1990 World Cup Qualifying Campaign

[Nokhodi]

Thank you! It is a tasty forum with a wealth of knowledge.

Thanks for letting me know. For all I know, Ansarifard may be quite a common name in Iran. I was not sure, and since he was a player whom I was looking forward to watching for Team Melli during the 2014 World Cup, he was something of an early Iranian favourite player of mine. I was lending Iran my support throughout the tournament, which meant I had done some research on the team prior to the tournament, watching warm-up matches and so on. Alas, Karim Ansarifard, as you all well know, didn't turn out to be among the Team Melli stars of that particular tournament, though I am pleased to see that he's since made up for it since by having a distinguished club career.

Supporting Iran during 2014 eventually saw me go on a two week vacation to your beautiful country. I had a week in Isfahan and a week in Tehran. I enjoyed both so much. And I got to see a league game both places, although I had to travel out of Isfahan and over to Fooladshahr to see Sepahan in action against Gostaresh. As I had enjoyed Ehsan Hajsafi's performances during the World Cup, I could not resist buying a Team Melli shirt with '3 Hajsafi' printed on the back. To my huge disappointment, it would turn out that he didn't feature in that game. Rumours had it that he was on his way to Hull City in England. I thought to myself..."how would anyone wish to swap Isfahan for a dull, grey English city like Hull?" Obviously, such a move never materialized, and I don't know whether there was anything in those rumours, which I learnt about when I was talking to local fans outside the Zob Ahan stadium (breathtaking scenery there, by the way!) prior to the game.

In Tehran, I got to see Esteghlal against Foolad at the Azadi Stadium. Another overwhelming experience, and while I had again been hoping to see some of the World Cup stars in action, such as Sadeghi and Teymourian, I would have to make do with watching Heydari (although Teymourian did make it on during the second half). The locals were surrounding me and asking me like a thousand questions, as they realized I was a foreigner (I am Norwegian) - they were guessing I'm German, which is an understandable assumption to make
I have since encouraged anyone with whom I've talked about my lone trip to Iran with to go and experience the country for themselves. They will never regret it.

Thank you again. I will definitely look into that and see what I can make of it.

By the way, I need to learn about every single nation which took part in the Italia '90 qualifiers, which is a huge undertaking, but a very pleasing one from a personal point of view nevertheless. It has already brought me in connection with a lot of lovely, knowledgeable people around the world, and I am hoping to continue this trend. I am very grateful so far for the assistance which you people have given me.

Thank you!
I turned 17 during the summer of Italia '90, and I must admit I have greater knowledge on past events than on today's football.

Wow! Thank you for sharing all that.
I had no idea you're Norwegian! I am glad you were able to visit Iran and were able to enjoy our football a bit.
2014 seems so far away now! We had very little hope for our national team that year, but they did well considering it was probably our least talented national team that made a World Cup.

If you don't mind me asking, are you focusing on Italia 90 because of your own personal interest, or is this media/academic/book related?

[kaltz]

Wow! Thank you for sharing all that.
I had no idea you're Norwegian! I am glad you were able to visit Iran and were able to enjoy our football a bit.
2014 seems so far away now! We had very little hope for our national team that year, but they did well considering it was probably our least talented national team that made a World Cup.

I hadn't been aware that the 2014 crop of Team Melli players were not held in particularly high regard. I guess there is really a lot of expectations for the national team no matter the circumstances and no matter what players are available? Carlos Queiroz sure knew how to organize a defence, and I got the impression that he was well thought of among Iranian football fans whom I encountered during my visit there, but perhaps he was never the most daring when it came to swift, fluent and attacking football. Do you think Iran made it to the 2014 World Cup thanks to Queiroz or despite his presence?

Indeed, visiting Iran was fantastic. To me, coming from the north of Europe, Iran is genuinely exotic. I wanted (also) to prove that any prejudice which western media try to influence people in this part of the world with is just...well, prejudice. I did not have one single bad experience with anyone over the course of my two weeks there. Perhaps I was fortunate, but I also believe that Persians are a very warm, hospitable people.

If you don't mind me asking, are you focusing on Italia 90 because of your own personal interest, or is this media/academic/book related?

Well, along with an acquaintance of mine (we go a long way together on a Norwegian message board for football, probably since the mid noughties), he and I decided to make a go of creating an extensive Italia '90 website. We had had a lot of discussions already regarding what we both felt was the last 'mythical' World Cup, where there were several players in various teams which you had next to no knowledge about prior to the start of the tournament (unlike now, where no player is unknown when he makes a World Cup appearance), and we set the website up in July 2016. In more than five years since, we've only covered three of the six confederations in the qualification, so it is obviously a mammoth task, and one which will continue to dominate our lives for a long while yet. However, it is really a rewarding journey on a personal level. I wouldn't have wanted to be without it.

