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Thread: Slovakia v Republic of Ireland - 8th October 2020 - Euro 2020 Playoff Semi Final

  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by jbyrne View Post
    surely you are joking??
    where is everyone going to stay for a start?

    it will be a joke of a venue with many of the matches half full.
    part of me would be happy to write it off for us and let us concentrate on building a team for future competitions. whats gone on with the workers is almost as bad as a war crime in my book. giving it to Qatar is the most ridiculous, corrupt decision in the history of awarding these things.
    We have the Nations League for building a team for the WC qualifiers. Most every Finals hosts selection has involved levels of corruption. Ridiculous world cup decisions? eg USA 94, fans travel from New York to the baking heat of Orlando for an afternoon game, then back to New York, then god knows where for the knock out round.The WC Final played in daytime in a concrete dry sauna.
    Euro 2020, example of one route, last 16 Amsterdam, ->last 8 Baku (36C), -> semi final London.

    Qatar - the weather will be perfect, 30 mins travel to any game, can get to 2 games a day at your ease. The stadiums are magnificent and you say half filled? does that mean 'real' fans will be able to get match tickets at face value? Accomodation? do what peoplle usually do, a browser search $50 and up. Beaches are free and English lager louts not welcome. That's paradise.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fixer82 View Post
    Exactly! How is a maths challenged moron like me supposed to understand the absolute clüsterfück that is the UEFA Nations League?
    No maths involved in order to calculate the chances that UEFA revert to type and pull of a stroke, abandon the facade of transparancy and shift the balance of the draw (hot ball draw) so that the winner of Slov/Irl has home adv in League B final and either Hungary or Bulgaria have home venue in League A final. The desired outcome is that there is host coming out of each play off final or at least the host had home advantage in the final.

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    Seasoned Pro Fixer82's Avatar
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    I don’t like UEFA Nations League. It’s hugely confusing.
    Can we not just give more points for friendlies toward a country’s world ranking to do away with the meaninglessness of friendlies?

    More points = better seeding for qualification

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    The Cheeto God Real ale Madrid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fixer82 View Post
    I don’t like UEFA Nations League. It’s hugely confusing.
    Can we not just give more points for friendlies toward a country’s world ranking to do away with the meaninglessness of friendlies?

    More points = better seeding for qualification
    So countries can manipulate thier seeding by selecting a particular frequency and strength of opponents. Like Wales and Romania did pre World Cup 2018 Qualifiers.

    https://thesetpieces.com/world-footb...ss-calculator/

    The irony of this is, of course that Wales failed to qualify.

    I'm glad of the nations league - its only confusing for teams stuck in the playoffs. How do you avoid playoffs? Qualify Automatically.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fixer82 View Post
    I don’t like UEFA Nations League. It’s hugely confusing.
    Can we not just give more points for friendlies toward a country’s world ranking to do away with the meaninglessness of friendlies?

    More points = better seeding for qualification
    Jesus, what's confusing about it Fixer?

    It's actually a brilliant league for international teams (though I imagine club managers won't be best pleased with it)


    It's this simple. You play a lot more competitive games instead of friendlies.

    You play them against teams that are at your own level, more or less.

    They offer a promotion route to play teams that are at a higher level, if you can prove you are capable of getting up to that level.

    They relegate you if you are not capable of surviving at the level you are at

    The play offs will become a lot simpler next time.

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  7. #46
    Seasoned Pro Fixer82's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid View Post
    So countries can manipulate thier seeding by selecting a particular frequency and strength of opponents. Like Wales and Romania did pre World Cup 2018 Qualifiers.

    https://thesetpieces.com/world-footb...ss-calculator/

    The irony of this is, of course that Wales failed to qualify.

    I'm glad of the nations league - its only confusing for teams stuck in the playoffs. How do you avoid playoffs? Qualify Automatically.
    I hadn’t thought of that. So that’s why we played Oman so much over the last few years eh?

    Ok so maybe the idea of playing semi-competitive games against teams our own level is not a bad idea but the back-door qualification seems complicated to say the least.

    It’s probably not as complex as it seems but I thought it was clear as mud from day one.

    Hopefully with a (good) few tweaks it will be something we’ll enjoy over the next number of years.

    Four groups of three teams in the same division/group is where I’d start.

    Maybe have one game against each team instead of home and away and have two groups of 6. It’ll be only one more game than was played in the group anyway. Winners of each play each other in UEFA Nations league final.

    Also, I don’t understand why teams like San Marino or Faroe Islands have as good a chance as us to qualify for the Euros by winning their group.

    They’ll go to the finals and get spanked.

    It should just be the best 32 teams in Europe in the finals.

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    Tis hard to know where to start with this post to be honest

    Quote Originally Posted by Fixer82 View Post
    I hadn’t thought of that. So that’s why we played Oman so much over the last few years eh?
    Nah, that was because Oman either gave us a pile of money, or JD owed someone in Oman a big favour from some committee vote or somesuch

    Ok so maybe the idea of playing semi-competitive games against teams our own level is not a bad idea but the back-door qualification seems complicated to say the least.

    It’s probably not as complex as it seems but I thought it was clear as mud from day one.
    I don't know why you keep thinking that the Nations League is some kind of friendly/semi competitive tournament

    It's very competitive.. and should become even more so.

    The position you finish at the end of the Nations League, determines your seeding for the subsequent major competition.

    For example, Ireland finished in third spot in last autumns NL... which put them into Pot 3 when the draw was made. Had Ireland finished above Wales, they would have been in Pot 2, and would have had a significantly easier group than we got in the end in all likelihood

    Same will happen next Autumn.. Finish top of your group, you go into Pot 2 for World Cup qualifying, finish 2/3rd you go into Pot 3, but finish 4th you will end up in Pot 4

    So you can see how finishing as high as possible in the group can effect subsequent seeding

    Also, finish top of the group, and you got up to Pot A next time round, with 2/3 games against the likes of England/Spain/Germany/Italy/Holland etc.. stadium fillers and season ticket sellers


    Hopefully with a (good) few tweaks it will be something we’ll enjoy over the next number of years.

