Top post, my fear exactly whe I heard Mike Phelan say that Bulgaria would have to do without Berbatov. I hope he plays, injured or not!Quote:
Originally Posted by richieos
Top post, my fear exactly whe I heard Mike Phelan say that Bulgaria would have to do without Berbatov. I hope he plays, injured or not!Quote:
Originally Posted by richieos
Ireland 1 Bulgaria 0
Italia 1st Ireland 0
Agree 100% about the opinions expressed about Bulgaria. I think there is a tendancy to overrate teams like this. There squad is extremely weak for a 2nd seed team and their first 11 is not upto much. We arent great but these are poor. It will be interesting to see what strategy they emply next week. I havent seen much of cottbus this year but the bulgarians ( thers 2 right?) were decent but just look at them. i see no creativity without petrov and their defence on paper is poor. they held italy at home but they seemed shambolic against montenegro and werent they beaten 6-1 by serbia recently? we really could get more than 1 but dont want to get ahead of myself.
skstump, mark12345 and magnumpi, thanks a million for your very generous and kind comments. I really appreciate it - thanks a million.Quote:
Originally Posted by magnumpi
As for my current impressions, I have to confess that I cannot but have been moved by the Irish rugby team's victory today. What a monumental achievement. Too often we have seen Irish athletes of true class falter at the highest stages of international competition, or get foiled by mischievous opposition or a nefarious referee. Today we saw true fortitude and moral character shine through and endure above all the mistakes and understandable lackings in composure that we displayed. Today we saw the best qualities of Irish sportsmen - courage, perseverence, belief, intelligent footballing - shine to the fore. And for once, for the first time in a very long time, those qualities were rewarded not merely with a moral victory but with the victory that mattered most. What they did today, although frequently messy and often sloppy, should be an inspiration to everyone with an interest in Irish sport. How satisfying to see guys of genuine quality having that quality rewarded with silverware. How satisfying to see Irish sportsmen stick at it where otherwise we might have 'had a go' and then have left it be. How satisfying to see a team of guys drawn from (almost) all four corners of the country, united by a common purpose, and celebrated by their united achievement. Brilliant. What a night.
Anyway, I agree with magnumpi that a win at home on Saturday will lend a carnival atmosphere to the Italy game. But this is a match that could turn very sour very quickly. At the risk of repeating myself, Bulgaria are a technically proficient side. By and large, we cannot make that claim of ourselves. Thus it will be a considerable battle to try and impose our gameplan on them, as they possess a superior ability to hang on to possession. While personally I rate our front four and Whelan quite highly in the technical stakes, I am not convinced about the ability of our other 6 as regards keeping the ball. I say Whelan because I have been very impressed with his close control under pressure and the quality of his passing. Granted, he has made some stray passes (as has everyone), but generally he has made an impression on the side by virtue of his ability to retain and recycle possession: doing the simple things well, as well as possessing a solid shot from distance and a decent dead-ball ability (although personally I believe Andy Reid should be taking all our frees). I think if the Bulgarians pressure us and make space tight then they are well on the way to turning the screw on us. This, more than any other, will be a tactical battle. Both teams are reasonably evenly matched. How they pit themselves against one another, as opposed to what players are available (and it seems possible that Berbatov may be injured), will be the key factor. Where individual battles are won and lost will be massive. If Keane and Doyle set their back four on the, er, back foot from the off then we may get some very encouraging results in terms of space and damaged Bulgarian confidence. Whoever said that it will come down to our ability to manage of setpieces was right. That said, our execution of frees and corners thusfar has been ****-poor. I hope this game sees an improvement in that, in our performances in general and in our goal-scoring creativity. If ever we needed a hard-fought win against quality opposition, this is it.
Stand up and fight.
