Isa Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Iceland have a bit of a golden generation coming through (by their standards) I believe. Well in midfield and attack anyway. Sigurdsson, Finnbogason, Sigporsson are very good players. Gudmundsson, Palsson and Gunnarsson are decent too. Bit of a blow that Johannsson declared for the US or that would've been another one. Would be nice to see them make the World Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 (edited) I just can't seem them winning in the play-offs, but you never know! Edited October 13, 2013 by AVFCforever1991 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isa Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 (edited) There will be some mediocre teams finishing second so it depends who they would be drawn against I guess. Edited October 13, 2013 by Isa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I guess they will want to avoid: France Croatia Portugal And probably Sweden and Ukraine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I get the feeling if I was African I'd despise Nigeria. A team that just seems to get incredible luck all the team. They had a good team in the 90s but imo the team they have now is nowhere near that standard and yet the still turn up at world cups as a chaotic shambles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Bosnia and Herzogovina have their own little golden generation too. They have a very strong team and were very close to qualifying for the last 2 tournaments stopped by Spain and France and then France in the playoffs. I honestly think a full strength Bosnia team is as good as England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Some very strong teams in the playoffs. England would probably not be seeded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizzler Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I honestly think a full strength Bosnia team is as good as England. Oh come off it. Didn't they just lose 1-0 at home to Slovakia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isa Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 The same Slovakia who made the knock-out stages of the last World Cup you mean? No shame in that at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bose Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Five of the players that started the match vs Cyprus were in our U-21 squad at the 2011 U-21 Euros (Gylfi Sigurðsson, Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Aron Gunnarsson and Jóhann Guðmundsson). They are all key players now. Then on the bench (as well as four other players of that squad) was Alfreð Finnbogason who is the top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie. Eiður Gudjohnsen at 35 years old is currently keeping out of the team and he's shown that he's still got it. You can also tell that he's ecstatic to be finally playing with players who are on the same wavelength as him after so much mediocrity in the past 15 years. If we get to the playoffs we know it's going to be difficult for us but given our strength in attack I think we can give most teams a game. Our defense on the other hand is something else! I think we will be looking to the 2016 Euros to compete and anything earlier would be a fantastic bonus. Our current U-21 team is also very promising and are top of their group after four games in the current European qualifiers. These players will hopefully make the step up in the next few years and strengthen us further. We desperately need defenders and there are a couple there who could do a very good job in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizzler Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 The same Slovakia who made the knock-out stages of the last World Cup you mean? No shame in that at all. Yes, the very same Slovakia. If England lost to them at Wembley the inevitable national outcry would be justified. Do you agree that "a full strength Bosnia is as good as England" then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isa Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 The same Slovakia who made the knock-out stages of the last World Cup you mean? No shame in that at all. Yes, the very same Slovakia. If England lost to them at Wembley the inevitable national outcry would be justified. Do you agree that "a full strength Bosnia is as good as England" then? On paper no but if they were to play each other tomorrow, I believe it would be a tight match with no clear favorite. England are actually only one place ahead of Bosnia in the FIFA rankings. I know the rankings don't count for much but they are an indicator of a nation's form over the last couple of years. I was just pulling up your remark because firstly such a result on it's own doesn't really prove anything and secondly Slovakia are a decent team. Nothing special but not the minnows you paint them out to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 14, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 14, 2013 I only barely managed to turn my irony-meter off in time when reading this headline, before it exploded. France to speak to Fifa about 'unfair' World Cup play-off seeding system• Fewer ranking points for five-team group is an 'injustice' • French federation president believes the system is flawed France believe the seeding system is unfair for the World Cup play-offs in November and plan to ask football's ruling body Fifa to review it ahead of next week's draw. The world and European champions Spain are three points ahead in Group I and host Georgia in their final qualifier on Tuesday when second-placed France, who look certain to go through to the playoffs, entertain Finland. The play-off seeds will be determined by Fifa rankings and 25th-placed France face a likely meeting with another big footballing nation. Les Bleus believe the system is flawed because fewer ranking points were available in the five-nation Group I while the other sections all contained six teams. "We're going to contact Fifa," the French Federation's president Noël Le Graët told the radio station RMC. "There is a little injustice between the group of five and the groups of six. Our rivals from other groups have been able to score more points ... that's a fact." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 He does have a point, it is unfair. Just not as unfair as scoring the winning goal in the playoffs as the direct result of a handball. Not that I had any sympathy for Ireland after that handball by the way, the mileage you guys got out of Maradona in 1986 had to bite you on the arse sooner or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 I mentioned this a few weeks but all those in the play offs are very good teams with very little between them in terms of quality, the seeding won't matter a jot in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Five of the players that started the match vs Cyprus were in our U-21 squad at the 2011 U-21 Euros (Gylfi Sigurðsson, Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Aron Gunnarsson and Jóhann Guðmundsson). They are all key players now. Then on the bench (as well as four other players of that squad) was Alfreð Finnbogason who is the top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie. Eiður Gudjohnsen at 35 years old is currently keeping out of the team and he's shown that he's still got it. You can also tell that he's ecstatic to be finally playing with players who are on the same wavelength as him after so much mediocrity in the past 15 years. If we get to the playoffs we know it's going to be difficult for us but given our strength in attack I think we can give most teams a game. Our defense on the other hand is something else! I think we will be looking to the 2016 Euros to compete and anything earlier would be a fantastic bonus. Our current U-21 team is also very promising and are top of their group after four games in the current European qualifiers. These players will hopefully make the step up in the next few years and strengthen us further. We desperately need defenders and there are a couple there who could do a very good job in the future. I think aswell as an excellent generation, the Iceland FA did really well pushing the budget out and securing an experienced manager in Lars Largerback. Iceland have produced good players before, think back 5-10 years and the player who made a decent impact in the premier league, Eidur of course, Gudni Bergsson and Gretar Steinsson at Bolton, Hermann Herrirderson at Pompey, Heidur Helguson at Fulham and QPR, Reading had a couple when they were doing well in the prem aswell under Coppell yet wth those players they were still usually finishing 5th or bottom of their qualifying group (also one of that rare breed of nations that always seems to lose to Scotland! ) I suppose the group this team they were in was a bit softer than what they'd usually get as Norway aren't the force of the 90s and Slovenia had a terrible start and have been playing catch up ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 14, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 14, 2013 He does have a point, it is unfair. Just not as unfair as scoring the winning goal in the playoffs as the direct result of a handball. Not that I had any sympathy for Ireland after that handball by the way, the mileage you guys got out of Maradona in 1986 had to bite you on the arse sooner or later. That's not the irony. The irony is that they mahoosively benefitted from those playoffs becoming seeded as soon as Platini realised France were going to be in them. They hadn't been seeded until the week before the draw. And now that the playoffs are seeded, France are complaining that theirs is an unfair situation. Which it is, but it literally couldn't happen to a more deserving team As hard as it is to believe, this actually has nothing to do with Ireland 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 From a footballing point of view Switzerland have benefited hugely from the war in Yugoslavia. All the players below are from the countries which have broken off from Yugoslavia. Valon Beharmi Xherdan Shaquiri Dlerim Dzemaili Granit Xhaka Pajtim Kasami Admir Mehmedi Haris Sferovic Josip Drmic Mario Gavranovic Amongst many others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 (edited) Belgium (and by extension, us) have Mobutu to thank for getting the Beast. Edited October 14, 2013 by Mantis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 He does have a point, it is unfair. Just not as unfair as scoring the winning goal in the playoffs as the direct result of a handball. Not that I had any sympathy for Ireland after that handball by the way, the mileage you guys got out of Maradona in 1986 had to bite you on the arse sooner or later. That's not the irony. The irony is that they mahoosively benefitted from those playoffs becoming seeded as soon as Platini realised France were going to be in them. They hadn't been seeded until the week before the draw. And now that the playoffs are seeded, France are complaining that theirs is an unfair situation. Which it is, but it literally couldn't happen to a more deserving team As hard as it is to believe, this actually has nothing to do with Ireland Actually, that's a good point. For some reason I still associate the decision to seed the playoffs at the 11th hour with Portugal, not France. Dunno why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts