How far would we have gone at WC 2010?

[Noelys Guitar]

I am convinced we would have gotten out of our group. The weather and the timing of games would have suited us. Trap probably would have unearthed another 2 or 3 players. And we would have gone to South Africa with two draws and a win against the last two finalists under our belts. Real pity.

[Fixer82]

How would the weather have suited us exactly?

Don't think Trap would've called any more players up, I think he would have stuck with the lads that got him there!

[EastTerracer]

Absolutely agree with Noelys Guitar. I think we would always have a good chance of progressing when we qualify for the finals. This is partly due to the nature of the draw (trying to keep the European teams apart to a certain extent) but mainly because, under Trapattoni, we have proved very difficult to beat which is really the requirement for first-round qualification.

[irishfan86]

How would the weather have suited us exactly

Winter in South Africa.

[Colbert Report]

It all depends on how we'd play. If we play the way we did against France in Dublin, no way we get out of the group.

The way we played against France in Paris? We'd win the World Cup!

We are a tough team to beat, who knows who would have been in our group. It depends on a lot of things: form, injuries, weather, prepardness, etc.

I reckon we would have beaten the weaker African or Asian team in our group and drawn the stronger European and South American team. That might be enough to get us out of the group, it was in 2002. Then I think we'd be found out when we draw a group winner like Holland or Spain.

We'll never know. This thread breaks my heart.

[endabob1]

We'll never know. This thread breaks my heart.

Try driving past one of the Stadiums a couple of times a week, or listening to the constant adverts on radio for the "Big draw on December 4th right here in Cape Town" Was out last night and there was a tv on in the corner showing the preparations, it's like a knife in my heart.

Back to the original point, Obviously it depends on the draw but there are some very weak sides in it, the Koreas, New Zealand, South Africa although we all know the hosts get an easier ride. We'd probably be in with one or 2 decent teams but the way we play I'd have fancied us to do what we did in '02 and not lose in the group and maybe sneak out with 5 points.
Last 16 with a relatively thin squad in terms of quality (imagine a suspension for Dunne or an injury to Keane) we'd do well to get to the last 8 and I couldn't see beyond that.

[Ciaran W]

Ye id say quarter finals at least !

[Ciaran W]

Id say quarter finals at least !

[mkbucks]

DONT like this thread because its hard to predict a game these days never mind anything else, whos to say if we got Nigeria in the WC Kanu would'nt handle the ball or if we got Hansen to ref our group game the pitch incline wouldn't miracously change to suit our opponents!

[Morbo]

I would have fancied us to get out of the group stages and then it just depends on the draw. I think we would be capable of upsetting a lot of the big nations if our key player remained injury free and the only ones I'd really fear would be Spain and Brazil.

[Irish_Praha]

Would have been better to wait until December 4th to see what group France are in before making such predictions. However if it's not a group of death and has one weak team then I would have given us every chance to get to the second round with one win and two draws.
Would have been interesting to see if Traps tactics change slightly when it gets to the knock-out stage compared to group games.

[Riddickcule]

Second round.

[paulok32]

It all depends on how we'd play. If we play the way we did against France in Dublin, no way we get out of the group.

The way we played against France in Paris? We'd win the World Cup!

[Greenbod]

We would have won it of course. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever. Nobody can ever prove otherwise.

[carloz]

I actually think we wpuld have done very well. We have a good shape and have outplayed both France and Italy, two finalists in the last world cup, in their back gardens. We seem in much better shape that the 2002 team. I don't want to type any more because thinking about this is bringing up more anger:mad:

[carloz]

Would have been better to wait until December 4th to see what group France are in before making such predictions. However if it's not a group of death and has one weak team then I would have given us every chance to get to the second round with one win and two draws.
Would have been interesting to see if Traps tactics change slightly when it gets to the knock-out stage compared to group games.

France will most likely be seeded, not a hope in hell we would have been. Quite likely France will get an easy enough group

[elroy]

Presumably we wouldve been second seeds?

Oh god this is even too painful to consider.

[backstothewall]

Anyone going to adopt a country for it?

I'm thinking of becoming an honourary Algerian. Basically because they play in Green and White, and once gave the French a good hiding.

[briancool21]

I'm goin for spain

[paul_oshea]

i cant handle this, its like breaking up with a girl before you felt she really gave you a chance and wondered what might have been and then you see her all over the place everywhere ye looking flaunting it and with another guy. Everytime you try and forget about her it comes back through some random small thing that makes you want to cry again. And then get angry.

:( heartbreaking :(

[Emmet7]

Granted we don't have the world's best players, but Trap has gelled an incredibily effective defensive unit if still a little shakey going forward.

