Kerr's winning mentality?

[TerryPhelan]

From today's Irish Times:

The mood remains confident within the squad ahead of Saturday's game and the one against the Faroe Islands next week, although, he insisted, it is not essential that Ireland win both games.

"I've been asked about this before and I said the same thing," he said. "We can win the group without winning the games, but obviously it would make things a little easier.

"We'll certainly be aiming for six points, though, and things have been going well so we feel we have reason to be (confident) as we prepare for them."

Crikey. I think it is absolutely essential we win both games - to put Israel out of the running, to get confidence running after underperforming against them away as well as the Swiss and Faroes, and to send a message out to the rest of the group. While he says he will be aiming for six points, his earlier comment doesn't sound like he will really be going for it. Balls. :eek:

Could be just my traditional pre-qualifier anxiety attack - I am the most pessimistic Irish fan in the world - but it seems to confirm some of the fears voiced on this forum about his overly-conservative and defensive approach. I sincerely hope I am proved wrong, and with Andy Reid starting on the right (and who knows, even Steven Reid at right back) we would be looking to take the game to them.

One more thing: Reid (either one will do as both are quality!) or Kavanagh for our frees? I hope to God it's Andy Reid, Kavanagh hasn't hit a single good free since he started taking them for Ireland. And I'm sure we'll be getting a lot of them, given the kicking they gave Duff in the last match, what with the referee being in front of Duffer's home crowd now to boot... :o

[Eirambler]

I think he's just covering himself in case we don't win them both. If he says we absolutely must win the two of them and then we don't, he'll get hammered in the media.

I don't think theres any chance of us sitting on a one goal lead again, theres no need against israel at home.

[eirebhoy]

Nothing wrong with his comments. If we draw one of these and win the rest of our games we still win the group. We don't need to win both games but he'll certainly be trying to win them both comfortably.

[FarBeag]

Of course we need to win we always need to win and should win both games.The Israel game will be tight but we should beat the Faroe's, although i don't predict a walk over.We need to think positively and not taking all six points against both these countries will be disappointing.

[fergalr]

Sorry to say it but I'm as anxious as Mr Phelan.

Saturday's game is Kerr's biggest test to date. The qualifier from this group will be the one who can get some wins against the other "big 3" and Saturday is our best chance.

I really, really hope that Kerr puts out a team that is tactically and mentally up to getting us that win.

One more thing - Mr Phelan mentioned free kicks. I think all of our set pieces have been abysmal under this management. Lets hope they put that to rights during the week.

[Fergie's Son]

Utter nonsense. We have to win both games next week. If we beat the Israeli's then we will have taken 4 points off of them when the French have only gotten 2. So we automatically have a 2 point cushion against the French. This will require France to take points off of the Swiss which suits us. Secondly, beating the Faroe's is also required as they are points in the bank. We cannot afford to be looking for a win against the French in September. Why not give ourselves some room by getting the wins Kerr!

[thejollyrodger]

i wouldnt read too much into the quotes... kerr is defintely ultra defensive but he was simply not putting pressure on the players.

We really need the 6 points to move away from the rest and top this group.

However, If we go out there with a siege mentality trying to really beat the israeli's they might hit us on the counter and be 1 or even 2. They will simply park 11 bodies behind the ball and it could be a long afternoon

We can easily beat this israeli team if we go at them at the right tempo for 90 minutes. THe fans will have to be patient

[tricky_colour]

6 is great, 4 is good, 3 is not so good, 1 is terrible, 0 is a disaster.

[Fergie's Son]

We need 6. Who knows what sort of French team will show up in September. They have the potential to play us off the park. Further, I wouldn't be so confident of us getting a result against the Swiss even in Dublin. We win both matches and then we can sit back and watch the Swiss and French take lumps out of one another.

[tricky_colour]

What about 2?

Personally I think that 6 is good, 4 is not so good, 3 or less is a disaster.

Well if we can only get a draw with the Faroe's I doubt we will manage
a draw in Israel :)

[eirebhoy]

Utter nonsense. We have to win both games next week. If we beat the Israeli's then we will have taken 4 points off of them when the French have only gotten 2. So we automatically have a 2 point cushion against the French. This will require France to take points off of the Swiss which suits us. Secondly, beating the Faroe's is also required as they are points in the bank. We cannot afford to be looking for a win against the French in September. Why not give ourselves some room by getting the wins Kerr!
I think you should look up the definition of need. Kerr was asked if we absolutely need to get the 6 points next week. If he said yes it was basically a lie. If we get 4 points from these games and win our remaining 4 matches, no matter what happens we will win the group. This is a yes or no question and only one answer is correct. Not needing to win both games is the correct answer and that can't be argued.

