Euro 2012 draw

[eaststand85]

Think this was about as good a draw as we could have dared hope for and while it gives us a chance of topping the group, what could prove even more important is that it also gives us a chance of qualifying automatically as the best second placed team (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2012_qualifying).

The fixtures meeting has provisionally been arranged for Feb 20th in Bratislava (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0208/1224263953535.html).

Now talk of fixtures meeting being held in Moscow on 22nd instead (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0209/1224264029421.html).

[Girl in Green]

Roll on the 22nd and we can get booking......would like to do them all, but the feedback on Moscow is bad....would we really be Hotel bound for the duration of our stay?

[pineapple stu]

Was talking to a UCD fan who went to Moscow - a more mature fan, shall we say! - and I asked him that exact question. Reply I got was that Moscow's grand if you have common sense. That's not always a trait you associate with drunken Irish fans. Don't get ****ed, don't bring random birds back to the hostel (friend of mine got drugged and robbed doing that), don't get into fights.

[Closed Account 2]

I've been to Russia on several occasions and seen a fair few matches in the ex-USSR. On the whole you should be fine, but this isnt a place to get drunk. There are several reasons for this, first the police are likely to stop you if you're wasted, secondly pickpockets and thieves are more likely to have a go, thirdly you could easily get lost (esp if you dont speak Russian or understand Cyrillic) and freeze to death if it is in October, and forth you might end up buying some knock-off vodka which could be toxic...

If you go there you need to carry a passport or colour copy of it (inc photo page and visa page) at all times - I've never actually been stopped for this in Russia but never the less legally if stopped you need to present this. If you're going to the stadium as an away fan I would advise you to take the metro (stadium has it's own station, and buses or taxis would take forver in Moscow's traffic) cover shirts / colours etc during the journey and you will be fine. You would probably be fine even in shirts but there is a chance some of the local chavs / gangs might try and have a pop, unlikely but not unheard of - in the same way there are gangs / youths in major cities in Ireland (e.g. Dublin, Limerick) there are also some in Moscow.

There are lots of museums and sights to see in the city and the greater Moscow area, it's the biggest city in Europe.

[briancool21]

I resent that Limerick comment...why did you pick limerick why not cork or galway, anyway why would you be coming to limerick for a football match not like we have a decent team anyway haha, I'm sure the russian mafia will be alot more dangerous than anything we've got down here. Anyway on the draw it's going to be very tough i think, a lot of the away games will be draws again, that'll be okay as long as actually beat russia and slovakia at home unlike the last group where we seemed to draw nearly every game

[Closed Account 2]

I think the tourist areas and central parts of Limerick are fine, but for instance if you wandered up towards Moyross, well you would need your wits about you there. To be honest I don't think areas of Galway are suffer the same level of social depravation / poverty as Moyross, and similarly I don't think areas of Cork are as bad as Moyross - I've not been to Cork (aside from passing through) for a few years, so it may have changed. The reason I mentioned Limerick in the context of Moscow is that there are some areas of the town you could end up wandering into (if you were unfamiliar with the language and got lost) and in these areas you would need to be cautious due to youth / gang activity. In the same way people unfamiliar with Moscow and Russian language could have problems if they for instance took elektricha (trains) down to some of the southern / south-eastern suburbs.

[Supreme feet]

I think the tourist areas and central parts of Limerick are fine, but for instance if you wandered up towards Moyross, well you would need your wits about you there. To be honest I don't think areas of Galway are suffer the same level of social depravation / poverty as Moyross, and similarly I don't think areas of Cork are as bad as Moyross - I've not been to Cork (aside from passing through) for a few years, so it may have changed. The reason I mentioned Limerick in the context of Moscow is that there are some areas of the town you could end up wandering into (if you were unfamiliar with the language and got lost) and in these areas you would need to be cautious due to youth / gang activity. In the same way people unfamiliar with Moscow and Russian language could have problems if they for instance took elektricha (trains) down to some of the southern / south-eastern suburbs.

Would tend to agree... An American bird I know accidentally got on a bus from the city centre in Limerick to O'Malley Park, thinking it was going to the university. It was only when a crowd of scumbags started throwing bottles at her that she realised her mistake and got off the bus. She was incredibly stupid though. I think in most places, common-sense should see you away from any trouble, and with Moscow being so vast, extra care and prudence would be obviously needed.

