Northern Ireland (National Football)

Northern Ireland need a win at Windsor Park on Thursday if they are going to have any chance of pipping Germany to top spot in Group C of the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Germany will arrive in Belfast needing only a point to officially qualify for next summer's tournament after winning all eight of their previous qualifiers. The World Cup holders still boast an enviable array of talent in midfield and forward areas.

Before a preview, here are the schedule and viewing details:

      

Date: Thursday, October 5

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET.

TV Info: Sky Sports Football, Fox Soccer Plus.

Live Stream: Sky Go. fuboTV.

Germany's attack will be without precocious RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner. He will miss out due to a neck problem, per the Bundesliga's official website.

The report noted how the prolific 21-year-old has "scored three times in Germany’s previous two Group C qualifiers—a 2-1 win against the Czech Republic and a 6-0 triumph of Norway—to take his tally to six goals in eight appearances for Die Mannschaft."

Yet, even without Werner, manager Joachim Low can call on plenty of skilled forwards. Among them, Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller will be looking to make an impact following a difficult time at club level.

Bayern recently sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti amid a rumoured players' revolt, per German publication Kicker (h/t The Independent). Yet, whatever his problems with the deposed Italian were, Muller has still been impressing at the start of this season, having scored once and provided two assists in Germany's top flight, per WhoScored.com.

The 28-year-old can play anywhere along the forward line, and his versatility suits the fluid approach Low demands. It's a similar story with Paris Saint-Germain forward Julian Draxler and Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, who can both play wide or through the middle.

Interestingly, Low has opted against including any players from Borussia Dortmund in the squad for this match, per another report from Bundesliga.com. It means there's no place for Mario Gotze, Maximilian Philipp or Andre Schurrle.

The onus for supplying the attacking players Low has selected will be on Real Madrid playmaker Toni Kroos and Bayern's Sebastian Rudy. They will have to replace the flair and guile of Arsenal's Mesut Ozil, who has been left out amid concerns about his general fitness, according to James Whaling of the Daily Mirror.

Northern Ireland's problems are at the back, where a defence set to be in for a busy night will be without Aaron Hughes. The versatile 37-year-old defender is likely to be replaced by West Bromwich Albion centre-back Gareth McAuley, per BBC Sport.

At least manager Michael O'Neill will still be able to count on McAuley's teammate Jonny Evans.

They must be steady at the back, while the quality in the left boot of club team-mate Chris Brunt, as well as the industry of skipper Steven Davis, helps the hosts gain a foothold in midfield.

Overall, though, Northern Ireland face a tough task keeping Germany at bay for 90 minutes. The atmosphere will be an intimidating one at Windsor Park, but the visitors have too much talent to be awed for long.

.@WillGrigg returned to #NIR a hero. This is absolutely immense! https://t.co/6d1DYATEg9

— The Sun Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) June 28, 2016

Nobody wants the Will Grigg party to end. 

The Northern Ireland striker became one of the stars of Euro 2016 despite not playing a single minute. 

That was because of the "Will Grigg's on fire" chant, a reworking of the 1996 song "Freed From Desire" by GALA, became a viral sensation around the world.

Now fans of Bundesliga side Hamburg want to get in on the act, so much so that they have set up a petition to get the club to sign the player, who is currently contracted with Championship side Wigan Athletic. 

The petition reads, as per the BBC, that the signing would "finally bring proper atmosphere to the stadium."

It goes on:  

Grigg has a market value of €1.5m. The striker enjoys an international reputation and would probably [pay for himself] several times over through merchandising. The club, and the city… The HSV fans need a player like Grigg.

Wigan might think the same, though, and that market value might be far too low. 

Grigg might be the first player to see his value sky rocket all on the back of a chant.

[BBC Sport]

Two teams participating in their first UEFA Euro tournament will get an opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals when they square off Saturday in Paris, as Group B winner Wales takes on Group C third-place finisher Northern Ireland.

Wales took part in the qualifying round of the 1976 Euro tourney but did not make it to the championships and enters this round-of-16 matchup as the clear betting favorite at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Match Odds: Wales +104, Northern Ireland +394, Draw +206 (Matchup Report)

Wales may not have been able to defeat England in Group B play, but the team’s impressive performances in wins over Slovakia and Russia proved to be enough to total more points.

The Welsh dominated the Russians 3-0 in their group finale to put pressure on the English to beat the Slovakians. Instead, England and Slovakia settled for a 0-0 draw, making Wales the Group B winner.

Now the Welsh will look to knock out another member of the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland, who may just be happy to be here after notching only one win in Group C. Northern Ireland is listed back at +20000 on the updated Euro 2016 odds; Wales sits at +2500.

