[HibeeJibee]

realmadrid, on 24 November 2011 - 09:43, said:

Have we even been offered a place, they may just invite the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Germany?

Well the plan for summer 2013 is for a 'one-off' reinstatement of the Home Nations, held over the course of a week. This was apparently intended to be on the June qualifiers - but we've had to travel to Croatia, though this rumour about the 2 countries looking at playing the game sometime earlier in the week (closer to the end of the domestic season) might be a solution, as rejigging a game would be, or having Wales v Scotland from March count and we sit-out that day.

Argentina have a qualifier v Ecuador beforehand... Brazil have the Confederations Cup right after (which could feature Germany too).

Nothing has been confirmed yet, and I'm sure if enough £££ is thrown at it and big-names agreed to play, the Home Nations idea might be ditched. Eire and the Celtic Cup (intended for Cardiff) is also a potential headache.

Virtual Insanity, on 24 November 2011 - 13:49, said:

Dump the Challenge Cup altogether and you have yourself a deal.

Find a replacement for the income generated and you've a deal of a deal.

This post has been edited by HibeeJibee: 25 November 2011 - 00:24

[forehead7]

Michael W, on 24 November 2011 - 18:42, said:

Oh shock, we're playing the top seeds in our final match yet again.

Hopefully by then they'll have qualified and they'll play a lesser side and we'll have a better chance of beating them at home. Better at home than away.

[South Lanarkshire Jag]

forehead7, on 25 November 2011 - 02:11, said:

Hopefully by then they'll have qualified and they'll play a lesser side and we'll have a better chance of beating them at home. Better at home than away.

We said that about Holland




and Italy......

[Mr Academical]

sergie, on 24 November 2011 - 14:18, said:

Serbia and Macedonia at home to kick things off?

Pressure is on us already, we pretty much need to win all our home games to stand a chance.

My thoughts exactly, a loss on matchday 1 and its backs to the wall straight away.
Levein will know how important this 1st game is though so its set up for him to play a 7-3-0 formation, just to be on the safe side.

Gotta be honest, its a group without a superstar team, yet it wouldnt surprise me if we take a few ridings and end up nowhere near qualification.
Infact I see Croatia, Serbia and Belgium fighting it out, with Us Wales and Macedonia fighting it out for the 'group diddy' award, and since we have Craig Levein I know who I fancy.

Cue the 'we are making progress' crowd, I almost forgot our 2-1 win against a depleted Cyprus or the 1-0 win against lechtenstein for a second there.

[HibeeJibee]

Today's paper confirms:
* Croatia away game in Split
* both FAs "desperate" to move the game forward from June 7th
* Wales away "almost certain" to be Cardiff, with Scotland receiving around 2,700 tickets

[FC_1919]

As it stands now 22 people on four points would miss out in Wales.

Edit - obviously that's on full up take and no changes.

This post has been edited by FC_1919: 25 November 2011 - 09:39

[qpsnapper]

HibeeJibee, on 24 November 2011 - 13:37, said:

Provided clubs are happy to dump the Challenge Cup onto midweek and finish in April.

Or start the season two weeks later?

The close season is too short, especially for clubs involved in the play-offs. I would welcome (almost) anything that extended it for a week or two.

[highlandcowden]

forehead7, on 25 November 2011 - 02:11, said:

Hopefully by then they'll have qualified and they'll play a lesser side and we'll have a better chance of beating them at home. Better at home than away.

its one thing drawing current ec&wc champions spain as your pot 1 team,playing them last and hoping theyve qualified by then.The only bit of luck we got in this draw was croatia out of pot 1,theyre a team we should fancy our chances against no matter when the match is,if we assume that a team like them will qualify automatically anyway we're as well just giving up now

[Nowhereman]

qpsnapper, on 25 November 2011 - 12:00, said:

Or start the season two weeks later?

The close season is too short, especially for clubs involved in the play-offs. I would welcome (almost) anything that extended it for a week or two.

You just beat me to it. Don't start until first or second Saturday in August,play on the international weekends and leave the challenge cup to midweek where it belongs

[HibeeJibee]

qpsnapper, on 25 November 2011 - 12:00, said:

Or start the season two weeks later?

The close season is too short, especially for clubs involved in the play-offs. I would welcome (almost) anything that extended it for a week or two.

I suppose that could be an option, although clubs seem to have liked making use of July weekends. And having as much as possible on weekends.

It still pushes the Challenge Cup R3 + SFs onto midweek which cannot be particularly useful for that competition. It's not as if any clubs brought-forward games from the winter either, or even the prescheduled midweek in the case of First Division clubs. There was a Second Division game postponed before the October internationals but the clubs even rearranged that midweek... they were using the free weekend to let their players and staff take holidays.

With the Serbia game being a Saturday, you'd assume that for next season R3 of the Challenge Cup would continue to be that weekend, played on Sunday (or Friday if a pair of clubs desired). Perhaps thereafter the practice could be to schedule league rounds for international weekends... but postpone matches to midweek, if clubs have a Challenge Cup tie. Like what often happens with Scottish Cup R1-R3 replays?

[Ivo den Bieman]

South Lanarkshire Jag, on 23 November 2011 - 16:09, said:

at night?

Yes.

I was in Rijeka in August, it was 33 degrees at 11 at night. In Skopje in September, it was well over 30 degrees at what will be kick off time.

Croatia likely to be more boiling hot than Macedonia.

At least Levein has had fair warning this time and will doubtless put the players through the appropriate hot weather training.

[Ivo den Bieman]

Incidentally, I think third would be a decent finish in this group. Hate to sound like Mr Doom and Gloom, but we have no chance of finishing second in this one.

[forehead7]

South Lanarkshire Jag, on 25 November 2011 - 03:45, said:

We said that about Holland




and Italy......

