Republic of Ireland v Georgia - Thursday, 6th October 2016 -World Cup 2018 Qualifier

[pineapple stu]

This doesn't really make sense, but my main concern is that we've beaten Georgie 7 times out of 7, without ever putting in a convincing competitive performance.

Mar '03 - 2-1 (A) - a late Gary Doherty winner, albeit that we were the only team to win in Georgia in that campaign
Jun '03 - 2-0 (H) - the only time we've beaten them by more than a goal in a competitive game
Sep '08 - 2-1 (N) - their keeper with an outrageous howler for Whelan's first goal in Mainz; their consolation was in injury time, but I don't think that game was ever comfortable.
Feb '09 - 2-1 (H) - we were losing for 75+ minutes before Keane saved us with a brace, one of which was at best a debateable penalty call.
Jun '13 - 4-0 (H) - a friendly in which they were rubbish. I suspect Conor Sammon was the invigorating force, given it was the only one of the 7 games he played.
Sep '14 - 2-1 (A) - a late late McGeady wonderstrike
Sep '15 - 1-0 (H) - a scrambled Walters goal in a dour game I think? (Missed the first hour)

Obviously huge credit to the team for continuing to grind out the wins - but even leaving aside current "one-pass-per-minute" form, our luck surely can't hold through another two games? The law of averages says Georgia are due something this campaign.

[geysir]

Is the game a sell out?

Georgia will be a measure of where we are compared to the last campaign.
The reasonable expectation is that we should be able deal with a team like Georgia, better than we did in the euro qualifiers.
Weiss is just in the door, we have a settled set up and playing at home.
Georgia played well in all their away games in the last qual campaign, only well beaten one time with 3 late goals being scored in added time in Poland.

[DeLorean]

The law of averages says Georgia are due something this campaign.

If you're seeking reassurances, go ask any Mayo person about the law of averages.

[Stuttgart88]

Is the game a sell out?

Georgia will be a measure of where we are compared to the last campaign.
The reasonable expectation is that we should be able deal with a team like Georgia, better than we did in the euro qualifiers.
Weiss is just in the door, we have a settled set up and playing at home.
Georgia played well in all their away games in the last qual campaign, only well beaten one time with 3 late goals being scored in added time in Poland.

...but they also played very well last month, by all accounts being very unlucky not to take something from Austria. If anything they looked better than last campaign. I'd bite your hand off for a repeat of our 1-0. I'd bite both your hands off for better.

[Kingdom]

...but they also played very well last month, by all accounts being very unlucky not to take something from Austria. If anything they looked better than last campaign. I'd bite your hand off for a repeat of our 1-0. I'd bite both your hands off for better.

I didn't see them v Austria, but it's reported today that Arveladze thinks they've regressed under Weiss, and were only capable in the final 20 mins. I detected that there might have been a touch of spite due to one of his pals getting the bullet over money, then Weiss comes in.

It's very simple for me tonight. O'Neill makes a big statement about what he sees as the route ahead with Hoolahan. And that's not a dramatic statement. With Arter out, if he wants to try and pick Georgia apart, then he should play Hoolahan.

[geysir]

...but they also played very well last month, by all accounts being very unlucky not to take something from Austria. If anything they looked better than last campaign. I'd bite your hand off for a repeat of our 1-0. I'd bite both your hands off for better.

The result is one thing and the minimum, but more of the same dumbed down banality from the last Georgia game would be just torture.
It's reasonable to expect MO'N to have us performing better as a team.

[paul_oshea]

Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm nervous because the loss of any points from these two game will probably be catastrophic, or if it's because I think we might slip up.

In theory, we should have enough at home tonight, especially if we pick the right team. I'd happily take another shambolic performance with such a positive result though.

As catastrophic as they may be, its the performances where we get a draw and are happy with against similar teams I think is the bigger catastrophe.

Drawing against teams we should beat is actually ok if we beat teams of our similar level, its more significant to our final standings. Ill be annoyed with anything other than 6 points however if we finish with 4 and had beaten Serbia we would be in a better position than if we do get 6.

