We Have to Change This

[theworm2345]

Now, Im ecstatic that we have qualified for 3 World Cups, and advanced past the 1st round in each one, its the way we did it that has to change (for now disregard Euro 88)

Qualifying, 1990
2nd to Spain
World Cup 1990
2nd To England

Qualifying 1994
2nd to Spain
World Cup 1994
2nd to Mexico

Qualifying 1998
2nd to Romania, lost playoff

Qualifying 2002
2nd to Portugal (only on goal differential)
World Cup 2002
2nd to Germany

See a recurring theme? It wont be easy, but that has to turn into first.

[gustavo]

I dont see how it "has" to , I wont exactly be depressed if we just about scrape through in second out of this group

[antofact]

ye know, i just a have a feelin that we may well scrape through in second spot.czechs on decline with all the retirements etc and i really believe stan will bring back that owl fightin spirit that used to get us through before.

[Forever Dreamin]

did you not notice in past world cups, scraping thru was good enough, france scraped thru our qualifying group yet got to the final, italy scraped thru with last minute goal against aussie......how you get there doenst matter once you get there!!

[theworm2345]

The point is, dont shoot for 2nd, or scraping through. Why bother playing the playoff match? Theres a 1/2 chance we dont make it if we are in the playoff. Scraping through has worked, but it wont always

[gustavo]

i may be wrong but i thought that the top 2 automatically qualify this time.

[theworm2345]

i may be wrong but i thought that the top 2 automatically qualify this time.
For the World Cup? I doubt it, but maybe. Are you talking about the Euros, because this thread was for World Cup

[RogerMilla]

worm i reckon there will be a playoff alright for the WC qualifiers
we will be damned lucky to get 2nd in this group, people are already discounting the slovakians , not to mention that wales could be spoilers to our chances . as for the next world cup if we get a decent seeding and a group in which we can compete then no one will give a damn how we get there first second or by a wildcard after war in iberia , currently beggars cannot be the proverbial choosers....

[Stuttgart88]

RogerMilla, not unlike the group just gone by, I think the top 4 teams in this group could well take points off each other. I agree that Wales may be harder for us than some of the others but if Wales get a half-decent start, they'll be a handful at home for anyone if they have a full side. They have half a very good team but in the whole are weaker than us.

Bellamy, Earnshaw, Collins, Gabbidon, Giggs & Koumas for example are very good players. Mark Delaney's not bad either.

But there's a central European mini-league in this group too: Germany, Czech Rep. & Slovakia could all well take points off each other, opening the door for us. I really think if we can get 6 points from Cyprus and 4 from each of Wales & Slovakia and 4 in total from Czech Rep. and Germany we're in with a great shout for second - that'd be 24 points including the 6 you'd expect from San Marino. I also think Cyprus will get at least one home point from a decent side. Maybe Wales or Slovakia.

Let me go away & do the maths properly though. Is 2 points per game usually enough to get second - any stattos out there prepared to do the work?

PS: I've created a blank s'sheet with all the fixtures that calculates the league table, like the one I did for the last group. Maybe someone can stick it up as a link somewhere? Tets? It's probably premature.

[theworm2345]

we will be damned lucky to get 2nd in this group, people are already discounting the slovakians , not to mention that wales could be spoilers to our chances . as for the next world cup if we get a decent seeding and a group in which we can compete then no one will give a damn how we get there first second or by a wildcard after war in iberia , currently beggars cannot be the proverbial choosers....
I have been saying that all along! This is not about the Euros, I think that you forgot to mention Cyprus, anyone remember October 8th (Somethings I just remember, its usually this stuff, like dates, instead of the latest Geometry thorem)? We were lucky to get by Cyprus with 3 points, and early goal, and then they had a penalty that is Given wasnt in the best form of his life, we couldve had drawn, or as I recall a few other chances (after reviewing the video, definitly) lost, as I think our only other chance was Elliott (it may have been Kilbane, it was 4:00 in the morning on the computer, so this I dont remember) again after Connolly made a great run and set him up in the 90th minute (or perhaps that was a dream, but I really think that happened)

[RogerMilla]

pro plus is going to be your friend during this campaign i reckon worm..

[theleprechaun]

i reckon this year is our year, old czech team, new german manager with a team that know they can do no better than wc and will it will be an anti-climax and stan the man. i will take second as that will see me singing ole,ole,ole in some stadium in swit. or austria. forget about how we get there once we get there. we need a bit of luck and must play like a team with the old 'put them under pressure' attitude

[Qwerty]

I think we'll need more than a bit of luck, I like Stan but he has a big task ahead of him. Down the years you always knew the first 11 - right now only Given, Finnan, Dunne, Duff and Robbie Keane are definite starters. O'Shea and S.Reid are probables and Finnan is arguable. The rest are just maybes. Germany have a settled side, not pretty bt workmanline and solid, I'm saying Germany 3 Ireland 1 if Ballack plays.

[nshoop]

If keane and duff get their fingers out of their holes and play with some pride and class,we should get second spot,all depends on the teams' bottle!

[tetsujin1979]

Finnan is arguable.
The only arguable thing about Finnan is where he starts, not if he starts.

[theworm2345]

I think everyone is missing the point (or maybe I am), I would love if Ireland qualified through the 2nd spot, **** I would love it if we lost every match 10-0 and made it because every other team took steroids. I just think we should start gunning for first, at least in the World Cup, to the avoid the added hazard of the playoff

[gustavo]

Well Theres a difference between us settling for 2nd place which i think most of us would and the attitude of the players that will be representing us, I am sure that they will be going out with the attitude that they can win the group.

[theworm2345]

I am sure that they will be going out with the attitude that they can win the group.
We better hope so

[MacLondon]

We also finished 2nd in ALL the Euros between the 1990 and 2002 World Cups. Just because we've never won a World Cup group doesn't mean the team hasn't tried to do so. It like saying that England should start trying to win penalty shoot-outs.

[theworm2345]

We also finished 2nd in ALL the Euros between the 1990 and 2002 World Cups. Just because we've never won a World Cup group doesn't mean the team hasn't tried to do so. It like saying that England should start trying to win penalty shoot-outs.
No **** we tried to win, but something wasnt there, I dont know what, but thats what we have to change

[Stuttgart88]

Agree totally. The only thing that needs to change is results. It's simple :)

[RogerMilla]

our four games up to xmas will be a massive indication of our direction under stan , i'd like to see a good performance against germany regardless of result, a better win over cyprus than our last one, a win over the czechs regardless of performance and a hammering of san marino in landsdowne . 9 points by xmas will put us in dispute for a qualfication place , anything less would be a disappointment

[theworm2345]

a better win over cyprus than our last one
Any win would be better than that one