Israel match thread

[hamish]

I have to be honest here - I am not happy with that keeper's performance BUT does anyone remember Ireland v Holland in Italia 90???

Secondly, referring to low standards in football, I've just seen on teletext that West Ham are keen on signing Lee Bowyer. I've supported the Irons since the early 60s but if they sign that animal, then it's goodbye,

Football everywhere is contaminated with cheating, low standards of behaviour - look at Chelsea today vis-a-vis Frank Arnessen, just after the Cole affair. It just goes on and on and I dispair at all this.

What can be done about all this??? How can it be stopped?

IF the Israeli keeper was hit by an Irish elbow - name and shame the culprit, let video evidence be produced for FIFA etc but that doesn't absolve the keeper's behaviour. Justifying bad behaviour with more bad behaviour is wrong.

In fact, I thought the game was very exciting if not very high level of football at times but one couldn't take one's eyes off it.

All we're doing at this stage - myself included - is going round in circles by focusing on the keeper.

I can imagine that both football associations might be fined - whether justified or not. That would be FIFAs usual slap on the wrist and a display of their inability to deal with bad behaviour from ALL teams/players - at club and international levels.

[Ron Amikam]

And i reported now that Awat was attacked by irish fan in the hotel!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hamish]

And i reported now that Awat was attacked by irish fan in the hotel!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If that happened, then I hope the culprit is arrested and jailed.

Again, bad behaviour justifying bad behaviour.*

*by the assailant on the keeper.

[Ron Amikam]

If that happened, then I hope the culprit is arrested and jailed.

Again, bad behaviour* justifying bad behaviour.

*by the assailant

he throw on him a container of champagne, and run awey

[hamish]

he throw on him a container of champagne, and run awey

Couln't have been an Irishman so - we would NEVER damage bottles of alcohol especially champagne,

Are you in Dublin, seeing this??

[BobbySands]

Gamesmanship, cheating, and a ref who is always on your side. Sound familiar ??? Frankly we were lucky to get a draw. All in all a good days work.

[Ron Amikam]

It was empty

[hamish]

It was empty

Empty champagne bottles or empty container of champagne bottles?

Did anyone make a chase of the culprit and was the keeper hurt??

By the way, Argentinian fans must be even more disappointed - just seen on Eurosport they lost 2-0 to Ecuador!!!

[M@ttitude]

That keeper should be shot with balls of his own ****e!!! I dont know how the irish players held themselves back from digging him! But I think Brian Kerrs decision to replace Robbie Keane with Graham Kavanagh was a disgrace, totally knocked us off our rhythm, DUFF IS A WINGER!!! Why couldn't he replace him with Stephen Elliott, similiar to Keane we would have continued to play the very poor Israel team off the park! The Faroes will be tough if we play like that

[RiffRaff]

Disgusted at some of the comments directed at the Israel fans on here - they came for a point, they wasted time, they sneaked a point - good luck to them. If we can't win games we deserve to win over and over again, blame our manager. Good luck to Israel and if we don't get there, i hope they do.

[BobbySands]

Without a doubt, Israel will be great at a world cup. Security will be guantanomo-ish. They'd be great European ambassadors.

[hamish]

From a financial point of view, FIFA must be down on its hand and knees praying for Ireland to qualify - tens of thousands of fans, no trouble and a huge boost to the economy.

[hamish]

John O'Shea committed the foul that was the cause of the penalty decision and overall was very poor. He should be dropped forthwith. Another Basel like performance from him.

CTID - he used to "play" like that even for the Irish Schools team

[Thunderblaster]

The Greeks always bears gifts!! He should be given a weeks holiday in Southill for re-education. We all heard about homers, but awayers certainly takes the biscuit. Anyway, too many underperformed.

[A face]

I dunno were the Palestinians right about them all along ??

[c'mon Israel!]

