Andy Reid and Stephen Kelly score for Spurs

**jimbob117** · 06/05/2005, 4:27 PM

Originally Posted by FarBeag

Quote Donal81...The French are very, very weak.

Sorry but I don't agree.How can the French team go from being the best team in the world to be so dire in the last 18 mths or so??They are being badly managed and have no self belief at the present and look at their individuals players.They will come good.They still top the table and even if they are grinding out results(like ourselves) does not make them weak by any stretch of the imagination.

Israel are no world beaters i know but either were Greece before they wont the big one in Portugal.They are a good team and with the capabilities to beat us in Landsdowne and have the self confidence that they can.Therefore in my view this makes them very very dangerous.I have much more confidence in beating the Swiss at home although this will not be easy either judging by our previous record against them.

The French are relatively weak compared to their W/C and Euro Champs winning teams. This is because they lost zidane, thuaram, makelele and lizarazu, all world class players.. so thats how they have disappointed in the last 18 months or so, any team would miss them.
As for isreal being dangerous? i think they will be like the proverbial fish out of water over here. I think if we go at them from the start, we will beat them comfortably, and i know they got as good a result as us in france but i just dont think they have the quality to continue that form. like donal said, they have momentum but we can stop them and if/when we beat them, i reckon they'll struggle for the rest of their games thus ruling them out of contention.