U17s lose 3-0 in Greece [Archive]

Predator

19/03/2010, 4:37 PM

From the FAI website

Match squad:
Republic of Ireland: Sean McDermott (Arsenal); Derrick Williams (Aston Villa), Sean McGinty (Manchester United), Richard Bryan (Aston Villa), Michael Barker (Belvedere); George Smith (Southend United), Carl McHugh (Reading), Shane Byrne (Leicester City), Kevin Knight (Leicester City); David Murphy (Reading), Daniel Purdy (West Ham United).
Subs: Frankie Sutherland (QPR) for McHugh, Anton Rodgers (Chelsea) for Smith (both h/t), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) for Murphy (62 mins)

Manager Sean McCaffrey said:
"Today's performance was disappointing. We played poorly and with little energy. Despite loads of effort and industry, we lacked sparkle. I think the heat might have been a factor in the defeat and Greece were strong after gelling together as a team over the past month. It was our worst performance this season, I know we can do better. The players have what it takes and are good enough to do better in the next two matches. There is still a lot of football to be played over the coming days and we have to focus on the next game and look towards beating Finland on Sunday."

http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100763&catid=6&Itemid=17

yapster

19/03/2010, 8:21 PM

Using the heat excuse is silly because Greece at this time of year is not that hot. And IF is was then why didn't McCaffrey prepare for it it?

Razors left peg

19/03/2010, 8:51 PM

Using the heat excuse is silly because Greece at this time of year is not that hot. And IF is was then why didn't McCaffrey prepare for it it?

totally right.... the team should have been training in saunas for the last 2 months.

SkStu

19/03/2010, 8:56 PM

not to mention at least one further month of sunbeds.

yapster

19/03/2010, 9:11 PM

There are ways to prepare fot it, adequate hydration & diet for example. He also said that despite loads of energy and industry we lacked sparkle, wtf is he on about the heat then?

gilberto_eire

20/03/2010, 4:02 PM

Give over..... it's got to the point where i think your just a pure WUM, always have something negative to say

yapster

20/03/2010, 7:12 PM

Give over..... it's got to the point where i think your just a pure WUM, always have something negative to say

No.. I am just pointing out something that is just redundant, it's like the England side always using the same excuse when they get beaten. I really hope the U18s win the whole thing outright.

Charlie Darwin

20/03/2010, 8:21 PM

There are ways to prepare fot it, adequate hydration & diet for example. He also said that despite loads of energy and industry we lacked sparkle, wtf is he on about the heat then?
Probably saps your mental energy as much as your physical energy. You see loads of teams running around like terriers and trying things but don't have the concentration to pull them off successfully. Heat could definitely be a factor against you pulling off the things you try to do.

HarpoJoyce

21/03/2010, 12:42 PM

Austria nd Finland drew the other game

This morning Greece got an injury time penalty (80 minute match) and equalised against Austria. This draw kinda helps a runners-up spot.

Finland - rep. of Ireland on at the minute in the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium that was used as a venue for the 2004 Olympic Games.
http://www.uefa.com/under17/matches/season=2010/live/day=32/session=1/match=2001722/matchcenterlight/index.html

Nagger

21/03/2010, 1:09 PM

tetsujin1979

21/03/2010, 1:18 PM

Ireland 1-0 after 54 minutes, Kevin Knight with the goal

HarpoJoyce

21/03/2010, 1:25 PM

Just noticed the Patrick O'Shaughnessy at no.2. He played all of the 3-3 with Austria.

gspain

21/03/2010, 1:41 PM

We won 1-0 still have a chance to win the group need to beat Austria and hope Finland get a result v Greece.

Best Runners up is unlikely due to our 3-0 defeat v Greece.

greendeiseboy

21/03/2010, 1:46 PM

Just noticed the Patrick O'Shaughnessy at no.2. He played all of the 3-3 with Austria.

His brother Daniel also plays for them ....anyone know anything about them i.e. Irish connections etc - just out of interest

HarpoJoyce

21/03/2010, 1:50 PM

We won 1-0 still have a chance to win the group need to beat Austria and hope Finland get a result v Greece.

Best Runners up is unlikely due to our 3-0 defeat v Greece.

I have a problem understanding the qualification to the Play-Off round.

There are only seven groups in the Elite Phase
http://www.uefa.com/under17/standings/index.html

So surely all Winners and all Runners-up can qualify from the seven groups.
The 14 teams are paired off in the in the Play-Off round and the seven winners join hosts Denmark in the Finals.

