[Archived] World Cup Qualifiers 2010

[Blue n White Rover]

As much as I hate Roy Keane, having heard his press conference just now on BBC, I think the man is talking some sense there. The Irish had opportunities to go through, France were there for the taking. He also said in his conference that Henry's handball was natural instinct. How many of you have played football, and cheated but only did it in the heat of the moment? I've done it plenty of times, and I'm sure many of you lot have as well. We claim for corners and throw ins when we all know it's the oppositions ball. We control the ball with our hand and claim that it hit our chest, it happens all the time, you don't label Henry a cheat because of it.

What I don't understand is that Henry is getting all this stick for the handball, but why aren't the officials in the limelight? I haven't heard many people criticizing them, when they are the ones who allowed the goal.

I'm sure many of you were not labeling our own Paul Gallacher a cheat when he handled the ball into the net VS Newcastle?

[bellamy11]

Who was that bet with!?!

I know - I fancy a piece of that! Rovers to win at Bolton at 50/1 anyone?

[Bennisfromheaven]

Ive just been reading through some of the comments here & would like to add my two cents.

I sat at home watching Ireland take on on of one of the biggest footballing nations in the world, with a 1 nil deficit & the history books against us I didnty give my country much of a chance to overcome this.

Right through the qualifying campaign Trapatoni has adopted a defencive approach with two central midfielder, including our own Kieth Andrews, sitting back to protect the defence. The football was not great to watch but it got results & after sitting through a disasterous campaign led by Steve Staunton where we lost 5-1 to cyprus this was a welcome change.

However, this game required a different approach, we needed to score, not one but two to win. From the moment the second leg kicked off I witnessed one of the greatest performances from an Irish team since the giant stadium in the 1994 world cup. The irish won the first, the second & third balls, passing was crisp & attacks were plentiful. You could visibly see the french cower into thier shells & the Irish grow with confidence. Even when the french attacked you always felt the Irish could deal with it!!

I was so proud to be Irish that night & dreamt of booking tickets to the world cup myself but that dream is not to be now!!

Now, I am not saying that a replay should be ordered as this would open a whole other can of worms but i do ask that something be done. Something be done in the name of the players that overcame all thier detractors but will not get to fulfill thier potential, something be done for the fans that dared to dream but most of all something be done for all football.

The fact that video refereeing has not been introduced to football at this stage is baffling. Maybe fifa dont care about small countries like Ireland but if the same thing happened in the World Cup final what would they say???

In Germany, if a hand ball is suspected the referee will ask the player in question if he handed the ball, if the player says no & after the game video footage is scrutinised to find that the player is deemed to be lying a 10 game ban is enforced.

I know the majority of people on here do not care whether Ireland qualify or not but they have allegences to other countries & most of all to Rovers. I would not wish what happened to ireland on anyone but the way the rules stand at the moment it could be you!!

My link

The following link is asking for a replay to take place which is not going to happen, however it is currently the fastest growing movement on facebook & fifa can only but take notice, so I ask that you please lend your support

Thank you!!

[mellison24]

My slip essentially says: 20quid on 6/1 for an Irish win (any score, any circumstance ON AGGREGATE). Make sense? If not then blame the bookies' cock-up on a slip and not my eyesight.

[LeChuck]

So the Irish had to score another goal for you to win? Aggregate scores would have been level if the handball goal had not stood.

[bellamy11]

So the Irish had to score another goal for you to win? Aggregate scores would have been level if the handball goal had not stood.

Presumably it was a simple 'to qualify' bet, in which case the word aggregate is a bit misleading. Having a quick root around, odds were as much as 8/1 on Ireland to qualify (with Paddy Power). Insane odds really - I would definitely have had a piece of that if I'd known prior to kickoff.

[Bennisfromheaven]

So the Irish had to score another goal for you to win? Aggregate scores would have been level if the handball goal had not stood.

Though this is not my point, yes you are correct!! At 1 nil up or at 1-1, all Ireland needed to do was score & they were through but I do feel Irelands confidence was knocked by the goal & this effected the outcome!!

As i say, for me, the Ireland v France game only highlights the greater picture that rules need to be changed & this for me will be justice in itself!!!

EDIT

Sorry, thought your question was directed at me!! On another note though i never heard someone who won £1000 on a match sound so disapponted as when a freind of mine said it put a bet on Ireland to win after 90 minutes!!! To loose the way we did ruin the cash win for him!!!

[mellison24]

went down to coral to clarify it and it WAS a bookies cock-up. I wanted specifically an Irish WIN. They put that on the slip, but gave me the 'to qualify' (as bellamy 11 put it) odds. I'll be checking more carefully next time!!

[bellamy11]

went down to coral to clarify it and it WAS a bookies cock-up. I wanted specifically an Irish WIN. They put that on the slip, but gave me the 'to qualify' (as bellamy 11 put it) odds. I'll be checking more carefully next time!!

That's pretty unlucky, considering Ireland won! I wonder what the odds were for the Ireland win in 90 mins if to qualify was 6/1.

As a former cashier at Ladbrokes I'm a tad surprised at the generocity of the odds, especially from Paddy Power. You generally see 'home' bookies mute the odds of the local team to minimise liability if the unthinkable happens.

Hence why by summertime England will probably be 2nd favourites to win the World Cup (circa 8/1) and Tim Henman was always ridiculously short odds to win Wimbledon.

