Watch out - you're in danger of sounding obsessed with the relative status of North and South transport infrastructure...Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
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Watch out - you're in danger of sounding obsessed with the relative status of North and South transport infrastructure...Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Five Live had a day of programming from Newcastle, featuring various events including a local carnival, looking forward to the Great North Run, opening of a Cancer treatment ward by Bobby Robson's widow etc. It also gave Shearer a chance to develop his media career, showing he's rather less wooden than MotD suggests.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Then I would have remarked that we were more of an A station as opposed to a B.Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
Sure the South has to build the A5 so you Derry wans can drive in comfort towards the sanctity of God's own land.
What? Aughnacloy?Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
No, we are thankful it'll take us 20 minutes quicker to get to the traffic jam at the Port Tunnel. But in fairness the A5 is being built in the loved-up spirit of North/South financial co-operation. Though Conor Murray probably has to put up with jibes about superior transport 'ranking' every time they have a meeting.
IŽll have you know, there's many an ol' dear still bless themselves as soon as they cross over into the Holy Land.
I implore the board members when referring to the OWC, to use words such as "plucky" and "gritty".
And now to the all so sensitive FIFA Rankings.
Just like the drinker who regains his place at the bar after falling off his stool while experiencing the tranquilizing effect that hits in after 13 pints, you are not supposed to pass a blind bit of notice. The worst thing another drinker at the bar can say is "are you alright" as the fallen drinker regains his place on the barstool. The same applies to the OWC should they fall off their perch on the first page of the all so important FIFA rankings and slither down to page 2. When they manage to clamber back up to page 1 after "gritty" and "plucky" performances, we are not supposed to notice. The worst thing you can say is "good to see you back" - and never say "enjoy your time here".
Some of you who have actually visited the OWC discussion board might be a bit confused, that we should bend over backwards to be so diplomatic when they indulge in so much vitriol directed at the FAI and our team. Well the thing is, all that vitriol is justified, they are right - therefore they can.
Post whatever you like; personally I'd just be content to see us referred to as "Northern Ireland" ("NI" for short) - it fits in well with "Republic of Ireland" ("ROI") after all.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Hilarious.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Still, now you are back on the subject of the Rankings, have you any comment on the point I made in an earlier post, namely:
"... between September 2006 and September 2010, ROI's High/Low Rankings have been 26/51, whereas NI's equivalent is 27/59. More pertinently, ROI's Average Ranking during that period is 38.2, with NI's being 39.3"
I take that to demonstrate that in recent years, there has been damn-all to choose between the respective quality of the two teams i.e. decidedly average.
By contrast, you clearly have a sense of superiority: care to explain?
How ironic that you should sneer at OWC posters for displaying vitriol towards the ROI, when you yourself can never forbear from expressing similar vitriol towards NI on this Board at every turn.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Even worse, rank hypocrisy may be added to your "charge sheet" After all, you protest loudly that you are not even interested in the NI team, yet you were the one who dragged our team/ranking etc into the thread in the first place!
Oh well, I suppose it all helps build your collection of "Thanks" from Ardee Bhoy...:rolleyes:
Up one place to 32 in the latest rankings:
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ra...llranking.html
Russia into the top 10.
Because, whatever the debate about which is the better team, there is no debate about which is the 'bigger' team.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Aye, and Liverpool are a "bigger" team than Everton, which must be a great comfort to the red half of Merseyside after Sunday's embarrassment.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
Late News Flash: Experts have just confirmed that Canada is a bigger country than China, but not so big as Russia.
Read Dick Advocaat's remarks regarding the arrangement of a friendly against 'Ireland'.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Kinda sums up my point.....don't ya think? :D
On the contrary. Iirc, Dick said he preferred to play ROI over NI because they were a "better test" (i.e. better team) for Belgium than NI.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
Fine, that's his opinion.
But as more recent results have indicated and the Rankings reflect, there is currently damn-all to choose between which is the "better" team.
Montenegro up to 26.
A truly remarkable rise through the ranking table, but well deserved.
Somewhat misleading.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
The big points gains are to be made from results against teams higher than you. Therefore NI, for instance, would have gained more points from their home draw to Italy than they would had they won in the Faroes (I know, I know).
Therefore, with Montenegro being the newest international team, every team was "higher" than them, even the minnows.
Fair enough, they have made impressive progress in "playing catch-up", but once they settle down at/around their true level for a couple of years, the novelty factor will dissipate.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ra...+taking+flight
"Having started at the very bottom on zero points three years ago, the Falcons have been making impressive progress ever since"
I'd say Montenegro's level is probably around the 30 mark, similar to our two teams, so 26 doesn't seem that misleading. The difference between them and us seems to be that they're able to convert their play into wins while we seem to pick up draws everywhere.
Fair enough about points gained when Montenegro were at the bottom, but the remarkable rise is from a position around the 60 to 70th position that they held before the Euro Qualifiers began to where they are now. They are in 26th place on merit. This is their 4th year.
And when results for Montenegro settle down over this qual. campaign, with their current squad, they should be hovering around the lower second seed to high third seeds areas.
An opinion shared by most, I'd wager.Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Not the Faroes.
I did use inverted commas when describing the team as the bigger of the two, but I'm sure you already noticed that.....oh pedantic one!Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
It was used to compare the importance, or position, of the two teams as they exist in the public consciousness. Much in the same way that it is used when referring to football clubs.....by which measure, Northern Ireland, are definately the smaller of the two.
Oh dear.Quote:
Late News Flash: Experts have just confirmed that Canada is a bigger country than China, but not so big as Russia.
How we move up a place is nuts ..... we should have gone down 5 places in fairest ...... Rankings are a joke....