Delaney: "We'll be going for the play-offs"

**el punter** · 26/11/2007, 10:37 AM

This just makes my blood boil. On behalf of the nation, the players, the new manager and his own backside this clown has given up the notion of winning the group before a ball is kicked.

I really can not believe such minnowism exists in the top echelons of Irish football. It is sickening.

Was Saipan in vain? Do the FAI still not get the point that we should at least have intentions to win the group and the entire tournament?

The quote is taken from here

**paul_oshea** · 26/11/2007, 10:41 AM

im not really sure the need to read too much into this.

**RogerMilla** · 26/11/2007, 10:41 AM

el punter if he had come out and said we are going to try and win the group he would have been laughed out of it!! have you seen us play lately ? we will be blessed if we make the playoffs and we have no chance of winning the group.

**Green Tribe** · 26/11/2007, 10:42 AM

Jesus

What's he like

**Paulie** · 26/11/2007, 10:42 AM

Yeah I wasn't too happy with that comment myself. Italy are obviously the outstanding favourites to win the group but this does not mean that we can't have ambitions of doing so ourselves. To concede that we are fighting for 2nd place only, before a ball is kicked, is the sort of defeatist attitude that will get us nowhere in this group.

**tetsujin1979** · 26/11/2007, 10:50 AM

As Delaney made that statment, somewhere Stuttgart88's head spontaneously exploded with rage....

**Green Tribe** · 26/11/2007, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Paulie

Yeah I wasn't too happy with that comment myself. Italy are obviously the outstanding favourites to win the group but this does not mean that we can't have ambitions of doing so ourselves. To concede that we are fighting for 2nd place only, before a ball is kicked, is the sort of defeatist attitude that will get us nowhere in this group.

I know, it's as if he has no faith whatsoever in the players ability

**el punter** · 26/11/2007, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by RogerMilla

el punter if he had come out and said we are going to try and win the group he would have been laughed out of it!! have you seen us play lately ? we will be blessed if we make the playoffs and we have no chance of winning the group.

Like Greece and Denmark had no chance of winning the Euro Championships in 2004 and 1992?

Sure we'll just give Italy the 6 points and save oursleves the bother of bringing our players back from their clubs.

Sensible quote would have been along the lines of "It's very exciting to be drawn against the world champions and we'll be doing everything we can to try and upset them and qualify for the World Cup Finals, we can take inspiration from our great performance in USA 94 etc....."

**Schlooooomp** · 26/11/2007, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Green Tribe

I know, it's as if he has no faith whatsoever in the players ability

I don't have much faith in their ability at the moment either

Maybe he shouldn't have made that comment directly but we have to be somewhat realistic, at this point, success for me would be a good tilt at the runner up spot in the group with sufficient points to gain a playoff place.

**Schlooooomp** · 26/11/2007, 11:05 AM

I think that we can blame Delaney for a lot of things but I doubt this remark will be the cause of us not winning the group. It sets a bad precedent in some ways but I expect the new manager to come in and if they are confident in their ability they will talk us up sufficiently.

**endabob1** · 26/11/2007, 11:07 AM

That is a disgracefull comment, if he said "We're hoping to qualify by whatever means, whether that means winning the group or via the play-offs we don't mind, but qualification as always is the target"
From his comments we might as well not bother with the 2 games against Italy just hand them the points and be done with it.

**paul_oshea** · 26/11/2007, 11:07 AM

i think its a great decoy to be honest. fool the italians.....etc.

TBH, i think people are really scrutinising everything he says. He cant win. We are being over analytical.

**Ceirtlis** · 26/11/2007, 11:09 AM

Its all about lowering expectations for Delaney. If he had come out and said that we had a chance of winning the group he would have risked another ,world class management team, quote. Everything he now says is to cover his own back. He will want people to think we dont have the players so it doesnt look bad on him if he we have another terrible qualifying campaign like the last one.

**Green Tribe** · 26/11/2007, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Schlooooomp

I don't have much faith in their ability at the moment either

Maybe he shouldn't have made that comment directly but we have to be somewhat realistic, at this point, success for me would be a good tilt at the runner up spot in the group with sufficient points to gain a playoff place.

I know, but I don't think it's helping by stating that, there was no need for him to say it.

**RogerMilla** · 26/11/2007, 11:09 AM

agreed paul o'shea , no matter what he said he would have come under fire

**Schlooooomp** · 26/11/2007, 11:10 AM

Holy guacamole Batman, I think there is a bit of an over reaction to these comments, I can't say I enjoy defending Mop Head but come on, the comments aren't disgraceful, at worst they are ill advised.

They are not going to set the tone for our games against Italy, the manager, the players and the crowd will have a much bigger impact than this one statement.

**eekers** · 26/11/2007, 11:11 AM

perhaps he didnt want to set too high a target to scare away any prospective managerial candidates.
or maybe in two years time he doesnt want everyone saying "that eejit delaney said we shoul win the group, wankerr!"

**RogerMilla** · 26/11/2007, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by el punter

Like Greece and Denmark had no chance of winning the Euro Championships in 2004 and 1992?

they , at least had qualified for thses tournaments ( admittedly denmark by the back door)

Originally Posted by el punter

Sure we'll just give Italy the 6 points and save oursleves the bother of bringing our players back from their clubs.

dont be daft , i'm sure we will do our utmost in every game , coming out and saying we are looking to win the group would be arrogance without any foundation , i have no problem with arrogance when it has somethign to back it up , but that would make us look fools.

**Kingdom** · 26/11/2007, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by RogerMilla

they , at least had qualified for thses tournaments ( admittedly denmark by the back door)

dont be daft , i'm sure we will do our utmost in every game , coming out and saying we are looking to win the group would be arrogance without any foundation , i have no problem with arrogance when it has somethign to back it up , but that would make us look fools.

I kinda agree with delaney tbh. If we take Italy out of the equation and were to finish with

6 wins (4 Home 2 Away {Cyprus et Georgia})
2 Draws (2 away {Bulgaria & Montenegro})

I'd be confident we'd finish 2nd in the group. I believe the above results are possible and that only Italy would achieve better results. And in fairness in our current state, italy would give us a lesson. So I think Delaney is just keeping the bar set low for the time being.

**Bondvillain** · 26/11/2007, 11:26 AM

Really, anyone who witnessed the car crash that was the 2008 qualifying campaign,would find it hard to disagree with Delaney's sentiments, however, Delaney should really learn the difference between "inner monologue" and "silly things I say out loud that people can hear and use to make me look like a big eejit".

While it's not up to the normal standard of disastrous FAI gobshytery we have come to expect, it is certainly another damning piece of evidence as to why Delaney shouldn't be allowed out on his own, shouldnt be allowed speak in public, and should only be allowed communicate through the medium of modern dance.