I think we would have got out of the group stages no problem.

I think after that we'd be talking minimum quarter finals with a good shout of the semi's.

[Razors left peg]

Too soon for this thread lads, although Im not sure it will ever be a good time for it... I really dont think Im gonna be able to stomach watching it at all, especially watchin the teams come out behind the fair play flag

[carloz]

Anyone going to adopt a country for it?

I'm thinking of becoming an honourary Algerian. Basically because they play in Green and White, and once gave the French a good hiding.

Slovenia for me. They got past the seeding and ****ed FIFA over. Fair dies to them and they have my support for it

[shakermaker1982]

I think we'd have got 3 score draws. 2nd round would have been the aim.

[Gather round]

Presumably we wouldve been second seeds?

Oh god this is even too painful to consider

(Without wishing to add to your pain)

I think the seedings will be geographical rather than on ranking. There will probably be four pools something like what follows:

1 (seeds): South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and five from Europe (Italy, France, Germany and Spain as the last four big tournament finalists, plus one of England, Netherlands or Portugal). Maybe France will lose out in the fallout from Stade de France?

2 the remaining eight European teams

3 the remaining five African teams plus the three remaining South American

4 the five Asian/ Oceanic teams plus the three from North America

South Africa's group won't include another African side, Brazil's and Argentina's no other South American.

[tricky_colour]

Italy are 5th favourites and France 8th favourites, so that puts us in the last 8 I believe.
So quarter finals likely, maybe semi's, possiblely final, and perhaps winner!!

[mkbucks]

i cant handle this, its like breaking up with a girl before you felt she really gave you a chance and wondered what might have been and then you see her all over the place everywhere ye looking flaunting it and with another guy. Everytime you try and forget about her it comes back through some random small thing that makes you want to cry again. And then get angry.

:( heartbreaking :(

if it was a girl i'd tell ya move on but keep crying my friend, Don't stop for one minute!

[Ozymandias]

Italy are 5th favourites and France 8th favourites, so that puts us in the last 8 I believe.
So quarter finals likely, maybe semi's, possiblely final, and perhaps winner!!

no it puts us waiting on the EURO draw as our dream is over..unfortunately

[old git]

I am convinced we would have gotten out of our group. The weather and the timing of games would have suited us. Trap probably would have unearthed another 2 or 3 players. And we would have gone to South Africa with two draws and a win against the last two finalists under our belts. Real pity.

jesus ... how can you say we would have gotten out of or group we cant even guess at who would be in our group.. :confused: as for weather suiting us summer in south africa yes simaler weather to summer in uk .. weather totally against our style of play and work rate.. if any players to unearth then trap should start going to matches in uk looking for players instead of letting others attend games and reporting back to him ..

[tricky_colour]

no it puts us waiting on the EURO draw as our dream is over..unfortunately

True but the OP asked a hypothetical question as to how far we would have gone if we were there.

[irishfan86]

as for weather suiting us summer in south africa yes simaler weather to summer in uk .. weather totally against our style of play and work rate..

Temperatures will probably be in the 7-15 degree Celsius range with it being winter in South Africa, which would have really suited us.

[Junior]

if any players to unearth then trap should start going to matches in uk looking for players instead of letting others attend games and reporting back to him ..

Any good management 'team' needs to rely on delegation & trust. Trap doesnt need to be attending an EPL game every weekend. He has Brady, Tardelli and Co to assist in this regard.

[endabob1]

One thing which hasn't been addressed by many people is that only 3 stadiums are at sea level. Quite a lot of games will be at altitude and most teams will have to play games at both sea level and altitude, which will cause issues for acclimatisation. Winter in SA varies depending on location, Durban is a tropical climate and will be a very nice 20 ish degrees whereas the Cape & PE will be much cooler and Cape Town specially has the likelihood of cold wind and rain, as anyone who watched the emerging Springboks game during the Lions tour will know.

[Zizou]

We'd have been knocked out in second round by Italy.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Who cares? Why would we even be interested in anything adminstered by those poxy fools.


We would have course gone on to win it and the next twenty-seven consecutive tournaments......

[sligofan4ever]

If we played the way we did against France, only convert more chances, we could easily have gottne out of the group. The furthest we would've gotten would be the quarter finals IMO. I have a feeling France will repeat there performance of 2002 and finish the group rooted at the bottom without 1 single point, considering the team they have now its very possible.

[Jicked]

. if any players to unearth then trap should start going to matches in uk looking for players instead of letting others attend games and reporting back to him ..

Jaysus.

