Rep. of Ireland v Sweden - WCQ - K/O 7.45Pm

The_Kew_Tour

We wont win in Austria.

We just wont.

Mars Bar

Refrain from abuse of players and fellow posters please.

roanoke

jamaamaj wrote: »

Why won't trapattoni at least get Ireland to try to play football instead of this goalkeeper kick to the middle then start an attack.
Anybody know how trap's team playing style was in the 90's when he was manager of Bayern & Juventus.
surley it was not this style of football.

I watched the 85 European Cup final a while back (Liverpool v Juve). It was a very cagey game with very few chances for either side. However I do recall thinking that Juve certainly didn't resemble Ireland in the way they played. The overall gameplan seemed just be sit back and counterattack with intelligence and speed from open play with the likes of Platini, Boniek and Rossi. Indeed I recall the winning goal came from that approach. There was very little of this "run around like a headless chicken and then aimlessly blast the ball up the other end and and see what happens" philosophy that we've endured for the last few years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qel3ZbbUM4

However, By comparison, Here's some footage from Bayern 98 and Italy 2002. I've just had a glance at it but TBH it looks very familiar. Play deep, high intensity pressing, lots of long balls out of defense, careless passing and little effort to retain possession or play through midfield. Now both Bayern and Italy had better players than Ireland have to choose from that Ireland but the philosophy seemed similar nonetheless. :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTd7o9XKgRk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyk23zjvEug

Whether the difference between the Juve game and Bayern+Italy games are simply the players available or the managers approach, it certainly seems to me that something has changed between 85 and 98.

Paully D

roanoke wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyk23zjvEug

Off topic I know, but I watched highlights of that game again recently and if anyone thinks that fixing of games doesn't go on at the highest level, there's your proof that it does.

The referee in question was arrested in an airport a couple of years ago with six kilograms of heroin in his underpants too :pac:

Coillte_Bhoy

Paully D wrote: »

Off topic I know, but I watched highlights of that game again recently and if anyone thinks that fixing of games doesn't go on at the highest level, there's your proof that it does.

The referee in question was arrested in an airport a couple of years ago with six kilograms of heroin in his underpants too :pac:

And so what? What exactly is your point??????

SherlockWatson

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

And so what? What exactly is your point??????

I thought it was fairly obvious, the referee likes to make easy money.

LuckyLloyd

Trapp and the Italians were robbed in that game. Utterly disgraceful (as much as I was up for the Koreans and found their run magical at the time).

RickyBobby1

I definitely want Trap out but who will we get in?
I used to rate Martin O Neill but gone off him lately and I reckon he would be too expensive.
I would like Hughton,he at least tries to get his team to get the ball down and not hoof it aimlessly down the pitch.

LuckyLloyd

I want whichever manager gives us the best shot of qualification. Style of football is utterly irrelevant.

Umpalumpa

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I want whichever manager gives us the best shot of qualification. Style of football is utterly irrelevant.

Style of football is irrelevant?i think the majority of posters and fans believe it is very relevant.we play horrible football which is turning away fans.

roanoke

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I want whichever manager gives us the best shot of qualification. Style of football is utterly irrelevant.

TBH I enjoyed the unsuccessful WC98 and Euro2000 campaign under Mick far more than the road to Euro 2012 campaign under Trap. I'd happily not qualify again in favour of seeing a few good Ireland games and maybe even a win or two against significant opposition, if the alternative is just more Trap-ball or similar.

briany

roanoke wrote: »

TBH I enjoyed the unsuccessful Euro2000 campaign under Mick far more than the road to Euro 2012 campaign under Trap. I'd happily not qualify again in favour of seeing a few good Ireland games and a win or two against significant opposition, if the alternative is Trap-ball.

.
I'm not defending the style of football you mention but what I am saying is that it occasionally has merit when used correctly, at the right times. However, under Trap, the system has been abused and made it so that I don't think any opposition would really need to go in depth on strategy for that upcoming Irish fixture. They pretty much know.

