QuoteSlovaks are missing a few key players: Mucha in goal, Stoch and Weiss in attack. They'll be relying on Hamsik to dig them out of this.
edit: Mucha might not be such a huge loss considering Andorra haven't had a shot yet.
Half time 0-0. Interesting.
Slovaks are missing a few key players: Mucha in goal, Stoch and Weiss in attack. They'll be relying on Hamsik to dig them out of this.
edit: Mucha might not be such a huge loss considering Andorra haven't had a shot yet.
1-0 to Slovakia is a final result.
Originally Posted by holidaysong
I see, thanks, about time the UEFA site read their own rules then!!
It is a hellishly complicated method even if it is fairer.
Even if we can't win the group, the play-offs are looking much less daunting then last time with most of the top seeds cruising.
At the moment the teams look like being:
Belgium or Turkey
Slovenia or Serbia
Belarus, Romania, Bosnia or Albania
Sweden
Croatia or Greece or Israel
England or Montenegro
Czech Republic
And remember the best placed of all those qualifies automatically. Currently that would be England/Macedonia's group, but we're right up there. In fact if we beat Slovakia, drew and drew with Russia I'd think even if we ended finishing second we might be the best runner up.
It really is getting tasty isn't it?
Cheers, though the options are as clear as mud....
Mother of god. Listening to Sadlier and McDonnell on NewsTalk.
McDonnell complains that Trap doesn't go to enough games in England. It's a scandal that this chat still continues.
Updated Yellow Card Count (Yellow cards last for full campaign)
Whelan (Armenia)
St Ledger (Russia)
Doyle (Russia)
Westwood (Macedonia)
Gibson (Macedonia (H))
Cox (Macedonia (A))
It is of vital importance that none of these lads pick up a yellow against Slovakia as it would rule them out of the Russia game.
However, it would not be the worst if some of these lads picked up a yellow in Moscow, as it would only rule them out of the Andorra game. I seem to remember Roy Keane did something similar in a game against Portugal, picking up a deliberate yellow which ruled him out of the Andorra match and meant he started again on a clean slate against Holland.
As far as Slovakia are concerned, no one is suspended for their match against us. The only player to pick up a yellow yesterday was Robert Jez, his first booking of the campaign.
In light of the following criteria being applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings in the event of two or more teams finishing equal on points upon completion of the group matches:
Am I correct in thinking that if Slovakia, Russia and ourselves all end on 22 points with us beating Slovakia but losing to Russia and Slovakia beating Russia at home, we'd finish the group in third place?1. Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question.
2. Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question.
3. Higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question.
4. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question.
5. If, after applying criteria 1) to 4) to several teams, two or more teams still have an equal ranking, the criteria 1) to 4) will be reapplied to determine the ranking of these teams. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6) and 7) will apply.
6. Results of all group matches:
i) Superior goal difference.
ii) Higher number of goals scored.
iii) Higher number of goals scored away from home.
iv) Fair play conduct.
7. Drawing of lots.
We'd have four points from the four games between the top three, Russia would have six and Slovakia would finish top with seven. It would be crushingly disappointing to finish third with 22 points.
That's basically the reason we're third at the moment, so yes, that's how it'd work alright.
I think if we don't end up getting a top two position, I will look back at the away game against Slovakia as a massive two points dropped. That was a game that was there for the taking and I think in the last half hour both sides seemed to accept a draw. Its conservatism like that, that is the difference between winning a group or getting a playoff, and in a group as finely balanced as this it could be the difference in coming 2nd or 3rd.
As regards Macedonia, our involvement with them is over, but I think they still have a massive part to play in our campaign. Every time I look at the fixtures, I think they are going to do us a massive favour on the final day and take points off Slovakia. Can't explain my reasoning for that incling, because it's certainly not form. Call it intuition, but I think it'll be karmas way of making up for Skopje 1999.
And limp into the play-offs.
The only way we can undo this pessimism is to win 2-0 in Moscow....
"We" can't separate you from your pessimism, it is your permanent bedfellow.And limp into the play-offs.
The only way we can undo this pessimism is to win 2-0 in Moscow....
Delighted we've taken 6 points from them. They go to Moscow when we play Slovakia in september too. Here's hoping the Russians have a collective Macedonia.
Getting way ahead, but is the best runner-up spot out of reach for a team having 16 or 17 runner-up points, (results against 6th team not counted).
Best runner-up last time out was Russia and Greece on 16 points.
Nonsense. Sure we won a penalty right on half-time from an excellent piece of attacking play.
Interesting point noted in commentary yesterday. In our six qualifiers so far, we've only conceded one goal in the second half of matches. That's some top-quality catenaccio. The 5 first half goals, not so much.
That table is certainly interesting but I was rather hoping that someone with sufficient ambition and spare time would scour the tables and suss out the chances of it happening for this campaign
Ah yeah - feck that!
You'd have to imagine it'll be around about the same mark though. Montenegro lead the way on 11 points from 5 games. If they win their last three games, they top the group (cos they'd have beaten England), so the highest they could get and still come second would be 18 (two wins and a draw). Sweden are the only ones on a better percentage than them at the moment (9 points from four games); they still have to host Holland.
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