Iceland Qualify

**The Harp Awakes** · 10-10-2017 06:44 AM

Must be the genetics

**number9dream** · 10-10-2017 06:58 AM

Viking blood...

Absolutely brilliant achievement, just shows what good coaching can do.

***Jack*** · 10-10-2017 07:00 AM

Giants!

**MWHIBBIES** · 10-10-2017 08:52 AM

Proper set up with proper ideas. Miles ahead of Scotland on and off the park.

**hibsbollah** · 10-10-2017 09:06 AM

A victory for government intervention and chucking good facilities at everyone. I'm sure the Sfa is paying attention

**Smartie** · 10-10-2017 09:15 AM

Good wee country, do a lot of things right, they richly deserve their success.

***Keith_M*** · 10-10-2017 09:20 AM

Maybe Scotland should hire their manager.

You never know, he might even know how to put out a team that could beat Lithuania.

**heretoday** · 10-10-2017 10:13 AM

You'll never win anything with a load of geysers.

**Betty Boop** · 10-10-2017 10:20 AM

Syria v Australia currently 1-1. Mon Syria !

**hibsbollah** · 10-10-2017 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Betty Boop

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Syria v Australia currently 1-1. Mon Syria !

Amazing story. Playing their home games in Malaysia, no funding because of international sanctions. Hanging on 2-2 on aggregate with 20 mins left.

**Betty Boop** · 10-10-2017 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by hibsbollah

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Amazing story. Playing their home games in Malaysia, no funding because of international sanctions. Hanging on 2-2 on aggregate with 20 mins left.

Yea heading for extra time as things stand.

**Pretty Boy** · 10-10-2017 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Betty Boop

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Yea heading for extra time as things stand.

2-1 down and just rattled the woodwork in the last minute of extra time.

The lad Al Somah looks a hell of a player.

***GreenNWhiteArmy*** · 10-10-2017 11:44 AM

Anyone know what happened in Iceland?

Not so long ago they were 4th/5th seeds and now, the expectation is they'll be reaching major tournaments.

Fantastic story.

One thing that surprised me is Egypt. First WC in 28 years..They're major players in Africa

***NORTHERNHIBBY*** · 10-10-2017 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by GreenNWhiteArmy

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Anyone know what happened in Iceland?

Not so long ago they were 4th/5th seeds and now, the expectation is they'll be reaching major tournaments.

Fantastic story.

One thing that surprised me is Egypt. First WC in 28 years..They're major players in Africa

In that climate, a blazer gets you nowhere.

**euro Hibby** · 10-10-2017 12:06 PM

big guys having sex with big girls....

***Baader*** · 10-10-2017 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by GreenNWhiteArmy

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Anyone know what happened in Iceland?

Not so long ago they were 4th/5th seeds and now, the expectation is they'll be reaching major tournaments.

Fantastic story.

One thing that surprised me is Egypt. First WC in 28 years..They're major players in Africa

Iceland has a population significantly smaller than Edinburgh. They overhauled their whole football infrastructure, invested in a proper coaching academy (for coaches as well), all weather and indoor pitches. They have no professional clubs but a high number of UEFA qualified coaches.

Its no fluke they're making tournaments.

Pre Euro bit about what they did here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30012357

**pacoluna** · 10-10-2017 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by hibsbollah

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Amazing story. Playing their home games in Malaysia, no funding because of international sanctions. Hanging on 2-2 on aggregate with 20 mins left.

They were being used as a political tool by Assad to present normality and promote his regime, orchestrated press conferences etc with his face on there tshirts.

**~~IGRIGI~~** · 10-10-2017 02:36 PM

They humped Turkey away from home 3 nil while playing a centre back who plays for Aberdeen.

Playing on form players who don't play for Celtic or in League 1 and 2,outrageous thinking 😎

**hibsbollah** · 10-10-2017 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by pacoluna

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They were being used as a political tool by Assad to present normality and promote his regime, orchestrated press conferences etc with his face on there tshirts.

The team probably gave the downtrodden population, who've been bombed to **** by just about every military world power going for the last 6 years, something to smile about, no?

**where'stheslope** · 10-10-2017 04:03 PM

To think not long ago, a game V Iceland was thought as an easy 2 or 3 points??????

**pacoluna** · 10-10-2017 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by hibsbollah

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The team probably gave the downtrodden population, who've been bombed to **** by just about every military world power going for the last 6 years, something to smile about, no?

Many Syrians see it as a political team not a football team. A lot of their ex players who supported a Syrian revolution were either arrested killed or forced to flee. There is also a free Syrian football team who play their games in Lebanon and are made up of those players who fled.

**hibsbollah** · 10-10-2017 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by pacoluna

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Many Syrians see it as a political team not a football team. A lot of their ex players who supported a Syrian revolution were either arrested killed or forced to flee. There is also a free Syrian football team who play their games in Lebanon and are made up of those players who fled.

I didn't know about that. I'm guessing there are millions of Syrians who fled from both sides and who stayed from both sides. Its interesting and impressive as a football story regardless of the politics though.

***Hibernia&Alba*** · 10-10-2017 08:54 PM

Incredible for a country of 300,000 people. England will be hoping to avoid them

**AZhibee** · 10-10-2017 09:14 PM

Annex Iceland

***Scouse Hibee*** · 11-10-2017 06:25 AM

Oh well that's the nation of only 5 million excuse blown right out of the water. Next.............

***Speedy*** · 11-10-2017 06:37 AM

Originally Posted by Scouse Hibby

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Oh well that's the nation of only 5 million excuse blown right out of the water. Next.............

They're bigger than us

**MikeyS** · 11-10-2017 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by IGRIGI

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They humped Turkey away from home 3 nil while playing a centre back who plays for Aberdeen.

Playing on form players who don't play for Celtic or in League 1 and 2,outrageous thinking 😎

this type of comment comes up a lot about national team selection but never followed by a suggestion of who the better players are that are being kept out by these terrible Celtic players!

don't have any time for those @rsehloles through the west but their players certainly aren't the reason we fail to qualify (well, Gordon kind of his but he'll always be a Hertz **** to me!)

**hibsbollah** · 11-10-2017 11:54 AM

The 'Politics and Sport Don't Mix' brigade won't like it but it comes down to social policy. If you want Scotland to copy the Iceland model you need the government to declare it a national priority, put millions and millions into grassroots football, paying for the best coaching and all weather facilities for every secondary school. You get the money from taxation. Corbyn is proposing a 5% windfall tax from the TV deals to do it down south, obviously we have nothing like as big a TV deal as them but at least the intention is there.