Trap's going, of that there can be little doubt. For it to be any different would cause fracture and a civil war within the FAI which might be the best thing for the organisation in the long term if it caused a raft of resignations and generally cleaned the place out. What is in doubt, to my mind, is the ability of any manager coming in to make Ireland competitive or play football in the way posters here would like to see. Firstly he'll have to mend many of the strained relationships that Trap has caused with players, from being told they aren't good enough (in not so many words perhaps) to simply being ostracized from the team. The Irish team needs it's confidence and it's spirit back before we can even talk about the much, much thornier issue of fixing the long ball culture.

Getting the ball on the deck is something that Ireland have always struggled with doing habitually. Something that seems to come so easily to other teams around the world. As well as this, I have seen Ireland become bafflingly reticent and afraid to play, at times, under all the managers they have had since Jack. I've seen them fall asleep at the back, I've seen them rally at the front, I've seen them rely on the long ball and the hopeful cross, I've seen them score a damn good goal with an incisive pass to Robbie, I've seen them take a perfectly good attack and somehow manage to pass it back to their own keeper. I've seen all these things happen with every Irish manager from '90 onward and including Trap with the negatives becoming more prominent, certainly in our minds, since Ireland's hockeying at the Euros.

What I'm afraid of is that whatever manager we get in, he's only ever going to be able to beat the kick and run, defend 1-0 mentality out of the team to a certain extent and when there comes a crucial split second moment in a match where a player must rely on his most deeply ingrained instincts for judgement, something that makes or breaks a game, will he opt for skill or will he revert to jumpers for goalposts directness regardless of the situation (because I'm not saying there aren't times when directness is useful). Will he even look at the options in that moment? Will he just freeze in the spotlight and stand off his man or take one touch too many?

What if Ireland do try to play football and utterly fail? OK, even if we can all recognise that the team are trying to change, while this is happening their star is falling ever lower in world football and eventually the Trap eulogists, the hardcore apologists will come out. They'll say, 'We weren't pretty to watch but at least we were hard to beat under the man! (for most of the time anyway)".
It will be nice to see Ireland going forward and looking for things but, by god, apart from relatively reliable Robbie, Ireland's cutting edge can be woefully blunt. The team can attack and attack and attack, fall asleep at the back, concede and lose 0-1 and Brady will be saying, as he has said, "You can play well, lose, and the manager still gets the sack."

fsfg

GBXI wrote: »

The amount of gob****es posting here. Just having a pointless, uninformed rant for themselves.

The Glen Whelan bashing is hilarious. Not one person is able to suggest a better alternative. Someone even suggested Keith Andrews would do better! Keith has been just about playing in the Championship the last 2 seasons, Whelan consistently starts for an established Premier League team.

Trap needs to go, badly. And has done since the Euros. The players are way better than they're showing but they're so conditioned to play the way do.

I agree although I think Trap deserved to stay after the Euros considering he has done an unbelievable job to take us from we're we were under "Stan". We could have easily ended up like Wales- stuck in the lower seeding and unable to go anywhere. I actually think Wales have a better squad than us and I judge Trap from that perspective.

Having said all that I think now is the time to try move him on (even though I have been defending him for a long time). The constant inability to change things is costing us dearly. In an idea world I would have Trap as manger, he would pick the team but another manager would make the calls as the game progressed!

I think he has been unfairly treated by pundits and fans though, most of his calls have been proved right over the longer term.

But as I said it has reached a stage were the fans have turned and there is not much come back from that.

Glenn Whelan is an obvious starter for any manager given the Ireland choices so I don't get people jumping on his back. My team would be:

Goalkeeper (don't mind, we are not strong here)

Cb: John O'Shea Cb: Richard Dunne Cb: C Clarke

Def Mid: Glen Whelan

RWB: Coleman. LWB: Wilson (need cover here)

Cm Holihan. Cm McCarthy

Att CM Robbie Keane/McGeady

Keane/Long

fsfg

Umpalumpa wrote: »

Style of football is irrelevant?i think the majority of posters and fans believe it is very relevant.we play horrible football which is turning away fans.

