Euro 2016 qualification

ArmaniJeanss

Poland are always vulnerable, despite this sudden elavation in the public eye to being a top team.
They aren't hugely different to the squad who finished last (with home advantage) in the softest group at Euro2012, and in 4th place behind Montenegro in WC14 qualifying. Brilliant at times, yet prone to absolute brittleness. A game we can win if we don't believe in advance that they are some vastly superior outfit.
Germany at home, hopefully already qualified, a draw is possible.

Whilst a win over Georgia may on its own be enough to get third place and playoffs we'll likely need something from the other games to be seeded.

briany

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Certainly not with that attitude! It's football. Stranger things have happened.

Ireland haven't beat anyone of note away from home for longer than a large proportion of Boards users have been alive. France doesn't count here because that was an aggregate result and they won in Paris in extra time anyway. Friendlies have seen a few good away results, but friendlies don't much matter at the end of the day except for ranking points. In straight 90 minutes competitive games away from home, it's been 28 years. For home games it's been 14. Stranger things have happened, yes, but that kind of statistic suggests there's something more at play than mere bad luck, and I would say that there's a voice in the Irish team's collective consciousness that says they can't get big results.

Harry Palmr

England

England: Hart; Clyne, Jagielka, Stones, Shaw; Milner, Shelvey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley, Vardy; Rooney.

Subs: Butland, Heaton, Smalling, Cahill, Gibbs, Carrick, Delph, Mason, Sterling, Walcott, Kane.

Dozen Wicked Words

Early goal please England.

Dozen Wicked Words

No idea what that penalty was for.

Kirby

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

No idea what that penalty was for.

It was for Rooney. :P

Dozen Wicked Words

Hoddle comparing Shelvey with Pirlo which is nice

Kirby

This is super dull. I normally dont mind the minnow type games but not this time. Maybe its the rubbish pitch and the dead atmosphere.....but I'm falling asleep here.

Dozen Wicked Words

Kirby wrote: »

This is super dull. I normally dont mind the minnow type games but not this time. Maybe its the rubbish pitch and the dead atmosphere.....but I'm falling asleep here.

This is pretty standard England stuff. Don't think I'd watch them as a neutral for entertainment value.


Edit: Beer helps. Lots of beer.

Cantona's Collars

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Hoddle comparing Shelvey with Pirlo which is nice

It's the hair.:pac:

Harry Palmr

Chamberlain is having a poor game. Shelvey the star turn so far but he has a pretty easy role - doing a late Gerrard/Alonso with the through balls under little pressure.

That pitch is a scandal.

niallo27

What channel is the England game on

ArmaniJeanss

niallo27 wrote: »

What channel is the England game on

ITV (but not utvIreland).

niallo27

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

ITV (but not utvIreland).

Down at the in laws and was wondering. Not on normal utv.

FlawedGenius

Washington Irving wrote: »

The Republic of Ireland job? :pac:

Would he do that though even if he was offered???
Not sure on his background but that wouldn't go down well up in norn iron :eek:

Harry Palmr

RAMPANT!

San Marino 0 - 6 England

Easy enough in the end, but UEFA really must start to take the pitch more seriously, I don't see how it could pass any
quality control test.

Paully D

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Hoddle comparing Shelvey with Pirlo which is nice

Beats Hodgson comparing Colback to Pirlo I suppose. :pac:

Lovely Bloke

Second match in a row that Shelvey plays a nice pass for a goal, similar pass to Kane as the one for the goal against United last week.

Good on him, he looked completely abject at Pool and was let go, a proper career turn around for him.

Andersonisgod

Magnificent goal for Spain in this crucial qualifier. Silva's lofted pass is inch perfect, Alba's run typically incisive and he heads it in. Beautiful goal.

kenco

Wonder how we are fixed re the worst 3rd place team not getting in the playoffs? Figure we should be ok assuming we beat Georgia on Monday (the key game in the O'Neill era imo)?

Have a feeling we will draw with Germany and Poland as both should be safe by the time we play them and lets face it we are world beaters when it comes to draws!

Cant for the life of me see Scotland getting anything out of those games as both teams will need the points. We may have got very very lucky the way this group has played out schedule wise.

