Republic of Ireland Team Talk/News/Rumours

LuckyLloyd

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

Now that's just nonsense. Todays performance, especially the 1st half, was FAR superior to anything Trap delivered.

Disagree.

Banjaxed82

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

Now that's just nonsense. Todays performance, especially the 1st half, was FAR superior to anything Trap delivered.

We should have been playing with the same intensity since the match in Georgia. It's all ifs and buts now.

O'Neill is not doing well.

But at least seeing players picked on merit rather than favouritism or to stick two fingers up to the media, or dropped because of grudges, or worse because of language issues, is better than the Trap mess.

Kermit.de.frog

NOT GOOD ENOUGH - end of story.

We face the real prospect of being World Cup pub team seeds and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland (ffs), and England qualifying for the Euros and us at home.

Not good enough.

fyfe79

Don't forget Iceland are topping their group too - they've beaten Holland, Czech Republic and Turkey all in this campaign. If we did that, we'd be talking about winning the Euro's out-right! Their population is more than 10 times smaller than ours as well, so this notion of "we don't have the players" just doesn't wash. Sure the Irish squad is bang average, but bang average should be enough to qualify for a 24 country Euros (or even win a home game!). They are under performing.

The mentality of this Irish team is all wrong, there's no belief and they're playing in constant fear. When Walters scored I didn't react at all, I just turned to the missus and said "it doesn't matter, it'll finish 1-1". Wish I'd put a bet on. Jesus, even the Faroes can do the double over Greece. Sure, the Greeks are a shambles at the minute, but could you see Ireland doing that?

fullstop

fyfe79 wrote: »

Don't forget Iceland are topping their group too - they've beaten Holland, Czech Republic and Turkey all in this campaign. If we did that, we'd be talking about winning the Euro's out-right! Their population is more than 10 times smaller than ours as well, so this notion of "we don't have the players" just doesn't wash. Sure the Irish squad is bang average, but bang average should be enough to qualify for a 24 country Euros (or even win a home game!). They are under performing.

The mentality of this Irish team is all wrong, there's no belief and they're playing in constant fear. When Walters scored I didn't react at all, I just turned to the missus and said "it doesn't matter, it'll finish 1-1". Wish I'd put a bet on. Jesus, even the Faroes can do the double over Greece. Sure, the Greeks are a shambles at the minute, but could you see Ireland doing that?

Agree with all of this. However, manager after manager is being turned on for playing ****e football and not getting results but we keep seeing the same pattern no matter who is in charge - score, revert to hoofball ****e then concede. The mentality of the players is shocking, they don't believe they can play and just want to get the ball as far away from our own goal as possible. Until the FAI re-route some of Delaney's extortionate salary towards developing a proper youth system, it'll continue.

The is one constant throughout the whole "Kerr wasn't good enough", "Staunton wasn't good enough", "Trap wasn't good enough" and now "O'Neill and Keane aren't good enough".

Delaney has been at the top of the pile for them all.

Maybe it's time to start examining why other smaller nations seem to be getting more out of their resources.

Pro. F

fullstop wrote: »

Agree with all of this. However, manager after manager is being turned on for playing ****e football and not getting results but we keep seeing the same pattern no matter who is in charge - score, revert to hoofball ****e then concede. The mentality of the players is shocking, they don't believe they can play and just want to get the ball as far away from our own goal as possible. Until the FAI re-route some of Delaney's extortionate salary towards developing a proper youth system, it'll continue.

You're ingnoring the fact that we keep employing managers who play shíte football. It doesn't matter if we keep changing managers when we keep employing poor managers.

The youth system of course needs to be improved, but so does our method of selecting managers. Because none of the recent ones have gotten near the best out of the players we have available.

Lemmy Scott

We were never in contention for automatic qualification it was all about getting 3rd from the start and thats still the case -o neills team selection yesterday was spot on but half the team didnt perform .

Coleman was pathetic a shadow of the player who was linked with utd.Others who were awful include whelan macarthy houlihan wilson.

noodler

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

Now that's just nonsense. Todays performance, especially the 1st half, was FAR superior to anything Trap delivered.

