The Road to Russia 2018

[jd1981]

Last time this happened Wolves were champions of England.

 

[Sniffer]

Delighted for you Fred but stay away from us in the draw!

 

[slink]

Proof that managers are crucial, Ventura not got a clue and Italy look exactly like their manager. Yes ageing at the back but when you continue to play Candreva and Darmian as wing backs and can't get Jorginho in the team until tonight and can't get Insigne in the side you know something isn't right. Never thought i'd see a World Cup with the Italians in it. Sweden were fantastic though and thoroughly deserved to go through.

 

[Alan]

Italy simply didn't have the tactics to break down the Swedes. What a performance from them (Sweden).

A shame to have this be the way Buffon ends his international career but the Italians can have no real complaints. Utmerket jobb, Sverige!

 

[Freddeno]

Thank you god!!!!! So happy..we didnt have the ball for 5 mins..but we have Andreas Granqvist and Janne Andersson with a positive mind..russia here we come!!!!!

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

Last time an Italian got fucked over by Swedes like this was when Sven Goran Ericsson cheated on Nancy Dell'Olio with Ulrika #itavswe #worldcup #russiawc

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Delighted for you Fred but stay away from us in the draw!

They're definitely in Pot 3 so it's possible (if we draw Brazil or Argentina from Pot 1 - otherwise by the time we get to Pot 3, we'll already be in with another UEFA team and we can't get a third) but we ended that hoodoo by beating them at Euro 2012.

Italy didn't even try to play football in the last 20 minutes, just booted it forward, right into the hands of the likes of Granqvist who is just a head it and kick it merchant. You have the better footballers by a mile, use them.

I know Lupo has mentioned it numerous times before but it bears repeating, wtf were they thinking appointing Ventura. A relic of a nobody.

Strange for Italy not to be there but then again they're coming off successive group stage exits, not like they've lit up a World Cup recently.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

Ahhhhhhh.... Seeing Buffon in tears at the end of his Italy career here tonight. Bit choked up myself tbh

 

[arklowolf]

England, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark or Ireland. How exciting.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

England, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark or Ireland. How exciting.

You can have a go at England for a lot of things but the state of the playoff games has not been our fault :icon_lol:

Six 0-0s in a row I think now:

Honduras vs Australia
New Zealand vs Peru
Denmark vs Ireland
Switzerland vs N Ireland
Greece vs Croatia
Italy vs Sweden

All goalless.

 

[Lupo]

Well done Fred, your boys did exactly what was needed.

Ours were better than Friday but still not good enough. Toothless, ineffective, desperate but to not score a single goal over 2 legs is simply not good enough.

I am devastated by this, never thought I'd see a World Cup without Italy and I'm gutted that a world champion in Buffon ends this way. I was shouting at the end when Ventura hugged him to get his filthy hands off our legend.

Ventura has been a manager for over 40 years and managed about the same about of clubs. His 'honours' are 2 Serie Ds (4th division) in the mid 1980s/1990 with Entella and Pistoiese and a Serie C1 (3) in 1995/6 with Lecce.

And that's it.

What on earth was he doing leading the 4 times world champions? They even gave him an extention to 2020 a few months back. Wtf?


Anyway, that's it. No excuses, that was shit

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It would be like England appointing John Rudge

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It would be like England appointing John Rudge

Sam Allardyce has a similar amount of honours in a 25 or so year career...

Won the Irish second tier with Limerick in 1992 and the English fourth tier with Notts County in 1998. That's it. And we appointed him...

 

[Lupo]

It would be like England appointing John Rudge

Pretty much yeah

 

[Freddeno]

Aye..many in tears in both teams..feel for Buffon too, top guy

 

[Freddeno]

You had a very good game and i was screaming for us to hold the ball better..a couple of pen calls..maybe was just a managerial win in the end really Lupo

 

[Lupo]

I think both sides had a couple of credible penalty shouts turned down but if we can't muster a single goal over 2 legs we deserve nothing. I felt Florenzi's effort in the 2nd half was spectacular (in terms of his touch and technique) but sadly went wide but generally for all the possession and bluster, the final balls and finishing was way off.

I never thought I'd see the day that Wolves play better, more fluid and effective football but I have now

 

[Lupo]

Ventura has resigned

Tavecchio will probably beg him to stay

 

[Freddeno]

I think both sides had a couple of credible penalty shouts turned down but if we can't muster a single goal over 2 legs we deserve nothing. I felt Florenzi's effort in the 2nd half was spectacular (in terms of his touch and technique) but sadly went wide but generally for all the possession and bluster, the final balls and finishing was way off.

I never thought I'd see the day that Wolves play better, more fluid and effective football but I have now

Yeah, both teams had..thought we were descent for the first 30 mins but after that only defended..not helped by a possible acl on jacob johansson..thought candreva was your best player over the two legs, but why didnt he play insigne more? Granqvist our best player in my book, did his job very good as usual..forsberg has much more potential

 

[Lupo]

but why didnt he play insigne more

Quite - just one of the many bizarre things about Ventura

Cameras actually picked up Daniele De Rossi urging Ventura to throw on Insigne