Match Prediction

**Umberside** · 05/06/2009, 2:34 PM

Originally Posted by shep

1-0 to us....O'Shea with the winner!!!

I don't think he's ever scored for Ireland, has he?

**tetsujin1979** · 05/06/2009, 2:45 PM

Originally Posted by Umberside

I don't think he's ever scored for Ireland, has he?

Scored against Australia in a friendly a few years ago under Brian Kerr: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...wsstory.sport2

**DeLorean** · 05/06/2009, 2:46 PM

Originally Posted by Umberside

I don't think he's ever scored for Ireland, has he?

He has he got a header around the time of his first goal for United against Wolves, struggling to remember the opposition but think it was a friendly.

Edit: Australia!!!

**Fitzy** · 05/06/2009, 3:37 PM

I think we'll get beat 2-0. It's going to be really hot over there and I think they'll be much better at keeping the ball than we will, especially without Doyle holding it up for us. I'm worried about Martin Petrov tearing us apart down the left wing as well. O'Shea will have to be on his game for us to even get a draw out of this game. If McShane plays at right back we will get pumped by 3 or 4.

I love the misplaced optimism on this site with posters predicting an Ireland win. We haven't done this against a top European side in 42 years, the Czechs in 1967 (I don't count the win against Scotland in 1987). Having said this, we have to win away against one of the top sides in our group one day, let's hope it's tomorrow night. It's long overdue.

**hoop4life** · 05/06/2009, 4:28 PM

trap will be cute enough to know that petrov cannot be allowed to run the game the way he did in croker. andrews to man mark him and take him out of the game. as for m. petrov and berbatov, well petrov has hardly played all season and berba has been a shambles for utd, cannot be too high on confidence, richard dunne to take care of him.
my heart says 2-1 ireland but my head says a 1-1 draw which i would take with open arms.

**billybunter** · 05/06/2009, 4:58 PM

Originally Posted by irishfan86

Andrews captained MK Dons, and he looked like a leader in the match against Nigeria.

In the few matches he has played for us, he has always shown the courage to take shots on, and go into tackles hard. He has managed to establish himself as a Premier League regular relatively late in his career, even if he finished the season playing out of position.

With regards to Whelan, he started the season on the fringes of the Stoke team, and has since become a regular. Sure he broke into the team because of injury, but he stayed there because of merit.

Remember, this isn't a Stoke side that just barely avoided relegation- this is a Stoke team that comfortably established itself in mid-table.

I don't think I've seen one person call Whelan or Andrews world-class, or even top-class, and in truth, at this stage nobody would describe them as such; but both of these lads are battlers who have overcome adversity in one way or another this season, and are exactly the type of characters I'm willing to put my trust in on Saturday in a hostile away environment.

thank you. You're user name is appropriate!

**Closed Account** · 05/06/2009, 5:00 PM

Originally Posted by hoop4life

trap will be cute enough to know that petrov cannot be allowed to run the game the way he did in croker. andrews to man mark him and take him out of the game. as for m. petrov and berbatov, well petrov has hardly played all season and berba has been a shambles for utd, cannot be too high on confidence, richard dunne to take care of him.
my heart says 2-1 ireland but my head says a 1-1 draw which i would take with open arms.

Pretty much echo this. Everything points to a draw but my heart says ireland by 1. Folan is the key. How he holds it up and brings keane and in particular duffer into the game who i think will put in a good performance. Goals from an unexpected sources like stephen hunt and maybe killer.

**Delbertt** · 05/06/2009, 7:21 PM

Heart says 1-0 Ireland
Head says 1-0 Bulgaria

C'mon IRELAND

**Stuttgart88** · 05/06/2009, 8:54 PM

I know Martin Petrov is a good player, very dangerous on his day. But I've also seen him when he's been totally average at best, nothing whatsoever to fear. I think O'Shea has faced better and done well recently.

**SkStu** · 06/06/2009, 2:59 AM

good to see my pessimism is rubbing off on you all.

to buck the trend i will say 2-1 to us. Keane and Andrews.

**danonion** · 06/06/2009, 3:48 AM

Danonion's ramble

I can see us getting a result because I think a lot of our players have the potential to score.

I think Keane, Folan, Andrews or Duff could score from open play. I think from a set piece Dunne, St. Ledger or Kilbane could hit the net.

In past squads I could just not see where the goals would come crom but some of these guys have either a knack for popping up with a goal. In the case of St. Ledger he just seems to have the charactersitics and mentality to be a scoring centre half.

