Just to remind everybody, Ireland have NEVER won a competitive game away in either the European Championships or World Cup against any of the major European teams - Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Portugal, France. That's NEVER. Czechoslovakia are probably the biggest team they've managed to defeat - and that was in 1967. It's an extraordinarily poor record. To win tonight would be the greatest ever away achievement. Not much grounds for optimism. 2-0 to Italy is most likely.
I forgot to add Holland to that list... and Belgium.
We are going to get mullered. I don't care how many players Italy have got out tonight, they could put out Serie B players and they'd still run riot against McShane and Keogh down our right side. I would rather have Kevin Foley or Joey O'Brien (if he's fit) playing right back, and Andy Reid has more ability than anyone playing in that midfield, at least he might create something. Chris McCann and Owen Garvan should also be in the squad. Keogh isn't a bad player but he cannot play right midfield.
I wasn't confident before we had all these injuries, now I think we'll be lucky to get away with a 2-0 defeat tonight. I cannot believe anyone seriously thought we would win in Italy. As Straightstory has correctly stated, the last time we won away against a major nation in a qualifier was in 1967. Not beating Bulgaria at home will be the defining moment in this group. We had a chance to knock them out and secure second place on Saturday night and we blew it. If we had won on Saturday, tonight's defeat wouldn't have mattered as much.
I think a draw would be a fantastic result for us. It would be a marvelous achievement given the players at Traps disposal. I agree Keogh is a good player but will not do himself justice playing out on the right.
I think Bulgaria will struggle to beat Cyprus tonight. Reckon it will be a draw. We will know the result before our game as it kicks off at 5.
It's bad when we're looking for Indian signs and superstitions.
It's going to be a turkey shoot.
Connacht GAA :)
I really thought that was an April's fool!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by joe_denilson
We have to shore up that midfield. Robbie must drop back and help them more.
Italy are no world beaters... err, yes they are :D
But they won't win all their games in the group.
This might be 1 where things don't go their way. Let's live in hope that we can frustrate them and limit them to crosses from a long way out where Dunne and O'Shea will dominate. Trap's plan might help us to counter attack more than usual. Set pieces will also be important for us.
C'mon Given - show us you are better than Buffon!
We're not the greatest but win, lose or draw they're still my team. C'mon Ireland!!!
We're saved! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
If we had S. Reid, Duff and McGeady; I would actually fancy our chances against that Italian team, which is one of the weakest I've seen for years.
As it stands, I expect us to play up for the occasion, but still lose 1-0.
Eleven-a-side have a good April fools joke related to the game:
http://www.eleven-a-side.com/worldcu...ws.asp?n=36272
Pity it's not true
:D
*******s got meQuote:
Originally Posted by Irish_Praha
No mention as yet on RTE website. Mind you if you look at the web address, then it's an obvious hoax. Got me!!Quote:
Originally Posted by joe_denilson
Hopefully he is called up coz Andy Reid is the answer to the recession and the meaning of life , to anyone who actually watches the game he is an average footballer who can pick a pass , Id say Italy are ****ting themselves
Well done ! ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by joe_denilson
Dunphy on RTE this morning:
Italy aren't great - missing better players; they didn't impress on Saturday
Grosso a threat
Pirlo biggest threat
McShane a weakness; Keogh not the right guy to replace McGeady
Keane & Doyle will provide a chance of scoring
We have "great players who love playing for their country"
He & many in the game are disillusioned with Trap, despite his initial excitement at the appointment. Feeling is he's not working hard enough and is becoming eccentric. Says Thursday morning is the time to comment further though.
Dunphy concedes that many of the selections are marginal, including Reid & Carsley, but that if they played we'd have a better chance.
Hopeful we can get a draw.
YES, NICE EDIT !!!!!!!!!!!! "Obvious HOAX" TO MOST OF US.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
I dont put any store in what Dunphy says. He recently said that we had 5 or 6 players that would get in to any side and then failed to name 3. He is a rabble rouser and has consitently criticized Irish managers,except John Giles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
What a dipstick!
Caught on two now today , well done , my point still stands thoQuote:
Originally Posted by Scram
On the evidence of Saturday's performance - nobody can be confident we'll secure anything from the game. Yet stranger things have happened..............Quote:
Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar
I think there will be a conscious effort by the team to show a bit more composure on the ball and try and retain possession.
Hunts performance will be crucial tonight as he has the ability to alleviate pressure on the back four by carrying the ball deep into the oppositions half.
I'm hoping Andrews can weigh in with a big performance tonight also.
McShane's inability to use posession to an even limited degree could disrupt our attempts to keep the ball but it appears we have to live with it until Finnan is back to the fold.
Lets just see how things unfold. Very few appear to give us an earthly of a chance but the rewards are there if we can emerge with even a point tonight.
I don't see McShane or even KK as anywhere near a key weakness.
They would be adequate enough if you had a CM who resembled a driving pulse in the team.
