Ireland vs Georgia pre-match

**Scram** · 10/02/2009, 7:50 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I'm hoping for a nice comfortable victory tomorrow. I'm happy with the team selection overall but would prefer Kelly or Foley to McShane at RB but the rest picks itself. McGeady needs a big game because Hunt will be breathing down his neck & hopefully Duff stays on the left - he is much more effective on that side.

I'm off to bed now to catch the 6.30am flight to Dublin......

Come on boys let's top the group and move a step closer to Africa 2010.

If he insists on playing McShane I'd rather him in the center with O'Shea on the right.

**paul_oshea** · 10/02/2009, 9:15 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

This season has shown a greater competitiveness in the Premiership than previous years. Man City are probably as good as the majority of Champions League group teams.

Premiership hasnt done a lot for england but then that is equally to do with a woeful manager. (I have a horrible fear that under a top manager like Capello they could win the next World Cup).

i have that same fear.

Ditto your original point too.

Playing against top quality CL opposition 8 games a season is good i.e. the top 4, plus villa are there now too, so you could say 10 of very high quality and then the next 3 or 4 teams all decent too. Playing against those teams definitely benefits the players.

**elroy** · 10/02/2009, 9:18 PM

Three players are missing from the Georgia team to play Ireland in tomorrow�s World Cup qualifier in Croke Park.

Lasha Saluqvadze, Giori Shashiashvli and Levan Mchedlidze, who were in the first XI that played their last qualifier against Bulgaria on October 15, have made way.

Levan Kenia is a long-term injury victim.

Kakha Kadadze (AC Milan) and Blackburn's Zurab Khizanishvili should return from injury and suspension respectively.

Kaladze plays but im not sure if thats necessary a good thing for them, how fit can he be??!

**eirebhoy** · 10/02/2009, 9:56 PM

Kenia was their motm and scored against us so that can only be good. Salukvadze is a regular for the Russian champions. Shashiashvili has played every game this season for Sturm Graz. Mchedlidze is only 18 and just moved on loan from Empoli (Serie B) to Palermo (Serie A) and scored for them against Genoa last week.

So I think we can take those injury pullouts as a big positive. Kadadze looked a bit shaky in Mainz but obviously he's a big player for them.

**danonion** · 11/02/2009, 6:14 AM

Hope not anticipation ...

Ireland 5 Georgia 1

1from McGeady in an offside position, a peno from Robbie after O'Shea trips over his own feet in the box, Kilbane to head home a corner and Glenn Whelans deflected free kick, won by a Stephen Hunt dive. Zurab Kizinivishililili from Blackburn to head home in stoppage time. Robbie backpasses after the restart and Kiely's (Given sent off for dissent) long kick ends up in the net before the final whistle sounds.

Ahem

Ireland 2-1 Georgia with Robbie and a defender to score. Georgia goal comes in added time

**Pike B** · 11/02/2009, 7:46 AM

Last evening made two first goalscorer scorecast bets.

Brazil 2-1 Italy (Robinho to score first) Close, but no cigar..

Ireland 3-0 Georgia (Doyle to score first) Heres hoping..

**paul_oshea** · 11/02/2009, 9:24 AM

just want end of day to come now and watch it. ye get old too early waiting for Ireland matches to come round

**Stuttgart88** · 11/02/2009, 9:28 AM

I was just on holidays with a bunch of Irish rugger heads who were a bit dismissive of Irish football.

I'd love to beat Georgia by more than the rugby team did in 2007 WC and see what they think! What was the rugby margin - 2 points?

**paul_oshea** · 11/02/2009, 9:45 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I was just on holidays with a bunch of Irish rugger heads who were a bit dismissive of Irish football.

I'd love to beat Georgia by more than the rugby team did in 2007 WC and see what they think! What was the rugby margin - 2 points?

Stutts unfortunately i have lots of friends like that over here, and it drives me mad, especially when they make derogatory remarks like football fans are stupid and thick etc. They are the thick ones for not actually having a clue. Often think if they read this forum they might realise their naivety, even including the few fools on this forum.