Shock! Berbatov Injured before the Match with Eire
Six days before the decisive world qualifier vs Ireland in Dublin Bulgarian top striker Dimiter Berbatov is out of the game because of injury. The captain of the Bulgarian national team was changed during the Fullham vs Manchester United match after Berbo fell badly fighting for the ball. He is said to have sprained his right ankle that ached him before the game with Inter.
http://paper.standartnews.com/en/art...&article=26998
I don't know how reliable that report is, I would assume a half fit Berbatov will still start for the Bulgarians.
Is there shock value in the news of a Manchester Utd. player pulling out of an International squad due to "injury"?
No matter what I am going for a 1-0 win on Saturday and 0-0 in Bari , lads get down the bookies and get yer money on it .;)
Looks like Berbatov is out: http://www.javno.com/en-sports/berba...lifiers_244893
I've never heard of that site before, so don't take it as gospelQuote:
"There's no chance Berbatov of playing against Ireland and Cyprus," Bulgarian national team doctor Mihail Iliev told local state television on Sunday.
"I've told to Manchester United's medical staff and they informed me that he'll need to rest in the next two weeks and his foot will be immovable during that period," he added.
Berbatov's injury is another blow for Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov who has already lost Manchester City winger Martin Petrov and Leicester City defender Alexandar Tunchev due to injuries.
Berbatov has pulled out alright according to Sky.
As the saying goes; it only takes a second to score a goal. Berbatov might appear lazy and uninterested at times but with 41 goals in 67 international games he has to be considered a big threat. I'm sure with the abuse he got in the media after the last game that he would probably try to put more effort in for the next few games aswell. So I'd say it's good that he could possibly miss the next 2 games. I hope Cyprus can do us a favour and get at least a draw against them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Superhoops
If they lose against Ireland and fail to beat Cyprus at least second place would be a safe bet for us. We could even afford a slip up in the game away against Cyprus. That is one game that really worries me but if we only need a draw then I would feel much more comfortable.
Yes confirmed. Hes out for both of their games. Great news for us, although not playing well, id sooner not have him there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maroon 7
Fantastic news for us. :ball:
I also mentioned McShane, Whelan, Andrews, who are all likely to start but you seem to have brushed over them. Yes we have a good goalie, he still conceded 2 against the mighty Aalborg the other night, even with "the captain of Manchester City" playing in front of him, who is by his standards having a very very poor season. Duff has not been the same player since WC 2002 and has recently only showed brief glimpses of his old self. And while McGeady is extremely talented, he still fails to deliver on a consistent basis.Quote:
Originally Posted by richieos
Add this to the fact that even at home in front of 30-40000 fans (i know croke park holds 80,000) we will play defensivly and try to hit them on the break.
And the match vs Serbia
"served as the international testimonial of Savo Milosevic, the 35-year-old striker who is Serbia's top all-time scorer and most capped player. On his 102nd appearance for the national team, Milosevic scored a brace to take his international tally to 37, but could have grabbed twice as many had he not been showboating when taking the two penalties" so i wouldn't read into the result too much.
Injury news always seems to concern us, but for once this is on the other side of the fence, and good news for Gio and co ahead of next Saturday.
DIMITAR Berbatov is out of next Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Dublin.
It is not yet known the severity of the injury, following United's defeat at Fulham on Saturday, but it was deemed serious enough for him to withdraw from the Bulgaria squad to face the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus.
"There's no chance of Berbatov of playing against Ireland and Cyprus," said Bulgarian team doctor Mihail Iliev. "I've spoken Manchester United's medical staff and they informed me that he'll need to rest in the next two weeks and his foot will be immovable during that period."
United assistant manager Mike Phelan added: "Dimitar has got a good crack on his ankle. There is some swelling there and we are going to have that looked at."
Bulgarian team doctor Mihail Iliev
"I've spoken Manchester United's medical staff and they informed me that he'll need to rest in the next two weeks and his foot will be immovable during that period."
He should take the lead from Don Givens and ask for the xrays to be faxed plus an independent medical report on Berbatov.
Surely the team doctor would be aware of the miraculous healing powers of the sea waters around Malahide.