If you hear a manager saying that they need to win the 2 games it basically means if they don't, the group/league will not be in their hands. That is not the case here.

[Donal81]

Quotes and soundbites don't count for that much. We don't mathematically have to win the next two games but I think everyone is still waiting for this Irish team to really get motoring. We weren't great against the Swiss, pretty good against the French (their results since indicate that we could well have beaten them!), average against Cyprus and the Faroes and not too impressive against Israel. The next two games are a chance to (a) put Israel back in their box, five points behind us and (b) to finally take the group by the scruff of the neck.

[stojkovic]

If we dont win both games, we dont deserve to qualify.
France and Swiss will then only need a draw in Dublin to pip us.

The Israelis are no better than alot of 'good' sides that have come to Dublin in the past and been 'hammered'.

[eirebhoy]

If we dont win both games, we dont deserve to qualify.
I agree that we should be doing everything for the 6 points but if we don't deserve to qualify by drawing with Israel that means France don't either so we're left with Switzerland and Israel. ;)

[stojkovic]

I agree that we should be doing everything for the 6 points but if we don't deserve to qualify by drawing with Israel that means France don't either so we're left with Switzerland and Israel. ;)
The French had a bad year and they will recover and qualify. They should have won in Tel Aviv.

[thejollyrodger]

Im very disapointed with the Irish performances to date in this WCQ. But i guess its a sign of a good side that gets results playing poorly. Were noting near our top gear yet.

We have to give the Israelis a good monkeying when the visit us on Saturday and send a message out to the rest of the group that they are going to have a really tough time when they play us.

We can see get to Germany if we dont get the full 6 points but its about time this team started delivering.

I dont mind Kerr's comments but if he is going for a 1-0 victory at home and a defensive line out to match Im going to be really ****ed.

[Lionel Ritchie]

I think we've dropped enough points that were there for the taking in this group already thank you very much. Yeah we can mathematically not win both and still top the group but then you're banking on us having a good day against a stronger team in the autumn. why do it the hard way?

If we can't beat Israel in our own back yard -we've no business going to world cup finals.

[eirebhoy]

The French had a bad year and they will recover and qualify. They should have won in Tel Aviv.
We should have won in Tel Aviv but Israel were better than France in Tel Aviv imo.

I have a feeling the fans in Lansdowne are going to get on the players back if we are still drawing after half time. There was plenty of moans and groans after half an hour against Cyprus. I'm the type that wants to believe the task is harder than it is and takes the positives out of failing to win (even before the match) as it means we'll be on less of a downer going into work on the Monday morning. There's still plenty of the old fashioned Ireland fan in me who has low expectations I suppose. :) I'm a Celtic supporter but Ireland comes first without a shadow of a doubt. I still felt worse after the league defeat to Hibs than I did after the penalty defeat against Spain. That was all down to physchology and expectations so I like to keep my expectations low.

There's people like Donal who are the complete opposite to me by saying the Israeli's are a poor team, etc, etc. Well in this case i'm right though. ;) Seriously though, Israel are an excellent team and are not punching above their weight. They said the same about AZ yet only a 120th minute goal knocked them out of the UEFA cup semi finals and they came 3rd in the Dutch league. Nobody knew any of their players last season but now the Dutch squad is full of AZ players (I still don't know most of the names).

[Stuttgart88]

I think Kerr's quote reveals absolutely nothing about his so called caution. It's pointless to try & read anything into it. Kerr will be as desperate for 6 points as the rest of us but he's just trying to dampen the hype about the game. One aspect of his job I don't relish is having to feed journalists' mouths with something to write about a week before a big game.

After the first Israel game he said it was a decent result because if you draw away & win at home you go through.

[tricky_colour]

Irrespective of the result against the Faroes, we did get a draw in Israel. :)



Ah so we did now, my mind must be going, I can't even remember if I
saw it on TV or not, just a vague recollection of a late equaliser!!

Oh yes its flooding back, low shot from outside the area inside the keepers
right post.

