Euro 2016 Qualifying

[DannyInvincible]

Miss-matches would be good for FIFA and the advertisers too, they generate a lot of interest.

God love ya, tricky, but a cursory glance at our own home attendance or television viewing figures would suffice in demonstrating just how far and away with the fairies you are. Compare the level of interest in, say, our games against Sweden and Austria with the level of interest in our games against the Faroes, for example.

[geysir]

Well done to Bosnia if they manage to keep first seeding. There's actually not a massive difference between second and third seeds - we'd have fancied Hungary, would be more concerned about Serbia or Turkey - but I'm still glad we're in pot 2.

There's an outside chance of a 3rd seed getting Hungary or Ireland and a good chance a 3rd seed will draw one of Ukraine, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic.
There's a good chance that a 2nd seed will get one of Slovenia, Israel, Norway, Slovakia, Romania, Austria.
The difference in quality is the difference between a very winnable game and a very tough game. That may not be a big difference, but it's a crucial difference.
Who would not mind getting either Norway or Switzerland? Not much to chose between them?

[Gather round]

And fair if they don't keep changing the parameters

It's consistent, but not fair for the reason I described, ie a usually mediocre team that has one good qualifying tourney probably won't be rewarded with a matching seeding in the next.

Both Ireland and some other team should be grateful it wasn't just these last WCQ's or they'd probably be 4th & 6th seeds respectively!

Wrong again. You'd be third, just, we'd still manage fifth.

Netherlands 1 9 1 0 29 28
Germany 2 9 1 0 26 28
Spain 3 8 2 0 17 26
Belgium 4 8 2 0 14 26
Bosnia 5 8 1 1 24 25
Greece 6 8 1 1 8 25
Switzerland 7 7 3 0 11 24
(France 8 7 2 1 15 23)
England 9 6 4 0 27 22
Russia 10 7 1 2 15 22

Italy 11 6 4 0 10 22
Ukraine 12 6 3 1 24 21
Portugal 13 6 3 1 11 21
Sweden 14 6 2 2 5 20
Romania 15 6 1 3 7 19
Austria 16 5 2 3 10 17
Croatia 17 5 2 3 3 17
Iceland 18 5 2 3 2 17
Hungary 19 5 2 3 1 17

Turkey 20 5 1 4 7 16
Denmark 21 4 4 2 5 16
Czechia 22 4 3 3 4 15
Slovenia 23 5 0 5 3 15
Finland 24 4 3 3 2 15
Montenegro 25 4 3 3 1 15
Serbia 26 4 2 4 7 14
Israel 27 3 5 2 5 14
Irish R 28 4 2 4 -1 14

Poland 29 3 4 3 6 13
Bulgaria 30 3 4 3 5 13
Slovakia 31 3 4 3 1 13
Armenia 32 4 1 5 -1 13
Norway 33 3 3 4 -3 12
Georgia 34 3 2 5 -1 11
Albania 35 3 2 5 -2 11
Lithuania 36 3 2 5 -2 11
Scotland 37 3 2 5 -4 11

Moldova 38 3 2 5 -5 11
Belarus 39 3 1 6 -3 10
Wales 40 3 1 6 -11 10
Azerbaijan 41 1 6 3 -4 9
Latvia 42 2 2 6 -10 8
Ultonia 43 1 4 5 -8 7
Macedonia 44 2 1 7 -9 7
Estonia 45 2 1 7 -14 7
Luxembourg 46 1 3 6 -19 6

Cyprus 47 1 2 7 -11 5
Kazakhstan 48 1 2 7 -15 5
Malta 49 1 0 9 -23 3
Liechtenste 50 0 2 8 -21 2
Faeroes 51 0 1 9 -25 1
Andorra 52 0 0 10 -30 0
San Marino 53 0 0 10 -53 0
Gibraltar 54

(Teams in the current group of only five get six points for two notional wins against Gib)

UEFA's biggest problem is accommodating teams who don't qualify geographically or who are never going to be countries in their own right...

And a third time wrong. UEFA don't have a problem accommodating Gib or anyone else, almost all the other countries voted for them and they'll slot comfortably into the schedule.

[ArdeeBhoy]

If you say so. Realistically no-one else cares about how this seeding is arrived at, as long as the criteria is consistent.
Which doesn't make it wrong in any shape or form.