How we get on the playoffs? Anyones guess? Dont forget that Big Mick had a number of these and came very close (e.g. Turkey) and how different would his era had been viewed then....

Lets make sure we get to the playoff. 3rd in this group especially given how we played at times is not bad

ArmaniJeanss

kenco wrote: »

Wonder how we are fixed re the worst 3rd place team not getting in the playoffs?

No such thing, you are thinking of WC qualification.
Best third place qualifies automatically, other 8 third places play off for four places.

9 Winners + 9 runners Up + Best third place + 4 PlayOff winners + France = 24 teams.

kenco

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

No such thing, you are thinking of WC qualification.
Best third place qualifies automatically, other 8 third places play off for four places.

9 Winners + 9 runners Up + Best third place + 4 PlayOff winners + France = 24 teams.

That explains it! Thanks.

I assume we arent within an Asses roar of that best 3rd spot with say 17pts? If we were that would be most ironic!

DubDani

Too difficult to say, as I believe the results against Gibraltar won't be counted for the 3rd place calculation anyway (as the Portuguese group only has 5 teams).

At the moment it looks as if the 3rd placed team from the Spanish Group will be most likely on course for best third, as the there are three teams with 15 or more points already (Spain 18, Slovakia 18 and Ukraine 15 points), and 3 games to go.

dogcat

So it seems with the way things are going in Group E, Switzerland could be our two placer. Slovenia have two easy opponents next (Estonia and Lithuania), and at the moment Slovenia is winning against Switzerland. If Slovenia are 3rd they'll be in the top half of third places (due to their results against Switzerland) so they'd be good opponents to have.

citytillidie

Group C
Luxembourg 1 V 0 Macedonia
Ukraine 3 V 1 Belarus
Spain 2 V 0 Slovakia

Group C PL W D L F A GD PTS
Spain 7 6 0 1 17 3 14 18
Slovakia 7 6 0 1 13 5 8 18
Ukraine 7 5 0 2 12 3 9 15
Belarus 7 1 1 5 5 14 -9 4
Luxembourg 7 1 1 5 4 17 -13 4
Macedonia 7 1 0 5 5 13 -8 3


Group E
Estonia 1 V 0 Lithuania
San Marino 0 V 6 England
Switzerland 3 V 2 Slovenia

Some comeback by the Swiss down 0-2 with 10 mins to go

Group E PL W D L F A GD PTS
England 7 7 0 1 24 3 21 21
Switzerland 7 5 0 2 16 6 10 15
Estonia 7 3 1 3 4 5 -1 10
Slovenia 7 3 0 3 14 10 4 9
Lithuania 7 2 0 5 4 13 -9 6
San Marino 7 0 1 6 0 25 -25 1


Group G
Russia 1 V 0 Sweden
Austria 1 V 0 Moldova
Montenegro 2 V 0 Liechtenstein

Group G PL W D L F A GD PTS
Austria 7 6 1 0 12 2 10 19
Sweden 7 3 3 1 10 5 5 12
Russia 7 3 2 2 10 4 6 11
Montenegro 7 2 2 3 6 8 -2 8
Liechtenstein 7 1 2 4 2 14 -12 5
Moldova 7 0 2 5 3 10 -7 2

fryup

FlawedGenius wrote: »

Would he do that though even if he was offered???
Not sure on his background but that wouldn't go down well up in norn iron :eek:

could do a swap, Martin for NI and Michael for ROI

Paz-CCFC

FlawedGenius wrote: »

Would he do that though even if he was offered???
Not sure on his background but that wouldn't go down well up in norn iron :eek:

Just before getting the Northern Ireland job, he was the manager of Shamrock Rovers. Whatever about how much he'd actually want the job given how well he's doing in his current role, background and culture would be irrelevant.

The Golden Miller

FlawedGenius wrote: »

Would he do that though even if he was offered???
Not sure on his background but that wouldn't go down well up in norn iron :eek:

No, despite being a Catholic he was raised to a unionist backround

The Golden Miller

The Golden Miller wrote: »

No, despite being a Catholic he was raised to a unionist backround

Carl Frampton was raised in a strong Loyalist area and had friends murdered by Republican terrorists. Yet always says he would prefer to box for Ireland, not Britain, because of the support he got from Boxing Ireland. Wouldn't paint anyone into one side or the other on the basis of their backgrounds or what we think they should be. Golfers have also shown to buck the assumptions, with Presbytarian McGinley showing far more interest in playing for Ireland than Cathlic McIlroy.