[twoenz]

There's large areas of Belfast and Derry that I'd not go to, and not just for religious reasons. I don't think many scumbags actually care which version of the Bible you were brought up with. Every major city has an economic underbelly and there's places that need to be avoided. Even in Berlin, I wouldn't recommend walking around areas of Kreuzberg at night, and it's renowned as being one of the safest European cities.

[Closed Account 2]

Don't forget the language barrier as well. In terms of America - Limerick the languages are the same, but in Russia the language and alphabet are different - it's not even a case of being able to look stuff up on a metro map... (e.g. Спортивная - Sportivnaya is the main metro station for Luzhniki stadium and Красная площадь is Red Square...) so unless you have a degree of familiarity with the language you could easily end up lost.

[mypost]

Was talking to a UCD fan who went to Moscow - a more mature fan, shall we say! - and I asked him that exact question. Reply I got was that Moscow's grand if you have common sense. That's not always a trait you associate with drunken Irish fans. Don't get ****ed, don't bring random birds back to the hostel (friend of mine got drugged and robbed doing that), don't get into fights.

Was there the last time, and managed to steer clear of any trouble. It's the same as everywhere else. Keep yourself to yourself, and you'll be fine. Attract trouble and you'll find it.

[rfkimble]

from uefa.com

CALENDAR
UEFA EURO 2012 event calendar
Date Event
18/04/2007 Announcement of EURO hosts
14/12/2009 Logo and slogan launch
07/02/2010 Qualifying draw in Warsaw
08/06/2010 Two years to EURO kick-off
03, 04, 07/09/2010 EURO qualifying matches
08, 09, 12/10/2010 EURO qualifying matches
25, 26, 29/03/2011 EURO qualifying matches
03, 04, 07/06/2011 EURO qualifying matches
02, 03, 06/09/2011 EURO qualifying matches
07, 08, 11/10/2011 EURO qualifying matches
11, 12/11/2011 EURO qualifying play-offs
15/11/2011 EURO qualifying play-offs
08/06/2012 EURO kicks off in Warsaw


Have i got this wrong or are games now on fri,sat or tue as oppossesd to sat and wed previously

[geysir]

yep we could easily come second with a points total of 22-25 or so and probably be the best runner up

As 3rd seeds, 25 points for us would guarantee winning the group.
Not a group that whets the appetite, no Italy Spain or Portugal, no England, just a long grind ahead of getting results.

Even if we were first seeds in the group, having Slovakia and Russia would still look reasonable. A sort of a one size fits all group.

[SUB of the day]

from uefa.com

CALENDAR
UEFA EURO 2012 event calendar
Date Event
18/04/2007 Announcement of EURO hosts
14/12/2009 Logo and slogan launch
07/02/2010 Qualifying draw in Warsaw
08/06/2010 Two years to EURO kick-off
03, 04, 07/09/2010 EURO qualifying matches
08, 09, 12/10/2010 EURO qualifying matches
25, 26, 29/03/2011 EURO qualifying matches
03, 04, 07/06/2011 EURO qualifying matches
02, 03, 06/09/2011 EURO qualifying matches
07, 08, 11/10/2011 EURO qualifying matches
11, 12/11/2011 EURO qualifying play-offs
15/11/2011 EURO qualifying play-offs
08/06/2012 EURO kicks off in Warsaw


Have i got this wrong or are games now on fri,sat or tue as oppossesd to sat and wed previously

This is Platinis plan to appease the big European clubs, while at the same time giving TV companies greater scope in their coverage.I like the idea, as from a fans perspective, games won't clash as much,and even offers the possibility of going to 2 games in one trip, eg SLOVAKIA V ROI in Bratislava on the Friday, Germany v Turkey in Munich onthe Saturday.Anorak territory I know....

[elroy]

I'd be well up for the Friday games where the lads have been together for the best part of the week at that stage. Although would mean another day off work for away games.

[samhaydenjr]

Not macedonia - nooooo!!!!!!

[Wolfie]

Happy enough with the draw - certainly could have been a lot worse.

Really hoping we go all out for topping the group.

Macedonia trouble me but can't have it all our own way.

