France V Ireland - Wednesday, 18th November 2009 - World Cup 2010 Playoff Second Leg

[Park_Lane]

Why even bother if we accept cheating? Where's the point of putting in a hard working honest effort if it is taken away by a combination of cheating and corruption/ineptness of the officials? And it is not good enough to simply say well if we did it we would accept it. Point is that we did not score off 2 handballs and 2 offsides.

I wonder sometimes about this sport. I love it to death but there is so much cheating and corruption that I feel I need some time away from it.

Robbie Keane says it right:



http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?...v=ap&type=lgns

Its the best irish performance I've seen since holland at lansdowne road. the boys done us proud tonight. Bring on the euros we WILL qualify.

[irishultra]

They won't care but on this site I said that the Irish team lacked personality Oh dear how wrong I was. They did more than play with 'heart' they actually played. France scored two lucky goals we scored a goal with very good play. That was unbelievable. The sense of pride knowing that all of europe was probably looking out for that result was a great feeling. I can speak French so I can tell you that French forums are very much sympathetic of Ireland. Thats the kind of people they are.
I think nobody and I mean nobody would have said anything if we had scored like that, probably because being a small country we feel that odds are stacked against us so we deserve the luck of the green.

Anyway 14 legends and the rest of the squad legends as well because that was a squad effort.

Bring on Euro 2012.

[old git]

Why even bother if we accept cheating? Where's the point of putting in a hard working honest effort if it is taken away by a combination of cheating and corruption/ineptness of the officials? And it is not good enough to simply say well if we did it we would accept it. Point is that we did not score off 2 handballs and 2 offsides.

I wonder sometimes about this sport. I love it to death but there is so much cheating and corruption that I feel I need some time away from it.

Robbie Keane says it right:



http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?...v=ap&type=lgns

and see fifa.com match report and READ FIFA'S DESCRIPTION OF TURNING POINT BELOW !! if they cannot even mention handball incident in such a high profile game what intrest do they have in stamping out the cheats

France 1-1 Republic of Ireland (first leg 1-0)
Goals: William Gallas 103 (France); Robbie Keane 32 (Republic of Ireland)

The story of the game
Hosts France were kept completely quiet in the first half by an Ireland team burning with passion, conviction and the desire to battle for every ball. Robbie Keane’s strike not long after the half-hour mark was just reward for the efforts the visitors had put in and it took heroics from France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to limit the damage to one goal. Les Bleus made themselves a little more visible after the break but remained under pressure from Irish assaults, meaning the tie had to be resolved in extra-time, during which William Gallas equalised to send his team through to their fourth consecutive finals.

The key moment
After 180 minutes of a hard-fought contest, the fate of both teams came down to two dramatic periods of extra-time. The match, and the tie, remained in the balance until the very last second, and when the final whistle was blown the disappointed Irish could hold their heads up high.

The man of the match
France have long been looking for a successor to Fabien Barthez and they have found the perfect candidate in Hugo Lloris. In this game, as in the opening leg, the Lyon No1 bolstered his burgeoning reputation with a string of top-class saves.

[Morbo]

Cry me a river, if the roles had been reversed and Robbie had handled and crossed for Dunne to head home and put us on the plane we'd all be still in the pub laughing about it

The hypocrisy of football fans really knows no end

And Keane attempted to use his hand a number of times in the game so he can do one as well.
Seething because Henry is a better football and cheater no doubt

3 things wrong with that goal, an offside and 2 handballs, somehow I doubt the officials would have missed it if the roles were reversed.

[Ciaran W]

Looks like a sleepless night

[irishultra]

Its the best irish performance I've seen since holland at lansdowne road. the boys done us proud tonight. Bring on the euros we WILL qualify.

Nah Holland was heart and luck, tonight was heart skill, determination and no luck. Best performance since spain in 2002.

[kingdom hoop]

I would have done what Henry did. It is natural to seek to push the rules.

You mean you've been playing the game for 20-odd years and it's your natural instinct to do something you've been trained not to do all that time?

Something so basic as not handling the ball?

After 20 years of training you still naturally handle the ball when it comes to you? Good Lord, I train for gaelic football half the year and still know not to stretch my hand to control the ball if it comes near me.


Bear in mind handling the ball is not integral to the game. Falling is integral: you get tackled, or 'touched' as it may be, and you fall. But you should never handle the ball. That's the skill-set of the game, and of all people Henry is skilled and experienced enough to know that. Simply, it is NEVER done. Unless you're a conniving, cheating 'person'. It is, in my opinion, actually entirely unnatural when you play.







The question then is whether to blame the "player" or the "game" - my anguish is too blinding to think clearly on that point at the moment.

[jebus]

3 things wrong with that goal, an offside and 2 handballs, somehow I doubt the officials would have missed it if the roles were reversed.

Linesman maybe but the ref had a fine game

And I'd but the linesman missing it down to his apparent ineptness more than anything else

[irishultra]

Its the best irish performance I've seen since holland at lansdowne road. the boys done us proud tonight. Bring on the euros we WILL qualify.

