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June 4, 2008Winless Iran In World Cup Danger6/4/2008  Of the traditional powers in the third round of the Asian Zone of qualification for the 2010 World Cup, the one that is in clear and present danger of not going any further along the road to South Africa is Iran. Unbeaten in three games doesn’t sound so bad but the flip side of that coin reveals that Team Melli has yet to win. At the halfway stage, Iran sits in third place on three points, two behind leaders UAE and Syria in second. The thought of elimination at this stage of qualification may be unthinkable for this giant of West Asian football and its madly passionate fans but it is very real. Failing to defeat, or even score against, Syria and UAE at the Azadi Stadium, means that there is now no more margin for error for Team Melli. A defeat in UAE this weekend could leave Iran five points adrift of qualification with two games remaining. UAE will be more adventurous at home then they were in the wide expanses of the Azadi. Iran had the possession on Wednesday but not the wit or the movement to create clear chances. At the moment, as results suggest, the Iranian defence is the one part of the team that is working reasonably well. After the Al Ain meet, then comes a trip to Damascus. If Syria are becoming a more difficult appointment when they travel abroad, they have long been hard to beat on home soil and if the opportunity is there, the 45,000 fans would love nothing better to see Iran’s World Cup dreams put to the sword. With two tough away games to come, the absence of Iran's old guard puts pressure on the shoulders of those remaining. The team that faced UAE lacked 2006 stalwarts Vahid Hashemian, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Andranik Teymourian, Ali Karimi and, of course, Ali Daei. Of the team’s established stars, only Javad Nekounam was on the pitch and too much can’t be expected of the Osasuna midfielder as he missed virtually the entire European campaign with a knee injury. Alireza Vahdi Nikbakht has carried over his lackadaisical domestic form to the national team and there is a general lack of creativity and leadership on the pitch. It is tough for Daei and perhaps it would have been different if the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) hadn’t waited until qualification had started to appoint the former Bayern Munich striker. It is easy to always blame the IFF for Iran’s troubles but whether it was arrogance that Iran would be OK regardless or just plain incompetence, it is hard not to think that if Daei had been able to have some preparation time then results may have been better. In the past, the players had the talent to paper over such cracks, but now? That remains to be seen. There have been suggestions in Iran that a shock exit could be the stimulus that the IFF and football needs to put its house in order much like how optimistic club fans try to say that relegation can be good for their team. Things rarely work out that way. What Iranian football needs is to progress to the final round of qualification. All hope is not lost. Iran is only two points behind and there are three games remaining. There is still much football to be played and, for Team Melli, much work to do, starting on Saturday. 
18 Responses to “Winless Iran In World Cup Danger”
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June 4th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
The pressure of the wolrd is on Daei. He’ll lose more than his job with the I.F.F.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
One to many “the”. My apologies to Daei and you folks.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I still think he can do it. He just have to play smarter.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Daei should have never been apointed as the manager. He has no experience and enough knoledge to get us over the top. he should have been a assitant for a while in one of the clubs in league. Just like when he was a player and pushed himself to team meli for the last few years, he pushed himself to I.F.F.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
For now we are stock with him! Let’s hope this time luck will be with him!!!
June 5th, 2008 at 7:32 am
TM could not, should not, and will not make it through the qualifying round. They are a bunch of whinners, pretty boy, “Parviz Ghelichkhani” wanna-be that could not kick their ball out of a wet paper bag.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:04 am
By the way, none of them hold a candel to great PARVIZ.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:11 am
(Rolling my eyes!)
What ever aghooli jun, what ever!
June 5th, 2008 at 11:37 am
They will qualify, but they will lose to real teams with Parviz or whithout.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
They WILL qualify…
They will beat the hell out of whimpy UAE. Will put their gay coach in his place. Will avenge their loss to Kuwait. And will teach Syrians a lesson not to mess with Persians!!! LOL
Then they will bring Ghotbi back. Will walk through the second round and will be there in Africa.
