Saturday, September 02, 2006
Euro qualifier action
The four home nations and the Republic of Ireland all see action today. So far it seems like a day for goal feasts. Northern Ireland were deservedly beaten 3-0 by Iceland. Scotland hammered the Faroe Islands 6-0. England stomped Andorra 5-0. Wales lost 2-1 to the Czech Republic and the RoI lost 1-0 to Germany.
It was a return to the bad old days for Northern Ireland. During the McIlroy era, the defence had a habit of falling apart if the opposition scored in the first 20 minutes of a half, and history repeated itself when the Icelanders scored in the 13th minute and two more in the first half. Tony Capaldi, who dropped defensive clangers in the Finland game, carried on in the same form today. The Iceland attack quickly realised they had the beating of him and took full advantage down the left-hand side with the 3-0 scoreline at half-time almost a disappointment for them. In the second half, Northern Ireland put together a more attacking game but this had much to do with Iceland sitting back on their comfortable lead. Healy did hit the net but was disallowed because of a prior foul by Elliott. Just as poor as Capaldi was Quinn. There is little point of having a big man to control and hold up the ball and win it in the air if he singularly fails to do either nor seems to have heard of the concept of running. Playing long, high balls against a team whose average height is about 4 inches taller than your team seems pointless too although the water-logged pitch offers some excuse for not playing it on the floor. The only ray of hope was the hardworking midfield performances of Clingan, Gillespie, Elliott and Davis. Sanchez has his work cut out before the more daunting task of Spain on Wednesday. Capaldi and Quinn need some of this stuff.
Fair Deal @ 02:20 PM
NI - very poor. I picked Iceland to win the game, but didnt expect it just as easy as this.
NI attacked OK and made some chances, but the defence was terrible. The long ball game is too predictable and easily countered by half organised defences. No one picked up Gudjohnson (which is criminal given that his style of play of dropping off the front is no trade secret), and he exploited it well.
Big improvement required on Wednesday or it will be a long night…....
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 04:11 PMOne thing about being a Northern Ireland fan is that it’s a life of a few highs and many more lows. Never seems to be anything in between.
Today’s performance was shambolic.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 04:14 PMQuoted from the Deutsche Welle (Germann BBC equivalent?)
“Ireland will show typical British values, and I expect them to fight for everything and make it very tough for us,” German manager Löw added.
Swat Ireland aside ? This means War !
Somebody needs to talk to that Low Ballack - typical British values indeed Hrrrrrmmph :(
Germany start as favorites to win Group D and to swat aside Ireland but new manager Löw has been in the job just over six weeks—far from the perfect preparation—and the new coach faces a defensive crisis.A 3-0 friendly win over Sweden was a promising start for Löw but he expects a much tougher game against Ireland.
“Ireland will show typical British values, and I expect them to fight for everything and make it very tough for us,” Löw added.
The last time Ireland faced Germany was in June 2002 when they played out a 1-1 draw in the World Cup group stage. A similar result would no doubt delight Staunton.Our father who art in heaven etc etc etc . :(
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 05:03 PMI’m a scud. For the first time in my life I put Norn Iron on my Saturday accumulator. Never again.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 05:16 PMGermany will be very disappointed with this result.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 07:50 PMMmmm. I wondered why the checkout guy at my local Iceland murmurred with contemptuous sympathy as I passed me fish fingers and frozen peas along the slidy ding-ding.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 07:51 PM“Ireland will show typical British values…”
I think if I was British I’d be be having a word with a good lawyer after the match.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 08:35 PMFunny how GAA points out that Fair Deal concentrates more on politics than sport when he comments on the GAA - then he rants on about the Neil Lennon issue in his post. Mmmmmmm
funny too how the “best fans in Europe” booed their team off the pitch.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 08:54 PMHe has a point though Brendan. Surely FD will post here tomorrow evening about the ups and downs of the Cork/Killkenny match? I won’t hold my breath…..
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 09:14 PM“funny too how the “best fans in Europe” booed their team off the pitch.”
They only got an award, they weren’t instantly turned into saints. That was the worst performance by an Irish international side since since….well since RoI were hammered 4-0 by Holland a few weeks ago, actually.
