Malicious and provocative. Abidal's comments

Abidal, part of the all-conquering Barcelona side, will start at either left back or in the centre of defence at Croke Park on Saturday night.

And he has warned his colleagues to expect a provocative evening from the home side.

He said: “They are looking for small faults in our game. They will try to kick our ankles and provoke us.

“They will be malicious and provocative. They have to do everything they can to upset us but that’s part of football, it’s a strategy.”

When he is waiting to be kicked Duff will have turned him inside out and scored.

Zizou with his big ugly head says that france are technically superior,. I spose he is right but does he know the froggies are as tempermental as Kym Yong and if we start to upset there french dressing they will throw the toys out of the pram and do the gallic shrug and the bottom lip thing.

A definite plus for Ireland if Abidal is playing, he is dire:)

Let him think that. Glad he does because he has to be prepared for a battle. He is a weak leak in their defence so I really hope we take advantage of it

In terms of their defence, just instruct Whelan and Robbie Keane to shoot from long range. Honestly Lllloris and Mandanana are some of the worst keepers in terms of positioning. We all saw Ryan Babbel beat Llloris from long range the other week in Liverpools match at Lyons and Mandanana was hopeless in the match for France in Belgrade, when Llloris had been red carded. If the French go deep and ceed possesion to us around 35m out our players should be instructed to shoot from range.

I just hope someone from the FAI has been watching past matches from France's campaign because it's such an obvious expliot to shoot from range.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Zizou with his big ugly head says that france are technically superior,. I spose he is right but does he know the froggies are as tempermental as Kym Yong and if we start to upset there french dressing they will throw the toys out of the pram and do the gallic shrug and the bottom lip thing.

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I dont agree with Abidal but are those racists comments really necessary?...

Are the french a race Giuly? Its not racist, but stereotyping. And its tongue in cheek.

je suis desole pour mes mots! Allez les verts!

Ok then, sorry for the misunderstooding. Come on blue jerseys with big noses, funny moustache and their hairy women!!

i love the gallic shrug and bottom lip thing. Its class!

Ya so do i, is it alright to stereotype if its in a good way.

Is that another meaning of positive discrimination?! ;) :D

The froggie women are lovely nothing hairy about them at all Giuly!

Abidal is the best left back they have, uncomfortable at centre back so I think he's definitely one to be got at assuming he's in the centre and Evra at left back.

People can say all they like about technical superiority but Given, Dunne, Keane, Doyle, Duff, O'Shea and McGeady (to an extent) are all top class exponents of their position and shouldn't be afraid of anyone. I'm not sure the French are giving these guys enough credit.

IM thinking the same, these lads can all play football.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

People can say all they like about technical superiority but Given, Dunne, Keane, Doyle, Duff, O'Shea and McGeady (to an extent) are all top class exponents of their position and shouldn't be afraid of anyone. I'm not sure the French are giving these guys enough credit.

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I'll give you Given, Dunne (to an extent), and Duff (if he is on top form). The rest are nowhere near top class. Doyle and Keane are decent, but a few rungs down from Torres, Henry, Eto'o who are top class strikers. O'shea is solid in a variety of positions but nowhere near top class, while McGeady is headless with poor delivery and one of the most over-hyped players in Scotland.

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Originally Posted by weldoninhio

I'll give you Given, Dunne (to an extent), and Duff (if he is on top form). The rest are nowhere near top class. Doyle and Keane are decent, but a few rungs down from Torres, Henry, Eto'o who are top class strikers. O'shea is solid in a variety of positions but nowhere near top class, while McGeady is headless with poor delivery and one of the most over-hyped players in Scotland.

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Seriously man, let us be excited.. Its like buying a lotto ticket and dreaming about what you'll do when you win!! Instead of thinking about how slim your chances are!!

Was watching Chris Eubank last night on the panel, he was asked why did Collins beat him.. He said because Collins was prepared to put his life on the line and he wasnt!! Hopefully the boys in green can do the same because I dont think the French are willing to die for qualfication!!

