Dosgusting. Almost enough to make me beg for video refs and I hate the idea. I'm about 95% certain corruption is at play here as far as ensuring the Swiss qualify. Home of FIFA and all that.
I’m totally with you in the fact that I think there is definitely a sense of corruption. Something just didn’t sit right with me tonight. Northern Ireland should’ve had a penalty as Rodriguez almost bloody caught the ball. The penalty was a disgrace. And the way the Swiss manager came up and shook hands with the officials were overly friendly for me.
Maybe I am reading too much into everything and with all the corruption that has happened with FIFA, it may be easier to say that it’s corruption now, but I am just saying I did get the same sense this evening.
On another note, Northern Ireland were poor and far too direct at times, and Josh is not a wide midfielder, he needs to be up front to be effective. Thought that Lafferty was pants as well.
Agree NI were not v good and Swiss the better team. But that penalty decision was beyond shocking and the ref seemed to be looking for the slightest excuse.
Dosgusting. Almost enough to make me beg for video refs and I hate the idea. I'm about 95% certain corruption is at play here as far as ensuring the Swiss qualify. Home of FIFA and all that.
Aside from the minor fact that Swiss were all over them.
Maybe a red for the bad tackle in the first 5 min.
However. NI didn't play well & didn't have enough efforts at goal, especially for the home side. For all his presence tonight it might have been better Big Josh not playing & so being available for us to play Shrewsbury on sat.
Maybe a red for the bad tackle in the first 5 min.
However. NI didn't play well & didn't have enough efforts at goal, especially for the home side. For all his presence tonight it might have been better Big Josh not playing & so being available for us to play Shrewsbury on sat.
Would love to see NZ go through as some suggest but I'll be happily surprised. Peru I believe are ranked somewhere around top 10 and NZ way down. There are over 500 Peruvian supporters in Wellington and a near full house expected. Don't usually get this sort of interest for anything other than rugby.
Would love to see NZ go through as some suggest but I'll be happily surprised. Peru I believe are ranked somewhere around top 10 and NZ way down. There are over 500 Peruvian supporters in Wellington and a near full house expected. Don't usually get this sort of interest for anything other than rugby.
122nd vs 10th. Unlikely, although I would love for it to happen. Yes, rather nice that it's the football, which is dominating Radio Sport for once.
Agree NI were not v good and Swiss the better team. But that penalty decision was beyond shocking and the ref seemed to be looking for the slightest excuse.
There can only be two explanations for the decision: either the referee is nowhere nearly competent to officiate at this (or any level) OR he is corrupt. Corrupt isn't limited to being "nobbled" or paid off - to give a decision that doesn't reflect what you have just seen is a corruption - it's not a mistake, it is a choice to pervert the course of the game, ergo corruption. TBH I'm not gonna lose much sleep over NI not making the next tournament, we'll all enjoy having a rant about this and forget it soon enough. By the grace of whatever you hold holy the teams you do care about compete under the specter of having their efforts undermined by malevolent forces.
Croatia 4-1 Greece FT N.Ireland 0-1 Switzerland FT
A win for football that.
Both Croatia and Greece have a tremendous amount of quality players at their disposal. Croatia have struggled with coaches, and the Swiss have struggled with themselves. There are apparently two camps in that dressing room, the "proper Swiss" and those of immigrant descent. This should be the tournament where that golden generation that won the U17 World Cup (I think it was, not the Euros) are all in their prime. But a lot of them have lost their way. They were good in qualifying but I still feel like they're very bland and that they could be favorites to implode should they get to the World Cup. Still think they'll have too much for Northern Ireland.
1. Northern Ireland or Switzerland (9th & 12th Nov) 2. Croatia or Greece (9th & 12th Nov) 3. Italy or Sweden (10th & 13th Nov) 4. Ireland or Denmark (11th & 14th Nov) 5. Tunisia or Congo (11th Nov) 6. Morocco or Ivory Coast (11th Nov) 7. Senegal or Burkina Faso or Cape Verde or South Africa (10th & 14th Nov) 8. New Zealand or Peru (11th & 15th Nov) 9. Honduras or Australia (10th & 15th Nov)
Comments
N.Ireland 0-1 Switzerland FT
Senegal vs South Africa (5pm kick off)
Italy vs Sweden (7:45pm kick off)
Honduras vs Australia (10pm kick off)
Maybe I am reading too much into everything and with all the corruption that has happened with FIFA, it may be easier to say that it’s corruption now, but I am just saying I did get the same sense this evening.
On another note, Northern Ireland were poor and far too direct at times, and Josh is not a wide midfielder, he needs to be up front to be effective. Thought that Lafferty was pants as well.
Maybe a red for the bad tackle in the first 5 min.
However. NI didn't play well & didn't have enough efforts at goal, especially for the home side. For all his presence tonight it might have been better Big Josh not playing & so being available for us to play Shrewsbury on sat.
Yes, rather nice that it's the football, which is dominating Radio Sport for once.
Interesting article on the massive jetlag problems faced by the British based NZ players this week
TBH I'm not gonna lose much sleep over NI not making the next tournament, we'll all enjoy having a rant about this and forget it soon enough.
By the grace of whatever you hold holy the teams you do care about compete under the specter of having their efforts undermined by malevolent forces.
Both Croatia and Greece have a tremendous amount of quality players at their disposal. Croatia have struggled with coaches, and the Swiss have struggled with themselves. There are apparently two camps in that dressing room, the "proper Swiss" and those of immigrant descent. This should be the tournament where that golden generation that won the U17 World Cup (I think it was, not the Euros) are all in their prime. But a lot of them have lost their way. They were good in qualifying but I still feel like they're very bland and that they could be favorites to implode should they get to the World Cup. Still think they'll have too much for Northern Ireland.
2. Croatia or Greece (9th & 12th Nov)
3. Italy or Sweden (10th & 13th Nov)
4. Ireland or Denmark (11th & 14th Nov)
5. Tunisia or Congo (11th Nov)
6. Morocco or Ivory Coast (11th Nov)
7. Senegal
or Burkina Faso or Cape Verde or South Africa (10th & 14th Nov)8. New Zealand or Peru (11th & 15th Nov)
9. Honduras or Australia (10th & 15th Nov)
New Zealand v Peru (3:15am)
The last two places for African nations will have been decided by 7:30pm. Below are the relevant matches for that.
Ivory Coast v Morocco (5:30pm)
Tunisia v Libya (5:30pm)
Congo v Guinea (5:30pm)
Ireland and Denmark play their first leg in Copenhagen...
Denmark vs Ireland (7:45pm)