Without assuming anything - I just couldn't face another play off at this stage. Second place still allows the possibility of being drawn against a France or Portugal - as we know from bitter experience.

Lets just save ourselves all of the heartache and pursue first with no major drama's for once!!!

[Montenegrin]

Macedonia trouble me but can't have it all our own way.



Macedonia is solid team.They have tough defense and Pandev in attack,who is capable to upset any defense.Rest of the team is nothing special.All in all,nothing for you to worry to much.You have nice chance of winning group.Good luck!
Can anyone tell me something more about Wales?We did beat them in friendly half year ago,but maybe they have some secret weapon;)?

[elroy]

Macedonia is solid team.They have tough defense and Pandev in attack,who is capable to upset any defense.Rest of the team is nothing special.All in all,nothing for you to worry to much.You have nice chance of winning group.Good luck!
Can anyone tell me something more about Wales?We did beat them in friendly half year ago,but maybe they have some secret weapon;)?

All the best in the campaign ahead Montenegrin. I actually feel Wales might surprise a few people, they have a few young players coming through like Ramsey at Arsenal who look like they are going to be top players. Bellamy is a top player for Wales as well. Overall I reckon ye have a good chance of getting 3/4 points off them. Defensively they are not the best.

Of course we'll be cheering you on versus England. We have alot of experience of the Swiss in the recent past. Proved very stubborn opponents for us on numerous occasions. They always seem to perform much better than you would expect, plus a damn good manager in charge.

[Closed Account 2]

yeah watch out for the Swiss, they will also get a whole raft of suspect decisions....

[gspain]

Macedonia is solid team.They have tough defense and Pandev in attack,who is capable to upset any defense.Rest of the team is nothing special.All in all,nothing for you to worry to much.You have nice chance of winning group.Good luck!
Can anyone tell me something more about Wales?We did beat them in friendly half year ago,but maybe they have some secret weapon;)?

Wales have some decent young players so are improving. However you must have a very good chance of beating them in Podgorica.

[geysir]

Wales have been somewhat underperforming in the last 2 campaigns. They could come good but they still have the same manager. If they show some signs of struggling in the first 2 games, the knives will certainly be out in Toshack's direction.
Even though Montenegro should be aiming for at least a 3rd spot, there is not the same pressure on them as there is on Wales.
A victory over England in Podgorica would indeed receive more than a few cheers here.

[Cymro]

Montenegrin, greetings from Swansea, Wales. I was hoping we avoided you as you are the best of the fifth seeds. Our team is pretty young with some very good players and they have decent international experience having played together from a very young age as part of John Toshack's (our manager) rebuilding plan. When we played you in the 2-1 defeat last year we had a lot of injuries, so it wasn't entirely a representative team. Our best players including Bellamy, Davies, Ramsey and Bale were I think all missing. But most of us feel the game in Montenegro will be tough and I'd take a draw there certainly, although we expect to win in Wales.

Our biggest problems are defensively, we don't concede a lot of goals but that is because we often play five defenders. As individuals all our defenders have their weaknesses although some of them like Collins are quite talented and skilful players.

I'd like to think we could finish 2nd in the group, but our last campaign was very poor and we need to improve on that. I think any of the four teams besides England could finish 2nd.

I think Ireland's group is OK. You must be pleased to have avoided the best of the top seeds. Slovakia are eminently beatable and Russia are great to watch but sometimes don't have the killer touch. I think you could win the group, although 2nd or 3rd is more likely. I saw Scotland-Macedonia in the last campaign and they are much like any Eastern European team, technically good but vulnerable defensively.

[sixesandsevens]

I think it is a winnable group for us. Slovakia will no doubt have a WC hangover and Russia will be lost if Hiddink goes, so all bodes well for Trap so far. Even if we can't top the group I think the chance of coming away as best runner up and avoiding play-off hell is a reasonable goal. The top teams are by no means unbeatable away from home and I think we should be expecting a minimum of two points away to Russia and Slovakia, as long as we don't do a Macedonia in, eh, Macedonia we should be comfortable enough

[geysir]

I could have handled a world cup hangover.

