France V Ireland - Wednesday, 18th November 2009 - World Cup 2010 Playoff Second Leg

Yes, we should have scored ourselves. Probably 6 gilt edged chances in 2 games.

That's one issue.

Another is that Thierry Henry is a cheat and a hypocrite, or at least was last night. How he had the gall to sit down and shed crocodile tears beside the collossal Richard Dunne I'll never understand. Are there no depths?

No replay for me, but a lot of fuss. No harm whatsoever little Ireland flying the flag against FIFA and it's corrupt and anti-sporting ways. As Patrick Barclays asked in the Times recently, if England has to schmoozle up to creeps like Jack Walker to get the WC then maybe they just shouldn't bid.

Very proud of the lads and only a deluded tool would deny that the support was fantastic. Nobody is saying "best fans in the world" - that's a myth that the domestic football talebann love to bring up - but they were superb last night.

It's a dead end at this stage.

Why was Delaney not calling for this rematch on the airwaves at 7am this morning instead of featuring on every radio/tv progrm from 4.30-8pm today?


According to him, whatever Trap says is gospel. Yet, two hours after the manager says at 2pm there's not as ass's roar chance of a rematch, the CEO takes a completely diff view.


Seems to me he's trying to milk it for a few days at the expense of giving fans false hopes for a game that's never going to happen.


I suppose, imo, he needs to keep the FAI centrestage in the public arena when there's reportedly only 2,500 of these 10,000 robbery 10-yr tickets for the Aviva Stadium sold.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

One of the best and most famous players in the world cheats blatantly in a high profile game. That's why it's big news, duh.

---

No, actually it's not.

It's only big news because we didn't get through. If one of the best and most famous players in the world cheated blatantly in a high profile game last night but we were already two up, no-one would care. The cheating isn't the issue, the result of that cheating on Ireland is the story.

duh.

It'll be a small story come 5.45 on Saturday when everyone goes back to checking the Premiership results. The Sundays will pick at it next weekend, but it'll fade after that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Another is that Thierry Henry is a cheat and a hypocrite, or at least was last night. How he had the gall to sit down and shed crocodile tears beside the collossal Richard Dunne I'll never understand. Are there no depths?

---

Did you cop on that it was a hand ball by Henry or were you just going by Shay's reaction?

in fairness it is a huge story worldwide, has made all the news here and in arsehole canada thats saying something!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by geysir

Did you cop on that it was a hand ball by Henry or were you just going by Shay's reaction?

---

What's that got to do with anything?

I was 150 yards away. I only copped on by Shay's reaction and then the texts I got a minute later.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Very proud of the lads and only a deluded tool would deny that the support was fantastic. Nobody is saying "best fans in the world" - that's a myth that the domestic football talebann love to bring up - but they were superb last night.

---

?bit of an unfair generalisation there? most of the league fans seem to go to the games as well..

anyway regardless....great game and agree am happy with the fuss but would be embarressed by a replay.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tiktok

It's only big news because we didn't get through. If one of the best and most famous players in the world cheated blatantly in a high profile game last night but we were already two up, no-one would care. The cheating isn't the issue, the result of that cheating on Ireland is the story.

duh.

It'll be a small story come 5.45 on Saturday when everyone goes back to checking the Premiership results. The Sundays will pick at it next weekend, but it'll fade after that.

---

Big news because big star cheats to affect outcome. That bit was assumed as given but you obviously need everything spelt out. You were saying the world doesn't care & that it'd be a non-issue if it was a Slovenian. It was Thierry Henry, global superstar so it is news.

No, it's not as big or long lasting an issue as climate change or global poverty (which the world doesn't seem to care about either as you insist on peing pedantic) but it is big news as scooby & stu point out. France is mortified.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billsthoughts

?bit of an unfair generalisation there?

---

yeah maybe Bill but there are some as you know - a few of whom have started threads on the ssue recently, which is why it was forefront in my mind. I was only referring to the LOI talebann, which isn't all the LOI.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

What's that got to do with anything?

I was 150 yards away. I only copped on by Shay's reaction and then the texts I got a minute later.

---

I was only curious as to what you could see of the incident at the game or if it was also replayed on the big screen.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tiktok

The cheating isn't the issue, the result of that cheating on Ireland is the story.

duh.

---

The "duh" is well positioned. Obviously if some high-profile person, say the Garda Commissioner, breaks the speed-limit it might register as small news. But if such speeding leads to the death of someone, the headlines will scream much louder. Sometimes it can take a horrifying result to draw the necessary attention to common misbehaviour.

That's the way we learn things, and we shouldn't feel the episode is overblown just because little Ireland was the victim.

Like everyone else, I am shocked, angry and disgusted at the events of last night. To have been the superior side throughout and to then fail to qualify for the World Cup due to a disgraceful act of cheating is very hard to take.

Just a few points;

I am getting annoyed at the absolving of blame for Henry in some quarters. I've lost count of the amount of times I have heard that what he did was instinctive, inferring somehow that that diminishes his culpability somewhat. Since when is it instinctive to handle the ball in association football? Err...duhh - it isn't! To the best of my knowledge Henry wasn't playing basketball or gaelic football last night. He handled the ball to keep it in play and then, as if once wasn't enough, he decided to palm the ball to his leg to assist Gallas. HE CHEATED!!!
His reputation is now tarnished!
I will never buy Gillette products again ;)

The nightmare scenario for FIFA and for football as a whole is the possibility that France go on to win the World Cup in South Africa next summer. FIFA would get what it deserves!


