FAI...New Manager Hunt continues

[stew]

Can someone tell me why that Muppet George Hamilton thinks it's a done deal Serbia will finish top of table. They are a point ahead of Wales and 2 ahead of us. Yes they are hit favourites but hardly 100% certain.

Probably because they play Georgia at home in their final fixture. However, crazier things have happened. Would be some craic if they got held to a draw and we nipped a win in Cardiff.

Just goes to show how costly our run of poor draws in recent games was. One win in those games would have given us a great chance of going through automatically.

I'm fairly sure he assumed it was a mathematical impossibility as he said it numerous times. Poor stuff from a commentator.

He was the same during the last qualification campaign. He celebrated Poland getting a late equalizer against Scotland, the night we beat Germany!

Martin O'Neill has to go, his team is as exciting to watch as England, maybe even worse, I cannot believe they are extending his contract, the football is dirge!

What type of football were you expecting to see with such a average group of players?  England are no great shakes themselves but at least they have a team full of Premier league starters unlike O'Neill team.

When they play the likes of Georgia I expect tem to play to win, what I don't expect them to do is pack it in for 87 minutes after scoring early and expecting that paltry lead to hold up, that is one example of what I expect!

They play tentative football and play not to lose, they are horrible to watch and have little to no creative players, the ones they d have don't play enough, McGeadey/Hoolahan.

[Syferus]

I'm really amazed that professional athletes could be so lacking in confidence of their own talent. This was Moldova, that was Georgia last month. Genuinely píss-poor sides.

If a gaelic football team here set up like Ireland and started lumping the ball up from FB to FF consistently they'd be ridiculed, let alone against a vastly inferior team. All we seem to want to do is hand possession back to the opposition.

[rodney trotter]

Look at the talent Argentina ,have and they might not even make the WC.

Shane Long hasn't scored this season for Southampton and is Irelands main striker.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Good game Bosnia and Belgium and a good result for us just those 3 points in Cardiff simple lol

[Targetman]

Look at the talent Argentina ,have and they might not even make the WC.

Shane Long hasn't scored this season for Southampton and is Irelands main striker.

Shane Long's definitely not on fire, hope it changes on Monday night!!

[illdecide]

It's fuuny you talk about S Long, i was just thinking after last nights match that he will end up scoring the winner for us on Monday. It's written in the script, the way he's playing he couldn't hit a barn door you can see his confidence is at an all time low but S Long and 1-0 on Monday night is worth a fiver for me...

[An Watcher]

Results not great tonight.  By my reckoning if Scotland win and there's a winner in the Ukraine game we're screwed.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Northern Ireland lose and could be in trouble might have to rely on a draw between us and wales

[Capt Pat]

Results not great tonight.  By my reckoning if Scotland win and there's a winner in the Ukraine game we're screwed.

That is pretty much it. A Slovenian win or a draw in either game will get us through provided we beat the Welsh.

[manfromdelmonte]

this group was thrown away long ago

[T Fearon]

Realistically what chance has either Irish side winning a play off,and by some miracle,if they do,what chance have they of avoiding embarrassment in the finals next year?

[From the Bunker]

Realistically what chance has either Irish side winning a play off,and by some miracle,if they do,what chance have they of avoiding embarrassment in the finals next year?

Ah, there are a lot of average sides from Central America, Asia and Africa that play in the World Cup.  Both the Irelands are punching above their weight based on population, Gaa culture and infrastructure.

[shark]

Realistically what chance has either Irish side winning a play off,and by some miracle,if they do,what chance have they of avoiding embarrassment in the finals next year?

Ah, there are a lot of average sides from Central America, Asia and Africa that play in the World Cup.  Both the Irelands are punching above their weight based on population, Gaa culture and infrastructure.

Exactly. The group stages of the World Cup can have some pretty awful sides.

As for the playoffs, yes Italy would be a long shot. But after that? Portugal could win their group so may not be in playoffs, and Croatia may not make playoffs either. Nothing to fear from the rest.

[MW]

Northern Ireland lose and could be in trouble might have to rely on a draw between us and wales

If we only lose by 1 goal, we're in the play-offs, as Greece couldn't catch us. If we lose by more than one, Greece overtake us.

In that scenario, a draw between Wales and the Republic would see us through, as indeed would a Republic of Ireland win by less than 3 goals.

Hopefully, fingers crossed, we wrap it up today though. Could even be done before we play, if Scotland fail to beat Slovenia.

[MW]

Realistically what chance has either Irish side winning a play off,and by some miracle,if they do,what chance have they of avoiding embarrassment in the finals next year?

Did you watch the Euros last year, Tony?