The Greatest Show on Earth, and we're not there

**Reality Bites** · 09/06/2006, 8:15 AM

Just wondering how people are going to enjoy the World Cup with us not involved, personally i'm looking forward to it but there is also alot of regret that we're not there, But i can't help but to think maybe its a blessing in disguise cause we certainly would have performed poorly with Kerr at the helm, his tactics would have been exposed as one dimensional and lacking surprise, also boring,, the current players too are poor overall with one or two exceptions and more importantly mentally the weakest bunch to don the green in memory..

My team will be Argentina, Vivas Malvinas Argentinas!!

**Ash** · 09/06/2006, 8:26 AM

I reckon Spain will finally come good and I'd like Australia to do well but
I got Japan in the office draw so goooo on Nagata, Inamoto and Nakamura.

(Sorry, dont know many more of the Japaneese squad)

**OwlsFan** · 09/06/2006, 8:28 AM

"Blessing in disguise"

- as if we can cherry pick what tournaments we can play in. It's a disaster of the highest order not to be there and we'd have a better team than a lot there. I have hated the build up but once it starts I'll get stuck in to it and cringe when I have to listen to Drunkphy attack the referees, contradict himself and take apart a team he has tipped to win which has failed as Bill laughs on.

I won't support any team but I think the Italians will win it.

**Stuttgart88** · 09/06/2006, 8:43 AM

Absolutely gutted we're not there. Just one win from our last 3 home games was all it may have taken. Unforgivable. Fortress Lansdowne my arse.

I'll be looking at the tournament from a few angles:

Watching to see how / if the best teams adapt to recent rule changes & refereeing guidelines
Watching to see which wins out: the technocrats or the English style, or a combo of both
Our Euro 2008 opponents' form
Whether the tournament backs up my mantra of great teams not requiring great players throughout the team
Is anything other than 4-4-2 used to good effect, and if it is, why, and what are the essential ingredients?

That kind of thing.

Oh, and hoping England gets knocked out!

**CraftyToePoke** · 09/06/2006, 9:06 AM

dont see how you can view it as a blessing in disguise, its always better to be at a world cup than not to be, always, but particularly when, had we gotten there, you had planned the holiday of a lifetme at it with a bunch your best friends as i had,

also theres the seedings issue, each time we fail it makes success harder to achieve in the future, and therefore less likely, so forgive me for not feeling particularly blessed about that one

theres also the green granny brigade, whether you agree with it or not, or want them on board or not, had we made it, i think several guys would have become 'irish' in oppertunistic honour of the occasion, most likely Nolan and Bullard amongst them, (and god knows who else), i hope i dont kick of another Nolan saga by mentioning this though.

also to say Kerr would not have stepped up is pure conjecture, we will now never know how he would have fared. who knows, he may have performed admirably, although personally i doubt it, but we just dont know. for example Pardew at west ham struggled at champoinship level, his team too elaborate for a very systematic rigid division, and scraped up via the play-offs, but look at them now.

**CraftyToePoke** · 09/06/2006, 9:19 AM

will still be glued to every game though, cant wait for it, the summers without tournaments arent a patch on those in a w.c. or e.c. year.

will be interesting to watch if/which African side explodes onto the world scene this time.

**Dodge** · 09/06/2006, 9:20 AM

Looking forward to it more that we're not in it. Despise fake football fans.

**Don Vito** · 09/06/2006, 9:34 AM

Not really looking forward to it, finding it very hard to watch any programmes on tv about it, absolutely gutted that we missed out.

**bwagner** · 09/06/2006, 10:59 AM

Guys When You Think Of Our Campaign ....we Had 1 Good Game ...france Away...think About It Really.

