World Cup 2006 draw
World Cup 2006 draw
Some interesting fixtures there
I think I will be attending the Finland Holland game in Helsinki (maybe the Czech Republic and Romania games too).
England Wales and Northern Ireland in the same group First time I've seen that
England v Northern Ireland? That will be a weird one
I think I will be attending the Finland Holland game in Helsinki (maybe the Czech Republic and Romania games too).
England Wales and Northern Ireland in the same group First time I've seen that
England v Northern Ireland? That will be a weird one
Maybe Giggs will be banned for the England game? I'd guess that his two match ban will be their first two world cup games.
When did England last play in Belfast? I went to a qualifying game there in the mid 1980's, maybe that was the last time? It was quite an experience but there was no crowd trouble.
When did England last play in Belfast? I went to a qualifying game there in the mid 1980's, maybe that was the last time? It was quite an experience but there was no crowd trouble.
phil_h
Are N.Ireland fans not very pro Britain? I have no idea what to expect for that game, I've never seen that fixture. I would imagine most N.Irish people who would like a united Ireland would be Republic of Ireland fans. Could we expect a load of Glasgow Rangers/Chelsea types at that game?junot wrote:When did England last play in Belfast? I went to a qualifying game there in the mid 1980's, maybe that was the last time? It was quite an experience but there was no crowd trouble.
Hmmmm... it doesn't look overly easy for Finland, does it? Then again, the Czechs have been a bit up and down in the past - could be they'll be a bust come the World Cup. I'll have to check out the age structure of the side. And the Dutch do occasionally self-destruct in apparently easy fixtures. Everyone will say the Swedes lucked out again, of course, but you never know... Hungary are due a revival and Iceland are no pushover, either.
My favourite group is No.2 - the Danes are going to do a lot of travelling to grotty ex-Soviet republics, and Greece meet Turkey (always good for a laugh). Not exactly a money-spinning group for anyone.
What price are Ladbrokes offering that Northern Ireland will go yet another 12 games without scoring a goal?
My favourite group is No.2 - the Danes are going to do a lot of travelling to grotty ex-Soviet republics, and Greece meet Turkey (always good for a laugh). Not exactly a money-spinning group for anyone.
What price are Ladbrokes offering that Northern Ireland will go yet another 12 games without scoring a goal?
"Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available" (Benford's Law of Controversy)
Hey... what is the reason for England, France, Italy and Spain automatically getting into a group with 6 rather than seven teams?
See the pdf file
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/releases/ ... ure_en.pdf
and scroll down to the boldface section on "Draw Procedure".
The 8 teams in pot A are drawn into the 8 groups and placed in position 1 in each group,
starting with group 1 from left to right. When England, France, Italy and Spain are drawn,
they will be placed in groups 4 to 8, starting with group 4 from left to right.
Is there some "sizeism" at work here? Pot A looks to be in order of merit rather than alphabetical, so...
Any explanations, Ace?
See the pdf file
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/releases/ ... ure_en.pdf
and scroll down to the boldface section on "Draw Procedure".
The 8 teams in pot A are drawn into the 8 groups and placed in position 1 in each group,
starting with group 1 from left to right. When England, France, Italy and Spain are drawn,
they will be placed in groups 4 to 8, starting with group 4 from left to right.
Is there some "sizeism" at work here? Pot A looks to be in order of merit rather than alphabetical, so...
Any explanations, Ace?
"Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available" (Benford's Law of Controversy)
Nope always seems more complicated than Nuclear Physics to me these draws. Why can't they just put all the names in a hat and get Pele to pull them out or somethingWLM wrote:Any explanations, Ace?
When did England last play in Belfast?
England were last in Belfast in 1985
Wales manager Mark Hughes has fond memories of the last time the Welsh faced England, the former Manchester United and Barcelona striker scoring on his international debut to secure a 1-0 victory at Wrexham in 1984.
No wonder I've never seen these games Do you think England will play in Belfast?
Boyce insists Windsor Park will be fit to host the match, although there may well be security concerns surrounding the visit of England to Belfast.
Last edited by Ace on Sat Dec 06, 2003 11:50 am, edited 3 times in total.
Check out the gruelling ordeal of the Asian qualifying stage. Surely they should split this in two. Middle East and Asia.WLM wrote:Greece meet Turkey (always good for a laugh).
Iraq v Palestine
China v Hong Kong
could be interesting fixtures. Imagine Israel was in a group like this:
Uzbekistan
Iraq
Palestine
Chinese Taipei
Makes sense to put them in the European group doesn't it
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Politically, yes, though my guess is the Israelis would probably find it easier to progress against Asian opposition. That continent has 4 and a half qualifiers, if I've understood correctly. On another issue, have to wonder if Israel will let the Palestinians travel to away games... I'd like to see Sepp Blatter going up against Sharon like he does with Ferguson.Ace wrote:Check out the gruelling ordeal of the Asian qualifying stage. Surely they should split this in two. Middle East and Asia.WLM wrote:Greece meet Turkey (always good for a laugh).
Iraq v Palestine
China v Hong Kong
could be interesting fixtures. Imagine Israel was in a group like this:
Uzbekistan
Iraq
Palestine
Chinese Taipei
Makes sense to put them in the European group doesn't it
But you don't need to go outside Europe for big match-ups. Even if the England-NI game will be swamped in spoilsport police, what price trouble when Bosnia-Herzegovina meet the Team Formerly Known As King Zog of the Chetniks in Sarajevo, in Group 7?
"Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available" (Benford's Law of Controversy)
Serbia and Mont v BosniaWLM wrote:But you don't need to go outside Europe for big match-ups. Even if the England-NI game will be swamped in spoilsport police, what price trouble when Bosnia-Herzegovina meet the Team Formerly Known As King Zog of the Chetniks in Sarajevo, in Group 7?
Ouch I missed that one
Jep I think I'm definitely going to do that. I was thinking of Portugal because:Niall Shaky wrote:That's a great idea. Could combine a football match with a night out in Tallinn.
A. They're the best team in that group and they have some great players.
and
b. I thought ajdias would be going, maybe we could get a few . to make the trip. (sounds like your up for it).
However I reckon the Russia game could be lively. Do the national team play in Tallin?
For that game a few of us went over to stay with a friend in Bangor, near Belfast. On the day of the match we had a good drink in a few Belfast bars and proceeded to walk to Windsor Park. We were feeling quite pleased as we walked, as we seemed to have blended in well with the locals and hadn't attracted any unwanted attention. Then, one of those army trucks appeared, with a gunner at the rear The soldiers shouted over to us "alright lads", gave us the thumbs up and began chanting "England".England were last in Belfast in 1985
So we must have stuck out like sore thumbs for being English. No one bothered us though and we had a cracking day out
phil_h
Lol. So whats the score Junot? Will they let England fans travel there? Is there likely to be bother? I reckon the police will be all over that, so should be uneventful, however I remember England’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland at Lansdowne Road in February 1995junot wrote:Then, one of those army trucks appeared, with a gunner at the rear The soldiers shouted over to us "alright lads", gave us the thumbs up and began chanting "England".