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Originally Posted by M@ttitude

Seriously man, let us be excited.. Its like buying a lotto ticket and dreaming about what you'll do when you win!! Instead of thinking about how slim your chances are!!

Was watching Chris Eubank last night on the panel, he was asked why did Collins beat him.. He said because Collins was prepared to put his life on the line and he wasnt!! Hopefully the boys in green can do the same because I dont think the French are willing to die for qualfication!!

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ignore him, only comes on here to wind people up

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Zizou with his big ugly head says that france are technically superior,. I spose he is right but does he know the froggies are as tempermental as Kym Yong and if we start to upset there french dressing they will throw the toys out of the pram and do the gallic shrug and the bottom lip thing.

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If you actually read the interview, Zidane is fairly complimentary to us.

He says that Ireland were the toughest team France could have been matched up against in the playoffs, and that we were a tough challenge in qualifying last time, and that only technical superiority made the difference last time. Then he goes on to say that he feels it will be a similar story this time.

i did and he says that we were a tough opponent to get.

He says they were technically superior last time and this time too.

And therefore they should get through in the end.

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Originally Posted by M@ttitude

Seriously man, let us be excited.. Its like buying a lotto ticket and dreaming about what you'll do when you win!! Instead of thinking about how slim your chances are!!

Was watching Chris Eubank last night on the panel, he was asked why did Collins beat him.. He said because Collins was prepared to put his life on the line and he wasnt!! Hopefully the boys in green can do the same because I dont think the French are willing to die for qualfication!!

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I think they will, its which team is willing to die the most!!!!! Ireland have to want it more. France won't destroy Ireland whatever happens tommorow, I mean come on we're not the Faroe Islands but they could very well make the match in Paris an irrelevance with a 1-0 win or a score draw.

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Originally Posted by irishfan86

He says that Ireland were the toughest team France could have been matched up against in the playoffs, and that we were a tough challenge in qualifying last time, and that only technical superiority made the difference last time. Then he goes on to say that he feels it will be a similar story this time.

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The difference last time, was Kerr getting stage fright, and putting 11 men behind the ball in Lansdowne, thinking we were up against the French side that won the WC rather than the one that were struggling to get out of the group. When Plan A failed, we had no answer to it.

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Originally Posted by weldoninhio

I'll give you Given, Dunne (to an extent), and Duff (if he is on top form). The rest are nowhere near top class. Doyle and Keane are decent, but a few rungs down from Torres, Henry, Eto'o who are top class strikers. O'shea is solid in a variety of positions but nowhere near top class, while McGeady is headless with poor delivery and one of the most over-hyped players in Scotland.

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It's time O'Shea gets the credit he deserves. He's an important member of one of the world's top club sides. I'll grant you that Keane & Doyle et al are not threatenting the Torres, Kakas & Ronaldos of the world game but in the context of the games coming up in the next week and in the context of what France has faced so far in NOT qualifying outright for the WC they're probably better than France has faced yet. Don't pick me up on semantics - they players I mentioned can cut it at the top table. It's the 4 players we have filling gaps that concern me. You know as well as I do that football does not always result in the best XI winning. It's the relative uncertainty of outcome that makes it a far more popular game than any other in the world. You can wallow in your perpetual misery all you like but I'm happy to say that I've every confidence that the players I mentioned can stand up to their opposite number and be counted. Will it be enough? I guess not but I'm not for a second believing that it's only a bit of grit and aggression that can win this for us. Quality can too, and we have it.

One of the readers comments on "L'equipe" was "please Ireland, rid us of Domenech!" For a nation founded on patriotism, it is significant that a recent poll found that 49% of the French public expect Ireland to triumph. I think that while we consider qualification to be above expectations, the French fear facing the superpowers next year with the current unrest in the squad.

Stutts you are right, but wasting your breath with him