Unless things turn to total shite in the next 4 games I’d advocate keeping Trap on for this series. Grind out nervy 1-0 wins away in front of huge support in Vienna, Stockholm and Berlin (or wherever the krauts play.) If we get to the Euros the support will be even huger. I don’t think our players will fear Germany and I’d quietly fancy us to win this group. It’s a big season now for several young players and we need a bit of luck with injuries etc.
Rio is going to be epic, I’ve already started setting a little money aside for spending on whores.
Rocko
What way would you see the German team taking shape for the WC 2014 qualifiers, would you expect the likes of Hummel, Schmelzer, Sukatu Pasu & Gotze to be pushing hard for places in 13 or 14 months time when qualifying roles around
we have a tough group but will will win it- we have a good record in Bulgaria
Germany have lost two world cup qualifiers. The 1-5 to England in Munich and a 0-1 loss to Northern Ireland in 1985.
Is that right?
Fucking hell, this is a horrible group.
How???
Well Germany will win it and then there’s Sweden and Austria who will be in the running for 2nd place. It will be very very difficult for us to qualify, not impossible, but bleeding difficult.
It was always going to be difficult and moat likely a battle for 2nd. Did you not see the other countries we could have drawn from pots 2 and 4??
[quote=“Phil Leotardo, post: 609669”]
It was always going to be difficult and moat likely a battle for 2nd. Did you not see the other countries we could have drawn from pots 2 and 4??[/quote]
Yes Phil, I was aware that there is a seeding process here, all I’m saying is that its a very difficult group for us.
How the fuck can people watch football all their lives and say right now, 15 months before the thing starts that Germany will win the group? I grew up watching Saint and Geavsie and “it’s a funny ol’ game” is my creed. Up Ireland.
- 1, we are very much an improving side and barring Kilbane and possibly Given it is hard to see too many other players in the squad who won’t be around come the qualifying. even if lads like Duff and O’Shea are past their best we will have credible alternatives hopefully. A big season lies ahead for the likes of McCarthy, Coleman, Clark, Wilson and Long to name but a few who could easily force their way into the starting side. We are still an improving side with a nice crop of lads under the age of 25 coming through and a nice mix of experince in the side as well.
German football kingpins Bayern Munich are interested in our reserve striker Shane Long but their national team has all but beaten us already? Give over. Go to wikipedia and look at their last squad. A lot of shite. Badstuber for fuck’s sake. He can hardly kick the ball. They all play in Germany bar one or two and German football is shite.
In fairness they have some very good young players coming through but even when we were a rabble under Staunton we more than held our own against them and were very unlucky to lose in Stuttgart to a deflected goal
[left][left]
Trapattoni wants it even more now
By Liam Mackey
Monday, August 01, 2011
IRELAND’S World Cup draw has only served to sharpen Giovanni Trapattoni’s appetite for leading the country on the road to Rio.
The manager has always made clear that he wants to stay on in the role after the current European Championships but, following Saturday night’s draw in Brazil, he now says that the presence in Ireland’s group of Germany and Austria —countries in which he enjoyed success at the helm of, respectively, Bayern Munich and Red Bull Salzburg — makes the prospect of leading Ireland into the 2014 qualifying campaign even more enticing.
“Of course,” he says, speaking from his home in Milan where he watched Saturday’s proceedings in Rio.
“Having won titles in both Austria and Germany, there would certainly be a sense of pride for me personally to lead the Republic of Ireland out against these teams from countries that I know very well. Even though they’re not my nations, the fact that I’ve spent so much time in them both means it’s not a million miles away from going up against Italy – and you saw our record there. That’s a source of personal pride as well.”
Overall, Trapattoni is enthusiastic about a draw which pits Ireland against Germany, Sweden, Austria, the Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.
“I think this is a good group for us,” he says. “I think, with this group, we can dream of success. With all of these teams we know that we are their equals in every sense. The only exception to that would really be Germany who are a very strong team, so we know there’s a threat there. But I’ve said many times before that the standards in international football are much closer now. When you think of our performances against the likes of Brazil and Argentina, it’s clear that there’s no reason at all why we can’t perform against a first seed.”
For all that, Trapattoni still expects that, as is customary by now, the Germans will be involved in the business end of things in Brazil in three years’ time.
“There are so many factors in international football these days — things like fitness and injuries — that can all have a big impact,” he says.
“But just looking coldly at the number of players they can call up, and the quality of those players, then theoretically yes, you’d have to rate them as one of the potential finalists.”
As to when Ireland would ideally face Germany in the course of the campaign, Trapattoni would prefer if it was only when his players already had plenty of game time under their belts.
“Mid-season is when you’d ideally like to play them,” he suggests.
