Official 2010 World Cup Qualifying Thread

[Green Demon]

US loses 2-1 in Mexico which overall is not really a surprise since we have never won there but it disappointing since we scored first early and then just bunkered down and allowed Mexico to dictate play. I know I was hoping that we could win especially after how we have looked for most of the summer with our A team, but winning at home like we should the rest of the way and at least tie on the road or even a loss depending on how the other teams do, we are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the WC.

A side note that just came out a couple of hours ago is that Landon Donavon contracted Swine Flu over the weekend and played the full 90 with it. Swine flu is not the worldwide epidemic that everyone feared but it still is the flu and can explain why other then the assist he had he wasn't very involved overall in the game.

[Scott McFly]

Gary Caldwell. What a cunt.

Puts David Fernandez out for a year. What a cunt.

Gets sent off against Norway. What a double cunt.

To be fair, it was a very harsh second yellow. Carew had just as much, if not more, of Caldwell's shirt as the other way around, but it was blocked from the refs view. And Norway had some brutal fouls going in that should've been immediate yellows.

But I mentioned it briefly in the betting thread before the game - George Burley just hasn't got a clue. Kenny Miller is never going to get anywhere playing up front by himself (not his fault) and why the hell wasn't James McFadden playing? Put him up front with Miller to fucking help the guy. Yes we had injuries, but nothing major that couldn't be covered for, except he did it with all the wrong players with the wrong system.

Even without the red card we still wouldn't have won I don't think. The only chances we had were due to shocking Norway mistakes and if I see one more long ball punted up the field I'll fucking scream. It doesn't work! Stop doing it! We've got good players, we just need to be a bit more offensive minded with them and play 4-4-fucking-2.

[Blue Rosler]

I love how open the CONCACAF Qualification is ... 4 games left, and basically anyone could still go through!

[METALMAN]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! I love James McFadden!

[Scott McFly]

God were we bad in the first half though. Thankfully got better in the second half once we'd gotten used to the 4-4-2 system we should've been playing from the start! I just cannot understand why Burley persists with this "Kenny Miller up front and two wingers" shit. It just never fucking works, he gets left up there by himself and he can do fuck all. But yeah, even with that win I just can't see us beating Holland on Wednesday. I hope it does and I'll be cheering all the way, but I'm not holding my breath. Especially without McFadden. And that interviewer's a mong - "was that the greatest goal you've scored in your career?". Well, he did score a fucking SCREAMER against France in Paris, but obviously dribbling past two Macedonian defenders and rounding the keeper when they're throwing everything at us is just as special.

And what the fuck happened just before half time? Couldn't we have just stuck it out for a throw next to the drop ball instead of Scott Brown being a smarmy bastard about everything? Because you got James McFadden booked, well done.

[METALMAN]

Why did James McFadden get booked? I didn't understand that at all. That might have been due to me turning off the annoying Setanta commentator but eh...

[Scott McFly]

In the post match interview he thought it was due to lack of fair play with something to do with the corner, but it turns out it's more probably for pushing someone in the scuffle that followed the Brown incident that the linesman spotted and ran over to separate. They only brought that up in the post-match highlights with the pundits, probably because it hadn't been spotted before then.

[Blue Rosler]

The CONCACAF rounds are so tense with only three games to go.

1st. Honduras - 13pts (goal difference)

2nd. USA - 13pts

3rd. Mexico - 12pts (goal difference)

4th. Costa Rica - 12pts

Honduras still have to play USA and Mexico though. Three teams get automatic qualification, one team goes through to play-off.

[Pesci]

I hope they finish in the Top 3, I wouldn't rate their chances against a 5th placed South American team that could end up being Argentina

[The Quasi Juice]

I love how people like Paul Dickov keep bringing up Scotland's 1-0 win over The Netherlands which happened SIX YEARS AGO! I mean, Portugal reached the Euro final in 2004 and now they are on the fringe of not reaching the World Cup. Look at the team Holland put on the pitch then:

Edwin van der Sar (retired from International football)

André Ooijer (still active, but old),

Jaap Stam (retired) -

Frank de Boer (Cap) (retired)

Giovanni van Bronckhorst (still Holland's LB)(Clarence Seedorf 46)

Phillip Cocu (retired)

Andy van der Meyde (ruined his career)

Edgar Davids (retired) (Rafael van der Vaart 60, was just coming up),

Ruud van Nistelrooij (retired from int. footy)

Patrick Kluivert (retired) (Roy Makaay 76, old)

