Not too pleased.
Don't see how it could be much tougher aside from swapping an already handy slovakia for Ukraine.
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Not too pleased.
Don't see how it could be much tougher aside from swapping an already handy slovakia for Ukraine.
Bosnia got Greece, Turkey and Norway. That would have been better than what we got, but beggars can't be choosers.
NI got Sweden, Spain and Denmark.
Couldve being alot worse, poor Scotland, Greeces group is by far the easiest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
It does Italy France and Ukraine is far far harder
To be honest I said it the other day the Czechs have a good few players retiring after the next world cup so no nedved, Poborsky Koller and a couple of others.
Germany are average compared teo the really top teams and I think we should play them early on in Germany and catch them after the World Cup. I think we should play them in their first qualifying game in over 2 years.
I must say considering we were 4th seeds we got a great group and it its fantastic to travel too, not one hard trip and some great cities.
So we're going to Germany afterall :D
you gotta feel for scotland. up and coming team with some good young players. and then that! not a terrible draw for us. a bad world cup for germany at home and their confidance wont be too great...anyone know anything bout slovakia?
And tell me exactly how many tournaments Germany have never qualified for ?Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
Travel - amazing. The Millennium Stadium etc etc
Match dates
September 2 - 6, 2006
October 7 - 11, 2006
March 24 - 28, 2007
June 2-6, 2007
September 8-10, 2007
October 13-17, 2007
November 17- 21, 2007
Wales in Croker would be some day out - celtic connections etc!! As would Germany or Czech Rep. but to a slightly lesser extent.....
Never mind traveling and Millennium Stadium we've got Croke Park :DQuote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
Greece and Turkey in group C together should be fun to watch...:o
Draw could have been worse look at poor Scotland...
You can never write off the Germans!!!
The only other groups I'd prefer to be in are C and G - so I'd say we have the third easiest group. Coming from 4th seeds I'd have taken that before the draw. The Czechs are class, but I don't fancy Germany as hot favourites over us, their recent results are ropey.
I think Wales will be tricky.
Don't know much about Slovakia...
Great to have Big Teams Coming to Fortress BogBall and with the Czech Population in Ireland the atmosphere will be electric and some of us non-suit wearing fans might actually get tickets
really looking forward to this now, any one know have we got the biggest stadium in the group, I thinks we do as it's the fifth biggest in europe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tired&Emotional
Pretty easy to see what games we will be playing in Croker. It will have to be Germany, Czech Rep and Wales in 2007. They are the only games where you will sell 70,000 and the FAI need to sell it out. Lets face it, realistically speaking, the FAIs main motivation in this campaign will be financial. Qualification will be a bonus.
Playing the big guns away early in the group is our only hope of catching them in a world cup hangover. No point in saving the minnows for 2007 in Croker. Might be better to play them later when qualification will come to crunch time.
cascarino's delighted with the trip to cyprus ... great weather, good drinking, the craic ... oh and there's a football match as well
:D :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Block G Raptor
Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
Well we are going to be playing this german team and not the teams that qualified for the last 20 tournaments or whatever. I saw scotland play them not too long ago and saw them in the Confederations and they are not great. We also played germany in 2002 and totally outplayed them. They are not the force they were.
Agree entirely.....BRING IT ON!!!:)Quote:
Originally Posted by blobbyblob
I think there are 90 days for fixtures to be agreed in the group.
overall not too bad, remember we were 4th seeds, good trips and some decent teams to see as well. Also expect a few to take points of each other, nothing for us to fear. Hope spring eternal with me anyway
I think Slovakia might do a Latvia who nose-dived in form after Euro 2004. They don't appear to have any better players coming through than what they have now and I think some of their best players are near retirement so we might get them at a good time.
Germany, though, have some good players in their under age teams at the moment and they might be ready in the later stages of the qualifiers, the Czechs will lose at least three of their top players and their manager but they, too, have some nifty under age players coming through.
Wales will be a real bugger of a tie but the vibes coming from the camp is that lots of their players are less than enamoured with Toshack and his methods so that might help us a bit. Will still be a dogfight though.
The Czechs and Germany will take points off one another too.
Cyprus surely will not be as much a problem this time as Staunton will take good lessons from the World Cup qualifiers and all the hassles that attended the second game in particular.
Will San Marino play in Bologna or in that little ground where they played Scotland??? Was it in Bologna they played England where they scored that early goal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
I'd expect germany to be better than czechs. Germany are already rebuilding and expect them to have a good world cup, Czechs seem to have peaked in last few years. Not sure about the Slovaks.
