Ireland vs Georgia pre-match

**endabob1** · 11/02/2009, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by elroy

At least when the ref blows for a free kick/penalty in football the vast majority of the supporters present know why. Its always funny when a ref gives a penalty in rugby to see how so many of the supporters havent the slightest clue why!!

Because things happen in rucks & mauls that you can't see from 50 metres away in a seat

A rugby supporter who understands the game & it's laws will get 90% of decisions but I've played in and watched plenty of games and you can't possibly get every decision by virtue of the fact that you're just not close enough.

**Stuttgart88** · 11/02/2009, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Wolfie

Trapp's been preaching caution all week and it will be reflected in our tactics.

It's a bit of a test of Trap alright. He's asked the fans and the players to trust him. He'll look stupid if we don't beat Georgia, but I think it'll be wrong to complain if we win but not too well.

These games are all about results to get qualification. It's got to be remembered that even the good teams rarely impress in qualifying, and those teams that do impress in qualifying rarely do well at the tournaments. Greece walked qualification last time out and went home early. Spain were awful in qualification and were the most impressive Euro winners in ages. There are plenty more examples of this too.

**Stuttgart88** · 11/02/2009, 12:55 PM

Anyone read Brian Kerr in today's Times?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...867931475.html

God, watching Kerr's Ireland was miserable at times, not to mention the caution & conservatism that his tenure is remembered for.

And as for the FAI "shamefully taking advantage" of Georgia's political worries, WTF? With less than 2 weeks to go to the game the place was clearly unsafe for foreigners as far as I can remember.

The guy's analytics are quite useful but God has he got a poisonous agenda sometimes. Come on Brian, I really want to retain the respect I have for what you did but man it's getting hard.

**Hibernian** · 11/02/2009, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

It's a bit of a test of Trap alright. He's asked the fans and the players to trust him. He'll look stupid if we don't beat Georgia, but I think it'll be wrong to complain if we win but not too well.

These games are all about results to get qualification. It's got to be remembered that even the good teams rarely impress in qualifying, and those teams that do impress in qualifying rarely do well at the tournaments. Greece walked qualification last time out and went home early. Spain were awful in qualification and were the most impressive Euro winners in ages. There are plenty more examples of this too.

Agree with that..

I dont give a tooth and nail how we play once we win tonight. yes performances will help dont get me wrong but its a results business and no matter how well we play if we lost tonight they would get slated lots more in media then if they play poor and scrap a 1-0, 2-1 win.

I think Ireland will win 3-1 myself for some strange reason I think there maybe goals in this one

**elroy** · 11/02/2009, 1:01 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Sorry to completely digress from the job at hand here, but one of the rugger guys says he had heard that Dave O'Leary had never been to a rugby international and was astonished. I asked why and he said that for an Irish guy in pro football management he should go and see how something is done right. I nearly exploded. He was defending the same IRFU that badly prepared for WC07, that offered the coach that led them to failure a new lucrative contract and then published an absolute whitewash of a report on the whole affair. God, they couldn't have done a better job at copying Saipan if they'd tried.

There's also this whole notion of rugby having a super atmosphere at every game. I was at IRL vs FRA in 2007 and the place was like a library for 80% of the game, ENG in '07 being an obvious exception. Crikey, if we played a top 8 football country in EVERY game we ever played of course the atmosphere would be better and likewise if the rugger team played the world no. 100 twice a year the place would be dead. But when can rugby make the place rock like Holland in 2001?

Mods, delete or move this post if you like. Sorry, but I still have the voices in my head from the lads' ski trip last week, one football nut with 4 rugby nuts can do that!

Agree atmosphere on sat was good but nowhere near what you wouldve got at LR for the majority of our qualifiers. Perhaps its the nature of the crowd.

Oh and typical on today fm this morn they were giving out about the price of the tickets for tonight at 50 a head. Fair enough i suppose but when you consider that a ticket for any of the stands on sat was 90, yet there was little or no mention of that. FAI are just an easy target.

Originally Posted by endabob1

Because things happen in rucks & mauls that you can't see from 50 metres away in a seat

Well most Irish international games have a large big screen at each of the games that replays most of the big decisions so there is very little that you dont see really!!

**SkStu** · 11/02/2009, 1:32 PM

its 8.32 here in Regina and im nervous as hell....

COME ON!

**geysir** · 11/02/2009, 1:37 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

its 8.32 here in Regina and im nervous as hell....

COME ON!

