I think :rolleyes: sums it up pretty well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Colbert Report
It's not a stupid rule, it's dictated by mathematics. Seedings are based on past results and ranking points. You can't pluck them out of thin air. Montenegro had none, therefore they were seeded sixth. That has always been the case.
Is Reid even coming back? Its been suggested he needs to concentrate on a club career to make some money, and most clubs want to urge him to not risk injury with Ireland...Cant blame them.....Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
So Duff gets kudos "for working hard?" Has it really come to that? I mean they all work hard. Its not the Russian team. Why are grades always being improved for actually trying when you...should try?
Just asking.
Was disappointed that we allowed ourselves to be pinned back by what was an extremely mediocre Bulgaria who were very much overhyped going into this game.
I'm sure Stephen Reid is okay financially, but if he wanted to retire from Ireland to prolong his career, I wouldn't begrudge him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87
However, I've heard from people who have talked to him that he loves playing for Ireland, and I'm sure he would love to represent us in a World Cup.
As for the Duff comment, yes I raise my ratings when I see players going above and beyond what is expected. Lunging in for a 40/60 ball and winning it. Taking on 3 players (and the ref), to ease pressure after being pinned. That's hard work. He could just sit on the wing and hope for a pass, but no, he was back in there doing just as much defensive work as anybody.
Duff elevates his game when he puts on the green jersey, and I appreciate that, and you're damned right I'm going to raise the score I give him when he puts in that kind of effort and performance in a pressure-cooker game like tonight.
Jesus the glass wouldnt be half empty with you would it. We are 6th out of the 9 runner ups. Some of those groups, particularly 1 and 7 are very tight with about 4 teams fighting for first and second. Our group is not like that. id say that there is about a 10-15% chance we will be the worst runner up.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishultra
Given - 6. Didn't have much to do except yell at his cental midfielders to close down the man with the ball.
O'Shea - 8. Solid, kept Petrov quiet + loved how even though he had a huge strapping on his leg he still dived up off his dugout seat when McGeady nearly scored! Quality.
Dunne - 10. Rock.
St Ledger - 7. Losing Berbatov in the 2nd half wasn't too clever but he played well on the whole.
Kilbane - 4. Too many crosses got in from his side and he didn't look at the races. If Finnan ever recovers from his never ending list of injuries then he can go in at RB and O'Shea moves to LB. Sorry Killer.
Hunt & Duff - 6.5 Worked hard defensively but didn't see too much of the ball from an attacking perspective. Duff started off well but as the Bulgarians dominated possession he was having to track back. Good cross from Hunt for the goal. Yet again proves his critics than he can take a set piece.
Whelan & Andrews - 5. Didn't do much with the ball and I'm guessing they are instructed to just run back when without the ball to stand in front of Dunne/St Ledger when Bulgaria have possession? Why not go out to meet the player with the ball instead of letting him run freely for 30 yards? It only needed one of them. One can sit and the other can press. I don't know what game Dolan was watching if they thought they played well.
Keane - 5. Hardly had a touch.
Folan - 8. Won lots of headers but probably needed a bit more support for us to make it really count. His effort and work rate was also fantastic. Chasing back and harrying like a mad man.
Subs
S Kelly - 8. For that header alone right at the end.
Best - 5. Like Keane he didn't get a kick.
McGeady - 6. One good shot but other than that he didn't have much impact. I would have liked him on the right so Duff (better at tracking back) could have helped out Kilbane.
The first 25 minutes we were outstanding. Looked calm and composed and made the game look easy. They score and it was like Bulgaria at home all over again. I didn't expect us to achieve parity in possession but our central midfield pairing need to hold on to it when we have the ball.
It's a very good result but we need S Reid back fit and healthy. The Trap's regime is not good for the heart neither but he always seems to grind out a result. God those last 20 minutes were excruciating.....
We went there for a point, and we got it.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishultra
If you had asked me 12 months ago, that we'd go unbeaten over the three games (Bulgaria x2, and Italy away), I'd take it.
Tonight is the first time we've got a point in Sofia, and we're in a very good position, for both 1st, and 2nd. We haven't seen Bulgaria off yet, but we are 80% of the way there, and we can stuff the Italians, like we stuffed the Dutch all those years ago.
Does anyone who laughed at my suggestions that Arsenal could do worse than look at Dunne still think it's a dumb idea?
I think a neutral looking at this would have said Bulgaria didn't do enough to win. I was anxious but not as anxious as I have been watching Ireland away.
The negatives are clear: our defence has a crucial error in every game and midfield struggles to get a hold of any game when it counts. There were positives too: Folan is a reallly credible altyernative to Doyle, SSL is a good player to have, the shape of the tyeam without the ball is good, Duff can still beat a man, draw fouls and generally relieve pressure and we have better players that can come in.
I reckon I'm a bit happier than I am disappointed. The group table still looks good though it could look better, but it could also look worse. I think this is our best ever result in Bulgaria & I'd prefer our position to Bulgaria's.
I think we'll be a far tougher opponent for Cyprus than we were last time. We'll win that one I reckon.
