World Cup 2010 Qualification Thread

[Dave A]

No he isn't, he's young. Good young players get loaned out because top teams can't afford to play them over the established talent when fighting for trophies and positions in the table. They loan them out so they can get experience playing regular in that country, we loaned David Beckham out after he made his first team debut, didn't do him any harm did it. He wen't on to be part of our treble winning squad of 99 and to date remains the best player I have ever seen supplying the ball to other players almost to perfection. But as I said, we loaned him out. We loaned Ben Foster out and he's constantly being touted as not only our next number 1 goal keeper but also our countries. He isn't starting eleven yet, but he will be and we loaned him out.

Loaning a player out can mean that the club doesn't want you any more, but more often than not for good youth talent it usually means they are looking to give you regular first team experience. If Villareal don't want him I'd imagine a few clubs would be willing to take the punt and take him on, but if wants to play for a top team then he will bear with being loaned out for a couple of seasons and he will bide his time and fight into the first team.

Off topic I have him in Football Manager 09 in my Manchester United squad, he's a rotational player at the moment but still young and looks to be a regualr starter in a couple of seasons.

 

[Touring Mars]

This is apparently what Ferguson and McGregor thought about being left out of the Scotland team on Wednesday for breaching team discipline... as a result of this, Walter Smith has stripped Ferguson of his captaincy at Rangers and both players have been dropped from the squad... stupid buggers!

 

[ASH32]

This is apparently what Ferguson and McGregor thought about being left out of the Scotland team on Wednesday for breaching team discipline... as a result of this, Walter Smith has stripped Ferguson of his captaincy at Rangers and both players have been dropped from the squad... stupid buggers!

Wow, just wow. You can't behave like that, they totally deserve being dropped and this may be the end of Ferguson's career now. Just another example of why people hate on footballers so much. Way to go guys, you certainly promote the game well don't you, idiots. 👎

 

[RouWa]

England still have perfect points. That's a really good thing.

Well, they have Chris Redfield in their team:

Would you dare to steal the ball from Chris Redfield? I certainly would not!

BTW, the new England shirts are awesome:

 

[C-ZETA]

Well, they have Chris Redfield in their team:

Would you dare to steal the ball from Chris Redfield? I certainly would not!

 

[Famine]

As a result of the matches so far today, we have our first three finals Qualifiers - congratulations to Japan, Australia and the Korean Republic!

Edit: And we can now add the Netherlands to that list. 6 wins from 6 in an 8-game group is enough to sort that out... First UEFA qualifiers...

 

[Omnis]

I hope Costa Rica does well. They embarrassed us.

 

[Brend]

lol, what a joke ferguson and mcgregor supposed to be back in Scotland squad...pathetic. Anywho, go TURKEY!!!

 

[Touring Mars]

Tonight is a big game for Scotland - so once more, intrepid bands of hopeful Scots will make their way to pubs across the country, in nervous anticipation of which "Scotland" will show up to play Norway tonight. My guess is 1-1, which would be bad for both teams. We really need to win, but winning is not a Scottish speciality

 

[daan]

Half time -

Full time -

 

[Touring Mars]

Let's never speak of this again

 

[raz_10]

Did you guys watched the USA/Mexico game?
After the first 9 minuted the US team either ran out of fuel or were hoping to hold on to that 1 goal lead! It was only a matter of time for that 2nd Mexican goal to arrive
I was hopping for a tie...or US win

 

[Only_in_f1]

Had to feel very sorry for Scotland, Don't think the Red Card was deserved and then the awful deflection from the free kick.

 

[Famine]

Congratulations to the latest qualifiers Brazil and the first from the African Zone (except the hosts, natch) Ghana, qualified as of 6th September.

 

[daan]

Well, we managed to beat Macedonia 2-0 thanks to a Scott Brown header and a mazy dribble from Faddy. Unfortunately, Faddy is now banned from our next, must win match against the Netherlands...

We only have to beat the Dutch and then we get into the playoffs. Nae bother an that, no!

 

[Touring Mars]

I just hope my mates feel suitably guilty for not bothering to watch the game with me on Saturday, leaving me to listen to the game on the radio by myself OK, a couple of them had reasonable execuses, but the others just chickened out because they thought it would be a waste of time Interestingly, a few of my workmates have already expressed an interest in watching the game in the pub on Wednesday, and they're not even Scottish! I only hope they are treated to the Scotland team that played the second half on Saturday (minus McFadden, of course) and not the team that played the first...

 

[Famine]

A draw would be good enough for 2nd for Scotlandonia - and if Norway and Macedonia draw, they don't even need that. But even a win might not be good enough to get them into the play-offs, thanks to the insane way they're doing it.

 

[Touring Mars]

What is the procedure for deciding the 8 best runners-up? I remember hearing it being explained on Football Focus, but I think I fell asleep after the first 35 minutes...