Go out to the garden, build a snowman in the likeness of Trap and throw snowballs it

**OwlsFan** · 11/02/2009, 1:41 PM

Originally Posted by elroy

Oh and typical on today fm this morn they were giving out about the price of the tickets for tonight at 50 a head. Fair enough i suppose but when you consider that a ticket for any of the stands on sat was 90, yet there was little or no mention of that. FAI are just an easy target.

Agreed. Some muppet was complaining that the price of buckets seats at Lansdowne was a lot cheaper. Hmmmm, were the FAI playing 1 million plus for the use of Lansdowne ? I doubt it. Tickets will remain expensive I suspect while the new Lansdowne is being paid for.

1-0 to Ireland with a goal by Dunne.

**strangeirish** · 11/02/2009, 1:45 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

its 8.32 here in Regina and im nervous as hell....

COME ON!

Getting the nookie out of the way early are we SkuStu?

Took the day off work here in Florida and having a few of the lads over to watch it. 2-0 to us.

**Stuttgart88** · 11/02/2009, 1:51 PM

RTE website sport page has tonight's match as the 8th most important item of today, with other football stories such as Northern Ireland's potential postponement, Guss Hiddink, Joe Kinnear all getting a bigger or higher ranked headline than Robbie Keane's "must win" comments.

What chance does the game have in the face of this type of media attention?

**SkStu** · 11/02/2009, 1:52 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Go out to the garden, build a snowman in the likeness of Trap and throw snowballs it

i tried that but SnowBrady kept appearing behind him telling him what to do....

**livehead1** · 11/02/2009, 1:53 PM

Gotta go to training but will have my phone in the pocket pressing refresh every 2minutes!

**elroy** · 11/02/2009, 1:57 PM

Heard the team that jack built this morning for the first time in years.....happy memories......cant get it out of my head.............how about "the team that trap built, to make history is ready for the world to see, the team that trap built, we all agree, will make its mark in history......."

**shaneker** · 11/02/2009, 2:57 PM

Will be sat in work in Czech Rep desperately hoping a decent stream can be found, along with RTE radio.

This will not be pretty, but we will win. Keane and McGeady, scrape a 2 - 1.

Come on Ireland!

**livehead1** · 11/02/2009, 3:08 PM

Originally Posted by shanekerins

Will be sat in work in Czech Rep desperately hoping a decent stream can be found, along with RTE radio.

This will not be pretty, but we will win. Keane and McGeady, scrape a 2 - 1.

Come on Ireland!

Ya never told me you were working out there now! No wonder I never see you in the horn anymore! Enjoying it?

**eirebhoy** · 11/02/2009, 3:15 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

RTE website sport page has tonight's match as the 8th most important item of today, with other football stories such as Northern Ireland's potential postponement, Guss Hiddink, Joe Kinnear all getting a bigger or higher ranked headline than Robbie Keane's "must win" comments.

What chance does the game have in the face of this type of media attention?

It's funny. I didn't even have time to read any internet articles in work earlier but I still clicked on all the ones relating to tonights match just to boost the click ratings.

Heading to the pub now in 15 minutes. Gloves, hat and scarf with me.

**kriscommons** · 11/02/2009, 3:48 PM

I hope Ireland win and that I am proven wrong with my bets but I cannot help but think that we are a fantastic LAY tonight at around 2-5. We are, in my view, an aveage side. We should win but the odds overestimate that chance in my opinion. I tyhink we will struggle tonight and can't see it being a walkover for certain. There is a betting preview of the match here if anyone is interested in it.

GL all.

**0325422** · 11/02/2009, 3:52 PM

ill be cheering on the lads from the rec hall in the garda college..... they wouldn't let me out for the night im afraid

**thepiedpiper** · 11/02/2009, 4:20 PM

http://www.thefreekick.com/dynamics/showentry.php?e=26

**Closed Account** · 11/02/2009, 4:35 PM

Only a few hours to go.
I can see Ireland starting slowly trying to dictate the tempo of the game.
Probably more focused on getting to half time 0-0 than instigating attacks.
We'll be heavily reliant on Doyle, McGeady and Duff providing an outball for
Whelan, Andrews. From there a lot will rely on what kind of support they
receive. I'll be optimistic and go for 1-0 half time, 2 or 3 nil by full time as a fully fit Irish team punishes the Georgians.

Doyle, Keane and McGeady to score. Don't think we'll have too much trouble at the back as we will have most of the possession meaning concentration levels will be relatively high.