If you could change one result in Ireland's football history...

**NeilMcD** · 19/04/2006, 9:25 AM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

Not sure we would have beaten South Korea, but we definitely deserved to beat Spain and to get to the Q/F would have been the perfect two-fingers to RMK.

But the vote must be for the Italy game in 1990. A win would have meant at least a World Cup semi-final place. For Ireland that would have been mega.

No matter what thread you will always get people bringing this ****e up time and time again and having little dig at either side. Yeah I am sure Keane woudl have been gutted that his country had got to the Quarter finals. Grow up for **** sake.

**Junior** · 19/04/2006, 9:54 AM

1990 v Italy - Just for the childhood memories, the dream of getting to the next round, too young to be in Italy, but great times here in Sunny Manchester!

1999 v Macedonia - Just to erradicate, that stomach churning, wrenching, numb,sick, disbelief feeling that the eqauliser produced. From automatic qualification for another major tournament to nothing in that split second. Skopje was a depressing place that night.

**Paulie** · 19/04/2006, 10:03 AM

Having just read all the posts on this thread I am now completely p*ssed off. The last thing I need to be reading about is every match Ireland either got robbed or failed miserably!

**OwlsFan** · 19/04/2006, 1:57 PM

Originally Posted by Paulie

Having just read all the posts on this thread I am now completely p*ssed off. The last thing I need to be reading about is every match Ireland either got robbed or failed miserably!

Then give up following football. Because unless your team is going to win everything, there'll always be "we wuz robbed" or the disappointment of defeat. It comes with the territory.

**eirebhoy** · 19/04/2006, 2:23 PM

Definitely Italy '90.

**Paulie** · 19/04/2006, 2:40 PM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

Then give up following football. Because unless your team is going to win everything, there'll always be "we wuz robbed" or the disappointment of defeat. It comes with the territory.

I'm aware of this. The point I was trying to make is that in the course of reading through a thread you don't normally get to be reminded of the large number of games when your team have failed, for whatever reason, to win or progress ie. games with Belgium, Italy, Macedonia, Spain, France, Poland, Holland etc.

**jbyrne** · 19/04/2006, 2:53 PM

spain '02 for sure although with a gauranteed ticket for 1/4 final in my hand and an extra week away from work on top of an extra week already taken for 2nd round i would definately have been fired!

**Dassa** · 19/04/2006, 3:11 PM

NI 1- 0 England 2005

Id make it 2-0

It would have to be 82 world cup v France.O'Neill goal dissallowed for no reason.

**nedder** · 19/04/2006, 4:00 PM

I thought this was about Ireland's footballing history??

**OwlsFan** · 19/04/2006, 4:15 PM

Originally Posted by nedder

I thought this was about Ireland's footballing history??

Well the Banner does read "Where Ireland fans discuss Total World Domination" - doesn't say which Ireland fans

**Dassa** · 19/04/2006, 5:24 PM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

Well the Banner does read "Where Ireland fans discuss Total World Domination" - doesn't say which Ireland fans

exactly,it did say which result in Ireland's history would you change. But if you dont want comments thats fair enough.

**Kowalski** · 19/04/2006, 5:35 PM

Wasn't really fully aware of Italia 90 (I was 8 years old) so it would defintely be the Spain game in WC 2002, firstly, we deserved to win the game outright & were just unlucky with penalties. I have never been so gutted after a football match. Secondly, I reckon it would have left us with a great chance to get to the final, our momentum with the fans would have got us past South Korea & Germany would have been just plainly scared of us.

**Superhoops** · 19/04/2006, 6:02 PM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

No matter what thread you will always get people bringing this ****e up time and time again and having little dig at either side. Yeah I am sure Keane woudl have been gutted that his country had got to the Quarter finals. Grow up for **** sake.

Might be s***e to you, but like it or not it was a pivotal event in Irish football history. Whether he was right or wrong makes no difference, the fact is he did what he did and he let himself, the fans and his country down. For as long as people discuss Irish football this will always be brought up so live with it.

**lopez** · 19/04/2006, 10:36 PM

Hollland 1 - Ireland 2 Rotterdam 1981

Poland 2 - Ireland 3 Poznan 1991

Two games. Two extra tournaments (providing the two successive results stayed the same of course). Nuff said.

(Sorry; that's two results.)

**greatbleddyman** · 20/04/2006, 12:05 PM

Spain 2002; gan dabht

**Lionel Ritchie** · 20/04/2006, 12:14 PM

Not a very popular one I'm sure but the 1-3 loss to Austria in Dublin in June 1995. It really was the beginning of the end for Jack ...though he'd no one to blame but himself as he was grossly negligent to his duties in the run up to the game ...as were the entire squad. They were out on the **** here in Limerick for the week building up to the match with Jacks son left "in charge" while Jack went off on various promo/endorsement jobs. Disgraceful was the only word for it.

But the result utterly torpedoed our chances of going to England in 1996. We were playing catch-up from there having also dropped points to Liechtenstein away and to Northern Ireland in Dublin. Two more sound hammerings followed -away to Austria and Portugal -before the Dutch got to finish us off at Anfield.

I think we'd have done well in England 96 if we'd qualified -though the squad was old and not as good at all as the one that missed out on Sweden 92. Can't you just imagine the numbers of Irish and all the colour they'd have brought to England.

**OwlsFan** · 20/04/2006, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

I think we'd have done well in England 96 if we'd qualified -though the squad was old and not as good at all as the one that missed out on Sweden 92. Can't you just imagine the numbers of Irish and all the colour they'd have brought to England.

No, we wouldn't have done well. That team was in terminal decline no matter what the preparation. I think there is a possibility we might have ended up with 0 points and bottom of the group. Even if we had beaten Austria we would still have finished behind Portugal I think (without checking the table).

**as_i_say** · 20/04/2006, 1:35 PM

Originally Posted by Dassa

NI 1- 0 England 2005 Id make it 2-0

It would have to be 82 world cup v France.O'Neill goal dissallowed for no reason.

somebody ban this lad

im glad ye beat england that time, now we dont have to hear about spain 82 every time theres a match on up there!

**dublinred** · 20/04/2006, 1:50 PM

Has to be spain 2002 , watched the rising Suns DVD recently and can't believe how we did not beat them , for most of the second half and all of extra time we were charging into them. What makes it more amazing/dissappointing is that we were up against the nucleous of the Real Madrid Champions league winners team whereas we were supposedly poorly prepared havin been on a 2 week bender in Saipan........., Quinn would of scored 10 against them little koreans in the next round.

**Bluebeard** · 20/04/2006, 2:04 PM

The home match vs Belgium in 1980 for the 1982 World Cup Qualifiers - drew 1-1, would have liked 1-0. A good ball playing squad would have become galvanisedm especially having topped the group, probably then made it to the 1986 Finals, no arrival of Big Jack, football would have dominated, and we would have eventually become