Fookers still qualify every time though... and we aint gonna win the group so its gonna be at their expense if we make it.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
Judging purely by national steriotypes, the Germans probably have a big one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Block G Raptor
I'm looking forward to heading out to Brataslava, the biggest Tesco's you'll see in your life!!
Remind me, is San Marino up the mountains or by the beach?
Booze Cruise to Cardiff!!
"Ireland" has an outside chance of 3rd imo
I say "ireland" because i've no intention of supporting an England reject XI which it will be if the way Stan is talking comes true
It's a tough group but I reckon we could do the following
Czech Republic Draw at home, Lose away 1pt
Germany Draw at home, Draw away 2pts
Slovakia Win at home, Draw away 4pts
Wales Win at home, Draw away 4pts
Cyrpus 2 wins 6pts
San Marino 2 wins 6pts
23 points?
Czech Republic
Germany Win at home, Draw away. 4
Slovakia Win at home, Win away 6
Ireland Win at home, Draw away 4
Wales 2 wins 6
Cyprus 2 wins 6
San Marino 2 wins 6
32 points.
Germany
Czech Republic 1pt
Slovakia 6pts
Ireland 2pts
Wales 6pts
Cyprus 6pts
San Marino 6 pts
27 pts.
I think we'll get 3rd but if we beat Germany at home and Wales/Slovakia away then we could get 2nd.
Our recent record against the Germans is pretty good. 2 draws and an away win. They are a good team and not a great team any longer. If we improve as I expect us to under Staunton then we have nothing to fear from this group. And some great places and atmospheres to come. I have been in the Olympic stadium in Munich many times and it is excellent. Then we have Croker and then the Millinium stadium in Wales. Great Stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirhamish
Would like to catch Germans in Dublin for first game straight after the WC but don't think that will happen - keep weaker teams for the start and end and maybe trying to line up the big guns in the middle.....??
Well we wont be playing in the olmypic Stadium in munich. It may not even be in munich but if it is it will be in the new stadium I am sure.
It could have been worse (we could have been in that 8 team group 1 of death) but it's gonna be an enourmous task to qualify.
Czech Republic will win the group and Germany will be the team to beat for 2nd place.
We have an uphill task since Slovokia are strong too andwith Wales form will be thrown out the window, it's an international derby! Cyprus as we know after our trip there are no pushovers but San Mariono should be 6 points in the bad.
I reckon the best we can hope for is 3rd.... that would be an achievment to a degree considering our current squad panel.
That's a pretty generous group considering the teams we could have got. Got throught the 2002 world cup group with Portugal & Holland and the side hasn't changed too much as Roy Keane's only player we'll miss, but Imo Kavanagh would do a better job due to Keanes age, but thats another days work. Reckon some of the yougsters could come good for us (likes of Stephen Kelly, Stephen Ireland, Elliott & Doyle). Looking forward to the Wales game.
Fancy a trip to Prague..price of a local pint is still only 90cent..Quote:
Originally Posted by Tired&Emotional
has anyone noticed that ingerland got poxed lucky again with another handy draw..you look back at the teams they have had to face from Euro 92 qualifying (and including World Cup qualifying) to today and you should find most of them making up pots 4,5,6 and 7 from today's draw.
Maybe we should start to reclaim land westward and hope to boost the population to, I dunno, say 10 million? Maybe then we will have a greater number of quality international players to choose from.......:rolleyes: :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pablo
Take the blinkers off pal: we don't need rejectionist "neg-a-tive vibes" as yer man Damian Dempsey might say....:eek:
hey Bratislava willl be cheaper than Prague.
What about Westphalia in Dortmund? The Scots were there a couple of years ago and lieratlly drank the place dry....Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
maybe your national team should be full of your fellow countrymen and something you can identify with?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tired&Emotional
they are jammy whores theres no doubt about it. but thats why its so enjoyable watching them get stuffed when it comes to the actual tournament.Quote:
Originally Posted by HuRya
I think if Stan reinjects the passion and picks/gets the right players, sorts formations out etc we could be doing better than that....hopefully:)Quote:
Originally Posted by junkie
Or should I have said "Fortress Teach BogBall "Quote:
Originally Posted by Tired&Emotiona
Parochial view and in the minority. I just have to feel sorrow for people who seem to get so hung up on this....have you nothing better to moan about:confused: :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Pablo
And what, send out a eL XI...... ha!!
i'm just proud to be Irish. and like to support my own. thats whi i'll only ever truly love one team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tired&Emotional