Marc Overmars (retired)

Team likely to face Scotland tomorrow:

Maarten Stekelenburg (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

John Heitinga (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

Andre Ooijer (was active)

Joris Mathijsen (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

Gio (was active)

Nigel de Jong (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

Demy de Zeeuw (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

Arjen Robben (debuted in 2003)

Robin van Persie (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

Wesley Sneijder (was active, but one of his first caps was when Oranje beat Scotland 6-0)

Dirk Kuyt (wasn't active in Dutch squad in 2003)

Not to mention guys like Babel, Huntelaar and Van der Wiel. The media needs to stop bringing up that silly game. On the one hand I would like to see Oranje do well ofcourse, but I'd to see Scotland featured in SA (Y) Good luck.

[Crybaby Bunting]

This is just building up like that must win Italy game last time this happened.

"We've almost qualified, all we have to do is beat Italy"

*Match starts*

*Goal to Italy within first minute*

Scotland:

[Scott McFly]

I love how people like Paul Dickov keep bringing up Scotland's 1-0 win over The Netherlands which happened SIX YEARS AGO!

Ugh, I wish they'd shut up too. But you know what it's like with the media, they just have to clutch at what they can. To be honest, I've not heard one Scotland fan bring up that game for exactly the reasons you mentioned - the teams are completely different. Not to mention the second leg.

I mean, we'd love to win and be in with a shout but we know we've shot ourselves in the foot with our bad results previously (or rather - George Burley has). Honestly I've just had enough of his shitty tactical decisions and team selection. At least if we don't win it should be the end of him. But I'd at least partially eat my words if we manage to beat the Dutch and get to the World Cup via the playoffs.

[The Quasi Juice]

I love how people like Paul Dickov keep bringing up Scotland's 1-0 win over The Netherlands which happened SIX YEARS AGO!

Ugh, I wish they'd shut up too. But you know what it's like with the media, they just have to clutch at what they can. To be honest, I've not heard one Scotland fan bring up that game for exactly the reasons you mentioned - the teams are completely different. Not to mention the second leg.

I mean, we'd love to win and be in with a shout but we know we've shot ourselves in the foot with our bad results previously (or rather - George Burley has). Honestly I've just had enough of his shitty tactical decisions and team selection. At least if we don't win it should be the end of him. But I'd at least partially eat my words if we manage to beat the Dutch and get to the World Cup via the playoffs.

Darren Fletcher brought it up too in a press conference with Burley (it's on BBC website). He first says he and some other guy are the only ones still active in the Scottish team from the 2003 team, but then he starts analyzing the game, even going as far as saying they did decent in Amsterdam too and had McFadden's denied goal counted it would have been 2-1 and they would have had a chance.....it's f'n six years ago Darren, let it go! I also like how Frank de Boer, Gio and Loovens have been asked what they think of McFadden not being able to play and they all say something like; yeah, he's a good player. But to be honest if McFadden was such an amazing player he would be playing for a top club and he's not, the Dutch team doesn't give a shite.

Edited September 9, 2009 by The Quasi Juice

[Blue Rosler]

I think the whole "Let it go" policy applies to both nations.

Now, remember when England beat Germany 5-1? >_>

[Crybaby Bunting]

The England - Germany game was hilarious. Straight afterwards we called ourselves the greatest team in the world, completely forgetting that it was an international FRIENDLY and that England were the only team taking it 100% seriously by trying to win all the 50-50 balls against an experimental Germany team.

It was kinda like that with the England - Brazil friendly recently, Brazil were playing at half pace until England scored... then they proceeded to get an equaliser with minimal effort.

No country views England, Scotland etc. as an actual threat of a team, so they take the same approach that England take against teams like Montinegro (just play lazily because they'll eventually score and win)

[therockbox]

It was a World Cup qualifier.

[Scott McFly]

I love how people like Paul Dickov keep bringing up Scotland's 1-0 win over The Netherlands which happened SIX YEARS AGO!

Ugh, I wish they'd shut up too. But you know what it's like with the media, they just have to clutch at what they can. To be honest, I've not heard one Scotland fan bring up that game for exactly the reasons you mentioned - the teams are completely different. Not to mention the second leg.

I mean, we'd love to win and be in with a shout but we know we've shot ourselves in the foot with our bad results previously (or rather - George Burley has). Honestly I've just had enough of his shitty tactical decisions and team selection. At least if we don't win it should be the end of him. But I'd at least partially eat my words if we manage to beat the Dutch and get to the World Cup via the playoffs.

