QuoteSo Kerr is actually British by way of the granny rule. This changes everything.
Great hard earned away point for Team 18.75%!
So Kerr is actually British by way of the granny rule. This changes everything.
Well done Brian and the Faroe lads.... And BONUS I had the draw backed!!Originally Posted by osarusan
Yep so did I. Was delighted to see them get a result after the British comments
Worthington is a tw@t!
Last edited by Fixer82; 12/10/2010 at 10:38 PM.
Folding my way into the big money!!!
Which comments were these?? Didn't hear anything about it....
Well done BK, the guy should still be involved in the Irish set up in some shape or form imo.
What are NI like??! I raised the point in one of the nordies thread not that long ago how NI are a strange bunch and must be very frustrating to follow. They have an incredible record against top teams but then turn around and put in terrible performances against weaker nations. I was rubbished by one of the nordies at the time but this is case in point. They did something similar a while back when after some great results against Spain and Sweden I think it was, they were genuinely in contention in the run in and went and were well beaten by Iceland.
They get humped so often by Iceland, it hurts my ribs.
Here ya go. This is it:
http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soc...280732262.html
Folding my way into the big money!!!
You guys are way off the scent.
Look on your own doorstep
It was hardly a surprising result for the North. They play the same brand of football as the Faroes. NI is capable of getting results against stronger teams because of this. But when the onus is of them to play the football, they struggle. That's why good results against stronger teams will be followed up by defeats to teams like Iceland, Latvia and draws to the likes of the Faroe Islands. It's extremely difficult to switch from an ultra-defensive mentality as was the case against Italy to a more, positive attacking mentality as was required against the Faroes.
Last edited by ifk101; 13/10/2010 at 10:15 AM.
The Faroes actually looked a little off-colour yesterday
What an almighty cóck-up by a couple of NI players for the Faroe goal.
It was a defensive mix-up for the North's goal as well. You can't be allowing lads to dribble across the defensive line like that.
The goals
The Faroese nr7 was very sluggish and should have been closer to Lafferty when he received the pass.
Afternoon all. The best thing about that farce was that I missed the TV coverage thanks to a power cut. Small mercies etc.
You're broadly right about the defensive mentality, although of the games mentioned above we defended in Iceland and Latvia because in practice they were at least as good technically, and physically prepared to get stuck. Because we had to, basically.
It's a surprise if not a major shock, because I imagine our guys were looking to get a goal ahead as early as possible- like in recent games against San Marino and Liechtenstein- then play out the rest of the game at walking pace.
Fair dos to the Faroes and Brian Kerr, they deserved that.
PS I take my hat off to your prediction that Montenegro would do well this time, made before the series started. Hopefully your bookie gave good odds?
Last edited by Gather round; 13/10/2010 at 3:37 PM.
Just like to say that as a Irish supporter I would like to congratulate one of our own Brian Kerr and the Faroe Islands for putting one over on our local pesty neighbours up the road!
About time they were taken down a peg or two.
Brian obviously made an extra special effort for this one!
Just watched the highlights on SKY. NI missed a hatful of decent chances. Hard to tell how well they played in general play but even if it wasn't good there were enough clear chances to win. Football's mad. I don't like it much at the moment. Ballet or art sound like much more appealing interests. I don't think you ever go to a gallery and come home not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Ireland, Arsenal, Shamrock Rovers. What a rubbish month. Why wasn't I born in Argentina? Good at footy and rugby, hot birds, cool colours and you don't get riduculed for having long hair (which I had once).
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 13/10/2010 at 8:51 PM.
That was good fix.
I am really enjoying the Rovers wobble. Iceland u21s win through to the last 8 in Europe, a real triumph for exciting skillful football, nourished indoors in the winter. Ireland at the crossroads - reading the map - not yet that lost but could go a number of ways.
I must say, I admire your ability to keep so up-to-date with both the NI and Faroes teams, in order to be able to make a statement like that (bold).
You see, I have only been watching the NI team live, so do not pretend to know too much about the Faroes. May we take it that with the NI team having generally transformed its style of play from pressing/territory under Sanchez, to a more passing/possession game under Worthington, that the Faroes are afficionados of the latter under Kerr?