Well we should hammer the Faroes anyway and Israel when we are at home.

[eirebhoy]

I'm getting a bit worried listening to the players. Andy Reid said they all felt really down after conceding the late goal and they won't let it happen again. The way the players felt after the game I have absolutely no doubt that if we are 1-0 up after 80-85 minutes psychology will take its toll, memories will come flooding back and the players will sit back terribly far with the main priority not to concede.

Lets hope we get 2 early enough so. :)

[mypost]

We are the best team in the group, and if Brian Kerr went into games with a winning mentality, instead of talking round in circles, Israel would be beaten before they went on the Lansdowne pitch.

Instead, Kerr-speak is typical FAI style, i.e. fudged, while talking up the opposition ("we don't have to win the two games", "Israel, Cyprus, and the Faroes are good sides", etc, etc,).

Away from the mumbo-jumbo, those three sides are in reality, very poor teams. The Faroes are dire, Israel were rubbish against us in Tel-Aviv, and the less said about Cyprus, the better. We must win these two games, as we have dropped enough points already. We are the best team in the group, with the best squad, have a settled side, have the best fixture list, and are in the best position to qualify from the group, so let's show the other teams in the group why, in these two games.

[Plastic Paddy]

We are the best team in the group... We are the best team in the group, with the best squad, have a settled side, have the best fixture list

umm... ever heard of France? Even with my greenest of green-tinted specs on, I would never claim that our team is better than that of the French. Still, we're second-best in the group (on paper) but yet may prove to be the strongest (on grass). Here's hoping... :cool:

:ball: PP

[blobbyblob]

Have to give Kerr some Kudos. Hes no fool. You cant read into his comments and say that its exactly whats on his mind. He speaks his mind when required and keeps his cards close to his chest if thats whats needed.

He doesn't have to broadcast his intentions to the world. Why would he. I think we'd all be a little suprised if he came out with something like -

"We were rubbish in Tel Aviv, Basle and ok in Paris . I don't know how we are so far up the world rankings. The Swiss, French and Israelis are right up our holes and if we slip up now we are screwed. Im going all out for 15 points from our remaining games and if we dont get them we'll be booking our place in the united nations cup in Upton Park 2006 "

No need to be alarmist. We're in good hands. Im sure the others in the group will take his comments with a pinch of salt. Come Saturday Kerr will be looking for a decent win and a strong performance to gee up the crowd for the remaining fixtures on our way to Germany. Saying that, the crowd will have to be the 12th man because Israel are going to be no psuh overs.

[eirebhoy]

Instead, Kerr-speak is typical FAI style, i.e. fudged, while talking up the opposition ("we don't have to win the two games", "Israel, Cyprus, and the Faroes are good sides", etc, etc,).
Kerr was asked a question, "Is it vital that we win these two games if we are going to qualify for the World Cup". There's only one answer to that question and it is no. How people are reading so much into this is beyond me.


Israel were rubbish against us in Tel-Aviv
...and we were rubbish against Switzerland. You should get Setanta, watch Israel's games against other teams and you then make a judgement on them.

[NeilMcD]

I'm getting a bit worried listening to the players. Andy Reid said they all felt really down after conceding the late goal and they won't let it happen again. The way the players felt after the game I have absolutely no doubt that if we are 1-0 up after 80-85 minutes psychology will take its toll, memories will come flooding back and the players will sit back terribly far with the main priority not to concede.

Lets hope we get 2 early enough so. :)



I would be annnoyed if the players were not ****ed off after the match. I think its healthy that they are ****ed off about dropping 2 points. and I dont think the crowd in LR would let them sit on a 1 nil win

[eirebhoy]

I would be annnoyed if the players were not ****ed off after the match. I think its healthy that they are ****ed off about dropping 2 points. and I dont think the crowd in LR would let them sit on a 1 nil win
But will we have the ability to have a 2 goal margin come about 75 minutes? We rarely win by more than a goal.

[NeilMcD]

I think we will go into the last ten mins 1 goal up, that would be my belief at the moment. I think we will hold out for a 1 nil lead. I think the Andy Reids comment make me more confident that it wont happen again as he sounds so ****ed off about it. If he was blase and put it down as a once off I would be more worried. I am fairly confident that we will win on saturday either one or 2 nil. If we do get a second I think it will come in the last 10 mins.

