Garth Crooks dismisses Ireland's chances. Excellent news.

[elroy]

I'm not fussed at all about the rugby I have to say. It'd be nice to win but losing won't exactly place a grey cloud over my head traveling to Poland. There's only one gig in town this weekend as far as I'm concerned.

+1. My thoughts are same. Happy to see the rugger team do well. If they win, Im happy for them, if they lose, Im not necessarily that bothered.

Whereas the football. Well next Sunday I will probably lose about two stone watching the match, going from sheer high to lows (hopefully more highs and finishing on a high). Not to mention Im like a kid buzzing with excitment for my departure for Poland on Wed week.

But everyone to their own. Live and let live I say. God knows the powers that be in this country tried to do otherwise for decades.

[Stuttgart88]

That said, the U20s were giving SA a spanking at HT in Stellenbosch. Well on top!

[BonnieShels]

Is it Thor, God of thunder?

No, Bonnie, God of Situations

[paul_oshea]

long and walters have given a doyle a serious kick up the backside.

Ive noticed the 3 games we have played this year, we are far more attack minded, and passing the ball, a lot less of hoofing it into the box when we get down the wing as well, but I also notice our shape is not as good as it was, we are less compact
for a start.

great pull back and great block by ward. Our defence looks very shaky.

[SkStu]

long and walters have given a doyle a serious kick up the backside.

Ive noticed the 3 games we have played this year, we are far more attack minded, and passing the ball, a lot less of hoofing it into the box when we get down the wing as well, but I also notice our shape is not as good as it was, we are less compact
for a start.

great pull back and great block by ward. Our defence looks very shaky.

whoever has hacked POS's account?

[gustavo]

long and walters have given a doyle a serious kick up the backside.

Ive noticed the 3 games we have played this year, we are far more attack minded, and passing the ball, a lot less of hoofing it into the box when we get down the wing as well, but I also notice our shape is not as good as it was, we are less compact
for a start.

great pull back and great block by ward. Our defence looks very shaky.

I can definitely see our first choice strike partnership being different by the end of the tournament.

[Murfinator]

classic english punditry. makes an assertion that croatia have a great side and then struggles to name players. the ones he does played in the prem.

I'm yet to see an English pundit who knows anything whatsoever outside the premiership, barcelona and Real Madrid. At an ABSOLUTE stretch they might be able to name a Bayern player or two, but that'd only be the real gurus. Irish pundits are no better, its embarrassing watching coverage presented by people who know less about the players involved than the viewer.
I wish the soccer panel were like the rugby panel having an extensive knowledge of all leagues and essentially teaching you things rather than teaching you how to apply your palm to face as Giles stumbles through pronouncing Schweinstieger. If they're paying experts why don't they pay people who have a vast knowledge of the European game?

Was watching Setanta last night and I don't personally know very much about Hungary or their players, the one player I do know is Dzsudzsak because he's a highly renowned young player with a 20m valuation. This is where punditry is supposed to fill in the gaps and instead they just shrugged accepting the opposition are an unknown quantity to them. Insultingly the only background information they provided was to a bench player who they helpfully mentioned spent some time at Liverpool but didn't play a game there. Why is such ineptitude and poor research accepted for soccer across all channels but not any other sport?

[tetsujin1979]

I wish the soccer panel were like the rugby panel having an extensive knowledge of all leagues

There's three leagues they know about - Rabo Pro, England (and that's mainly O'Shea) and French, which is the one they know the least about
Ask them about the Australian, South African or New Zealand leagues, outside of the starting XV for the respective national sides and their level of knowledge approaches zero

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, agreed. Knowing what goes on in world rugby isn't really that hard if you put your mind to it. Any decent rugby pundit will know the top 8 internationals, the Rabo league, the leading H-Cup teams and the Super 14. There are more good football teams in Euro 2012 than there are even serious test teams in rugby union. That doesn't excuse football pundits' lack of research though.

[mypost]

In fairness, if I was a neutral pundit looking at Euro 2012, I would say that Ireland are the least likely to come out of Group C.

And if a pundit had done his homework, he would know that we are 14 games unbeaten, against a wide range of sides. We have every right to be there.

All the games will be hard, but they're not insurmountable.

[Noelys Guitar]

I know Hamann has tipped us to get out of the group (Possibly because he will be on the RTE panel at times) but was pleasantly surprised to hear Carsten Jancker describe us a the dark horse of the tournament. I know he did play under Trap but was surprised to hear him say we would get out of the group. Predicted we would be the surprise team of the tournament.

[ramondo]

I know Hamann has tipped us to get out of the group (Possibly because he will be on the RTE panel at times) but was pleasantly surprised to hear Carsten Jancker describe us a the dark horse of the tournament. I know he did play under Trap but was surprised to hear him say we would get out of the group. Predicted we would be the surprise team of the tournament.

Pele predicted Norway would be the Dark Horse of the 1994 world Cup.

Lesson: No one can predict the future.

(TBH, Pele is notoriously p*ss-poor at predictions top-10-wrong-pele-predictions)

But if I was to put on my Nostradamus hat I'm afraid I'd see nothing but calamity.

Jaysus, we haven't a hope.

But still...

[Stuttgart88]

Where's Paul the Octopus when we need him?

[ArdeeBhoy]

He's dead but has any manner of successors...including a llama and a bear, I think...

[OwlsFan]

In the Daily Telegraph Top 40 players for their Fantasy Football, there is not one Irish player listed. The most selected players are as follows:

van Persie, R 54.24%
Robben, A 42.10%
Sneijder, W 41.13%
Ozil, M 38.84%
Lahm, P 37.69%
Ronaldo, C 35.05%
Pique, G 32.02%
Gomez, M 31.63%
Ramos, S 29.10%
Iniesta, A 28.68%

This is the value of the Irish players:

Andrews, K MID £2.3m
Cox, S STR £3.0m -
Doyle, K STR £3.3m
Duff, D MID £3.8m
Dunne, R DEF £3.0m
Forde, D GK £2.6m
Gibson, D MID £2.5m
Given, S GK £3.2m
Green, P MID £1.9m
Hunt, S MID £3.3m
Keane, R STR £4.8m
Kelly, S DEF £2.6m
Long, S STR £2.9m
McClean, J MID £2.9m
McGeady, A MID £3.4m
McShane, P DEF £2.6m
O'Dea, D DEF £2.9m
O'Shea, J DEF £3.0m
St Ledger, S DEF £2.7m
Walters, J STR £4.1m
Ward, S DEF £2.9m
Westwood, K GK £2.8m
Whelan, G MID £3.1m

[legendz]

Is there a touch of racism in what Crooks was saying?

[ArdeeBhoy]

How so?

[Stuttgart88]

Hey, cut out the needless racist digs at Chinese people AB.

[OwlsFan]

That's "Ah so", often used for John Terry.

[ArdeeBhoy]

C'mon you can do better than that...