Clarity on that issue could come as soon as late next month when, according to FAI boss John Delaney — who met with German officials immediately after Saturday night’s draw in Rio — it is hoped that the Group C fixture meeting will be held in Frankfurt.
Delaney has also welcomed the draw as giving Ireland a very good chance of qualifying for Brazil 2014.
And, from a financial perspective, the presence of Germany in the group is another notable plus.
The FAI boss had previously characterised this campaign as “a last roll of the dice” in terms of European football associations negotiating their own television deals before the new centralised system kicks off from 2014, an agreement under which the FAI will reap €40 million over four years. And, in light of the latest draw — and even with Germany on board — Delaney is still happy that the guarantee is more rewarding than the gamble.
“We’d be better off under the UEFA settlement for TV rights, absolutely,” he says. "I don’t think there’s any draw, at the moment, that would get us €10 million a year. So we’ve done very well with the centralised TV rights.
“But in terms of a last roll of the dice, this is good financially because it would give us what I would reckon would be about €6 million above our current contracts. It also gives us a big team (Germany) coming to Dublin so in terms of selling out the Aviva and selling season tickets that’s more than helpful. Sweden is also good.”
The FAI boss confirms that, that taking into account all sources of revenue including advertising, TV rights and gate receipts, Ireland’s 2007 European Championship game at Croke Park against Germany generated a profit close to €10 million.
“I think Germany from the point of view of television rights are probably the biggest draw in European football,” he says. “And also their supporters tend to travel in decent numbers as well. You’d expect them to take up their 10% allocation at the Aviva.”
By contrast, the Green Army will scarcely be travelling in big numbers when time comes for Ireland to visit Kazakhstan.
“We’ve been to Kazakhstan before with the women’s team so we’ve had experience of travelling there in the past,” the FAI boss points out. “The reality is that, as we found with Armenia, you’re going to get distant countries in a European draw as well as ones closer to home. For the supporters travelling, I think Germany and Austria, as the two central European countries, will be the pick for them”.
Read more: http://examiner.ie/sport/soccer/trapattoni-wants-it-even-more-now-162839.html#ixzz1TlLG8csK[/left][/left]
[left][left]
Hamren targets Ireland in battle to reach Brazil
By Ben Lyttleton
Monday, August 01, 2011
SWEDEN coach Erik Hamren has targeted the matches against the Republic of Ireland as his side’s best chances of finishing second in World Cup qualifying Group C after Saturday night’s draw.
Germany team manager Olivier Bierhoff, meanwhile, warned Hamren that Sweden will find it tough against the Irish. Bierhoff said: “In the rankings, Ireland are behind Sweden, but we see them as being as strong as Sweden,” he said.
“Our players love playing in Ireland — it’s always a great atmosphere. The pressure on the German national team is high every time. But we can do it.”
Top seeds and group favourites Germany were delighted to have avoided France from pot two — with newspaper Bild even running the headline ‘Thank you Ronaldo!’ — even though they were wary of Ireland’s decent record against them: five wins and four draws in 16 matches.
Sweden were disappointed to be paired with the Germans, and not the two other top seeds that were available, Norway and Greece. Both teams, though, were nervous about Ireland’s presence in the group:
“Germany is a great team, of course, but behind them is Ireland and Austria and they will be tough too,” said Hamren. “We are still major contenders but none of these games will be easy.”
Swedish paper Aftonbladet noted that the Dublin fixture may have an extra frisson given that the last Swede to have an impact on Irish football was referee Martin Hansson, who controversially allowed France’s handball goal in Paris in 2009.
Austria, on the other hand, will be more focused on beating neighbours Germany than qualifying, according to their coach Dietmar Constantini.
“Everything has to be absolutely perfect to stand any chance of beating Germany, the third ranked team in the world,” he said. “In fact though, for the Austrian people, beating Germany is probably more important than reaching the finals themselves.”
Read more: http://examiner.ie/sport/soccer/hamren-targets-ireland-in-battle-to-reach-brazil-162841.html#ixzz1TlLi8RFT[/left][/left]
My first Ireland game was the 1989 friendly against the Bundesrepublik cunts who’d win the World Cup the next year and we gave the fuckers enough of it that day despite all the genuinely great players they had. We’ll inflict our game on the opposition and we’ll win this.
as it says in the above article five wins and four draws in 16 matches.
I hate when people copy and paste bland articles on here
In any case we will be in the battle for a playoff spot same as always. We don’t have replacements of the quality of JOS, Dunne, Given, Keane, Duff at present and will need to
hope the likes of Coleman, Clark, Long, Gibson etc push on and start nailing down places soon.
As others have said this is over 12 months
away. If I’d to pick one tournament to qualify for it would be Euro 2012 to be honest.
What sport is having their Euros in 2014 ?
Fisting, is your missus organising it again?