QuoteJesus did we get the short end of the stick from the last pot, Montenegro look to be the real deal from the two matches I've seen
Great goal by Spain.
In Trap we trust
Jesus did we get the short end of the stick from the last pot, Montenegro look to be the real deal from the two matches I've seen
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Montenegro a definite worry but aren't Norway absolute muck at the moment???
"Well I think they'll be a little disappointed with that" - Matt Holland on TV3 after 5-2 drubbing by Cyprus
We can be happy with Georgia and Cyprus though.Originally Posted by theworm2345
Without stating the obvious - because Montenegro are a 'new' country and have no previous record in a qualification campaign they automatically go ionto the last seeded pot so to answer your question:
Jesus did we get the short end of the stick from the last pot, Montenegro look to be the real deal from the two matches I've seen
- yes, indeed we did. Although in fairness San Marino nearly beat us too.
Black, Pot and Kettle spring to mind
Only as good as your last campaign and all that.
Who is this guy, Trapper Tony?
Not really. They were always on to qualify from the last campagn but self imploded. Think they lost at home to Turkey in the last match which meant Turkey qualified ahead of them. They would be about our level
Managed to watch some of the Montenegro v Norway game on the satellite on RTV Montenegro (!) First two goals owned more to Norwegian keeper howlers and back four alseep defending a free kick. Will they be as generous in Oslo this August?
BTW, the stadium, if you're thinking of going in September, looked decent enough. Three sides of the ground were like Lofus Road (high stands packed close to the pitch) whilst the pitch side opposite the TV camera side was one long low open terrance.
Thats what we thought last time
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
And the time before that...........................Thats what we thought last time
Quoting years at random since 1975
They're a higher seed now though.Thats what we thought last time
I think its bad that we play them away so early in the qualifiers. Firstly because they will probably be really up for it at the start of the qualifiers but after they lose a few games and have no hope of qualifying then their confidence might drop later in the campaign.
Secondly because they are a bit of an unknown entity at the moment and it would have been helpful to see them play a few competitive games to plan for how to play against them.
They're a higher seed now though.[/QUOTE]
only because of their performances against Ireland!
It's a friendly and they're away from home. They beat Scotland at home in a competitive game so do you honestly think Finn Harps would beat them
"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
Was at the game. I thought they were a typical medocre Continental side - decent enough, dangerous even, if you let them play. However, to paraphrase Corporal Jones in Dad's Army, "they don't like it up em!"
Which is why we tore them to shreds in the first half. Big Kyle Lafferty was all over them in the air, with Healy pulling them this way and that on the deck and Gillespie skinning them down the right wing. In midfield, Steve Davis was near back to his best and ran the show, with Damien Johnson "minding the shop" at the base of the midfield. With a little luck, or if Healy hadn't been 'rusty' from bench duty at Fulham, we could have gone in six up at half time.
The second half was very different, though. I'd say their manager, Klaus Topmuller, gave them a right bollocking, because they came out with more purpose. Also, Worthington started using all his subs, inc three or four who simply weren't up to it, so that we lost our shape, the Georgians drew encouragement, and suddenly we were finding it hard. It didn't help when a nervous-looking Michael O'Connor (on for his debut as a sub), gave away a penalty, which Taylor pushed onto the post, but Healy kicked into our goal as he tried to thwart the penalty-taker on the follow up! [As Lafferty said afterwards, Healy only needs a sight of the net to score]
Eventually, though, their comeback fizzled out and Linfield's Peter Thompson fluked a keeper's error at the end of the game to make the score a little more respectable.
They have some skilful players, especially in midfield. However, their defence was, as you say, dreadful, despite containing their best player, centre back and captain Kaladze. Seems he plays for Milan, where he's won a Champions League Medal.
Their keeper is said to be a prospect and has signed for Schalke, where German regulations don't allow him to play for the first team, since he's not yet 18! He seemed very nervous - and playing in front of a typically boisterous Kop won't have helped any!
Their attack seemed to lack anyone who could finish.
From what I gather, towards the end of their 2008 Euro Qualifiers, Topmuller decided to clear out the team completely and start again with youngsters. The team which beat surprisingly, but justifiably, beat Scotland 2-0 at home
was incredibly young - 3 or 4 teenagers making their debut, inc the keeper who was only 16 at the time?
My guess is that they have the talent to be dangerous in front of a home crowd, but are so inexperienced they could easily be intimidated away from home. When do ROI play them?
P.S. I've never seen Finn Harps play, but if it could be arranged, I'd bet any amount you like that they wouldn't beat Georgia!
Last edited by EalingGreen; 28/03/2008 at 7:29 PM.
Thanks for that EG but you can't read too much into friendly results. I expect we'd be comfortable enough at home (as would Finn Harps) against Georgia but it's away in Georgia we'd have problems.
That's right about Georgia starting a 17 year ago against Scotland in goals. I remember that because I placed a bet on Scotland to win only to get burned
I don't think Finn Harps would beat them either home or away. Regardless of their dodgy away form at international level, they're still a fairly serious UEFA team with quality professionals from Europe's top leagues, such as that lad Kaladze who plays for AC Milan, and Khizanishvili. Finn Harps are a semi-professional team as far as I know. That should illustrate the sort of gulf we're talking about, even with Georgia.
Having watched the second half of that game and seen them against Scotland (and I'll see them again fairly soon as we have them in a friendly) I do think Ireland will get probably at least 4 points but it won't be a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination. They're a young team, but there's some talented players there, certainly.
"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
Finn Harps are professional.
If Finn Harps could beat Georgia and Bohemians can beat Finn Harps 3-0, does that mean Bohemians are better than Scotland.
In Trap we trust
Playing Georgia away in the first game of the qualifiers now looks to be an inspired choice.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks