Xavi just tweeted he is not looking forward to facing Glenn Whelan

Such a shame we didn’t get England! We’ll just have to teach them a lesson in the quarters!

At least the beer is cheap in Poland !

I have been in poland the last 2 summers. A pint is like1.50 euro and 20 fags is bout 2.50.

at least it’s in poland.. no prob with accommodation or trains, buses. good roads 4 the campers..
come 2nd in group, and stay in poland.. not bad.

Its not all that bad. We could of had the Germans as well! I think we have a great chance of making it through.

All we can do is hope Spain get the maximum against the Italians & Croatia which will leave us in a 3 way dog fight for 2nd. If we draw with the Croatians it would leave us having to brleat the Italians for a place in the quarters. I think everybody would take that here and now. We did a job on them in Belgium In June and were 2 minutes away from beating them at the Aviva in 2009. C’mon the boys in Green.

The harder the better, we are never going to win the tournament anyway, so playing all the best teams is the next best thing

living in southern sweden,so a fairly short ferry trip over to poland BUT jesus world champions,the italians and croatia ; ( the swedes drew Engurlund and henry’s boys,now there’s a gorgeous group for the irish,will be delighted to throw the support behind them if the worst comes to the worst.

Yeah maybe I am being too much of a downer. Come on Ireland second place would be great

Italy always do crap in their first game at tournaments so if we cud play them first we cud start with 3 points. A draw with croatia and Spain would be perfect. 4 points would probably be enough to go through if croatia drew with italy and spain beat italy and croatia.

Im happy coz my gf is from Poznan!

it’s a very very tough draw. there is no two ways about it. especially compared to Group A but it was always going to be tough. It matters little as next summr will be fuckin mental. YEAOW!

I am delighted that we can enjoy 3 great matches and we could surprise them and sneak in for second place. I predict two draws and a win, in my dreams!

Just few thoughts from a Croatian living in Dublin for last 6 years. I was hoping for group with Ireland and Croatia. I’m defo gonna see that match in Poznan and looking forward to the craic with my croatian and irish mates. As for football chances of our teams,I think the first game is crucial for both teams,but no matter the outcome, I believe both Croatia and Ireland are more than capable of upsetting the big teams in our group. I personally think Spain could be a little bit sluggish in a group stage,mostly because of a long season for all of their players,also motivation could be the key for Croatian and Irish performances,both teams tend to punch above their weight with stronger opposition. Italy hasn’t impressed me recently and I could easily see them finishing last in our group. Anyway,whatever happens,I will enjoy it. Dreaming about Ireland and Croatia topping the group, biggest upset ever in euro :) Zivjeli-Slainte!!!

Were the lowest ranking team in the tournament… Bring it on i say…. nothing to lose and something to look forward too nxt summer…COME ON IRELAND….. now for the Toy Show!!

Interesting that SkySports headline is “England Avoid Ireland”…… maybe group C are shaking in their pants at to prospect of playing the mighty Irish.

I think it would be possible to get a win against Italy and Croatia. No chance against Spain, me thinks. They will be boring games to watch but I think it is very possible to get the second spot.
Roll on Ireland – England friendly at the Aviva!

Living in the US and planning a trip to Poland as we speak. I think it’s a fecking great draw- we always rise up against stronger nations. I think a win against Croatia and draw with Spain and italy will be enough to get through to qf and not impossible by any means.
Clap for trap

Who’s whelan said the russians in 88!

Hello Irish, a few tips for Your summer journey to Poznan.
First, if You are determined to arrive by air, consider as the alternative to Lawica (Poznan’s airport) flying to Berlin and then renting a car. Poznan is just a 2,5-hour drive from Berlin airport.
Second, when searching for a hotel I would use Google Maps and search for Poznan. I suggest looking for an accomodation in the surroudings of Poznan (circa 40-50 km from the city). Just insert “hotel” into the search bar and Google Maps will do the rest of the job…  Local tourist board claims that in Poznan and near the city there are approximately 65000 (!) beds (different prices, different standard). Look for cities like Swarzedz, Kornik or Steszew which are within 45-60 minutes’ driving distance from the city center. When You have a car that distance should not be a problem. Most expensive hotele in Poznan will charge You even over 750€ per night! But don’t worry – You are going to find a room for one tenth of that price! And besides, food here is quite cheap. Main course in the tex-mex restaurant will cost You 4-6€ and 10€ will be enough even in the regular restaurant. A half-liter beer in a pub (try Brovaria in the Old Market!) will be just 1,5-2€. And You will find plenty of free hot-spots in the city (every shopping mall offers at least one free hot-spot).
Third, when You use a smartphone (and are ready to cover extra expenses for the data transfer) consider downloading the following applications: 
JAKDOJADE – a very pratical app to plan Your tips within the city (local transport), as an alternative You might need TRANSPOTOID (the advantage of which is that You can download a timetable for Poznan and Gdansk before flying to Poland)
YANOSIK or KORKOWO – when You are going to drive a lot. It needs built-in GPS to operate but gives You a real-time info about the traffic.
MOBILET (it works on nearly every mobile phone) lets You pay for a parking ticket (in the city center) and also for local transport (buses and trams).
Last but not least, try http://www.poznan.pl/mim/public/main/index.html?lang=en for the best tourist information You can find about the city.

I don’t think four will be enough because I think if Italy and Spain and Ireland all beat Croatia, that leaves us with three points. Italy and Spain might draw which would bring them both up to four points which leaves us having to beat either Italy or Spain unless we score more goals than one of them which i can’t see happening.

If Trap has the team believing the match v Croatia is our world cup final and we win that game anything is then possible. In Trap we trust. Can’t wait.

It’s a tough one alright, the game against Croatia will be vital, lose that and we’ve no chance. Win or at least put in a decent performance and get a draw and it could set us up nicely. Think as said before, most realistic hope might be for Spain to top the group and us to scrap it out for second with Italy/Croatia. We’ve a good recent record against Italy, Trap actually seems to like playing them, and Croatia find us hard to beat. As said above, most realistic hope might be for Spain to top the group and us to slug it out for second. There’s a good chance we’ll bring way more supporters than any of the other teams in the group, being in Poland. Would love to see Trap give the likes of Coleman, who played great in the Italy friendly in Belgium, and Hoolahan a shot. We’ve nothing to lose, so go for it! ‘Mon the boys in green!

I feel genuinely sorry for the residents of Poznan..

The group of debt is going to be tough. Ireland will have to play boring defensive football if we are to have any chance.

A quick and merciful death.

If we got four draws I think we would be lucky to get third