Good Luck in the Play-Offs. BELIEVE!

[blobbyblob]

Its well known that some of the players visit here regularly so if you are reading...

I'd just like to take the oppurtunity to wish the Irish Team and Management all the best in the play offs against whoever it may be. We dont have the best players in the world. We dont play the most exciting football. FIFA dont want us there.

But one element consistent with any Irish team that has qualified for any tournament has been pride in the jersey, big hearts, togetherness and plenty of endeavour and our players have it in abundance.

So bring em on! The bigger the come the harder they fall. Something inside so strong....woooooooooo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3uPuiQOn9w)

[Polster]

Best of luck guys, and don't mind BlobbyBlob. For me you play the most beautiful football in the world.

The country is behind you, so here's to a great two games, a bit of luck, and more ludicrously great footy songs for the Summer :)

[Infadel]

If it's any extra motivation imagine the look on Sepp Blatter's face if yous knock out France or Portugal

[youngirish]

Good luck you've done well to even get us into this position.

[paul_oshea]

Who says they read this. Id say hunty is the only one, and he probably has someone read it for him! :D

But if only one reads it, good luck it would mean so much to so many but so much more to so few. Go on and do yerselves proud, your families, your friends, and your country and its people wherever they may be. Nothing more, nothing less than 100% and we will be happy. :)

[shaneker]

If they do read this, they should know that we spend years dreaming about being where they are - they might never have the chance again. We're already proud of you.

Come the play-offs, Mick had it right: no regrets. Best of luck, fear nobody!

[Polster]

If they do read this, they should know that we spend years dreaming about being where they are - they might never have the chance again. We're already proud of you.

Come the play-offs, Mick had it right: no regrets. Best of luck, fear nobody!


Or as Hunty said, "we fear them all....(couple minutes later)........no actually we respect them all, and fear noone"

Got to love him

[Den Perry]

Or as Hunty said, "we fear them all....(couple minutes later)........no actually we respect them all, and fear noone"

Got to love him

I think that we can qualify no matter who they draw,because the players are better than people give them credit for and we have I believe, a great manager.That said, I obviously would rather that we draw Greece.

So lads, if you're reading, best of luck

[SuperDave]

If any of the players are reading this, remember the general idiocy of the population when you read some of the posts on here, especially those criticising you or trap

Trust Trap

Remember the compliments you receive

Forget the insults

anyonr want to put in the next line for me?

[Wolfie]

If any of the players are reading this, remember the general idiocy of the population when you read some of the posts on here, especially those criticising you or trap

Trust Trap

Remember the compliments you receive

Forget the insults

anyonr want to put in the next line for me?

Just don't concede in the 90th minute - for f*ck sake. Thanks.

[SuperDave]

Just don't concede in the 90th minute - for f*ck sake. Thanks.

If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

[Wolfie]

If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Indeed. How many times have we conceded in the last few minutes?

Off the top of the head (I'm sure there's more):

Croatia (Away) in 1998
Macedonia (Away) in 1999
Israel (Away) 2005
Slovakia (Away) 2007
Italy (Home) 2009

[blobbyblob]

Im not fussy about which minute we shouldnt concede in. The other 184 minutes (Im including a bit of injury time) would be fine also not to concede in.

[backstothewall]

Its well known that some of the players visit here regularly so if you are reading...

I'd just like to take the oppurtunity to wish the Irish Team and Management all the best in the play offs against whoever it may be. We dont have the best players in the world. We dont play the most exciting football. FIFA dont want us there.

I'm sure their confidence is boosted tremendously :)

Seriously though, if any of the squad do actaully read this, then i want to say to them that they have done tremendously. FIFA might have done their best to screw us, but those seeds will be looking at the non-seeded teams, and unbeaten Ireland will be the one they want to avoid. We can do any one of those teams. Portugal and Russia are one man teams, with ropey defences France are a shadow of their former selves managed by a lunatic, and Greece are only seeded because they managed a freak European Championship win 6 years ago, and have had easy groups ever since thanks to permanently being seeded.

YOU WILL BE SECOND FAVORITES, BUT YOU CAN DO THIS!

[Gather round]

Greece are only seeded because they managed a freak European Championship win 6 years ago, and have had easy groups ever since thanks to permanently being seeded

They're seeded largely because they got 31 points in qualifying for Euro 08.

[jackaroo]

What time is the draw on Monday.

[John83]

What time is the draw on Monday.
11am or so.

[SuperDave]

They're seeded largely because they got 31 points in qualifying for Euro 08.