Darren Fletcher brought it up too in a press conference with Burley (it's on BBC website). He first says he and some other guy are the only ones still active in the Scottish team from the 2003 team, but then he starts analyzing the game, even going as far as saying they did decent in Amsterdam too and had McFadden's denied goal counted it would have been 2-1 and they would have had a chance.....it's f'n six years ago Darren, let it go! I also like how Frank de Boer, Gio and Loovens have been asked what they think of McFadden not being able to play and they all say something like; yeah, he's a good player. But to be honest if McFadden was such an amazing player he would be playing for a top club and he's not, the Dutch team doesn't give a shite.

McFadden is a good player by Scotland standards and he is playing in the Premier League which is something. He's not world class by any stretch, but he's one of the most creative and skilful players we have and it is a big loss to not have him. Whether that would affect us probably being completely trampled is another thing.

Every nation tends to remember the good results and forget the bad. "Hey, remember when we beat Holland 1-0? And France? Both home and away!" But what never gets mentioned are our losses to countries like Georgia, Macedonia and Norway. Same with England beating Germany during a successful period but yet losing to Macedonia too and even the defeat by Croatia that England had the lead in twice IIRC that led to them not making Euro 2008 tends to get brushed aside as "oh, Steve McClaren was manager then.". But yet it was more recent than said Germany game. Every country does it and I wish they didn't because it makes us look like jackasses for mentioning it when it's totally not the same scenario this time around.

Anyway, I'm predicting a rampant Netherlands victory after reading about the Scotland team with Kenny Miller UP FUCKING FRONT BY HIMSELF IN A GAME WE HAVE TO WIN. I can only hope Burley bangs his head before kick off and changes things because a 5 man midfield with a bit of width is going to mean jack shit.

[Kaney]

Holy fuck, you'd think he'd have learned by now that Miller isn't going to do much up front by himself.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

The England - Germany game was hilarious. Straight afterwards we called ourselves the greatest team in the world, completely forgetting that it was an international FRIENDLY and that England were the only team taking it 100% seriously by trying to win all the 50-50 balls against an experimental Germany team.

It was kinda like that with the England - Brazil friendly recently, Brazil were playing at half pace until England scored... then they proceeded to get an equaliser with minimal effort.

No country views England, Scotland etc. as an actual threat of a team, so they take the same approach that England take against teams like Montinegro (just play lazily because they'll eventually score and win)

Okay, do people need to constantly keep shitting on England? And yes, countries do view England as a threat and any country that don't would be completely stupid. I'm not trying to claim they're going to win the World Cup, but they've got one hell of a manager in Capello right now and it's now at a stage where there's ZERO excuses to be made. Whether people want to admit it or not, England have a fantastic team and on their best day can be a threat to any single nation possible. So acting like no country sees England as a threat is pretty stupid, but time will only tell I guess.

And it'd be nice to see Scotland somehow pull out a win today. I cant see it happening, but it would be nice if they could and somehow make the World Cup.

[The Quasi Juice]

The England - Germany game was hilarious. Straight afterwards we called ourselves the greatest team in the world, completely forgetting that it was an international FRIENDLY and that England were the only team taking it 100% seriously by trying to win all the 50-50 balls against an experimental Germany team.

It was kinda like that with the England - Brazil friendly recently, Brazil were playing at half pace until England scored... then they proceeded to get an equaliser with minimal effort.

No country views England, Scotland etc. as an actual threat of a team, so they take the same approach that England take against teams like Montinegro (just play lazily because they'll eventually score and win)

Okay, do people need to constantly keep shitting on England? And yes, countries do view England as a threat and any country that don't would be completely stupid. I'm not trying to claim they're going to win the World Cup, but they've got one hell of a manager in Capello right now and it's now at a stage where there's ZERO excuses to be made. Whether people want to admit it or not, England have a fantastic team and on their best day can be a threat to any single nation possible. So acting like no country sees England as a threat is pretty stupid, but time will only tell I guess.

And it'd be nice to see Scotland somehow pull out a win today. I cant see it happening, but it would be nice if they could and somehow make the World Cup.

I agree, if you look at the players England have one the best squads in the world. Just look at back four: Johnson (Liverpool), Terry (Chelsea), Rio (Man Utd), Cole (Chelsea). Three teams that usually reach either the quarter or semi finals of the Champions League. England should be one of the best in the world with their players, but somehow they haven't been the last few years.