http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...pe/8711016.stm
Franceawarded the tournament. As it is the first Euros to be extended to 24 countries, you would really hope that we qualify for the tournament. As it is of close proximity, this has the potential to be the best tournament for Irish fans since 1990.
If they don't qualify with almost half of Europe getting there, they should give up football. 24 countries from 53 in UEFA. Crazy stuff.
agree. completely devalues qualifying. having said that, i was in france for the RWC in '07 and it is a super place for a tournamentOriginally Posted by Arnold Layne
Well I make it there are 18 non-European Countries ranked above us (41st) in FIFA so that makes the 23th best country in Europe!!
(assuming I counted correctly), so we are right on the cusp of qualifying, however having said that one would think we would qualify,
however take a look at the European teams ranked above us and it is clear that it will not be a formality.
lol. It doesnt completely devalue it for goodness sakes. There will still be all the good teams there.
But can we worry about 2012 first?
No Somos muchos pero estamos locos.
agree that its too big, but it will be nice to be there
Much and all as I am looking forward to the increased chance of us qualifying, 24 teams is a farce. 16 is the right number and they should stick with it.
36 games to lose 8 teams, madness. it was an awful system in the 3 world cups it was used in, I've no idea why they would want to revisit it.
"Your guilty conscience may move you to vote Democratic, but deep down you long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king"
Sideshow Bob
Clue: MONEY!!!
if something is easier to come by then it is devalued. simple really
Sadly, probably the truth.
"Your guilty conscience may move you to vote Democratic, but deep down you long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king"
Sideshow Bob
So the ability to go to a store and get food means the whole food thing is completely devalued? Years ago It used to be a lot more difficult to get food right? But now that you can eat things from all over the world is the experience not full of value? What about medicine, certainly easier to come by than even 20 years ago. Is the medical world devalued? Some might say the exact opposite. Talk to anyone with small pox lately?
I think some people just are always afraid of change. At this point I would rather make an expanded tournament then constantly missing one. I agree it will be good to top the group for 2012 and feel all good about it like we deserve to be there, but no one says Ireland cant do that in 2016. Even if they let 50 teams in, you can still top the group and earn it.
Besides, it makes things interesting. Israel is going to qualify for something one of these years, (maybe this devalued 2016 tourney) and just watching the tournament hosts deal with that will be worth its weight in gold.
No Somos muchos pero estamos locos.
If the supply of food and medicine increases then yes, their market value would decrease.
If anything is likely to be devalued it will be qualifying campaign. Realistically all the big teams should qualify easily every time so the prospect of shocks ala England in 2008 is much less likely. However, for Irish football to have a really strong chance of participating in a top international tournament every 4 years can only be good news.
24 teams is still 8 less then the WC, i don't see too many people complaining about the WC where just about every group has two stand out teams, one or two have a 3rd seed who might sneak through and the 4th seeds are just making up the numbers. 24 teams from Europe wouldn't mean a less competitive competition, as many countries like ourselves, Sweden, Denmark etc.... will fill the extra places.
This is about the only thing done in World/European football that actually favours smaller countries(look at the shambles of the ''european club'' comps where even the 3rd placed team out of the Champions league gets into the Europa to knock out the smaller clubs, places held from leagues like our own to increase TV revenue.
This move should see us qualify for a major competition, which with some success should lead to a stronger squad in years to come(and increased WC potential) as more kids get sucked into the summer festivities.
How anyone from here could think this ''devalues'' the comp' must love watching other countries play as Ireland missing out means a nothing event to someone like me, i couldn't care if Denmark are playing Scotland or if Italy are playing Spain if we don't make it
There's the right way, the wrong way.... and the Max Power way!! :-D
How will qualifying work - top two go through and third place goes in to a play-off or less groups and the top three all go through? How boring will the qualifying stages be - when was the last time a top seed didn't finish in the top three in their group, if that has ever happened?
I'm guessing there will be 11 groups (eight with five teams, three with four). Top two from each group qualify, plus the best third place calculated from results against the three other highest placed teams in their group.
Obviously everyone will have a greater chance than at present, but qualification won't be a formaility as just finishing third won't be enough.
Alternatively: nine groups as now (seven with six teams, two with five). Top two in each case qualify plus best third place. Eight other third placed sides play off for remaining four places.
Knowing the gnones of Zurich they'll go for any option that involves play-offs and/or as many qualifiers as possible, no matter how meaningless there are.
They need less cr*p internationals than now, not more, as there's far too many games in general. They have compromised any chance of quality, over quantity. This will apply to the Finals of Euro 2016 & beyond, If they keep 24 teams.
Nobody would have had a problem with this system if it was in place for 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008, and allowed Ireland to qualify!!! Now that we are on the cusp of great things under Trapatoni with a genuinely great chance of automatic qualification for future tournaments, people come out and say it is devaluing the tournament.
As we all know, many great European teams (Well better than the likes of Honduras, North Korea, Algeria) have missed out on the World Cup and likewise would miss out on the Euro's aswell.
It gives countries like NI, Wales, Lithuania, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Cyprus a genuine opportunity to qualify or at least make the play-off's which will make the competitiveness of mediocre games greater. I don't see this as a bad thing.
Making it easier to qualify won't make it any easier to win the competition so I am all for it!!!
This just sets us up perfectly to beat france in the final with a handball from a slightly aged robbie Keane and from that day he would be known as ''the thief of saint denis''
Ahhh
Euro 2016 in a nutshell!
Cut to RTE studio after ad break:
Bill O'Herlihy: Okey-dokey. Well, Switzerland and Norway didn't manage a shot on target between them in 90 minutes there in Toulouse, but I'm sure that this evening's match between Belgium and Bulgaria will be a thriller. What do you reckon Eamonn?
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