[paul_oshea]

I'm not positive about tonight, I firmly believe if we continue in the ideals of playing football the way O'Neill wants us to play, then our luck will run out soon. As others have said, if we drop points tonight, then it's a big blow.

I agree completely, but its still far better than we did under Trap at any stage, or the few that went before it - save kerr half campaign.

[paul_oshea]

...but they also played very well last month, by all accounts being very unlucky not to take something from Austria. If anything they looked better than last campaign. I'd bite your hand off for a repeat of our 1-0. I'd bite both your hands off for better.

Not according to various media, austria were 2up till the last 15-20 minutes and controlled the game for the marority of the time bar those last few minutes. So even the average better teams than Ireland get the willies from time to time

Just bite his hands off, for the better good of course.

[OwlsFan]

Just bite his hands off, for the better good of course.

We should be able to win hands down then

Usual nervous vibes before a game but with Wes pulling the strings and Walters and Long giving them a hard time up front, I predict a 2-0.

[DeLorean]

As catastrophic as they may be, its the performances where we get a draw and are happy with against similar teams I think is the bigger catastrophe.

It's definitely a bigger catastrophe to drop points against Georgia (home) /Moldova (anywhere) than to draw in Serbia.

Drawing against teams we should beat is actually ok if we beat teams of our similar level, its more significant to our final standings.

Yeah, hopefully we can beat Serbia at home to top up our very welcome and undeserved point in Belgrade.

Ill be annoyed with anything other than 6 points however if we finish with 4 and had beaten Serbia we would be in a better position than if we do get 6.

I'd be delighted with seven points from our first three games, and would have been before a ball was kicked. If we end up with any less than that all of my frustration will be aimed at tonight or Sunday.


But I think we know where each other stand at this stage.

[paul_oshea]

Lets see Sunday night, where Serbia stand, and come back to that one Delores! I think Serbia will be doing very well to have more than 5 points after Sunday.

Forgetting Mayo for a minute(they really are an exception ) the law of averages says we are due dropped points at some stage against this team/kind of team. Surely we should be beating someone of our similar level too at some stage and we still can't do it - germany are not our level ; )

And your first point, i wasnt saying dropping 2 of 6 points was a good thing either, but I'm not sure if that's what you are getting at.

[DeLorean]

I was just responding to you saying it's a bigger catastrophe to draw against similar level teams (presume you were talking about the draw in Serbia) than Georgia/Moldova. I think that's what you were saying anyway.

What'll be will be with Serbia's results from now on. Of course it's possible that Austria or Wales could win there, but I saw it as a really tough game that we were more likely to lose than win. Therefore I was and still am very happy with a point.

For Serbia to be on more than five points after Sunday they have to win both their matches... of course they will be doing very well for that to happen - they can't do any better!

[paul_oshea]

No thats not what I meant, i was conditioning it, with my use of "if".

Ya sorry I think they will be doing well to get anything in Austria, but they are home(i got confused by a post on another thread), I was expecting them to lose Sunday but they are home so will probably grab a draw.

[backstothewall]

For me this group with be very close the whole way through but any side who take anything less that 12 points against Georgia & Moldova won't win it.

[swinfordfc]

Ireland have to win tonight to have any chance of progressing! ..... End of matter!

[Fixer82]

Jun '13 - 4-0 (H) - a friendly in which they were rubbish. I suspect Conor Sammon was the invigorating force, given it was the only one of the 7 games he played.

Actually I think he played pretty well in that game and got two assists. Open to correction on this

[pineapple stu]

Wasn't one the lovely slide-rule pass to Keane across the six-yard box, which McClean made an arse of in the Euros against France?

[Fixer82]

Wasn't one the lovely slide-rule pass to Keane across the six-yard box, which McClean made an arse of in the Euros against France?

Yes indeed. Think he had two in that game. Actually thought he generally did well alongside Keane. Terrible in the air for a big man though.

[tetsujin1979]

That sound you can hear is DeLorean having a coronary somewhere: http://foot.ie/threads/180052-Republ...=1#post1887446