SQUAD Greece (A) - Gibralter (H) June 2023 |
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Fozz
Liam Brady Joined: 08 Oct 2019 Location: Dublin Status: Offline Points: 2249 |
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The commentary around what we hope/expect on Friday is a good example of people basing their opinions on feelings over facts. We have the RTE podcast lads talking about the win like it's mostly a given and that anything less is a bad result. Do these people know anything about how International football works? Or anything about how Greece have played at home in the last few years? Or anythng about how Ireland have played away from home the last few generations? Look, I want the win and I am quietly confident. The bookies have us as outsiders for it and they don't make a habit of being wrong. And the stats tell us everything we need to know and that is that a win would be a huge result for us. Edited by Fozz - 14 Jun 2023 at 10:52am |
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You Tell Me
Jack Charlton Joined: 05 Sep 2010 Status: Offline Points: 6773 |
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Anything less than a win is a bad result though, in the context of the group. It's not that Greece are necessarily a bad team or anything (they're not great but they're not terrible either), it's that, put simply, in the context of the group it's a must win game. If we were in a different group a point here would be fine, but we're not so there's no point saying a point is good - because it isn't this time around.
Edited by You Tell Me - 14 Jun 2023 at 11:03am |
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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Throw in the fact that in the last 4 years Greece have played 13 competitive home games and have won 7, drawn 5 and lost just 1 vs Spain 0-1, scoring 19 and conceding just 8. Sides they have beaten at home in that time include Finland, Bosnia, Sweden, N. Ireland, Kosovo. Since Poyet took over in early 2022, they have played 7 competitive fixture (3H, 4A) winning 6 and losing 1, away to Cyprus 0-1 in what was effectively a dead rubber, scoring 13 and conceding just 2. It's remarkable the air of arrogance of many in the Irish media, it's like they still believe we are a top nation when the truth is we are an average 3rd seed in European terms and results in recent years absolutely reflect that. We'll likely only have 4 players in our starting XI (Baz, Doherty, Collins, Ferguson) who played in the PL last season, 3 of whom effectively lost their spot in the starting XI over the course of the season. Ferguson is the one real shining light to emerge and we are all hoping he can be the difference maker, but he is only 18.
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Idah Dream!
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tetsujin1979
Ray Houghton Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Status: Offline Points: 4123 |
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Can't remember if I posted this here or not. If you think of it like this - one, or possibly both, of France and the Netherlands will win in Athens, so if we want to keep pace with them and have a chance of finishing second, we have to match that result, so a win is vital. Edited by tetsujin1979 - 14 Jun 2023 at 11:12am |
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notpropaganda73
Liam Brady Joined: 17 Feb 2016 Location: Donegal Status: Offline Points: 1067 |
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Yeah in the context of the group a win is needed and I'll judge our performance (and Kenny) but how we approach the game in that context. However I do not expect a win, so if we approach the game as a must-win game but only manage a point, I won't see it as a big failure because this is not an away game in Gibraltar or Faroe |
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J89
Ray Houghton Joined: 25 Mar 2018 Status: Offline Points: 3610 |
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Feel some over look this point when they say a draw is a good result because look at our away record. Yeah in general a draw is a good result because just look at the start Tets posted. We struggle away from home. But as pointed out in the context of this group we really could do with a win given we ended up with two pot one teams because the way the seeding is now done with the NLs. |
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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You just cant say that until the group has played out. You have no idea, nor do I whether a point gained away in Greece will make a difference at the end of the Group or not. What I do know (Thanks Tets) is that if we get the victory it will be the best away victory we have achieved in an ECQ game since 1994 (29 years ago). I also know that their record at home in competitive fixtures over the last 4 years is vastly superior to our record away from home over the same period. The old adage win your home games and dont get beat away still applies for me, 4pts off Greece, 4pts off the Dutch (highly unlikely) and 6pts vs Gibraltar would likely be enough. |
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Idah Dream!
