Respect!!

[daniel sheffer]

I remember that you whiners had a lot to say about our team after the game in Irland and I was wondering what you all have to say abot us now.

We didn't lose any game until now,we came back 6(!!) times after trailing in the game (and another time we scored after Cyprus equal the score at their home and got a penalty),we don't have players in Chelsea or Manchester United,we don't have a team (or even a player) who will play this year in the champions league,we don't have exciting players to watch or anyone with an exceptional talent but we do have a group of players with a big heart,a lot of character and they did something that no one,in any place in the world,thought a year ago that they can do and I demand you to respect them.

Daniel

[Saint Tom]

yes daniel i agree with you,

Israel have put up an excellent performance in this group and have punched above their weight for sure. You have an exceptional team spirit and seem to be moving in the right direction under Avi Grant. No mean feet to come back on six occasions against more traditional footballing nations. And respect has been earned.

The team spirit would remind you of ourselves in the late eighties and early nineties, and can be more than a match for any team of individual superstars

On the other hand, you have drawn six games from eight.. which simply is not good not good enough to qualify for a finals. But you are not out of the running for second place just yet.

Having gone back to Tel Aviv for a holiday after the welcome we got in March, I wish you well and would prefer to see you come second.

Best of luck

[sylvo]

If you are talking about Israel, then you can also add the best actor nomanation in next years Oscars for your goalkeeper, but the ref is mostly to blame for that seeing he should have ordered him off for treatment to his serious injurys, and stick an outfield player in goal and let the game go on without him, not to mention the sporting way he got Andy O'Brian sent off.
Still thats in the past now, and wednesday is the day we have to make up for those games against you.

[daniel sheffer]

Thank you saint tom.we still have not forgotten your amazing fans and I hope we will play each other another time in the future.

Daniel

[gustavo]

of the other three nations i hope ye finish second when we top the group

[Stuttgart88]

I demand you to respect them.

Daniel, respect is earned, not demanded.

I fully respect what your unfancied team has achieved to date in this group in terms of points earned. Congratulations, you've proved the sceptics wrong.

I also fully respect & appreciate the very warm welcome I consistently hear was afforded to Irish fans who travelled out to Israel.

I will never respect a player who cheats to get an opponent sent off & who persistently pretends to be injured. Otherwise you'd be asking me to respect dishonesty & bad sportsmanship. I'd find it hard too to feel any empathy for a fellow football fan who didn't feel the same. I said at the time that if Shay Given had behaved the same way as Dudu Awat I'd be ashamed & embarassed for him. I was disappointed when some Israeli fans were blind to this here, and especially on soccercentral.ie. That's what you are referring to in your "whining" accusation I presume.

If you accept that Awat's behaviour is the type of behaviour that is ruining our game I would respect your "achievement" unequivocally.

[daniel sheffer]

No,I can't say that the image of Awat wasting time was heartwarming but the one thing that was more pathetic than his performance was your whining consistency,thread after thread,message after message instead of looking at your team full of stars and critisize them about not beating an untalented team (and believe me,this is the most untalented Israeli team that I can remember) that day.you prefered to throw all your fustrations over him like he was the reason for the draw and not the poor performance of your stars.and you also called our team "garbage" and other stuff.guess what,this garbage team has only one point less than you and we still have to play the faroe islands twice.

[eirebhoy]

daniel, Israel were garbage in their 2 games against Ireland which is why so many people made those comments. If the players played a fair game they would have got the credit they deserve but the one thing I hate more than anything in football is time wasting, diving, etc. In other words cheating. This may be accepted in Israel but we don't even want our own players to do this.

I don't agree that this is an untalented team. I seen Israel play some very good football in this group at home. I, and most others, would like to see Israel finish 2nd to Ireland in this group. The days after the game in Dublin we were annoyed, it is expected.

[tetsujin1979]

this is the most untalented Israeli team that I can remember

If this is the most untalented side, how come it's the best chance you have had in ages of qualifying??

[daniel sheffer]

If this is the most untalented side, how come it's the best chance you have had in ages of qualifying??

First of all it's not true because we already played in the world cup in 1970 and we also qualified to the playoff in 1999 but we lost to Denmark.

As for your question I already answered it in my original post:big heart,a lot of character and a great coach.

[Lionel Ritchie]

...I think Israel deserve a lot of credit for the way they've upset the applecart in this group Daniel.

Looking at the table -it is most probable that Israel will finish on 18 points - a credible tally by any standard. It means Ireland have to win 2 of the three remaining games to finish ahead of them. In other words we have our work cut out for us.

Best of luck with the rest of the campaign Daniel

[oconghc2]

no doubt a lot of repect has been earned by the way Israel have upset the so-called major teams.

But I dont think you need to ask us if we respect the achievement daniel!! This was never part of our "whining"!! We were whining about the cheating goalkeeper! He was acting the maggot and this added to our frustration which was also aimed towards our own team!

Fair play to yous, but we always find it hard to respect a cheat. It's a pity because this kind of crap is creeping into football!! We're not innocent in Ireland either (Duffer!) but it's never been as blatant as Awat!

[Nir_Arad]

Daniel, respect is earned not demanded, and I think our team earned it allright (but I guess it was just a translation mishap).

