So.. we have a group with Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra but with a DECENT MANAGER in place this time can we qualify?

 

The way things are going I'm thinking we should qualify but we may have to go through the playoffs, we have a manager who actually knows what he's doing now and doesn't play inexperienced goalkeepers for the most important game for the country in a long while and is developing other solutions to going behind or getting outplayed than bringing on Stewart Downing :)

 

I just hope that I'm just getting slightly deluded by the fact Spain just won their first trophy since 1964 (64 ... 66 ;) ) and the chance of 'revenge' on our enemies and the fact our country has been branded 'arrogant' by other nations and the common perception of our top clubs being full of 'foreigners' despite there being 10 englishmen playing in the Champions League final. :rolleyes: Granted maybe someone has a point there but it isn't as bad as it's being made out to be and there are plenty of clubs with decent English players and managers giving youth a chance.

 

Capello is one who is capable of getting our boys to play as a team, at least he's realised from the start you've gotta have BALANCE in your midfield and that there is no permanent solution to life without David Beckham as of yet. It's not going to be easy but I'm hoping my gut feelings are true or English football will be going down the drain. :(

 

Wish I could say the same thing about Ireland, that's gonna take a bit more work..

Edited June 30, 200816 yr by Grandwicky

I hope not, the comedy value around how rubbish the English team is, despite the hype is funny as!

Oh well... England will lose against Croatia...

 

How many teams from group go to World cup. If two, than it England and Croatia.

I think it's the top 1 or 2 and all 2 or 3 placed teams play in a play-off

 

 

So like;

 

1 - CROATIA / QUALIFIED

2 - ENGLAND / PLAYOFF

 

or

 

1 - CROATIA / QUALIFIED

2 - ENGLAND / QUALIFIED

3 - AZERBIJAN / PLAYOFF

 

i can't remember which

Yes. It would be an even poorer showing than the Euro 08 fiasco if we weren't to qualify for this World Cup. Croatia have proved problematic in the past yes, but Ukraine showed in these Euro's they can't play as a consistent unit and Kazakhastan and Andorra shouldn't really cause us problems. The only tough point would be if Belarus started grinding out some freak results again..

Ivoted yes hopefully we do its so fun when the worldcup is on everyones just getting drunk all the time lol but if we dont make it then it will be $h!t!

Yes. It would be an even poorer showing than the Euro 08 fiasco if we weren't to qualify for this World Cup. Croatia have proved problematic in the past yes, but Ukraine showed in these Euro's they can't play as a consistent unit and Kazakhastan and Andorra shouldn't really cause us problems. The only tough point would be if Belarus started grinding out some freak results again..

 

Ukraine weren't in the Euro............. :o

Ukraine weren't in the Euro............. :o

In that case I do appear to be chatting shit, do ignore. I do recall them not impressing at some point along the way to the Euro's though, where they in some prolific group in the qualifiers?

 

EDIT - Ah yes they were in the France-Scotland-Italy circle..

Oh boy we have Croatia again :lol: Well we could win the group with Capello in charge, but we definitely should pull through even if we end up runners up, the other teams seems to be minors, but than again with England anything could happen, hopefully we have a better team with Capello in charge.

EDIT - Ah yes they were in the France-Scotland-Italy circle..

 

Thing is...they weren't. They crashed out some time before! They were beneath the circle!

 

England need a strong goalkeeper (James is too old and Robinson cannot be relied on - time to call in Robert Green and keep him in there) and someone deadly up front (Christ knows who, but certainly not Defoe or Owen) and they'll qualify easily with the rest of the quality they have.

I think it's the top 1 or 2 and all 2 or 3 placed teams play in a play-off

So like;

 

1 - CROATIA / QUALIFIED

2 - ENGLAND / PLAYOFF

 

or

 

1 - CROATIA / QUALIFIED

2 - ENGLAND / QUALIFIED

3 - AZERBIJAN / PLAYOFF

 

i can't remember which

 

This is what happens:

 

1 - The team that finishes top of the group qualifies automatically.

2 - Eight of the 9 runners-up go through to the play-offs, based on their record against the teams that finish 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th. (Results against the 6th placed team are dropped since Group 9 only has five teams). The worst runner-up misses out on the play-offs.

3 - The four play-off winners join the 9 group winners in South Africa.

 

For example, Group 9 could look like this:

 

1 - The Netherlands (qualify)

2 - Scotland (the play-offs, depending on (a) our record against 1, 3, 4 and 5, and (B) the other 8 runners-up)

3 - Norway (eliminated)

4 - Iceland (eliminated)

5 - FYR Macedonia (eliminated)

Edited June 30, 200816 yr by DitzyNizzy

Yes. If we don't win the group too, I think the campaign will be seen as a disappointment. I think the only real weak spot we have as a team is the goalkeeper, none of them ever seem to play with confidence and it's something that needs to be addressed. Hopefully Hart can come into his own over the next 12 months, but we'll just see.

Thing is...they weren't. They crashed out some time before! They were beneath the circle!

 

England need a strong goalkeeper (James is too old and Robinson cannot be relied on - time to call in Robert Green and keep him in there) and someone deadly up front (Christ knows who, but certainly not Defoe or Owen) and they'll qualify easily with the rest of the quality they have.

 

Put money on Arsenal's goalkeeper Almunia (remember Wenger thinks he is better than Lehmann) starting in the first available international fixture after 29th December 2008, as he will be eligible after receiving a British passport then.

I think we definitely will qualify. Capello is certainly the man to take us there.

Put money on Arsenal's goalkeeper Almunia (remember Wenger thinks he is better than Lehmann) starting in the first available international fixture after 29th December 2008, as he will be eligible after receiving a British passport then.

Please no. He's not good enough to be in atleast Spain's top 4 GKs and is now 31. Let's develop a young English keeper like Hart or Foster instead! I don't want to be like Poland, Germany, Spain, Croatia and probably others at the Euro's with their "rent-a-Brazilian"...

Thing is...they weren't. They crashed out some time before! They were beneath the circle!

 

England need a strong goalkeeper (James is too old and Robinson cannot be relied on - time to call in Robert Green and keep him in there) and someone deadly up front (Christ knows who, but certainly not Defoe or Owen) and they'll qualify easily with the rest of the quality they have.

Theo and Foster methinks if they can both continue to develop :D

 

At the moment I'd say Defoe and James though but I agree its about Green at least got a chance but with Neville or Richards both in ahead of Brown for the right back position I think we have a good first XI and good back-up for every other place..

 

Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor will hopefully get a bit more a chance next season as well.

I think YES ;) it depends if it has to play the pay-offs... Those matches are pretty tricky somentimes :( xox.

Yes I think we'll qualify.

Play like a team and they will

I think Croatia will win the group, but England should get second. I can see the games England have to play in the former Soviet states to be quite difficult though tbh... they could be the Macedonia of 2010. England only got a draw against them in the Euro 2008 qualifiers didn't they? Ukraine will be the only other real challenger in the long run though.