€300.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
BFS-AMS-SAW-TBS-RIX-LGW-DUB. That's with Easyjet to AMS, Pegasus to TBS, Air Baltic to LGW, Ryanair to DUB.
More info here:
http://foot.ie/threads/187630-Georgia-(A)
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€300.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
BFS-AMS-SAW-TBS-RIX-LGW-DUB. That's with Easyjet to AMS, Pegasus to TBS, Air Baltic to LGW, Ryanair to DUB.
More info here:
http://foot.ie/threads/187630-Georgia-(A)
Latest blog with some thoughts on the draw for those interested.....
http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/201...-reunited.html
Admirable if maybe slightly overdone confidence there D9-three teams in that hypothetical group (not to mention Hungary) had a better record than you in WC 2014 qualifying :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Drumcondra 69er
Ha ha! In our worst campaign since the early 70's to be fair. Hungary wouldn't be in the group if we werw drawn in it. I'd have been very confident of a top 2 finish in thst hypothetical group. Would have preferred the England or Wales group all the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
Now THAT'S wumming :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
I know. Stupid North American iPad auto"correct"...when I catch it, I change it (when I'm not being lazy).Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
I'll let you in a secret though - I now put gas in my car and don't like tomayto on my burgers!
Let's just say, even under Trap, we'd do better than the North. Oh, we did anyway...Quote:
Originally Posted by Gather round
And unless those teams played the same opponents (or us theirs), no-one knows their relative record...
The closest, bar people who claim to be ex-LOI players (usually only their pals can verify) and pundits, are Shay G's auld fella, a regular, and Dermot Gallagher, more occasional, ex-EPL referee!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87
And it's definitely them.
A Scottish
http://www.scotzine.com/2014/02/temu...ation-threats/
and 'Soviet'
http://futbolgrad.com/euro-2016-draw...ing-expansion/
perspective.
I interpret the apprehension about this qual draw, is less about our opponents, but more about we don't where we are yet with our team. So there are various fantasies festering in that vacant space, building up a dysfunctional Poland to potential world class because of a few star players, Scotland's phoenix like glory resurgence and Georgia's fanatic home crowd frothing for out blood, a 5th seed with a killer blow.
Sweden 9/10 times would prove stronger over 2 games than either Poland or Scotland.
All the signs were that we were a team in serious (morale) decline under Trap for 18 months, yet we were expected to beat Sweden at home and draw away. We were heavily critical of the performance and tactics that allowed Austria to snatch a late equaliser and give Sweden their win on a plate.
When it will come to the game on the day against Poland and Scotland, we will be expected to better them both and should we not prevail, the management team will come under severe criticism, there will be not the least concession to the apprehension expressed here about the quality of our opponents, the tough draw, as an excuse for failure.
I don't think anyone is building up Poland to be world class (although I think some people look at the Dortmund players and don't realise the rest of the squad is ten rungs below) but they are the kind of team we seem to struggle against. Average enough sides who have one world class player who can tear us apart in a second, ie Sweden with Ibrahimovic, Austria with Alaba.
It's not apprehension as such, just pointing out that there are other factors involved in these games in comparison to other groups or teams. Most groups you could predict finishing in the top 3 as being nailed on. You can't in this group.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
You call it pointing out that there are other factors, I call it apprehension :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Drumcondra 69er
We can't call it, because we don't yet have a sense of how we will be organised to play. If O'Neill struggles, (indecisive) and ballses it up, then we will certainly struggle on the pitch. If he doesn't balls it up, we will qualify.
There are factors in most every team we could play in the first 5 pots. We don't know when an apposing team will have their day, it's consistency over the group campaign that usually wins out. We have a normal qual draw, weaker or very similar than most we have been through and there are 2 and a half places at stake in the group.
The Germans are trended downward sportswise, say many pundits in the know. They got the second most medals in Vancouver but only the 6th most in Sochi, with a disappointing haul. So we have that going for us.
Also we can easily trick the Polish by spinning them around a few times right before kickoff, they will start shooting at their own net.
I think I agree with Geysir. We know what the others are like and appreciate that they can maybe be better than they have delivered of late, but we think we have been so weirdly managed that we actually don't know what we are capable of. I personally think we're better than we have shown in the last campaign, but at the same time, almost paradoxically, I'd probably buy Trap's away record right now.
O'Neill hoping for Celtic Park
I'm not really sure what to make of all this. Think he should just say he's not bothered where the game is played and leave it at that. If he is hoping for Celtic Park, surely he's better off not telling the Scots that. Maybe he's secretly longing for Ibrox and playing reverse psychology? Total long shot but perhaps he sees it as a less intimidating stadium for an away team, given Celtic's incredible home record against top European teams. Presume the game will be at Celtic Park regardless anyway of what he says anyway and maybe he knows this to be the case.
Hmm, that could mean anything!
IF the SFA were looking out for Ireland fans, they'd make it CP but guess that will be a secondary concern, though it would give the chance of showcasing the East End which has just been tarted up for the CG's.
Following on from Martin O'Neill's recent comments about the lack of young talent coming through, I thought I'd ask the question: which of the current or recent U21 squads do people think could play a part in the upcoming Euro 2016 campaign? I'm going to narrow the list of potentials down to eight: Shane Duffy, Tommie Hoban, Mark O'Brien, Matt Doherty, Jack Grealish, Sean Murray, Callum Reilly and Samir Carruthers. I've chosen this group on the basis of either having significant experience at Championship level or being reasonably likely to be playing at Championship level (or above) next season. And remember, the business end of the qualifiers is still over a season away so there is time for all these players to become further established before this. So who should we be thinking about blooding into the senior squad in upcoming friendlies, either this summer or next?