Btw I generaly try and ensure i don't end up on holidays with these sorts

**geysir** · 11/02/2009, 10:59 AM

Paul, you are making more sense, at a gradual pace, as the years pass by

Stutts, you are hanging out with the wrong crowd.

**Torn-Ado** · 11/02/2009, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by SkStu

3-0 or 1-1 - its that sort of fixture. Early goal is crucial. McGeady will score.

THis might sound strange but I'd rather we didn't score that early tonight. In recent history we tend to start really well and go on the attack and score. Thereafter we lose our drive and let the opposition back into the game. Happened against Cyprus but unlike other years the opposition didnt equalise in the last minute or so.

If it's still 0-0 at half time I'd be relatively content and hopeful that we'd blow them away in the second half.

**geysir** · 11/02/2009, 11:33 AM

Duff, Doyle, Keane and McGeady should have a field day.
The rest of the team should contain whatever Georgia have to offer.

**paul_oshea** · 11/02/2009, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

Paul, you are making more sense, at a gradual pace, as the years pass by
Stutts, you are hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Don't be so smart i always make sense. I just dont have the time to formulate posts like some

Torn, i see where you are coming but I feel that the pressure on this one given where we need to be and the impact of this result means we have to score early. Otherwise I reckon it could be a boiling pot.

I really cant wait for this game now

**Stuttgart88** · 11/02/2009, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

Stutts, you are hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Hey, you know one of my mates. Pretty much the same sort of characters, nice guys just not much into football. I wager a small Icelandic fortune that football isn't high on your conversation list when you meet my mate up there.

Funny thing is that for a bunch of self-professed rugby nuts I think I knew more about the game, or certain aspects of it, than they did. We were talking about past games and I cited Ireland vs England in '85(?) - Michael Kiernan's drop goal for a triple crown - and I got looked at like I was a 2 headed Jimmy McGee.

**elroy** · 11/02/2009, 11:51 AM

Kenia is the one player who stands out in my mind from the game in Mainz so for him to be absent is a big boost. Kaladze is a talisman for Georgia and Im sure psychologically its a positive for Georgia that he is there. Kobiashvili played well in the second half and is certainly a player we need to watch. Change in GK too, Lomaia is in this time around which obviously is a pity for us, considering the performance of Loria in the past.
Another point to note is that the Georgian based players are in a mid season break at the moment but not sure if that will have any real effect.

Overall I think we should win and hopefully by more than a one goal margin too. Would also be nice to keep a clean sheet. 2-0 please.

**paul_oshea** · 11/02/2009, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Hey, you know one of my mates. Pretty much the same sort of characters, nice guys just not much into football. I wager a small Icelandic fortune that football isn't high on your conversation list when you meet my mate up there.

Funny thing is that for a bunch of self-professed rugby nuts I think I knew more about the game, or certain aspects of it, than they did. We were talking about past games and I cited Ireland vs England in '85(?) - Michael Kiernan's drop goal for a triple crown - and I got looked at like I was a 2 headed Jimmy McGee.

Removing the knowledge criteria, I can see where they are coming from stutts

A small Icelandic fortune, bitter irony or what, but still funny

**elroy** · 11/02/2009, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Hey, you know one of my mates. Pretty much the same sort of characters, nice guys just not much into football. I wager a small Icelandic fortune that football isn't high on your conversation list when you meet my mate up there.

Funny thing is that for a bunch of self-professed rugby nuts I think I knew more about the game, or certain aspects of it, than they did. We were talking about past games and I cited Ireland vs England in '85(?) - Michael Kiernan's drop goal for a triple crown - and I got looked at like I was a 2 headed Jimmy McGee.

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!!

**Stuttgart88** · 11/02/2009, 12:08 PM

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!

**Wolfie** · 11/02/2009, 12:15 PM

A win of any description is a must. If we could win it by a 1/2 to nil, I'd take that right now.

I may be developing a Casandra complex - but I see this game being a real struggle tonight.

Trapp's been preaching caution all week and it will be reflected in our tactics. The longer the game drags on the more encourgement Georgia will take and more uneasy the crowd will become.

I certainly wouldn't under-estimate Georgia.

**geysir** · 11/02/2009, 12:19 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!!

The ref even has to explain it to the players.