# Cheerio France



## DerKaiser (22 Jun 2010)

In fairness, has any team ever let itself down more badly all round in terms of how they qualified and how they performed?


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## Betsy Og (22 Jun 2010)

Even Domenech yesterday said the way France was going was "very poetic", and without being too childish about it I think he's right and they got their comeuppence (though, it must be always said, that even if Henry didnt handle the ball it would have gone to penalties and no guarantee we would have come through that).


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## mathepac (22 Jun 2010)

I just saw the highlights where Domenech refused to shake hands with the SA coach after the match. There is no place for such churlishness and bad manners in any sport at any level (although Clare hurlers and officials come to mind in that regard). 

I feel sorry for French players and supporters. There is something badly amiss in French soccer and I hope Mme. Roselyne Bachelot's investigation cleans it up.


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## TarfHead (22 Jun 2010)

Raphael Honigstein has tweeted "_SA radio saying that #FRA FA booked second-class plane tix for team_"


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## daithi (22 Jun 2010)

*adieu frenchies*

I'd have told them make yer own way home,lads!

daithi


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## Mpsox (23 Jun 2010)

Was there not some element of poetic justice in all of this?, from the dodgy offside in the 2nd match that cost them a goal, their version of Saipan, having a manager so totally out of his depth (a la Stan, best description I heard of Domenech was from an American journalist who called him "an unloveable Inspector Clouseau), it was like the history of Irish football over the last 10 years, condensed into a fortnight.


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## MrMan (23 Jun 2010)

Domenech gets a seriouslt tough press, can you imagine any other manager taking their country to the final of the World cup and still being compared to Stan? 
We all got upset about the handball at the time, but I can't get over how we are clinging onto it still. i can understand the Irish journalists constantly stoking the fire to keep themselves busy but the general public should have moved on by now.
Luis Fabiano handled twice before scoring against Ivory Coast (same national colours as us!) and nobody is saying that Brazil are cheating there way through the world cup.


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## Shawady (23 Jun 2010)

What is ironic is that FIFA changed the rules regards the play-offs to allow seeding, to give the bigger nations a better chance of qualifications.
Ireland still may not have qualified, but if we did I've no doubt we would have given a better display on and off the pitch.


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## Mpsox (23 Jun 2010)

MrMan said:


> Domenech gets a seriouslt tough press, can you imagine any other manager taking their country to the final of the World cup and still being compared to Stan?


 
Did France get to the final in spite of Domenech or because of him? This is the 2nd tournament final in a row in which they failed to win a match, in 3 matches in the qualifiers against Lithuania and the Faroes, the scored 3 goals in total. 

Personally, given the players they have, I'm a bit disappointed to see them gone. The whole Henry thing was just tabloid hype. If Robbie Keane had done the same, would we have offered a replay?


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## VOR (23 Jun 2010)

mathepac said:


> although Clare hurlers and officials come to mind in that regard)



You'll have to elaborate on that mathepac so I can defend the county (or at least try )


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## TarfHead (23 Jun 2010)

Mpsox said:


> The whole Henry thing was just tabloid hype./QUOTE]
> 
> +1
> 
> ...


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## DerKaiser (23 Jun 2010)

MrMan said:


> Domenech gets a seriouslt tough press, can you imagine any other manager taking their country to the final of the World cup and still being compared to Stan?
> We all got upset about the handball at the time, but I can't get over how we are clinging onto it still. i can understand the Irish journalists constantly stoking the fire to keep themselves busy but the general public should have moved on by now.
> Luis Fabiano handled twice before scoring against Ivory Coast (same national colours as us!) and nobody is saying that Brazil are cheating there way through the world cup.


 
The Henry handball incident will naturally be brought up as they have been a disgrace to themselves in everything they've done.