[eirebhoy]

I think we will go into the last ten mins 1 goal up, that would be my belief at the moment. I think we will hold out for a 1 nil lead. I think the Andy Reids comment make me more confident that it wont happen again as he sounds so ****ed off about it. If he was blase and put it down as a once off I would be more worried. I am fairly confident that we will win on saturday either one or 2 nil. If we do get a second I think it will come in the last 10 mins.
I'm pretty sure if we go into the last 10 minutes 1 goal up the players will be sitting back more by the second. It won't be conscious/planned but the first priority (and much more so after Israel's late goals in recent games) will be not to concede (while Israel have nothing to lose). No matter what anyone says or does before the game won't change it now imo and we'll just have to hope for the best. :)

[NeilMcD]

I agree but why did you say you were worried about Reids comments.

[thejollyrodger]

I think the Andy Reids comment make me more confident that it wont happen again as he sounds so ****ed off about it

Andy Reid is always píssed off so I wouldnt read too much into that :p

Still its up to the crowd to be patient for the first goal to Ireland and then shout for the 2nd and 3rd.

A draw at home to these muppets would be a real let down IMO

[mypost]

umm... ever heard of France? Even with my greenest of green-tinted specs on, I would never claim that our team is better than that of the French. Still, we're second-best in the group (on paper) but yet may prove to be the strongest (on grass). Here's hoping... :cool:

France have gone into freefall, since the European Championships. Players retiring like flies, key players suspended for key games, disharmony in the camp, failing to win their home games so far, outplayed by the Irish at home, France were the crowd who dismissed the group as an oversight before the campaign got underway. France just can't cut it at the top level anymore.

And Israel were rubbish against us in Tel Aviv, we should have hit them for 3 or 4-0 after the early goal, but the players listened to Kerr's scare stories, when he described Israel as a "good" side, sat on the lead, and allowed them to come at us, and equalize in the last minute. It was the same Kerr-speak for the home game against Cyprus. The "they shouldn't be under-estimated, good side, hard to beat", crap.

The truth is, Cyprus are a bunch of part-timers who didn't care when they came to Dublin, and were 2 down by half-time. It finished 3-0, but it should have been more. If we do to Israel, what we did to Cyprus, they should be out-of-sight by half-time too. Dublin is a fortress for us. This Ireland team is settled, good, and hungry for success. If we play to our potential this week, Israel, and the Faroes will find out why we are the best side in the group, which will set up the games against our real qualifying contenders in the Autumn, nicely.

[eirebhoy]

And Israel were rubbish against us in Tel Aviv, we should have hit them for 3 or 4-0 after the early goal, but the players listened to Kerr's scare stories, when he described Israel as a "good" side,
Do you expect Kerr to lie? You're starting to get on my nerves now tbh. Go watch Israel before making a judgement based on the way they set out against us. If Switzerland did that we would be a bloody terrible team in their eyes.

While Cyprus are a crap team, they're not a bunch of part timers. Half them play in the Greek league which is up there with the Dutch and Portuguese in the rankings. Their main striker Konstaninou (http://www.konstantinou.gr/) cost Panathanaikos over €11m.

I agree with Stuttgart. I would dread having to talk to the media if I was Brian Kerr. He is doing the right thing though. A lot of people are ignorant when it comes to names like Cyprus and Israel and he is telling people that they are a lot better than people think. When people try to play down teams managers tend to build them up a bit more than they actually should be. The thing is though, Kerr's comments are much more precise than yours. He's not telling the media a buch of lies fss. No manager will tell their players that the opposition is woeful. Did you see the planning Mourinho did for the Scúnthorpe game?

[mypost]

Do you expect Kerr to lie? Go watch Israel before making a judgement based on the way they set out against us.

A lot of people are ignorant when it comes to names like Cyprus and Israel and he is telling people that they are a lot better than people think. When people try to play down teams managers tend to build them up a bit more than they actually should be. He's not telling the media a buch of lies fss. No manager will tell their players that the opposition is woeful.

Yes, I do expect Kerr to lie. He does it all the time, whenever we are favourites for a game. We are favourites because we have a good team, with a good record, who get good results, and if we play to our potential, we will win, because we are a better side than Israel, end of story. The Israel coach, and squad admit that themselves.