The Green and White Army were the last team to qualify for the round of 16 among third-place teams based on goal difference, edging out Turkey and Albania, who also earned just three points.

Fortunately for Northern Ireland, its two losses were decided by one goal apiece as Poland and Germany both picked up 1-0 wins. A 2-0 victory against Ukraine got the team into the round of 16, although it will be difficult to repeat that result here versus Wales.

The Welsh are a more experienced squad and should have some additional confidence coming off their group win. Even scoring a goal is a feat Northern Ireland will find tough to accomplish, so watch for Wales to limit shots and turn in another stellar defensive performance like they did against Russia in an effort to post back-to-back shutouts.

Offensively, the Welsh will also have an advantage, scoring three times as many goals in group play (six) than Northern Ireland (two). To be fair, Northern Ireland’s competition was arguably better in Group C than Wales’ in Group B, and holding Poland and Germany to one goal each could be considered a minor victory.

However, in the end Wales will be too much for Northern Ireland and ultimately move on to the quarters.

Wales vs. Northern Ireland Prediction: 2-1 Wales

All betting lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. Check out the latest Euro 2016 news.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill doesn’t fit the mould of his UEFA European Championship rivals this summer.

His nation has no professional league. At O'Neill's disposal are just five Premier League footballers. Some aren’t even regulars. The rest of his squad is made up of players operating beneath England’s top flight and at other British and Irish outposts.

O’Neill ended 30 years of hurt for the Northern Irish, securing qualification to a major tournament for the first time since 1986. His players, staff and the fans are riding on the crest of a wave to Euro 2016—fueled by excitement and wonder.

By the time Northern Ireland meet the might of world champions Germany in Paris on June 21, a ticket to the knockout stages may have already been stamped.

Underdogs they may be, but make no mistake, their opening two matches against Poland and Ukraine are winnable.

Comparing the resources at Germany coach Joachim Low’s disposal to the tools in O’Neill’s possession is, however, a futile experiment.

The players. The money. The infrastructure. The history. The Germans are superior in every measurable way.

How many times has Low taken a rail-replacement bus service home following a fruitless scouting mission at a German third-division match for example?

"It’s night and day when comparing us to the major nations," O’Neill told Bleacher Report. "I have traveled three or four hours to watch some players. More often than not I have just got one or two players playing—I’m not keeping my eye on five or six.

"Having two in a game is a high number for me, but when you turn up and they aren’t playing, it can be a soul-destroying experience. You get used it. Going to games is part of football. Managers perhaps don’t go to as many games as they used to thanks to the advent of technology."

It was on a recent scouting trip that O'Neill endured a cramped mini-van journey from the north of England to Edinburgh after heavy rain derailed his plans.

"The train was cancelled at Carlisle, so I had to get back up to Edinburgh somehow," he said.

"It wasn't one of my better experiences as an international manager. That’s for sure. I don’t think anyone knew who I was. They were just the same as me—upset at the whole situation of not going further than Carlisle."

While Premier League observers will be aware of Southampton’s Steven Davis and West Bromwich Albion's former Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, the rest of O'Neill’s squad are nowhere near as familiar.

Striker Conor Washington, now at Queens Park Rangers, was a postman playing semi-professional football four years ago. Peterborough United defender Michael Smith didn’t make his international debut until the age of 27 yet has impressed.

Full-back Lee Hodson was last season out on loan with Kilmarnock from Milton Keynes Dons.

This is a squad with no stellar names. No standout superstar.

"We have only around 40 professional players in England and Scotland (in the top divisions), and from that, I have to pick a 23-man squad," said O’Neill—a bright and innovative coach who took the job at 42 to become one of the youngest international managers in Europe back in 2011.

O'Neill is 46 now and leaving no stone unturned in his quest to spark an upset. He spent time with Ireland’s rugby team, as well as Belfast boxing hero Carl Frampton, in a bid to inspire his players. He insists they have nothing to lose in France.

"For someone like Conor McLaughlin, who plays for Fleetwood Town, to have the chance to play in the Parc des Princes against the world champions is something you relish," he said. "We will embrace the tournament and have a go—we won’t fear anyone.

"We should feel like we belong there, not making up the numbers or by accident. We have to play in the same manner, but the gulf in terms of resources between us and the other nations is huge. The quality of the players, the clubs those players are at. Everything."

O'Neill should benefit from not having the kind of egos around who could upset a squad dynamic. "My dilemmas aren’t the same as Roy Hodgson’s or Didier Deschamps' in terms of the level of players they have to leave out," he said.

"My job is different—we have a strong spirit in the group. Now we have to maintain that. I won’t be having too many sleepless nights about selection.

