Republic of Ireland thread

[westisbest]

First topic message reminder :

So this week sees the start of the euro qualifiers.

We start with an away game to Georgia.

Will be very tough for us to qualify.

If we can get 6 points, which will be the target from our first 2 games( Gibraltar h after Georgia). will be good.

Then we have world champions Germany a, can write them off as 2 defeats.

Scotland will be interesting to play, they have picked up a bit.

Poland will be tricky.

Hate to say it, but cant see us making it, but one thing is for sure we will give it a hell of a go.
Also with the great Irish support behind the boys, we may surprise a few.


So C'MON YOU BOYS IN GREEN.

[westisbest]

Such a joke penalty I doubt the irish will calling for a rematch due to fair play now it's gone their way for once

Dumb but not stupid?

Well considering you spent months complaining over a handball it's kinda ironic that you won't about this one since in your favour  

Err, slightly different nando.

[Basset]

Well Fernando & Hoggy you can pi$$ right off! F**k the begrudgers

C'mon Ireland!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I5PT65I2ny8

[liverbnz]

Bosnia should kick up a fuss and appeal. They'll get their pockets lined at the very least.

On a serious note, well played Ireland. They managed the game very well. Bosnia and their superior technical players did not. I was annoyed at O'Neill for his approach to the Scotland games which left us having to beat Germany and Poland, and then into the unknown of the POs but credit where it's due I think. Hopefully we make a better fist of it than last time.

[SecretFly]

Ireland's major problem over many years is the weird lack of one distinct skill............... one that all professionals should really have down as automatic instinct............... and that is this uncanny lack of ability to take down a long ball directly to the foot, smother its momentum and take it down tidily to their feet, ready instantly to work with.  
What I've seen far too many times is how much that inability runs through so many Irish sides and plays a big part in that often spoken-of lack of control.  The ball coming in to an Irish player bounces off their feet and often rebounds yards, leaving rich picking for opportunistic opposition players to snatch it.
It's possibly the most important skill in modern football and if I was Irish coach I'd demand players hone it better.

[westisbest]

Decent win tonight and a clean sheet.

Good to give a couple of debuts to O'Kane &Hayes.

Great to see Clark score.

Not a bad start for the preperation for the euros.

[westisbest]

squad for euro's

gk given randolph Westwood

df christie coleman keough duffy o'shea clark ward brady

mf mcgeady meyler hendrick quinn mccarthy whelan wessi mcclean

f murphy walters keane long

as expected, shame arter is out, would have had hi. in place of quinn if he was fit.

[westisbest]

Didn't see all the game last night.
Wasn't great by all accounts.
Got the 3 points though.
Gonna be a tough group whoever wins.
Very tight at this early stage.
Just waiting for the taxi to Heathrow.
Off to Moldova. Looks an interesting spot.
Hopefully another 3 points.

[SecretFly]

Didn't see the game either but I saw replays of that goal - what a wandering albatross of a score that was. Crazy goal.

[westisbest]

Not the best game, but another 3 points.
Quality weekend. Some very good bars over there.

Also happend to meet Brian Kerr and Ray Houghton.

Hopefully can kept the decent start up.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Wes Hoolahan is god

[westisbest]

Just subbed off.

Can sometimes be a bit poor for Ireland.
Let's hope we can hold on.

Won £55 on McLean scoring so not to bad.

[westisbest]

Great win.

Dont want to get carried away, but no reason we cant win this group.

[Basset]

I hope your right West, a draw between Wales & Serbia would suit us tonight, we will miss Robbie Brady against Wales though

[westisbest]

Yeah he will be a big loss.

Going to be an interesting game that.

Hopefully a draw tonight.

[Basset]

Great result for us with Wales & Serbia drawing and the Ireland rugby team winning all we need now is Conor McGregor to win tonight as well

[westisbest]

Yeah it's been a great day.
Fancy McGregor 1st/2nd round ko.

[Basset]

You were right 2nd round some finish as well great performance from Conor I'm knackered after staying up to watch it!

[SecretFly]

Quite a weekend run for the colour green.  Of course, next week might have a lot of blood red on the field.  Enjoy it whilst it lasts, boys

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Just a reminder to how this thread started a few years ago:

Ireland were comfortably the worst team at the last Euro's.

I agree I don't think they'll make it.

It's way too tough a group for ROI.

They make England look like tournament challengers. International Football in the British Isles is in the toilet.