I'm an Israeli born and fan.
Some (not all) of the comments here are really sickening. Israel havn't played "nicely". Nor did Ireland. This is football.
But the result is great for Israel. To score 2 goals in Landsdown Road after trailing with 2 is something kind of miracle for us. Especially when the other team siege our goal on the second half.
Mistakes of the ref (What would you say if Nimni had missed his penalty in his second try?) and wasting time of the guest team (The ref added 7 mins...) is quite understandable.
What's not understandable is the attitude of many of the Irish fans and media. I've followed The comments here befor and after the game in Tel Aviv. You were really downgrade Israel before the game. Some of you laughed at the Israeli fans who were rejoice at the draw result in Israel. "Well, you just wait and see when you'll come to Dublin you'll get what you deserve. At least 3 nil...".
Political insinuations is also not appropriate to a sport forum. Especially when some of your knowledge about the Middle East situation is not quite accurate (As we are not suppose to be expert on the North. Ireland situation). Many of you Irish fans were in Israel for the game. I was very happy when you came here. I think our welcome was more than friendly. I dont understand why all these protest on the streets and in the stadume.
I understand your frustration. But i've heard that some Irish fans in the Dublin hotel where the Israeli team is staying, threw a bucket full of ice at dudu awat, our golee...
But the main problem is your arrogance. HUBRIS Ireland. And Hubris is a sin, as you all know...
I hope that despite this, we still could be friends. Friendship can last only by respecting each other.
Goodluck to you, goodluck to us and see you in Germany 2006!
SHALOM from Israel.

[pineapple stu]

But i've heard that some Irish fans in the Dublin hotel where the Israeli team is staying, threw a bucket full of ice at dudu awat, our golee...

Did he go down injured, rolling on the ground for ten minutes?

What's not understandable is the attitude of many of the Irish fans and media.

Then you know nothing about football and fair play. What isn't understandable is that hardly one Israel fan is prepared to put his hands up and admit that their keeper was a disgrace.

[Shae_B2D]

That will give you an idea of how sh*t your team is - we're disgusted (again) and you guys are thrilled (again) beacause you DREW. 2 wins and 4 draws in this group, is mediocrity to us, 2 wins and 5 draws is an incredible achievement to you. Israel will be found out before the group is over.

Well, when you expect your team to lose big time in every game like we expect our team, to draw against teams which are WAY better than us is a reason for excitment. So yes, not the nicest football there, and lots lots lots LOTS of luck but for us it's big. What can we do, not all of us can be so lucky and be blessed with a wonderful team like Ireland - which btw, is expected to win every game by their fans, not lose everyo one, which is a HUGE difference.

Having said that, I got to remind everyone that I'm actually an Ireland fan and that to some level I find Ireland more dear to me than Israel. However, I couldn't really bring myself to cheer against any of those teams in both games, what can I do. I would have prefered that Ireland and Israel didn't play in the same group (although at least it gave me an opportunity to attend a game of my favorite national team, and that's not Israel) but since they do, I feel perfectly fine with the draws. I think that the disappointment I have from the Irish team (I mean, a draw against Israel?? please) kind of ballances with the fact I'm Israeli and can't REALLY want them to lose (got to say, I wouldn't have minded that so much, it's what we expect anyway and I don't really like them).

Ah, I just gave myself a headache.

so back to last night's game. The keeper... well, I think it's a two-sided story, our keeper. never liked him too much, a feeling that only grew once I actually met him. I do agree that some of his actions last night made me move uncomfortably in my chair (dragging time, again and again. and again), and be actually angry (when he retires from football, he should do theatre), but alongside that, he did manage to keep a clean net for a very LONG second half (although I think he had a little supernatural help, in the shape of the worst unlucky streak I've ever seen - a bit ironic when you think that Ireland has quite a few stories and symbols concerning lucks in its tradition - couldn't believe the number of times the ball was an inch away from getting in but didn't).

OH, and guys: calm down, it's only football, and people tend to get very protective when it comes to national sides, it's one of those things that make you feel from the heart and not think from your mind. Once two national sides meet and people from the two camps meet and discuss it, it's only reasonable to have those disagreements, because people don't really think clearly when it comes to something they truly love. as sports fans we should all know that, and basically tone down our comments against each other.

[mypost]

Denied by a combination of blatant cheating, refereeing bias and tactical incompetence. We should at the very least:

i) appeal to UEFA to have Andy O'Brien's red card overturned. It should be upheld, no question.
ii) petition UEFA to have that clown transferred forthwith to JP Barnum's circus in the expectation that he'd be much better with the other clowns, and;
iii) look very, very seriously at the position of manager should we fail to qualify from what is, with France's very ordinary form, in essence a very ordinary group.

