I dont understand this thread, carnstein is arguing that we should be going into world cups expecting to qualify and then expecting to win it without shouting out of the roof tops about it, what is the harm in that. I do not see any benefit in under selling yourself or even as some people may say trying to be a realist. The greece team did not win Euro 2004 been realists. They believed they could win it, with a game plan. They did not have any world class players. Germany got the final in 2002 and we played them off the park for long periods. Why did they get there cause the believed it from the start. Never sell your country short, the worst that can happen by expecting to win is to be dissappointed.
If memory serves me their last two games in their qualifying campaign for USA '94 were home fixtures against Bulgaria and Israel. with them needing just one point from the two games to secure automatic qualification. They lost both. Here's hoping for more of the same.Originally Posted by davros
Rubbish it is time that this country expects things of itself and puts itself under pressure to do things, I have no doubt that teh Greek manager told the press one thing and his players another. For too long we have been the jack the lads that can have a party win lose or draw. Well its time we start expecting to win games and tournaments. As I said the worst that can happen is your are dissappointed. That is not saying you cant have a good time when u travel abroad but we should expect more of ourselves,
From the Irish times by Tom Humphries
"We crave being written off. Love the underdog tag. Our most heroic and passionate performances have been when we are proving a point. Or when we are stealing a point when we have been a goal down. Asked to just go and win a match that we should win and we panic. In major finals from Egypt to a 10-man Spanish team, that's been our wont. In qualifying we've rattled Romanians and frozen against Icelanders.
There comes a time, though (and this is quite unIrish) when you have to stand up and announce that because of the players you have and the work you are doing you expect to succeed. You have to put yourself under that pressure.
That it seems to me is what the Kerr era is about. No more kick-and-rush. No more passionate losers. No more gathering every negative press cutting and banging a fist on the table and saying let's show these *******s. It's about saying 'here we are, we're the best we can be, let's play'."........
On the field the team are looking as if they understand what their true potential is. They have a manager whose reaction to losing a lead in the Stade de France would be the same as was Keane's reaction when we lost a lead in the Amsterdam ArenA.
Saipan will influence Irish football for a long time to come. We move forward with surprisingly little affection for the old way of doing things. We'll surprise ourselves if we believe in ourselves and demand more from ourselves. Wednesday night proved that to anyone who had doubts.
Time to demand more than passion. Time to scrap the pout and postures.
Have to agree with NeilMcD, for no other reason than the fact that our first 11 is just as strong as teams like England, Czech Rep, Portugal and Germany, all of whom are sides who go into major championships expecting to win and as far as I'm concerned so should we. Qualifying should no longer be our major goal.
What a man betting against his country , how patriotic. What benefits are there from your way of thinking. IF you go into games thinnking you are beat, well then u are beat. Whereas if you believe you have a right to beat the team through hard work and keeping the ball and taking your chances well then you may go and do it. It is a defeatist attitude that will keep us down. YOu represent old ireland and to be honest i am glad it is gone. Now is the time to believe we can do things, if we dont as i said before there is nothing lost but at leat you went there trying your best and preparing like you wanted to win. It is time we got a winning mentality as only with one, can you got an win games.
Wouldn't agree but wouldn't disagree with you Davros. Apart from a few freak results(i.e Greece, Denmark in 92, Czech's in the 70s) it's always going to be very hard for the smaller nations(and in terms of population and domestic football we are one of the smallest). That said those freak results will always make me dream and believe we can do it. I've never watched an Ireland game without believing we can win. If i did i wouldn't bother.
As regards England, Portugal, etc. For all their belief they have accomplished nothing. I am happy for Ireland to punch above their weight as always and go in as an under dog and hope that we can pull off a shock. Let's qualify first, then try get out of our group and then start dreaming.
Carnstein opened up a thread with the topic:
"What is an acceptable result in the World Cup?"
I always think we have a chance of winning any competition we enter and I have put money (not much mind you) on us in every world cup. Of course we should be aiming to win any competition with the players we now have, but, 3 or 4 points in the group stages (and a good performance) is acceptable to me.
With that attitude, we'll never win anything.Let's qualify automatically.. The population of Ireland is too small......soccer high for the next generation or two....ours is getting to WC or EC Q-F's....About time a few reality pills were swallowed!
Reality pill - we should have beaten 10 man Spain in the last WC. From there, winning the WC would have been possible. Difficult, but not impossible. If we go into every championship thinking we're only there to make up the numbers, then.....fail to prepare, prepare to fail?
The beauty of football is that the team with the star players doesn't always win. Greece, Denmark, Wimbeldon in the FA cup....why not us?
If you were giving me odds of 80-1 which the bookies are, I'd have a punt.We probably never will......hope I'm wrong.....but happy to wager any One individual re.2006.....any takers?
I'm gonna throw a tenner on us to win the 2006 WC, long shot it may be but I think in reality our odds are better than that, so it's worth a few quid.
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