Republic of Ireland V Bulgaria - Saturday, 28th March 2009 - World Cup 2010 Q

[Superhoops]

i just came on here to comment on berbatov's form, and i find out that he may be injured for the match.

take a look at these:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A48900530
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A48898075
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A48901548

he's playing extremely poorly for Manchester United and im not sure his injury is very good news.. considering they have a young hungry hardworking striker in popov to come in for him, or even bojinov if he is ready to start, compared to the lazy and out of form berbatov.

Top post, my fear exactly whe I heard Mike Phelan say that Bulgaria would have to do without Berbatov. I hope he plays, injured or not!

[irishultra]

Ireland 1 Bulgaria 0
Italia 1st Ireland 0

Agree 100% about the opinions expressed about Bulgaria. I think there is a tendancy to overrate teams like this. There squad is extremely weak for a 2nd seed team and their first 11 is not upto much. We arent great but these are poor. It will be interesting to see what strategy they emply next week. I havent seen much of cottbus this year but the bulgarians ( thers 2 right?) were decent but just look at them. i see no creativity without petrov and their defence on paper is poor. they held italy at home but they seemed shambolic against montenegro and werent they beaten 6-1 by serbia recently? we really could get more than 1 but dont want to get ahead of myself.

[TerryPhelan]

really enjoyed reading Terry Phelans post there. Well thought out and would agree with it more or less. i've said before i don't agree we'll beat bulgaria, but i think 2 points from these two matches would be a great result.

However, if we did beat Bulgaria, i think we are more likely to go and get the draw in Italy. The pressure would be off, and the atmosphere brilliant as all the fans won't be nervous about getting enough points as we'd already have got more than we thought we would.

Anyway, great post, great to see people thinking/worrying about this as much as others!!

skstump, mark12345 and magnumpi, thanks a million for your very generous and kind comments. I really appreciate it - thanks a million.

As for my current impressions, I have to confess that I cannot but have been moved by the Irish rugby team's victory today. What a monumental achievement. Too often we have seen Irish athletes of true class falter at the highest stages of international competition, or get foiled by mischievous opposition or a nefarious referee. Today we saw true fortitude and moral character shine through and endure above all the mistakes and understandable lackings in composure that we displayed. Today we saw the best qualities of Irish sportsmen - courage, perseverence, belief, intelligent footballing - shine to the fore. And for once, for the first time in a very long time, those qualities were rewarded not merely with a moral victory but with the victory that mattered most. What they did today, although frequently messy and often sloppy, should be an inspiration to everyone with an interest in Irish sport. How satisfying to see guys of genuine quality having that quality rewarded with silverware. How satisfying to see Irish sportsmen stick at it where otherwise we might have 'had a go' and then have left it be. How satisfying to see a team of guys drawn from (almost) all four corners of the country, united by a common purpose, and celebrated by their united achievement. Brilliant. What a night.

Anyway, I agree with magnumpi that a win at home on Saturday will lend a carnival atmosphere to the Italy game. But this is a match that could turn very sour very quickly. At the risk of repeating myself, Bulgaria are a technically proficient side. By and large, we cannot make that claim of ourselves. Thus it will be a considerable battle to try and impose our gameplan on them, as they possess a superior ability to hang on to possession. While personally I rate our front four and Whelan quite highly in the technical stakes, I am not convinced about the ability of our other 6 as regards keeping the ball. I say Whelan because I have been very impressed with his close control under pressure and the quality of his passing. Granted, he has made some stray passes (as has everyone), but generally he has made an impression on the side by virtue of his ability to retain and recycle possession: doing the simple things well, as well as possessing a solid shot from distance and a decent dead-ball ability (although personally I believe Andy Reid should be taking all our frees). I think if the Bulgarians pressure us and make space tight then they are well on the way to turning the screw on us. This, more than any other, will be a tactical battle. Both teams are reasonably evenly matched. How they pit themselves against one another, as opposed to what players are available (and it seems possible that Berbatov may be injured), will be the key factor. Where individual battles are won and lost will be massive. If Keane and Doyle set their back four on the, er, back foot from the off then we may get some very encouraging results in terms of space and damaged Bulgarian confidence. Whoever said that it will come down to our ability to manage of setpieces was right. That said, our execution of frees and corners thusfar has been ****-poor. I hope this game sees an improvement in that, in our performances in general and in our goal-scoring creativity. If ever we needed a hard-fought win against quality opposition, this is it.