OK this is the dropped points table
==played==dropped points
Italy ---6-----4
ROI.----7-----8
Bul-----6-----10
Cyp......6-----13
Mon----6-----14
Geo----7-----18
So if we beat Italy we wil have still dropped one more point than Italy (8-7)
Bulgaria have only dropped 2 more points than us.
Anyway Scotland must be the worst second placed team, they have lost two and drawn one, surely we will stay ahead of them?
Great result and I dont care how we get there, once we get there.Remember switzerland away,Cyprus away, san marino away, slovakia away plus so may more disapointments?? This is a massive turnaround in fortune and we are getting results away against our main rivals now. Look at our squad tonight and considering injuries etc its a fantastic result.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishultra
Fcuk Dunphy, Whelan etc - football for Ireland has always been about effort, workrate, strength, character, making the most of what weve got, teamwork and getting a result. Shoot me down if you like but I am abolutely delighted with the campaign so far.
What I dont understand is, and it seems the media from what I saw/listened to today (and it was alot) agrees with you is, that we can take points off Italy at home.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
We played the game in Bari up a man, and still could not win.
BUT my point is, after today, getting outplayed against a team that is very mediocre, certainly not the freaking Azzuri, how is everyone so confident we will beat Italy just B.C. the game is at home?!!
I do not get that. I think the Italians, the way things are going, will win handidly. People think Italy is not playing well now...well that is not a good thing!!!!
Someone posted something that said our last quality home win was Holland in 2001, so even if that is debatable, there is absolutely nothing to suggest we would beat Italy in a few months. And after today I feel worse frankly!!!!!
No one agrees with me here?
I have actually been in touch with the man a few times over the last few months and he has always been very fired up about playing for Ireland. He has been told that he'll be back playing in September, so that should have him fit for our last three games. As has been mentioned already, we'll have Finnan, Reid and Doyle back for those three games - and (who knows?) maybe even Stephen Ireland as well! If you take a positive spin on those Radio 5 reports, that is...Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Can't even begin to comment on tonight's match as I am still in a state of high stress and anxiety from watching it. How can the simple act of watching a sports team have such a massive effect on a person?! I was literally shaking with the nerves throughout (I should add that I am only 25 and not a geriatric for whom such bouts of the shakes would be an ordinary occurrence!). Will take me a long time to return to normal. Draw a better result than I thought we'd achieve, even if the performance for the last hour was extremely risky and an invitation to defeat. But... we're still hanging in there.
we'll draw 1 all at home to the Italians. WE just love that result. If we win the other two games we should be in the play off lottery. Having a glance through the tables there are a few big sides in contention for the play offs but the one team that would put the fear of God into everybody is SWITZERLAND!
Manchester Evening News are reporting that Stoke are putting a bid together for Dunne :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
It was very hot out there, our players are jaded tired after a 10 month English season, playing in a very hostile atmosphere, looking to get a point, at a place where we never have before. Of course I expected to be outplayed, but don't think we were. How many clear chances did Bulgaria have? Apart from the goal, everything was defended extremely well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87
We finished 10 points off the qualifiers 18 months ago, tonight we sit 1 point behind the leaders. If people are "disgusted" after tonight's result, I wonder how disgusted the Bulgars are.
Italy are an ageing side, and are due a beating by someone. No reason why we can't do it, when we have them back at our place, in our conditions.
As always in a game like this, it was very even, and it took two bad mistakes to affect the scoreline. Dunne was left completely unmarked for our goal, and Kilbane... well, he's not a left-back, is he? Steve Heighway once said; 'It's always the little things that make the difference between qualifying and not qualifying.' We could have lost this game; at times, the Bulgarians seemed to be playing with an extra man, such was the superiority of their movement when in possession. However, if McGeady's shot had been 6 inches to the right...
t seemed like the atmosphere got to Whelan and Andrews, but bear in mind their lack of big-game experience. I remember ten years ago, when we played Croatia away with a 5-man midfield, and reputed, experienced players like Carsley, McLoughlin and Kinsella were utterly anonymous. Also, Russia in 2002, when we lost 4-2 with Holland and Kinsella in midfield. I think we can be happy getting away with 1-1 - Andrews and Whelan will be better for tonight's experience too.
No need for me to repeat what's already been said.
Just on the 2nd placed issue, as long as we at least match Scotland in our last 3 games, that'll be enough.
jus for the record, they have Norway (A), Holland (H), Macedonia(H).
Another factor that helps is that that group finishes in september, so we'll know what we'll have to do in our final 2 games.
I believ that 5 points will be enough, but hoping for 7 to be sure:ball:
switzweland i would love
they us owe one
Reasonable result - I do though get a little frustrated at the limits of our ambition.
Thought Dunne was immense & O'Shea very very good. St Ledger did pretty well also. Folan put in a decent stint in far from easy conditions. We do struggle in the middle. It would be well worth testing McCann for the Autumn games if possible.
Hopefully it will keep the numptys who keep insisting that McShane should have a place quiet for a while!
supreme feet good post