm mine more. Anytime we score early we blow it!

[geysir]

I can't watch the game until 2 am or so, I'll be recording it on Sky+ (and the dvd r just in case).
The previous times I had to do that, we drew 2-2 with Holland away and 2-2 with Israel in Dublin. Freaky (ominous) stuff.

[shakermaker1982]

I can't watch the game until 2 am or so, I'll be recording it on Sky+ (and the dvd r just in case).
The previous times I had to do that, we drew 2-2 with Holland away and 2-2 with Israel in Dublin. Freaky (ominous) stuff.

that 2 all draw with Israel still upsets me. Painful memories.

Bulgaria have to come out to play and I expect us to soak up the pressure and look for opportunities from set pieces. Folan's physical presence could be key. Hopefully Robbie can latch on to any his knockdowns and earn us a famous away victory which will send us one step closer to South Africa. WE CAN DO THIS but we must get stuck into them from the start (unlike our home tie).

Ireland 2-1 (Whelan and Robbie).

[Lionel Ritchie]

Scoring late would calm mine more. Anytime we score early we blow it!

...another demo of this tonight. Lucky to hang on. It's great we're consolidating 2nd place but the lack of conviction in our play is depressing at times.

[Scram]

Can't see us winning. I've predicted before that our luck will run out, we have had an awful lot of it. This could be the night.

Even with Berbatov and Petrov back I am still hopeful of a 1-1 .

Praying for a 0-1 or 1-2 but a draw under the circumstances would have to be seen as a decent result. Look at midfield and show me a leader? I don't see one.

Same issues last night, we got no luck! No leadership.

I don't expect us to qualify for SA unless possibly if we get Stephen Reid, Finnan and Andy Reid back.

We are also again stuck with the all too predictable and flat footed 4-4-2 which fails as soon as one player steps out of position. If we are to qualify we will need a lot of luck.

Couldn't believe Kenny C saying we will get 9 points from our next games and Italy are "der for de takin" !!

Too late now for Stephen Reid.

[elroy]

Realism would also include realising that this was just a friendly, we had a similar result in a friendly late last year but got the results when it mattered.
We have a vastly experienced manager who like it or not has a system that appears to be working in the games that matter.
And Andy Reid is not the answer to all of our problems like so many seem to think, he does not fit into system and I personally dont believe would make a huge difference to this team.
A fit S Reid and S Finnan would no doubt strengthen the team but Im not sure that will happen in time for the Cyprus game. I have faith in the team that started difficult games away to Italy and Bulgaria and got results when it mattered.

[eirebhoy]

We are also again stuck with the all too predictable and flat footed 4-4-2 which fails as soon as one player steps out of position.
What do you mean by that? Gibson seems afraid to break out of position but when Reid played he was all over the pitch and it clearly worked. Gibson is doing what is asked of him and nothing more, that's the problem. You seem to want the players to stick to their position for 90 minutes?

[Scram]

What do you mean by that? Gibson seems afraid to break out of position but when Reid played he was all over the pitch and it clearly worked. Gibson is doing what is asked of him and nothing more, that's the problem. You seem to want the players to stick to their position for 90 minutes?

I want them to play a different system, not the same thing.

[irishfan86]

Sometimes you need a player with personality to know when to adhere to the system, and when to make the right decision.

Systems are not built to cater to every scenario, but rather to provide a blueprint of how to deal with most situations.

Steven Reid is the only central midfielder we've seen who has the ability, courage, and personality to go beyond the system when he feels that there is a better option.

I think Andrews is a similar player (not at the same level), in that he will burst forward and attempt to do things offensively and support our strikers more than Whelan/Gibson.

[youngirish]

Most people seem to think Steven Reid is some sort of saviour and all will be fine if/when he gets back to fitness. In actuality Reid is at best a very average Premiership midfielder. He's no Roy Keane or dare I say it even Stephen Ireland and he's rarely been brilliant for Ireland when fit. Saying that I'd find it hard to disagree with people who stated that at the very least he's a far stretch better than the likes of Andrews, Whelan and Gibson. The difference he makes will be minor though and won't represent the major improvement we're all hoping for. We need McCann to step up to the mark and replace Whelan alongside Reid and then we might start to look half decent again. I don't hold much hope for anyone else emerging in that position over the next 10 months particularly after witnessing how limited Gibson looks at this level again the other night.

McCarthy and Fahey are too attack minded for Trap imo. Even if they both have very good seasons they probably will find it difficult to get noticed at International level.

[ofjames]

I think you are being extremely harsh on reid youngirish.

I will accept he looked quite average for his first couple of years at Blackburn when Souness was in charge but in fairness to him he spent most of that time alternating between the bench, fullback and right midfield.

Once hughes was appointed, he moved him into central midfield and kept him there and he was nothing short of excellent. They finished 6th in 2005/6 and he was a key contributor to that success and was rumoured to have attracted the interest of Man United and Tottenham.

Unfortunately he has missed virtually all of the last 3 seasons through injury but going on the form he showed under hughes when fit and his excellent displays for ireland against georgia and in pogorica last autumn I have no doubt that his return for us will improve us no end.

He basically has all the ingredients you would want in a midfielder... he's strong, pacy, takes responsibility for taking the ball from defenders, he's authoritative on the ball, doesnt just take the easy pass time after time, and has a whopper shot on him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om2r1fRd_CQ). It's just a pity he's made of glass.