Bojinov starts for Man City today, hes certainly a player who would put in twice the effort that Berbatov does
I have a good feeling about these games. On form I might have selected Stephen Carr on the basis of his current form and taking into consideration his club career was in shambles when he retired again. Mcshane is some lifetimes away of being an international full back for a side with ambitions of the playoffs. I would love some creativity in the middle of the park against Italy; I would ideally play an attacking 451 with hunt and duff out on the wings and McGeady playing as a central playmaker. The reason I could not opt for that is because Doyle is too good to drop, as is keane, and mcgeadys consistency is suspect.
So 442 it is then..
I think Doyle will score in Italy. If Cannavarro plays Doyle will have a height advantage he does not normally enjoy which will supplement his good aerial ability
But I'm not worried about italy. If we beat bulgaria we are on our way to our dramatic win over Norn Iron 1-0 in the playoffs
I think we will beat Bulgaria and are probably just good enough to do it.
If we do not win in Dublin I think we are in trouble as there will be a lot more pressure on us to get a result in Italy.
2-1 Irish win in Dublin.
1-0 Italy win in Bari.
Hope I'm wrong and if our guys win in Dublin a lot of the pressure is off in Bari and that improves our chances of sneaking a draw.
I'd say you're a fun guy to go out with.Quote:
Originally Posted by weldoninhio
For the sake of some balance can you think of anything positive to say? You can make it up if you want.
And only 30-40,000 fans?
I bet this guy would be on a downer if he was invited to the playboy mansion!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
We managed at least 40,000 at Croke Park on a Wednesday night. I'm sure Bulgaria on a Saturday night will be closer to the 60,000 mark at the very least.
It might not be pretty but we get results under the Trap. Obtaining 4 points would not surprise me in the slightest weldoninhio. We may not be overflowing with outstanding individual players at this moment in time but we are functioning well as a team. Keep the faith.
A sat night game will always get alot more than a wed night for obvious reasons. As always the hill will be empty but other than that expect the place to be full so i think it will be closer to the 70k mark.Quote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
At E50 a ticket?? No chance.Quote:
Originally Posted by elroy
And i am great laugh to go out with.
The rugby team got 80,000 at the last 2 home games at €90 a ticket!Quote:
Originally Posted by weldoninhio
That was in a tournament that they had a very good chance of winning and one of those was against the aul enemy England!!!!!!
are you actually irish? you have very few positive things to say about our team
Rooney gets suspended, Berbatov instantly pulled out of Bulgaria squad. Coincidence or is it just those Man United physios and their approach to internationals??
In fairness I think Berbatov left Craven Cottage with a protective cast on so the injury looks real anywayQuote:
Originally Posted by mackannovic
anyone agree with Giles' contention that Berbatov being injured makes no difference? i can understand his reasoning, in that berbatov often just doesn't show up, but still a huge threat.
No, even if dormant for 80 minutes of a game, he is probaly more of a threat as a goalscorer than any player in the world. The threat alone would make any back four nervous.Quote:
Originally Posted by magnumpi
I think its a shame that he's not playing. When going gets tough he vanishes, for club and countryQuote:
Originally Posted by magnumpi
Hard to know. He's undoubtedly class when he's bothered. Maybe his absence will make their dressing room a better place and maybe his replacement will have more aggression.
Anyway, like all eastern European teams I expect they'll be very accomplished on the ball and will move it around far easier than we ever do. But that's always been the case and yet we've often got good results at home. We should have beaten the Czechs - who are far better than Bulgaria - last time out with players like Douglas, McShane & Henderson, and Stephen Kelly at left back.
I hate this attitude of being afraid of respectable teams. We typically play better against these teams anyway.
I'm looking forward to it - these are the contests I've always loved in Irish international football.
Agree completly. I think we'd have handled lazy boy no problem. Now we face the unknown. Could be more difficult.Quote:
Originally Posted by magnumpi
We should have enough in the tank to beat a Berbatov-less Bulgaria at home. I'm going for 2-0 to us.