We should have been playing with the same intensity since the match in Georgia. It's all ifs and buts now.

Stupidest thing I've read in a while.

Nothing under MON has been better than Trap.

Not performances and not results.

We still struggle to score goals but now concede far softer goals.

noodler

noodler wrote: »

Stupidest thing I've read in a while.

Nothing under MON has been better than Trap.

At least the days of being hammered cos favourites like Green Cox and Sammon were selected are gone!

fullstop

Pro. F wrote: »

You're ingnoring the fact that we keep employing managers who play shíte football. It doesn't matter if we keep changing managers when we keep employing poor managers.

Is that it though? Or is the reason they play ****e football because the look at the players turn into frightened kids every time they take the lead in a big game? I'm sure MON hardly told the players to keep passing it to Given to hoof it long? Would you say we played good football under Mick McCarthy?

Pro. F

fullstop wrote: »

Is that it though? Or is the reason they play ****e football because the look at the players turn into frightened kids every time they take the lead in a big game? I'm sure MON hardly told the players to keep passing it to Given to hoof it long?

First question: you are ignoring the fact that these managers produce the same brand of football with whatever teams they manage.

Second question: Football management is not as simple as telling players to do this or that. Training, strategic approach, team selection, tactics, man management and attitude all effect what goes on on the pitch.

Also, the players didn't keep passing it to Given and hoofing it long yesterday, they actually built a lot of decent possession in that particular game. The problem was more the lack of incisiveness in the final third and, even more importantly, all the poor performances in previous games having gotten us into this must win situation.

fullstop wrote: »

Would you say we played good football under Mick McCarthy?

It wasn't bad, could have been a lot better given the players at our disposal.

noodler

[Deleted User] wrote: »

At least the days of being hammered cos favourites like Green Cox and Sammon were selected are gone!

The days of qualifying, or at least making that playoffs, are gone more like.

Its nice having Wes on the pitch and all but some seem happy to see us lose and fail to seriously compete as long as we play a playmaker and have a media friendly manager.

I'm not gonna bring up Trap every chance I get but if I see someone post something as stupid as "its better than the Trap era" or variations of that bollox then I'll intervene.

We never would have lost in Scotland under Trap.

Pro. F

noodler wrote: »

Stupidest thing I've read in a while.

Nothing under MON has been better than Trap.

Not performances and not results.

We still struggle to score goals but now concede far softer goals.

We conceded plenty of soft goals under Trap too. You've just forgotten them because we got acceptable results.

dr.kenneth noisewater

Bad performance but best display in a competitive game under MON. taking off Hoolahan when we needed a goal was shocking wen he was the only player who looked like he would set up a chance. Didn't think McCarthy was as bad as people are saying but Whelan was shocking.
Think we just don't have the attacking talent but Northern Ireland have a poor squad on paper full off L1 players but look where they are, we need someone to come in and do a squad rebuild aiming for the next Euros imo. NI were poor last campaign but young players got experience in big games and got used to a system and its now paying dividends.

Kenjataimu

At the moment we are more like Greece and nothing like Iceland.


We need to change our mentality.
I think we still have fear in our play and I blame Trap for that.
He never trusted the ability our players have and they have had that doubt in their mind ever since.

We had a decent first half against the Scots but as soon as the second half started the players just backed off.
The intensity was gone.

I cant see MON changing our situation much.

It would nice to get someone who would instill confidence back into the team.

noodler

Pro. F wrote: »

We conceded plenty of soft goals under Trap too. You've just forgotten them because we got acceptable results.

That's an important point.

Trap teams could hold on when it mattered.

We couldn't in Scotland.

I still say the dispossession goal versus Poland and that nightmare yesterday are contenders for softest goals .

TheCitizen

fullstop wrote: »

No luck? A goal that was clearly offside but was given is all the luck we should have needed. Bringing Long on with 10 left when we were desperate for a bit of pace or something for most of the second half is a joke.

The Scotland deflected goal cancelled that out, so effectively yes - no luck.