We Have No Right What So Ever To Have Made The Cut , We Were And Are One Of The Poorest Sides In Western Europe No Europe Full Stop

**micls** · 09/06/2006, 11:09 AM

Just lookin forward to it. Obviously gutted were not in it but getting to see the best players in the world in the biggest tournament in the world is always something to look forward to

**bluemovie** · 09/06/2006, 11:10 AM

I can't wait for it to get started. Obviously I'd prefer if we were there (how is it that we qualify for Japan/South Korea, but when I can realistically go to France or Germany, we don't make it? South Africa's surely a certainty), but in some ways the football connoisseur in me can enjoy it more without seeing everyone as our rival.

I think Brazil will win it, I'm betting on France to win, but I'll be supporting Angola. It's a crying shame two-time Blue Jose Quitongo just missed the final cut for the squad (what a nice guy), but I'll still shout on Arsenio Love and Andre Titi Buengo (how could you not?).

Vitoria ao Palancas Negras!!

**Noelys Guitar** · 09/06/2006, 11:29 AM

Will watch everygame. Love the WC even if we haven't qualified. But still have a sick feeling about us not qualifying from an easy group. And we would have had an even easier group if we had have qualified! That said I fancy the Czech Republic and have wagered to that effect. In the US for the next 6 weeks so it is a bit surreal here. ESPN/ABC start their coverage 10 mins before the opening game! Will be watching the Spanish station which starts its coverage 2 hours before the opening game. Missing Giles/Dunphy already.

**eirebhoy** · 09/06/2006, 11:47 AM

I still think people are underestimating Kerr. If the players could lose the fear factor they'd be in Germany now. We were world class in friendlies, world class when we had nothing to lose. It was only when there was something to lose (ie. when we took the lead) that the team crumbled. If that could have been sorted we'd have done well. Someone mentioned our performance in Paris as been the best. I can say for certain that we wouldn't have performed as well if we took the lead after the 5th minute.

As for how I feel now. I didn't think I'd be able to watch it but I'm really looking forward to it now. Can't wait.

**WeAreRovers** · 09/06/2006, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Looking forward to it more that we're not in it. Despise fake football fans.

What he said, major tournaments are always better without our brand of rubbish football, rubbish fans and rubbish media. This way, I can watch the world's best footballers without every leprachaun wig-wearing idiot ruining the show for the rest of us.

KOH

**eirebhoy** · 09/06/2006, 11:57 AM

I'm shocked that an Irishman would prefer us not to be there.

Ah well, it's not your fault that the national team isn't in your heart.

**NeilMcD** · 09/06/2006, 1:57 PM

what a load of rubbish. The pixies sold out when the worte Monkeys Gone to Heaven. Inverted snobbery at its worst or best depending what way you look at it.

**CraftyToePoke** · 09/06/2006, 2:25 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

What he said, major tournaments are always better without our brand of rubbish football, rubbish fans and rubbish media. This way, I can watch the world's best footballers without every leprachaun wig-wearing idiot ruining the show for the rest of us.

KOH

the wig wearing boyos we could certainly do without, but if your countrys involvement in the world cup is actually a hindrance to your enjoying it, then you are on a different orbit...........man.

**theworm2345** · 09/06/2006, 2:26 PM

Originally Posted by Reality Bites

The Greatest Show on Earth, and we're not there

No ****, thanks for the reminder

**Aldini98** · 09/06/2006, 2:31 PM

We are sh*te and dont deserve to be there, and it'll only get worse with Muppet Stan in charge

**WeAreRovers** · 09/06/2006, 2:52 PM

Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

the wig wearing boyos we could certainly do without, but if your countrys involvement in the world cup is actually a hindrance to your enjoying it, then you are on a different orbit...........man.

Trust me, watching Ronaldinho, Messi, Toni, Rosicky, Adriano, Kaka, Totti, Ballack, and erm Owen Hargreaves, as a neutral is much better than watching the boys in green huff and puff against the might of Saudi Arabia from behind the back of my couch.

I'm a football fan and as such I can't wait for this to kick-off...........John O'Shea won't be missed, by me or the billions watching. FFS we treat our 3 draws and a defeat in 1990 as the greatest thing to ever happen. And then we've the cheek to slag the English over their 1966 obsession.

KOH