I expect pelters for point iii) especially from some quarters of the eL brigade. I don't care. Kerr's tactics seem muddled at the best of times. Damien Duff played in three different set positions at different times ffs! Where's the continuity? It's all panic stuff, no fluidity. No wonder they found it so easy to undermine us. Lads and lasses, I see a silk purse being made into a sow's ear, and it's just not good enough. The bar was raised a generation ago when we beat England in Euro 88 and then got to the World Cup quarter-finals. These players need to be made to deliver, and at the moment it just doesn't seem to be there when it's really necessary. Like I said, it's just not good enough.

PP

We're out of the World Cup following the disasterous draw at home to Israel.

Because of the 2 points thrown away in Israel, we had to win last night, and as we didn't, we are as good as out of the World Cup. I just can't see us picking up 4 wins from the last 4 games. Now we have to hope for other results to go our way, but we've had enough opportunities in this group, and we haven't taken advantage of them. Now, we have France and Switzerland at home to come, and if we can't hold on to a 2-0 lead to Israel at home, we have no hope of beating the better teams.

Since he became coach, Kerr has had 4 big qualifying games against Russia, Switzerland last year, and the two games against Israel, and in each game we had the lead, lost it, and the two extra points with it. In the two games against Israel, he was shown to be tactically naive at best, and downright crazy at worst. We took an early lead against Israel over there, and should have finished them off. Instead we sat back, he made bad substitutions, defended poorly, and they equalized. We should have won it, but because of Kerr, 2 points were thrown into the Med.

Last night, he sent on Kavanagh for Keane, then lost the head after 55' when he sent on Doherty for Reid. Has he ever heard of the conventional "straight-swop" substitution?? Yes, the referee was appalling, but their penalty was the correct decision, following schoolboy defending, and 2 more points were thrown into Dublin Bay. It seems that any gameplan we have, goes out the window after we score. That shouldn't happen.

Kerr doesn't seem to understand that you can win all the home friendlies you like, against uninterested teams, but ultimately, you are judged on your competitive record, and he has shown to be out of his depth tactically, against even semi-decent sides when it matters. Even though we are the best side in the group, he will take the responsibility when we fail to qualify for the World Cup, and the FAI will get rid of him, and justifiably so, as he's shown that he's only capable of winning friendlies, and against the Faroes and Cyprus, and you get no prizes for beating them. He has proved that he's not up to the job when it counts. Metaphorically, the knives are being sharpened!!

Germany 2006 will be another tv tournament for us once again.

[Shae_B2D]

If you're not up to reading some positive way of thinking, that's not the post for you, but what can I do, maybe it's because i'm a girl - I'm very forgiving. O'Shea was indeed terrible last night, I was very disappointed, and yes, it does bring Basel to mind, but I don't think he should be dropped. What he does need is to get someone to lock him inside the video room with a tape with is "best" moments from last night and watch it in loop. I'd hope he'll learn something.

Way to go, Ian! that was a great moment to watch, that goal. I was truly happy for him.

and continuing my positive spirit, yes, a win last night would hae been beter but I still don't think that ends Ireland's hopes for another world cup tournament, it just makes it a little harder. and this group is so complicated anyway. Not going to do calculations here, that's the wrong thread, but the chance isn't gone yet.

As for Israel... I got to say I'm stuck in the middle in this. on one hand, as an Israeli I have to have a little pride in the draw, which is better than what we could have expected here. I'm not very proud in the way it was acheived, or rather, the way it was kept through the second half. no problem with the 2 equalizing goals, although we had a lot of luck there.

The second half was one of the ugliest games I've seen, but I guess for you the shock of it's ugliness was bigger because you don't have the pleasure (not) of watching the Israeli league every week. It was Israeli soccer with all of its great points - the time stalling, the pretended falls, etc. however, it had something that usuaully Israeli teams lack - it had spirit, and you can laugh at it if you want, but I've seen enough Israeli teams to tell. the Israeli thing to do would be falling apart, something which they certainly didn't do, even if their methods of surviving such a game aren't something to be proud of, for us, not breaking down, IS.