"Equally, my job is to get as much out of every player as possible and give them the belief they can cope at this level of international football. We go to France as group winners."

A talented striker who played with Paul Gascoigne at Newcastle United at the start of his career, O’Neill’s varied CV includes playing spells at Dundee United, Hibernian, Coventry City, Wigan Athletic, St. Johnstone, Portland Timbers, Clydebank, Glentoran and Ayr United.

Once that nomadic existence came to an end, a breather—and time to reassess—was vital. Management could wait.

"I qualified as a financial consultant while I was playing and worked for two or three years at financiers Ernst and Young when I stopped, then worked in a mortgage-related business I was involved in," he said. 

“I always studied while I was playing, I had quite an academic background before I turned pro, so that always gave me an option should I need it. It quite something to think back at all that now, but your experiences outside of football help you an awful lot."

O'Neill, who made his international debut at 18, believes his respite before becoming a manager was vital to his evolution.

“Too many go from playing to coaching to management," he said. "Others go straight from playing to management.

“They adapt well, but I think it’s good to come out of it for a while and have a look from the outside so you can develop other skills that are transferable into football. My experiences in the workplace has benefited me.”

Odds as long as 500-1 are being offered if you fancy betting on Northern Ireland being crowned Euro 2016 winners. 

Yet this is the year of Leicester City winning the Premier League. It was O’Neill’s team who beat Claudio Ranieri’s Greece at the start of the qualifying campaign—a result that sent the Italian closer to the inevitable sack.

Everyone knows what happened next there, so excuse the optimism and positivity on display from the Northern Irishman.

While the last attempt to reach the World Cup was a disaster, this next one for European tournament glory has already been a triumph. O'Neill's team finished top of their group in qualification, ahead of Romania and five points clear of third-place Hungary—a welcome antidote to years of misery.

"The pressure is off to an extent," the Northern Ireland manager added. "Anything we get out of the tournament will be seen as a positive. Just to get there has been an amazing achievement.

"But the expectation comes from within, and no one in our squad is going into the tournament with the mindset of just being happy to be there. We have aspirations—we want to get out of the group and reach the knockout stages."

To do that, you'd have to imagine at least four points are required from the games against Poland and Ukraine. Whatever happens, O'Neill is intent on making the tournament a platform for more success to come for Northern Ireland.

No. Way. Through. Northern Ireland extend unbeaten run to 12 games, the longest of any side going into #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/D579WRLd8t

— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) June 5, 2016

"We just want to make sure it’s not another 30 years before we qualify for a major tournament again. This can be the start for us."

In many ways, Euro 2016 signals the commencement of the next phase of O’Neill’s managerial life. Participating in the European Championship will be the biggest test of his professional career.

O'Neill has been linked with Celtic in the past, while other clubs in Scotland and England will surely have a watchful eye on the Northern Ireland manager’s direction.

International coaches often long for the day-to-day involvement afforded to their colleagues operating in club football. A new four-year deal was recently penned, but nothing can be discounted.

"I am still young, so I don’t envisage spending my whole time as an international manager," he said.

"Unless we win it, and then I will just retire."

All quotes gained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

https://twitter.com/INAKI_FUTBOL/status/640982461929926656

A horrible mistake from Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern gifted Hungary a late lead in the pivotal Euro 2016 qualifier in Belfast.

The Hamilton Academical 'keeper dropped a straightforward cross, allowing Hungary defender Richard Guzmics to hook home from close range.

But despite going down to 10 men after Chris Baird saw red, Northern Ireland snatched a dramatic late point when Kyle Lafferty stabbed home from close range after Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly couldn't hold a shot.

#EliminatoriasEuro2016 #GF ST 90'. GOL DE #IRLANDADELNORTE. Kyle Lafferty iguala sobre la hora: 1-1 v #Hungría pic.twitter.com/Az6lvdKPJ7

— Camino a Rusia (@caminoarusia) September 7, 2015

The draw means Northern Ireland remain top after second-placed Romania could only draw with Greece, meaning they need just three points from their last two games against Greece and Finland to guarantee qualification for Euro 2016.

[Twitter]

While Northern Ireland's dreams of reaching Brazil 2014 may have faded away, Michael O'Neill's squad still have their pride to fight for as they attempt to prevent a bottom-place finish in UEFA Group F.

Luxembourg are currently in last place, equal on points with Northern Ireland but behind them on goals, and are set to face Portugal in their final game of the group. With the match taking place in Portugal, the visitors, ranked 126th, are expected to lose, heavily.

A draw will likely be all it takes for Northern Ireland to ensure they finish above Luxembourg by more than just their record of goals scored and conceded.

