I’m hearing that both Henry and Ribery are struggling with injuries.
Duff man of the match against Hull last night. Note: starting full backs for Hull were McShane and Kilbane however :rolleyes:
Finnan has played a few games now for Portsmouth. Good news.
Steven Reid feels he may well get a few Blackburn games in before November 14th. I would have him on the bench at least ahead of Miller.
Roll on a 8pm kick off and plenty of 
Is this the longest thread title ever?
Lads can anyone give me A link or website to where I can get tickets for the home leg?Ticketmaster is A shambles!
NCC will be selling them in the lead up to the game.
Domenech has called us the “England B’s”.
Cunt. :mad:
[quote=“Pikeman”]Domenech has called us the “England B’s”.
Cunt. :mad:[/quote]
That is fuckin outrageous.
Only a couple of our players would make the England B team.
[quote=“Pikeman”]Domenech has called us the “England B’s”.
Cunt. :mad:[/quote]
has no one told him McGeady is Scottish?
We are not the England B’s, even though many people on this forum are recommending that we adopt players who have already played for England U21’s or B’s.
This is why Ireland stand a fighting chance, Domenech is a clown. You couldn’t even begin to get upset by anything this man utters.
This is a French side that won 1-0 against the Faroes a couple of months ago.
That was a shocking Austrian team that won in Vienna and it was Romania’s surprising collapse in form that had France so comfortable in second place.
I don’t think either Austria or Romania are as good as Ireland, both gave France serious trouble. There is hope.
Someone else stated this on another forum but it makes shit out of Doms statement,Given - Lifford
O Shea - Ferrybank
Dunne - Tallaght
Ledger - Grandfather from Carlow
Kilbane - Both parents from Ireland
Duffer - Dublin
Andrews - Dublin
Whelan - Dublin
Hunt - Carrick on Suir
Doyle - Adamstown
Keane - Tallaght
What’s more France are the fucking African A team!
[quote=“Watchyourtoes”]Someone else stated this on another forum but it makes shit out of Doms statement,Given - Lifford
O Shea - Ferrybank
Dunne - Tallaght
Ledger - Grandfather from Carlow
Kilbane - Both parents from Ireland
Duffer - Dublin
Andrews - Dublin
Whelan - Dublin
Hunt - Carrick on Suir
Doyle - Adamstown
Keane - Tallaght
What’s more France are the fucking African A team![/quote]
Racist.
Fair point though. But Stephen Hunt is from Mountmellick, he moved to Carrick.
[quote=“The Runt”]That is fuckin outrageous.
Only a couple of our players would make the England B team.[/quote]
Ah yes. A classic runty.
[quote=“myboyblue”]Racist.
Fair point though. But Stephen Hunt is from Mountmellick, he moved to Carrick.[/quote]That’s not racist that’s the truth of it,half the French teams roots go back to the colonial times,Zidane was of Algerian heritage.
They are all nationalised French men, who have lived there, grown up there, and working there (for the most part). Can’t imagine Kev Kilbane or St Leger done many years in Tinryland NS?
[quote=“Rocko”]This is a French side that won 1-0 against the Faroes a couple of months ago.
That was a shocking Austrian team that won in Vienna and it was Romania’s surprising collapse in form that had France so comfortable in second place.
I don’t think either Austria or Romania are as good as Ireland, both gave France serious trouble. There is hope.[/quote]
Kerr was saying France were extremely unlucky in the group and were unfortunate with their results. Apparently they should have beaten Romania and that Austrian victory was right at the start of the campaign. Think they will be much more focused against us. Huge task to play against France really more I think about it with sheer quality in their side and for a few of them it will probably be last chance to play in a World Cup. Think team Trap thinks will be important and hoping he doesn’t go too conservative. Way he was talking and reading between the lines I think he was saying that we would be very defensive at home. Wouldn’t be astonished if he went for Lawrence and Hunt on the wings ahead of Duff and McGeady.
I expect France to beat your lads home and away but probably only by the odd goal on each occasion. I’d anticipate something like a 3-1 French victory on aggregate.
Lawrence ahead of McGeady is probable I’d say but Duff will get in ahead of Hunt. Duffer learnt plenty of discipline under Mourinho at Chelsea and played at left back for a spell under Shearer at Newcastle. Tbh, he’s well ahead of Hunt in terms of discipline and defence.
Assuming Lawrence ahead of McGeady, I reckon the other selection issue is what he does with the back four, options being along the lines of:
I’d probably lean towards the second option there given the experience that’s there. St. Ledger let nobody down but he’s still untested really.
[quote=“ClarkeyCat”]Lawrence ahead of McGeady is probable I’d say but Duff will get in ahead of Hunt. Duffer learnt plenty of discipline under Mourinho at Chelsea and played at left back for a spell under Shearer at Newcastle. Tbh, he’s well ahead of Hunt in terms of discipline and defence.
Assuming Lawrence ahead of McGeady, I reckon the other selection issue is what he does with the back four, options being along the lines of:
I’d probably lean towards the second option there given the experience that’s there. St. Ledger let nobody down but he’s still untested really.[/quote]
Yeah I’d say he will go with Lawrene and Duff though I’d go with McGeady and Duff myself. Argument could be put forward that Duff was poor against Montenegro while Lawrence, McGeady and Hunt all had good games against Italy and Hunt was lively against Montenegor too. Pity none of these four can play in other positions as its an area we are very strong in. Lawrence still looks limited to me despite his recent performances must say but is man in form in national jersey.
I think Trap will go with established back four of O’Shea, Dunne, St. Ledger and Kilbane myself.
http://www.clubcall.com/bolton-wanderers/cahill-linked-irish-963273.html
Bolton defender Gary Cahill could get his wish of going to the World Cup with the Repubic of Ireland, according to reports.
Cahill has been called up into the last few England squads for friendly and World Cup qualifying games but has yet to make an appearance for Fabio Capello’s outfit and that could leave the door open for the Republic.
The Republic will have to fight their way past France in the play-offs to make it to South Africa next summer but if they do then reports claim Giovanni Trapattoni will try and lure Cahill.
The Trotters defender is eligible to play for Ireland through a grandparent and it would be a tough decision for the player to make if he did have the option.
Cahill is tipped to be an England star of the future but it is not everyday that a chance to play in the World Cup comes along and it is unlikely he will be going with England next summer
The more I think about this draw the more I feel it has given us the best chance of qualification.
Generally teams prefer the second leg at home but given it highly unlikely that we will beat France by a couple of goals in Paris, I feel playing at home first suits us perfectly. Teams tend to be a bit cautious anyway in the first leg. In that sense I don’t think France would be overly disappointed with a 0-0 in Dublin. I think we are capable of achieving that in the first leg certainly I don’t think we would be suited into forcing the play in a second leg in Dublin.
The second leg in Paris would then be set up perfectly for us. The French would be forced to come at us. The longer they failed to score, the more the crowd would get on their back, players fighting with one another etc. Throw in our danger from set pieces and if we could get ahead at all I think we would qualify.
I think that is our best bet of getting through. In that sense I would play a cautious side in Dublin. Trapp will play Lawrence and Duff on the wings. Lawrence to keep tabs on whoever the French play at left back, Abidal? Our total absence of pace in the side will see the French play a high line but hopefully we can condense the play enough to stifle them.
Our template should be Romania who held the French to a pretty comfortable 0-0 draw in the last Euros and who the French failed to beat in this campaign.
France despite a clown manager aren’t that bad of a side. They took four points off Serbia and lost only one game. What side do ye reckon they will put out in Dublin?