World cup draw

[friskyfitz]

Originally Posted by nastro 1888

the key to getting a result against italy is getting them as early as you can - like all champions league teams the national team are notoriously poor starters - they always have a shock result in the 1st couple of games.

Completely agree...

Rome game very early on would be nice. Perhap second game after Georgia away. Would like to get that one out of the way.. still fear Cyprus more as they have the "hex" on us now and they know it!!!

[davidmphill]

Wales then!

Group 4 Germany, Russia, Finland, WALES, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

Germans are Germans and will do whats needed to get through. Russia, decent at home but shaky on the road and owe them for the Playoff loss. Finland isnt the worst 3rd ranked team to get and we should be good enough to see off the bottom 2.

3rd place is possible and has to be the aim at least. 2nd depends on how the Russkies perform on their travels. They'll be hard to beat in Moscow and hopefully Hiddink will of left them after the Euro 2008.

[WoodyTHFC]

Originally Posted by Matt

Completely agree

Europe and South America are both very harsly treated...how Africa gets 6 and SA gets 4 is a joke when you consider 3 SA teams get to the last 16 last time and one african scrape through on a bent decision.

and dont get me started on the asians....

I agree with that. All this spreading it around the world and waiting for a team from Africa to develop. Cameroon got to the q/f in 1990 and what will be 20 years on no one has done better. Give them say four places but giving them six means an extra team or two from Europe like say Greece or Holland in past World Cups do not make it.

[WoodyTHFC]

Will we play 4-4-2 against Croatia this time?

[friskyfitz]

Russia certainly are the key games...

Wales should be aiming to be challenging them for second. I feel Finland have had their day and will further drop down the rankings. Azer away could be troublesome for you as Baku is not the greatest place in the world to go looking for points late on. Hopefully the away game will be early on for you..

Looking through the Groups - England's is by far the trickiest. All 3 former Russian republics will be hard to get away points in. Belarus have got some good results of late. Ukraine are strong and Kazakh cannot be under-estimated either.

Group 2 looks easiest and Im afriad Englands loks hardest for me...

Thank Fcuk!!

[WoodyTHFC]

Originally Posted by friskyfitz

Russia certainly are the key games...

Wales should be aiming to be challenging them for second. I feel Finland have had their day and will further drop down the rankings. Azer away could be troublesome for you as Baku is not the greatest place in the world to go looking for points late on. Hopefully the away game will be early on for you..

Looking through the Groups - England's is by far the trickiest. All 3 former Russian republics will be hard to get away points in. Belarus have got some good results of late. Ukraine are strong and Kazakh cannot be under-estimated either.

Group 2 looks easiest and Im afriad Englands loks hardest for me...

Thank Fcuk!!

We have got to be beat the Kazakh lot surely. Stick a bunch of Championship players and you win that one. I do not think it is terrifying if we could get ourselves playing but atm it looks harder than what it should be.

[AJ]

Good good draw for Scotland, we should be able to make a place off and take our chances from there.

On the other point, it's the world cup. It's never going to be the best 24 or 32 teams in the world. Seems some people want the euro champs, with 8 teams from south america to pad it out.

13 places is plenty for europe, it's about the wierd and the wonderful from all over the globe. 5th placed team in south america always goes into a play off with the winner of the oceanina cofederaton, and will beat the All Whites anyway.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by lemonjon

hmmmm, fecken Poland, hate Poland

Yeah same here, a side I didn't want. At least the Polish fans won't have too far too travel, Portadown at the furthest. This country is flooded with them

[aliando]

ffs - those thinking that england have got a hard group should NOT at any point discuss their hopes to win the WC!! if you look at ukraine and croatia as tough teams then you're preparing for failure already imo.

from the home nations, england and ROI imo get the better draws. Scotland and norn ire could have hoped for better but will see what happens. scotlands group looks interesting and no whipping boys there.

as for wales, i have to say i'm pretty pleased - cant see any chance of qualifying personally, but there is a real chance to cement 3rd spot and push up the rankings for future tournements.

elsewhere, isreal must be celebrating - a real chance for the finals for them. and perhaps france to be the next 'england' and not qualify?

