Irish Luck Running Out As Play Offs Get Close

Everyone has heard of the Luck of the Irish, but as the last chance of World Cup Qualification draws near, maybe their luck is running out.

Ireland, led by former Italy manager Giovanni Trapattoni, were confident of qualification just over a month ago, until FIFA moved the goalposts.

It's all gone downhill from there.

The FIFA change was of course the decision to make the draw for the UEFA Group play-offs a seeded draw, preventing the big guns of Europe from meeting and knocking each other out of the World Cup before it begins in June.

Ireland, who finished their campaign unbeaten, were bitterly disappointed not to hang onto a lead they took against Italy with only five minutes remaining at an almost full and raucous Croke Park in their penultimate game.

That draw secured their playoff spot and left them with one game remaining against Montenegro, again at Croke Park to try and carry momentum into the playoffs. However, since that last minute equaliser, it has been a steep downhill slope for the Irish.

From Sean St. Ledger’s goal providing one of the most memorable moments in Irish football for a long time, the Italian equaliser moments later was just the first dent in what has become a disastrous week for Irish hopes of being in South Africa.

The seeded draw was already certain to see Ireland in the unseeded pot, and their final group match against Montenegro in Dublin was an opportunity to show the rest of Europe that they meant business, to give the big guns something to think about.

It was not to be though, as Trapattoni persisted with his ultra defensive-minded play, waiting for set pieces to provide opportunity, rather than playing with a creative and attack minded midfield.

A dull and uninterested crowd saw Ireland struggle badly against a weakened Montenegro team, in a game they should really be winning.  Instead they were left scrambling for a draw and left the field with the faint echo of boos coming from sections of the sparse crowd.

Hope once again came from the luck of the draw.  With Greece in as a seeded team, the whole country seemed to be certain they would receive a second leg at home against a Greecian team deemed to be the weakest seeded team in the draw.

Once again Irish hopes were dashed when in Zurich they not only received a home first leg, they were drawn up against former World Champions France.  The task before the squad now seems improbable, if not impossible, as Trapattoni’s men must beat an attacking French side over two legs.

With the likes of Henry, Benzema and Ribery, it seems implausible that France, the 2006 finalists, will not score, leaving most Irish soccer fans re-booking their summer holidays and heading to the beaches of Spain rather than Soccer City in South Africa.

Trapattoni, who famously earns a huge amount of money for his role as Ireland manager, does have this one chance to prove his worth and take Ireland to the Finals.  However, with his defensive mentality and lack of trust in his team’s attacking ability it seems almost certain France will be playing in South Africa this summer.