Is anyone here hoping for defeat...?

[cavan_fan]

To me the ideal is 2 wins (always is), we'd be on some sort of track for qualification.

However if the choice is between say 2 draws or a draw and a narrow defeat and 2 defeats, I'd be less sure. I think a draw would keep Stan his job, but would knacker our qualification hopes. We'd then drift to the end of the campaign, prob replace Stan then and th new guy wouldnt be up to speed till half way through the WC campaign.

So I'd like us to get 6 points or none. The mid stuff is the problem.

[galwayhoop]

Let's be honest. We don't have a very good squad of players.

yeah not as good as say the late 80's early 90's one but better than what mcCarthy inherited and at the very least on a par with the team Kerr had. but lets also be fair and, regardless of your opinion as to whether 'da gaffer' stays or not, the fact is WE ARE MASSIVELY UNDERACHIEVING AT PRESENT

to have scrapped a victory against the worst possible team we can play in a competitive fixture, a loss to cyprus and only 1 point out of 6 against 2 of the teams we want to split to qualify is nowhere near good enough.

[Marked Man]

Hope Ireland lose! Never. Not even if Roy Keane became manager .

Hhmmnnn... Was about to say I'd never hope Ireland lose, but now I don't think I can.

Of course if we were ever in a situation in which England qualifying for a tournament dependend on us getting a result, and we were already out (or in), I think I could bring myself to cheer for the oppo then.

[gustavo]

Of course if we were ever in a situation in which England qualifying for a tournament dependend on us getting a result, and we were already out (or in), I think I could bring myself to cheer for the oppo then.

Jesus how sad and parochial is that.

[Marked Man]

Jesus how sad and parochial is that.

Emmm.... following football teams is all about parochialism. That's what makes rivalries. If that's sad, so be it.

[Jamjar]

I leapt three feet when S.Ireland scored the winner against San Marino and hadn't hit the ground yet when I realised this was actually counterproductive ...that a draw or a San Marino winner would actually serve Irish football better in the short, medium and long term.

But you don't hope against your own team. Bet against them if you like for a bit of compo but you'd never actually take pleasure in watching us beaten.

Who the f*ck are S.Ireland ?

[Marked Man]

I think that's Stephen Ireland.

[Jamjar]

Oh yea, that makes sense......what an embarrassing post that was !!

[gustavo]

Emmm.... following football teams is all about parochialism. That's what makes rivalries. If that's sad, so be it.

Rivalries , do you think England actually give a **** how we do ?

[elroy]

Could never shout for the opposition, no matter how bad things are. I dont realistically think we're going to qualify but purely from a seedings point of view I want us to take as many points as possible. Although Stan spouts out the four year plan spiel every now and then, part of that plan should be to up our seeding for the draw for the WC qualifiers!

[RogerMilla]

it's vital we come at least third or we can forget about the world cup if we end up with a scotland-esque qualifying group´.

[Marked Man]

Rivalries , do you think England actually give a **** how we do ?

The ones I work with do.

Regardless, the main thing I meant to get across with my reply was that it's a bit rich you spending time online discussing your national football team while criticising me for parochialism.

[livehead1]

Rivalries , do you think England actually give a **** how we do ?

Yeh, they do! I have a good number of English friends and the texts were flying in when San Marino equalised and also when we were humbled by Cyprus. I would also cheer on the opposition when playing England. It's simply part of a friendly rivalry, a bit of banter. If you can't see that, then surely you need to lighten up. Football's all about these kind of rivalries!

[Bondvillain]

I couldnt in honesty wish for bad results for Ireland in the next two games.

For one; it would p*ss me off mightily, and family, friends, pets, barstaff and seismic measuring equipment in the pacific all agree that a p*ssed off Bondvillain is distinctly unpleasant.

And two; The bould JD has categorically stated (from at least one side of his face) that Staunton will remain in charge at least until the WC qualifiers (come rain, hail or 0-4 thwackings by the Czechs in Prague), and as we've seen, the gimp is stubborn and spiteful enough to stick to his word.

So hoping for a drubbing is pretty much futile. I reckon Bad results could only serve to make Stan's replacement's job harder come the next competition Draw time. (although granted, being in the same seed pot as San Marino would ensure that there was one less hurdle for us to overcome next time round...)

[OwlsFan]

Fair enough, that's dedication, what about if Dunphy became manager?

Hmmmm. You put me on the spot there Would have to think about that. Let me see: Roy Keane manager, Dunphy his assistant. John Giles the physio. Bill O'Herlihy head of the FAI. Rhyl Nugent commentating on the games. Andy Gray analysing the games and Ian Harte team captain with John O'Shea vice captain.

Think I'd still want the country to win!!

[NeilMcD]

Whats wrong with John Giles by the way. I think a fellow poster expressed it earlier when he said its the mid stuff that is the problem. I want 2 wins but I am off the view that maybe 4 points is probably the worst scenario as Staunton would be kept but we would be out of the running and the FAI would probably be able to get away with keeping him.

[geysir]

Whats wrong with John Giles by the way

I couldn't possibly speak for Owls
He has the opinion that the great man was shall we say, cautious, slow build up, boring, in his last qual. campaign. I'd say it was Giles's stint with Rovers at the same time, did something to his football brain, his sense of adventure was temporarily suspended.

[OwlsFan]

Whats wrong with John Giles by the way. I think a fellow poster expressed it earlier when he said its the mid stuff that is the problem. I want 2 wins but I am off the view that maybe 4 points is probably the worst scenario as Staunton would be kept but we would be out of the running and the FAI would probably be able to get away with keeping him.

Glad you didn't ask what was wrong with the rest

Giles as a manager produced teams that played boring football. Occasionally there might be a forward pass but by and large it was the back 4 giving it to each other and occasionally a midfieder who would come back for it and take it off them who would then pass to another midfielder who would then pass back to one of the back 4 and off we'd go again. As a pundit, he was vitriolic in his criticism of Big Jack which would have been ok if there was some balance but the poison dwarf was to his left spouting the same stuff aided by Laughing Bill.

Giles is now past his best as a pundit as you can predict who he will attack (Ronaldo) and who are his favourites that remind him of himself (Scoles) and he refuses to accept that the game has moved on whether for the better is debateable but it has moved on. Is someone who played the game almost 30 years ago the right person to be commenting on the current game?

3rd or 4th place will keep Stan his job. A loss at home to Cyprus will mean an expensive pay-off.

[eirebhoy]

I'm not much of a Giles fan either tbh.

[NeilMcD]

Giles last night on Off the Ball said many things that I did not agree with, i.e. we should sack staunton but keep Delaney which in my view misses the point of the whole situation. He also did not answer my question fully on whether Keane should still be captailn of the Irish team. I do agree that he is a bit out dated at times but in my view he is the best out there and to be honest I think Andy Gray is one of the best also. Very interesting to hear that he was seriously ****ed off with the Leeds book out at the moment.

A lot of the rest of the pundits are boring and are afraid to get into the technical side of the game so just use the usual soundbites.


Oh on topic, wont be cheering against Ireland but if we lose to Wales at home I am not sure how I will feel against Slovakia.