Zidane To Play For France

i dont think Zidane and Makellele will make a huge difference to our task to be honest. dont viera and makellele do more or less the same kind of job for the french anyway? it might actually upset the make up of their team. the fact that zidane is coming back might mean that he really has to play whether he is playing well or not.. he hasnt exactly set the world alight recently and there are lots of other very good french players who will have to be left out to allow the ageing zidane and co. play. we nearly always raise our game at home for the big games and i see no reason why this one should be any different..... as long as kenny, the keanes, duffer and shay are available and on form of course!!!

Irish times today - Article saying that Zidane reckons Thuram will follow his example & make a return to the international fold...

We've got a CL winning full-back in our team, one of the best wingers in the world, a top-class international goalkeeper, a partisan home crowd that will be right up for it, a goalscorer with an international record as good as Michael Owen's, and Roy Keane. I don't care what anyone says about Keane these days but from October through to March of last season Man United showed championship form and in my opinion the main reason for this was Keane. Amid all the hype & hysteria about everything Chelsea-related I think it was completely lost on most people that for most of last season Roy Keane was every bit as influential as he has ever been. I thought he was quality in the FA Cup Final.

Bring them on. Allez Les Verts.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

The next really big game in our group is Switzerland vs Israel...the worst outcome in this game is an Israel win.

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According to Sky Sports' website this game will be shown live on SKY on Saturday 3rd. Kick-off time and channel TBC.

SKY also has Ireland U21 vs. France U21 on Tuesday 6th September.

This is Brian Kerr fan no.1 Paul Doyle's take on it:

Paul Doyle
Friday August 5, 2005


Poor old Brian Kerr. There he was, off enjoying his summer holidays and doing his best to look less like Father Jack Hackett, when news seeped through that the Republic of Ireland's next opponents have just been bolstered by the return of world class playmaker Zinedine Zidane and world class playbreaker Claude Makelele:

And now the Mill hears that, just four weeks ahead of the crucial World Cup qualifier against Kerr's crew in Dublin, a third mature musketeer is ready to rally to the French cause: classy Juventus centreback Lilian Thuram, to be precise. Feck! Arse! Grrr!

Fortunately, rumours that Kerr will retort by persuading Tony Cascarino, Jim Beglin and Mark Lawrenson to come out of international retirement have given the psychological advantage back to the Irish.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

We've got a CL winning full-back in our team, one of the best wingers in the world, a top-class international goalkeeper, a partisan home crowd that will be right up for it, a goalscorer with an international record as good as Michael Owen's, and Roy Keane. I don't care what anyone says about Keane these days but from October through to March of last season Man United showed championship form and in my opinion the main reason for this was Keane. Amid all the hype & hysteria about everything Chelsea-related I think it was completely lost on most people that for most of last season Roy Keane was every bit as influential as he has ever been. I thought he was quality in the FA Cup Final.

Bring them on. Allez Les Verts.

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Bang on. Let them bring back everyone from Just Fontaine to Eric Cantona, I couldn't give a toss. Let's just make sure we're up for it in Lansdowne, the team hammer into them from the start and the French won't know what's hit them.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

This is Brian Kerr fan no.1 Paul Doyle's take on it:

Paul Doyle
Friday August 5, 2005


Poor old Brian Kerr. There he was, off enjoying his summer holidays and doing his best to look less like Father Jack Hackett, when news seeped through that the Republic of Ireland's next opponents have just been bolstered by the return of world class playmaker Zinedine Zidane and world class playbreaker Claude Makelele:

And now the Mill hears that, just four weeks ahead of the crucial World Cup qualifier against Kerr's crew in Dublin, a third mature musketeer is ready to rally to the French cause: classy Juventus centreback Lilian Thuram, to be precise. Feck! Arse! Grrr!

Fortunately, rumours that Kerr will retort by persuading Tony Cascarino, Jim Beglin and Mark Lawrenson to come out of international retirement have given the psychological advantage back to the Irish.

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who is this gobshyte? :confused:

Doyle is an ex-Irish Times journo who has published at least two very critical articles in The Guardian on Kerr.

I wouldn't take too much exception to this article though. The daily "Rumour Mill" column is a very tongue-in-cheek, often quite witty, summary of the day's transfer rumours.

Dont know if this has been mentioned already cos I haven't read many of the posts but Lillian Thuram is back too :(

any chance of getting Irelands "12th man" out of retirement for the french game and creating the most intimidating atmosphere ever?!! :rolleyes:

An unfortunate turn of events but not for reasons that most will automatically think. Brian Kerr now has a ready made excuse when people finally wisen up to his lack of managerial talent(with grown men, that is)

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Originally Posted by hoopy

Brian Kerr now has a ready made excuse when people finally wisen up to his lack of managerial talent(with grown men, that is)

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Give it a break will ya and give kerr until the end of the campaign before coming out with stupid comments like that.

Well the general consensus seems to be we are sean bhean bhocht now :D

Fabio Capello confirmed that Thuram will also return.

Zidane will be captain.

Does a return en masse of these golden oldies not signal an attitude of fear and desperation from the French camp?

I puts Ireland in the underdog position. We have Zidane to thank for putting our backs to the wall. Irish teams can't cope with being favourites (Macedonia, Israel etc.)

Thank you Zizou.

Excellent. He's gone mental. Maybe he should give Glenn Hoddle a call.

Zidane or whoever, I'm going for 1-0 to us, definitely. The French were once a great team but declined into a number of extremely talented individuals, which is worthless compared to a team functioning as one. If we've our best out, I'd expect to beat them.