Having lost 2-0 to Israel at home back in March however, and with a travelling squad depleted of men and experience, even a single point may be difficult to muster in Tel Aviv.

With the small matter of qualification for Euro 2016 already looming in the near future, with its own tiring pan-European campaigning demands, Northern Ireland will be hoping to finish on some sort of high—if only to take some momentum into the battles ahead.

Venue: Ramat Gan Stadium, Tel Aviv

Date: Tuesday, October 15th

Time: 6 p.m. BST

Live Stream and TV Info

Watch Online: ESPN3

Watch on TV: Not available

Team News

Manchester United's Jonny Evans is suspended following his red card against Azerbaijan, with club mate Oliver Norwood and defensive partner Gary McAuley of West Bromwich Albion also banned after picking up their second yellow cards of the group stage.

The options who will line up alongside Craig Cathcart in their absence range from inexperience to ad-hoc, with Alex Bruce, Rory McArdle and Chris Baird respectively.

Key players Chris Brunt and Martin Paterson must pass late fitness tests if they are to be involved in their side's attempt to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.

By contrast, Israel enter their final game of Group F with little to report on the injury front.

Dudu Aouate and Tal Ben-Haim are likely to feature in defence, with Eden Ben Basat up top for the home side.

Prediction

Northern Ireland will need plenty of luck on their side if they are to overcome both the strength of their opponents and in-house availability issues.

Their miserable 2-0 defeat to Azerbaijan doesn't offer up much hope for O'Neill and his men, with their misfiring team further depleted and demoralised by the loss of both personnel and points.

Similarly, Israel will want to finish their failed World Cup-qualification campaign strongly in front of their own fans, teeing themselves up for an extended 24-team Euro 2016 in France.

With an extra eight berths up for grabs, the tournament may yet see nations such as Israel and Northern Ireland facing off again soon for entry into the most accessible European Championships ever.

Israel 3-0 Northern Ireland

Within the space of three days, Northern Irish football produced three of the best “What Happened Next” moments in the history of football.

On Tuesday, Oct. 5, Matty Burrows scored one of the greatest goals ever seen in football.

His audacious back-heeled volley from the edge of the box has catapulted the hitherto unknown Glentoran striker into being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, Lionel Messi and Archie Gemmill for when it comes to talking about the greatest goals ever scored.

Then on Friday, Oct. 8, Steven Davis saw himself inserted in football blooper reels for years to come before Burrows contributed with yet another wonder goal on the Saturday.

Such is the popularity of his first goal that, in the following seven days, the goal has been hit over three million times on Glentoran TV and has become one of the defining moments of the footballing year.

Which is really saying something when you consider that we had the World Cup in the summer, the debacle at Liverpool all year long, and GroundDrog day every time Arsenal plays Chelsea!

The goal was made all the sweeter by coming in what was literally the last kick of the game in the 92nd minute, after Burrows had been sprung from the bench in an effort at breaking Portadown’s resolve.

Despite scoring what will definitely go down as one of the greatest goals of all time, the 24-year-old Burrows seems to have taken all the attention in his stride.

“I have been really surprised by the amount of people who have been talking about it and contacting me,” he said.

“I got a lot of texts that night from people I know who were at the match and the boys were giving me a bit of stick too, but the next day it all went a wee bit crazy.

“I got loads of messages and people were phoning me up saying that thousands and thousands of people had seen it on the Internet and that all these newspapers and TV stations all over the world were putting it on their sites.

“It’s incredible, really, and I couldn’t believe it when someone told me that it had gone up to over a million hits.”

“It’s not often that Irish League football gets a mention on such a scale, so I am happy that I have been able to give Glentoran, and our league, a bit of a lift,” he said.

“Hopefully people can pay a bit more attention to it because we the players know the standard is a lot better than some people think it is.”

For the most of this season, Burrows has been playing second fiddle to Daryl Fordyce. The striker is the top scorer in the league, with 12 goals from 13 starts, but Burrows has proved to be a very capable substitute as he has also contributed a healthy eight goals from three starts and eight substitute appearances.

When asked if his goal would force his way into Scott Young’s, the Glens' manager, plans he kept his tongue firmly in his cheek and gave the best answer possible.

“Daryl Fordyce is in my position at the minute and he is the league’s top goal scorer so it will be hard to shift him,” he added. “Hopefully I will have at least given the manager a headache!”

Burrows' reward was a start against Glenavon…and another wonder goal!

This time the ball was chipped into the box on the left-hand side, and after running into the area without support, he tried an incredible overhead lob! The ball sailed into the top corner at the far post.