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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For sure Tets, but that's all conjecture, the Greeks could go to Amsterdam and draw and draw again with them in Athens - people are acting like the Greeks are somehow inferior to us when any objective analysis would at the very least place them on a par, so if we have a chance of beating the Dutch (and that remains a huge ask, people got carried away with their opening day defeat imo when they were missing half their first team), then so do the Greeks. Obviously we all want a win, but a draw would still be a good result, how good we just wont know until the Group plays out. I still think a draw away in Athens if we can manage it would be a very good result.
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Idah Dream!
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tetsujin1979
Ray Houghton Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Status: Offline Points: 4123 |
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Greece getting anything off the Dutch in Amsterdam is serious conjecture on your part. My point was we have to match their result in Athens, since we don't know what it is, we have to give them something to match.
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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Conjecture indeed, it's all conjecture at this point, so is the French and the Dutch rocking up to Athens and both winning. The Greeks drew away to Spain 1-1 in the World Cup Qualifying campaign in 2021, and only lost 1-0 in Athens to them. They also beat Sweden 2-1 in Athens in the same campaign and took 4 points off Georgia. They are a decent well organised outfit who will trouble all of the teams in the Group, to what extent we will all have to wait and see, but a draw out there on Friday cant be seen as a bad result imo.
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Idah Dream!
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zizu Kilbane
Jack Charlton Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 8373 |
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Back the 1-1 draw. Free money at this stage
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"Sometimes, sh*t happens, someone's gotta deal with it, and who ya gonna call?"
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You Tell Me
Jack Charlton Joined: 05 Sep 2010 Status: Offline Points: 6773 |
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The smart money has switched from the 1-1 draw to a one goal defeat in the last few years unfortunately. We're now narrowly losing the games we used to draw.
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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We will get a much more realistic view of where this current Dutch team stand tonight when they take on Croatia @ 1945 in the Semi-Final of the Nations League.
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Idah Dream!
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Maccatacca
Ray Houghton Joined: 01 Jun 2016 Status: Offline Points: 4217 |
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if Ferguson lives up to the hype we'll soon be winning those games 2-1
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kevin100
Ray Houghton Joined: 01 Jul 2020 Location: Mallow Status: Offline Points: 3392 |
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If Parrott having a knock is true then fair enough. See lads saying Johnstone,Smallbone,Knight and McGrath all alternated between first and 2nd team bibs in the warm up game. Would endorse the thought he’s going with this combination. I just thought Parrott as he’s played on these sort of games before and played well (against Scotland twice and Ukraine).
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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In a game where there are likely to be very few big chances, I just wouldn't trust Parrott to put that one big chance away. Looking at what I posted earlier regarding the team and having digested some of the interviews etc. I'm now inclined to think O'Dowda will start ahead of McClean as he is probably the better bet for retaining possession, which we will have to do in the testing conditions. I'd also switch Smallbone over to the RHS, due to both his link up play with Doherty in the Latvia game for the hour they were on the pitch together and also for his set piece delivery. It seems the medical team are happy with O'Shea's fitness, so I'm happy to go with him, nice to have a settled back 3. I'd now go with the following, with Johnston to replace Knight for the last quarter and Obafemi to get a spin out if we badly need a goal. Idah for Ferguson at some point if Evan runs out of legs in the heat. Browne, Mc Grath and McClean can all inject a bit of energy if required. Still dont see him going with 2 up top. Bazunu
Collins Egan (c) O'Shea Doherty. O'Dowda Molumby Cullen Smallbone Knight Ferguson Edited by John Nice - 14 Jun 2023 at 3:48pm |
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Idah Dream!
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John Nice
Jack Charlton Joined: 10 Sep 2021 Location: Wexford Status: Offline Points: 5137 |
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Temperature for Athens now projected to be 24/25 degrees at ko time with just a light breeze. Testing enough, but could have been worse and temperatures were a little higher in Turkey for the training camp.
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Idah Dream!
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doherty
Jack Charlton Teenage Kicks, so hard to beat Joined: 30 Mar 2015 Status: Offline Points: 7742 |
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Its an awful pity Ogbene isn't fit for this game
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I love beer gardens
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