I am aware it is a tournament which is often refered to as negative and dull, but I do not view it quite that way.

[Nokhodi]

I hadn't been aware that the 2014 crop of Team Melli players were not held in particularly high regard. I guess there is really a lot of expectations for the national team no matter the circumstances and no matter what players are available? Carlos Queiroz sure knew how to organize a defence, and I got the impression that he was well thought of among Iranian football fans whom I encountered during my visit there, but perhaps he was never the most daring when it came to swift, fluent and attacking football. Do you think Iran made it to the 2014 World Cup thanks to Queiroz or despite his presence?

Our qualification to 2014 was mostly because of Queiroz.
At first he tried implementing a attacking style of play, but we just couldn't handle it defensively and got into a real poor position (lost to Uzbekistan and Lebanon) when we usually would win such games. He changed the style of the team to a much more defensive manner, got rid of a few disruptive personalities (Rahmati and Aghili) and the rest is history. We won our remaining games (in particular away in Seoul), even thought the football wasn't pretty, and finished first in our qualification group.

Once World Cup 2014 finished, with the inclusion of some great new young players, CQ tried more attacking football again, but sometimes it would bite us in the ass.

Overall, most fans rate him highly, although as evident by discussions we are having on this forum already, some really didn't like his style and think eh is overrated.
I am one of those who think he bought some consistency, professionalism and discipline to a football which had started taking things for granted just because we usually have the most talented individual football players in Asia.

Well, along with an acquaintance of mine (we go a long way together on a Norwegian message board for football, probably since the mid noughties), he and I decided to make a go of creating an extensive Italia '90 website. We had had a lot of discussions already regarding what we both felt was the last 'mythical' World Cup, where there were several players in various teams which you had next to no knowledge about prior to the start of the tournament (unlike now, where no player is unknown when he makes a World Cup appearance), and we set the website up in July 2016. In more than five years since, we've only covered three of the six confederations in the qualification, so it is obviously a mammoth task, and one which will continue to dominate our lives for a long while yet. However, it is really a rewarding journey on a personal level. I wouldn't have wanted to be without it.

I am aware it is a tournament which is often refered to as negative and dull, but I do not view it quite that way.

I completely understand your affinity to Italia 90. I am the same towards France 98!

[kaltz]

Our qualification to 2014 was mostly because of Queiroz.
At first he tried implementing a attacking style of play, but we just couldn't handle it defensively and got into a real poor position (lost to Uzbekistan and Lebanon) when we usually would win such games. He changed the style of the team to a much more defensive manner, got rid of a few disruptive personalities (Rahmati and Aghili) and the rest is history. We won our remaining games (in particular away in Seoul), even thought the football wasn't pretty, and finished first in our qualification group.

Once World Cup 2014 finished, with the inclusion of some great new young players, CQ tried more attacking football again, but sometimes it would bite us in the ass.

It certainly sounds like the man did best when he put in use his 'safety first' approach.

I admit I have not always necessarily taken to a team which was generally acknowledged as being 'pleasing on the eye' (which is a little ironic, perhaps, as it was the '82 edition of Brazil which got me interested in football in the first place). I have always enjoyed studying the tactical aspects of things, and I felt Queiroz had instilled a very strong defensive discipline in that 2014 team. Of course, I understand and I agree that football is first and foremost about emotions, expressions and being impulsive, which I save for when I watch contemporary football (rather than late 80s stuff).

Overall, most fans rate him highly, although as evident by discussions we are having on this forum already, some really didn't like his style and think eh is overrated.
I am one of those who think he bought some consistency, professionalism and discipline to a football which had started taking things for granted just because we usually have the most talented individual football players in Asia.

Do you reckon that getting someone from abroad in, someone completely neutral (as I am thinking that there may be some problems in uniting, for example, Persepolis and Esteghlal fans), was vital for the sake of the national team?

I completely understand your affinity to Italia 90. I am the same towards France 98!

Good! What were your favourite bits in that tournament?

[kaltz]

I wouldn't blame Monajati. He had built a cohesive unit with experienced players but IFF gutted the team with suspensions in the week leading up to the match. I recently read an interview online about Ghayeghran where a former player was talking about him. I forget who it was but he was alluding to a picture of players of that time including Ghayeghran where drinks were visible in the picture and he was swearing up and down that it wasn't what it seemed. I'll see if I can find it again.