Besides increasing the no.of teams to include various 'non countries' which means pre-qualifying will almost inevitably follow at some future juncture (it should be all the plastic teams or ones outside Europe), as ultimately there's no logical way to derive 23 teams from 53 competitors.

[Charlie Darwin]

You know, GR, sometimes I feel like you use words like "Irish Republic" just to wind up certain people on here

[ArdeeBhoy]

There's an outside chance of a 3rd seed getting Hungary or Ireland and a good chance a 3rd seed will draw one of Ukraine, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic.
There's a good chance that a 2nd seed will get one of Slovenia, Israel, Norway, Slovakia, Romania, Austria.
The difference in quality is the difference between a very winnable game and a very tough game. That may not be a big difference, but it's a crucial difference.
Who would not mind getting either Norway or Switzerland? Not much to chose between them?

Clearly you're right about some of the potential draws being pretty hard, but if we can't somehow scrape into the top 23, on the basis of whatever dubious criteria UEFA serve up to decide this from 9 groups...we don't deserve to be there.
Think we might just scrape in, somehow.

[Gather round]

You know, GR, sometimes I feel like you use words like "Irish Republic" just to wind up certain people on here

Only if they're paranoid.

[Charlie Darwin]

Only if they're paranoid.

Is that a yes?

[Gather round]

Is that a yes?

Qualified.

If I can say that without winding anyone up.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Tbf, he doesn't know the meaning of irony. Or hypocrisy.

[Charlie Darwin]

Qualified.

If I can say that without winding anyone up.

Try bolding it in orange font.

[paul_oshea]

You know, GR, sometimes I feel like you use words like "Irish Republic" just to wind up certain people on here

why dont you refer to Occupied Territory as a "reprisal".

[Im_not_stirring]

All I say is let's not turn into the bad English media & fans that knock there team after any slip up. Let's get behind the Irish team and help them get there instead of moaning or lack of flair players. Let's celerbate that on paper an average Irish team have done well to get us to the last euros & can hopefully do it again. Come on you boys in green.

[geysir]

That's stirring stuff.

[OwlsFan]

A trip to Gibraltar would be lovely. I'd say tickets would be hard to come by though.

How did they get in? Their rock solid defence?

Would like to play France, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Gibraltar.

How did we manage to stay a second place seed?

[Charlie Darwin]

How did they get in? Their rock solid defence?

There are lots of non-sovereign states in FIFA (San Marino are one) but UEFA recently changed their rules to only UN member states as it helps avoid disputed territories like Gibraltar and Kosovo spilling over into football. However, Gibraltar were admitted as they had made their initial application before the rule change.

Incidentally, they made their official bow on Tuesday, drawing 0-0 at home to Slovakia and could even have won. They played at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal for the first game, and managed to fill almost 1% of the 30,000-capacity stadium.

[BonnieShels]

There are lots of non-sovereign states in FIFA (San Marino are one) but UEFA recently changed their rules to only UN member states as it helps avoid disputed territories like Gibraltar and Kosovo spilling over into football. However, Gibraltar were admitted as they had made their initial application before the rule change.

Incidentally, they made their official bow on Tuesday, drawing 0-0 at home to Slovakia and could even have won. They played at the Estadio Algarve in Portugal for the first game, and managed to fill almost 1% of the 30,000-capacity stadium.

San Marino are most certainly a sovereign state. Possibly the oldest one in the world!

The Faroes, England, Scotland, Wales, FATDAD, and Gibraltar aren't sovereign states.

[Charlie Darwin]

San Marino are most certainly a sovereign state. Possibly the oldest one in the world!

The Faroes, England, Scotland, Wales, FATDAD, and Gibraltar aren't sovereign states.

Not on my map. I also revoked France's UN membership back in 2009. They seem to be getting on OK though.

[geysir]

Greenland should be on the football radar for the Euro 2020 qualifiers. All they will need for Sepp's blessing is a proper pitch.
Personally I don't see what the problem is.

[OwlsFan]

Greenland should be on the football radar for the Euro 2020 qualifiers. All they will need for Sepp's blessing is a proper pitch.
Personally I don't see what the problem is.

He might give them the cold shoulder.