Yes, I have watched Israel in the group. I saw both of their games against France, and even a poor French team should have beaten them both times. France were in control in Tel Aviv until Trezeguet got sent off, and invited Israel to come at them, then handed them an equalizer. We took the lead early in Israel, and it should have provided a platform to go on and knock a few more in. Israel looked clueless, rarely threatened our goal, gave the ball away needlessly, and were lucky to play against a team who over-estimated them.

When asked if France will beat the Faroes in Paris later this year, I wonder will Kerr waffle on about the Faroes being a good side, who will be hard to break down. No, he will expect France to destroy them, which they will. Any other prediction is merely fantasy. In this country, we talk up too many opponents, and create false fears when playing against them. Then when we don't get a good result, we say it was because they were a good side. However, in most cases, it was our fear of the opposition that prevented us from getting the desired result. We have played better teams than Israel at home before, and beaten them. On Saturday, we have two choices: Either settle for a narrow victory, or show people what we're capable of. If we choose the latter, we'll win with a bit to spare, boost the goal difference, and keep everyone happy.

[Littlest Hobo]

Yes, I do expect Kerr to lie. He does it all the time, whenever we are favourites for a game. We are favourites because we have a good team, with a good record, who get good results, and if we play to our potential, we will win, because we are a better side than Israel, end of story. The Israel coach, and squad admit that themselves.

Yes, I have watched Israel in the group. I saw both of their games against France, and even a poor French team should have beaten them both times. France were in control in Tel Aviv until Trezeguet got sent off, and invited Israel to come at them, then handed them an equalizer. We took the lead early in Israel, and it should have provided a platform to go on and knock a few more in. Israel looked clueless, rarely threatened our goal, gave the ball away needlessly, and were lucky to play against a team who over-estimated them.

When asked if France will beat the Faroes in Paris later this year, I wonder will Kerr waffle on about the Faroes being a good side, who will be hard to break down. No, he will expect France to destroy them, which they will. Any other prediction is merely fantasy. In this country, we talk up too many opponents, and create false fears when playing against them. Then when we don't get a good result, we say it was because they were a good side. However, in most cases, it was our fear of the opposition that prevented us from getting the desired result. We have played better teams than Israel at home before, and beaten them. On Saturday, we have two choices: Either settle for a narrow victory, or show people what we're capable of. If we choose the latter, we'll win with a bit to spare, boost the goal difference, and keep everyone happy.

Spot on. Thinking about it, when England play teams like Israel at home, they always expect to win. And they almost always do. The media and public wouldn't expect anything else.

Its only against teams like Argentina/Brazil/Italy that England convey any sense of fear or cautiousness.

We on the other hand, **** ourselves when the likes of albania and georgia come to town. And are pretty cool against Holland/portugal. :confused:

[eirebhoy]

Yes, I do expect Kerr to lie. He does it all the time, whenever we are favourites for a game. We are favourites because we have a good team, with a good record, who get good results, and if we play to our potential, we will win, because we are a better side than Israel, end of story. The Israel coach, and squad admit that themselves.
Nothing there suggests to me that Kerr is lying. Just because we should beat them doesn't mean its a must win game. Let me ask you this. You are the manager of Ireland and someone from the media comes up and asks "Is it absolutely vital that we win this game if we are going to win the group?". You'd say yes? Thats a lot of pressure to be putting on your players shoulders and no matter how good the team is no top international manager would say yes to that question.



Yes, I have watched Israel in the group. I saw both of their games against France, and even a poor French team should have beaten them both times. France were in control in Tel Aviv until Trezeguet got sent off, and invited Israel to come at them, then handed them an equalizer.
The opening 15 minutes I couldn't believe how good Israel were. They absolutely dominated possession and did something we couldn't do, they were breaking down the opposition with ever set of passes. OK, from then on it was mostly the France of old, slick passing, etc. but I was really impressed with Israel.

We overestimated them? I am pretty sure they overestimated us too. Their game plan fell apart when we just kept the ball as they had planned to get the ball on the break and attack.

Anyway, the best performance I've seen from them was against Switzerland. They were playing better than we have in any match in this group. They can just break down teams so easily with really fast passing.

All I am doing here is telling the truth about Israel. I expect us to beat them and I will be betting large amounts of money on it.