NIMAN

I'm sure Michael o'neill doesn't think about his religion when considering job offers.

The Golden Miller

Deleted User wrote: »

Carl Frampton was raised in a strong Loyalist area and had friends murdered by Republican terrorists. Yet always says he would prefer to box for Ireland, not Britain, because of the support he got from Boxing Ireland. Wouldn't paint anyone into one side or the other on the basis of their backgrounds or what we think they should be. Golfers have also shown to buck the assumptions, with Presbytarian McGinley showing far more interest in playing for Ireland than Cathlic McIlroy.

Mainly due to the fact that there is no "Northern Irish" associations or teams to fight or play for in these sports. Due to this, many will get far more support from a country like Ireland with a far lower population and chance of success than if they played or fought with Britain. In football a "Northern Ireland" team exists unfortunately so it's not quite the same. And McIlroy was raised as a unionist too. And I'm very aware it's not black and white, but thanks for educating me anyway

radharc

Deleted User wrote: »

Carl Frampton was raised in a strong Loyalist area and had friends murdered by Republican terrorists. Yet always says he would prefer to box for Ireland, not Britain, because of the support he got from Boxing Ireland. Wouldn't paint anyone into one side or the other on the basis of their backgrounds or what we think they should be. Golfers have also shown to buck the assumptions, with Presbytarian McGinley showing far more interest in playing for Ireland than Cathlic McIlroy.

Do you mean Clarke? McGinley was born and raised in Dublin, it would be a little strange if he didn't show interest in playing for Ireland.

Deedsie

radharc wrote: »

Do you mean Clarke? McGinley was born and raised in Dublin, it would be a little strange if he didn't show interest in playing for Ireland.

Graham McDowell he meant surely? His mam is Catholic I think. Not that any of that matters. They are entitled to identify with whatever national identity they choose and represent whatever country they choose.

The Golden Miller

The Golden Miller wrote: »

And I'm very aware it's not black and white, but thanks for educating me anyway

You're very welcome, it was no trouble, just thought your post had a little of the whiff of the Celtic and Cliftonville supporting Oirish fan who divides NI into "us" and "them"! Tbh I never even knew not cared about his background, and went to a couple of games when he managed SR.

Deedsie wrote: »

Graham McDowell he meant surely? His mam is Catholic I think. Not that any of that matters. They are entitled to identify with whatever national identity they choose and represent whatever country they choose.

It was McDowell. And the rest of the post is spot on.

Omackeral

I think Luxembourg beating Macedonia is worth a mention. So here goes...

Luxembourg beat Macedonia.

Very Bored

Good luck to Wales, Iceland and the north of Ireland over the next two days. It would be great for football if all three of these minnows secured qualification so early on. I have noted what other posters have said regarding the six counties qualifying, and I can understand where they are coming from. I am staunchly republican myself, however, that is a discussion for another day and another sphere. In terms of sport it would be incredibly romantic if all three qualified, particularly in a sport so driven and determined by money. Realistically we all know, each and every season, that the winners of the Champions League are going to come from Spain, Germany, Italy or England, and more often than not a similar scenario will play out in the Europa League too. So if three small nations can achieve something so incredible, then it really does offer a glimmer of hope for other lesser lights.

fyfe79

Agreed. Especially impressive stuff from Iceland. Population of under 350,000 yet they've done the double over Holland, beaten Czech Republic and Turkey, and recorded comfortable 3-0 away wins in Latvia & Kazakhstan. Can you imagine Ireland doing even half of that? Our only non-Gibraltar win in our group to date has been a last minute win over Georgia. Puts it in perspective. Incredible job going on there.

blueser

fyfe79 wrote: »

Agreed. Especially impressive stuff from Iceland. Population of under 350,000 yet they've done the double over Holland, beaten Czech Republic and Turkey, and recorded comfortable 3-0 away wins in Latvia & Kazakhstan. Can you imagine Ireland doing even half of that? Our only non-Gibraltar win in our group to date has been a last minute win over Georgia. Puts it in perspective. Incredible job going on there.