I thought it was a good performance at times and if we got a bit of luck we'd have won. Not to be.

We dropped the points in midfield again, not enough drive from Whelan and McCarthy. Need alternatives there, Stephen Quinn, Gibson.

Pro. F

noodler wrote: »

That's an important point.

Trap teams could hold on when it mattered.

We couldn't in Scotland.

I still say the dispossession goal versus Poland and that nightmare yesterday are contenders for softest goals .

And I still say you read far too much into small samples.

fullstop

TheCitizen wrote: »

The Scotland deflected goal cancelled that out, so effectively yes - no luck.

I thought it was a good performance at times and if we got a bit of luck we'd have won. Not to be.

We dropped the points in midfield again, not enough drive from Whelan and McCarthy. Need alternatives there, Stephen Quinn, Gibson.

3 goals in the last minute in the group have earned us a win and 2 draws. Come on, it's not luck that's beating us.

TheCitizen

fullstop wrote: »

3 goals in the last minute in the group have earned us a win and 2 draws. Come on, it's not luck that's beating us.

I'm talkin about yesterdays game. Getting later goals Isnt all down to luck either, getting later goals regularly is a good sign in a Team that doesnt give up. They wont give up after yesterday either, though 3rd is beginning to look like a longer shot. They'll keep fighting.

Idbatterim

the fans boycotting the matches is potentially the only thing that will force the FAI's hand... We have been talking about the same structural problems for years... Fortunately / unfortunately depending on your take,we will probably be in with a shout right up until the end of the campaign. So the Georgia and Germany home matches will be sell outs...

we cant do much about our players and even changing the structure of our league and junior league etc it will take quite a long time to reap the rewards. The manager is the only short term option at improvement. Even if we qualify for France, it will be like Euro 2012 with Trap. It will be something to fear rather than enjoy with the crap we are playing, the negative mentality etc...

When you think of the difference even throwing Keane in his prime into our central midfield would make to us...

Ireland and scotlands last two games are against Germany and Poland... We have gotten a point against Germany, lets hope the scots dont and lose to Georgia. That would then put us one point ahead of them going into the last two games, so we would simply have to match their results and we would go into the play offs...

fullstop

TheCitizen wrote: »

I'm talkin about yesterdays game. Getting later goals Isnt all down to luck either, getting later goals regularly is a good sign in a Team that doesnt give up. They wont give up after yesterday either, though 3rd is beginning to look like a longer shot. They'll keep fighting.

But you can't expect luck in every match. We were lucky to be in the position we were going into Glasgow and took 1 point from the 2 games against the Scots, courtesy of a goal yesterday which never should have stood.

TheCitizen

fullstop wrote: »

But you can't expect luck in every match. We were lucky to be in the position we were going into Glasgow and took 1 point from the 2 games against the Scots, courtesy of a goal yesterday which never should have stood.

No, grasping at straws a bit.

Speaking of grasping at straws, one of the lads on YBIG started a thread on how we could still make 3rd place even without beating or drawing with Germany. If we win v Georgia and Gib and even if we don't get anything from Germany at home, we could quite easily go to Warsaw with a chance 3rd place if other results go realistically in our favour.

The only trouble is we'd have to beat Poland in Warsaw:eek:. But if we could go to Warsaw with nothing to lose and still with a chance of getting 3rd, you'd accept that after yesterday.

noodler

Pro. F wrote: »

And I still say you read far too much into small samples.

You just can't admit O'Neill has been a failure after being so against Trap.

Pro. F

noodler wrote: »

You just can't admit O'Neill has been a failure after being so against Trap.

lol I was against O'Neill's appointment from the start and have been very critical of the job he's been doing.

fullstop

TheCitizen wrote: »

No, grasping at straws a bit.

Speaking of grasping at straws, one of the lads on YBIG started a thread on how we could still make 3rd place even without beating or drawing with Germany. If we win v Georgia and Gib and even if we don't get anything from Germany at home, we could quite easily go to Warsaw with a chance 3rd place if other results go realistically in our favour.