It would also be remiss on my behalf not to mention Glentoran v. Glenavon in the past.

The symmetry is almost too perfect, but in 2009, this fixture contributed one of the most fantastical bloopers of all time, when Elliott Morris, Glentoran’s ‘keeper, scored a brilliant own goal. Even now it is still hilarious.

In between Burrows' two wonder goals for the part-timers at Glentoran, Northern Irish football also contributed one of the biggest blunders ever seen in football. The incident was made all the worse as it came from Rangers midfielder Steven Davis’ corner against Italy.

The midfielder tried to take a quick corner but ended up kicking the corner flag instead and prodding the ball over the touch-line for a kick out!

If there was ever a case of from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again, this was it.

Northern Irish football never proved so popular.

This article was previously featured on Tiger Beer Football, where Willie Gannon is the featured Blogger. Over 18s only.

Imagine the outcry if Northern Ireland fans marched through Warsaw displaying swastikas to taunt the Poles.

Northern Ireland recorded one of the results of the weekend, rising to the top of their World Cup qualifying group by beating Poland 3-2, albeit with the help of a career-defining blunder from Artur Boruc.

However, a day of celebration for the Irish was ruined by awful scenes of violence, with onlookers accusing the visiting Poles of inciting the locals by unfurling the Republican Eirigi flag through the streets of Belfast.

Leading the accusations was Northern Ireland Sports Minister Gregory Campbell, who spelled out the significance of the Eirigi flag.

Campbell: “There were some Polish fans who introduced one of the Irish republican flags, that are supportive of the group that killed the soldiers and the policeman a few weeks ago, which obviously then led to even more tension.”

A BBC radio interview in which Gregory Campbell explained exactly what he saw can be heard here.

Earlier reports on the day chronicled how rival supporters had clashed outside a pub, with the on-sight BBC reporter Colette Hume pointing the finger of blame at the fact that fans had all day to get drunk leading to unruly fans.

The BBC report can be seen here.

Against this backdrop, and taking into account Poland’s well-known reputation for housing violent football fans, UEFA’s decision to host the 2012 European Championship in Poland and the Ukraine looks to be increasingly alarming.

We all know there are thugs and scum that live amongst us and they could be sitting next to us at a football match, and as usual rather than football taking precedence it is the mindless acts of the minority that ruin it for everyone.

After having to deal with two attacks on his home last week, Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc is set to take the field at Windsor Park on Saturday in front of a hostile Northern Ireland support many of whom support rivals Rangers.

Now this is nothing new but once again certain mindless thugs and gutter trash have painted graffiti on a wall in the Loyalist Sandy Row area of Belfast. Graffiti read ‘Boruc RIP’ and was painted on at least four walls ahead of the World Cup Qualifier between Poland and Northern Ireland at Windor Park.

Locals said it appeared overnight between Wednesday and yesterday and it comes at a time of high tensions in Northern Ireland, following the shooting dead of two soldiers and a police officer. Boruc had already been expecting a hostile reception in Belfast and last week, it emerged the Polish FA had hired a top security team to look after their team.

The keeper’s home was attacked twice after Celtic’s 2-0 CIS Cup victory over Rangers earlier this month. Polish FA spokeswoman Marta Alf said she had not been told about the graffiti but added, “We were aware of various threats about Artur on the internet. We have been given assurances by the Irish Football Association and police that all security measures are in place and we are hopeful this is the case. I spoke to Artur about the things on the internet and he said he wasn’t worried. It’s difficult to say how serious these graffiti threats are.”

She added that the president of the Polish FA would decide whether their own security should be stepped up. One of the graffiti threats was scrawled directly next to a “Love Football, Hate Bigotry” poster.

One local said, “It all depends who’s done it, but this kind of threat could be deadly serious. The area is a loyalist stronghold and dominated by elements of the UDA and u*f.”

Michael Boyd, the IFA’s head of community relations, said the graffiti incident harked backed to the targeting of Celtic star Neil Lennon, which forced the player to quit international football. He said, “We have been working to eradicate sectarianism and bigotry but we obviously have a long way to go. It is so frustrating that it only takes one idiot to ruin years of hard work. We are very proud of our connections with Celtic and the Polish community.”

Maciek Bator, of the Polish Association of Northern Ireland, said, “I would like fans to focus on supporting their national teams rather than Rangers or Celtic.”

No matter how hard you try to eradicate sectarianism and bigotry there are always those mindless thugs and scum of our society that ruin it for everyone else. Hopefully Boruc can go out on the Windsor Park field and show these mindless eejits what he is all about and prove to them and the world that he is still a World Class keeper. That's the way to answer these scum.