Football lost it's soul for me last night - although some might say it lost it long ago!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Big news because big star cheats to affect outcome. That bit was assumed as given but you obviously need everything spelt out. You were saying the world doesn't care & that it'd be a non-issue if it was a Slovenian. It was Thierry Henry, global superstar so it is news.

No, it's not as big or long lasting an issue as climate change or global poverty (which the world doesn't seem to care about either as you insist on peing pedantic) but it is big news as scooby & stu point out. France is mortified.

---

Everyone who cheats does so to affect outcome.
As for it being Henry, are you claiming there would be less outrage if if had been Malouda.
The World doesn't care, they may be mildly interested but they'll swiftly move on. I never suggested it would be a non issue if it was a Slovenian, it would be the same issue, but we [as the outside world if it had been] would have been mildly interested, but wouldn't care.

As I insist on being a pedant, it's spelt Taliban

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by geysir

I was only curious as to what you could see of the incident at the game or if it was also replayed on the big screen.

---

no, but I don't think any replays were shown on the big screen. Certainly none of the chances were, and I don't remember Robbie's goal been shown there
I didn't know anything about the incident until the lads around me started getting text messages

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingdom hoop

That's the way we learn things, and we shouldn't feel the episode is overblown just because little Ireland was the victim.

---

If it leads FIFA to look at video referees, then something will have been learned.
The national association demanding a replay, calls for protests, foreign affairs and sports ministers lodging official complaints is what's making me feel it's overblown.

I'm disgusted that we've gone out in such a way when we deserved to go through, but some of the wailing and gnashing of teeth is pathetic.

Dont have the time or patience to read the whole thread. But just like to add that was the finest performance by an Irish side that I have been lucky enough to attend. Every single one of the players can be proud. It was an honour to support them in the stadium and to be part of the supporters who are a credit to the nation. It was a great night to be Irish. This forum is full of knockers and cynics and wannabe Dunphys who love to knock everything iln the guise of rigorous criticism. However as in most forums it is all hot air and swapping of overbloated opions of which I am guilty of also. However there is a groundswell of people who are willing to do things that as supporters that we can change, and we have seen teh effect over the last few games.

From 18 months ago this team were the laughing stong of the nation and those of us that go to the games were getting slagged and abused for supporting them from many people. Well I held my head up high comilng back into Dublin airport tonight and I have always been and will continue to be proud supporter of the Irish football team.

Feck the begrudgers, the cynics, the wannabe critics. Lets support the team and use this and other forums as a means to create a better atmosphere and give our team a greater chance to qualify for major tournaments.

Come on you Boys in Green.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tiktok

Everyone who cheats does so to affect outcome.

---

You were saying that the outcome was what made the cheating the issue, the cheating by itself wouldn't have been a big deal if it was unlikely to have affected the result.

If it had been at 2-0 rather than at 1-0 the outcome would have been affected in that it'd have finished 2-1. I'm talking about the bigger outcome - the direct qualification of France rather than the likelihood of a penalty shoot out. Come on man, you're back tracking on a lot of your points.

I think if it had been Malouda we'd have been just as outraged but it mighn't have been news in NY or Canada. That's why I think Henry's profile is a factor in the scale of the story.

I've seen Talibann / Talebann spelt both ways by the way. Can we move on? (edit: or even just with one "n" !)

I agree that getting Cowen & Ahearn involved is OTT. We were hard done by, just as we were in Heysel all those years ago. It was a formative factor in my bonding with the BIG. Hopefully last night will create a legion of new fans (and players) in the same manner.

David Ginola made an apology on BBC 2's Newsnight tonight.

Ah, the French. Watched the game in an Irish pub in France, where I,m a long term resident. On the way there the streets were filled with cars blaring their horns in premature celebration and I thought it not at all surprising. Turns out it was Algerian supporters after their game -- the French don't get that passionate.

The outcome was inevitable. But the reaction of the French around me was the most galling (pun intended). No leaping around, no pouring out onto the streets. Just a momentary hubbub.

Vous pouvez confirmier le meme chose chez vous, Le Bleu, Giuly et autres?

First I thought it was just the usual emotional constipation. But, after reading the views on a few French forums, I wonder was it shame. The reaction in the wider community has actually stunned me. It's provoked one of those crises of confidence and identity the French specialise in. They really don't like being the object of the world's opprobrium - imagined or otherwise. The intellectuals have jumped all over it but even the punters are very unhappy with events, and nothing but kudos for the Irish team.

So a replay after a bout of national soul-searching? Just maybe, but probably not.

French PM Francois Fillon would appear to have put the kaibosh on Cowen's clumsy overtures at the EU summit, saying the Irish government should stay out of football.

Ah the French, at least they can't patronise me this time.

Front page of Le Figaro is about Henry, with a small piece on the new EU president. It's big news in France not just Ireland.