All in all a miserable day for Irish football.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 09:20 PMHe (GAA) has a point though Brendan
Fine - but it is unfair to point the finger in one sentence for doing exactly what he does in thwe next! - if you follow.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 09:35 PM“GAA” seems to show his true colours, with his slagging of our team today. Neil lennon was threatened by bigots, possibly a bit like “GAA”. They should have called the game off as a protest.
However, like the rest of N.Ireland bar some GAA people, the scene is slowly changing at Windsor. N.Ireland fans now wear green and white colours, and the morons on the Kop are growing smaller and being discouraged. Linfield even have “anti-sectarian” demonstrations, asking the crowd to support ALL the players. Nice to see Linfield are more advanced than the Antrim GAA.
Indeed it is not really the Antrim GAA. A small number of influential Bon Jovies managed to “take over” the Antrim GAA, mostly by intimidation. They still have influence, and can still intimidate, but the opposition is growing.
N.Ireland are not a very good team. Talk of population is nonsense, otherwise Antrim and Dublin would win all the All Irelands, football and Hurling, and Kerry, like Andorra and N.Ireland, wouldn’t be allowed to compete.Neither would Kilkenny for that matter.
And Neil Lennon is useless, in my considered opinion.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 09:55 PM‘home nations’ my arse.
Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 09:56 PMsupporting norn iron will always be full of more lows than highs - back to reality.
Sanchez can undoubtedly instill passion for the ocassion but some of his judgements today have to be seriously questioned.
Starting James Quinn in lieu of Lafferty was 50/50 but i was shocked when I saw Quinn running on at the start of the second half when he was clearly unfit and ineffective.
When he did bring Lafferty on he put him on the Right Wing and moved Gillespie (who had been creating chances down the right) onto the left - only to reverse the two less than 10 minutes later when he saw it clearly wasnt working for either.
Keeping Capaldi on as Left back for 80 minutes when he clearly couldnt cope in that position. Although I think Capaldi is not a bad player but I am frightened everytime I know he is playing left back.
Playing the high and long ball against Icelandic giants with Quinn reaching few and Healey the smallest person on the pitch.
Not having someone man mark Gudjohnson.
He should have kept the ball on the ground and used the pace of Sproule?
Where was Brunt ?I am afraid that £1m is safe.
I am even more fearful for the Spain game if our defence can be split open like that.Posted by on Sep 02, 2006 @ 10:40 PMI was seriously thinking of giving the north my shout today, especially after the award. But the massive “NO SURRENDER” during the anthem put pay to that. Then again I never thought I would support a team wearing red white and blue playing at windsor!!
such is the problem with NI fans, a few friendly wins and the prod supremacist emerges in all of them. Then the real match starts and they are humped. Funny hearing one of the pundits before the match warn of complacency.
Football for all right beside a giant union jack
Best fans in europe shouting uvf slogans then booing off their 3rd rate team.Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 09:57 AMCraigavon sent the Specials out,
To shoot the people down,
He thought the IRA were dead,
In dear old Belfast town,
But he got a rude awakening,
With cannon and grenade,
When he met the First Battalion,
Of the Belfast Brigade.Glory, glory to old Ireland,
Glory, glory to this island,
Glory to the memory of the men
Who fought and died,
“No surrender” is the war cry of
The Belfast Brigade.The soldiers came from Holywood,
Equipped with English guns,
There were men by the thousand,
Ammunition by the ton,
But when they got to Belfast,
They were seriously delayed,
By the fighting First Battalion
Of the Belfast Brigade.We have no ammunition,
Or no armoured tanks to show,
But we’re ready to defend ourselves,
No matter where we go,
We’re out for our Republic,
And to hell with your Free State,
“No surrender” is the war cry
Of the Belfast Brigade.Come all you gallant Irishmen,
And join the IRA
We’ll strike a blow for freedom,
When it comes a certain day,
You know your country’s history,
And the sacrifice it made,
Come join the First Battalion
Of the Belfast Brigade.Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 10:02 AM“booing off their third rate team”
It would never happen in Dublin.
http://foot.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=38592
It’s unique to Northern Ireland fans.
Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 10:07 AM“such is the problem with NI fans, a few friendly wins and the prod supremacist emerges in all of them”
I blame that well known “Prod”, Lawrie Sanchez.
Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 10:24 AMdantheman
“But the massive “NO SURRENDER” during the anthem put pay to that.”
I wish they (the Kop minority) wouldnt and indeed I see no need for GSTQ at all but that shout is now one of those things that have become quintessentially working class northern irish supporter.
