World Cop 2006 ....

[PaulB]

Cupla Ceist on the 2006 qualififers:-

.-.. When is the draw taking place, also how are the FAI going to distribute tickets based on the fact that capacity will now be only 22,000? Has to be better then the farcical way they distributed tickets for the swiss game. I got a ticket from Bray Wandrers for the game, got to my seat, and there was another Irish Fan in my seat, with the exact same ticket, but thinking about it in hindsight it could have been one of them albanian numbers.

[tiktok]

saw a quote attributed to Fran Rooney (in 'The City', the free paper you can pick up around Dublin, granted not the most reliable journal...nevertheless) stating they were looking at Anfield as an alternative, because the loss of 14,000 seats would make the qualifiers financially unfeasible.

so i guess you could get tickets for the KOP end

If there are only 22,000 tickets, the supporters could be in trouble because the FAI will have an even greater desire (and let's face it, need) to keep the sponsors sweet given the loss of revenue, so i can't see less corporate tickets allocated.

[PaulB]

And all those lovely stadia we have around the country which can house over 30,000 plus, and we have to to abroad to play home games.

Only in dear old Ireland...

[Beavis]

World Cup groups are being drawn on December 12th.Luckily the seedings were made before the results of the Euro Qualifiers and we were seeded number 2.

I'm against playing abroad as the next man but a 22,000 Lansdowne will be awful.An even worse atmosphere and a huge struggle for tickets (and the touts getting paid loads).

This thing about the bucket seats is silly.I don't see any more danger than normal seating and anyway aren't some of the grounds that Italy play at,terracing the whole way round?

[pineapple stu]

Originally posted by Beavis
This thing about the bucket seats is silly.I don't see any more danger than normal seating and anyway aren't some of the grounds that Italy play at,terracing the whole way round?

I know some of the grounds in Germany have seats which can be folded under the steps, so you have terrace for league games and seats for UEFA games. Complete load of rubbish of course, but that seems to be the way things are going these days - can't be different in any way; everybody must subscribe to the middle line...

[PaulB]

Couldn't agree more Beavis, atmosphere at Lansdowne is bad enough as is, take out the bucket seats and its crap. Wonder if Fran Rooney has talked to our friendly GAA brothers?

[tiktok]

seating all the way around isn't an option in landsdowne because then the IRFU would lose out on revenue from their bigger international gates.

those 'foldaway' seats could keep both sides happy....

but doesn't a point like that just bring back that we would have been better off renovating Landsdowne and tolka than trying to build a huge complex out in abbottstown.

[PaulB]

One word came to mind when watching the Rugby on saturday, 'Belief'.

The irish team had the belief they could win, something that the footballers could take note of. They weren't going to Australia for a party or a laugh.

The lads weren't happy with a glorious defeat, not like Mick after the Spain game, full of smiles and cheer, as if he'd won the world cup!

Where this belief is going to come from is hard to see, we're damn short on leaders at the moment. Even to guess on the next irish captain, no-one sticks out, Gary Breen maybe..

[Beavis]

Kenny Cunningham should remain our captain.He is a great player and is a leader.I think we missed him in Basel even more than we expected.

[Shed End John]

Originally posted by PaulB
Cupla Ceist on the 2006 qualififers:-

.-.. When is the draw taking place, also how are the FAI going to distribute tickets based on the fact that capacity will now be only 22,000?

Draw will probably take place in the next month or two as the teams have to start negotiating who plays who, where and when.
Regarding the bucket seats issue, the FAI have gotten a reprive from UEFA until 2009, on the understanding that a fully functional National Stadium will be made available/built, up and running by then.

[Beavis]

Originally posted by Shed End John
.
Regarding the bucket seats issue, the FAI have gotten a reprive from UEFA until 2009, on the understanding that a fully functional National Stadium will be made available/built, up and running by then.

Serious? Where d'you here this?
Great News if this is the case

World Cup draw on December 12th

[gspain]

Draw is on December 5th in Frankfurt.

I'm not aware of any further agreement to use bucket seats. Can you quote your source as I seriously doubt we will get one.

[Beavis]

Originally posted by gspain
Draw is on December 5th in Frankfurt.

Sorry,I heard December,thought it was 12th but that was just off top of head.

Yeah it's highly unlikely that the FAI have been granted the use of bucket seats.It would have been huge news and we'd have heard

[pete]

Originally posted by Shed End John
...the FAI have gotten a reprive from UEFA until 2009, on the understanding that a fully functional National Stadium will be made available/built, up and running by then.

I dunno about 2009 but the FAI have said similar things in the past. AFAIK the bucket seat thing isn't a black 'n white ban.

[Shed End John]

Originally posted by Beavis
Serious? Where d'you here this?
Great News if this is the case

World Cup draw on December 12th

Saw it in the Ireland on Sunday about 3 weeks back. It's all well and good, but, putting that shower in the Dáil into the equation, we still won't have a stadium by then which would make the reprive useless and UEFA more than a little p***ed off I'm guessing.

[niamh]

There is the option of forcing the GAA into accepting "soccer" on a temporary basis for a financial contribution of some sort!!

How can they justify making Irish supporters travel to a foreign country when there is a free 90,000 seater stadium with floodlights in the capital.

[Beavis]

Originally posted by niamh
How can they justify making Irish supporters travel to a foreign country when there is a free 90,000 seater stadium with floodlights in the capital.

Simple,soccer is GAA's biggest rival

[ProfFrink]

There might be a solution to the stadium problem for the FAI. The IRFU have apparently provisionally agreed with the GAA last month to use Croke Park for rugby matches. Also the IRFU have purchased the grounds for a stadium they just need the cash to build it. So i'd say what they are going to do is: IRFU use Croke park while there new stadium is being built, they sell lansdown to FAI so they have the cash and then FAI can put in permanent seats as they will own it. I've heard that landsdown would be worth between 100m - 150m, which is a lot less than 1 billion.

This is only my opinion of what could happen, the info about the agreement is from a tabloid so who knows if it is true?

[Beavis]

oh great we'll be left with poxy Lansdowne

Very interesting,it shows us how badly run the FAI actually is.People argue that the GAA get ahead by receiving huge money off the government but here's the IRFU,the association of a minority sport,with the funds to build a new ground despite even already having one and what do the FAI have

[Shed End John]

Originally posted by niamh
How can they justify making Irish supporters travel to a foreign country when there is a free 90,000 seater stadium with floodlights in the capital.

Apparently Norn Iron are in the same boat as UEFA reckon the facilities in Windsor Park are sub-standard. Personally I thought it was the football would've been sub-standard.
Don't reckon there'll be too many takers for them playing their 'home' games in Dublin either, probably end up somewhere in Scotland or England.