    Four groups of three teams in the same division/group is where I’d start.
    That's what we just had. It's been changed to 4 groups of 4, so that teams don't have empty matchdays

    Maybe have one game against each team instead of home and away and have two groups of 6. It’ll be only one more game than was played in the group anyway. Winners of each play each other in UEFA Nations league final.
    More games, more money for UEFA and the national associations

    Also, I don’t understand why teams like San Marino or Faroe Islands have as good a chance as us to qualify for the Euros by winning their group.

    They’ll go to the finals and get spanked.
    Doubt Georgia will get spanked that much next year if they qualify as expected from Pot 4


    It should just be the best 32 teams in Europe in the finals.
    May as well not bother with qualifying at that stage.. leave everyone in

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    Seasoned Pro Fixer82's Avatar
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    I thought they were expanding to 32 teams but I see it’s 24. Was it something that was talked about?

    I’d rather not see it expand. 24 seems a bit much even.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fixer82 View Post
    Also, I don’t understand why teams like San Marino or Faroe Islands have as good a chance as us to qualify for the Euros by winning their group.

    They’ll go to the finals and get spanked.

    It should just be the best 32 teams in Europe in the finals.
    The year that Denmark didn't qualify for the final they did pretty well.

    Also Kosovo and Georgia will perhaps do okay, neither were really spanked by anyone in the qualifiers - Georgia capable of getting results against teams like us, Denmark and Switzerland. England gave Kosovo a good going over in one of the matches but I don't think anyone else had much fun against them and England are one of the best teams in Europe. Indeed Kosovo were very close to qualifying without the need of a playoff.

    I see the disadvantages and unfairness of letting them have a playoff - but also I think its a positive move to share the pie a bit more.

    It will all be different for Euro 24 ... they re-jigged League D so that it is much weaker - I don't imagine they will give them the same opportunity they are giving this time for getting a playoff.

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    Away again in the final if we progress.

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    Seasoned Pro backstothewall's Avatar
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    We've won a playoff game in Bosnia before. We've qualified in Windsor Park before.

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    We drew 1-1 in Bosnia that time.

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    Seasoned Pro backstothewall's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DeLorean View Post
    We drew 1-1 in Bosnia that time.
    I'd say we won 1-1.

    Tbh all i remember of the game is Brady running out of the fog with his arms in the air and, George Hamilton not being terribly sure why he was looking so happy with himself.

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    Biased against YOUR club pineapple stu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by backstothewall View Post
    I'd say we won 1-1.
    Fat lot of good that'll do us in a one-leg play-off, unless you want to turn into John Delaney and ask to be the 25th team

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    if we end up in a final, will tickets be allocated 50/50?

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    It's a big ask for Ireland to win 2 away games in a row. I think whoever wins our semi final won't have to go to Windsor Pk. Norn Iron are passed their peak and Bosnia have already beaten them home and away in the NL.

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    Ireland won't win 2 away games in a row to qualify. I think we'll struggle to beat Slovakia never mind NI or B&H. I think it would be more beneficial in the long run for Ireland to go out now rather than stumble into the Euros with a team of aging and over the hill players for some fans to go on a **** up holiday. Maybe then people will realise there is more to Irish football the national team and might put some pressure on the FAI to reform although I won't hold my breath.

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    Bosnia are pretty poor though. Only came 4th in their Qualifying group where the only remotely difficult team was Italy. Picking up defeats to Finland, Greece and Armenia along the way.

    I think Bosnia are alot worse than when we met them previously in the playoff, and worse than when N. Ireland played them in Nations League. Dzeko possibly had injuries for some of those defeats listed above but still even if he isn't injured he'll be 4 months older by March.

    They are ranked well below N. Ireland in the FIFA rankings and just one place above them in the ELO Football ratings. Its about 66%-33% chance Bosnia over N. Ireland according to the prediction experts, but personally think its closer than that.

    I wouldn't count out a trip to Windsor Park.

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    Quote Originally Posted by davidatrb View Post
    Bosnia are pretty poor though. Only came 4th in their Qualifying group where the only remotely difficult team was Italy. Picking up defeats to Finland, Greece and Armenia along the way.

    I think Bosnia are alot worse than when we met them previously in the playoff, and worse than when N. Ireland played them in Nations League. Dzeko possibly had injuries for some of those defeats listed above but still even if he isn't injured he'll be 4 months older by March.

    They are ranked well below N. Ireland in the FIFA rankings and just one place above them in the ELO Football ratings. Its about 66%-33% chance Bosnia over N. Ireland according to the prediction experts, but personally think its closer than that.

    I wouldn't count out a trip to Windsor Park.
    I agree but there is a big gap between thier home and away from

    Beat Armenia 2-1, Finland 4-1 and drew with Greece at home, 2-2.
    Lost to all 3 away: Armenia 2-4, Greece 1-2 and Finland 0-2.

    As Gilesey would say - they are no great shakes.

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    Seasoned Pro jbyrne's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wexfordned View Post
    Ireland won't win 2 away games in a row to qualify. I think we'll struggle to beat Slovakia never mind NI or B&H. I think it would be more beneficial in the long run for Ireland to go out now rather than stumble into the Euros with a team of aging and over the hill players for some fans to go on a **** up holiday. Maybe then people will realise there is more to Irish football the national team and might put some pressure on the FAI to reform although I won't hold my breath.
    go on..... get it all out there...

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