Ticket prices are turning people away

Umpalumpa

fsfg wrote: »

Ticket prices are turning people away

I do agree tickets are very expensive but the reason why I stopped going was due to the quality of football on offer.
I would pay the money if we played somewhat attractive football.

LuckyLloyd

Umpalumpa wrote: »

Style of football is irrelevant?i think the majority of posters and fans believe it is very relevant.we play horrible football which is turning away fans.

Umpalumpa wrote: »

I do agree tickets are very expensive but the reason why I stopped going was due to the quality of football on offer.
I would pay the money if we played somewhat attractive football.

Our attendances remain one of the strongest in Europe despite a savage recession and hike in prices at the wrong time. If we're knocking the ball around but doing it as 4th seeds with no shot of qualification attendances will worsen.

The style of ball don't matter. You play to win the game, that's all it is.

gosplan

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Our attendances remain one of the strongest in Europe despite a savage recession and hike in prices at the wrong time. If we're knocking the ball around but doing it as 4th seeds with no shot of qualification attendances will worsen.

The style of ball don't matter. You play to win the game, that's all it is.

Our style of football isn't really playing to win though.

Don't get me wrong. I think Trap's done a huge amount right and much of it will only be appreciated when the basics like organisation and defending corners can't be taken for granted.

His approach the other night, and in general, is flawed as you can't play our game for 90 mins these days. We killed ourselves in the first 30 mins.

Also once Sweden figured out how to defend that long ball and went ahead we had no hope. Them sitting deep and resting while we were still killing ourselves and waiting to be picked off was not a good tactic.

I've been a fan all along but the game's up now.

Not saying we would, or should have, beaten Sweden but once we went behind we didn't give ourselves the best chance.

Once we ran out of puff, we had no hope of scoring and approaching the game in the last 15 mins the same way we did at the start was not the right thing to do.

Barlett

Paully D wrote: »

Off topic I know, but I watched highlights of that game again recently and if anyone thinks that fixing of games doesn't go on at the highest level, there's your proof that it does.

The referee in question was arrested in an airport a couple of years ago with six kilograms of heroin in his underpants too :pac:

Yeah I have to agree, I thought it was unusual the amount of decisions that went Korea's way even for a host nation, including their game against Spain. Anyway back on topic

gosplan

Barlett wrote: »

Yeah I have to agree, I thought it was unusual the amount of decisions that went Korea's way even for a host nation, including their game against Spain. Anyway back on topic

Yeah but Italy can't complain cause of all the dodgy stuff they were up to in the 30's.

simongurnick

gosplan wrote: »

Our style of football isn't really playing to win though.

Don't get me wrong. I think Trap's done a huge amount right and much of it will only be appreciated when the basics like organisation and defending corners can't be taken for granted.

His approach the other night, and in general, is flawed as you can't play our game for 90 mins these days. We killed ourselves in the first 30 mins.

Also once Sweden figured out how to defend that long ball and went ahead we had no hope. Them sitting deep and resting while we were still killing ourselves and waiting to be picked off was not a good tactic.

I've been a fan all along but the game's up now.

Not saying we would, or should have, beaten Sweden but once we went behind we didn't give ourselves the best chance.

Once we ran out of puff, we had no hope of scoring and approaching the game in the last 15 mins the same way we did at the start was not the right thing to do.

Once we went in front we didn't give ourselves a chance. We can't handle the lead at home. Sweden were there for the taking.

bizmark

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

The style of ball don't matter. You play to win the game, that's all it is.

An odd argument in favor of the status quo seeming that we demonstrably do not play to win as we simply do not win even when we put ourselfs into a fine position to do so instead we fall back and play the ball long hoping for the best which once again did not win us the game.

