New thread as the last thread seems to be broken.
The last playoff we were in was very much devoid of buzz. Mick II was horrible to watch and full of forgettable players.
Yeah like ole what's his name at centre half! Anyway 2-1 to ireland, alan Browne to score the winner.
3-1 to Czechia
We're definitely starved.
We had France playoff in 2009, then Euro 2012, Euro 2016.
The playoff with Slovakia in 2020 had zero hype even though it was a handier fixture.
We are a soccer mad nation at the end of the day so I'm not that surprised. Rugby is very niche, so it's the only sport that brings everyone together.
Lol.
I was thinking the same thing.
All the hype and it'll be a damp squib.
The Czechs will go ahead 2-0 and just keep the ball.
We'll get one back in the second half and then the Czechs will get a third as we're chasing an equaliser.
I remember watching Ireland games as far back as Euro 88, and it is great to see a bit of excitement building for what is our biggest game in years, and don't forget there's a whole generation of kids who've never seen us in such a situation… (my own son included). I keep telling myself we are going out tonight, and probably cruelly too.. (I want to temper any flickers of excitement/dreams from building), but there's still a little glint of something there, some hope… there has to be otherwise what's the point…? There was hope back in November and look what happened..
I hope we do it for so many reasons, but most of all for all the kids who'll have never experienced it before.
It's mad that the 3 World Cup's we've been to spanned just a 12 year period, a period that ended 24 years ago, so there are Irish people approaching 30 years old who've probably got no recollection of us being at a World Cup! and me only about 15 years older remember all 3!!
For those of us that were around for it, they really were our golden days. 3 World Cup's in the space 12 years and we progressed out of the group stages in each one.. A golden era.. (and we narrowly missed out on making it 4 in a row (France 98) but lost a 2 legged playoff to Belgium 3-2 on aggregate..)
Anyway, enjoy the game tonight, and believe..
COYBIG
It would have been more beneficial I think if this match was a week after the Hungary game.
Euro 2016 was pretty good though.
But that's 10 years ago.
So we're really starved of any type of success.
The Kenny years were particularly bad, although I actually like him.
No Lawal in the squad, must not be fit.
There's nothing wrong with a bit of hype imo 😀. It cerates excitement, buzz, and a great atmosphere!
It's the over-confidence that worries me. Which is a different thing to the hype. Ex Internationals puffing their chests out, saying we can take them no problem, etc.
It's all very misplaced…..we have an extremely poor record away from home. While the Czechs at home are very consistent (15 wins in their last 18).
We have to hope for an off-night from them. And that our key players are on form and hopefully fit enough
One for your kids around 10pm tonight
Was in Brussels that night. We was robbed !!! 😁
It was an Ireland throw in and they gave it to Belgium who took a quick one and scored the winner.
Remember watching it on tv and getting emotional as I saw Shay Given leaving the field in tears. Houghton's goal seemed like one last hurrah from the Italia 90 generation, it came from a cross by Andy Townsend I recall. We Are The Champions was played in the stadium as the Belgians celebrated. I still dislike that song for that reason, the same way the Black Eyed Peas gives me PTSD of Paris '09.
I was at that game in 09 and every **** time that song comes on its the first thing I think of
How are the nerves lads?
Belgians were a right miserable lot aswell until after the game.
Sure who wouldnt be happy about thousands of drunk paddies taking over their city?????
The Belgians do drunk just as well as we do.
Was my (and probably hundreds of others) first experience of Belgian beer too
When did the Czech Republic start getting called Czechia ….pardon my ignorance am not down with the kids
Czechia and the Czech Republic have both been used in an official capacity for years (since 2016, in fact), with the former being simply a shortened form. For the last two years, however, the Czech Republic has only been used in things like official government documents, legal correspondence and embassy business
https://www.timeout.com/news/the-czech-republic-is-changing-its-name-heres-why-022123
We were still relatively spoiled back then, had recently been to Euro 2012 & 16
Yep. Optimism doesn't suit the Irish. It seems to be come before some of the greatest defeats. Is it the optimism caused by it, or does the optimism make it seem the worse? I don't know...
I'm a bag of nerves. Feel like it's the most pivotal game in Irish football. If we made it to this WC and then we've a great chance of Euro 28, it would be huge. Financially for the FAI but also inspiring the next generation of kids.
I'll eat dinner at 6ish, then drink some alcohol to calm myself before the game.
l genuinely believe a lot of folk have no interest in this game despite the non stop hype from rte.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc.
We have been up against teams where they collectively say we havn't a hope of beating these lads, and so they play their socks off and beat them, and then meet a team who are terrible, and go, "ah this will be easy" and lose to them.
Czechia is a good match for us because it's a country of similar size and have a similar drain on sporting talent as we do, in that Ice Hockey is their main sport like GAA is here.
If our team go into it thinking "this is going to be easy" then we are screwed.
it would be huge. Financially for the FAI but also inspiring the next generation of kids.
Oh FFS! The FAI do not need any more money. There is any number of deals they are making that we dont know about.
I'm in the office today and its all anyone is talking about.
In fairness I don't think any Irish player is thinking we have booked flights to USA and nobody is buying into the hype.
They know they have a lot of work to do.
Even if we win tonight we have to go through it all again next Tuesday.
I hate this narrative that the players are somehow cocky. Jesus they know its a huge moment for them and they will need to perform.
The only downside with potentially qualifying is that it temporarily but totally puts a stay on any complaints about the general state of Irish football and the FAI. Same thing happened with Euro 2012. I remember someone saying that qualifying for that was gonna put Irish football back ten years and they weren't far off.
