QuoteAh shut the f×ck up ya plankOriginally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
We have NO chance of qualifying.
Some Eejits commenting on this thread.
Great away trips possibly?
#CorruptFIFA********s
Ah shut the f×ck up ya plank
For recent qualification draws, I have had a kind of "ah f**k, it's over before it even started" feeling when I saw the draws we got.
This time I didn't get that feeling.
As good as we could reasonably have hoped for.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Thats not a bad bet, they def will get a bounce with the success of the u20 team
Why is everyone so sure recent U20 success will immediately translate into senior success?
Pished when we wrote that...
The point stands. We won't qualify, but given the venue is no bad thing...
I'm not.
But look what their last underage world champions did. And it's a hell of a lot more than we have.
(Aware that our third place u-20 team largely did nothing at senior level)
Wasn't Croatia away TV3's first game?
Suker scored in the 93rd minute. I was watching in the UCD Sports Bar and the feed cut out a couple of times - I think TV3 were broadcasting on the same signal as the campus info channel or something?
We'd just played Yugoslavia at home (which was a rearranged game - they were denied visas to enter the country) and then went off to Malta (and nearly lost)
Assuming you mean any draw not including one of the other 'big seven' (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands), both the two above and Germany have avoided this in the last eight qualifying tournaments. France are the unluckliest (three close rivals since 2000, for Spain, italy and the Netherlands it's twice each).
England's second seed this time (Switzerland) outpointed them in 2014 qualifying; Slovakia this time are on current form their equal best team in Europe.
We know!!!
The under 20's success guarantees very little but it's obviously worth noting. Even if one of those players becomes world class it would give them something we don't really have, just look at Alaba and Ibrahimovic in the last campaign. They made the difference really and Wales have their guy in Bale as well, although it kind of bugs me when Ramsey gets thrown into that bracket, who is far from world class but a clever, skillful footballer nonetheless.
It's an absolutely dream draw, all things considered. We're still up against it, we're fourth seeds for a reason, but I really was fearing the campaign being over before it started. We have a fighting chance of challenging every team in the group. If we have a reasonably good campaign we could almost finish top as easily and second, given the evenness of the teams involved. We're probably fourth best but there is everything to play for. We're clearly going to need to improve, but any improvement at all should see us mixing it with the other three until the end. That's more than anybody could have hoped for.
When are the fixtures announced? Aren't they computerised now instead of a sit down, or is that just the Euro qualifiers? An early trip to Vienna would be welcome I think and maybe a later visit to Tbilisi, when they've lost some of their early enthusiasm.
Last edited by DeLorean; 26/07/2015 at 11:01 AM.
Aye, but we're not going to improve, we have No decent players coming through!
I think they may have had all the away games in that campaign? And Yugoslavia was the first if memory serves, could be wrong though. I really thought Yugoslavia away had to be rearranged as well but, again, a bit foggy about it. Something in my head about TV3 having to wait longer for their first game.
Fixture dates.
2016
Monday September 5: Serbia away
Thursday October 6: Georgia home
Sunday October 9: Moldova away
Saturday November 12: Austria away
2017
Friday March 24: Wales home
Sunday June 11: Austria home
Saturday September 2: Georgia away
Tuesday September 5: Serbia home
Friday October 6: Moldova home
Monday October 9: Wales away
Last edited by Wolfman; 26/07/2015 at 10:38 AM.
Yeah, they had all away games; you're right. And Yugoslavia was our first away game - so you may well be right there.
We had three away games to finish the way it ended - Croatia, then Malta, then Macedonia
Funny, I can remember exactly where I was watching all those games (UCD Sports Bar being frustrated at the feed cutting; at home trying to spot my mates' flags while I was studying for the repeats that meant I couldn't go out; in Lonnegan's just about starting to celebrate come that final corner), but I'm drawing a complete blank on the Yugoslavia game.
Wiki doesn't give details of rearranged games, but Yugoslavia away was played early enough and on the same day as another group game, so doesn't look like it was rearranged. There was no other games on the same day as Yugoslavia at home (which I know was rearranged)
Abiding non-Ireland memory of that group was this red card -
We have decent players playing already for which there is plenty room for improvement. We've a £12m PL striker that's sitting on our bench, a £7m PL winger at left back, a PL right back valued at £25m, a PL central midfielder considered indispensable to his club, the Championship goalkeeper of the season sitting on the bench also... That should be a strong enough base to work from if management could up their own game (or step aside!).
Indy on Sunday did a group by group, team by team synopsis. They listed our Star Player as Robbie Keane. Kind of says it all.
But hey, I say this every time. Outside the elites - none of which is in our group - there's not that much between the rest. As DeLorean says, we're 4th seeds for a reason but the likes of Denmark show what can be done without a team oozing Champions League quality. Any given football match is there to be won.
Tough start. The key is to still be in the mix going into 2017. I bet anything O'Neill is already thinking of a draw in Belgrade. I want us to be looking to win these games.
Don't really like the look of that. Possibly the worst time to go to Serbia as they'll be raring to go after their dismal showing this time around. Austria should be over any potential Euro hangover by the time we go to Vienna also, and they may really need a result if they've slipped up early on. Finishing in Cardiff far from ideal also but no point in worrying about all that I suppose, if we're good enough we'll pick up the points.
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