The style of play does matter if your not just makeing excuses for a god awful manager who doesnt have faith in the team i can only imagen how uninspired all those players are working for a man whos number one excuse is just how **** every one is apart from his glorious 1960s tactics

SlickRic

why can't we take what Trap has given us in terms of organisation, thank him, and bring in someone with a few fresh ideas to add to the team?

i truly believe Trap does not give us the best shot at qualification, and i also believe he and Tardelli are in it for the paycheque. the insistence that they deserve another 2 year contract is testament to this IMO.

gosplan

simongurnick wrote: »

Once we went in front we didn't give ourselves a chance. We can't handle the lead at home. Sweden were there for the taking.

I don't really think they were tbh.

They knew exactly what was coming at them and set up accordingly. They figured on getting enough chances on the break to get a result which they did.

Fair play to the team for giving them such a shock early on but it was obvious that we couldn't keep up that level of intensity.

You can't just charge around for 90 minutes any more. There has to be a point where you get your foot on the ball, knock it about and rest while making the other team work harder. At the end you could see the tired legs and minds as people were misplacing simple passes.

I got a PM from some knob taking apart my earlier comments and berating me for not seeing the failings sooner.

To be honest my opinion of Trap has gone like this.

Campaign 1: grand, steady the ship, no time to reinvent the wheel. Stick to basics.

Campaign 2: gets the benefit of doubt for great job up till now. Unlucky about the Paris match but maybe better things will happen

Corholio

I appreciate what Trap has done, got us qualified and had us at least tough to beat some of the time. I do think even the most hardened Trap supporter can realise that maybe it's time for a change. A lot of the positive things that Trap has brought, the stubbornness in defence has deserted him over the past year and without the attacking intent that was never there in the first place, I just don't know where he could go. Maybe with a new manager we won't qualify for the next tournament, but at least it would be with new ideas rather than the fast failing ones under the current management.

His setup is archaic and 4-4-2 constantly just doesn't work in modern football. We might not have a hugely talented bunch of players but I certainly think there's more there than what's been able to be shown. I bear no ill will against the guy in the slightest, I just wish at times he could have saved himself a lot of grief with multiple things he brought upon himself. The not going to see players thing, falling out with multiple players, saying sly things in interviews about players, ignoring high performing top league players for so long (Coleman, McCarthy) The one opinion I dislike, that people suggest, that the team will perform a lot poorer under any other managers watch. Let's face it, it was quite a while since Trapattoni was relevant at the highest level of football even prior to taking the Ireland job, don't let his high wage fool you.

SuperInfinity

gosplan wrote: »

I don't really think they were tbh.

Agreed, Sweden were very good and even Jack's side might have struggled to win the game. For all his exploits, we barely qualified in 1994 and probably 1990 as well.

wonderfullife

bizmark wrote: »

An odd argument in favor of the status quo seeming that we demonstrably do not play to win as we simply do not win even when we put ourselfs into a fine position to do so instead we fall back and play the ball long hoping for the best which once again did not win us the game.

The style of play does matter if your not just makeing excuses for a god awful manager who doesnt have faith in the team i can only imagen how uninspired all those players are working for a man whos number one excuse is just how **** every one is apart from his glorious 1960s tactics

ah yes the 1960s. The era of Pele, Puskas, Georgie Best, Eusebio, Jimmy Johnston et al. All hoof it merchants!!

Style of play is only ever an issue when a team under-performs. Not many Chelsea fans were giving out about parking the bus when they won the Champions League. Not many Dutch fans were moaning about style of play until after the World Cup Final defeat.

We're not even massively under-performing in this qualification group. If it was golf we'd be about +1 or even par right now. We're roughly where most neutrals predicted us to be - an outside chance of top 2 in the group. That's still where we are.

The sad thing is a lot of you will be gutted if Ireland beat Austria and Sweden slip up in Astana - as it raises the prospect Trap may yet stay. That's pretty sad.

