Portugal, Greece, France or Russia

[Closed Account 2]

Mods or someone, can we get a poll on this as to who the fans want now the opposition will be one of:

Portugal
Greece
Russia
France

[elroy]

So correct me if im wrong but final confirmed is [in order of seeding]:

Pot 1
Russia
France
Greece
Portugal

Pot 2
Ukraine
Ireland
Slovenia
Bosnia

Given FIFA's motives, they wont want Russia and Ukraine to meet and would prefer to keep them apart from the former Yugoslav countries so its Russia for us then its a case of give the toughest draw to Greece and the remainder to France and Portugal. Call me cynical but after their cheap tricks already, I think the draw may very well end up like this:
Russia V Ireland
France V Bosnia
Greece V Ukraine
Portugal V Slovenia

[irishultra]

NO top seed wants Bosnia!!!

[briancool21]

don't think the seeding thing makes much diffrence still very dodgy sides in our side of the draw too i think greece would still be the weakest

[irishultra]

We're weaker than Greece. Many of their players have experience of playing in Champions League year in year out and not just making up numbers actually being competitive. Players like Andrews and Whelan wouldn't be any better than what Greece have.

Its a much of a muchness between who is weaker, us or Greece. I'd say us.

Bosnia aren't that good individually but they have a few deadly players and probably the best team left in the competition in terms of passion and determination which counts for a lot.

[Closed Account 2]

Bosnia have a very good coach who has taken an unfancied team to third place in the World Cup. I've seen them a few times and they are well organised and under Ciro Blazevic they have an ability to grind out results.

I dont think we are weaker than Greece, this season only Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Torosidis (Olympiacos) and Papadopoulis (Olympiacos) have a chance of playing in the Champions League. There are other Greek players at Olympiacos but they have either retired from international football (eg Stoltidis and Nikopolidis) or are fringe players in the Olympiacos squad (not as good as the likes of Galletti, Raul Bravo, Zewlakov, Maresca, Mellburg etc). They have one or two really good players like Gekkas and Pliatsikas, but there are areas of weakness - Chialkas the keeper is an example. We should be a match for them.

[HarpoJoyce]

NO top seed wants Bosnia!!!

You are right, Bosnia No!

Bosna i Hercegovina, who let them in?

[DotTV]

I posted this on the Ireland Monty match thread, but probably more relevant here:

Performances:

We've drawn with the world champions twice and could have beaten them bought times.
We were average against Bulgaria twice and still drew with them.
We did everything we had to do for a playoff. Worst result away was a draw.
Obviously we could have done better with only 4 wins but lets looks at our playoff opponents.

France:
Drew with Romania twice, who have been total muck this campaign.
Only beat the Faroes 1-0! That's as bad as we were under Stan.
Lost 3-1 to Austria
Not exactly setting the world on fire.

Portugal:
Lost 3-2 to Demark.
Followed that with three 0-0 draws with Sweden-Albania-Sweden
Pulled out a 3-0 and 4-0 win last two games so look like a team on a high.

Greece:
Lost to the Swiss twice(sound familiar?)
drew with Israel once(sound familiar?)
drew with Moldova
beat Luxembourg by one goal.
Definetly beatable.

Russia:
Lost to Germany twice
beat Liechtenstein by one goal!
drew with Azerbijan

So you can pick holes in the performances of all of our potential opponents.
Life of an Irish fan now reminds me of the scene in In the Name of the Father when Gerry first meets gareth pierce and berates her for giving his father hope! Well Trap has given us hope and I know it will hurt if we hope too much and get f ucked over again!...but this time I'm starting to believe!!!

[mypost]

Given FIFA's motives, Call me cynical but after their cheap tricks already

Look, the draw is the draw. It's a game of luck.

There are positives and negatives to all our opponents, and none of them fill me with excitement or trepidation. At least we know we can only get 1 of 4, rather than 1 of 7.

Away to Greece will be very tough. They are known for hostile, intimidating crowds, we don't have a great record against them, and they won't be pushovers. Travelling will be difficult too. A long and expensive journey if we get them.

[Scram]

I would say we need to either score more than them or beat them on penalties!

But seriously!, do away goals count as in UEFA cup etc.?

I give us about a 20% chance of qualifying...at best.

[Polster]

I would say we need to either score more than them or beat them on penalties!

But seriously!, do away goals count as in UEFA cup etc.?

I give us about a 20% chance of qualifying...at best.

Away goals do count,

20% regardless of who we draw?

I'd be inclined to have a bit more faith in Trap's tactical ability to grind out the results.

[endabob1]

Look, the draw is the draw. It's a game of luck.

This is FIFA We're talking about, nothing will be left to luck!! They clearly want the big 3 but the 4th spot is open, I think we might get Greece, Ireland are an attractive team to FIFA in terms of the number of fans we would bring.

There are positives and negatives to all our opponents, and none of them fill me with excitement or trepidation. At least we know we can only get 1 of 4, rather than 1 of 7.

I'd rather have one of 7 with the knowledge that 4 of the 7 are beatable, I don't think we will beat Russia, France oR Portugal over 2 legs

Away to Greece will be very tough. They are known for hostile, intimidating crowds, we don't have a great record against them, and they won't be pushovers. Travelling will be difficult too. A long and expensive journey if we get them.

Greece is by far the easiest of the potential ties, their crowds are nowhere near what you would get in Turkey, our record against them is immaterial 2 friendlies the last of which was a 0-0 draw 7 years ago; We have a much longer history and less distinguished against the other 3.
Travelling will be more difficult than Paris or Lisbon I grant you but 3/4 hours on a flight to Athens is hardly a trek through the Himalayas.
On Monday morning I will be on my knees to Bhudda, Jebus, Allah, Ganesh and L Ron Hubbard in the hope that we get Greece.

[mypost]

France are the only one of the 8 teams commercially attractive for FIFA.

I wouldn't be very hopeful of going to Greece needing a result out there in a second leg, given our less than great ability to hold onto narrow leads. Portugal would be a decent trip for travelling. No time difference, and warm in November. Paris is well, Paris. Russia is the one to avoid.

But I wouldn't question the fairness of the draw. When those balls are put in the pot on Monday, nobody knows which is which until they're opened. It's purely the luck of the draw.

[endabob1]

Portugal are too, there is a sizeable ex-pat population in SA plus the Ronaldo factor, if we get either of those we are out imho.
Russia I think is the most difficult away trip.

I would question the fairness of anything Blatter has a hand in, especially when it comes to the arranging of a draw. Quick example; I called the Confed cup draw the day before it happened, I predicited SA would get the Kiwis & Iraq to give them the best chance of making the Semi's... waddya know Thatys just how it happened....

[geysir]

Do you think FIFA will interfere with the officials for the game in order to influence a more desirable result?

[tetsujin1979]

there are conspiracy theories going around that Real Madrid insisted Ronaldo played last weekend, even though they knew he was unfit, because having him at the World Cup meant he would sell even more jerseys

[geysir]

Don´t you think FIFA´s interfering stops at the seeding.

FIFA bribing a referee, as is alluded here, to influence a result, is at the whacky end of conspiracy theories.

[endabob1]

Do you think FIFA will interfere with the officials for the game in order to influence a more desirable result?

Not directly, but I agree with Hunt's assesment that the agenda has been made clear by FIFA and that in turn will have an effect on how the officials perform.

I 100% think that the draw will be done to a FIFA design.

[Yard of Pace]

Don´t you think FIFA´s interfering stops at the seeding.

.

I really think so. Come on guys, that level of corruption that there's bribed referees, rigged draws, it's far too many people involved for it to stay quiet. Even if it only got out in 20 years time there'd be a massive ****storm of a scandal and they'd be ruined.

[gspain]

I really think so. Come on guys, that level of corruption that there's bribed referees, rigged draws, it's far too many people involved for it to stay quiet. Even if it only got out in 20 years time there'd be a massive ****storm of a scandal and they'd be ruined.

They won't rig the draw now - no need.

Referees are not bribed nor will FIFA try to influence them.

BUT

FIFA have made it very very clear who they want in the finals. Danny Jordan came out again yesterday on that. Thew referees will know this. A tight call either way will see the referee favouring the team FIFA want.

That is the real reason for wanting Greece. FIFA won't care who wins.