The only trouble is we'd have to beat Poland in Warsaw:eek:. But if we could go to Warsaw with nothing to lose and still with a chance of getting 3rd, you'd accept that after yesterday.

The hope there would be that Poland are already qualified I guess, but yeah, extremely unrealistic.

Kidchameleon

fullstop wrote: »

The hope there would be that Poland are already qualified I guess, but yeah, extremely unrealistic.

All of the teams in 3rd place at the moment would kill us also

SlickRic

MON isn't great, but to blame it all on the management of the national team would be missing the point.

The FAI is a joke and gas active disdain for grass roots development.

An example...my wife is the principal of a primary school. She can get people from Cricket Ireland, the IRFU, the Irish Hockey Association and the GAA all into the school for free. In fact, they knock the door down in order to get in, and she often has to turn them away.

She never hears from the FAI, and when she contacts them, they charge her for the privilege of coming in to do some stuff with the kids.

The organisation is rotten. It's no wonder you look at the senior panel and there's a dearth of players under 25. There's nobody coming through.

ricero

can still seeing scotland dropping points away to Georgia. Not over yet can see us just nicking third spot.

tayto lover

ricero wrote: »

can still seeing scotland dropping points away to Georgia. Not over yet can see us just nicking third spot.

Don't kid yourself. It's over.
We might beat Gibraltar but we will lose to Poland and Germany.
We are not good enough. One point out of six against our rivals for third is very poor and the over-cautious football of MON saw to that.

noodler

sugarman wrote: »

Dont think so.

2010 qualifiers:

- Bulgaria at home, leading 1-0 with 15mins to go... finished 1-1
- Bulgaria away, leading 1-0, also finished 1-1
- Italy at home, leading 2-1 with 5mins to go. Finished 2-2

2014 Qualifiers:

- Austria at home, leading 2-1. Finished 2-2 in injury time.
- Sweden at home, took an early 1-0 lead, finished 1-2.

More often than not, We saw out games when it mattered.

sugarman

sugarman wrote: »

Dont think so.

2010 qualifiers:

- Bulgaria at home, leading 1-0 with 15mins to go... finished 1-1
- Bulgaria away, leading 1-0, also finished 1-1
- Italy at home, leading 2-1 with 5mins to go. Finished 2-2

2014 Qualifiers:

- Austria at home, leading 2-1. Finished 2-2 in injury time.
- Sweden at home, took an early 1-0 lead, finished 1-2.

And that Henry goal...

Dirty Dingus McGee

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/men-the-losers-in-fitness-fight-31300497.html

Eamonn Sweeney

Sunday Independent 14/06/2015

Nothing glorified about this con job
In the interests of scientific research, I removed some ice cubes from the refrigerator 20 minutes ago and placed them in the sink. And I can now report that watching them melt was, in fact, more exciting than watching the Ireland-England match at the Aviva. Way more exciting.

Has there ever been a more dispiriting sporting fixture played in this country? From beginning to end the whole thing had an air of futility Samuel Beckett would have been pleased to create. ITV apologised to their viewers for broadcasting the wretched thing and Paul Scholes described it as "a waste of an afternoon," but it was perhaps the ever excellent satirical website Waterford Whispers which best captured the flavour of the occasion with its story, 'Aviva staff attempt to wake fans following Ireland-England clash'.
It was the kind of game which sometimes gets described as a "glorified training spin," except there was nothing glorified about it. Both sets of players displayed all the interest of your teenage daughter when asked to look at this fantastic song from your younger days on YouTube. Anyone who paid into it must surely feel that they'd been the victims of an extremely clever con-trick. There are Nigerian email scams that give better value for money.

Even the fans got in on the act, managing to achieve the difficult feat of making matters worse by booing the English national anthem and then Raheem Sterling. After all the caterwauling about the possible misbehaviour of visiting supporters and the fear that they might sing songs offensive to our delicate sensibilities, it was our mob who let themselves down. The booing of Sterling obeyed the law which states that these things tend to be carried out with a bit of extra gusto if the player is black.