Pretty close to beating Holland, and Holland are better than Croatia.

highlandcowden, on 25 November 2011 - 12:39, said:

its one thing drawing current ec&wc champions spain as your pot 1 team,playing them last and hoping theyve qualified by then.The only bit of luck we got in this draw was croatia out of pot 1,theyre a team we should fancy our chances against no matter when the match is,if we assume that a team like them will qualify automatically anyway we're as well just giving up now

We nearly beat Spain at Hampden, midway through the campaign. If we'd played them at home last then we'd have had a much better chance of beating them(they're side in the away leg was much worse than the home one). I'm not saying that Croatia are shite but I reckon we have a decent chance of beating them at home, if they've qualified by that time then it's even better for us.(providing we need the win)

[Ivo den Bieman]

There are three unpredictables here:

1. The derby games between Serbia and Croatia may see them take points from one another. On paper, Croatia should win both. However, if Serbia appoint the right new coach then they should be much more of a threat than they were during a shambolic Euro campaign- their failure to finish in the top two in that group was a joke.

2. Will Wales' recent improvement continue? It's all very well looking good in meaningless games when qualification hopes has long faded, and in friendlies. It remains to be seen if they can keep it going in games that actually mean something.

3. How will Macedonia fare under Toshack? if Pandev stays fit and isn't sulking then they'll be tough over there.

Generously, I can see us taking a point each from all three Balkan away trips, and a point in Belgium. If home form continues to be patchy then we've no chance.

[Michael W]

forehead7, on 25 November 2011 - 16:49, said:

We nearly beat Spain at Hampden, midway through the campaign. If we'd played them at home last then we'd have had a much better chance of beating them(they're side in the away leg was much worse than the home one). I'm not saying that Croatia are shite but I reckon we have a decent chance of beating them at home, if they've qualified by that time then it's even better for us.(providing we need the win)

Nearly got a draw off them, maybe. As good as we were to get it back level, I think saying we nearly beat them is very disingenuous.

Likewise with Holland - a nil nil was the best we were going to get seeing as though Miller did his usual and fucked the easy chance that came his way. That miss still angers me.

I think Croatia will win the group, but they aren't going to do a Spain and walk away with it. I wouldn't be surprised to see them needing something at Hampden to seal qualification.

[Marshmallo]

Ivo den Bieman, on 25 November 2011 - 16:16, said:

Incidentally, I think third would be a decent finish in this group. Hate to sound like Mr Doom and Gloom, but we have no chance of finishing second in this one.

Of course it would, we are the fourth seeds. Although I really think people are overrating the Belgians - this isn't Football Manager, guys like Defour or Vertonghen aren't world beaters.

[Gnash]

Ivo den Bieman, on 25 November 2011 - 16:13, said:

Yes.

I was in Rijeka in August, it was 33 degrees at 11 at night. In Skopje in September, it was well over 30 degrees at what will be kick off time.

Croatia likely to be more boiling hot than Macedonia.

At least Levein has had fair warning this time and will doubtless put the players through the appropriate hot weather training.

The average maximum in Split in June is 26C, with a minimum of 16C. The temperature for that match (assuming it is played on 7 June) is likely to be in the low 20s.

[HibeeJibee]

Northern Irish negotiated their fixtures last night and also kept June 2013 free. So, if plans are progressed for the FA 150th Anniversary Tournament, the only fixture "in the way" is our game in Croatia... and it's already been confirmed we're looking at moving that forward to the preceding midweek or even the previous weekend.

[nessies long lost ghost]

Mr Academical, on 25 November 2011 - 07:32, said:

My thoughts exactly, a loss on matchday 1 and its backs to the wall straight away.
Levein will know how important this 1st game is though so its set up for him to play a 7-3-0 formation, just to be on the safe side.

Gotta be honest, its a group without a superstar team, yet it wouldnt surprise me if we take a few ridings and end up nowhere near qualification.
Infact I see Croatia, Serbia and Belgium fighting it out, with Us Wales and Macedonia fighting it out for the 'group diddy' award, and since we have Craig Levein I know who I fancy.

Cue the 'we are making progress' crowd, I almost forgot our 2-1 win against a depleted Cyprus or the 1-0 win against lechtenstein for a second there.

[craigkillie]

forehead7, on 25 November 2011 - 02:11, said:

Hopefully by then they'll have qualified and they'll play a lesser side and we'll have a better chance of beating them at home. Better at home than away.

No, hopefully they won't have qualified. We should be trying to win this group, not aiming for second.

[Clayhole Blue]

forehead7, on 25 November 2011 - 16:49, said:

We nearly beat Spain at Hampden, midway through the campaign.

No we didn't. We did well to battle back to level then Spain just stepped up a gear!

[Sooky]

craigkillie, on 26 November 2011 - 18:26, said:

No, hopefully they won't have qualified. We should be trying to win this group, not aiming for second.

Yup, there's a very good chance that the 2nd place team in our group won't make the play-off's.

[nessies long lost ghost]

South Lanarkshire Jag, on 25 November 2011 - 03:45, said:

We said that about Holland




and Italy......

And Spain

[morrison]

Sooky, on 28 November 2011 - 13:17, said:

Yup, there's a very good chance that the 2nd place team in our group won't make the play-off's.

Really?

The odds are really not "very good" at all. Only one in nine runners up won't make the play-offs. Looking at most of the other groups, most have clear favourites with a few stuffy teams in the 2-4 slots. Failure to take points off the top side will be more costly than not having an 'easy' sixth seed to claim meaningless points from, and we do not have a top seed of anything like the strength of previous campaigns. I'm pretty confident whoever finishes second in our group will make the play-offs.

Whether we'll be that team, time will tell.