[elroy]

I think it is a winnable group for us. Slovakia will no doubt have a WC hangover and Russia will be lost if Hiddink goes, so all bodes well for Trap so far. Even if we can't top the group I think the chance of coming away as best runner up and avoiding play-off hell is a reasonable goal. The top teams are by no means unbeatable away from home and I think we should be expecting a minimum of two points away to Russia and Slovakia, as long as we don't do a Macedonia in, eh, Macedonia we should be comfortable enough

I would normally be looking for us to attain second place and the playoff, particularly as we are third seeds. However, not with this group. We dont have a real top team like Spain, Italy, Holland in our group who we'd do well to take two points off. This is a group where we should be confident of doing very well and beatin the first seeds at home. We dont want playoffs again. After the progress of last year I really think we are in a position to push on and top this group.

[Montenegrin]

Montenegrin, greetings from Swansea, Wales. I was hoping we avoided you as you are the best of the fifth seeds. Our team is pretty young with some very good players and they have decent international experience having played together from a very young age as part of John Toshack's (our manager) rebuilding plan. When we played you in the 2-1 defeat last year we had a lot of injuries, so it wasn't entirely a representative team. Our best players including Bellamy, Davies, Ramsey and Bale were I think all missing. But most of us feel the game in Montenegro will be tough and I'd take a draw there certainly, although we expect to win in Wales.

Our biggest problems are defensively, we don't concede a lot of goals but that is because we often play five defenders. As individuals all our defenders have their weaknesses although some of them like Collins are quite talented and skilful players.

I'd like to think we could finish 2nd in the group, but our last campaign was very poor and we need to improve on that. I think any of the four teams besides England could finish 2nd.

I think Ireland's group is OK. You must be pleased to have avoided the best of the top seeds. Slovakia are eminently beatable and Russia are great to watch but sometimes don't have the killer touch. I think you could win the group, although 2nd or 3rd is more likely. I saw Scotland-Macedonia in the last campaign and they are much like any Eastern European team, technically good but vulnerable defensively.


Hi there :-).
We also played without Vucinic,Basa and couple more very important players as well,so I guess it shows nothing.We now have new coach Zlatko Kranjcar-Croatian who led Croatia to the WC 2006. without defeat,but was eliminated in group stage in Germany.He said that he is sure we will fight for second place,but I guess they all say that.Bulgaria is definetly beatable for any team in group,but Switzerland puzzles me.They have very good team on paper.England is...well two classes above everyone in this group.Ho would you like in first two matches?Schedule is very important.I would like Bulgaria away and then Wales home.England last two games if possible :-).Looking forward to our matches!
I will eat my keyboard if Ireland does not finish first or strong second in this group.
p.s. Can you point me to some Welch forum where you discuss EURO 2012 qualifications?

[sixesandsevens]

I would normally be looking for us to attain second place and the playoff, particularly as we are third seeds. However, not with this group. We dont have a real top team like Spain, Italy, Holland in our group who we'd do well to take two points off. This is a group where we should be confident of doing very well and beatin the first seeds at home. We dont want playoffs again. After the progress of last year I really think we are in a position to push on and top this group.

I'd completely agree, but we do possess a rare skill of making a mess of things when we're in easy groups.

[Cymro]

Hi there :-).
We also played without Vucinic,Basa and couple more very important players as well,so I guess it shows nothing.We now have new coach Zlatko Kranjcar-Croatian who led Croatia to the WC 2006. without defeat,but was eliminated in group stage in Germany.He said that he is sure we will fight for second place,but I guess they all say that.Bulgaria is definetly beatable for any team in group,but Switzerland puzzles me.They have very good team on paper.England is...well two classes above everyone in this group.Ho would you like in first two matches?Schedule is very important.I would like Bulgaria away and then Wales home.England last two games if possible :-).Looking forward to our matches!

p.s. Can you point me to some Welch forum where you discuss EURO 2012 qualifications?

A good Welsh forum is www.dragonsoccer.co.uk . That is the best one for discussing the national team. (You will notice at the moment there is a thread entitled 'Wales to finish bottom' - that shows how confident we are!)

In the first two matches I'd like to play the Montenegro away game and then Bulgaria away. At the beginning of the group teams will be more concerned with not losing than with winning, and I think if we could get draws in both games it would be a great result. I also want us to have England in the later games, but we will all have to make concessions in the negotiations.