I'd agree Germany could put out anyone and still win group.
Poland most likely next favourites, Scotland third, Georgia and Ireland battling for 4th.
ROI have fallen so far in the last 6-7 years that they are now on the minnow level.

[westisbest]

That's super realist for you.


In fairness I thought it would be between us and Scotland for the third spot.

We're going great guns at the moment.
Wales game will be tough. They have to go for the win.
Brady will be a loss for us though.

Fancy us to win though.

[westisbest]

Frustrating.
Don’t think we even deserved to draw, but defiantly needed an away goal I feel.

Least we didn’t lose I suppose.

[Basset]

Yeah was a tough watch at times we really needed the away goal but least we didn’t get any bookings to rule any players out. Wes has to start on Tuesday. COYBIG!

[westisbest]

Think he’ll start with same team.
Would like to see Long start.
I know he hasn’t scored in a long time(excuse the pun).

Just feel his pace may cause them trouble.

Would rather see Wes come on then start.

[Basset]

Yeah completely agree with you regarding Long I think Myler will also start going to be another nail biting night!

[SecretFly]

Okay...time for the decades and decades of crap to end.  What Ireland needs is footballers that can play football - and let nobody tell me the guys who turned up last night showed that they could.  

So instead of coaches like O'Neill, Trappatoni (and even Big Jack long before them) talking about systems and halfbacks and defenders and set-pieces, why doesn't anyone simply remark on the number of Professsional - I say again, Professional - players who seem eternally incapable of doing a basic professional skill of taking a travelling ball down to their feet and controlling it to stay there without that ball bouncing off their feet, shins, knees, heads, shoulders.... whichever part of them it chooses to bounce off...and ending up 4, 5, 10 or 15 yards away from them.  

This one skill is essential if you want to compete at the highest levels.  You have to be able to kill the momentum of an incoming ball so that it stays at your feet and gives you time to pass it on or take it on yourself.  I've lost count of the generations of Irish players that seem to be incapable of this one skill and it really does have an effect on outcomes and scorelines when five, six, seven or eight players on a team find it difficult to receive a distant ball from their teammates without having to chase after it again when it bounces away from them.

[Pal Joey]

I still blame Sepp Blatter for that lack of ball control.

[SecretFly]

Well, Sepp's bedroom antics ain't none of my affair - but it seems Henry had to promise to sleep with him to get the Hand of Destiny past the ref's vision.

[Pal Joey]

Would have been great seeing the RoI qualify, Fly. Feel for you mate. I have happy memories of their '94 campaign in the US... sea of green in the packed stadia and some good entertaining football.

Aus has that same ball control problem too. They always seem to be on the verge of losing possession when in possession, of passing the ball to opposition or simply letting the ball run out when under not much pressure. Add to that last night's instances of goalkeeper or defenders miscuing the ball badly (mis-kicking into the stands!) and turning over possession very cheaply deep in defensive territory. They too easily can have moments where they lack confidence and can be forced into punishable errors.

I never see other teams do these types of things on such a consistent basis.

I'm thrilled we qualified the hard way but I just hope we don't embarrass ourselves too much in Russia.

[SecretFly]

Congratulations on getting through, Dog.  Hope Australians get behind the boys and make it a party, whatever the results on the field.  But hope you sock it to a few big boys too

I've got two three Aussie nephews so yep, I'll be keeping an eye out.  Even my usual substitute team to support in WCs, (Italy) didn't get through! - felt for poor Buffon, who has always been a gentleman of the game.

[westisbest]

I’d say a few will retire now.
Was just dreadful last night.
Shocking annoying disappointing any word will do.

MON and Keane looked lost at times for ideas.

Good luck to Denmark, some good words by Shmicheal afterwords.

Always like Australia in football and rugby.
As a Villa fan, great to see Jedinak score a hatrick.

Hope the Aussies do well.

[westisbest]

Very tough to watch.

Going backwards very fast and have been for a while.

Well done to Wales, have some very good youngsters in their team.

Players look void of ideas at times.

[daraghj82]

very poor again , we'll be 3rd seeds when the draw for euro is going to be made in December (maybe we could fix it a bit as it will be held in Dublin ) anyway Denmark should have beaten us on Saturday and I think we should have give keane/o'neill their cards after the wales game away , time to get mick back !

[SecretFly]

Delaney only begins to see that there MIGHT be a problem here when he looks into the crowds at the NI v Irl game and counts 31,000 people.

