To All TM "fans" with Doom and Gloom attitudes heading into AC 2015

[Afat11]

So I've been reading a lot of posts the last few days saying "I predict we won't even make it out of the group stage!! No preparations!!!"

You people need to stop with that stupidity. There is pessimism and there is delusion. Before the World Cup, you same people were saying "Oh no, bad preparations, Argentina and Nigeria and Bosnia will all score 6 on us!!! We suck!!"

Let me remind you all of some facts. Australia, the hosts and a team you are all predicting to easily make it out of their group (and not Iran for some reason) hasn't won a game in months and has lost to minnows like Qatar recently.

Despite some of you insisting otherwise, we have had a few camps under CQ, and have played a friendly. You might remember the team, Korea, and we beat them.

Despite not having friendlies daily, our team has had the chance to be together and practice, that still builds cohesion. We are in no way less prepared than we were in 2011. Back then, we prepared at the last minute as well and only played Qatar and Angola before the Asian Cup.

What did we do then? We crushed the group stage and we did so with a starting line-up of Gholami, Rezaei, M. Nouri and P. Nouri.

Our talent pool is much higher now, and we have a youthful spark in the team. Why is everyone predicting that this team will do less than AC 2011, when our group was substantially more difficult?

Please, everyone on PFDC, keep this fact in mind. Team Melli Iran has NEVER lost an Asian Cup match in regulation time. We have tied games, and we have lost in extra time and penalties, but we have never lost a game in 90 minutes.

Does this not give you confidence, or will you all always go into every tournament thinking we will get crushed. We are Iran, we are a strong nation of warriors who bleed for our nation. We will not lie down for any Arab team or any other team for that matter. Our players have the talent and will fight until the cup is in our hands again.

So please, stop with the BS that we will not make it out of the group. I will guarantee now that we will be in the semi-finals at the very LEAST!! After that, I cannot predict as Australia and Japan will also be playing with gheyrat.

Mark my words though, no Arab mercenary teams will stop us. Anyone pushing that agenda should go bury their head in the sand and come back after we have crushed all 3 "opponents" in the group stage.

[Kiarash]

To All TM "fans" with Doom and Gloom attitudes heading into AC 2015

I always loved your attitude.

[Camran khan]

Afat11 for member of the month!

[ali alipour]

The games will obviously be tough but unlike most members ive actually watched some of qatars games and ill just say they are massively overhyped

[ehsan singapore]

i like the prediction, this year we have better attack and our defends is good and solid, i believe we can make the quater and semi, for final we have to win

[Adesor Vafaseya]

And then we have the other end of the spectrum:
those hyper optimists, who think we will win the Asian Cup every time there is an Asian Cup (how often have I seen on PFDC in the last 13-14 years) and whenever we dont make it, they start to fingerpoint at one particular person, player, coach etc...

just look at the other threads right now and many ppl are worried how to beat Australia in the semi's and make it to final?, thinking we have an easy ride till there.
This is the other problem of the spectrum, we have either hyper pessimistic people who think we will go home after 3 games, and then we have the very large crowd of hyper-optimists who always predict the throphy is ours and face the real true shock in a few weeks time.

Just look at the last world cup!
Before the Wolrd Cup, everyone here was predicting we will lose BAD vs Argentina, while almost everybody predicted we will beat Bosnia for sure!
what happened? We played amazing against Argentina and deserved in all fairness a draw by all means!
and Bosnia? we lost, and lost BAD!
why?
the team had not enough fuel and energy and was tired just after 2 World cup games! Thats the reality with IPL based players and their conditions!

Now, we are in Asia, are of course on paper one of powerhouses, but seriously, thinking its an easy ride for us is a crime!

I believe we wil make it out of our group but not with ease, but rather struggle!
And well, if we face Japan in quarter finals - you know those short but fast speedy far eastern players from J-League - well, the show can be very soon over for us!

Hence, I share your concern and agree with you in general about the extreme pessimism of some, but I am equaly disturbed by the amazing optimism of some others.....!

[Kiarash]

To All TM "fans" with Doom and Gloom attitudes heading into AC 2015

^ Adesor Vafaseya jan.

We showed to be a decent opponent vs Argentina and we were very close to beating them. So, why would we not win against Japan? I have been following them closely and for instance I know they struggle badly against defensive teams. They could not get past a 10-men Greece during the World Cup. I believe though, a Japan match would be very unpredictable because we haven't played them in an offical game since 2005.