I understand UEFA mentions 10 groups but they also mention 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th placings, which reads as a standard text to explain the criteria.

gspain

21/03/2010, 5:52 PM

I have a problem understanding the qualification to the Play-Off round.

There are only seven groups in the Elite Phase
http://www.uefa.com/under17/standings/index.html

So surely all Winners and all Runners-up can qualify from the seven groups.
The 14 teams are paired off in the in the Play-Off round and the seven winners join hosts Denmark in the Finals.

I understand UEFA mentions 10 groups but they also mention 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th placings, which reads as a standard text to explain the criteria.

The blurb refers to the U21 championship which Denamrk will host in 2011. We won't be worrying about that.

There are only 8 teams in the U17 finals in Liechtenstein in May. The host recently withdrew so the 7 group winners and the best runner up (results against 1st and 3rd teams I believe) will
qualify. As we lost 3-0 the best we can have as a runner up is 3 points and most likely a negative gd. So we need to beat Austria and hope Finland get something from Greece then we are in the finals.

HarpoJoyce

21/03/2010, 7:34 PM

His brother Daniel also plays for them ....anyone know anything about them i.e. Irish connections etc - just out of interest

Don't mind about his brother....... would Patrick have a sister?

Serb

22/03/2010, 2:03 PM

Interesting about the O'Shaughnessy brothers playing for Finland. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information about them online. They both play for HJK Helsinki as far as I can tell, the only other thing I could unearth is some Finnish guy talking about Patrick O'Shaughnessy's name:

As the names might tell, Finland is finally a multicultural country and having an exotic name, a slightly more tanned skin or parents from another world is hardly exotic anymore.

O'Shaughnessy is an exotic name apparently. Who knew?

greendeiseboy

22/03/2010, 2:11 PM

Interesting about the O'Shaughnessy brothers playing for Finland. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information about them online. They both play for HJK Helsinki as far as I can tell, the only other thing I could unearth is some Finnish guy talking about Patrick O'Shaughnessy's name:

O'Shaughnessy is an exotic name apparently. Who knew?

They must be part of the Montserrat diaspora then!!

geysir

22/03/2010, 4:37 PM

I wonder how it's pronounced in Finnish?

SaucyJack

22/03/2010, 7:47 PM

In the Dutch squad, there's a player named Adam Maher, but Maher is also an Arabic name, I'd say he's probably of some Arabic background.

greendeiseboy

23/03/2010, 8:45 AM

I wonder how it's pronounced in Finnish?

Badly

Nagger

23/03/2010, 9:11 AM

In the Dutch squad, there's a player named Adam Maher, but Maher is also an Arabic name, I'd say he's probably of some Arabic background.

He plays for AZ. Has loads of talent. And he is Moroccan. Lyon tried to sign him last year, or year before.

Here he is :)

http://www.onsoranje.nl/news/content/news/oranje/onder-18/WK-paspoort-Adam-Maher.html

greendeiseboy

24/03/2010, 9:39 AM

Going nicely at the moment

http://www.uefa.com/UNDER17/matches/season=2010/live/day=34/session=1/match=2001735/matchcenterlight/index.html

ifk101

24/03/2010, 9:54 AM

Re: the O'Shaughnessys lost in Finland

Patrick O'Shaughnessy quotes Thierry Henry and Roy Keane as his idols - so that rules him out :D
The younger brother Daniel O'Shaughnessy has had trials with Man United recently.

ifk101

24/03/2010, 9:54 AM

Red card Ireland - down to 10 men.

gspain

24/03/2010, 10:02 AM

Finland 1 up on Greece we are still 2 up. Almost there come on guys.

co. down green

24/03/2010, 10:04 AM

3-0 Ireland

ifk101

24/03/2010, 10:04 AM

3-0 Ireland. 5 minutes left in both games.

gspain

24/03/2010, 10:05 AM

we are 3 up now. It is down to Finland - they are 1 up and just need a draw for us to qualify.

greendeiseboy

24/03/2010, 10:06 AM

we are 3 up now. It is down to Finland - they are 1 up and just need a draw for us to qualify.