Nah Holland was heart and luck, tonight was heart skill, determination and no luck. Best performance since spain in 2002.

BTW DUFF DIVED AGAINST SPAIN IN WORLD CUP 2002

[weldoninhio]

Why even bother if we accept cheating? Where's the point of putting in a hard working honest effort if it is taken away by a combination of cheating and corruption/ineptness of the officials? And it is not good enough to simply say well if we did it we would accept it. Point is that we did not score off 2 handballs and 2 offsides.

I wonder sometimes about this sport. I love it to death but there is so much cheating and corruption that I feel I need some time away from it.

Robbie Keane says it right:



http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?...v=ap&type=lgns

Good, honest, Robbie, If any of his 3 (that i can recall) attempted handballs hadn't been caught would he have put it out of play so he didn't gain any unfair advantage??

Did he run to the ref during the Georgia game to tell him that the ball didn't hit the Georgian players arm?? Or did he take the peno and the 3 points??

[LFC in Exile]

Can you name me a professional sport where cheating doesn't happen or where it is dealt with effectively?

Why do we put up with it? Because we have no choice.

As I said earlier, FIFA could deal with it tomorrow if they had the balls. Look at the Eduardo nonsense. It could be fixed but they don't want it. And professionals and managers know these things are swings and roundabouts. All those "foreign" divers like Gerrard, Owen, Rooney etc

As they say in Limerick - doll didey

[irishultra]

Given-few relatively shaky moments but he was impeccable it has to be said. this was the kind of performance that makes a world class keeper. any goaly can make shot stopping saves its catching the ball from an inswinging cross that makes keepers great 9

o'shea-7.5
dunne-9
st.ledger-9.5
kilbane-9.5

lawrence-8.5
whelan-7.5
andrews-8.5
duff-8.5
keane-9
doyle-7

gibson-6
mcshane-6(what a block from gourcuff)
mcgeady-6 looked bright but awful cross

[Dodge]

Good, honest, Robbie, If any of his 3 (that i can recall) attempted handballs hadn't been caught would he have put it out of play so he didn't gain any unfair advantage??

Did he run to the ref during the Georgia game to tell him that the ball didn't hit the Georgian players arm?? Or did he take the peno and the 3 points??

Spot on. France actually got a free from a Keane handball tonight.

No around me tonight branded him a disgrace

Apparently FIFA made Damian Duff miss a one on one too. Scum!

[kingdom hoop]

Can you name me a professional sport where cheating doesn't happen or where it is dealt with effectively?

Yes, golf and snooker are two examples.

[peadar1987]

How can all you people say you would have done the same as Henry in that situation, or that it is even slightly justified? It's not. I can safely say that I would never cheat like that in a game of football. Never have, never will. I feel disgusted whenever a player dives in the green of Ireland, or the colours of Bray or Stoke. Cheating is completely unacceptable no matter who does it. I felt dirty for days after Ricardo Fuller dived to win a penalty against Hull last season, and get very annoyed whenever Gary McCabe tries to con the ref for Bray.

I'm shocked at the amount of people out there who think that cheating in any context is okay.

[Ciaran W]

Absolutly gutted its only sinking in now

[LFC in Exile]

You mean you've been playing the game for 20-odd years and it's your natural instinct to do something you've been trained not to do all that time?

Something so basic as not handling the ball?

After 20 years of training you still naturally handle the ball when it comes to you? Good Lord, I train for gaelic football half the year and still know not to stretch my hand to control the ball if it comes near me.


Bear in mind handling the ball is not integral to the game. Falling is integral: you get tackled, or 'touched' as it may be, and you fall. But you should never handle the ball. That's the skill-set of the game, and of all people Henry is skilled and experienced enough to know that. Simply, it is NEVER done. Unless you're a conniving, cheating 'person'. It is, in my opinion, actually entirely unnatural when you play.

Yes - if the ball was running away from me in the box I would stick out a hand "naturally" to get an advantage. And on my own goal line my hand would automatically go to stop the ball (especially in last 15 minutes) to stop a goal. If caught take the chance of a penno.

[Dodge]

Yes, golf and snooker are two examples.

Most currupt sport in the world. There's a reaosn why plenty of bookmakers don't accept bets on certain tournaments

[Dodge]

I'm shocked at the amount of people out there who think that cheating in any context is okay.

Maybe they're just sick of losing...

[jebus]

How can all you people say you would have done the same as Henry in that situation, or that it is even slightly justified? It's not. I can safely say that I would never cheat like that in a game of football. Never have, never will. I feel disgusted whenever a player dives in the green of Ireland, or the colours of Bray or Stoke. Cheating is completely unacceptable no matter who does it. I felt dirty for days after Ricardo Fuller dived to win a penalty against Hull last season, and get very annoyed whenever Gary McCabe tries to con the ref for Bray.

I'm shocked at the amount of people out there who think that cheating in any context is okay.

If all around you are pigs then there's nothing left but to stick your snout in the slop

You might not cheat, but some of the Irish players would and the majority of the Irish fans would accept it, while the majority of them would probably think it's hilarious