World Cup Qualification campaignRepublic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr has dismissed as "a myth" the idea that the opening game of the coming World Cup campaign would be a good time to catch France napping, but the Dubliner is keen to put plenty of breathing space between his two encounters with Europe's leading side when the programme of games is hammered out in Dublin this morning.
Representatives of the six countries in Ireland's group will gather at the Burlington Hotel this morning hoping to draw up a mutually agreed fixture list that will involve each side playing 10 matches in the 12 international dates between this September and October 2005.
In their last World Cup qualifying campaign the Irish side did well in big opening games away to the Netherlands and Portugal, earning draws against sides which had recently competed at the European Championship finals. Two years later the Irish made a poor start to their next qualification campaign after they themselves had had an eventful summer in Japan and Korea.
Last night, however, Kerr said that after studying the record books he is convinced there is no connection between a team's participation in a major tournament during the summer and its subsequent form in early qualifying games.
"I've looked at the statistics on this and as far as I can see the whole thing is a myth," he said. "The bottom line is that good teams are likely to win their games regardless of what they've done during the summer, so that won't influence when we look to play France or Switzerland."
Kerr added, however, that he would ideally like to play the French once in each half of the campaign and, he said, "I wouldn't mind if it ends up that we play them early and late on, I just don't want the two games to come back to back."
Kerr has identified other objectives to FAI chief executive Fran Rooney, who will lead the association's delegation at the meeting. He confirmed last night that avoiding having to play Cyprus and Israel on the one away trip, or having to travel for the team's last qualifier, were among the targets.
"I said it last time after the trip to Georgia and Albania that I wouldn't want that sort of thing again," he said. "Playing Cyprus and Israel together this time would be a bit of nonsense, and I don't want to go to either of them in September or June.
"I don't think that last time it was too clever to end up having to go to Switzerland for our last game. Obviously it might have been a concession, and you never know what sort of concessions you are going to have to make in these situations, but I'd certainly like a home game to finish with if we can manage it."
The venue for Israel's games remains an issue, but Rooney said yesterday that he would have no objection to Ireland being asked to travel to Tel Aviv as long as the same was required of the group's other sides.
"Obviously we'll be guided by FIFA on this and we'd want a level playing pitch in this, but I presume that's where they would like to play the games and I wouldn't have a problem with that."
A FIFA spokesman said last month that a decision is not expected until much closer to the opening games of the qualifying competition.
Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, meanwhile, will this evening name the overseas-based players he intends to bring to Dublin with him for this month's friendly. The rest of the squad will be named this week.
Tickets for the match, mostly for the terraces, will be available from Ticketmaster on Thursday.
Wales manager Mark Hughes is prepared to let Craig Bellamy make his own decision over when he rekindles his international career.
The Newcastle striker has just returned to the Premiership after career-saving knee surgery, and Hughes has instantly recalled him to a 26-man Wales squad for next week's friendly against Scotland in Cardiff.