All pressure is on Japan to win the cup, they failed miserably at the World Cup so everyone is expecting them to make up this time. Odds are in our favor.

And I think if they figure Iran will finish 2nd in the group, they will also prefer to end 2nd in their own group for obvious reasons. Lol

[Afat11]

And then we have the other end of the spectrum:
those hyper optimists, who think we will win the Asian Cup every time there is an Asian Cup (how often have I seen on PFDC in the last 13-14 years) and whenever we dont make it, they start to fingerpoint at one particular person, player, coach etc...

just look at the other threads right now and many ppl are worried how to beat Australia in the semi's and make it to final?, thinking we have an easy ride till there.
This is the other problem of the spectrum, we have either hyper pessimistic people who think we will go home after 3 games, and then we have the very large crowd of hyper-optimists who always predict the throphy is ours and face the real true shock in a few weeks time.

Just look at the last world cup!
Before the Wolrd Cup, everyone here was predicting we will lose BAD vs Argentina, while almost everybody predicted we will beat Bosnia for sure!
what happened? We played amazing against Argentina and deserved in all fairness a draw by all means!
and Bosnia? we lost, and lost BAD!
why?
the team had not enough fuel and energy and was tired just after 2 World cup games! Thats the reality with IPL based players and their conditions!

Now, we are in Asia, are of course on paper one of powerhouses, but seriously, thinking its an easy ride for us is a crime!

I believe we wil make it out of our group but not with ease, but rather struggle!
And well, if we face Japan in quarter finals - you know those short but fast speedy far eastern players from J-League - well, the show can be very soon over for us!

Hence, I share your concern and agree with you in general about the extreme pessimism of some, but I am equaly disturbed by the amazing optimism of some others.....!

I agree with your sentiment, but I feel like I see way more pessimists than optimists recently. I feel that many have found that it is easier to predict failure than success, so people just take the path of least resistance. I cannot and will not guarantee that the trophy is ours, but I can guarantee that hyping up UAE as some kind of major threat is laughable. They could get extremely lucky to tie us, but I see it playing out with Iran winning after a lot of box-packing by all 3 teams.

In the past, our players were born with a hatred of Arabs and had a mental block while playing them. Though some may still have this feeling, our main players like Gucci and Dejagah, and some of our younger players will not have this feeling due to the disconnect of interactions between Iranians and Arabs in recent times in football. We are not playing Saudis all the time anymore, and if anything, our new rivalry is with Korea. We will not go into this tournament with any chip on our shoulders or any real expectations like Japan and Australia. That puts us in a position to win.

Some optimism would be welcome on these boards. Seems all we do is cry and complain and bad-mouth players. We should be getting together and talking about what our TM has, not what it doesn't. The competition starts in one week, let's start getting excited.

2015, the year Iran breaks back into being a team to be feared and respected on the international stage.

[KC McElroy]

Please, everyone on PFDC, keep this fact in mind. Team Melli Iran has NEVER lost an Asian Cup match in regulation time. We have tied games, and we have lost in extra time and penalties, but we have never lost a game in 90 minutes.

This is incorrect. We lost to South Korea 3-0 in regulation in the 1988 AC. Also to Japan 1-0 in the 1992 AC.

[Ghermez Agha]

No disrespect in any way, but I sense a lot of hypocrisy in your post. The pessimists never really made sense but with the current circumstances, they are not as dumb as you make them sound. And before I proceed any further, I want to let you know I do not agree with the pessimists and think that we will make it to semis, but consider this:

- Truth is we haven't had a good preparation and all the hashieh around TM only creates a worse environment. The way and morale that TM left iran was atrocious. We can't down play the mental aspects of the game.

- on the opposite end, the teams we are facing all seem to be taking a hit in some way shape or form, so that's to our advantage,

Now back to my sense of hypocrisy, wasn't it all of us (and when I say us, I include myself in this) who believed preparation to the WC and to our qualification was key to our success? Not that it was very good, but it was fairly decent and I'm a huge believer that preparation is HUGE, and that's something that stood out under CQ and is something he moans and groans about in almost every interview of us (rightfully so).

So again, that being said, I don't think the pessimists are no less delusional than the super optimists. Same boat considering the circumstances IMO.

[RaginG Inferno]

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/t...29-12f6m7.html

[RaginG Inferno]

Sydney Morning Herald's guide to Iran:

Our Expert Guide




HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Iran lived up to expectations and qualified with ease. Five wins, one draw, 18 goals and only five conceded in six games made light work of their job, which became more about preparation for their 2014 World Cup campaign.

BEST FINISH

Champions in 1968, 1972, 1976

THE COACH

Carlos Queiroz. Iran are investing in football seriously, hence the appointment of the former coach of Portugal and Real Madrid and assistant at Manchester United. Queiroz has the Iran team playing organised and disciplined football to such an extent they were Asia's best performers at the previous World Cup and were unlucky not to beat eventual finalists Argentina in the group stage. A lack of friendlies since may hamper his progress.

THE STEREOTYPE IS

They regard the Asian Cup as preparation for World Cup qualification.

THE REALITY IS

They're strong, very strong, but they've lost that winning edge. A drop in the performance of many teams in Asia coincides with a recent resurgence of the Princes of Persia. They haven't made the final of the Asian Cup since 1976, but have remained a regional force. Investing in a proven European coach and giving him patience (a rarity in Middle Eastern football) is providing the rewards.

KEY PLAYER

Javad Nekounam. He boasts something few in Asia can having scored against Real Madrid. Captain of Iran and one of his country's football icons, the technically gifted Nekounam is the long-serving linchpin of his national football team. Classy, calm and creative, he possesses a skill set few in Asia do. Despite his advancing years, he will lead his nation's title charge this summer.

PREDICTION

Lock them in for at least a semi-final finish. They will likely meet either the host nation or South Korea in Sydney on Australia Day. They might need some luck from this stage, but don't be surprised to see them lift the trophy five days later.

ONE FOR THE A-LEAGUE SCOUTS

He completed his football education in the Netherlands and represented the Oranje at youth level, and the final product is evident. Reza Ghoochannejhad is an instinctive player whose natural pace, athleticism and determination are tailored into the fittings of a modern striker. After stints in the Netherlands, Belgium and England, he made the surprising decision to move to Kuwait this year, and a year in the A-League could propel his career back to Europe.

WILD CARD

Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Nicknamed "The Flying Persian" in Holland, where he plays his club football for NEC Nijmegen, the exciting winger could become one of the players of the tournament. He is only 21 and inexperienced at international level, but the 2015 Asian Cup could be where he announces himself on the world stage. Keep your eyes on him.

[sarbaz]

I sure hope you are right my friend

[webmaster]

we have so much pride we cannot be negative. we have no choice but to put our best. Asia is not above us no matter how much money they spend. we have something and everyone in Asia knows about us that with almost no support, our TM stands on top of Asia. This says a lot.Its not like the AFC loves the IR, but they do like the Iranian national team that always creates great matches against the best in Asia hence we are a power to recon with at least in Asia. but at the same time we could and usually always screw it up for ourselves.

lets just have fun this time and be positive and see what that gives us. I know our players will give a hard time to other teams and at the end of the day, luck is also a huge factor which is always and most of the times with the positive thinkers and believers.. so lets believe.. Australia, here we come..at least the host nation very well knows who they are dealing with which is a great great advantage. viva team melli.

[Afat11]

This is incorrect. We lost to South Korea 3-0 in regulation in the 1988 AC. Also to Japan 1-0 in the 1992 AC.

I got this fact from the commentary in the 2011 Asian Cup games. They may have been mistaken, or I might have misheard the commentators, but my point still stands. Losing twice in 50 years, during a time when we were in the midst of and recovering from a 10 year long war with Iraq, shouldn't detract anything from our team. Especially because we lost to Japan and Korea, they are better and have always been better than the likes of Qatar, UAE, and Bahrain.

So, my point is still the same. Anyone who wants to be a pessimist, that's fine, but be prepared to be wrong. TM with 0 days preparation is a more quality team than any of the Arab nations. The only way I can see them winning is with the most amount of luck any football team could ever receive. I consider these games like a game between Barcelona and Osasuna. We have much more quality than them, and even without cohesion, our pure talent should put us ahead by a far stretch. The only way a team like Osasuna could win is with heaps of luck. It's happened, but I'm not putting that possibility in my mind. We deserve to win, and we will.