Of course none of this matters a jot compared with last night's result. Though saying that, I'm reminded of the memorable exchange in the Pixar movie Ratatouille between Remy the gastronomically inclined rat and his father. Chided by Remy for stealing food, his dad replies, "It's not stealing if no-one wants it." "If no-one wants it then why are we stealing it?"
If last Sunday's game didn't matter, why were we playing it?

backpage@independent.ie

Sunday Indo Sport

I just put this piece up just to highlight the bolded part above.

Is it not a bit below the belt to be implying there was some sort of racist element to Sterling being booed last week?

Ferris_Bueller

Very disappointing result yesterday, but wasn't expecting much different. The feeling when the final whistle went yesterday defines what it has felt like to be an Irish fan for the past ten years.

Is O'Neills contract up at the end of this campaign? If so, I wouldn't be renewing it. The performance wasn't terrible yesterday but the result let us down, it was a must win game and we failed to do so. We have improved since Traps last campaign, but we aren't as good as we were in the WC2010 and EURO2012 qualifying campaigns. We had a real chance to qualify for this tournament with the expansion to 24 teams and now we have failed, Martin O'Neill & Roy Keane were the men chosen to get us there and they haven't done a good job, I think someone else needs to be given a chance for the WC2018 qualifiers.

Didn't really hit me yesterday because I drowned my sorrows afterwards but it really is disappointing how this campaign has gone. It looks like Wales, Scotland and the North will be all getting to at least a play off and we won't have another competitive game until September 2016, our squad isn't any worse than any of theirs yet we have been completely toothless, I'm not blaming the management completely, the players have under performed consistently in a green shirt and they all seem afraid to make mistakes, nobody in the team can grab a game by the scruff of the neck. People are going on about the development of players and we need to have a higher standard of player coming through and while that is 100% true, I think the short comings in this campaign are almost a separate issue. International football isn't that high of a standard and at the very very least we should still be in contention for qualification come September, but instead our campaign is over in June.

Idbatterim

International football isn't that high of a standard and at the very very least we should still be in contention for qualification come September, but instead our campaign is over in June.

we will beat georgia home and gibraltar away. If Poland are already guaranteed a top two by the time we play them and its a case of nothing to lose, win and get into third place, any other result we are out. It might not be the end of the world. It seems that with the mentality we have played with over the last few years, that the only time they come out of their shells, is when there is nothing to lose...

Lets hope Georgia can do us a favour at home against scotland. It took Poland until the 62nd minute at home yesterday to score, and then they scored 3 goals in the final few minutes. At home against the poles, I think we should have done better. Isnt that usually the way with Ireland, look back and think, that group was handy enough?

I mean we have played some awful stuff this campaign and are still in with a shout, Scotland are supposedly on a high, good run and they got a lucky deflection yesterday and are not up to much IMO...

Idbatterim

2012 a good example, we defied the odds to grind out that 0-0 in Russia and then Armenia went and hammered Slovakia for us to ultimately secure us a playoff. If that wasn't lucky enough, we were drawn against the weakest side in the playoffs, Estonia.

Right now I would put our chances of 3rd sport at about 40%, which isnt some miracle. We really need Georgia to do us a favour...

I think the scots were more up for it in their matches against us than we were, they have a chip on their shoulder and probably felt they had a point to prove, mcgeady declaring for Ireland etc... Havent qualified for a major finals since Euro 96 etc...

TheCitizen

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/men-the-losers-in-fitness-fight-31300497.html



I just put this piece up just to highlight the bolded part above.

Is not a bit below the belt to be implying there was some sort of racist element to Sterling being booed last week?

It's rubbish. Lazy hack journalism, no foundation for it at all.

Beefy78

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

I just put this piece up just to highlight the bolded part above.

Is it not a bit below the belt to be implying there was some sort of racist element to Sterling being booed last week?