If they put in an honest effort at the world cup they could move on from being associated with controversy, but they just keep acting like pigs - see below for their final insult to this world cup...

http://www.sbnation.com/2010/6/22/1...raymond-domenech-handshake-south-africa-coach


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## Sunny (23 Jun 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Personally, given the players they have, I'm a bit disappointed to see them gone. The whole Henry thing was just tabloid hype. If Robbie Keane had done the same, would we have offered a replay?


 
Indeed. Remember this thread

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=126341&page=2

Both France and Italy were there for taking by Ireland in the qualification stage but they didn't do it. It's our own fault we are not there.

France deserve to be out because they are a brutal football team with an absolute nutter as manager. The French Federation make the FAI look professional.


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## Liamos (23 Jun 2010)

Tell us what you really think Tarfhead. Listen I can remember plenty of qualifying campaigns where we had perfectly good goals disallowed due to dodgy (in one case corrupt) refereeing decisions. So I'll take any dodgy penalties that come our way.

There aren't too many teams who would have gone to Paris and won 1 - 0 after 90 mins on the night. I don't want to re open the whole Henry affair, but the fact is he cheated, he prevented the game from going to a penalty shoot out, and who's to say we wouldn't have won that shoot out?


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## Betsy Og (23 Jun 2010)

VOR said:


> You'll have to elaborate on that mathepac so I can defend the county (or at least try )


 
A groundless slur I should think!!!


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## mathepac (23 Jun 2010)

VOR said:


> You'll have to elaborate on that ...


No need to as apparently a number of posters have copped on already.


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## Ciaraella (23 Jun 2010)

Mpsox said:


> (a la Stan, best description I heard of Domenech was from an American journalist who called him "an unloveable Inspector Clouseau), .


 
I reckon he looks like Jim's Dad from the American Pie movies


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## elefantfresh (23 Jun 2010)

I reckon he's a ringer for Eddie Jordan!


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## TarfHead (23 Jun 2010)

Liamos said:


> .. the fact is he cheated ..


 
True, though if Robbie Keane had done it, we would have a different view.



Liamos said:


> ..he prevented the game from going to a penalty shoot out


 
.. that, and Ireland's enduring inability to score when it matters.


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## Sunny (23 Jun 2010)

TarfHead said:


> True, though if Robbie Keane had done it, we would have a different view.


 
Very true. Amazing how many people in this Country still applaud Michelle Smith because 'she was never caught'. What about the athletes that lost olympic medals because of her? I don't remember a national outrage


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## MrMan (23 Jun 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Did France get to the final in spite of Domenech or because of him? This is the 2nd tournament final in a row in which they failed to win a match, in 3 matches in the qualifiers against Lithuania and the Faroes, the scored 3 goals in total.
> 
> Personally, given the players they have, I'm a bit disappointed to see them gone. The whole Henry thing was just tabloid hype. If Robbie Keane had done the same, would we have offered a replay?



I would presume that a coach has some input so yes he had a hand in them reaching the final. It's all spin, those wonderful players took it upon themselves to ignore their coach and play themselves into the final whereas now that same coach has contributed to their downfall. A lose/lose situation for Domenach


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## VOR (23 Jun 2010)

It was always believed that Zidane took over in 2006 and his absence since has played a key role in their demise.


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## mathepac (23 Jun 2010)

Sunny said:


> ... Amazing how many people in this Country still applaud Michelle Smith because 'she was never caught'. ...


I don't know of any. I happen to be an admirer of her achievements, which have only been damaged in retrospect by a vicious, coordinated anti-Michelle campaign, paid for by the sponsors of athletes whose post-Olympic commercial careers Michelle's victories damaged.

I have yet to hear or see anyone produce a single shred of evidence of any wrong-doing on Michelle's part in relation to her Olympic achievements. Nothoing I've ever heard, such as the above content-free post,  has been more substantive than Bertie Ahearn's "smoke and daggers" nonsense.