Dunphy is covering all bases there. If we win/draw then Italy weren't that good anyway. Lose? The Trap isn't pulling his weight and should be picking Reid/Carsley.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
It's in situations like this that we're paying for Trapp not making full use of the Friendlies and actual face time at matches.
I don't buy into the "Marginal" thing either when it comes to players selection. At the top level, arguably in any sport, the marginal can decide an awful lot. It's just when you've to pick the best of an average bunch you have to look harder, and Trapp's just bone lazy.
I see a hard fought draw tonight though...
Bone lazy? He's brought Whelan,Andrews and Gibson into the fray. We're missing Finnan, S Reid, Duff, mcGeady and Irelad....there is not much else out there.
A. Reid, Carlsley..........Quote:
Originally Posted by DotTV
I'd like to see both in there myself but would they be much better than whats in there?
Exactly, man... Would they? Is Liam Lawrence better than Andy Keogh? I dunno but I'd be doing more to find out than a B match against forrest is all I'm saying.Quote:
Originally Posted by DotTV
I'm still going with a draw. The team cannot play as badly as it did Saturday night. Surely? I just hope they get stuck in and press properly. The Trap then replaces the tired players with Gibson, Delaney and Long (pace) and we hold on for a point. Whelan and Gibson need big games.
Hard to risk in a qualifier though. he's tried gibson, andrews and kelly. I know others should be given a chance but I think half of Kerr and Stans problem was they were chopping and changing and never knew exactly what system they were going to play. Now we have a system, we're organised and we're good at the back.Quote:
Originally Posted by dr_peepee
Get Real - after years of steady decline this is the worst bunch of Irish Players ever to represent the country, people here are still harking back to the glory days of the late 80's and 90's when we had a great team, those days are gone and in the past.. all we have now is a set of very average players - midfield is terrible and will be shown up again tonite.. our manager is a pragmatist he knows this - we can only be fully effective if we have our best players all fit and available and wanting to play(Stephen Ireland) - faith has not dealt us this hand. if we has our full team including the aforementioned recalcitrant one then yes a draw would indeed be very possible but not tonite I am afraid.Quote:
Originally Posted by dr_peepee
the reason this is the greatest game on earth is that a weaker team, on their day, can defeat a stronger opponent. :ball:
C'mon Ireland!
I've got some impossible Italian friends here - they no feck all about football but are sure Italy are going to win every game.
I'm going to take a lot of crap if we loose today so the team better play up or else.....................
Come on you boys in Green................................
The Perpetual optimist
I see where you're coming from but has Lawrence been fit for any of our games or friendlies? He's only back in Stoke's team a little while isn't he?Quote:
Originally Posted by dr_peepee
Any blame to be attributed here has got to be attributed to Trap's advisors too.
bulgaria winning, if we lose tonight they will be just 4 points behind us and a game in hand, that they should win. IF they win that thats 1 point, even if we draw thats 2 points and us needing to go there, with a tougher run in. We, as I predicted 2 matches ago could be in serious trouble and beating these below average teams 1-0 or drawing away from home with them meant nothing and people got carried away as usual.
Who got carried away? It was well documented here that the only result where we've bettered Bulgaria in is Georgia away. We knew the table was deceptive. Momentum is important though and our hiccup on Saturday gave us little margin for error in next 2 games.
And some are still looking at the table and gloating! Remarkable considering all we have done is beaten Georgia twice, drawn with Montenegro and beaten Cyprus.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
I said before that Trappatoni's honeymoon will be over when we are beaten by a poor side with Andy Reid exiled, that happened v Poland. 3 wins out of 10 games.
Only a win tonight will quieten the multitudes who want Reid in the side.
Must have imagined the win VS Colombia soQuote:
Originally Posted by Scram
And where are you getting 10 games?
Trapattoni's record so far:
Serbia 1-1
Colombia 1-0
Norway 1-1
Georgia 2-1
Montenegro 0-0
Cyprus 1-0
Poland 2-3
Georgia 2-1
Bulgaria 1-1
I wonder how people would react if Trap spent every friendly/qualifier constantly rotating the team/squad giving caps to absolutely every Irish player who's been within touching distance of a Championship side.
"Why is Garvan getting a game, he can't even play for Ipswich"
"Alan Lee is a rubbish journeyman why has he been capped"
"Carsley should have retired years ago, time to establish a new midfield"
Yet apparently these are the answer because we didn't beat a side seeded above us. Crazy crazy stuff.
Thank heavens we're at least in the position where tonight even with the players unavailable that we have, at least this midfield has played together quite a bit. I cant see it proving much good tonight against the stiff opposition, but well its something to cling on to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jicked
What's the deal with Garvan? I thought he was doing well and pushing for a transfer to the Premiership this summer. What happened?
I'm not fully sure, as like most of the people who have advocated him playing in our first team, I haven't seen a lot of them. He's only 21 so it's hardly surprising that he's in and out of the first team and not an option for us yet. He has time on his side, but certainly doesn't seem the answer for now.