We lost to the WC semi-finalists and Copa America champions 3-2 in a friendly playing our second string side. Hardly the same as losing to Armenia in a competitive game by two clear goals.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
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We lost to the WC semi-finalists and Copa America champions 3-2 in a friendly playing our second string side. Hardly the same as losing to Armenia in a competitive game by two clear goals.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
I quote two bogey competitive results, to counter your two quoted competitive results, and you throw back two friendly results, one of which we played a second string team against the semi-finalists of the world cup with a 99% squad?Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
on the team in question...Our missed penalty and missed sitter by Robbie, as opposed to little clear cut chance for them, suggests to me at least, that we should (not could) have won. That's buggar all to do with underrating them. I don't want to lost to them either obviously.
I won't try and debate anymore with you, we're obviously at different ends of the spectrum. Apologies to everyone else for the tangent, and I'll stop regardless now.
I thought the final result was 1-1 but I may be wrong and we qualified for the WC afterall and the Henry goal was just a dream.Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
It's 1-1 in the record books I am afraid.
Isn't it at the discretion of UEFA to let whoever they want in. See Israel.
Isreal was a special case after many of the AFC countries refused to play them (over the whole Palestine thing; Iranian sportspeople are banned from competing against Israelis, for example)
Personally, I wouldn't do anything till the group (and if we're in one) play-off is over. If we don't make the play-off, for me it's bye-bye Trap. If we do make the play-off then you have to take the group on it's merits. If we're in the play-offs by being undefeated in the autumn and losing on the head to head with Russia then that's unfortunate but probably acceptable. Then it depends who we're up against.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
If Trap decides he wants to head off into the sunset because they won't offer him a contract at an acceptable stage, then I'd be prepared to let him wander. You'd have to imagine Tardelli would take it if offered to him at that stage - he's not going to get many better offers.
It's hard to know isn't it? I'd assume that if we get to the Eu
given where we were in late 2007, the players we have available etc i think trap has turned us into a decent side. anyone else (just look a the names mentioned last time) available to us would be a big step down imo. also, it took trap a while to mould us into the way he wanted us to play and my fear is that a new manager coming will not have the time to do so before the wc qualifiers start. trap is interested so we should not do anything that risks us losing himQuote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
First up, yeah I'd agree he's turned us into a decent side - and the previous manager showed that with the wrong guy at the helm how easy it is to fall a few rungs on the ladder.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
I think though, maybe your fears are a little ill-founded?
Is Trap going to take any other job before the end of this campaign if its still in the balance? Can't see it myself.If he does leave at the end of the contract, it will give the FAI pretty much the winter to get a new guy in, and still have 5/6 matches to get a system moulded before the onset of the new campaignNor should we be committing ourselves to someone who isn't the right fit, just to placate him - I reckon that's a fair observation. I suppose it's up to each of us to decide at the end of the campaign whether he justifies another campaign. Success would be qualifying for the Euros and would merit another contract. Failure? well there's different types of failure, hopefully we won't be discussing that.
they had at least as long to get a successor in for kerr and we ended up with stan.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
they also had as long to get trap but it took the intervention of an Irish millionaire to lead them down that road and get someone of his quality.
i have no confidence whatsoever in the FAIs ability to replace trap with a manager who could get us through a tricky wc qualifying group. there is nil chance of us getting better than trap i am afraid
As many of us have said before, you only have the revisit the "New Ireland Manager" thread to see evidence that of the 40 or 50 names that came and went - noone was serious about taking the job.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
I'd agree that we'd do particularly well to better our current managerial situation. Tardelli appears to have a good raport with the players and that shouldn't be overlooked either. Trapp / Tardelli are a good team that's getting a good response from the players.
Exactly. It's at UEFA's discretion who they let in.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Yeah, fools.
Even Armenians admitted me they didn't really 'feel' European.
Though a brave few did enjoy watching The SPL!!!
Make of that what you will.
:rolleyes:
All those years of being shat on by Turks and Russians really raises one's tolerance levels.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Just had a look at the UEFA statutes: http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/...7_DOWNLOAD.pdfQuote:
Originally Posted by Irwin3
On membership, they say:
Article 5
1. Membership of UEFA is open to national football associations situated in the continent of Europe, based in a country which is recognised by the United Nations as an independent state, and which are responsible for the organisation and implementation of football-related matters in the territory of their country.
2. In exceptional circumstances, a national football association that is situated in another continent may be admitted to membership, provided that it is not a member of the Confederation of that continent, or of any other Confederation, and that FIFA approves its membership of UEFA.
I don't know how exactly UEFA define the boundaries of Europe as that term has differing cultural, geographical and political connotations, but I'm sure Israel were able to offer an argument based on exceptional circumstances regardless. Australia moved from the OFC to the AFC a few years ago; the AFC was most likely deemed the second most suitable confederation for Australia after the OFC, geographically, whilst they pretty much needed a move from the OFC for competitive reasons. It obviously made economic sense for all involved as well.
Mohammed bin Hammam, the president of the AFC, outlined the reasoning:
Quote:
As well as being a developed football nation, Australia brings a developed economy and this is actually what we want in football. Besides Japan, Korea, China and Saudi Arabia if Australia joins the benefits are huge, this is what we're after.
Does this apply to Iranian footballers? Isn't that third-party interference?Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
The results mean little. The point is that they are a dangerous side in a very competitive group, and they mustn't be underrated. Too many have done it lately, and got their ars kicked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
We missed a penalty, it happens. Macedonia missed a penalty against us, and some other chances. Did they deserve to win?Quote:
on the team in question...Our missed penalty and missed sitter by Robbie, as opposed to little clear cut chance for them, suggests to me at least, that we should (not could) have won.
I remember us soaking up a lot of pressure in the last half an hour, desperately trying to cling on to what we came for. We did, so job done.
Generally, if you win at home and get good results away, you'll do the job you set out to do. Russia at home apart, we've done it in this group, despite the whinging and moaning from the press and general public.
I can't imagine how much fun it would be to go to Brazil and watch Ireland in the WC. It would be awesome. I would definitely come home with as up to that point diseases unknown to modern medicine. If we could only go to one of the next 2 I would sacrifice Ukraine and Poland for that in a heart beat.
As far as I know, yep. Here's an example of a swimmer pulling out of a heat at the swimming World Championships recently, for example, and here's the retribution from Israel calling for Iranians to be banned from major sports tournaments until "the regime in Tehran ends its ban on competing with Israeli athletes". It's happened in other sports too. Can't find an example of Israel playing Iran in football, but it probably helps that Israel was kicked out of AFC in 1974 (joining UEFA for the 82 qualifiers).Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
It's also because of the many flaws of the Israeli state.......
Trying to goad people into an argument there Ardee? ;)