world cup qualifying

Only 4 second place sides go through this time I think. England get Croatia, payback time Ukraine won't be easy but we have to qualify from this, no excuses. Hlebs belarus won't be too easy but we should beat them. Wales are out with Russia and germany, Scotland have Holland and Norway so it will be tough for them, Northern Ireland have the Czechs and Poles but they will not be likely either.

Croatia
England
Ukraine
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Andorra

I expect us to top this, with a competent manager not a ginger bloke with an umbrella

What's the qualifying err..."criteria"?

Is there play-offs or what?

England have got the easiest group by far. Ukraine imo are better than Croatia but we can beat em comfortably if we actually put in some effort.

The full European draw:

Group 1: Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta

Group 2: Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg

Group 3: Czech Republic, Poland, NORTHERN IRELAND, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino

Group 4: Germany, Russia, Finland, WALES, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

Group 5: Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia

Group 6: Croatia, ENGLAND, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra

Group 7: France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands

Group 8: Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro

Group 9: Holland, SCOTLAND, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland

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Scotland have one of the hardest groups, especially with less teams...

The winners automatically go through. Runners up play in a 2-legged playoff against another 2nd placed team!

If England don't qualify from that group - ginger useless manager or not - they should stop playing football.

Top teams go through and the top 8 second place go into the play-offs.

Edit: Chris Gayle

It's still a tough group, everyone said our Euro 2008 group was easy and look what happened.

Croatia are a tough team and never underestimate the Ukraine.

Top team qualifies, and the best 8, 2nd place teams will play in a play offs amongst themselves. Ie, England finish 2nd and Scotland finish 2nd, we play each other, England win that play-off and go into the world cup, simple really.

I don't see why you all think that its just the manager. The players need to change their attitude otherwise you will not qualify. England should qualify, most likely through a play-off. But, they can easily be undone. England do not perform well away in Eastern Europe (Ukraine and Belarus will be tough) and they'll have a challenge at home to the Croats and Ukraine.
Scotland have got a tough group, yes, but with the same attitude seen in Euro's, they can beat Holland and qualify.
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland don't have easy groups, but definitely have a chance at the play-offs and maybe more.
Wales look to have an incredibly hard group with the very young squad - however, a surprise over Russia and anything can happen.

PREDICTIONS

Group 1: PORTUGAL (ru. SWEDEN)

Group 2: GREECE (ru. ISRAEL)

Group 3: CZECH REPUBLIC (ru. N. IRELAND)

Group 4: GERMANY (ru. RUSSIA)

Group 5: SPAIN (ru. TURKEY)

Group 6: UKRAINE (ru. ENGLAND)

Group 7: FRANCE (ru. SERBIA)

Group 8: ITALY (ru. REP IRE)

Group 9: SCOTLAND (ru. HOLLAND)

Runner-Ups To Qualify: England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland & Sweden

Personally i think the Euro group was harder, i think Russia and Israel are better than Ukraine and Belarus. Macedonia and Estonia are better than Kazhakstan aswell. I think we will win the group comfortably, as long as we get a good manager anyway.

England have dodged a major bullet. When you think that in any other group, we could have faced France, Italy, Holland, Portugal and Sweden, Spain, Germany, Greece or the Czechs, we got off easy.

Edit: Chris Gayle

Spain have a really simple group, imo, with only Turkey who can actually pose any sort of threat. Belgium are a decent outfit as well but with the amount of up and coming talent that Spain have (and the likes of Tamudo and Albelda ofcourse), I can easily see Spain topping this group.

Groups 7 and 1 are the toughest I feel.

Anyways the qualifiers are quite far away and what Aragones needs to do now is win the Euro and remove their tag of underachievers. I am pretty sure, irrespective of the outcome, Aragones will not continue as manager beyond this tournament.

P.S. - Whats the deal with South Africa playing in the qualifiers??

World Cup qualifying goes towards the African Cup of Nations qualifying for 2010.

I agree with you that Spain will qualify easily but won't get past the last 16.

We have a tough group.

Australia
Iraq (Asian Cup Champions)
China (On the rise)
Qatar

It's been rated the toughest group in the Asian part.

And we won't have our European counterparts for the first couple of games.

Drewska said:

World Cup qualifying goes towards the African Cup of Nations qualifying for 2010.

I agree with you that Spain will qualify easily but won't get past the last 16.

Click to expand...

I hope that changes this time around. Atleast unlike previous years, the Real Madrid and Barcelona players are getting on well in the national squad and a lot of players are now being picked from other clubs like Valencia, Villarreal and Espanyol. Cant say about the WC just as yet, but I am confident Spain will deliver the goods in the European Championships.