I wouldn't get used to the two posts in one day thing if I were you - I go back to work tomorrow and 4 twelve hour shifts in 4 days leave me with other priorities such as eating and sleeping to worry about.
Anyway, this is probably my only chance to go on about this week's Euro 2008 qualifiers, and the situations for the home nations. Especially Scotland, of course.
I think that if you'd offered any of us a situation like this when the draw was made, we'd have bitten your hand off. Group B is a 4 horse race still. France have 18pts, Italy 16pts, Scotland 15pts and Ukraine (with a game in hand) 12pts. The attention is very much on our sojourn to the Parc Des Princes a week today, but, lets face it, matches such as our home tie with Lithuania on Saturday are hardly a walk in the park for the likes of us. I was at the win over Georgia in March, which we made heavy weather of. I can't see this being any easier on the Tartan Army's blood pressure.
This round of matches might well end the hopes of at least one of the four in the running, with a bunch of other juicy fixtures in the group. Ukraine face a potential banana skin with Georgia away on Saturday, when Italy and France meet in a repeat of the 2006 World Cup Final. Then on Wednesday, while we're probably getting whipped by Les Bleus, Ukraine host the Italians. Some tears are going to be shed on Wednesday night, I think. Will they be ours?
To be realistic, our target has got to be just to beat Lithuania, with anything from the France game an incredible bonus. With the top two going through, our best hope is probably France to run away with the group and therefore take points off everyone else. My prediction, though is for Italy-France and Ukraine-Italy to both finish draws, Scotland and Ukraine to beat Lithuania and Georgia respectively, and France to probably walk over us. That would leave the group as France 22pts, Italy 18pts, Scotland 18pts, Ukraine (with a game in hand) 16pts. It would still be wide open, at least for second, but that's better than us being out of it.
As much as the media naysays (is that a word? If not, it should be) about England's hopes, expect Steve McClaren's team to get through this intact. Israel at home should be a straightforward win, leaving Wednesday's home game with Russia a biggie. The big problem is that Croatia should get maximum points from their games with Estonia (home) and Andorra (away) and Russia should beat Macedonia at home - so a failure to beat Russia at home means England need something from the return game on the plastic pitch in Moscow in October. But normally England get the job done in the big home games, and a win puts them in the driving seat for qualification.
Wales are already all but out, and if they get anything from their games with Germany (home) and Slovakia (away) they'll have done well. Steve Staunton must have nightmares aboutIreland's defeat in Cyprus at the start of the campaign, as otherwise they would be giving Germany and the Czechs a headache. Now, though, they probably need 4 pts from their two games behind the iron curtain (Slovakia and the Czech Republic) or Robbie Keane et al can probably start booking summer holidays.
Which brings us on to the last home nation. Can Nigel Worthington keep Northern Ireland going in their group? To be honest, probably not. If they can win both away games against Latvia and Iceland it will be pretty sensational, but even then the last 3 games are Sweden (A), Denmark (H) and Spain (A), so, like Scotland, they probably won't be at the party next summer.
Things are as clear as mud at the moment, then. Will they be any clearer come next Thursday? We shall see...
L.
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