You have to wonder about what exactly is wrong with some fans. You'd swear Trap had picked an 'old guard' all the way through the campaign and had been completely unopen to experimentation or new players. If some of the morons putting him down actually took the time to look at the facts, they'd have noticed we started in both qualifiers with 3 out of 4 midfielders most of us wouldn't have thought had a chance of doing anything much in the green shirt at the start of the campaign. Instead Lawrence, and especially Andrews and Whelan completely justified their unglamorous selection.

For gods sake, the likes of St Ledger, Gibson, Andrews, Whelan, Lawrence and Best who have all become big players for us by the end of the campaign, how can anyone possibly say that Trap never takes a look at new players.

Of course, if we went in to those games with a squad containing Delap, Carsley, McCann and Clinton Morisson at the expense of someone like Glenn Whelan, there'd be the fantasy football experts on here pointing out how many points Whelan scored last week on the official budweiser fantasy football league crap, which clearly proves how great a player he'd be.

Honestly, I really do think a depressingly large proportion of Irish football fans don't have a clue about football, watch highlights of Liverpool, Man Utd and the odd Barca v. Internazionale Champions League game to show how well rounded their football knowledge is, and instead just get by on spouting off whatever crap they read in the paper or heard off Andy Gray.

But yeah, if only Trap had have 'unearthed' Keith Fahey, who knows what might have happened. Sure we might have played France off the park in Paris...

[Closed Account]

We'd of been in a group with

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay

We've of topped that.....

[elroy]

We'd of been in a group with

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay

We've of topped that.....

Agreed. South Africa as first seeds, what a draw!!! God I hate the french even more. :mad:

[Closed Account]

Worst of all will be watching France topping it without breaking sweat, getting an easy second round draw and effectively reaching the quarter final of a world cup, with the major turning point, being a handball. Anyway, I'm over it now.

[paul_oshea]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggg gggggghhhhhhhhh
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
:( :( :(

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

im sure we could have at least got out of that group if not won it.

[Maroon 7]

We'd of been in a group with

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay

We've of topped that.....

I thought the French had used all their reserves of jammyness after the Ireland game but I was obviously mistaken. Great group for them coming from the 2nd seeds.

[Reality Bites]

I reckon South Africa will take them, and never bet against the mexicans - remember they rattled Argentina in 2006. This is a crap french team with a dim wit manager I predict they won't get ou of group.

[Closed Account]

Uruguay 1-2 Ireland
Ireland 2-0 Mexico
Ireland 1-1 S Africa(with 1st seeds and qualification on the line, both teams play out a bore draw to secure qualification)

Topping the Group, we play Greece/Nigeria in the second round.
Ireland 2-0 Greece Comfortable

Quarter Final
Ireland 2-1 England

Semi Final
Ireland 1-0 Brazil

Final
Ireland 2-2 Spain
Ireland win on Penalties.

We could of won!!!!!!!

Optimist.

[paul_oshea]

i think they will in the end though.

I hope they either
A) get pumelled and lose out through a dive or something else to get out of the group
B) THey win the world cup as no one will forget how they got there.

OBviouslly id rather A, so the likes of evra etc could be sat on the ground crying about losing out through cheating. Now that would be oh so sweet.

[Noelys Guitar]

Did you see Domenech looking like a burglar after the homeowner has turned on the lights.

[paul_oshea]

shock? oh sh1t ive been caught? a rabbit caught in headlights? Or Oh no its not me ;)

What must henry have looked like as in fairness domenech was just helping him lift the stuff into the car unbeknownst to himself.

[Reality Bites]

Did you see Domenech looking like a burglar after the homeowner has turned on the lights.

Christ he is a dopey looking tool, how did we let this guy out of Croke Park with a win

[back of the net]

i think they will in the end though.

I hope they either
A) get pumelled and lose out through a dive or something else to get out of the group
B) THey win the world cup as no one will forget how they got there.

.


or

c) they lose the world cup final to a blatant handball then we get them in euro 2012 qualifiers with domenech in charge and beat them out the door in dublin and paris


ah lads seeing them get that W.C group draw ......kills me :(

oh christ im becoming a mexican ,south african and a uruguay national all in the space of 10 days in july :)


mexico will be tough enough for france however i think

[elroy]

My feelings on France will largely depend on the Euros draw. If we draw them in the Euros, I would like to see France do reasonably well, chances are Domenech will stay in charge for another campaign and then REVENGE!!

On the group, i think we would progress but Uruguay and Mexico are no pushovers. SA are very poor althou have a new manager in place. All futile talk at this stage.