Originally Posted by EalingGreen
Georgia had a 16 yr old, a 17 yr old keeper, another 17 yr old and an 18 yr old centre half playing against Scotland. Yikes.
And I really think ye got a great draw. If your form against the weaker teams improves even slightly I reckon ye have a chance of 2nd.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
You think? Germany and Italy would be of similar quality I'd think and the Czechs are a much better side than Bulgaria. I don't see how this could be considered a harder group than the last one.
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
I cannot agree with that statement. Slovakia are up and down but very good on their day. Slovenia are also good as fifth seeds come. Poland always seem to qualify for tournament finals as do the Czechs.
Northern Ireland have a chance if they can play as they did in the Euro 2008 campaign, of course, but you could certainly have got a better group. Greece got lucky again getting the easiest group. They must be the weakest team to qualify for so many major tournaments in a generation and they'll probably do it again.
"Life is like a hair on a toilet seat. Sooner or later you are bound to get pi$$ed off."
"In this league, a draw is sometimes as good as a win" - Steve Morison
Don't think our group is as bad as all that, Italy can be got at as Scotland showed last week. You never know what you're going to get with Italy so we could take something from them.
Bulgaria are not as good as the czechs, montenegro are an unknown quantity alright but would still fancy us to beat them.
Have to say, you got very lucky with your group, you should fancy your chances.
I'd say there'll be some amount of Poles looking for away tickets and hopping on the train from Dublin for that game, the Polish community here are chuffed with it!
We were fifth seeds for the Euro 2008 group, Cyprus were sixth. Your post should read Wales vs Georgia and Cyprus vs Montenegro.
"Life is like a hair on a toilet seat. Sooner or later you are bound to get pi$$ed off."
"In this league, a draw is sometimes as good as a win" - Steve Morison
I think this is a reasonable group for us.
With the exception of Italy, we should be more than capable of winning all our home games. We should also have reasonable chances of winning our away games in Georgia, Cyprus and Montenegro. I watched Montenegro play a friendly against a second string Swedish side a month or so back and they look useful enough for a pot 6 team but we are capable of taking six points of them. Think Iceland and that's how good Montenegro are.
Recent results and "achievements" by Cyprus and Georgia are more down to opposition short-comings than these teams becoming better. If we can appoint a manager that can organise the team we can win home and away against Cyprus and Georgia.
IMO a goal of 20 points is realistic but maybe I should reserve judgement until the new manager is appointed.
The points tally from that trip down memory lane makes me think that maybe taking on the big guns straight out of the traps may not be such a brilliant idea after all.......
Anyway, my point was, Italy are (cliche alert!) 'slow starters' . We know this. the Bulgarians know this. The Italians know we know this. We know Bulgaria know this. The Italians know we know the Bulgarians know this.
If I were Italy, Id slink off to Pod or Nicosia in balmy September for a 'warm up' to try and get a few points on the board for intimidation purposes (they are world champions, and are therefore entitled to be pretentious), and leave the Paddys and the Bulgars to Kick their heels in Georgia & ruminate over lost chances and "grand plans" gone arsways.
It may not happen, but you never know.
Today's word is "know"
Last edited by Bondvillain; 26/11/2007 at 1:23 PM.
On the way into the stadium, an elderly San Marino Steward waved us in and said "Tonight, may the best team win"
And they nearly did.
Italy are a cut above Germany. They won the WC there, after all, whereas Germany only got to the semis, despite home advantage and Klinsi's inspirational leadership. Also, in Euro2008 qualifying, they topped a much harder Group than Germany's, who only finished second. (This was primarily due to Germany dropping sloppy points in easy/dead games in a way which previous German sides hardly ever did. Whereas Italy did what was needed)
And whilst the Czechs were a better side than Bulg in Autumn 2006, I think they're now in decline, whereas Bulg may be on the up. Certainly, I wouldn't be surprised if Bulg were better than the (ageing) Czechs by the time WC2010 qualification ends.
Very goodGot a good laugh out of it!
Contrary to what most people are saying, I hope we play Italy in our final games, September/October 09.... hopefully they will have qualification sown up by then and would not too worried by losing to us.
"Jacques Santini...will be greeted in every dugout of the country by "one-nil, one-nil" - Clive Tyldsley, 89th minute of France-England June 13, 2004.
"Ooooohhhh Nooooooo" Bobby Robson 91st minute.
..only if Montenegro finish bottom.
Noted Armando, I'm just not good with the edit button.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Er, Italy beat Scotland last week, as well as at home, unlike France, who lost home and away to them.
