Euro 2008 Qualifiers - what did you really expect before it began?

whiskeyman

I think a lot of the current feelings are down to our usual over-expectations on this current squad.
After the WC06 qualifying nightmare, how did you honestly think we'd fare in the current Euro08 Campaign?
Personally, I thought we wouldn't have a hope anyway, so I'm very detatched from the weekends result and tonights match.

Pighead

To be honest I don't think its over expectation to think we could beat Cyprus. Not in my worst case scenario ponderings could i have forseen a 5-2 defeat. I don't think they're would have been too many people calling for the managers head if we had of failed to qualify, its the manner of our defeat last Saturday that has got so many peoples backs up.

sofireland

I agree pighead, it was the ineptness of the teams performance on the night that was the most aggrivating thing.

I was expecting us to go close, and just miss out...

bizmark

Come third ,not be beaten 5-2 by a cyprus , see the team play like they gave a **** and have a clue what to do etc

ninebeanrows

Yea i expected the usual dog fight and for us to narrowly miss out on 2nd
with a draw away to Wales or something..

eirebhoy

I expected us to get down to the last day with a chance of qualifying. At the end of the day, our players on paper are not far off the Czechs and at least as good as any bunch McCarthy had so we should be up there.

Villain

I know what I DIDN'T expect - to get thrashed by Cyprus.

Under Stan I didn't expect to qualify, however under the right management I think we could have acheived qualification, but Delaney meant sure that wasn't going to happen.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I thought we had a decent chance of second IF the first eleven stayed fit and unsuspended. Chance, though would be a fine thing and exactly the oppoiste has happened.

With more qualifying games, we need a squad, not just a team, and we don;t have that.

sofireland

Surely its not in the FAIs interest to keep failing to qualify for these tournaments.
Delaney's gotta go, its jobs for the boys, thats the only reason Stan got the job, cos he was pally with Delaney

Bring back mick mccarthy, all is forgiven!

Nalz

3rd -
beating Cyprus and San Marino
beating Slovakia and Wales at home
and sneaking a draw with both Germany and Czech at home

ninebeanrows

To be more precise

I expected

2 wins against Cyprus and San Marino
To beat Slovakia at home and draw away.
To beat Wales at home and draw away
To draw to Czech Rep away and home.
To loose to Germany home and away.

That woulda given us 22 points a shout for 2nd place...

Wudda, cudda, shudda............

Necronomicon

Given our track record in recent years it's hard to 'expect' anything, but I was certainly hopeful. I felt that we could pip a slightly ageing Czech Republic side to 2nd spot.

homerjay2005

didnt get my hopes up, thought we would be battling with the czrcks and slovakia for 2nd, now, 4th is as good as we can aim for at the moment.

whiskeyman

Thought this would be an interesting thread to bring back up.
Note the poll results...

Raekwon

Yeah it seems that most peoples predictions were spot on.

Before the qualifying campaign began, I knew Germany would top the group, but I actually thought that we would challenge the Czechs right down to the wire and miss out on goal difference or something like that. I guess I gave Stan too much credit.

3greenrizla's

IMHO the FAI showed their ambition when they put Stan in charge, I knew we were shagged (but I was hoping to be proved wrong)

~Rebel~

Raekwon wrote:

Yeah it seems that most peoples predictions were spot on.

Except for the "battle hard" bit. We no more battled hard! If we had really put in effort, played to our potential and still not made it, i'd have no complaints, but we didn't. Germany and the Czechs are probably better then us, but Cyprus and Slovakia certainly aren't, and thats 5 very important points lost.

Raekwon

~Rebel~ wrote:

Except for the "battle hard" bit.

Yeah very true, sorry for excluding that part.

The 5 points that we dropped against Cyprus and Slovakia were shocking, but above all our performances have been abysmal. We showed no desire or passion throughout the whole campaign and this was highlighted in the embarrassing away matches against Cyprus and San Marino. The fans deserve much better then this!

ghost26ie

didn't really expect to qualify, especially with germany and the czech rep. in our group and choice of manager. but we've lost or drawn games we shouldn't have, cyprus and slovakia. even wales were able to beat them 5-2 in slovakia. against the 2 top teams we haven't done bad. we just let ourselves down ingames we should have done better in.

BrianCalgary

Weathercheck wrote:

To be more precise

I expected

2 wins against Cyprus and San Marino
To beat Slovakia at home and draw away.
To beat Wales at home and draw away
To draw to Czech Rep away and home.
To loose to Germany home and away.

That woulda given us 22 points a shout for 2nd place...

Wudda, cudda, shudda............

I couldn't have said it better. I thought we'd have learned from WC qualifiers on 'how not to give up late goals', but we didn't.

And how can you lose to Cyprus?

jobonar

Weathercheck wrote:

To be more precise

I expected

2 wins against Cyprus and San Marino
To beat Slovakia at home and draw away.
To beat Wales at home and draw away
To draw to Czech Rep away and home.
To loose to Germany home and away.

That woulda given us 22 points a shout for 2nd place...

Wudda, cudda, shudda............

Spot on there weathercheck!

I thought we had a good enough squad to put up a decent fight for 2nd place. It was a given that Germany would top the group. I could deal with not qualifying as long as we had beaten the teams we should have beaten.

Losing to Cyprus, draw with Slovakia and narrowly beating San Marino were not part of the plan. Had we got results there and not qualified for some reason then so be it. It would have still been disappointing but at least we'd have our heads held high.......