Hmmmm, you don't say, Delaney? Things ain't going swell, Delaney? Coz of the crowds, Delaney?

It's always crowd numbers and tickets with Delaney. He doesn't have a football theory thought in his head. So as he has his emergency meeting with O'Neill and there is talk of O'Neill getting the sack........ I hope Delaney saves a termination-of-contract form for himself, fills it out and walks out the door too. Someone else will close it for him.

[Guest]

O’Neill & Keane have departed

[SecretFly]

Now, there needs to be a campaign to have Delaney go with them. The man is slow stepping Irish football into the sewer. He's the rot, not the coming and going managers.

More League of Ireland players/partnerships..... and maybe even a League of Ireland manager promoted. Use the Rugby Union blueprint - everything coming from within. So we suffer even more for a few years.... so what. Get the Foundation right and then work from there.

[daraghj82]

keane and MON reached the point of no return really ! hopefully mick McCarthy can be asked to manage us again, things can only get better (hopefully)

[SecretFly]

McCarthy had his shot, in my opinion. Let's do the real risky business, since we're already down the hole deep, and just pick Kenny

[westisbest]

Good result tonight.

Beat Gibraltar Monday and it’s 10 points from 12.

Decent start to the campaign.

[daraghj82]

yeah great result on Friday against the danes hopefully a 3 or 4 nil tonight v Gibraltar

[SecretFly]

Provided there's not a breeze. We ain't too good against them lads when the wind gets involved.

[westisbest]

Probably won’t be any more than 2-0 at a guess.
Could do with racking up some goals.

[Pal Joey]

Provided there's not a breeze.  We ain't too good against them lads when the wind gets involved.

I didn't realise you guys also have a pipe band for these matches. You are so full of wet air, fly.

[daraghj82]

yeah the band was the best part of the game on mon

[westisbest]

One last chance, at home to Denmark. Will need one hell of an effort.

Sadly can’t see it.

[westisbest]

So close tonight. Played very well. Great effort. Stupid goal to give away.
Don’t deserve to go through over the course of the group. Don’t have the players.

Really hoping Parrot is the real deal. Just struggle for goals to much.

Still have the play offs, but very frustrating tonight.

[daraghj82]

So close tonight. Played very well. Great effort. Stupid goal to give away.
Don’t deserve to go through over the course of the group. Don’t have the players.

Really hoping Parrot is the real deal. Just struggle for goals to much.

Still have the play offs, but very frustrating tonight.

well said, we did not deserve automatic qualification as we were very poor and negative against Georgia away for example , we were very good when behind against Denmark home and away and the swiss at home, very good atmosphere last night and the playoffs means we have great chance to qualify , we have nothing to fear from wales, Slovakia or bosnia

[westisbest]

Tough loss to take. Thought we played well at times.
Mitrovic took his goals well.

Have to do better though if we are going to get results.
Luxembourg on Saturday. Has to be 3 points.

Would like to see Collins and maybe Long up front.

[Lowlandbrit]

Luxembourg on Saturday. Has to be 3 points.

So how are you doing after that; completely done with it, or is there still some light at the end of the tunnel?

[westisbest]

Luxembourg on Saturday. Has to be 3 points.

So how are you doing after that; completely done with it, or is there still some light at the end of the tunnel?

Fair to say Ireland football at an all time low.
Players are not good enough. Most Irish fans would agree.

Lot of young lads coming through though.

Think that’s ten games without a win for Kenny. I’m not a fan of his personally.
Would like to see Hughton in.

Don’t think he will be sacked.

Qatar in a friendly tomorrow. Think they beat Luxembourg.

Not holding much hope.
Fair play to Luxembourg though.

On a personal note, glad we don’t play again till September, as plenty of other sport over the summer to take my mind off Irish team.

Dark times sadly though.

Any light at the end of the tunnel? It’s a bloody long tunnel, seems to be getting darker.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Real lack of talent around the Irish side. I like Cullen and think he could have been more useful at West Ham, but I wouldn’t expect to see him as one of your better players. Imagine it won’t be long till young Coventry at our place gets a game. And Odubeko too.

The young keeper has promise, and there’s a few young players that I’m sure didn’t play (O’Shea at West Brom?), but you lot actually look considerably worse than the Scotland, Norn Ireland and Wales pack. Would have been unthinkable not long ago

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