Corholio

wonderfullife wrote: »

ah yes the 1960s. The era of Pele, Puskas, Georgie Best, Eusebio, Jimmy Johnston et al. All hoof it merchants!!

Style of play is only ever an issue when a team under-performs. Not many Chelsea fans were giving out about parking the bus when they won the Champions League. Not many Dutch fans were moaning about style of play until after the World Cup Final defeat.

We're not even massively under-performing in this qualification group. If it was golf we'd be about +1 or even par right now. We're roughly where most neutrals predicted us to be - an outside chance of top 2 in the group. That's still where we are.

The sad thing is a lot of you will be gutted if Ireland beat Austria and Sweden slip up in Astana - as it raises the prospect Trap may yet stay. That's pretty sad.

If you honestly think that, then equally if Trap goes, 'a lot of you' will be licking their lips ready to look smug when a new manager loses their first game.

SirDelboy18

SuperInfinity wrote: »

Agreed, Sweden were very good and even Jack's side might have struggled to win the game. For all his exploits, we barely qualified in 1994 and probably 1990 as well.

What match were you watching?

They were absolutely there for the taking and it is incredibly damning of Trappatoni that we looked so terrible and devoid of ideas when we could have won easily.

gosplan

SirDelboy18 wrote: »

What match were you watching?

They were absolutely there for the taking and it is incredibly damning of Trappatoni that we looked so terrible and devoid of ideas when we could have won easily.

You know sometimes I think that if we counted all the teams that have 'been there for the taking', our international record over the last five years would look something like p60 w57 d0 l3.

Don't get me wrong, mistakes have been made and this isn't just having a go at you but I feel a lot of people expect that our natural place currently shouls be 1 pointpoint behind Germany on p7 w6 l1 and that it's all Trap's fault we're not.

LuckyLloyd

bizmark wrote: »

An odd argument in favor of the status quo seeming that we demonstrably do not play to win as we simply do not win even when we put ourselfs into a fine position to do so instead we fall back and play the ball long hoping for the best which once again did not win us the game.

The style of play does matter if your not just makeing excuses for a god awful manager who doesnt have faith in the team i can only imagen how uninspired all those players are working for a man whos number one excuse is just how **** every one is apart from his glorious 1960s tactics

Trapp was always going to go at the end of the campaign - whether the campaign ended in October 2013 or the back end of June 2014. That's been the reality right from the outset eventhough it has obviously shot over the heads of many.

As for 'uninspired' players - they are representing their country. They should be inspired at the prospect of winning matches and qualifying for stuff, the style of play shouldn't come into it.

I think the above post is symptomatic of a retarded train of thought in the current fanbase - the idea that we would be better off playing nice football even if we were less competitive. There have even been suggestions that it would be fine if we weren't qualifying if we could beat a one or two seed every so often a la Northern Ireland or Scotland. I just don't understand that whatsoever.

To put it in perspective, I'm far and away from being a Martin O' Neill fan but I'd rather bring him in next than Chris Houghton. O' Neill would get us organised and get us working hard and the challenge presented (a truncated set of games leading into a cup competition) would play to his strengths. The football would be less pretty than what Houghton would probably offer, but we'd have a much better chance of qualifying under him.

In anycase, the next manager in will be far less able than Trappatoni and the quality of our playing base has deterioated since 2008. Dunne and Keane were two of our best players out there on Friday night and Duff would probably slot straight in if he insisted on coming back. Says it all about where we are. Coleman is a nice player but he's a right back. McCarthy has a way to go. Long, Whelan, McClean and Wilson are all game in their own way but lacking quality. Hoolahan is a nice player but no spring chicken and maybe the likes of Brady or Meyler may yet improve. But I don't see another Richard Dunne or Robbie Keane type player being done out of games, even if you might think it reading on here recently.

There's a cold hard blast of reality on its way for some people late next year.

DeanAustin

SirDelboy18 wrote: »

What match were you watching?

They were absolutely there for the taking and it is incredibly damning of Trappatoni that we looked so terrible and devoid of ideas when we could have won easily.

Not saying Sweden were world beaters but when was the last time that they were beaten 'easily' particularly in a competitive game? Also what makes you think they 'were there for the taking'?

noodler

Trap can't stay.

I have defended and criticised him in equal measure ovber the last few years but this campaign is his fault.

Inviting Austria onto us for 25 minutes is his fault, the constant long balls on Friday night despite a gift of a goal was his fault.

When the campaign ends, we need to thank him for all he has done and hope that a new manager can build on the relative solidity Trap has instilled because it does seem clear that the team will not develop under the current regime.

LuckyLloyd

noodler wrote: »

Trap can't stay.

I have defended and criticised him in equal measure ovber the last few years but this campaign is his fault.

Inviting Austria onto us for 25 minutes is his fault, the constant long balls on Friday night despite a gift of a goal was his fault.

When the campaign ends, we need to thank him for all he has done and hope that a new manager can build on the relative solidity Trap has instilled because it does seem clear that the team will not develop under the current regime.

There's zero chance he will be asked or want to stay. He was going at the end of this campaign no matter how it finished. We could have won the bloody thing and he'd still have walked.

GavRedKing

In the last 2 campaigns Trap done about as good as anyone you could have realistically have hand picked for the job given the players at hand.

For that he'll get my blessing and well wishes, just remember the current squad is at a level and for the previous 2 campaigns Trap, it can be easily argued he got them finishing above their perceived abilities and seeding.

The new guy will have a good base to build on but 2 out of 3 campaigns with good showing including going to the Euros in 2012, its far from the worse showing from this team regardless of the brand of football played, we're not Brazil and we wont ever produce great players in vast quantities.

Roll on Euro 2016 qualifiers and hopefully another good showing with a new man at the helm.

noodler

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

There's zero chance he will be asked or want to stay. He was going at the end of this campaign no matter how it finished. We could have won the bloody thing and he'd still have walked.

Point focused on those who are debating it.

Tardelli seems to say in the media yesterday/today that he could stay another two years?

But no, its time for him to leave. We are in a much better position than we were when he arrived and the next manager's job has been made a bit easier.

Still though, for all Trap has achieved, you can't help but think that adding a little bit of football to proceedings over the last few years would have helped us considerably without compromising the solidity he has worked so hard to instill.

Banjaxed82

noodler wrote: »

Point focused on those who are debating it.

Tardelli seems to say in the media yesterday/today that he could stay another two years?

But no, its time for him to leave. We are in a much better position than we were when he arrived and the next manager's job has been made a bit easier.

Still though, for all Trap has achieved, you can't help but think that adding a little bit of football to proceedings over the last few years would have helped us considerably without compromising the solidity he has worked so hard to instill.

- Better position how?

- The reason why the next manager's job will be made easier is cause 24 teams qualify for Euro 2016. Quite an attraction to any future manager.

PropJoe10

Waterford Whispers News' take on the Ireland Sweden game:

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2013/09/09/sweden-ate-green-players-like-kettle-in-wavin-pipes-please-admits-trapattoni/

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND football manager Giovanni Trapattoni admitted at a press conference in Dublin today that ‘Sweden ate green players like kettle in wavin pipes please’.

The revelation came shortly after lunch time while, during a 30-minute speech, the 74-year-old confirmed that the Swedish side beat Ireland last Friday, bringing the curtain down on yet another World Cup dream.

Language experts believe Trapattoni’s strong post-match comments indicated that he believed the players were like some form of inanimate food to the opposition.

When asked what he thought of the teams previous performances in the World cup qualifiers, he replied: ‘Fast elephants run inside oil refineries all day long. Very good. Nice legs. Biscuits.’

It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest he was questioning the Irish teams strong defence but poor striking ability while defending his decision to bring new players to the game, stating that the younger generations role was to flash really nice legs while eating biscuits after the game. Maybe.