Stand up and fight.

[stiffler]

Shock! Berbatov Injured before the Match with Eire



Six days before the decisive world qualifier vs Ireland in Dublin Bulgarian top striker Dimiter Berbatov is out of the game because of injury. The captain of the Bulgarian national team was changed during the Fullham vs Manchester United match after Berbo fell badly fighting for the ball. He is said to have sprained his right ankle that ached him before the game with Inter.


http://paper.standartnews.com/en/art...&article=26998


I don't know how reliable that report is, I would assume a half fit Berbatov will still start for the Bulgarians.

[geysir]

Is there shock value in the news of a Manchester Utd. player pulling out of an International squad due to "injury"?

[Claret Murph]

No matter what I am going for a 1-0 win on Saturday and 0-0 in Bari , lads get down the bookies and get yer money on it .

[tetsujin1979]

Looks like Berbatov is out: http://www.javno.com/en-sports/berba...lifiers_244893

"There's no chance Berbatov of playing against Ireland and Cyprus," Bulgarian national team doctor Mihail Iliev told local state television on Sunday.

"I've told to Manchester United's medical staff and they informed me that he'll need to rest in the next two weeks and his foot will be immovable during that period," he added.

Berbatov's injury is another blow for Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov who has already lost Manchester City winger Martin Petrov and Leicester City defender Alexandar Tunchev due to injuries.

I've never heard of that site before, so don't take it as gospel

[Maroon 7]

Berbatov has pulled out alright according to Sky.

[Irish_Praha]

Top post, my fear exactly whe I heard Mike Phelan say that Bulgaria would have to do without Berbatov. I hope he plays, injured or not!

As the saying goes; it only takes a second to score a goal. Berbatov might appear lazy and uninterested at times but with 41 goals in 67 international games he has to be considered a big threat. I'm sure with the abuse he got in the media after the last game that he would probably try to put more effort in for the next few games aswell. So I'd say it's good that he could possibly miss the next 2 games. I hope Cyprus can do us a favour and get at least a draw against them.

If they lose against Ireland and fail to beat Cyprus at least second place would be a safe bet for us. We could even afford a slip up in the game away against Cyprus. That is one game that really worries me but if we only need a draw then I would feel much more comfortable.

[elroy]

Berbatov has pulled out alright according to Sky.

Yes confirmed. Hes out for both of their games. Great news for us, although not playing well, id sooner not have him there.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Fantastic news for us.

[weldoninhio]

I've watched every bulgaria game in these qualifiers, and the highlights of their euro 2008 qualifiers, and i've also researced the new players brought in by Stoilov. I said man for man our first choice 11 is better than theirs, and you're mentioning people like keogh and noel hunt who are nowhere near the first 11. All it takes is a bit of research into these players histories, their success, their international records to tell you that we have a better starting 11. Can Bulgaria say that they have one of the top 5 keepers in europe, with the captain of Manchester City and a man who has made over 300 appearances for Manchester United infront of him? Martin Petrov and Duff are of similar ability, but Petrov is out, they have nobody of McGeadys talent, they have Berbatov up front, but nobody to partner him, when we have Kevin Doyle, who has proved to be a fine international player. Stoilov has resorted to recalling three 32 year old defenders, Igor Tomasic, Elin Topuzakov and Dimitar Telkiyski, and the 35 year old radostin kishishev, who was an average player in his prime. I'm usually quite pessimistic, but the facts are that we have a stronger first 11 than they do, and id say that a lot of bulgarian fans would even admit this. Again, im not saying were going to hammer bulgaria, but i think we should definatley be looking to beat them at home.

I also mentioned McShane, Whelan, Andrews, who are all likely to start but you seem to have brushed over them. Yes we have a good goalie, he still conceded 2 against the mighty Aalborg the other night, even with "the captain of Manchester City" playing in front of him, who is by his standards having a very very poor season. Duff has not been the same player since WC 2002 and has recently only showed brief glimpses of his old self. And while McGeady is extremely talented, he still fails to deliver on a consistent basis.

Add this to the fact that even at home in front of 30-40000 fans (i know croke park holds 80,000) we will play defensivly and try to hit them on the break.

And the match vs Serbia
"served as the international testimonial of Savo Milosevic, the 35-year-old striker who is Serbia's top all-time scorer and most capped player. On his 102nd appearance for the national team, Milosevic scored a brace to take his international tally to 37, but could have grabbed twice as many had he not been showboating when taking the two penalties" so i wouldn't read into the result too much.