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## TarfHead (23 Jun 2010)

mathepac said:


> I don't know of any. I happen to be an admirer of her achievements, which have only been damaged in retrospect by a vicious, coordinated anti-Michelle campaign, paid for by the sponsors of athletes whose post-Olympic commercial careers Michelle's victories damaged.
> 
> I have yet to hear or see anyone produce a single shred of evidence of any wrong-doing on Michelle's part in relation to her Olympic achievements. Nothoing I've ever heard, such as the above content-free post, has been more substantive than Bertie Ahearn's "smoke and daggers" nonsense.


 
Apart from the farce of the whiskey in the sample .. I have satisfied myself that there is no plausible explanation for her achievements. To do what what she did, at her stage of life & physical development is, outside of the discredited Eastern bloc athletes, without precedent.

QED, for me, her achievements are tainted and should be discounted.

From memory, Janet Evans is the one who said 'yes' when asked if other swimmers were asking questions about De Bruin's rate of improvement; she did not make any allegation. And Janet Evans' place in Olympic history, and '_post-Olympic commercial career_', was secure before Atlanta.


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## mathepac (23 Jun 2010)

TarfHead said:


> Apart from the farce of the whiskey in the sample .. ...


Ah yes the infamous "out of competition sample" *taken in 1998, two years after the Olympics* which resulted in a four-year ban on a  "sample tampering charge". Michelle has never been banned from competition, had a positive in-competition sample, had her medals or achievements taken away, or been found guilty of taking banned or performance-enhancing substances.


TarfHead said:


> .. I have satisfied myself that there is no plausible explanation  for her achievements. To do what what she did, at her stage of life  & physical development is, outside of the discredited Eastern bloc  athletes, without precedent.
> 
> QED, for me, her achievements are tainted and should be discounted...


Sounds like an  extract from the Widgery Tribunal's report on Bloody Sunady or his dismissal of the first Birmingham Six Appeal. To paraphrase him "There is no evidence in support of the findings my political masters want me to make, so I'll just say I'm satisfied that some must exist somewhere and give them what they want."


TarfHead said:


> .. From memory, Janet Evans is the one who said 'yes' when asked if other  swimmers were asking questions about De Bruin's rate of improvement; she  did not make any allegation. And Janet Evans' place in Olympic history,  and '_post-Olympic commercial career_', was secure before  Atlanta.


If you say so. That's not my recollection of events but  I do recall the classic poor-loser Americans,  the staged and rehearsed Americans-only "press-conferences"  and the public whingeing and whining. "Boo-hoo, poor me, it's just not fair. Where're my gold medals? These are our Olympics, how dare you spoil our party."


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## TarfHead (23 Jun 2010)

mathepac said:


> Sounds like an extract from the Widgery Tribunal's report on Bloody Sunady or his dismissal of the first Birmingham Six Appeal.


 
Conflating Widgery with Michelle De Bruin is some stretch  !

You're trolling, and I'm not biting .


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## haminka1 (23 Jun 2010)

Mpsox said:


> Did France get to the final in spite of Domenech or because of him? This is the 2nd tournament final in a row in which they failed to win a match, in 3 matches in the qualifiers against Lithuania and the Faroes, the scored 3 goals in total.
> 
> Personally, given the players they have, I'm a bit disappointed to see them gone. The whole Henry thing was just tabloid hype. If Robbie Keane had done the same, would we have offered a replay?



i believe you are very unpatriotic and just bent on spoiling the fun all of us are having at the handy french expense .. .ts ts ts


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## PyritePete (23 Jun 2010)

As for Ireland not being there, we should look to Paul McShane. Every player knows not to let a ball bounce in the 'box, I dont have any issue with us not being there. We had chances & didn't take them. Enough of that.

Alas poor old Michelle Smith - on at least 3 occasions she checked out/did a runner from hotels when testers were due - the Spa Hotel in Lucan, Co Dublin was one such hotel. Matthepac, you are well wide of the mark here. 

Enough of that too.