[mellison24]

Ireland didn't win though, it was a draw. While I'm at it, they added that whatever the result, my slip was 'corrupted', so I couldn't have won any money. On top of this they won't be refunding me, as the event has been and gone. I shall be pursuing the matter. As a student, 20quid is a HUGE amount! Fair to say I won't be using Coral again.

[CrazyIvan]

Ireland didn't win though, it was a draw. While I'm at it, they added that whatever the result, my slip was 'corrupted', so I couldn't have won any money. On top of this they won't be refunding me, as the event has been and gone. I shall be pursuing the matter. As a student, 20quid is a HUGE amount! Fair to say I won't be using Coral again.

Not being funny but if £20 is a huge amount for a student, why the hell were you putting it on a bet?

[bellamy11]

Ireland didn't win though, it was a draw. While I'm at it, they added that whatever the result, my slip was 'corrupted', so I couldn't have won any money. On top of this they won't be refunding me, as the event has been and gone. I shall be pursuing the matter. As a student, 20quid is a HUGE amount! Fair to say I won't be using Coral again.

If you wanted Ireland to win and they put 'to qualify' by mistake then you should have won because Ireland won the game 1-0. Bookies pay out on the 90 minute scoreline. If you just wanted Ireland to win at any point then they haven't made any mistake.

The corrupted thing sounds like a load of @#/?. cn174 will know more but I'm pretty sure you'd be entitled to a refund.

[broadsword]

I'm genuinely puzzled by this whole situation (not just on here, but everywhere). Can I ask a question to the people who feel strongly against the handball?

How will you react next time a Rovers player does a deliberate handball? Or a slightly different scenario; how will you react on Saturday when a Rovers player claims for a throw-in/corner that they know isn't theirs?

I don't take delight in my team prospering by cheating.

What's difficult to explain? France cheated their way to the finals, are you OK with that?

Why should cheating be tolerated? It doesn't matter whether it's my team, your team, Bert's team, or the scream team. When blatant cheating takes place and the offenders go unpunished, a little bunny rabbit gets mown down by an Uzi.

It's really not difficult. i don't like seeing cheats win, it annoys me. I don't like seeing my team cheat, I expect better of them.

[bellamy11]

Just a random thought - apologies if somebody has already mentioned it:

Didn't Robbie Keane knock a ball down with his hand then score against us when we lost 3-2 at WHL a few years back?

[Ozz]

Yes he did, in the Bellamy season, when both he and Pongolle scored in a very good game and performance by us.

[OhmiBRFC]

Didn't they get a throw in too, that should have been ours?

[LeChuck]

I don't take delight in my team prospering by cheating.

What's difficult to explain? France cheated their way to the finals, are you OK with that?

Why should cheating be tolerated? It doesn't matter whether it's my team, your team, Bert's team, or the scream team. When blatant cheating takes place and the offenders go unpunished, a little bunny rabbit gets mown down by an Uzi.

It's really not difficult. i don't like seeing cheats win, it annoys me. I don't like seeing my team cheat, I expect better of them.

I don't think cheating should be allowed at all. I'd honestly like nothing more than if it was stamped out completely. I think you might have missed the point I was trying to make slightly Bryan.

I just think people shouldn't just chose to be outraged about it when it's a very important game. Either deliberate handballs are an atrocious thing to do or they're not; it's this idea of picking and choosing when to apply these morals based on the importance of the game that I really don't understand.

The people crying for Henry to banned (I'm more on about the media here) probably won't even blink when a player for their team tries to claim a throw-in/corner that isn't theirs, or deliberately fouls someone to gain an advantage. If deliberate handball is such a sin then they should be too. It's this hypocrisy that I really don't understand.

If this high publicity incident makes football fans take a stand against acts of deceit/cheating then that's wonderful, but I suspect the same people who are up in arms now will go back to accepting things like deliberate handballs when they take place this weekend.

[T4E]

Just a random thought - apologies if somebody has already mentioned it:

Didn't Robbie Keane knock a ball down with his hand then score against us when we lost 3-2 at WHL a few years back?

Ah, yes! Good point.

What with that and Jedward, Ireland have got what they deserved

[broadsword]

I don't think it should be tolerated at all.

It is worse in a game like that though because so much more is at stake. It's still the same in absolute terms, but it must be sickening to lose out on a World Cup place through an incident like that.

There's more of a hoo-ha because of the importance of the game, but that doesn't amount to tacit condoning of cheating in less important games.

[Tom]

Another point thats worth thinking about, where was Irelands overwhelming urge for fair play here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf9fx4ipF4Q

They do say these things even themselves out.

Sorry if this has been posted before

Edit just realised this is waht roy Keane was talking about sorry but its still relevent

[Ricky]

the further tall tales of Mellison!!

[Mr. E]

well, at least I hope the Frnech get booed the hell out of every game they play at the World Cup. Should be ashamed to even get on the plane. What an absolute farce.

[Blue n White Rover]

well, at least I hope the Frnech get booed the hell out of every game they play at the World Cup. Should be ashamed to even get on the plane. What an absolute farce.

Why though? Henry admitted it, and it wasn't intentional it was instinctive.

Blame the officials not the French squad.

[Mr. E]

Why though? Henry admitted it, and it wasn't intentional it was instinctive.

Blame the officials not the French squad.

instinctive?

[CrazyIvan]

the further tall tales of Mellison!!

Aye, I think you may be right...