So prediction....

Ireland 2 Bulgaria 0
St. Ledger ~1st 3 minutes
Keane late after the 65th min.

please score early and ease my poor nerves!!

COME ON IRELAND!!!!!

**Lionel Ritchie** · 06/06/2009, 7:15 AM

I just had a dream in which we were 0-3 up inside half an hour! (when was the last time we did that away from home? ...Belfast 94 maybe?)

Didn't stay in dreamland long enough to hear the final whistle but Bulgaria were pants.

I think we can win this one -though my head says another 1-1.
If we were to win I'd call it for 0-2 with the first goal not being scored til after the hour and Bulgaria being picked off with a break late on as they pushed for an equaliser.

If we do get the right result I hope all ours out there stay safe and keep their wits about them as there'll be an element in the local support who'll be open for business.

**Stuttgart88** · 06/06/2009, 8:30 AM

Originally Posted by danonion

please score early and ease my poor nerves!!

COME ON IRELAND!!!!!

Scoring late would calm mine more. Anytime we score early we blow it!

**geysir** · 06/06/2009, 8:57 AM

I can't watch the game until 2 am or so, I'll be recording it on Sky+ (and the dvd r just in case).
The previous times I had to do that, we drew 2-2 with Holland away and 2-2 with Israel in Dublin. Freaky (ominous) stuff.

**shakermaker1982** · 06/06/2009, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

I can't watch the game until 2 am or so, I'll be recording it on Sky+ (and the dvd r just in case).
The previous times I had to do that, we drew 2-2 with Holland away and 2-2 with Israel in Dublin. Freaky (ominous) stuff.

that 2 all draw with Israel still upsets me. Painful memories.

Bulgaria have to come out to play and I expect us to soak up the pressure and look for opportunities from set pieces. Folan's physical presence could be key. Hopefully Robbie can latch on to any his knockdowns and earn us a famous away victory which will send us one step closer to South Africa. WE CAN DO THIS but we must get stuck into them from the start (unlike our home tie).

Ireland 2-1 (Whelan and Robbie).

**Lionel Ritchie** · 06/06/2009, 8:49 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Scoring late would calm mine more. Anytime we score early we blow it!

...another demo of this tonight. Lucky to hang on. It's great we're consolidating 2nd place but the lack of conviction in our play is depressing at times.

**Scram** · 13/08/2009, 5:13 PM

Originally Posted by Scram

Can't see us winning. I've predicted before that our luck will run out, we have had an awful lot of it. This could be the night.

Even with Berbatov and Petrov back I am still hopeful of a 1-1 .

Praying for a 0-1 or 1-2 but a draw under the circumstances would have to be seen as a decent result. Look at midfield and show me a leader? I don't see one.

Same issues last night, we got no luck! No leadership.

I don't expect us to qualify for SA unless possibly if we get Stephen Reid, Finnan and Andy Reid back.

We are also again stuck with the all too predictable and flat footed 4-4-2 which fails as soon as one player steps out of position. If we are to qualify we will need a lot of luck.

Couldn't believe Kenny C saying we will get 9 points from our next games and Italy are "der for de takin" !!

Too late now for Stephen Reid.

**elroy** · 13/08/2009, 5:20 PM

Realism would also include realising that this was just a friendly, we had a similar result in a friendly late last year but got the results when it mattered.
We have a vastly experienced manager who like it or not has a system that appears to be working in the games that matter.
And Andy Reid is not the answer to all of our problems like so many seem to think, he does not fit into system and I personally dont believe would make a huge difference to this team.
A fit S Reid and S Finnan would no doubt strengthen the team but Im not sure that will happen in time for the Cyprus game. I have faith in the team that started difficult games away to Italy and Bulgaria and got results when it mattered.

**eirebhoy** · 14/08/2009, 9:25 AM

Originally Posted by Scram

We are also again stuck with the all too predictable and flat footed 4-4-2 which fails as soon as one player steps out of position.

What do you mean by that? Gibson seems afraid to break out of position but when Reid played he was all over the pitch and it clearly worked. Gibson is doing what is asked of him and nothing more, that's the problem. You seem to want the players to stick to their position for 90 minutes?

**Scram** · 14/08/2009, 9:51 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

What do you mean by that? Gibson seems afraid to break out of position but when Reid played he was all over the pitch and it clearly worked. Gibson is doing what is asked of him and nothing more, that's the problem. You seem to want the players to stick to their position for 90 minutes?

I want them to play a different system, not the same thing.