alpine_saint

I forgot that FIFA (UEFA ?) suddenly announced before the play-off draw that it was going to be seeded. Yet more evidence of "if the face fits"...

hehehehehe

The draw is real, but FIFA is really concerned about the sporting spectacle over the integrity of the game, is the impression I was given. so if you have two big guns playing each other, FIFA prefers the one who plays the more attractive football to get through. For example, I will never ever believe that the performance of Kim Moeller Nielsen in the England v Argentina game of France 98 or that Argentinian d*ckhead in the England v Portugal game in Germany 2006 were impartial. They both got red cards out against England players (playing for a team that comes very close to the top of the Fair Play table in each tournament they are in) at the first opportunity

I am regularly accused of paranoia on here, but I have got it from a FIFA-affiliated referee directly that in the meetings the refereeing officials have leading up to the qualification games and the finals themselves, FIFA makes it clear they want to see certain teams progress further than others. Never forget the perverting influence money has had on the game, epsecially at this level. France in the finals brings in more TV and merchandising revenue than Ireland. And that's the bottom line....

Rasiak, Saga, Viafara.......

Seems like George should have taken up nuclear physics after retirement. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/4743435.Players__too_thick__to_understand_George_Burley_s_coaching_methods/ Maybe our players were "too thick" too. What a waste........

Jeez, if I had a quid for everytime I've read or thought that over the past few years......

Except the fact that Scotland suddenly turn into Brazil when they play us. I feel so sorry for a nation that's entire national sentiment is based on and fuelled by a jealous and resentful chip-on-their-shoulder towards a neighbour that is actually funding and indulging its existence.

But not a large proportion of this site at the time, it must be noted....

Before you exonerate Burley from our plight completely, what about the (very expensive) players we had thatr he alienated ?

hehehehehe

Were the Brighton goals his fault then ? I didnt know he was playing..

Oh dare you lot slag off my beloved Georgie !! He averaged a win every other game, or 1.54 points per game, dontchyaknow. After all, look at how Lawrie Mac performed and was treated at the beginning. Its always the players fault !! Now serious, out of SOGGY mode... Burley has been completely found out now. No doubt some dumb schmuck will give him a job...

Abso-bloody-lutely. I see the Communist Party are out in force as usual, making sure the party line is toed and all criticism is stifled. We've been humilliated by a sh*te side, shown to have no depth, shown to be totally complaicent, and shown to be reasonably bereft of opponent preparation and tactics. But its only one defeat in 8 of course. Nothing to worry about despite how close Orient came, how we nearly gave the game away agaisnt Charlton in the last 15mins, etc, etc. There is a huge amount of work to be done at SMS still, including reducing our dependency on loans that can be disturbed or can p*ss off at the drop of a hat.

All our opponents have as many games to play and have less resources than us.

Why cant you accept that we simply find the nature of this defeat to a team of that stature completely unacceptable ?

Exactly.

Steady on, you will get a lot of sh*t for having the temerity to write that !!!

The players were thinking "Its only Brighton". It was, but our players thought they only had to lace their boots up today.

Or maybe our team has got complaicent again, as I warned (and was ridiculed for) last week ?

Oh dear..

Maybe Trotman wont be so big a loss as we fear when he goes back. Positive enough ? Best I can do, I am afraid.

Nope, keeping the momentum when you are winning is more important. We know we have the players to more than compete at this level.

And the rest of the team were doing what, exactly ? Brighton.......BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION, FFS....the team that has been homeless and nearly gone out of business sh*tloads of times, have done us up like a kipper.

If it makes you feel better, friend..