[Darren]

5

and then hosts South Africa also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_Wo..._qualification

Poor than Europe only get 13, then provided all of the last 4 last time out iirc.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by AJ

Good good draw for Scotland, we should be able to make a place off and take our chances from there.

On the other point, it's the world cup. It's never going to be the best 24 or 32 teams in the world. Seems some people want the euro champs, with 8 teams from south america to pad it out.

13 places is plenty for europe, it's about the wierd and the wonderful from all over the globe. 5th placed team in south america always goes into a play off with the winner of the oceanina cofederaton, and will beat the All Whites anyway.

I'm just sick of the watching the bollocks from Asia and Africa to be honest.....I dont enjoy watching Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 at a WC....I dont enjoy it at all. As usual we'll get to the quarters and it will be Brazil, Argies and 6 europeans..

Togo and Angola (and trinidad) last time were just completely and utterly pointless...turned up and stuck ten men behind the ball and tried to get 0-0's. A horrible way to show football to the world.

Kazakh cannot be under-estimated either.

That is nice. Lets make some sexy-time...

[meatman]

I actually think England have a decent group

Lets start with Croatia, we know they wont be an easy team to face, but we could've been drawn against a much tougher pot 1 side. Having played them in this Euro qualifying campaign we will also know a bit more about them which might help.

Ukraine had a good last WC but struggled in their Euro group and cant be relied upon away from home. For me, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Serbia & ROI would've been tougher opposition from pot 3. Admittedly, the trip to Kiev wont be easy, but I'd fancy us to get at least a point there.

I do actually think Belarus are a tough-ish pot 4 opponent and we could've drawn an easier team there. But still I'd rather face them than come up against someone like, Bosnia, Slovakia, Macedonia or even Wales. Still, we should easily beat them at home and also should have too much for them away.

I think the draw of Kazakhstan from pot 5 was a very good one. Albania, Latvia, Slovenia, Iceland, Austria, & Georgia were also possibilities so I think we did well over avoiding them. Looking at Kazakhstan’s results, except for a 2-1 home win against Serbia, they didn't really cause any major problems in their Euro group.

Even in pot 6 the likes of Estonia, Malta and the Faroe’s might've been banana skins so getting Andorra is nice and easy.

No draw is easy in this day and age, and whilst we’ll have to be careful, it could’ve been far worse IMO. I’d fancy us to at least finish 2nd and hopefully this time get our revenge on Croatia by winning the group.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by Matt

I'm just sick of the watching the bollocks from Asia and Africa to be honest.....I dont enjoy watching Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 at a WC....I dont enjoy it at all. As usual we'll get to the quarters and it will be Brazil, Argies and 6 europeans..

Togo and Angola (and trinidad) last time were just completely and utterly pointless...turned up and stuck ten men behind the ball and tried to get 0-0's. A horrible way to show football to the world.

Ditto those thoughts. Don't see why a big European nation should sit at home after a tough qualifying series while Trinidad should enjoy a World Cup campaign after overcoming the mighty Guatamala, St Kitts & Nevis and Canada.

[aliando]

was very interested to see that Howard from the halifax adverts on tv has not confined himself to the one role - good to see him joining in the WC celebrations during the monotonous introductions

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Darren

Ditto those thoughts. Don't see why a big European nation should sit at home after a tough qualifying series while Trinidad should enjoy a World Cup campaign after overcoming the mighty Guatamala, St Kitts & Nevis and Canada.

Damn right....they beat the might of "Bahrain" on away goals in a play off to get to the world cup last year....its bizarre.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by aliando

was very interested to see that Howard from the halifax adverts on tv has not confined himself to the one role - good to see him joining in the WC celebrations during the monotonous introductions

Looks like the dope who buggered up the Croatian national anthem the other night?

[davidmphill]

Originally Posted by Matt

Looks like the dope who buggered up the Croatian national anthem the other night?

Exactly who I thought it was!

[AJ]

Originally Posted by Darren

Ditto those thoughts. Don't see why a big European nation should sit at home after a tough qualifying series while Trinidad should enjoy a World Cup campaign after overcoming the mighty Guatamala, St Kitts & Nevis and Canada.

What part of the phrase "world cup" don't you understand ??

[AK1979]

[Jonne]

At least one of my nations has to get through.

Had never thought Israel would be higher ranked than Denmark! :p