And I certainly hope we don't ever get like the English. The complacency is unreal. Sven and every single English person thinks they've qualified for the WC already. If Poland can snatch a draw off them and Wales can get something off them in the Millenium Stadium, Poland will go above them. Lets give teams the respect they deserve and that is all I'm giving Israel. If people think I'm playing them up then they really aught to see them play at their best. I'm hardly talking like this about the Faroes or Cyprus.

I'd say Israel are on par with Switzerland. The difference is though, the Irish public know what the Swiss are like. Actually, most of them think they played crap at Euro 2004 so maybe I'm wrong there. :) But at least there won't be serious 4-0 predictions when Switzerland come over.

[mypost]

Nothing there suggests to me that Kerr is lying. Just because we should beat them doesn't mean its a must win game. Let me ask you this. You are the manager of Ireland and someone from the media comes up and asks "Is it absolutely vital that we win this game if we are going to win the group?". You'd say yes? Thats a lot of pressure to be putting on your players shoulders and no matter how good the team is no top international manager would say yes to that question.

If you were telling the truth, you'd admit yes. It is vital that we win this game to finish top of the group, and take advantage of the position that we find ourselves in, in the group. If we win this game, and win the game during the week, we will be in a favourable position to qualify, and have our destiny in our own hands. The players are professionals who constantly have to deliver under pressure. That's what they're paid to do. They know that they are the better side, and if they believe they will win, then 9 times out of 10 they will win. Saying that it's not a must-win game, puts doubts in the players heads, as they think, "well we don't have to win, so we'll go through the motions out there". That's not acceptable. They should be told to go out and play normally, and win the game. It's about time someone did win in this group.


The opening 15 minutes I couldn't believe how good Israel were. All I am doing here is telling the truth about Israel. I expect us to beat them.

Any side can play well for 15 minutes. If you do it for 90 minutes on a consistent basis, and are successful, then you can be called a good side. Israel are indeed a half-decent team, but they're not Holland, France, Brazil, or Germany, and we should be able to defeat them at home, in front of our own crowd, in our own conditions.


And I certainly hope we don't ever get like the English. The complacency is unreal. Sven and every single English person thinks they've qualified for the WC already. Lets give teams the respect they deserve and that is all I'm giving Israel.

It's about time we took some lessons from the English. I admit they do go overboard with their expectations when they play in tournaments, but would their squad, media, and public mock up unfounded fears about the opposition in individual games? They wouldn't accept it, and neither should we. Unfortunately, we give too many teams, too much respect, too often. Yes, well-organised teams are hard to break down, and are difficult to beat. But we are the 15th best team in the world, so we should be able to break these teams down. We had to do it, to climb that high in the rankings. This is the World Cup. If we can't break the likes of Israel down, what hope have we got against better teams, when they come out to play some football? Yes, we should respect teams, but not be scared of facing them, especially at home.

Everyone believes England have qualified already, because they have. England are the best side in their very weak group, and will always get the results they need to qualify. They only needed a draw in their last game to qualify for the last 2 World Cups, and last European Championship, and sure enough they got them. If our boss adopted the same approach, instead of scaring his squad and his public, by telling everyone how wonderful the opposition are, we might get the same results as England. We are certainly more than capable of achieving them.

[eirebhoy]

but would their squad, media, and public mock up unfounded fears about the opposition in individual games?
The match is in a few hours so I'm not going to continue this debate. :) I'll just say, I am not bringing up "unfounded fear". I am given a good team the respect they deserve.

And England have not qualified. As long as they keep the Gerrard-Lamard partnership anything can happen.

[Condex]

Kerr was asked a question, "Is it vital that we win these two games if we are going to qualify for the World Cup". There's only one answer to that question and it is no. How people are reading so much into this is beyond me.


What are you talking about, saying it is not vital that we win the next two games. As a matter of life or death it is not vital but as for the factor which decides if our team progress's to the world cup finals it is vital.

[eirebhoy]

What are you talking about, saying it is not vital that we win the next two games. As a matter of life or death it is not vital but as for the factor which decides if our team progress's to the world cup finals it is vital.
No its not. The following results would win us the group:

Israel - draw
Faroes - win
France - win
Cyprus - win
Switzerland - win

That is all Kerr is saying. Wil people bloody realise that. :mad:

[thejollyrodger]

we can afford to draw one match at lansdowne and win the rest. Its either going to be France, Switzerland or Israel.


When a team is going all out for a draw its difficult to beat them.