At the risk of a footballing debate starting on this board - NI have a friendly in a few weeks away to one of the favourites for the Euros's and best teams in the world.......Holland.
It bemuses me still that the IFA agreed to this game (when they had no manager in place)- i can only think because for financial reasons.
Our Ranking is 100th so playing 4th in the world wont do much to help our ranking. Why do we not play someone (at home) above us but someone we have a chance of beating to improve the ranking (Austria, Latvia)? It certainly wont go up when we get murdered by at least 5 in a few weeks.
Also a friendly game in June has never been a good idea for us - our better players usually don't play and we end up having to field Irish league players. what do we learn?.....nothing! and it doesn't help the rankings.
Also with a new manager in he is still trying to evaluate what he has and the points mentioned above doesn't help him do his job. Also we never generate any winning feeling or confidence going into the matches that count by playing weakened teams against much better opposition in friendlies.
I do think alot of this started under Worthington - he let too many players cry off the friendlies and then walk back into the team for the qualifying matches i.e Lafferty. Hopefully MON will command the respect of the players the way Sanchez did so they turned up for the friendlies. However i see our injury list is mounting up already - Evans, Brunt, Davis, Lafferty (suspended by club) - no doubt this will grow.
All i can say is God help us with RVP and Sneijder running at Colin Cotes for 90 mins.......
Holland Friendly
posted on 11/5/12
i nearly fell off my seat last summer when i read liverpool where after a CB called Coates!
Greeny - i can only assume so to get the form and confidence up.
posted on 11/5/12
Cheers Earl.
I'm not sure I really want to see Colin's team but we'll see
posted on 11/5/12
Articles like this about football make my blood boil.
posted on 11/5/12
Have 5 stars ,me sick of like fella from free Derry that is a wee bit thick
posted on 11/5/12
HOLLAND:
Excellent article! You've said it all! A truly ridiculous friendly! No use to NI at all! I doubt if it will even make much financial sense. Looks like the "Orangemen" are looking for a "Donkey Bag" to borrow a boxing phrase, ie. someone they can work up on, practise on and gain additional confidence by giving a good hiding! Feel sorry for Michael O'Neil having to deal with this detritus inherited from Worthington/IFA. What were we playing at all that time, indulging those chumps! Michael must NOT be judged until hes had a chance to get such rubbish out off the way and is given an opportunity to run his own ship the way he wants it . Anyway, no doubt we'll set some sort of new record like, "most goals conceded in Amsterdam"! PS. If we do happen to beat them, as we have in the past, does that mean we take over the World No. 4 spot?
posted on 11/5/12
Reiver :
Yes, we will slot in between Uruguay and Portugal. And the Dutch will slide down between Antigua and Barbuda and Malawi.
On a serious note , we are on a hiding into nothing with this friendly. What bloody eejit arranges friendly matches at the IFA. Who's next Brazil and Argentina?
posted on 11/5/12
Sorry im making the blood boil guy's! haha
i do feel bad for MON - walked into a bit of a mess. hopefully the Finland friendly in August will prove to be positive for confidence, result and rankings going into the qualifiers.
I don't even think people at the IFA know why this was a good idea apart from a truck load of money......
posted on 12/5/12
ALEX:
Regarding our next friendly, I believe the dollards at the IFA are hoping to arrange a friendly with a World All Stars team, but only if we can manage to sink another few places down below Luxemburg and Monaco!
posted on 12/5/12
It can't be that bad a game. Surely you would not be punished bad for losing to the 4th best team in the world. A lose will not effect you too much, but what if something crazy happened and snuck a wee cheeky win. Would that not do wonders for you? It is unlikely but this is footy, maybe they will play 30 different players and with a new manager your lot could try to impress.
If you draw would it help you ranking position?
posted on 14/5/12
I don't think its ever going to be a case of 'if we draw or win'. We all know that won't happen. However it will be better to lose to a team ranked 4th in the world than to lose to somebody ranked near us. I hate to admit it but thats what would happen. However, as i've said in previous posts, as long as we give 100% effort i'll be happy enough. It will be interesting to see who O'Neill picks, or more importantly, who turns up. Whatever the outcome, I agree with REIVER. O'Neill must not be judged on this or even the next friendly. Lets wait until the next qualifiers to see what he can really get out of the team.. In the meantime, onwards and upwards!!!