Óle Óle Óle Ireland take on France....Twice

So today is MASSIVE I am told. I'm guessing it hasn't a whole lot to do with the X Factor and Queen night or with the shopping spree I had this morning. Instead Gav tells me it has something to do with a small insignifigant night of sport.....men in shorts running after a round rolling abject gets my vote any night so I decided to look into it!

Seemingly its Ireland vs France tonight in the World Cup Qualifiers....who knew eh?? Gavin did. As always. But Gavin is a very busy man today at work but I'll explain that later on....I promise. So Trap has had a tough job ahead of him. We all remember the Italy game. That game in my humble opinion was by far the biggest f**k up of the year. I mean we were ahead twice in that match and both times we threw it away and Italy came back so we ended in a draw. We coulda had that win boys! To make it even worse it wasn't long after, a few days to be exact when we realised how crucial that win, the one we threw away, really was.

Then the nerves started in when the draw was coming up and we were faced with the propect of some really tough teams to be in a play off against. Now it's France. So tonight at 8pm the whole nation, inculding me (the girl who is giving up X Factor on Queen night to watch) will have their fingers crossed in hopes that we can come up Traps in this and show France that they have serious competition in Ireland. Prayers will be said. Hopes will be high. Dreams will be made or broken. Lives will be put on hold for 90 minutes of the most important match in ten years.

Nervous?? Hell ya! France won the World Cup in 98, how could we not be nervous? Trap and Given both say it will take nerves but it can be done. I just hope they're right. A squad with Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema and Nicolas Anelka doesn't scare them says the Republic boss Trap. After all he says his team inculdes players who play against Arsenal and Man Utd. Lets hope his faith is all our Fates.

Trap is leaving one decision to the last minute. Having named Shay Given, John O Shea, Richard Dunne, Sean St Ledger*, Kevin Kilbane, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan*, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle as definite starting players this week, Trap is leaving the right side of midfiled open until just before the match. He has a choice of Aiden McGeady and Liam Lawrence. A tactical move? A decision Trap can't or won't make? We'll have to see closer to kick off what our team leader will do. Meanwhile * St Ledger and Whelan are musts after a pair of fantastic goals againt Italy. Can they do it again?

Mistakes like the Italy match cannot happen again and Trap knows this, a goal in Dublin for France tonight could be detrimental to Irelands chances next Wednesday in Paris. If like me you are not a religious person now is the time to pray and pray that our Irish team, our boys in green keep their nerve and show what we Irish are made of.

Ireland has a lot to offer sport mad people tonight as Limericks own University College is hosting a major fight tonight. Our own Andy Lee against Frances own Affif Belghecham, I can see the irony of that too. Belghecham is the French and European Unions Middleweight Champ and tonight Lee looks to take a leapfrog step towards European and World Titles. Fellow Limerick men Jamie Power and Willie Casey are in front of their home crowd as well tonight on the undercard. Having seen Power at the Dunne fight in Sep of this year I can say he's a handy fighter who had a bad night and he will want to bring himself back from his one and only defeat against Micheal Sweeny last September.

It is a big big night! The reason you're stuck with my incoherent ramblings today? Gavin is up the walls at work and is going to see and report on the Andy Lee fight in the Univeristy Arena tonight. So if you happen to be there keep an eye out for him!!

Meanwhile Ireland has a lot to offer us tonight and we want it all. We want to beat France. We want Andy to beat Belghecham and We want to have that good good night we're sacficing the X Factor for. Check out Gav's very quick post from today of Ireland in World Cup 90.....we want this but with less CRINGE factor please!!!

GO ON THE BOYS IN GREEN!!