1-1 ,.............squeaky bum time 5 mins left

ifk101

24/03/2010, 10:08 AM

2-1 Greece

gspain

24/03/2010, 10:10 AM

What a sickener. Best runner up is very unlikely.

gspain

24/03/2010, 10:15 AM

All over 2 1 to Greece we are out.

tetsujin1979

24/03/2010, 10:15 AM

loads of extra time in the Greek game (4 minutes at the moment)
Seems to be all Greece though

<EDIT>
Just finished, Greece top the table with 2 wins and a draw

ifk101

24/03/2010, 10:16 AM

Unlucky for us but it sounds like Greece were all over the Finns and deserved their win.

gspain

24/03/2010, 10:16 AM

gspain

24/03/2010, 10:33 AM

By my reckoning we are still the best runner up but with only 2 groups completed. Portugal/Croatia could overtake us this afternoon.

gspain

24/03/2010, 2:46 PM

Still ok Portugal won 2-0 to pip Croatia who end up on 6 points but with a -1 GD. After 3 groups completed we are still the best runner up. Romania and Bosnia drew 3-3 and had Romania won we were also out.

It is still a faint hope but we have a chance of making the finals.

pineapple stu

24/03/2010, 2:49 PM

UEFA (http://www.uefa.com/under17/standings/index.html) showing Belgium as group 4 runners up on 6 points and with a +2 GD, which would mean it's all over, I think.

tetsujin1979

24/03/2010, 2:53 PM

review of the Ireland V Austria game on UEFA.com: http://www.uefa.com/under17/matches/season=2010/round=15347/match=2001735/report/index.html

HarpoJoyce

24/03/2010, 3:15 PM

We won 3-0 - great result but unlikely to be enough.

Best runner up is taking results v 1st & 3rd teams so we have 3 points and a 3-3 GD. We may already be mathematically out but in reality we are anyway.

Still there at moment. Chin up. As you say it's 1st and 3rd taken for the best runners-up and not the Final Group table.

But there is plenty of room for other nations to get above Ireland. I expect one if not two RU get 4 points from 1st and 3rd, other RUs to get 3 points with a positive GD and one group to have a spoiler nation with three draws messing up every ones chances bar the winners in that group.

It's a reminder, as you say, to stay clear of the trouble by winning the group. Helps with seeding later on.

Rep. of Ireland are the target at the moment. Last group finishes on April 01.

geysir

24/03/2010, 3:21 PM

UEFA (http://www.uefa.com/under17/standings/index.html) showing Belgium as group 4 runners up on 6 points and with a +2 GD, which would mean it's all over, I think.
Not over yet, if its just the results against 1st and 3rd that are counted, as stated here.

pineapple stu

24/03/2010, 3:25 PM

What a curious system. So we're two goals ahead of Belgium then.

geysir

24/03/2010, 3:44 PM

Curious but welcomed.

gspain

30/03/2010, 10:08 AM

Still alive in the race for best runner up.

looks like another group gone. England have beaten sweden 4-0 and Sweden then beat Slovaia 2-0 so likely to beat Malta and finish second but with a -2 GD.

3 groups to go but getting tougher here.

We need Holland to beat the Czechs or Georgia to beat/draw with Ukraine. A Ukraine win and a draw/win for the Czechs would put us out.

Then Germany's group is the real concern. We need Serbia to beat/draw with Germany or a 1 goal German win. We also need switzerland to beat/draw with Hungary. Complicated group
with strange results already so could go wrong for us.

Group 5 looks worse. We need France to draw with Wales or win by 1 goal. A welsh win or more likely a 2 goal French win would put us out. If there is any justice France will be leading 2-0 in the 80th minute and a Welsh player will punch in a goal.

HarpoJoyce

30/03/2010, 1:53 PM

Trust the English and the Swedes to present a nice clean group. Group 1 (today) and group seven (thurs) have seven combinations where RoI will stay ahead.

The other group 6, today in Hungary. The only combination to guarantee RoI fail is Hungary and Germany winning. Which sounds kinda normal to me.

That Wales group (Wed) is the danger. And it's the Welsh that have caused it with their two draws. If they get a third it's the best chance RoI have. Two draws is the only guarantee of safety.

Two teams have also won their first two games and not qualified Belgium and Croatia. Blame RoI for that one.

gspain

30/03/2010, 3:05 PM

Czechs 1 up and Georgia just gone 1 up. Both at start of 2nd half.

Think we are still OK on this one once Georgia win/draw.

gspain

30/03/2010, 3:41 PM

What a rollercoaster but we are still alive.

Ukraine 2 Georgia 2. Ukraine came back to lead 2-1 which would have put us out. A 78th minute penalty gave Georgia a draw. Czechs leading the Dutch 1-0 which will decide the group but we are safe as best runner up for the moment.

update

1-0 to the Czechs. they are through. The Dutch are out. We are still the best runner up. 3 groups to go.