nothing grabs paddy like a big night of soccer on the tele
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What a nightâŚbest night of my life easily.
The servile quisling hun cunts and the sheep shagging lickspittles were both rammed. All our gang still here so we all watched it down the Port with a few Taffs and Tans in the background⌠unrale. I was giving it the bigâun all night.
Thank you Martin and Roy for that wonderful present⌠Iâm heading to Cadiz tomorrow for a week if either of you are around for a pint. cc @Tassotti
James McLean hates the fucking QueenâŚ
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Probably a question for @Sidney What way did the playoffs used to work with European teams playing teams from outside Europe like us playing Iran in 2001?
Thatâs one of the very rare occasions a European team has played a non-European team in a play-off. Scotland v Australia in 1985 is the only other one I can think of.
The current qualifying system with the play-offs was brought in for the 1998 World Cup.
For 2002 qualifying there were 9 groups but no team dropped out as the worst runners-up. There were also four all-European play-offs and Eire were the odd one out that drew the Asian team, which was considered the best draw. I recall that the draw for that was made a couple of days before the Holland game at Lansdowne Road, which was one more part of the reason for the jubilation.
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Previously Europe used to have more spots at the world cup. 16 of the 32 spots from 1998 going to Europe and it has been going down since. Think there were 15 Euro places for 2002 due to joint hosts and 9 groups in 2002 qualifying and the top 9 qualified with the defending champions (France) with the best second place team playing an Asian side and the other 8 teams playing off
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I am pretty sure Ireland were the best placed second placed team. They only dropped 6 points in a very tough group.
They might well have been but Iâm pretty sure wasnât the reason for the pairing, given that it was definitely known going into that Holland game, which was the second last one, that if there was a play-off, it would be against an Asian team. I canât recall if the draw for the all-European play-offs was made at the same time or following the conclusion of the groups in October. I think it was in October actually.
I think it was just a case of FIFA or UEFA drawing one group at random in advance of the conclusion of the groups to play against the Asian team, perhaps for logistical purposes given the greater travel involved, and it turned out to be ours.
Did he take that hilarious free kick that went out for a throw in near the end?
He did. I found it strange that he came in and started taking the corners and free kicks. Heâs 17 ffs sake. Fair play to him for having the confidence to do it but he didnât really produce any good deliveries and surely somebody else on the team shouldâve been stepping up to take these.
Tom Lawrence I thought?
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Was that not Tom Lawrence?
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Itâs about time qualifying positions started to be taken away from the African and Asian teams and given towards the South American and European teams.
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I never saw the truth in it being better being away in the first leg.
I think it is better being away for the second leg as, should you get an away goal, the opposition usually has very little time to react and often makes the tie insurmountable for them.
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Anything to the Balbriggan Lawrenceâs ?
I love a good sucker punch away goal.
Ferguson era Manchester United specialised in being the victims of such sucker punches.
Whatâs our overall record like in play offs in terms of at home in the second leg v away in the second leg?
In no particular order (for Euros and World Cup) off the top of my head.
Turkey - away second leg. OUT
France - away second leg. OUT
Iran - away second leg. QUALIFIED.
Bosnia - home second leg. QUALIFIED.
Estonia - home second leg. QUALIFIED.
Holland - at Anfield in a one off game. OUT.
Belgium - away second leg. OUT
So in a nutshell when we got dross we qualified .
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