Spot on. Arguably the most impressive qualification campaign in the whole tournament, with due acknowledgements to both Wales and, moreso, Northern Ireland.

fyfe79

Yep. I understand, and totally agree with, the arguments that Delaney is poison for development for football in this country and that change from the bottom up is required, but at the same time, our national team should still be doing better. We only have to look at the likes of Iceland, Wales and NI to see what some belief and organisation can do for your chances. A lot of our squad are playing their club football at a higher level than players from NI and Iceland, especially, and a similar level to Welsh players I would say (Bale excepted, of course).

keeponhurling

Euro 2016 is an extended version, so there were always going to be a few extra teams qualifying who don't usually.

It's nice for these teams that they get their days out, but it does also mean the group stages of Euro 2016 will be quite weak

Iceland, Wales and NI are kinda sticking it to the "oh we're crap and we'll never be good again or qualify for anything ever and our players are crap and they only play for crap clubs like Everton and Stoke" brigade.

Though finding a Bale would be nice!

Very Bored

blueser wrote: »

Spot on. Arguably the most impressive qualification campaign in the whole tournament, with due acknowledgements to both Wales and, moreso, Northern Ireland.

I would agree with the first comment. In terms of the second, I would say more so Wales, given they haven't qualified for anything since 1958 despite having had some unbelievable players in that time.

Harry Palmr

Costa seems to be out Heskey-ing Emile for Spain.

Johner

keeponhurling wrote: »

Euro 2016 is an extended version, so there were always going to be a few extra teams qualifying who don't usually.

It's nice for these teams that they get their days out, but it does also mean the group stages of Euro 2016 will be quite weak

Some of these so called weaker teams are topping their groups though so would be qualifying anyway. The extra places look like they are going to benefit some of the bigger teams/nations like Holland/Russia.

fyfe79

keeponhurling wrote: »

Euro 2016 is an extended version, so there were always going to be a few extra teams qualifying who don't usually.

It's nice for these teams that they get their days out, but it does also mean the group stages of Euro 2016 will be quite weak

But these teams are topping their groups. It's not like they're going through via the play-offs. Although, as I mentioned in the "Wales" thread, I think the extra places have given the smaller nations a major morale boost and they now believe they have a chance which is reflected in their improved performances. Also, concurrently, major teams like Holland have underperformed which may be due to complacency caused by the extra places and a thinking that they will still quality no matter what.

I was sceptical too about the increased tournament size at first, but the current qualifying campaigns are a breath of fresh air, as a result.

edgecutter

Fair play to Wales, but they should not have the same accolades that Iceland or Northern ireland are getting. They have teams playing in the English Leagues and are situated right beside England for their players to make an easier transition to the league.

Tomagotchye

Really hope our North brothers manage it. Been supporting them the whole campaign. Love Kyle Lafferty!

Competitive Euros. Decision to make it bigger paying off. Pity the Republic are so terrible. Need to cut the keane/o'neill era soon and get a solid cheap coach in that has new ideas ala a Gary monk figure

Berserker

Tomagotchye wrote: »

Really hope our North brothers manage it. Been supporting them the whole campaign. Love Kyle Lafferty!

They are all but there now. It would be nice if they wrapped it up at home tomorrow night against Hungary. Hungary have a decent side nowadays, so it could be a tricky enough fixture.

Tomagotchye wrote: »

Competitive Euros. Decision to make it bigger paying off. Pity the Republic are so terrible. Need to cut the keane/o'neill era soon and get a solid cheap coach in that has new ideas ala a Gary monk figure

There is a horrible level of apathy surrounding the senior team these days. You can't give away tickets for the game against Georgia. Scotland and Poland just about sold out with the help of thousands of away fans in the home stands. I don't buy the whole ticket price argument. People were paying crazy money for the GAA games this week, so the money is there, if people have the interest.

Beefy78

See ya in France lads :cool:

edgecutter

Tomagotchye wrote: »

Really hope our North brothers manage it. Been supporting them the whole campaign. Love Kyle Lafferty!

Competitive Euros. Decision to make it bigger paying off. Pity the Republic are so terrible. Need to cut the keane/o'neill era soon and get a solid cheap coach in that has new ideas ala a Gary monk figure

It doesn't matter who we get in, we simply don't have the mentality to win big games.