Euro 2020 Qualifiers and associated friendlies

[ad hoc]

Can someone tell Kevin Ratcliffe there's only one Azerbaijan?

There are two. There's a region of Iran called Azerbaijan too.

(I have no idea what the reference is mind you)

[3 Colours Red]

THANK FUCK FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[3 Colours Red]

There are two. There's a region of Iran called Azerbaijan too.

(I have no idea what the reference is mind you)

He keeps saying Azerbaijans. And yes, I know about the one in Iran but I don't think they're UEFA-affiliated.

[3 Colours Red]

That's a fucking relief. And may I just say "hvala, Hrvatska" as well.

[jameswba]

Tickets for Slovakia vs Croatia sold out in 3 hours 5 weeks ago. Home fans will wish they hadn't bothered. Slovakia totally outclassed and lucky to get away with 0-4.

[Bored Of Education]

For all the 'Bale saves the day" type headlines, Jonny bloody Williams was the difference. I seem to remember our captain running at defences like that. i missed that Osian Roberts had gone to the Morrocan team. We will rue that.

[ursus arctos]

Excellent wins for Slovenia and Holland

[3 Colours Red]

Jonny bloody Williams was the difference.

He absolutely has to start whenever Ramsey's not available. But then, Giggs has no fucking clue how important the shape and balance of a team is - you can't simply cram all the greyhounds up front when you've got absolutely no progression coming from midfield. Rob Page joining the senior setup almost smacks to me of the FAW wanting him to be ready to take over ASAP.

And stick Big Nev back in goal; he can't be any worse than that shit-for-brains in there now.

[Satchmo Distel]

Israel's draw with North Macedonia enables Austria and Slovenia to move into 2nd and 3rd behind Poland in Group G. Scotland now probably reliant on the Nations League play-offs. Bad luck for NI that the Dutch are now motoring. They might be the best team that does not qualify by any mechanism.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I thought Ireland tried to play a bit of football last night, within the confines of their limited ability. It's infinitely better than MONKeano. It was almost disconcerting at times watching the centre halfs drop deep to receive short kick outs. When you look at the players we have a battling draw against the top seeds will do me fine. And worry not tiki taka fans, even we qualify we'll mainly be stinking out Dublin.

nah, it's just the same old bollocks. Brief snatches of players doing what they do week in week out. The problem that we have in irish football is that the world has moved on, and we've actually gone backwards. In the first six years of jack charlton, we were one of the few international teams anywhere that even had anything that could be described as a plan. Brian Kerr tried to have a plan, but otherwise it's go out there and enjoy yourselves lads.

I was watching ireland u-21's against armenia u-21s, the game finished 1-0 though it could have been more. They are ridiculously good. They ping the ball around like a club side. and you get a very clear sense that when they get the ball they think the opponent now has a problem. When the senior team get the ball, it is abundantly clear that it is they who have the problem. Mick can't be allowed taint these players with the stench of misery and loserdom

[Wouter D]

the Dutch are now motoring

Where the hell did that come from?

Must be the Koeman.

[Ray de Galles]

Giggs seems to think just picking the youngest set of lightweight, creative players possible and telling them to go out and express themselves with no structure or plan is enough. Tonight was full of attempted showreel passes, no-look flicks and dummies when what was needed was some shape and purpose.

The team's play lacks cohesion and identity and the older players who are fit are struggling to shepherd the younger ones through. Leaving Ben Davies out is ridiculous, especially when he and Taylor could both have been accommodated by playing a back three. Having a front four of largely similar players doesn't work, especially when they don't seem to be able to knit together and interchange their positions effectively.

The side will will look a lot better with Ramsey back in it but that may be a rare luxury from now on (especially if our faint hopes of qualifying go south) and won't solve all the problems.

[Tony C]

Just seen some highlights and I'm glad that Netherlands won having been the victims of as bad a penalty decision I can recall.

[Duncan Gardner]

Bad luck for NI that the Dutch are now motoring. They might be the best team that does not qualify by any mechanism

True, although if we lose the next 4 games it would be harder to argue that 'best 24' status. And of course the play-off is still a possibility.

Fair dues to the Dutch, I'm looking forward to the highlights.

In NI's friendly against Luxembourg on Thursday, O'Neill rested 8 of the likely starting XI for the Germany game next Monday. Understandable, even essential perhaps: but when their replacements included 2 guys promoted from last term's U-19s and a guy from Cardiff reserves I'd never heard of, there is an obvious suggestion of not taking the fixture seriously. Lux dominated large parts of the game and were worth at least a draw.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Germany against Netherlands is well worth watching.

Not half

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Someone on the wiki page for the qualifiers has now worked out how to simply portray who is currently in the running to be in these Nations League generated playoffs. It's still a fairly confused (and clearly volatile) picture but it makes a bit more sense. Effectively everyone in Leagues A and B is either qualifying at the moment or in a playoff. Luxembourg, for all their improved efforts, look like they're going to miss out as 5th best in League D.

[ingoldale]

Wales were awful. That Bale goal is papering over some very large cracks. I have been to the Denmark, Ireland, Slovakia and Azerbaijan matches since Giggsy took over and they have played well in one - against O'Neill's abject Ireland team.

Whilst Azerbaijan didn't create much if they had had a bit more in the final third Wales might not have had their chance to come back in with two fortuitous goals. Bales was shite yet again. Lots of people in the ground moaning about the ref but James was lucky to stay on for what looked like a stamp from the Ninian Stand and Mepham should have been booked in the first half for kicking the ball away and shoving their player in the same incident before getting booked for a cynical foul on halfway in the second half. He did Wales a big favour. James is a massive diver. It's truly pathetic.

[George C.]

Someone on the wiki page for the qualifiers has now worked out how to simply portray who is currently in the running to be in these Nations League generated playoffs. It's still a fairly confused (and clearly volatile) picture but it makes a bit more sense. Effectively everyone in Leagues A and B is either qualifying at the moment or in a playoff. Luxembourg, for all their improved efforts, look like they're going to miss out as 5th best in League D.

So why are even Luxembourg even playing 'meaningless friendlies' though?

[Satchmo Distel]

I think it's because there are two match days and, in a group of 5, one team doesn't have a game therefore there's a spare match day needing to be filled.

However, NI clearly preferred to keep this blank but were compelled by external pressure to pencil a team in.

[Duncan Gardner]

Satch- surely it's a now established rule, rather than one-off pressure on NI? Our FA/ fans/ players/ media don't like June qualifiers either, but have to lump it.

In this particular game, the 2 kids should have stayed with the u21 and Paddy McNair or Jamal Lewis played a half instead.

At least O'Neill didn't throw on the 3rd keeper up front, although he would have been more mobile than Magennis

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The Northern Irish group is weirdly disjointed in its fixture list. How did they end up agreeing to play the last 4 games against Holland and Germany?

[Ray de Galles]

At least O'Neill didn't throw on the 3rd keeper up front, although he would at least have been more mobile than Magennis

Doesn't Magennis fill the third choice keeper role himself?

[Duncan Gardner]

No, but it gets suggested regularly to wind him up...

[Duncan Gardner]

Did Kelleher play?

I've got a cousin called Caoimhin
He's not in the first eleven

Not least down to being from a different country, but then you knew that

[Ray de Galles]

Magennis could be the new Alan Fettis, especially now he's at Hull.