I don't like the phrasing of it at all as it makes it sound like the Irish fans were racist for booing Sterling. I think there's a point in there somewhere contrasting the uproar when Raheem Sterling or Ashley Cole don't sign the first contract put in front of them with what happens when it is Steven Gerrard or Wayne Rooney but that's another thread.

keeponhurling

It's the Sunday independent, best ignored

TheCitizen

fullstop wrote: »

The hope there would be that Poland are already qualified I guess, but yeah, extremely unrealistic.

MON needs to figure out what his best team is, should've done so by now, but the Group is still open, still some games left.


Win against Gibraltor and Georgia and we go into that final double header v Germany at home and Poland away, with nothing to lose.

Ferris_Bueller

Jesus, didn't realise we were nailed on to be 4th seeds for the World Cup qualifiers. Going to be an almost impossible task to qualify for the World Cup if that's the case. Wales in pot 1.

https://twitter.com/dalejohnsonESPN/status/610184976299114496

Dub13

Would could get slaughtered in this or get a handy ground, well nothing is handy the way we are playing but in terms of other teams.

Pot 1: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Croatia/Italy

Pot 2: Croatia/Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Denmark, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Pot 3: Poland, Ukraine, Scotland, Hungary, Sweden, Albania, N Ireland, Serbia, Greece

Pot 4: Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Estonia

Pot 5: Cyprus, Latvia, Armenia, Finland, Belarus, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova/Kazakhstan

Pot 6: Moldova/Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra



Could be as bad as this.

England
France
Sweden
Republic of Ireland
Armenia
Kazakhstan

Ferris_Bueller

Dub13 wrote: »

Would could get slaughtered in this or get a handy ground, well nothing is handy the way we are playing but in terms of other teams.

Pot 1: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Croatia/Italy

Pot 2: Croatia/Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Denmark, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Pot 3: Poland, Ukraine, Scotland, Hungary, Sweden, Albania, N Ireland, Serbia, Greece

Pot 4: Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Estonia

Pot 5: Cyprus, Latvia, Armenia, Finland, Belarus, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova/Kazakhstan

Pot 6: Moldova/Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra



Could be as bad as this.

England
France
Sweden
Republic of Ireland
Armenia
Kazakhstan

Wales
Iceland
Northern Ireland
Rep of Ireland
Moldova
San Marino

best case scenario? Does anyone know how did Wales go from 6th seeds for the 2014 qualifiers to 1st seeds for 2018!?

Dub13

Also, its back to the top 2 from each group, I actually think the worst team that comes second does not get into the play off. Dark days ahead.

I got an email from the FAI over the weekend about renewing my season ticket, super value at something like a 2 euro discount. I bet not many replied to that.

keeponhurling

TheCitizen wrote: »

MON needs to figure out what his best team is, should've done so by now,

It's true, his team selection varies a lot.
Brady's comment about "much of a muchness" rings true, maybe as well get a settled team.

When I think of even our forwards in the last few years, we have had Keane, Long, Walters, Doyle, Murphy, Sammon, Stokes, McGoldrick, Cox, Best, and now we have I think Adam Rooney in the squad.
Players need a few caps to get used to the system and their team mates.

In his "audition" on Saturday, Murphy played half a game up front with McGoldrick.
Then in the qualifier he is played up front in his own.

In contrast look at how Wilson and O'Shea have developed into an excellent pairing at the back

SantryRed

I'm very, very angry after that game yday. The blame is to go everywhere. MON has not been good enough, simple as. Stone age tactics, inability to put any sort of spirit into the team, inability to put any belief in the team. Inability to improve our rankings, meaning we are 4th seeds for the next World Cup qualifiers, meaning we could be effectively screwed before we even get started.

BUT, the players have to take a lot of slack too. There are so many players lining out in that green jersey with a lack of bottle and a lack of belief. They REFUSE to back themselves and refuse to believe that they are better than the opposition, and it shows in the way we play, and the results we get. If we have to beat the Germans in Landsdowne in October, you'll see our best performance to date under MON, as the players will release the shackles and go for it, because if we lose, you can have the answer of 'ah well, it was a long shot anyways, nobody was expecting anything', exact same if the Polish game has something on it due to a Scottish balls up.