I suppose you boys might be interested to hear that Awat is no longer in the Israeli team. He resigned/kicked out after Nir Davidovich was chosen to be goalkeeper against Switzerland. This guy sure has some personality issues, as you witnessed yourselves. With Nir we now have a goalie we can be proud of, in all aspects.

The rest of the team - like Daniel said, it's one of the least talented teams we had in a long time, except the defence perhaps, but they have big hearts. I'm really proud of them.

Good luck in your upcoming games. Calculating the odds is way too complex for me, so I just hope you beat France, we beat Faroes twice and we both wind up in Germany for 2006. I hear they have some decent beers over there.

[Peadar]

I remember that you whiners had a lot to say about our team after the game in Irland and I was wondering what you all have to say abot us now.

While your results are credible, nothing will change the fact that some of your players hehaved disgracefully during the game in Dublin.
They're antics may be acceptable in your part of the world but where we come from, they totally go against the spirit of the game.

I wish you every luck in the remaining games and hope you can join us in Germany.

[paul_oshea]

Daniel, respect is earned not demanded, and I think our team earned it allright (but I guess it was just a translation mishap).

I suppose you boys might be interested to hear that Awat is no longer in the Israeli team. He resigned/kicked out after Nir Davidovich was chosen to be goalkeeper against Switzerland. This guy sure has some personality issues, as you witnessed yourselves. With Nir we now have a goalie we can be proud of, in all aspects.

The rest of the team - like Daniel said, it's one of the least talented teams we had in a long time, except the defence perhaps, but they have big hearts. I'm really proud of them.

Good luck in your upcoming games. Calculating the odds is way too complex for me, so I just hope you beat France, we beat Faroes twice and we both wind up in Germany for 2006. I hear they have some decent beers over there.

nir that is a very decent and honest post, with something like that you earn respect not like that other dope hugh heffner...sorry i mean daniel sheffner.

[Donal81]

I remember that you whiners had a lot to say about our team after the game in Irland and I was wondering what you all have to say abot us now.

Now, a few months on, I still consider that Israeli team to be one which has no problem whatsoever with feigning injury to get a player sent off, timewasting and diving. One moment from Lansdowne stands out when, after an Irish corner was cleared, there was something like three or four Israeli players lying on the ground, clutching some body part.

Congratulations on making it this far. Your team is tenacious and never gives up, something that deserves respect. You have a good chance of qualifying and well done. But don't ever demand that I respect a team that plays the way Israel did in Lansdowne. I have honestly never seen a team play that disgracefully in front of my eyes.

[Superhoops]

While your results are credible, nothing will change the fact that some of your players hehaved disgracefully during the game in Dublin.
They're antics may be acceptable in your part of the world but where we come from, they totally go against the spirit of the game.....

Two comments on this:
1) we only developed an interest in the behaviour of Awat because we did not win a game in which we led 2-0. Had we won no-one would have give a fiddler's f**k what Awat did.
2) we have our own history of players behaivng disgracefully during a game, Connolly in Belgium and Roy Keane in his first game as captain against Russia are two that come to mind.

[Peadar]

2) we have our own history of players behaivng disgracefully during a game

You show me a game where a team from North Western Europe ever behaved like Israel in Dublin and I'll accept your point.
The friends who came over from Tel Aviv to us for the game, hung their heads in shame afterwards.
This disgraceful exhibition of gamesmanship is not common place in our game.

[SeanieBoy]

I would still have been annoyed with him whether we had won or drawn. The behaviour by their goalkeeper has to be one of the most disgraceful displays I have ever seen by a footballer, I am sure the behaviour of Keane & Connolly would not come even close to that of Awat

Two comments on this:
1) we only developed an interest in the behaviour of Awat because we did not win a game in which we led 2-0. Had we won no-one would have give a fiddler's f**k what Awat did.
2) we have our own history of players behaivng disgracefully during a game, Connolly in Belgium and Roy Keane in his first game as captain against Russia are two that come to mind.

[wallis]

Israel have done very well but I dont think they will qualify as 19 points looks to be the total needed for the play offs and so they will fall short.

If Im honest Im glad if they dont make it. Even though it was against us , the behaviour of their side at Lansdowne was a disgrace. Im sick of seeing sides turn to this sort of cheating. Albania also tried it a few years ago and we were fortunate to win 2-1. I cant stand watching sides play act whether it is in the champions league (Mourinhos Porto spring to mind), the english leagues (Diouff ?) or international qualifiers.

The thought of Israel being in Germany and pulling these sort of stunts would turn my stomach- sorry but thats how I feel. Sadly there is no backbone in FIFA/UEFA to stamp this out by banning players. I remember Rivaldos 'face clutching' when the ball hit his knee in WC2002 and they let him off. Also Slaven Bilic pretending to be headbutted and getting Laurent Blanc sent off in the WC 98 semi (Blanc then missed the final against Brazil - can you imagine missing the chance to captain your nation in your captial city against Brazil because off someone elses cheating?)

Your goalkeeper made some outstanding saves, but the only thing people will remember is his acting and how he deliberately got Andy O'Brien sent off. Someone like this does not deserve to play in a World Cup in my opinion as Im sure he would do the same thing in Germany.

So as I say , well done for your efforts but I cant have respect for your side after that sort of behaviour. I would still feel the same way if it had been against France or the Swiss.