“Mama mia mama mia let me go. Thunderbolts of lightening. Very Frightening.” he added.

Critics claim Trap’s abstract English may have had a big part to play in the uncertainty of the Irish teams performance last Friday.

One fan said: ‘Sure who knows what he’s bleedin’ saying. It’s like listening to a Furby on crack or something!’

Ireland against Sweden by two goals to one.

noodler

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

- Better position how?

- The reason why the next manager's job will be made easier is cause 24 teams qualify for Euro 2016. Quite an attraction to any future manager.

??


Seeding.

Financially.

Far more depth to the squad now.

Actually being in contention in groups / getting to play offs.

EDIT: Forgot the biggest one, actual qualification.

Have you forgotten where we were in 2007?

SlickRic

Trap is done.

that doesn't mean i don't respect his work and what's he's done for us. it's just that sometimes you need to be proactive and move forward become you become stagnant.

and that does not mean Martin O'Neill.

noodler

SlickRic wrote: »

Trap is done.

that doesn't mean i don't respect his work and what's he's done for us. it's just that sometimes you need to be proactive and move forward become you become stagnant.

and that does not mean Martin O'Neill.

I don't know what it means though.

Come on Denis O'Brien, keep trying to make the public love you and splash the cash.

DeanAustin

SlickRic wrote: »

Trap is done.

that doesn't mean i don't respect his work and what's he's done for us. it's just that sometimes you need to be proactive and move forward become you become stagnant.

and that does not mean Martin O'Neill.

I agree. I'd been a Trap defender up to the Germany game. He did a good job with us but it isn't getting better and it isn't going to get better. Time for a change, thank the man and send him on his way and respect everything he has done in football.

Also agreed on Martin O'Neill. Seems a nice guy, very entertaining when interviewed but not a very good football manager and not what I'd like to see.

Not sure who I'd like to see in though. No-one from this corner of Europe leaps out at me and I think there is a risk appointing someone outside of these islands because they don't understand the culture of the game here. In fact, I think that's been a failing of Trap's and has manifested itself in our poor home record.

noodler

SlickRic wrote: »

why can't we take what Trap has given us in terms of organisation, thank him, and bring in someone with a few fresh ideas to add to the team?

This sums up my argument for Trap and an argument Johnny Giles has made repeatedly.

We should be be able to build on what Trap initially brought us even if he has not been able/willing to do it.

gosplan

Can anyone tell me if Applebonkers is banned from here?

He keeps pm'ing me with rediculous insults about all of this.

ThunbergsAreGo

noodler wrote: »

??


Seeding.

Financially.

Far more depth to the squad now.

Actually being in contention in groups / getting to play offs.

EDIT: Forgot the biggest one, actual qualification.

Have you forgotten where we were in 2007?

Yes its massively important we finish as high as we can in the table

noodler

gosplan wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if Applebonkers is banned from here?

He keeps pm'ing me with rediculous insults about all of this.

You deserve :pac:everything you get!

noodler

naughtb4 wrote: »

Yes its massively important we finish as high as we can in the table

It really is.

I really hope we can get a result tomorrow and put up a fight in Germany even if its all mathematically done and dusted by 2m.

GavRedKing

gosplan wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if Applebonkers is banned from here?

He keeps pm'ing me with rediculous insults about all of this.

I cant find a user called applebonkers, can you PM me a link to his profile or name?

gosplan

GavRedKing wrote: »

I cant find a user called applebonkers, can you PM me a link to his profile or name?

Sorry, applehunter ... Who may or may not be bonkers.

Apparently he was just drunk though?

Corholio

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

There's zero chance he will be asked or want to stay. He was going at the end of this campaign no matter how it finished. We could have won the bloody thing and he'd still have walked.

Zero chance he'd want to stay you say?

http://www.independent.ie/sport/tardelli-defends-trapattoni-29561873.html

GavRedKing

I'm going to close this one up, Austria v Rep of Ireland game thread setup and all.