[mark12345]

Injury news always seems to concern us, but for once this is on the other side of the fence, and good news for Gio and co ahead of next Saturday.


DIMITAR Berbatov is out of next Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Dublin.

It is not yet known the severity of the injury, following United's defeat at Fulham on Saturday, but it was deemed serious enough for him to withdraw from the Bulgaria squad to face the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus.

"There's no chance of Berbatov of playing against Ireland and Cyprus," said Bulgarian team doctor Mihail Iliev. "I've spoken Manchester United's medical staff and they informed me that he'll need to rest in the next two weeks and his foot will be immovable during that period."

United assistant manager Mike Phelan added: "Dimitar has got a good crack on his ankle. There is some swelling there and we are going to have that looked at."

[geysir]

Bulgarian team doctor Mihail Iliev
"I've spoken Manchester United's medical staff and they informed me that he'll need to rest in the next two weeks and his foot will be immovable during that period."

He should take the lead from Don Givens and ask for the xrays to be faxed plus an independent medical report on Berbatov.
Surely the team doctor would be aware of the miraculous healing powers of the sea waters around Malahide.

[richieos]

Bojinov starts for Man City today, hes certainly a player who would put in twice the effort that Berbatov does

[danonion]

I have a good feeling about these games. On form I might have selected Stephen Carr on the basis of his current form and taking into consideration his club career was in shambles when he retired again. Mcshane is some lifetimes away of being an international full back for a side with ambitions of the playoffs. I would love some creativity in the middle of the park against Italy; I would ideally play an attacking 451 with hunt and duff out on the wings and McGeady playing as a central playmaker. The reason I could not opt for that is because Doyle is too good to drop, as is keane, and mcgeadys consistency is suspect.

So 442 it is then..

I think Doyle will score in Italy. If Cannavarro plays Doyle will have a height advantage he does not normally enjoy which will supplement his good aerial ability

But I'm not worried about italy. If we beat bulgaria we are on our way to our dramatic win over Norn Iron 1-0 in the playoffs

[mjpcc]

I think we will beat Bulgaria and are probably just good enough to do it.

If we do not win in Dublin I think we are in trouble as there will be a lot more pressure on us to get a result in Italy.


2-1 Irish win in Dublin.
1-0 Italy win in Bari.


Hope I'm wrong and if our guys win in Dublin a lot of the pressure is off in Bari and that improves our chances of sneaking a draw.

[Stuttgart88]

I also mentioned McShane, Whelan, Andrews, who are all likely to start but you seem to have brushed over them. Yes we have a good goalie, he still conceded 2 against the mighty Aalborg the other night, even with "the captain of Manchester City" playing in front of him, who is by his standards having a very very poor season. Duff has not been the same player since WC 2002 and has recently only showed brief glimpses of his old self. And while McGeady is extremely talented, he still fails to deliver on a consistent basis.

Add this to the fact that even at home in front of 30-40000 fans (i know croke park holds 80,000) we will play defensivly and try to hit them on the break.

And the match vs Serbia
"served as the international testimonial of Savo Milosevic, the 35-year-old striker who is Serbia's top all-time scorer and most capped player. On his 102nd appearance for the national team, Milosevic scored a brace to take his international tally to 37, but could have grabbed twice as many had he not been showboating when taking the two penalties" so i wouldn't read into the result too much.

I'd say you're a fun guy to go out with.

For the sake of some balance can you think of anything positive to say? You can make it up if you want.

And only 30-40,000 fans?

[shakermaker1982]

I'd say you're a fun guy to go out with.

For the sake of some balance can you think of anything positive to say? You can make it up if you want.

And only 30-40,000 fans?

I bet this guy would be on a downer if he was invited to the playboy mansion!

We managed at least 40,000 at Croke Park on a Wednesday night. I'm sure Bulgaria on a Saturday night will be closer to the 60,000 mark at the very least.

It might not be pretty but we get results under the Trap. Obtaining 4 points would not surprise me in the slightest weldoninhio. We may not be overflowing with outstanding individual players at this moment in time but we are functioning well as a team. Keep the faith.

[elroy]

IWe managed at least 40,000 at Croke Park on a Wednesday night. I'm sure Bulgaria on a Saturday night will be closer to the 60,000 mark at the very least.

A sat night game will always get alot more than a wed night for obvious reasons. As always the hill will be empty but other than that expect the place to be full so i think it will be closer to the 70k mark.