World Cup Qualification Group D Thread

armahibee wrote: Big ask to beat Wales and serbia at home,although looking at that I tend to agree with your other projections. With it laid out like that for the first time I'm actually starting to believe we will make it too russia.

Wales game will be tight and scrappy but the fact Austria and Serbia have defensive problems gives us a good chance.

I do think 2 draws and a win is most likely. That'd be acceptable given the even nature of the 3 of us but this is the best qualifying group we'll ever have in having a real chance of winning it especially when we were 4th seeds. Would be a fantastic achievement to do it and we're no worse than these teams imo.

lassassinblanc wrote: If we can beat Germany at home I don't see why we can't beat Austria, Serbia and Wales at home. Hopefully the landsdowne roar will see us through

For the 4 big games under Martin in Lansdowne we've been pretty decent. 8 points from 12. 

rolo wrote: lassassinblanc wrote: If we can beat Germany at home I don't see why we can't beat Austria, Serbia and Wales at home. Hopefully the landsdowne roar will see us through You have Wales losing games left right and centre but then you have them beating us in Cardiff in what would be a dead rubber game for them. Doesnt make sense. I think it's extremely unlikely we will beat all three at home. I am optimistic that we could nick a win in Vienna though. Others will say that is mental.

Love to be proved wrong Rolo 

Id See it going as follows: (Heres Hoping)
MD1
Serbia 2-2 Rep of Ireland
Georgia 1-2 Austria 
Wales 4-0 Moldova

Edited by Scamper - 14 Oct 2016 at 10:18pm

We don't have the balls to win a group.  Even if we are in pole position with a 2 or 3 games to go I can see us snatching the playoff spot from the jaws of victory.

We have a serious lack of belief that we can be group winners.   Might be wrong but I don't think I have heard MON once say this is a winnable group.

We seem to set our sights low.  We try to 'nick' a playoff spot. 

I hate when I hear our manager talking about 'nicking a goal' as if doing so would be against the run of play, against what is expected, against all odds as if we are a loser team who hope to fluke the ball into the net and somehow get out of dodge.  He talks about nicking goals against average teams. 

We should be talking ourselves up more. Its not technical or physical ability that has never seen us win away against anyone of decent ability in 30 years, and Scotland in 1987 were not really a top team at all even though they had some good players.  Its pure inferiority complex bred into us.

If we want to qualify we need to win at least 4 games at home, no less will do. Thats why Austria & Wales are more or less in must win scenario's next month in my eyes.

deise316 wrote: Trap junior wrote: We don't have the balls to win a group.  Even if we are in pole position with a 2 or 3 games to go I can see us snatching the playoff spot from the jaws of victory. We have a serious lack of belief that we can be group winners.   Might be wrong but I don't think I have heard MON once say this is a winnable group. We seem to set our sights low.  We try to 'nick' a playoff spot.  I hate when I hear our manager talking about 'nicking a goal' as if doing so would be against the run of play, against what is expected, against all odds as if we are a loser team who hope to fluke the ball into the net and somehow get out of dodge.  He talks about nicking goals against average teams.  We should be talking ourselves up more. Its not technical or physical ability that has never seen us win away against anyone of decent ability in 30 years, and Scotland in 1987 were not really a top team at all even though they had some good players.  Its pure inferiority complex bred into us.   And MON won't be saying it is a winnable group either, at any stage, even if we are 4 points clear at the top of it with one game to go, he will mumble something about Serbia or Austria appealing a result that happened months ago that could change the whole complexion of the group if the appeal stands.  He doesn't particularly care for the media at all, and while he makes the right noises about the fans, I doubt he sees them as anything approaching a priority either. He deliberately talks us down to the media/fans, but he simply can't be doing that to the team when all the evidence, as in, improving at HT when we have been playing muck, getting late equalisers & winners, which we have been doing over his entire tenure, suggests otherwise.  The players clearly have belief in him, or enough of them do anyway, and that is fairly clear to see. Jack used to do the same thing, play up the underdog card, the 'give it a lash' angle & see what happens, when in reality, he had a fairly meticulous gameplan, even if it was a simplistic one, in place. I wouldn't be putting any great heed of what MON says to the public whatsoever, it is what he says to the players that matters, and so far, he must be saying something right to them.  Would ya think he told Daryl Murphy in Serbia to just amble on & see could he nick an oul goal for example, or did he fire him up with some speech telling him this was his moment, their CB wasn't great in the air, maybe I know yer going to get a chance Daryl, bury the f**king thing type speech or whatever it is that he does ? I highly doubt a fella as animated on the touchline is quite so droll & talking the team down in the dressing room.  The style, or lack of, is another subject entirely, and I would have some misgivings there, but MON talking the team down wouldn't register as any great concern, in my opinion.

Alex Ferguson talked like a winner long before he ever won anything with United.  He talked about winning the title and not just one title, he talked about 'knocking Liverpool off their perch' by winning it multiple times  At the time it was laughable.  Ferguson embraced the challenge.  Stated publicly United's goal was to win the league championship.  He wanted to raise the expectations of everyone at the club.  Raise the standards.  He wanted everyone from the supporters, players, backroom staff, tea ladies to know that this was a club that had the highest standards and that only winning would do.  He had no fear of setting himself up for a fall because he had total determination and belief in his methods.  I cannot recall him ever talking down United's chances before a game to ease the pressure from the press. 

He went out to play attacking exciting football and to win every game.  He expected to win every game even when the personnel weren't there in the late 80's.  I don't get the sense from MON that he goes out to win especially away from home.  In my opinion he has in his own mind told himself that a draw would be a great result. He sets up his teams to play crude physical football and to turn away games into an ugly war of attrition that upsets the opposition rather than try to be creative ourselves.  He's delighted with draws instead of being disappointed.  That's the impression I get anyway.

I think a true winner embraces high expectations.  They don't shy away from them or play the underdog card.  That's where they belong in their minds and so feel totally comfortable in that situation. 




Edited by Trap junior - 15 Oct 2016 at 12:15am