[geysir]

It's desperate times for some Wales' fans, especially when shelter at the last resort is refused.
"Thinking positive isn't going to help us."

[elroy]

It's desperate times for some Wales' fans, especially when shelter at the last resort is refused.
"Thinking positive isn't going to help us."

We werent a million miles off that ourselves towards the end of the Stan era. Makes you wonder how people can criticise trap so much when we've come so far so quickly.

[back of the net]

We werent a million miles off that ourselves towards the end of the Stan era. Makes you wonder how people can criticise trap so much when we've come so far so quickly.

definitely agree with you elroy, i remember being in a bar after coming from the 0-0 draw against germany in 2007 in croke park. I remember being so gutted, that the senior team was in serious trouble under its current regime , i suppose the fact that , that result was the result that officially killed off any hope of qualifying for euro 2008 didnt help.

How times have changed...roll on euro 2012 and the best of luck to wales and montenegro for the forthcoming qualifiers...oh and kudos to Trap

[rebelmusic]

Just saw that hiddink has announced he's quitting russia in the summer...so our 1st place chances just went up quite a bit xD

[Montenegrin]

A good Welsh forum is www.dragonsoccer.co.uk (http://www.dragonsoccer.co.uk) . That is the best one for discussing the national team. (You will notice at the moment there is a thread entitled 'Wales to finish bottom' - that shows how confident we are!)

In the first two matches I'd like to play the Montenegro away game and then Bulgaria away. At the beginning of the group teams will be more concerned with not losing than with winning, and I think if we could get draws in both games it would be a great result. I also want us to have England in the later games, but we will all have to make concessions in the negotiations.


Thanks!

[Charlie Darwin]

In the first two matches I'd like to play the Montenegro away game and then Bulgaria away. At the beginning of the group teams will be more concerned with not losing than with winning, and I think if we could get draws in both games it would be a great result. I also want us to have England in the later games, but we will all have to make concessions in the negotiations.
Be careful about that first one. We played Montenegro away in September last time and the heat visibly affected the entire Irish team, and we could easily have lost that game (as well as won it, I guess). Even Bulgaria is no picnic at the tail end of the summer.

[Deckydee]

Russia without a manager - http://www.eleven-a-side.com/euro2008/news.asp?n=38087

Set for Turkey job - http://www.soccerway.com/news/2010/February/15/hiddink-set-for-turkey-job-reports/

[shakermaker1982]

I'd be surprised if Hiddink went for Turkey post.

He could have a big job in the PL if he waited a few months! Liverpool, Man City....

[Lenny82]

Hiddinks departure is great news for us but with Abramovich's financial backing, they are sure to get in another top class manager. It would be great to get them away early though before the new coach settles.

We have to seriously consider ourselves as favourites here. We should beat everyone at home (perhaps with the exception of Russia were we should secure at least a draw). We should definitely beat Andorra and Armenia away along with a tricky victory over Macedonia and I think Trap would settle for a point in each away game with Slovakia and Russia. That would put us on 24 points. If that wasn't enough to win the group I would be shocked but it should be more than enough to secure best second placed team.

[carloz]

According to the papers today, Dock Advocaat is the favourite for the job. Strange one, considering he is managing AZ and Belgium at the moment. Maybe his time with Zenit might make him want to return to Mother Russia.

[Hibs4Ever]

Hiidink named Turkey manager

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/default.stm

[pineapple stu]

We have to seriously consider ourselves as favourites here. We should beat everyone at home (perhaps with the exception of Russia were we should secure at least a draw). We should definitely beat Andorra and Armenia away along with a tricky victory over Macedonia and I think Trap would settle for a point in each away game with Slovakia and Russia. That would put us on 24 points. If that wasn't enough to win the group I would be shocked but it should be more than enough to secure best second placed team.
Reality to Lenny?!

We did well in one campaign and now we have to consider ourselves favourites in a group containing the last European semi-finalists and one country who qualified for the World Cup (as group winners)? Let alone that we've not won in two visits to Macedonia.

Never ceases to amaze me how far detached from reality some people's views of an upcoming campaign can be.

It's a good draw for us. We've a definite chance of coming second, we've an outside chance of coming first. There is no way at all that we can consider ourselves favourites to win the group.