It all sounds like a dream! Doesn’t it! Don’t wake me up!
June 5th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
That’s the attitude gholi jun. I say the same thing, “They will qualify”.
I keep repeating this sentiment until they are eliminated!
June 5th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
That’s it kia jun. That is what it is all about!
Who are we kidding?! In the last 20 years IFF has proven to us that they have their head up their butt and seem to enjoy it too! What makes anyone expect that they all of a sudden become a well oiled machine? SO just enjoy the excitement of each game, and do not get too aggravated by the side show. Do that after they get eliminated!
June 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
As it seems from the comments above, the sentiments runs high as it usually does, when it comes to the team melli and serious matches like WC qualifiers. I agree that a lot could have been different, but we do not enjoy many luxuries that our team deserves; good federation, better facilities, more friendlies, great experienced coach, etc. But, let’s wish the team luck or we would be among the millions of disappointed fans. I remember I lost most of my interest in the last WC, when Iran was eliminated, especially since they played poorly, let alone if this time they get eliminated far before geting to the main stage.
Hey Guys, I know the Iran vs UAE game is going to be on Saturday, but does any one know the actual time?
June 5th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Behrad jAn,
To the best of my knowledge it is at 9:00 am PDST.
On your comments about supporting the team, I fully agree with you and I think most others here do as well.
You see, if somebody tells me that (s)he is not a TM fan (as aghooli does), then I have no interest in discussing TM matters with her/him. Why would I want to talk to someone about a topic for which they do not care, right?
Some fans argue that they pull their support until IFF fixes they way they handle the TM. Well, I got news for you; the IFF does not give a damn how many people might withdraw their support. Furthermore, they would even welcome that because that way they would not have to answer to anyone.
In football rarely does something good comes out of a disastrous campaign. I challenge everyone here to come up with a single example where a national team’s disastrous campaign, led to a positive turn around. Usually it has been just the opposite.
So, if you are not a TM fan, do not bother to reply to my comment here, but if you are let me know, explain to me, why you think by failing here, we may have a better team for say 2004.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Don’t forget it is Iran not Iranlia, Iranzil,Iranmany,or Iranland.Our team always looked better on papaer than on the pitch. I still say that we will very likely qualify for the 2010 and then we’ll finish with our customery one point in 3 games and come home. After that we’ll fire the coach the head of IFF will probabaly get the boot and then negotiations with a great foreign coach starts. Of course the great maestro will not come and another better person is nominated . That won’t happen either then we go to the Asian games and of course we are the best team in the whole continent but we’ll lose to another team and we finish in third place. Again and again and again. Having said all that it is open season for Daei bashing , let’s get started.
June 5th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
LOLOLOL!
Well put Gholi jAn, but let me fill in the gaps:
On the way to South Africa we have to go through the Seven Challenges of Rostam, at the end of which we will tie 11 at home and 2-2 away with some team that is better than us, and go through thanks to the away goal rule, but forever we will refer to this game as the game in which “we defeated†that team, and claim that we were the better team, comfortably forgetting that they hit the post 25 times and had the ball 85% of the time, and our goals were scored against ht run of play. Then we get placed in a group with three teams each of which is better than ours, but we claim the #2 seed, and predict that we will defeat the #4 seed team easily, defeat the #3 team with a little effort, and with some luck get a draw with the best team in the group and go to the next round where any thing can happen!
June 5th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
[...] They are now in the brink of elimination and the only guaranteed way to get a pass is to win the next three games; all three of them away games, and the first two are away games. [...]
June 6th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Guys we have not always been that bad. We played pretty good against Mexico and we all admired the team for that game. We hanged in there against Protugal. And yes later the internal porblem caught up with us and did not do as good against Angola. But if today we were playing as good as then no body would have complained as much (I would be happy). I just think even today we can do better with all the exsiting problems and lack of friendlies. Lets hope we can prove that on Saturday.