Georgia V Republic of Ireland - Saturday, 2 September 2017 - World Cup 2018 Qualifier

[Lionel Ritchie]

So what is everyone predicting?

Ireland 1-1 Georgia
Serbia 3-1 Ireland

Panic ensues.

why did we cede home advantage to Serbia? Have Austria or Wales objected?

[KrisLetang]

The home team should be mentioned second. When you are hosting your infamous dinner parties do you serve yourself first? Have some manners dear man.

[NeverFeltBetter]

We'll win. Nothing spectacular, 1-0.

[IsMiseSean]

So what is everyone predicting?

Ireland 1-1 Georgia
Serbia 3-1 Ireland

Panic ensues.

A 'road game' to Serbia.

[KrisLetang]

Some scenarios:
http://www.punditarena.com/irish-foo...ition-group-d/

[nigel-harps1954]

A safe 8-0 win over Georgia after a nervy 80 minutes followed by throwing in the towel against Serbia. We'll sh!t the togs at home and only win 3-0.

[TrapAPony]

Georgia 1-1 Ireland
Ireland 1-0 Serbia

[mark12345]

Georgia 7 Ireland 8
Ireland 10 Serbia 11

That's what I think of predictions

[mark12345]

I have a feeling that our big lads will find the net from set pieces tomorrow night, and more than once. Duffy, Clark, Ward and Walters are all capable of causing Georgia problems, or any defense for that matter. Recalling the performance in Austria, Harry Arter was quite influential. I think we'll see a similar game from him tomorrow night

[tetsujin1979]

I've a strange feeling about Ward myself, think he might be a decent outside bet to score in 90 minutes

[KrisLetang]

I thought the game was tomorrow Tets.

[DeLorean]

Players who are one booking away from a suspension:

Ward
Whelan
Coleman
Walters
Duffy
Brady
Meyler
McGeady

[Diggs246]

Walters would be serious and we need one of Brady or Ward, the rest we can live with if they get suspended for Serbia

[KrisLetang]

Speaking of Coleman, when will he be back?

[DannyInvincible]

I fear tomorrow will be a really tight and cumbersome game. It'll be hard work and hard to watch. I don't think it'll be pretty. Just hoping we have enough to rise to the occasion and pull us over the line for a crucial three points. It would set us up nicely for what could turn out to be the group-decider on Tuesday night. Even if we do end up finishing second, three points tomorrow should certainly help ensure we won't end up being the ninth-best second-place finisher who'll miss out on the play-offs.

Georgia's manager Vladimir Weiss clearly regards Georgia as technically superior to us:

"[Ireland] are a strong team, maybe not technical like our team, but they are strong physically."

He's probably justified in his thinking. They played better football than us in the home game that we scraped through.

Wes needs to start for us really in order to give us the best chance of snatching victory. Under O'Neill, we've won an average of 2.08 points per game when Wes has started, but have an average of 1.3 points per game when Wes hasn't been in the starting eleven. He's been crucial to so many important goals during O'Neill's tenure as well.

We have played ex soviet republics in 10 qualifiers ties, out of the 20 games played we only dropped points once, in a drawn game.
W19 D1 L0

Isn't Russia technically a former Soviet republic? We lost to them twice and have drawn with them twice in competitive games (all Euro qualifiers): https://www.11v11.com/teams/republic...sition/Russia/



Who did we draw against out of the 20 you mention?

Speaking of Coleman, when will he be back?

Possibly by Christmas: https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football...-early-return/

He's back in outdoor training.

[DannyInvincible]

As far as I know that's irrelevant. As he was born in England and didn't have an Irish passport until recently (if he does) he has to apply for a change of nationality. UCD player Maxi Kouogun was born in Cameroon and wanted to play for Ireland at underage level but couldn't because Cameroon wouldn't cooperate with FIFA to transfer his nationality.

Danny or geysir might have a better explanation than I do.