[Cymro]

People often for some reason tend to assume that the best possible/plausible outcome will happen. Taking Lenny's example, I could plausibly see Ireland doing that and ending up with 24 points, but it's more likely that you will drop points in at least one home game (Russia/Slovakia) and may also slip up away to Macedonia or (less likely) Armenia, giving a more realistic target total of about 19 or 20 points. Which should still be enough for 2nd - Slovakia are unpredictable and shouldn't win all the games you might expect them to.

In the last campaign many in Wales were still entertaining hopes of qualifying long after it was clear we weren't going to be good enough (even after the 2-0 home defeat to Finland). This time around a lot of people think we will finish 2nd because it's an outside chance that we will. Realistically 4th is the most likely outcome.

[Deckydee]

Reality to Lenny?!

We did well in one campaign and now we have to consider ourselves favourites in a group containing the last European semi-finalists and one country who qualified for the World Cup (as group winners)? Let alone that we've not won in two visits to Macedonia.

Never ceases to amaze me how far detached from reality some people's views of an upcoming campaign can be.

It's a good draw for us. We've a definite chance of coming second, we've an outside chance of coming first. There is no way at all that we can consider ourselves favourites to win the group.

Excatly. Where did positive thinking ever get anybody? :p

[pineapple stu]

Sure we should definitely consider ourselves favourites for the whole thing so. England are overrated and Torres is injured. Who's to stop us?

[Razors left peg]

Reality to Lenny?!

We did well in one campaign and now we have to consider ourselves favourites in a group containing the last European semi-finalists and one country who qualified for the World Cup (as group winners)? Let alone that we've not won in two visits to Macedonia.

Never ceases to amaze me how far detached from reality some people's views of an upcoming campaign can be.

It's a good draw for us. We've a definite chance of coming second, we've an outside chance of coming first. There is no way at all that we can consider ourselves favourites to win the group.

I agree with that. plus there is the thing that for some reason we always seem to perform better against the bigger teams when there isnt as much pressure on us. There is nothing in the history of irish football to suggest we will sail through any group no matter how weak it may look on paper. I am confident we will do well but if we are gonna top the group as usual it will go right to the wire with plenty of up and downs along the way

[elroy]

I agree with that. plus there is the thing that for some reason we always seem to perform better against the bigger teams when there isnt as much pressure on us. There is nothing in the history of irish football to suggest we will sail through any group no matter how weak it may look on paper. I am confident we will do well but if we are gonna top the group as usual it will go right to the wire with plenty of up and downs along the way

Very true, although it has to be said we are now hard to beat, organised and capable of beating top teams (of course that doesnt mean we will). For some reason, I am less confident against the likes of Macedonia that say Russia.

[soccerboy]

russia look to be in a bit of turmoil....slovakia not onbe of the strongest teams to come out of pot 2,we really have a decent chance to top the group this time...although i have a slovakian buddy and he was pretty happy with the draw too,mainly because of russia getting picked from pot 1!!we should be looking to win all our home games,we wont get any easy away games apart from the andorra match!!

[Colbert Report]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, we've just had our most successful qualifying campaign since 2001 and we didn't even qualify! Let's not get carried away.

[geysir]

The draw has been kind to us but the squad from last campaign is not good enough for this one.
Much of our qual hopes depend on getting capable new blood, either starting in the team or to use as ready replacements.
2 full backs, a CH and a CM - plus a decent striker out of the bunch of wannabees.
It's still uncertain how that will pan out.
We could very well put ourselves in a favourable position to qualify after a few games or we could be bogged down in a tedious trench warfare, scrapping for 2nd place.

[Lenny82]

Why not consider ourselves as favourites??? I know it's alot easier to consider yourself the underdog as it eases the disappointment at the end but we have a great chance here.

Losing Hiddink is a massive blow for Russia and after losing to Slovenia in the play-off's it show's they are not as great as everyone thought.

Fair play to Slovakia topping their group and qualifying for the World Cup but their group contained a very poor Czech and Polish team along with Northern Ireland who although capable of pulling off a good victory are not as good as they believe.

I think in this campaign we will win games we would previously have drawn and this group is considerably weaker than our last group so why not.

[pineapple stu]

Why not consider ourselves favourites for the whole tournament?