I think there'll be plenty of Bulgars at the game too. There's quite a few of them working here in Brussels since they joined the EU and some of them who drink in my local are organising trips over. Add to that the ones living in Ireland and there'll be a couple of thousand at the game.
Going 2 ahead and staying 2 ahead? great if it happens.
I think we will be well up for the game and meet the challenge.
The team under Trap is inching steadily forward the more we play.
Peaks and troughs do my head in.
I think we'll win if Whelan and Andrews give a good account of themselves in the middle. I suppose you can see certain similarities between us and Bulgaria in that Berbatov and Martin Petrov are as important to Bulgaria as Keane and Duff are to us. With both Berbatov and Petrov missing this game, we have a real opportunity to put a big dent in Bulargia's qualification hopes. Hopefully we can do that.
Well Andrews and Kelly both got game time at the weekend, both coming as half-time substitutes. Duff also started for Newcastle.
Nearly everyone got a run out at the weekend and I can't see anyone pulling out this week, maybe Folan as he has a tendency to.
Code:Shay Given Manchester City Started, played whole game.
Dean Kiely West Brom Unused Substitute.
Keiren Westwood Coventry City Started, played whole game.
Alex Bruce Ipswich Town
Damien Delaney QPR Started, played whole game.
John O'Shea Manchester United Started, substituted on 70m.
Kevin Foley Wolves Started, played whole game.
Paul McShane Sunderland Unused Substitute.
Richard Dunne Manchester City Started, played whole game.
Stephen Kelly Birmingham City Started on bench, introduced on 46 m.
Kevin Kilbane Hull City Started, played whole game.
Darren O'Dea Celtic Started, played whole game.
Aiden McGeady Glasgow Celtic Started, played whole game.
Damien Duff Newcastle United Started, played whole game.
Darron Gibson Manchester United
Glenn Whelan Stoke City Started, played whole game.
Keith Andrews Blackburn Rovers Started on bench, introduced on 46 m.
Liam Miller QPR
Stephen Hunt Reading Started on bench, introduced on 18 m.
Andy Keogh Wolves Started on bench, introduced on 54 m.
Caleb Folan Hull City Started on bench, introduced on 61 m.
Kevin Doyle Reading Started, played whole game.
Robbie Keane Tottenham Hotspur Started, played whole game.
Shane Long Reading Started on bench, introduced on 63 m.
Noel Hunt Reading
Im not even going to think about the Italy game until late on Saturday night. Forget about the razzle-dazzle tie against them and concentrate on the job in hand against Bulgaria. If we lose against Bulgaria the true benefit of a positive result against Italy will be lost.
I have watched Bulgaria in depth throughout the campaign and also researched the players added to their squad and firmly believe that a disciplined, organised performance with the level of commitment shown in the 2nd half against Georgia will get the job done. Bulgaria will come with all guns blazing and our lads must take control from the start. The nonsense that we saw at the start of the Georgia game cannot happen again. If we manage to get a goal within the first 15 mins, I am in little doubt that Bulgarian heads will drop and it could be a solid 2-0 win.
I fail to see the logic in what Giles said regarding Berbatov. He is a moany, lazy waster at times but he has the ability to turn a game with one moment of brilliance. His abscene is a nice plus to us.
I disagree. I think they'll sit deep and be negative. I hope your right though as it would suit us better.Quote:
Originally Posted by reder
Think of it this way lads; If Berbatov was Irish, would you start him? Nuff said.
from http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....ed_for_bojinov
Hughes on Bojinov VS Sunderland at the weekendQuote:
Hughes said: "I was pleased for him that he was able to start a game in the Premier League and that he came through more than an hour.
"It was important for him. I felt it was good for him to get the start today from both a footballing and mental point of view."
It may be too soon for Bojinov to resume his international duties and there are question marks about some of the other walking wounded, too.