Or might it be that you're just spouting garbage, from an ill-informed, even prejudiced standpoint?
You see, NI did not adopt an "ultra-defensive mentality" versus Italy. Rather NW picked a clear 4-4-2 formation, including two out-and-out striikers (Healy and Feeney) to start versus Italy. Further, when he made changes midway in the second half, it was to bring on a 6'4" target man (Lafferty) and a flying winger (McGinn), in place of a striker and a midfielder. Considering we were still at 0-0, these are hardly the actions of an "ultra-defensive" manager (imo).
Of course, as it turned out, Italy had more of the game and more chances. However, that was essentially because in Pirlo, they had the games outstanding player pulling the strings in midfield. Nonetheless, the reason it finished 0-0 was both because Italy came to Belfast with a cautious (though not especially defensive) approach, out of respect for NI's home record and also because NI's finishing was (typically) wayward. We were also denied at least one clear penalty.
Indeed, from an Italian perspective, it is telling (imo) that the opening sentence of La Gazetto Della Sport's
match report was as follows:
"Although this time around Prandelli's side didn't win, the goalless draw in Belfast against Northern Ireland was not a write-off, because the Italian team minimised their risks on a pitch where teams like England and Spain have recently lost".
And the final sentence was:
"In any case we should be satisfied"
http://english.gazzetta.it/Football/...03542664.shtml
As for the Faroes debacle, the reason we only drew was absolutely nothing to do with respective playing styles. Rather, if looked at from a "narrow" perspective, a neutral might argue that NI were very unlucky. For instance, the Faroes had 5 goal attempts in the entire game, whilst NI had 22 (12 on target). Faroes had one corner, NI had 8. Faroes had 3 bookings, NI had one. And Faroes committed 17 fouls, whereas NI committed 12.
As a fan who has been watching the team for nearly 40 years before, however, I prefer to take a "wider" perspective. In other words, regardless of how well or badly the team was performing, who the manager was or what style of play we were adopting etc, the explanation is actually quite simple: we are never comfortable psychologically in games against "minnows" whom we are expected to beat easily.
This is common throughout sport, where it is invariably easier eg to enter the last bend of a race on the shoulder of the leader than in the lead, or to pick up a couple of shots on the final day of a golf major, than hold a lead right through from the first or second day.
In NI's case, we frequently "fall between two stools" against this type of opposition. The first approach is to grant them no respect and just pile in on them. Of course, this makes the opposition's task straightforward i.e. just defend and try to hit them on the break.
Alternatively, you may accord them equal respect to any other opponent and just play your normal game. Of course, the danger there is that the opposition is first comfortable, then becomes confident, so long as they don't concede an early goal. Then, should the opposition get the first goal, perhaps following an NI error (as happened on Tuesday), NI risk panicking that there won't be enough time left to turn it around.
That is my take on what happened versus the Faroes - after all, it has happened before and no doubt it will happen again. However, the more important lesson (imo) is that an occasional blip such as that need not derail the team's chances of qualifying etc, since it is so rare that we face teams whom we might term "minnows". Indeed the way other results are turning out in the Group, I certainly see that being the case this time around.
Indeed, if when the Draw was made, we had been offered 5 points from our first three games - two away and the home against the best team - 90% of NI fans would have accepted in a heartbeat. And that is what we have now got, with Italy likely to run away with 1st place, Serbia in severe danger of imploding, Slovenia proving curiously inconsistent and Estonia taking points from our other contenders. In that context, i do not greatly begrudge the Faroes their point against us and who knows, maybe they'll take another one off someone before the Group is over?
Onwards and Upwards!
Indeed.
It was ever thus.
For instance, I came away from the Italy game feeling slightly disappointed we didn't win, despite Italy being the better side, with more possession, territory and chances etc
Yet for the Faroes, despite our having overwhelmingly more possession, territory and chances, i didn't feel "robbed" that we only came away with a draw.
All in all, it's one of the things which makes football the greatest game in the world.
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