Is it worth it?
Having such an emotional investment in our national team?The false dawns and dashed hopes.The awful post match depression when we lose.We have had maybe one reasonable performance in these qualifiers.WC 2010 seems a long way off.Our team just wasnt good enough in an relatively easy group.
We needed some good fortune and just did'nt get it.But then our Gaffer says "Its coming along nicely" so hey maybe I just expect too much.
I still hope we can make WC2010, we have fallen behind others in European football and looking down the fixture list there's more and more teams I wouldnt fancy us to beat than say 5-10 years ago. Im also trying to think of any other teams that havent finishedat least 2nd (or look like finishing 2nd in a group since Euro2004 qualifying) can't think of too many excpet us, Austria the likes of Belarus and Israel too... Belgium maybe?
If we get a decent draw for 2010 and a decent manager we could yet turn it around... 2002 was a very difficult group but we still made it through that.
I feel like im spotting the silver lining in a mushroom cloud though.
Yes..
Yes, that's what being a supporter rather than a fan feels like -it hurts, it hurts bad but there's always tomorrow
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"It's time for the FAI to grow up." John O'Donoghue, Minister for Sport, RTE , Sunday 7 Nov 2004
I'm a student who has been to 5 Ireland games, all away, and has seen us draw 3 and lose 2. I have yet to attend a game that we have won (although before people accuse me of being a bad luck charm as my Dad did, I think that says more about the team than about me!!) I'd go to more but I just can't afford it, its taken all the money I have to get to the Slovak and Czech game. I invest literally everything in supporting Ireland.
Is it worth it? Stupid ****ing question. Its my country. Even if we finish bottom of every qualifying group until i die, its worth it.
Shane - drunk and gutted in Prague.
i live in holland, so i'm still living off that match from six years agoit was worth it for me...
look at it this way, the dutch supporters go into a tournament expecting that they'll win it. but when we qualify for something we are genuinely delighted. i've never seen a happy dutch supporter. when they win, they expected to. when they lose, they are disgusted. supporting a big footballing nations with overly high expectations is not what it's cracked up to be from what i've seen of it (just look at the english press)
nah, give me ireland any day. but with some competent management and oranisation, please... if we get everything right and still lose, then fair enough. but the current situation is a killer.
Has a date been announced for the draw for the groups for WC 2010 qualification?
its not worth it at the moment - because its frustrating when guys in the pub are predicting the changes and calling the shots before kick off, and it takes our national team manager until we are in the hole to make those decisions. i'll continue to support ireland (and will do so whole heartedly until I cant do it anymore) but i would not be to sad to wake up tomorow to the news that Stan has stepped down. (i dont dislike stan - he is an absolute gentleman, but not up to this job)
I can't say I felt too depressed after this match, I expected we would lose, the Slovakia match was the worst, so close and we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the final minutes.
We started badly in this one, it looked all over from the start, then Hunt came on and things changed, I though maybe, just maybe. Then we all know what happened, I thought it was all over, but to be fair, the 'lift' Hunt gave us seemed to continue. He should have been on from the start in both the last two matches. He has battling qualities, something which has been in short supply in the recent teams.
What's with the 'relatively easy group' remark? this group is no easier than the last Euro group we were in where people were planning their hotels before the group even started because Russia and Switzerland we going to wilt before usOriginally Posted by cheifo
. This group has Germany, not as great as they used to be but the most consistent team in Europe in qualifying for tournaments. Why do people feel the need to denigrate the Czechs who have played so great football in the last few years?
Basically we have been crap for quite a while now, mentally we are like egg shells. Winning away from home which some people are obsessed with isn't our failing, not winning at home is our failing and has been since 2001. This is 2007!! We suck.
The next manager has to mould the players into a mentally tough unit who play with no fear. We have the players it's the planning and mentality we lack.
I've often wondered that myself (be it with the Chicago Cubs or Ireland...I've experienced some joy with the other Chicago teams, except the Blackhawks I guess). I always end up with the same answer...no, its definitely not. However, I can't stay away, so I'm stuck, and you just have to take the highs with the lows (The last high with Staunton must have been the Sweden game).
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Try following a club team where your heart gets broke practically every second week
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
Agreed unless you follow Man U or Liverpool etc. The difference though with Ireland is that the World Cup only comes around every 4 years so when that one goes pear shaped, unlike a club that has next season, that's it for another 4 years and the same for the European Championships. A couple of slip ups and that's it. On average you do well to see and remember 15 World Cup and European Championship campaigns so there is huge focus on each game, far more than following a club that has 30+ games a season.
Hence the highs and lows after each game.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
Putting your kids to bed whilst they are bawling crying and asking why don't we ever win (too young to remember 2002) and trying to comfort them ..... thanks a lot Stan...the only good to come from this is that if/when we next qualify for a finals they'll appreciate it because thev've so far been served up a diet of disappointment...but at the moment that is a very poor crumb of comfort... still at least Rovers are showing them the joy of following a team, that has a board and team management that respects them and understands that the fan have hopes and dreams and the management/team have a duty to fulfill them.
The Czech's have qualified for the last 6 European championships, a defeat in Prague is a very understanable result, the damage was done against cyprus and solvakia, defending used to be our strenght we need to get that back, come on stan you were a defender get them busting their gut for every ball, the Czech goal for me started on the right wing, kelly should have took ball and man down the line. Stood off let him check back and the rest was a joke also. I like many others have stated on the forum i will support the Irish team to the day i die!
Sunday nov 25th. Wonder if we have a realistic chance of being a 3rd seed?
Friday the 23rd Nov the draw is. I think?
Last edited by antrimgreen; 13/09/2007 at 9:42 AM.
I do Dodge, and if Harps dont get promoted I am going to go see a good Doctor.
BTW I will never stop supporting Ireland and none of you will either.Its a disease.I think what I meant by my question was that Is it worth caring as much as we do...?
God I hope we get a good manager.Lets build for the future.Who should we pick for Germany?
You lucky, lucky B@st@rd! Proper little Delaney's pet, aren't we, must have slipped him a few shekels, eh?. Ohh! What wouldn't I give to follow a team that breaks my heart every second week. They must think the sun shines out o' your @rse, sonny. You've had a hard time - I've been going to the RSC for 15 years, they only turned on the oxygen last week.
Terrific race, the Czechs. Terrific.
That question was less stupid, though you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.
Help me, Arthur Murphy, you're my only hope!
Oh, grow up.
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