Also Russia will play their centralised friendlies in our group ... we'll play with the Russian bear on 10/10/2016 (away) and 31/08/2017 (home). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_–_UEFA_Group_H
So Wilmots truly has inherited Guy Thys' old rabbit's foot. He better not ******** this up like he did with the current campaign though. No safety net of almost everyone qualifying in WC qualifiers.
It is. Hoping for something even easier is not realistic. This is as easy as it gets, barring a once in a million draw where you literally pull the weakest opponent out of every pot.
However, with the admission of Kosovo and Gibraltar, all groups were filled to contain six teams and the Russia friendlies against Group H teams were cancelled - wiki Gibraltar ... away (10/10/2016) and home (31/08/2017) ... these games should be routs (their recent results) ... the UEFA coefficient includes an incentive for routs (501 points are earned for each goal scored, and -500 are given for each goal conceded) ... those additional points could be important for the Nations League ... not expecting an enormous win in the away tie (as we perform a lot worse in the 2nd leg of a double-header) ... but the one in Brussels should be won by double digits. Cyprus ... recent results Estonia ... recent results Greece ... recent results BiH ... recent results ... and our recent results Now we wait ... EURO2016 to be evaluated today ... and maybe we pencil in a friendly before we go at it again v. Cyprus in September #WilmotsOut #HiddinkIn or #MPHin
This team will score goals in most of their matches because of their individual brilliance even without proper planning, but although we have good players in our defense and defensive midfield we need proper defensive formation to block out a team which is not at all present at this time. By appointing a belgian coach, be it MPH or Gerets, i don't think will solve this problem. I have wrote several times in different threads that this team needs a high profile coach and since you guys have also wrote that the belgian FA don't have much money to spend, I am fearing World Cup 2018 will come and go just like WC 2014 and Euro 2016.
And Wilmots is out, yet I can't help but feel the result isn't going to improve. Probably because the KBVB isn't going to be able to attract a good trainer. Knowing them they've fired Wilmots without even having potential candidates to take over. Shoot, then ask questions...
From the carnage in Nice until the coup in Turkey ... this day has been surreal. I would have been happier hearing about Wilmots leaving the job on any other day ... regardless, in the next 2 weeks the KBVB will look at candidates ... a decision is expected in August. Also ... OFFICIEEL | Onze @BelRedDevils op 1/9 vs. Spanje in Brussel! #belesp #tousensemble https://t.co/wLLLzgkdjs pic.twitter.com/SMWxYG6888— Royal Belgian FA (@RoyalBelgianFA) July 15, 2016
Very interesting, I'm hoping Henry will put effort in elevating Belgium's level, both the team and him would benefit from it.
Finally a coach for our strikers ... Wilmots claimed in a Sporza interview that our strikers are just too young and he didn't count on them to deliver ... seemed as if Wilmots was content to wait until our strikers had enough experience to figure it out for themselves ... he should have attracted someone to help our young strikers a long time ago. I'm very happy that Henry will join us and guide our strike force ... he has his work cut out for him ... I read that the KBVB don't have to pay much for his services ... for Henry it's a great place to dip his toe in the managerial waters and we do have an attractive team ... it's a shame however that they didn't include a promising Belgian coach in the staff.
Just watched the first press conference of our brand new manager ... looked like someone had died (they probably wanted to play outside, like I did) ... or maybe the journos were a bit down that Borkelmans had to be replaced ... Brommerke >>> Henry ... anyway the presser starts around 32 mins:
Wilmots' interview with Le Soir/Sudpresse really shows how self-delusional and narcissistic the guy is. He truly believes that two quarter-finals is a great result and that no manager would have done any better than him.
A shame really that Wilmots hasn't landed a job ... unsure that natrappen will help his cause (in Belgium at least) ... if he's still with Mendes, I'm confident he can find something for Wilmots to sink his teeth into ... I'm interested how his career will pan out.
First 15 minutes were ok, rest was like watching dog chasing it's own tail. Never seen a more scrambled bunch of players of such "supposed" standard in my lifetime.
Only 1 game and already the media/pundits smell blood ... why they keep inviting Mulder is beyond me and the dutchies are sick of him as well. So what ... Martinez lost a friendly on his debut against a strong Spain side ... after 3 FULL training sessions ... Henry to take over, please? Give Martinez a few games before judging him ... Wilmots left him a team that needs a lot of work (especially Courtois but also others stressed that fact) ... the likes of Spain, Germany or Italy already/always have a solid foundation to build on ... Martinez will have roughly 2 years to turn us into a competitive team ... patience ... as the players said in their interviews it will take time to learn Martinez's system/put his ideas into practice ... I just hope Martinez is well aware that he isn't a club manager anymore ... also give KDB, Hazard, et al. a thorough kicking up the backside ... because they performed well below their club level ... they need to deliver in the next tie ... with Wilmots there often used to be a performance drop-off in the 2nd tie of a double-header ... can't allow for it on Tuesday. 724699747303481344 is not a valid tweet id
http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/16076/De-R...jaar-lang-in-balbezit-zomaar-wat-gedaan.dhtml The intro of that article reminded me of the headlines after international breaks ... Wilmots had a knack for collecting gloomy ones ... a journo had lined them up one after the other ... it looked sickening ... expecting Martinez to generate more favorable headlines given time ... of course he'll need to get results ... starting tomorrow in his first competitive tie.
The worrying thing was not the loss, which was always possible, but the manner in which it happened. That was one of the worst performances I ever saw from Belgium. Even considering it came against a good opponent.
If we still get dominated when Martinez/Henry have had enough time to implement their ideas ... then I'll change my mind ... for now I'd like to see how the team evolves ... our honeymoon period has been short-lived (1 friendly ffs and our FA are poorfags; so we knew the bride wouldn't be the prettiest one; besides no NT has a top manager) ... there's the friendly with Holland, Greece seems to be on the up (a couple of wins under their belt, including the recent friendly with Holland) and next month against Bosnia ... let's see if we improve.