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I really cannot understand how the Ukraine have being so dreadful. They romped through their qualifying group and it was the toughest by far.They have to be a better team than their present performance suggests, maybe it’s a confidence thing I don’t know. Shevchenko is showing nothing special either.
I was just gonna mention the 2002 WC game with Spain. We were all over them and tried to win. Ireland have been bad in terms of long balls under Big Jack but we've never gone out and put 10 men behind the ball hoping to win on penalties. Hell our long ball style was exciting at times.
only warrior on the swiss side is the fella who got stamped in the balls at the turkey match. such a pity ireland didnt beat this side, it has really shown us up, but in fairness at the world cup you should just go for it and try and win games... look at australia and now switzerland , negative and defensive .. im sure all the irish players and B Kerr would have been thinking Italy next and we all know what happened the last time we played Italy
A world Cup is like thqt if you get a nice path you can make it through the games without playing well. Germany got to a final iln 2002 without playing well. But generally the team that wins it is the best team. At least this time the teams in the quarter finals will be tested. Teams may have got handy enough last 16 games but nobody is going to get a handy quarter final.
Watching Switzerland last night was like watching ireland in 1990 for the 1st three games and for large parts of the 4th game although as Owls fan says I think we were more Ukraine, the one team trying to win just about.
I didn't say thegames were the same I said Ireland played like Switzerland did last night. No thought, no creativity and lods of effort with some great defensive performances. Oh and Romania totallly dominated that 1990 gameQuote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
I must have watched a different game (20 times on video at least :eek: ) to you. "Totally dominated" - absolutely not. I thought we matched the Romanians all the way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I was at the Spanish game and thought we created a fair few chances and to compare us with the Swiss who had no ambition whatsoever is extremely unfair and harsh.
Great defensive performances - you can't be referring to the Dutch game here. Catalogue of disasters at the back.
*Sigh* Obviously not the duthc performance. We would've drreamed of a Swiss like performance. Romania did dominate and we ONLY atacked v Spain when a goal down, so obviously a different game. The point is that no Irish supporter who does not criticise our performances in major championships can not criticise the swiss for being "boring"Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
Sigh away my friend but that is what you said that started the discussion:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
"They played EXACTLY like every Irish team in the knockout stages of a world cup."
and yet you've now ruled out the Dutch game and the Spanish game (because we were chasing the game) so that just leaves the Romanian game on which we differ.
In 1990, maybe. We were the plucky little country who wouldn't lie down but we were pretty boring for most of it. Our only goals came from long Bonner punts which led to errors by Steve McMahon & the Dutch defence. My recollection of Romania is that we matched them by & large, with their only chances coming from Hagi shots from distance which Bonner saved well. Niall Quinn missed a headed chance for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I'm not sorry to see the Swiss out. All they were over the last 2 years is a well organised team that didn't lose to their peers or teams marginally better than them, but to get to the last 8 without a penalty shoot-out you actually need the quality to beat such teams. Switzerland didn't and I found them dull to watch.
Switzerland may have been dull to watch, but they proved they were no pushovers. They may not be world beaters, but newsflash folks, neither are Ireland. Maybe now the people who thought we had some sort of devine right to beat them will think again. I don't think they deserved total blame for the game the other night, to be honest I thought both teams were as cagey as each other, and anyone from Ireland is skating on very thin ice criticising the Swiss given our performances in 1990. I was as caught up as anyone else in that Romania game, but with hindsight it must have been horrible to watch for a neutral, and we were every bit as cagey in that game as the Swiss were on Monday. Remember, we reached the quarter final by winning no games over 90 or even 120 mins, and by scoring the grand total of two goals, both from Packie Bonner big punted goalkicks. Who do we think we are all of a sudden ?
On a Swiss related note, I don't know if anyone else saw that tosser :rolleyes: Cathal Dervans world cup preview in the Star. On the Swiss/French group he claimed "this should have been us. Watch the Swiss and wonder again how Irelands manager threw away qualification"(so the players had nothing to do with it then? - his anti Brian Kerr campaign is beyond tiresome at this stage) He predicted South Korea to go through. Plonker.
I agree. And don't forget the Swiss were unlucky not to beat France in their opening game - they created the best chances. We might not necessarily like the Swiss but I think they have proven that they are at least as good as us.Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyD
[QUOTE=Emmet I think they have proven that they are at least as good as us.[/QUOTE]
Emmm, they've clearly proved that they are better than Ireland....