 

[Famine]

It's the best 8 second-placed teams from the 9 groups, minus their results against the 6th place team in that group (Scotland have no 6th place team, so all of their results count; other groups have whipping boys like the Faroes and San Marino).

Once those results have been deducted, they're ranked like normal - points, goal difference, goals scored.

 

[ASH32]

I just hope my mates feel suitably guilty for not bothering to watch the game with me on Saturday, leaving me to listen to the game on the radio by myself OK, a couple of them had reasonable execuses, but the others just chickened out because they thought it would be a waste of time Interestingly, a few of my workmates have already expressed an interest in watching the game in the pub on Wednesday, and they're not even Scottish! I only hope they are treated to the Scotland team that played the second half on Saturday (minus McFadden, of course) and not the team that played the first...

Well, I am not Scottish and I was watching it. It was an awful game though, so I turned it off at half-time. Sounds like they played better in the second half. Good luck against the Dutch, even if they field a weaker team you'll need it.

 

[Dave A]

Palyig that lot you'll have to be careful it's not double Dutch at half time.




Sorry.

 

[daan]

Palyig that lot you'll have to be careful it's not double Dutch at half time.

Double Dutch? Lkie msot of yuor psots?



Whatever the rules are concerning the 2nd place teams and the play offs, they'll have been set up specifically to screw Scotland...

Scotland - First team ever to go out of the World Cup finals on goal difference (1982)

Scotland - First team ever to go out of the World Cup finals without losing a match (1974)

 

[Touring Mars]

Let's hope we can become the first team ever to qualify for a World Cup after getting hammered 4-0 by Norway in the Qualifying group

Here's a useful (?) synopsis for us Scots:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/footba...alification-chances-explained-86908-21653728/

 

[Famine]

The problem is that your group is over on Wednesday. The others are nowhere near it for another month-anna-bit yet - the playoffs are Novemberish, I think - and until we know who's going to be 2nd and who's going to be 6th in each group, we can't actually predict anything.

If it helps... Think of the 2nd place playoffs as "Group 10". The nine teams in Group 10 are all the teams who finished 2nd in the other 9 groups, minus their results against the 6th place team in the other 9 groups. The Group 10 teams are ranked by points, then goal difference, then goals scored and whoever is ranked 9th in Group 10 is knocked out.


Ultimately Scotland have qualification for Group 10 in their own hands (they'd have to lose to Netherlands and there has to be a winner in the Macedonia/Norway game. Once in Group 10, they'll be counting on the Faroes or San Marino or Andorra being crap - because the crapper any one of those teams are, the more points and goals are deducted from the 2nd place teams in their groups.

So it's pretty much theirs to throw away. Yet again.

 

[daan]

So it's pretty much theirs to throw away. Yet again.

Oh 🤬

 

[Touring Mars]

I'm holding onto the knowledge that Scotland can beat Holland when they play well, but we will definitely be up against it, especially if we lose Craig Gordon Either way, tomorrow will be a roller coaster ride. Let's just hope we're not all sick as dogs by the end of it

edit: Gordon is out In his stead, we have Marshall, who played against Norway...

TAXI!

 

[Famine]

So it's pretty much theirs to throw away. Yet again.

And they duly oblige. Norway beat Macedonia 2-1 meaning Scotland only had to hold on for the point, which they just about manage...


... until 10 minutes from the end. They lose 1-0 to Netherlands and are out.

 

[Dave A]

And England are in, convincing scorelines but I do feel that our qualifying group has flattered us. I think we'll get batter by an inform good team. Neaarly every opportunity Croatia got, or every opportunity to make an opportunity, came down our right. Jonson is terrbile at defending.

You can't compare him to Cole because although Cole is good going forward, he can get into a good defensive position and get onto a player. Johnson can't, we need a better right back. And if only Heskey could finish, he could have had three. Happy with the score, but I think the media will do thier usual thing and put us on a pedestal when the reality is that as much as we've done the job in our group we still look far from a world cup winning team.

 

[Touring Mars]

I doubt the point would have been enough anyway, but yet another "glorious defeat" for Scotland. Atleast we didn't embarrass ourselves against Holland tonight, we played really well and probably should have won... what was with the "offside" decision when infact it was a Holland player hoofing it back to the goalie? Anyway, as per usual, it was our rubbishness against the weaker teams that cost us ultimately. Taking just 1 point from two games against Norway, and losing to Macedonia simply isn't good enough... Norway take second place but they have no chance of getting to the playoffs either, since 10 points will almost certainly not be enough... ho-hum, it was great fun watching the game in a packed bar in Glasgow tonight. There was even one brave Englishman who celebrated every time England scored, and was always greeted with a loud but good humoured chorus of booze boos.

 

[Famine]

Yeah, Norway are screwed for the playoffs.

Post 1 UEFA zone updated

Oh, and congratulations to Bahrain who beat Saudi Arabia on away goals to get through to their second successive Intercontinental Playoff. And they might win this one, seeing as it's against New Zealand...

And the Faroe Islands - out, but beating Lithuania...