It sounds spicy. Please inform if you are able to retrieve that interview.

[KC McElroy]

It sounds spicy. Please inform if you are able to retrieve that interview.

I looked for it yesterday but with no luck although I'll try again today. The impression I got from the interview was that the drink was the other player's (although he was very careful not to say it directly) and he just kept saying Ghayeghran was such a gentleman and never into this kind of stuff and shouldn't have been labeled as such.

[kaltz]

Mehdi Fonoonizadeh, who was one of the players coming into the team for that crucial away fixture in China - was there any relation to the suspended Morteza Fonoonizadeh? Siblings? And why were right-back Zarincheh and centre-back Nader Mohammadkhani also out? I saw they had not been mentioned among the players who had been disciplined by the FA. Injuries, perhaps? Imagine having to go to China to play with an entire new back four. Really tough luck.

And furthermore: Those players who were suspended by the FA were obviously out of the reckoning also for the return leg against the Chinese. How long would they be suspended for?
I see that at least Zarincheh had returned for that final qualifier, whereas there was still no Mohammadkhani.

[Iran_19]

Mehdi is younger brother of Morteza Fononi.
Players you mentioned were not available due to stupid disciplinary reason.

Monajati back 4 were all messed up and one of the main reason why we lost.
Hasanzadeh and Khakpour were both inexperienced CB back to the time.
He played Taghavi as RB which is not his position, he was more of LB and CB occasionally.
That was the line up,
Abedzadeh
Taghavi, Hasanzadeh, Khakpour, Abtahi
Namjoo, Mehdi Fononi, Eftekhari, Kermani
Bavi, Pious

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[Iran_19]

I wouldn't blame Monajati. He had built a cohesive unit with experienced players but IFF gutted the team with suspensions in the week leading up to the match. I recently read an interview online about Ghayeghran where a former player was talking about him. I forget who it was but he was alluding to a picture of players of that time including Ghayeghran where drinks were visible in the picture and he was swearing up and down that it wasn't what it seemed. I'll see if I can find it again.

I don't agree. He could have brought Panjali back at least. This is the coach job. Panjali few months later was outstanding in our run to win the Asian game.
Same as Shahin Bayani who could have played RB instead of Taghavi.
Both played in Asian game few month later for TM.
This was on IFF(big time) and Monajati. Both..


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[KC McElroy]

I don't agree. He could have brought Panjali back at least. This is the coach job. Panjali few months later was outstanding in our run to win the Asian game.
Same as Shahin Bayani who could have played RB instead of Taghavi.
This was on IFF(big time) and Monajati. Both..
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I disagree with bringing Panjali even for the Asian Games a year later. In my opinion he was too slow.

With only a few days between the suspensions and the China game I can't blame him for sticking to what he already had in camp

[Iran_19]

I disagree with bringing Panjali even for the Asian Games a year later. In my opinion he was too slow.

Panjali is one of the top 5 Iran CB in history.
He was 33/34 in 89 for 90 qualifiers. Not that old, specially for CB back to the time.

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[KC McElroy]

Panjali is one of the top 5 Iran CB in history.
He was 33/34 in 89 for 90 qualifiers. Not that old, specially for CB back to the time.

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It's not particularly his age I'm nitpicking, it's his speed.

[Iran_19]

It's not particularly his age I'm nitpicking, it's his speed.

I found him very good in 90 asian games.
And reason why he played all games.
It was crucial game and experience was huge.
Not only that. This was freaking NT, not club to play someone out position in case of Taghavi. Invite another RB, shahin, whatever.
Monajati had no clue what he was doing as the coach.
Thank god he didn't last long. (Not that Parvin was any better though).

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[Iran_19]

Not only that Abtahi was mainly LW than LB.
As i said Monajati and IFF messed up our back 4 big time.


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[KC McElroy]

I found him very good in 90 asian games.
And reason why he played all games.
It was crucial game and experience was huge.
Not only that. This was freaking NT, not club to play someone out position in case of Taghavi. Invite another RB, shahin, whatever.
Monajati had no clue what he was doing as the coach.
Thank god he didn't last long. (Not that Parvin was any better though).

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I think the main reason Panjali was a fixed player in the Asian Games was Parvin flooding the team with Persepolis players. I mean even Ghilich was invited. I thought other than the China away game we played excellent under Monajati. Even in that game we held strong till late in the game and could have even taken the lead with Kermani's header that hit the post. Again with only a few days in between the suspensions and the China game I can't blame anyone but the IFF.