Largely cos they were first seeds cos they won euro 04

its a self perpetuating cycle and we failed the one time we had a chance in the euro04 qualifiers.

[stojkovic]

11am or so.
Heard on the radio today that it was at 1pm on Monday but then they probably added on an hour instead of taking it off.

[John83]

Heard on the radio today that it was at 1pm on Monday but then they probably added on an hour instead of taking it off.
I'm just going on what I've read here - don't treat me as reliable on this.

[Gather round]

Largely cos they were first seeds cos they won euro 04

its a self perpetuating cycle and we failed the one time we had a chance in the euro04 qualifiers.

Come on, give them some credit. You don't get 31 points in a 12 game series without being a consistently good side.

It obviously isn't a self-perpetuating cycle- everyone starts each new series on zero points. And even if you are seeded like Greece on the strength of winning a tournament four years previously, you often can't predict the quality of the lower-seeded teams in your group. Look at Czechia- qualified easily for Euro 2008, good record in previous series, yet pretty ordinary this time.

[geysir]

Indeed. How many times have we conceded in the last few minutes?

Off the top of the head (I'm sure there's more):

Croatia (Away) in 1998
Macedonia (Away) in 1999
Israel (Away) 2005
Slovakia (Away) 2007
Italy (Home) 2009

Switzerland home 2002

Have we done just as well with our late shows in the last minutes
Germany WC 2002
Spain WC 2002
Albania home
Italy away 2009
San M :D
Cyprus 2009 ?

[theworm2345]

Scies nihil esse in istis terribile nisi ipsum timorem...certainly no Fairies, Commies, or gay diving Portuguese

[irishfan86]

Well done to get us this far, and I don't need to tell you to give it your all, I saw on Saturday that that already comes naturally.

Trust Trap, work hard for your teammates, and we can go to South Africa.

[ArdeeBhoy]

It obviously isn't a self-perpetuating cycle- everyone starts each new series on zero points. And even if you are seeded like Greece on the strength of winning a tournament four years previously, you often can't predict the quality of the lower-seeded teams in your group. Look at Czechia- qualified easily for Euro 2008, good record in previous series, yet pretty ordinary this time.

You contradicted yerself there in the first 2 sentences....

[John83]

You contradicted yerself there in the first 2 sentences....
No, he didn't.

[SuperDave]

No, he didn't.

Your right he didn't but while I was exaggerating a little earlier when I said it was a self-perpetuating cycle, your chances of being a first seed next time are certainly aided by being a first seed this time round because the results are not weighted (that is, a 1-0 win away to france counts exactly the same for ranking purposes as a 1-0 win at home to the faroes). That's what my problem is with. I think results should be weighted, like x2, x1.8, x1.6, x1.4, x1.2, x1 the points gained and x1.5 for away games.... It's not done and the fact it isn't done aides first seeds more than anyone else.

[Wolfie]

Weren't we were top seeds for the Euro 2004 qualifiers?

[noddy102]

Weren't we were top seeds for the Euro 2004 qualifiers?

Switzerland certainly were not... but I'm hoping Russia were. :o

[Wolfie]

Switzerland certainly were not... but I'm hoping Russia were. :o

Googled it. We were top seeds.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2001/1123/euro2004.html

[Gather round]

your chances of being a first seed next time are certainly aided by being a first seed this time round because the results are not weighted (that is, a 1-0 win away to france counts exactly the same for ranking purposes as a 1-0 win at home to the faroes). That's what my problem is with. I think results should be weighted, like x2, x1.8, x1.6, x1.4, x1.2, x1 the points gained and x1.5 for away games.... It's not done and the fact it isn't done aides first seeds more than anyone else

Are you old enough to remember this being tried in the Pat Grace Famous Fried Chicken League of Ireland SD? It wasn't a resounding success...

The advantage of being a first seed is that you don't have to play one of the (other) handful of teams whose strength in depth means they almost invariably qualify. If you don't then win the group you're likely to fall down the seedings. It's only fair.

[M@ttitude]

For Shay Given.

On your last day in club training this season when Mark Hughes wishes good luck to all his star international players who are going to the World Cup.

Just to see Stephen Irelands sad little face! Cant get bling like the World Cup Stevey!

[blobbyblob]

Sepp Blatter, Plattini, Raymond Domenech, Henry, Napolean, England B, Rip Off Airlines, Arsene Wenger, Vanessa Paradis, Joe Le Taxi

Your Boys are going to take one hell of a beating