Come on You Boys in Green…
As good as the World Cup was, there is no denying that any tournament is better by having your own country involved in it.
The qualifying campaign for Euro 2016 begins in September for the Boys in Green and there are some cracking fixtures ahead for Irish supporters to enjoy.
Our group is tough with Germany, Poland, Scotland, Georgia and Gibraltar all to be faced but the road to France will definitely be an exciting one.
Of course money can be tight for football fans but the reduced season ticket is very good value.
You can see all of these matches with an FAI season ticket at the Aviva:
Gibraltar – October 11, 2014
Martin O’Neill will be hoping to make it six points from six against the newest nation in European football.
Ireland’s first home match of the qualifying campaign should be a comfortable win although the minnows have been turning heads already.
With a population of just 30,000 Gibraltar is the smallest UEFA member in terms of population but they have already managed to draw with Slovakia and Estonia as well as registering a first win, over Malta.
They should be underestimated but two wins to start the group would be the perfect start, especially with bigger tests lying ahead.
Poland – March 29, 2015
JOE has very fond memories of Poland having spent the entirety of Euro 2012 in the country… let’s just skip over what happened on the pitch though.
This is one of the crunch matches in the group as 2nd/3rd place seems our most likely route to qualifying.
Ireland will already have played Germany and Scotland away before this game so this match could prove to be the most crucial one for us in the campaign to escape from Group D.
The two teams met recently in a 0-0 draw at Poznan as O’Neill experimented with his teams selection.
The Poles have a few players of genuine quality such as Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, Arsenal ‘keeperWojciech Szczęsny and Borussia Dortmund duo Jakub Błaszczykowski and Łukasz Piszczek.
There will be plenty of Poles in the Aviva on this night, make sure you’re there and cheering louder for the Boys in Green.
England – June 7, 2015
This game is almost a good enough reason alone to purchase a season ticket. The old enemy return to Dublin for the first time since the horrendous events of February ’95.
The majority of Irish fans watch the likes of Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge on their TV’s every week so why not watch Ireland beat them in the flesh.
The game is a friendly but we expect it to be tough, competitive and explosive. Ireland held England to a 1-1 draw in Wembley in front of 80,000 people last season and this game will be a definite sell-out.
Get your ticket now before it’s too late.
Scotland – June 13, 2015
Another crunch match because the race for second and third place in the group will most likely be between the Celtic nations and Poland.
We have a feeling that this game will be our biggest clue as to whether or not we should be booking our holidays for France in 2016 or preparing for a summer on the couch.
This game is massive and Gordon Strachan has done a fine job since taking over from Craig Levein. His record is decent having played 12, winning six and drawing twice.
The Scots haven’t reached a major tournament since France ’98 and they will be desperate to make up for lost time.
The majority of their players are well known to Irish fans with the likes of Darren Fletcher, Steven Naismith, Robert Snodgrass, Steven Fletcher and Scott Brown.
The term ‘make or break’ comes to mind.
FAI Cup Final
A nice bonus for the FAI season ticket is that fans will get to see the marquee match in our own domestic season.
JOE has seen countless matches at the Aviva and we can honestly say that the most exciting games that we have witnessed have been the last four FAI Cup finals.
We vividly remember Sligo and Ciaran Kelly’s penalty heroics in their shoot-out wins against Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne respectively. The 2012 showpiece was a 3-2 cracker between Derry City and St Patricks Athletic that went to extra time before Rory Patterson’s goal settled it. Sligo reclaimed the trophy last year as Anthony Elding’s dramatic injury-time winner gave them a 3-2 win over Drogheda United.
The FAI Cup final always promises drama, controversy and goals.Don’t miss it.
Ireland will also have two friendly fixtures which season ticket holders can go and see so there is plenty on offer.
Nothing quite beats the live atmosphere of an international match and the prices for an FAI season ticket for the 2014/15 calender are very good for what’s on offer.
There are some mouth watering games in Dublin but remember that season ticket holders also get other benefits like first option on away matches also.
Gelsenkirchen, Glasgow, the Algarve and probably Warsaw all sound like decent away days to us.