I notice the band try to crescendo up at that point to drown it out.
Anyhow see it as harmless bit of fun which is the mood within which it is shouted.
Indeed I notice the England fans now shout it as well which they learned from us during the world cup qualifiers.In other words lighten up about it.
T"hen again I never thought I would support a team wearing red white and blue playing at windsor!!”
Your support for Iceland says it all.
“such is the problem with NI fans, a few friendly wins and the prod supremacist emerges in all of them”
what are you talking about ?
I have never known a Prod who saw himself as a supremecist.
We were never brought up like that - yes we had problems with Catholics but it was never one of anything other than an enemy of equals.
That kind of language is based on your own hang ups that you would do us all a favour if you sought some kind of counselling“Football for all right beside a giant union jack”
The colours being Green, White and Blue though - most of the NI fan base are from the unionist community - national football has a lot to do with nationality. Therefore some (probably less than a 100) would be seen sporting the Union flag.
NI is a country of mixed loyalaties and without its own agreed version then you are going to see one side or the other - If one section of the community chooses to opt out (because as I have said before here they dont support the Six Counties in ANY endeavour other than Gaelic Sports) then the other side will fill the vacuum.
ie its you own fault that you have chosen to opt out.Nationalists would be better working towards an agreed NI (until they achieve -if ever - their UI dream) and agreeing on issues such as flags and anthems.
We could then use our new flag and new anthem in our new stadium to support NI soccer. Other national flags of these islands would be confiscated at the turnstiles.However if you are not prepared to engage in such an exercise then you have lost your right to whinge about it.
“Best fans in europe shouting uvf slogans”
when ? I was there and I didnt hear any UVF slogans ? - did you hear it on tv ?
If not stop telling lies.” booed their team off the pitch.”
Some fans expressed their frustration at the end of the game that way - I didnt and nor did the majority but such an action is hardly exclusive to NI fans under such circumstances.
Everyone will be back on Wednesday night in full voice again.
Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 11:08 AMIf I’d got tickets for yesterday’s match I probably would have booed too. Piss poor performance, especially in the first half. Losing 3-0 to Iceland isn’t an acceptable start to a qualifying campaign, and there were too many mistakes that would have looked silly in a schoolboys match. I don’t see what’s wrong with expressing disapporval with that.
Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 11:51 AM“Anyhow see it as harmless bit of fun”
JEB
Says it all. Football for all my arse. How silly that award looks now.Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 11:52 AM“such is the problem with NI fans, a few friendly wins and the prod supremacist emerges in all of them.”
I thought a helluva lot more of you than this Dantheman kind of crap you’ve come out with.
In all of them, really?
So we’re all bigots in your humble opinion?
A “Yes” or “No” will suffice.“Best fans in europe shouting uvf slogans then booing off their 3rd rate team.”
Put up or shut up Dantheman on this serious allegation. What slogans and what time did you hear them?
If they did happen I hope someone slugged the t***s that did them, oops but we are all prod supremacists according to you aren’t we?
If they didn’t, then quite obviously you have joined Fearon’s sad and motley crew of antiGAWA liars/fantasists. Pity.Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 12:02 PMdantheman
I am afraid your attitude to NI football team is like you attitude to my post - ie just dip in and and select the bit you dont like to support your pre defined position without giving it wider consideration.
surely you can do better than that ?
eg can you support your accusation of NI fans shouting UVF slogans ?
Have you anything to say about “sport for all” actually meaning that “all” have a role to play to make it so rather than shouting from the sidelines and leaving a vacuum for others to fill ?
In the aftermath of the England game did you meet any Protestant supremacists who made you feel inferior ?
Surely Slugger is not about people shouting slogans from behind their barricades ?
Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 12:05 PMI note a few Free Staters want one of the “Billy Boys” as their manager, namely Martin O’Neill.
Niall Lennon, possibly a brother of Neil’s, says it is ok to threathen him because he is useless. I don’t think anyone sane could agree with that.
Posted by on Sep 03, 2006 @ 01:12 PMIt’s a while since I’ve left an international so downhearted. Possibly when we were beaten by Armenia at home. A woeful performance with some of the most inept defending I’ve seen from Northern Ireland. I only hope that a few changes can enable us to pick things up for Wednesday night.
Posted by on Sep 04, 2006 @ 08:46 AM