From what Yann Hafner told me, I understand article 7 applies to Hogan as he is assuming a new nationality. As far as I know, this means that the English FA must confirm to FIFA - via the provision of some sort of documentation or statement - that Hogan was never fielded by them in order to establish or substantiate his eligibility to play for the FAI. How long this process might take, I'm not sure, but I would imagine it could be anywhere between a number of days and a few weeks, depending on the urgency of the association concerned.

Here are two posts of mine on Maxi Kouogun's case (that may feature some helpful/relevant info, as far as Hogan's case is concerned) after I consulted Yann Hafner about it at the time:

I asked Yann what he thought of Kouogun's case and he speculated that the delay might be due to the national federation of Cameroon having (and failing up to now) to provide FIFA with a statement confirming that Kouogun was never fielded by them.

Had sent Yann another email just to pose some further questions but he's re-stated that, based on available info, Kouogan's case "seems perfectly legit". There should be no issue, as far as FIFA are concerned, in granting an exemption, so long as procedural matters are satisfied. Interestingly, he did inform me that the exemption mechanism was introduced only about three or four years ago, around 2013. I hadn't been aware of this.

I also raised the matter again of what actually effects a switch and he seems to be of the thinking now that it is the granting of the switch request, which would mean Jack Grealish, just to use an example, is now irreversibly tied. Yann's thinking appears to have changed although he didn't speak to the head of the PSC about it unfortunately. This would seem to conform with statements from FAI sources (if I recall correctly) a few months ago stating that once Grealish's switch would be granted, there'd be no going back on it. Indeed, it would also conform with the literal wording of article 8.1 which states that a player "may, only once, request to change the association for which he is eligible to play international matches".

Yann was merely speculating as to the reason for the delay there, mind. Perhaps geysir is in the know when he says that FIFA were simply waiting for proof that Kouogan wasn't imported for football reasons?

Nevertheless, in the case of Hogan, I still think (based upon what Yann told me previously) that the FA would have to provide a statement, although I don't believe his assuming of Irish nationality would be regarded by FIFA as a formal switch of association considering he's never played for any association at all yet, to the best of my knowledge. In theory, it's possible Hogan could acquire an Irish passport now, line out for us in an upcoming friendly and then switch to England at some point in the future.

[DeLorean]

Who did we draw against out of the 20 you mention?

I remember we drew 0-0 in a qualifier at home to Lithuania. I think it was the campaign when Romania stream rolled our group.

I guess technically you're right about Russia. My crude political and geographical mind would kind of consider Russia to have been what was left once all the others broke away though.

We could do with John Aldridge today, I'd say he racked up half his international goals tally against the former Soviet countries, Latvia being his most prominent victim.

[DannyInvincible]

Ed Leahy reckons O'Neill may go with Wes based on the following comment by O'Neill: "We have to keep the ball well in these [warm] conditions."

Did Martin O’Neill unintentionally show his hand ahead of this away encounter in Georgia?

The Ireland manager will rarely release even the most minute of details ahead of kick-off but perhaps his reference to the expected warm weather in Tblisi, saying, "we have to keep the ball well in these conditions," is an indication that Wes Hoolahan may be given the nod to start.

Ball retention is one of Ireland’s perennial weaknesses, and has been evident throughout the campaign, yet whenever Hoolahan plays, the entire team takes on a completely different complexion.

I hope he's right.

[Olé Olé]

Could be right. I think he will play Wes or Hourihane in midfield. Hourihane is such a goal threat away from home when none of our forwards are really firing.

[tricky_colour]

So what is everyone predicting?

Ireland 1-1 Georgia
Serbia 3-1 Ireland

Panic ensues.

Just hoping for a win from the Georgia game, we are expected to win, well we are 4/5 so it is a almost a coin flip to win.

The only headline out of that one is a bad result for Ireland. If we win it is expected, mind you I am not even sure of that!