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## mathepac (23 Jun 2010)

PyritePete said:


> ... on at least 3 occasions she checked out/did a runner from hotels when testers were due - the Spa Hotel in Lucan, Co Dublin was one such hotel. Matthepac, you are well wide of the mark here. ...


More of Bertie's aul' "smoke and daggers" Any positive drug tests, consequential bans or suspensions?


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## Teatime (23 Jun 2010)

TarfHead said:


> Ireland have no-one but themselves to blame for not being in RSA and painting themselves as victims will be of no help when they start the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
> 
> And as for the FAI's cack-handed response to the play-off defeat  ?


 
I agree. To be honest I think the France-hating over the last few weeks is embarassing. It started off as a bit of fun but now it's just ignorant.


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## starlite68 (23 Jun 2010)

yes we are starting to embarass ourselves....forget it and move on for god sake!


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## DerKaiser (23 Jun 2010)

starlite68 said:


> yes we are starting to embarass ourselves....forget it and move on for god sake!



It would have been forgotten about had they not found ever more novel ways to disgrace themselves


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## MrMan (24 Jun 2010)

VOR said:


> It was always believed that Zidane took over in 2006 and his absence since has played a key role in their demise.


 
And Zidanes managerial career since masterminding a place in the world cup final has seen him do what? Maybe he was just a natural leader, tactician, coach and player, the last one is the only one there is proof of.


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## MrMan (24 Jun 2010)

DerKaiser said:


> It would have been forgotten about had they not found ever more novel ways to disgrace themselves


 
It has been spoken about up until and throughout the WC. It's boring and is becoming more and more embarrassing. I was upset at the time but having thought about it the team I support has benefitted from dodgy play as has every other team so let the hypocrisy stop please.


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## TarfHead (24 Jun 2010)

mathepac said:


> Any positive drug tests, consequential bans or suspensions?


 
When you're pleading the '_Lance Armstrong_' defence, move on  !


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## carpedeum (24 Jun 2010)

Just watched the evening news and it showed Thierry Henry being taken direct from the airport arrivals to meet President Sarkozy!  What theatrics by the Cuban heeled  dwarf. I didn't realise Carla was a football fan.... or is that footballer fan!


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## PyritePete (27 Jun 2010)

mathepac said:


> More of Bertie's aul' "smoke and daggers" Any positive drug tests, consequential bans or suspensions?


 
Tampering with samples is unacceptable. When you consider athletes have to give the relevant authorities their movements, months in advance it makes it easy for "unclean" athletes to do a runner from a certain location...guess the rest...a la Michelle Smith, Christine Uhurogu - the British athlete who conveniently missed 3 testing dates also. Dont forget Dopey Rio Ferdinand missed a drug test too because he was moving house or something stupid like this.

Wasn't Smith banned for 4 years for her offence ?


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## mathepac (27 Jun 2010)

pyritepete said:


> ...  Wasn't smith banned for 4 years for her offence ?





mathepac said:


> ah yes the infamous "out of competition sample" *taken in 1998, two years after the olympics* which resulted in a four-year ban on a  "sample tampering charge"  ...


hth


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## PyritePete (28 Jun 2010)

so Smiths improvement of 7 seconds in her time for her swim *prior to the Olympics*,which is completely unheard of in her sport, is what you would regard as clean/fine/acceptable/possible for someone who never showed this dramatic improvement before that ? How else would you explain it...hard work, effort, steroids, EPO...

I am not surprised the infamous (really ??) sample was only taken in 1998, *it took the testers YEARS to track her down* even after providing the authorities with her travel movements.Tests are done randomly/out of competition as well as during competition - as a result of the Ben Johnsons and others like him in the sporting world and as an athlete representing Ireland she overlooked this. There is no need to mention her husband's infamous career here at all...

The question still remains unanswered - why did she tamper with her sample ?

Doping in females is much harder to detect than in males. Fact. Which again begs the question why did she tamper with her sample  - was she so bad at doping she had to tamper with her sample ?

As for janet Evans I agree with Tarfhead.

And now you know...


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