QuoteWales and Iceland were in Pot 6 (along side San Marino and Andorra) for the WC2014 Qualifiers draw. Wales now are Pot 1 and Iceland are Pot 2. So it is possible to turn things around.Originally Posted by Bungle
Cheers.
So the Faroes are boosted because they won recently?
Is this based on the world rankings? I didn't think they were quite so biased towards recent games.
Wales and Iceland were in Pot 6 (along side San Marino and Andorra) for the WC2014 Qualifiers draw. Wales now are Pot 1 and Iceland are Pot 2. So it is possible to turn things around.
Yep. Based on the FIFA Rankings.
http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranki...edure/men.html
http://resources.fifa.com/mm/documen...ts_english.pdf
Match average from past 12 months: 100%
Match average from previous year: 50%
Match average from year 3: 30%
Match average from year 4: 20%
Matches older than 4 years: 0% (deleted)
They have changed the process a few times over the decades. I think the current system they have is most sensitive to recent matches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_W..._system_update
The Faroes get boosted because of the exaggerated multiplier factor of 3 for a win and they had 2 big ones inside the last 12 months.
There were in a false position(for them) of 187 in the ranking table when they beat highly ranked Greece the first time around and moved up 80 places in the table.
They got 1300 points for beating Greece on Saturday and move up about another 30 places. Which means they are now in the upper 30's of uefa teams, which puts them in pot 4 of the draw
The more I look at the seeding pots, the more I think how FIFA could easily increase the world cup to 40 teams. The standard in Europe and South America is incredibly high. I keep picking out teams for the "dream" draw but I struggle to see how we would do more than draw twice with them. I suppose we are due a big win, but I've been saying that for the last few campaigns.
It's horrible to be so downbeat, but I'd nearly rather we built the team and pack it with young lads with a view to getting to Euro 2020. We may take some awful hammerings from the top teams, but if in 4 years time, we had a team going places, it would be worth it. The type of massive improvement that we all yearn for may take 15-20 years, but I see no reason why we can't rebuild to a decent standard within the next four.
I see absolutely no progress with MON and no system of playing. We mock the North, but they try and play football with a far limited team to us and they play with no fear. We don't really believe that we should be beating average teams like Scotland and Austria, while they fancy their chances against Romania or Greece, let alone the bigger teams.
Building the team with a core of Westwood, Coleman, Wilson, Brady, Hendrick, McCarthy and Long is a start, and I would keep a few spots for the likes of Walters who still has something to offer. I would fill the rest of the squad with the likes of Jack Byrne, Ian Lawlor, Browne, Shane Duffy, Alex O'Hanlon and Sean Kavanagh.
Agree with paragraph 3. Somewhat agree with paragraph 4. I think the main 22-23 players picked are by and large the right ones. The enlarged squads are a bit of two fingers to the next in lines. O'Neill has lived for the now and hasn't cared much about succession planning. I think he has been too hung up on which clubs and in which division players play for. I thought there was a good case to call up Hourihane a year ago, maybe John Egan. Hoban would be another. But O'Neill has been pretty unequivocal that there is nothing coming through.
Wrt tactics etc., I just can't see how Roy Keane is happy with how we approach these games. I wonder is all well at HQ.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 15/06/2015 at 5:00 PM.
I'm not sure - would it be a first for Keane to hold fire, not show much of an inkling, if that was the case?
I wonder if there's a disconnect between what the management wants/sees on the training pitch and what ends up happening in game time. I think MON looks completely forlorn at times, particularly during games, and I've been idly speculating over a serious men-tal-i-tee issue with the players - although I don't really mean it in a Trap way. I mean it more about their bravery to play.
I mean what we needed on Saturday was on big players to turn up. And even if it can vaguely be agreed we had some decent spells, as a team, we only had one decent performer on the ball. We needed Coleman, McCarthy, anyone else to make that happen. The difference in the international game is often just one really good player have a great game. And our top guys don't just fail to get over the line, often they stink the place out too.
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
Fantasy groups (as based on Davidatrb's posts):
Qualification dreamtime
Wales
Bosnia
Albania
Us
Moldova
San Marino
Living nightmare
Germany
France
Sweden
Us
Armenia
Georgia
Personal choice
Romania
Iceland (they're going to have a Euro 2016 hangover and I'm up for Reykjavik)
Hungary
Us
Latvia
San Marino
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
Pot 1: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, England, Wales, Spain, Italy
Pot 2: Croatia, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Czech, France, Iceland, Denmark, Bosnia
Pot 3: Poland, Ukraine, Scotland, Hungary, Sweden, Albania, N. Ireland, Serbia, Greece
Pot 4: Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Ireland, Norway, Bulgaria, Faroes, Montenegro,Estonia
Pot 5: Cyprus, Latvia, Armenia, Finland, Belarus, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova
Pot 6: Kazakstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra.
Not much has changed based on last nights results ...
Only two more games before the July Rankings are official. Portugal vs Italy and Greece vs Poland.
Italy need to win to stay in Pot 1 or else they will be replaced by Croatia.
Greece appear to be safe in Pot 3. Portugal are safe in Pot 1 for sure. Poland won't be able to improve on Pot 3 (unless they don't bother playing the friendly at all - or invalidate it by bringing on over 6 subs!)
That's my predictions anyway, I guess we'll find out on July 9th.
Last edited by davidatrb; 15/06/2015 at 10:37 PM.
My opinion (based on bookie's ratings)..
Best case
Wales, Iceland, Albania, Ireland, Moldova, Andorra.
Worst case
Germany, France, Poland, Ireland, Macedonia, Kazakstan.
The mood I'm in at the moment I wouldn't expect Ireland to qualify from either group.
I dont know, Id say he is more than happy to accept his nice pay packet for sitting on the bench looking gruff, the big sack of s..........
(sorry Stutts for that)
EDIT: Damn your edit davidatrb
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
I forgot to delete Slovenia from Pot 3. Just fixed!
It's mentioned in all sports news reports in Iceland, that not only will "our boys" be in pot 2 for the time, but they will do so just ahead of Denmark.
Apparently that has almost equal importance and raises many a contented smile.
We could be in pot 6, but if we are just ahead of Denmark, then it's not all bad news.
They may be playing football with their fancy notions of "passing" and "winning" but they're not so different from Ireland after all.
Apparently I got my sums right. ESPN have calculated the same pots.
http://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/ire...alifiers/28773
Portugal beat Italy last night so looks like Italy will be 2nd seeds. There will be some very messy groups.
Hopefully though, for once, we will get a really handy one that we can make a mess of.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Up eight places to 52nd but confirmed Pot 4 for World Cup Qualifying.
Ireland to be fourth seeds in Russia 2018 qualification draw
UEFA World Cup qualifying pot 1: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Croatia/ItalyUEFA World Cup qualifying pot 2: Croatia/Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Denmark, Bosnia-HerzegovinaUEFA World Cup qualifying pot 3: Poland, Ukraine, Scotland, Hungary, Sweden, Albania, N Ireland, Serbia, GreeceUEFA World Cup qualifying pot 4: Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, EstoniaUEFA World Cup qualifying pot 5: Cyprus, Latvia, Armenia, Finland, Belarus, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova/KazakhstanUEFA World Cup qualifying pot 6: Moldova/Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra
Thats what 400K per annum gets you.
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist thinks it will change; the realist adjusts the sails.
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