Sorry, but all bar the top teams know exactly what they're going to get from Italy: Beaten! They haven't failed to qualify for a WCF since 1958 (when NI eliminated them!); indeed the only two times they didn't top their Group, they were only a point behind the leaders but miles ahead of third. If ROI get a point at home, that will be well-earned. As for in Italy... When did ROI last win a competitive match away to a top ranking team?
As I've said elsewhere, I think Bulg may be improving and the Czechs in decline. And you took one point from the Czechs.
As for Montenegro, you may well be right about beating them. But you'd have to fancy your chances of beating the other 6th Seeds even more highly.
Agreed about the draw - should finish third, but with a reasonable chance of 2nd. Our away from is too poor to have any chance of 1st, mind, and will likely be responsible if we miss out on 2nd.
Aye, but they'll need to be quick to outpace all the Poles already in NI, never mind those in GB (1/4 million?), never mind 40 million Poles, er, in Poland, only a Ryanair flight away!
Well it remains to be seen. Italy will likely lose a couple of players after the Euros. The Germans still have quite a young side that is getting better all the time. They are definitely a "coming team". The Germans only finished 2nd in our group as they took their foot of the pedal in the last couple of matches mindful of being thrown into the same seeding pool as Austria and Switzerland and possibly getting drawn in a group of death. They were definitely the best team in our group IMO but were content to take 2nd place. It's a bit irrevelant anyway as the vast majority of first seeds are going to win their groups so with the best will in the world we're not going to be challenging for top spot either way.
The Czechs have some players who are getting on but some useful young players coming through as well. I actually thought they might show their age a little in our group but they didn't at all. They still look fairly sprightly. Bulgaria I haven't seen play in a while but I would still think the Czechs are better than them.
I think you could probably say the Italians are a bit better than the Germans and the Czechs are a bit better than the Bulgarians but realistically our main battle is going to be with the Bulgarians. Not the Italians.
We don't have a real minnow in our group that you could say is 6 guaranteed points. That much is true but Georgia and Cyprus probably aren't as good as the Slovakians. The Slovaks big problem is that they are brilliant one day. Not very good the next. Looking at it this way if we were drawn in NI's group I'd be feeling pretty much the same way about our chances. We'd have a reasonable chance of claming 2nd spot if we perform. No more. No less.
Last edited by Maroon 7; 26/11/2007 at 2:30 PM.
No sh1t Sherlock, I didn't say they lost, I said they can be got at, the scots were all over them in the second half and, notwithstanding earlier errors by the officials, would have earned a draw were it not for an embarrassing decision to give Italy a free kick when the foul had clearly been committed by the Italian. What relevance is France to this debate?
Italy drew at home to Lithuania this campaign and only won 2-1 against the Faroes. Drew with Scotland and struggled against Moldova and Slovenia campaign before. Lost to Wales prior to that and had another draw with Lithuania as far as I recall. 'All bar the top teams'? Nonsense.
As for using out last campaign as any sort of benchmark you can forget about it given the inadequacies of the manager, a lot will depend on the ability of the new man to get the best out of a clearly underperforming squad. I don't fancy our chances should the wrong man be put in charge.
They might have got a draw if they'd done a basic marking job for the free kick!
Can we drop the plucky/unlucky Scotland were done by the officials bit? Scotlands goal was a yard or more offside, Italy had a perfectly good goal ruled out, the decisions went both ways and the best team won.
i think the point that it is possible to get something off them is valid all the same.
a lot will depend when we play them, iff they need a result i would expect them to turn us over, however if they are not too bothered (perhaps early on in the group) or if they have qualified then they will be happy enough to play out for a draw.
italian teams are masters of just doing enough, hopefully we get them at a time when enough (for them) is very little and then you never know.
Er, Italy beat Scotland last week, as well as at home, unlike France, who lost home and away to them.
Sorry, but all bar the top teams know exactly what they're going to get from Italy: Beaten! They haven't failed to qualify for a WCF since 1958 (when NI eliminated them!
As I've said elsewhere, I think Bulg may be improving and the Czechs in decline. And you took one point from the Czechs.
As for Montenegro, you may well be right about beating them. But you'd have to fancy your chances of beating the other 6th Seeds even more highly.
Agreed about the draw - should finish third, but with a reasonable chance of 2nd. Our away from is too poor to have any chance of 1st, mind, and will likely be responsible if we miss out on 2nd.
Aye, but they'll need to be quick to outpace all the Poles already in NI, never mind those in GB (1/4 million?), never mind 40 million Poles, er, in Poland, only a Ryanair flight away!
Just wondering is there any Republic of Ireland fans who go onto the Northern Irish equivalent of foot.ie and give such detailed critiques of their chances of their chances of qualifying etc. I find it hard enough to have the time to comment on our situation and that is something I invest both time and effort into, never mind some other team that I do not support and may be considered a rival.
In Trap we trust
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