A revamp is needed from the top down. We need to stop looking at each campaign separately, and to look at it in the long run. If we get the group from hell in July for the next WC draw, I'd be completely in favour of writing off the next campaign, bringing in a progressive manager (if possible, looking further afield than the bloody PL, which JD cannot too as he thinks it's the holy grail), remove anyone over the age of thirty, unless they are a level or two above the next player in that position, and allow these guys to gain international experience. The belief needs to be reinstalled, and if it can't be with this set of players, get rid of them, get in some youth players who will play with no fear. The overhaul is needed, and needed badly, there has been a slow rot since the Trap era and MON is just continuing this on.

TheCitizen

SantryRed wrote: »

I'm very, very angry after that game yday. The blame is to go everywhere. MON has not been good enough, simple as. Stone age tactics, inability to put any sort of spirit into the team, inability to put any belief in the team. Inability to improve our rankings, meaning we are 4th seeds for the next World Cup qualifiers, meaning we could be effectively screwed before we even get started.

BUT, the players have to take a lot of slack too. There are so many players lining out in that green jersey with a lack of bottle and a lack of belief. They REFUSE to back themselves and refuse to believe that they are better than the opposition, and it shows in the way we play, and the results we get. If we have to beat the Germans in Landsdowne in October, you'll see our best performance to date under MON, as the players will release the shackles and go for it, because if we lose, you can have the answer of 'ah well, it was a long shot anyways, nobody was expecting anything', exact same if the Polish game has something on it due to a Scottish balls up.

A revamp is needed from the top down. We need to stop looking at each campaign separately, and to look at it in the long run. If we get the group from hell in July for the next WC draw, I'd be completely in favour of writing off the next campaign, bringing in a progressive manager (if possible, looking further afield than the bloody PL, which JD cannot too as he thinks it's the holy grail), remove anyone over the age of thirty, unless they are a level or two above the next player in that position, and allow these guys to gain international experience. The belief needs to be reinstalled, and if it can't be with this set of players, get rid of them, get in some youth players who will play with no fear. The overhaul is needed, and needed badly, there has been a slow rot since the Trap era and MON is just continuing this on.

Good man.

Get it off your chest there.

COYBIG

March with O'Neill.

The_Kew_Tour

It's gas at people trying to defend O Neill.

A man on 1 million a Year, who will have to wait between 11 months at least for another competitive win.

O Neill is a hopeless manager, who was found out big time yesterday.

We have been poor in every single game, no sign of improvement, or any bit of creative thinking.

It's hoof the ball up to Walters and hope it just falls to right person, but even when Walters does win header nobody is there to follow on..

When we got it to the wings nobody was in box to get on end of headers or even outside box waiting for poor clearance.

On Tartan Army's site they are saying we are Stone Age and no game plan, they even feel sorry for us. That's saying a lot.

eire4

I can certainly see where many people have very valid points to make about O'Neill's team selections and the performances of various players.
But for me all this campaign and yesterday has done has brought home to roost the totally bankrupt player development policy or lack thereof of the FAI. Fact is the current Irish squad is in my opinion the worst since at least the early 1980's. We simply do not have any world class players in any positions. Many of our players are second tier journey men pros and it is not as if this is just a bad spell and we have a great crop of players coming up.
For so long the FAI has abdicated the responsability for developing our talent to English based clubs. This worked well for a long time but since the advent of the massive TV contracts and the explosion of the epl into basically a world all star league in terms of where players are coming from young Irish talent has got pushed way down the pecking order. This is reflected in the makeup of the current Irish squad in terms of the level the players are playing at.
I have said before and will say again at a minimum the FAI needs to take charge of the top 40 or so 13-17 year old Irish kids and have them developed in a full time fully professional residential academy. They and the local clubs need to reach a deal for the clubs to give up their best players to such an academy and maybe get them back at times for big games. But the reality is that the non professional development model in place through the clubs in Ireland leaves our best young talent way behind technically and unless this changes Ireland is going to continue to struggle at the international level for some time to come.