It looks like O'Brien is going to join the pantheon of Irish players who will never fulfill his full potential because of fitness issues. Hoban has to prove himself all over again after being out for a year. Doherty has lost his place in the Wolves team after getting injured in Autumn but that's not because of any faults with him; he was flying before that. Carruthers has been hit and miss at MK Dons so the jury is still out for now; he definitely has the potential to go all the way. Reilly has played intermittently for Birmingham.Quote:
Originally Posted by samhaydenjr
I'd say Duffy is almost ready. Murray and Grealish aren't that far behind. With Keane, Hoolahan and Reid aging, the World Cup Qualifying campaign would definitely be a target for them but a lot depends on next season. Grealish needs to play more consistently and at a higher level to be considered; and Murray needs a proper run in the Watford team, though he's been getting a decent run this season.
I think O'Neill is right. Few, if any, of the U21s are on the verge of immediate promotion. I think his words were interpreted a little unfairly though. He wasn't saying there is nothing coming through, just that nobody is on the verge of displacing a more established incumbent.
But, as sam says above, the business end is over a year away and I'd agree that those named seem the most obvious ones to be likely to make the step up. We have discussed Gunning recently (not a current U21) and he might be knocking on the door. Maybe Kenny McEvoy will make a leap forward between now and then.
I'd like to see a keeper emerge. Randolph is OK but not playing at a level of performance yet that makes me relax about the GK position. I like Forde but I'd like to see him pressed hard by Westwood or another keeper. The Scots have two keepers playing very well at EPL level. We have a couiple playing OK at Championship level and a third doing rehab after regular injuries.
And anyway, didn't Randolph threaten to play for the US? I'm surprised TOWK hasn't vented his spleen at him :)
A left-footed Seamus Coleman would be nice.
And dare I say it, maybe Stephen Ireland has a role to play.
Randolph never threatened to play for the USA!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Just googled "Darren Randolph threaten play USA" and got a message saying "Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it's really you sending the requests, and not a robot".
"Darren Randolph USA" is ok though.
Probably got a file now.
Stutts' no doubt is referring to those who would and could interpret Randolph's comments that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
In 2011 Randolph stated a conditional intent to declare for the USA.
He stated the option was there and that there was chance he could declare for the USA.
To a Scottish newspaper
“There is still a chance I could play for America and it is an option. It is not something I would rule out.
“This is the advantage of having both passports. It is definitely an option and it is not something I have just put to the back of my mind.”
America have qualified for the last six World Cups and Randolph admitted that would be a major influence if they had an interest in him representing them.
He said: “Everyone wants to go to the World Cup and America get there all the time.
“I supported the USA at the last World Cup and I wouldn’t complain if I had to travel to America.
“I don’t know if Ireland know I have an American passport — but there is no way I am waiting to see if America will call me back again.”
My mistake.
A little like Robbie Keane's conditional intent to retire then, eh?
Puff your chest out all you want, geysir, but there is a difference between making a simple mistake and aggressively hounding people because of the way they interpret quotes.
Playing the victim now, a victim of aggressive hounding.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Download and run at a minimum an anti-virus and and anti-spyware program.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
http://www.techsupportalert.com/pc/security-tools.html
I have one.
I actually assumed the issue was googling how to threaten the US?
.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Oh it was :) and will have been noted down too. Try getting yourself a visa now if you have any doubts
It may not be detecting something on your computer. The message suggests to me that some programme on your computer is accessing google a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
That'd be me.
But only when I google search "threaten USA" do I get a problem. Every other google search is fine.
(And this one is fine too now actually. I'm going to assume someone has put the term on a whitelist :) )
I'm happy there's no virus on the computer; performance is grand and the anti-virus has stopped a fair few things (particularly when I was looking for freeware video editing stuff, or got streaming sites which wanted me to download iLivid)
But mainly I wanted to point out the (I hope!) funny
You are like a dog with a bone geysir. Build a bridge and all that.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Every single interaction between us seems to be because of some nerve I touched re: Keane.
I would love us to kiss and make up and be able to interact about other stuff too.
Give TOWK some sugar, geysir.
What did you expect to happen typing that in!Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
That I'd get some hints, I guess.
Or at least an answer to the Darren Randolph query at the top of the page.
I googled the exact same phrase "Darren Randolph threaten play USA" a while ago, Wiki comes up first and after that it's back to square one.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Recent - Activity Stream - Foot.ie
foot.ie/activity.php?sortby=recent&show=all&time=today
15 hours ago - 29 posts - 12 authors
Every single interaction between us seems to be because of some nerve I.. .... Just googled "Darren Randolph threaten play USA" and got a ...
Foot.ie: Activity Stream foot.ie/
37 mins ago - Or at least an answer to the Darren Randolph query at the top of the page. ... But only when I google search "threaten USA" do I get a problem. ... The guys over at FM Ireland have released an up-to-date player database with ...
John may have a point about that warning.
Same old pineapple stu, always threatening the US.
I think TOWK's assessment of Mark O'Brien is a bit rash. He's had awful injury problems but for once he's not being rushed into first team action. At a club as small as Derby, he will have opportunities to progress if he's good enough.
Playing Germany in Gelsenkirchen.
Scots playing them in Dortmund.
Both great stadia but I'd prefer to be going to Dortmund.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. I would have preferred Berlin or Munich also.
By the way, this prints off as a very useful little booklet:
UEFA EURO QUALIFYING FIXTURES
Scotland asked for 8k tickets, we only asked for 5k tickets, hence the venues apparently.
Oh great, now none of us will ever be allowed on a plane again!Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu