Don't mean to be negative....

**jmurphyc** · 15/11/2009, 1:10 PM

Originally Posted by Ciaran W

Lets just go out there and play attacking,if we go and sit back we will eventually let in a goal like we do in every game so we might as well give us all a bit of entertainment

No. If we go out attacking too much in Paris, we'll get destroyed. That's not to say that we should defend deep. We just need to attempt to keep possession of the ball and try to probe their defence when the opportunity arises. Their defence isn't that great. We just didn't take the chances we created. If we can create opportunities like we did last night in Paris, we can win.

**rambler14** · 15/11/2009, 1:23 PM

If we have a referee Wednesday night like we did last night then there isn't a hope in hell in qualifying.

**Ciaran W** · 15/11/2009, 1:58 PM

Well theres no point in even talking about it because we will never play with an attacking team with trap in charge

**jmurphyc** · 15/11/2009, 2:02 PM

Originally Posted by Ciaran W

Well theres no point in even talking about it because we will never play with an attacking team with trap in charge

Why did you bring it up then?

**CF1989** · 15/11/2009, 2:10 PM

ireland are so bad

not a bit of flare at all in the side. when you have defenders like kilbane and st.ledger, trying to get to a world cup is pointless. its simply not going to happen. andrews and whelan offer nothing in midfield, duff lost it once he left chelsea. doyles an industrial player. a good worker, scores a goal once every so often for ireland but thats it really.

its not trapatoni's fault, the squad of players are very limited. no one wil hammer this side, but there not going to beat anyone decent. if france score its game over. because ireland wont score twice if they play for a week

**Noelys Guitar** · 15/11/2009, 2:15 PM

A night like this on Wednesday?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYeIl...eature=related

**Riddickcule** · 15/11/2009, 2:48 PM

As someone mentioned the crowd will be on their backs if their doing poor,

Very true, those arrogant Parisians!

Wouldn't bet on it that they think they have it wrapped up, sure even Henry in his interview..

**Stuttgart88** · 15/11/2009, 2:57 PM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

For once in my life I am positive about an away game for the following reasons:

(a) The French will think they have it wrapped up.

(b) We have played better away from home in many of our games than at home.

(c) It is time to break that away hoodoo.

From my wholly subjective viewpoint that's how I see it too.

**Brian Boru** · 15/11/2009, 4:06 PM

We are still in with a shout. For all their posession they rarely truly threatened. Dunne predicted they'd have most of the posession during the week. No surprise. Two deflections made the difference, Anelkas went in and Lawrences didn't. That's life. Not winning a big competitive qualifier since Hampden 1987 is irrelevent. It's a playoff not a qualifier and if history is important then what about France in 1994 qualifiers. Just needed a point against Israel or Bulgaria both at home. They lost them both. Ginola and Cantona were never forgiven. They never played again. Ginola gave away the ball in the build up to Bulgaria's winner.

If we get in to them and play the long ball more often France are fragile. It's all to play for. I'm optimistic. I'm surprised we lost yesterday but roll on Wednesday.

**geysir** · 15/11/2009, 4:16 PM

Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar

Good words from Trap
"We can score on Wednesday. If we play offensively, we can score a goal."

I would prefer if it was translated as "when we will play offensively, we can score a goal."

**stojkovic** · 15/11/2009, 4:24 PM

Originally Posted by Brian Boru

if history is important then what about France in 1994 qualifiers. Just needed a point against Israel or Bulgaria both at home. They lost them both. Ginola and Cantona were never forgiven. They never played again. Ginola gave away the ball in the build up to Bulgaria's winner.

You are correct but the fact is that French football learned from this and went on to become World and European Champions with the same team excluding Ginola and Cantona. Who replaced those two ? Zidane and Djorkaeff !

**Ciaran W** · 15/11/2009, 4:33 PM

I didnt bring it up i was just agreeing with one of the other fellas who is right,sitting back will get us nowhere

**Stuttgart88** · 15/11/2009, 5:04 PM

Was the referee that bad? I didn't have that much cause for complaint. A few nothing fouls towards the opposition and one or two that should have gone our way. That always happens.

He was very lenient with Andrews. A nailed on yellow if ever there was one.

**OwlsFan** · 15/11/2009, 5:19 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Was the referee that bad? I didn't have that much cause for complaint. A few nothing fouls towards the opposition and one or two that should have gone our way. That always happens.

He was very lenient with Andrews. A nailed on yellow if ever there was one.

Yes, heard some criticism of the ref. Didn't notice anything myself. Some other ref might have given a peno for the Given challenge. Thought most of the fouls he gave against us were fouls. He did ok and I have no complaints there. Should have been a corner ok for Lawrence's shot but the linesman gave the goal kick.

**Trainee** · 15/11/2009, 5:47 PM

All the pressure is on france, so if we can the first goal, its game on, and with all this pressure, france could fall apart.

All is not lost, just have faith,

**Morbo** · 15/11/2009, 6:10 PM

Originally Posted by Ciaran W

Well theres no point in even talking about it because we will never play with an attacking team with trap in charge

In fairness we played with an attacking team against Italy when we went a goal down. Trap isn't an idiot, he knows he will have to gamble to give us a shot of getting back into it.

**Arnold Layne** · 15/11/2009, 6:37 PM

Forget it folks, Ireland are not going to win on Wednesday.

Don't get your hopes up.

**Morbo** · 15/11/2009, 7:44 PM

I don't think anyone expects Ireland to win but its not impossible, about a 10-1 shot i'd say, anyone 100% sure we won't win should bet everything on France progressing.

**Emmet7** · 15/11/2009, 8:21 PM

We generally don't score from open play against good teams except that Robbie Keane goal in Bari when Folan took out two defenders and put it on a plate for Keane.

I don't see us scoring from open play in Paris either. We don't have the craft or the guile up front or the players such as an Henry, Benzema or Anelka who can turn a game with a moment of brillance.

Doyle and Keane get through a mountain of work but they don't have the class or ability to produce something magical against good teams and defences like the French forwards.

So we are generally limited to scoring from setpieces. The French defence seems to have improved greatly throughout the campaign and coped easily with setpieces last night.

Our attacking Plan A seems to be to score from setpieces. We don't really have an attacking plan B and we are very limited with our options up front. We only had one or two setpieces last night and the French easily dealt with them. The French are technically superior to us and imo a better team than the Italians who were also technically superior to us. Against techically superior teams it's always going to be backs to the wall for most of the match which some people foolishly mistake for 'sitting back'.

You only have to compare the French left back with our left back to see their technical superiority on the ball and in defending and that's just in one area. All over the pitch, defence, midfield and attack they are to a man much better than us.

I thought Andrews and Whelan did brilliantly in the first half in stopping the French attacking from deep but they tired in the second half and others didn't help them much.