Euro 2016 - Group E - Belgium vs Ireland, 2 pm, RTE & ITV

PeterTheEighth

I always thought it was very unfair to drag the players in front of the mic straight after running for 90 minutes and expecting them to give the perfect answers.

edgecutter

Green Fella wrote: »

I agree Micheal O Neill is a better manager. Northern Ireland are better set up and a better team. Martin really is not up to it, far to negative stubborn and set in his ways. Would never have made the changes and attacking display NIreland did against Ukraine.

Ukraine are not Belgium, but O'Neill needs to have a go on Wednesday.

JustTheOne

Irish_rat wrote: »

It's all starts at home, we need more people going to matches and the FAI need restructuring. Its as simple as that.

Alot of armchair fans on here watching foreign leagues week in, week out and yet won't make the trip to their local team.

Says it all

People have been saying that for years.

Nothing changes.

redandwhite

nehe milner skudder wrote: »

the fields of athenry is a now a verbal white flag

Or testament to thousands of supporters who don't go missing when they're most needed.

The supporters who pack out Old Trafford, Highbury and the rest could learn a lot from Ireland's supporters.

An absolute credit to the country.

Again.

AllGunsBlazing

nehe milner skudder wrote: »

belgian fans were amazing today.vocal. vibrant.vivacious.victorious

Still stuck with being Belgian tough.

Peist2007

Chrissybhoy wrote: »

Opened up after first goal you mean. They caught us from a corner that wasn't opening up

We had players up the pitch in forward positions. As people wanted. Whelan and McCarthy sitting slightly higher. Result: punishment. As people asked for.

Jimbob1977

If we drew with Italy, we can get third place if Belgium beat Sweden

But two points will NEVER be enough to get a 'Best Third Place' across the six groups.

Hence we have to beat Italy

Flint Fredstone

Irish_rat wrote: »

It's all starts at home, we need more people going to matches and the FAI need restructuring. Its as simple as that.

Alot of armchair fans on here watching foreign leagues week in, week out and yet won't make the trip to their local team.

Says it all

Yeah, it's all their fault.

Elmer Blooker

Four years ago two sides from our group went all the way to the final, I can see this happening again. You won't be hearing anything more about tensions in the Belgian squad, I never believed it anyway.
The north were lucky drawing the worst side by far at Euro '16 weren't they.

If we drew with Italy, we can get third place if Belgium beat Sweden

We won't qualify, not with a -3 GD and definitely NOT with 2 points.

Howard the Duck

Balls. Robbie Brady's Balls

Graigmanliam

These pundits have every excuse for not winning & to just outright say "WE WERE SH*T"

Oat23

Looking forward to hitting rock bottom in a few years which will hopefully force some proper changes from the ground up. There are hardly any young lads coming through the youth setup to get excited about.

What is the point spending so much on a coaching staff when the players are not up to standard? You're asking O'Neill to polish a turd for €1m a year. Invest half of that and everything else in grassroots to give us a better league & national team in the future.

I die a little inside seeing them aimlessly whack a ball up the pitch for Shane Long to chase and try to win against two huge CBs.

rob316

Italy will wipe the floor with us. Whatever about the players conte will be far too tactically strong.

Green Fella

Sand wrote: »

They are ranked second in the world, better than most sides in the tournament and are vastly, vastly better than Ireland.

Yes and that just shows how bad the rankings are

Italy embarrassed Belgium the first game. They will be very lucky to make the QFs. They were in disarray and have achieved nothing, we made them look like Spain or Germany, when they are truely average bunch of individuals

AllGunsBlazing

Flint Fredstone wrote: »

Yeah, it's all their fault.

It is, like it or not, a factor.


We have no real culture of the game in this country. The days of English clubs incubating players for us are over.

Mushy

Players set out to do what they needed to do to get a point. Whether they would have held out is another guess. Game turned on a poor decision by the ref.

After that, the class showed. It was always going to be hard. Brainfarts by players don't help the cause.

Disappointed, if not gutted. Despite having a chance, I wish there was an opportunity to blood some younger lads into international football before the WC.

irishmover

Oat23 wrote: »

Looking forward to hitting rock bottom in a few years which will hopefully force some proper changes from the ground up. There are hardly any young lads coming through the youth setup to get excited about.

What is the point spending so much on a coaching staff when the players are not up to standard? You're asking O'Neill to polish a turd for €1m a year. Invest half of that and everything else in grassroots to give us a better league & national team in the future.

Looking forward? You're an awful gob****e aren't ya?

Harry Palmr

Hendrick Eamo!

Green Fella

edgecutter wrote: »

Just no, the guy was lucky to be on the plane, never mind playing in this competition.

Murphy shouldnt have been in France if the Management were scared to play him or didnt rate him

But it sums up the management clueless on all fronts

Alf Veedersane

Irish_rat wrote: »

It's all starts at home, we need more people going to matches and the FAI need restructuring. Its as simple as that.

Alot of armchair fans on here watching foreign leagues week in, week out and yet won't make the trip to their local team.

Says it all

It's more than about the league of Ireland. It starts before that.

Besides, there's a sizeable proportion of a country that don't have a local team (in the LoI, anyway)

Corholio

Peist2007 wrote: »

We had players up the pitch in forward positions. As people wanted. Whelan and McCarthy sitting slightly higher. Result: punishment. As people asked for.

How much opening up could we have possibly done in 3 minutes of the second half to 'get what we asked for'? It was bad, stand off your marker defending that caused the goal, not opening up in anyway.

keano_afc

When all is said and done we dont have the players to compete on this stage. And performances like this should make the FAI take a long hard look at themselves. Clubs are going to the wall over a few thousand in debt while payoffs for losing matches go missing.

The game in this country is amateur from the ground up, and I don't see.it getting better any time soon.

Irish_rat

Irish_rat wrote: »

It's all starts at home, we need more people going to matches and the FAI need restructuring. Its as simple as that.

Alot of armchair fans on here watching foreign leagues week in, week out and yet won't make the trip to their local team.

Says it all

Posted from your armchair?

super_furry

He would have got crucified for it, but I think O'Neill should have left Hoolahan out today. He's 34, he rarely plays a game a week, nevermind three in eight days and his legs were gone after 40 minutes. Now we risk having him knackered for the Italy game when had he been rested today, would have been fresh to go against them.

Peist2007

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

It's more than about the league of Ireland. It starts before that.

Besides, there's a sizeable proportion of a country that don't have a local team (in the LoI, anyway)

Our local junior soccer team togged out in a converted fridge from an abbatoir. John Delaney earns hundreds of thousands salary a year

sjb25

Around Ireland at full time

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mcPDHkX1qWA

chillin117

Pain in the Arse when it get's to ''If A beat B and if X draws with Y and the French goalies granny dies of a dogbite (on a Monday)'' Then we qualify

Sand

Green Fella wrote: »

Yes and that just shows how bad the rankings are

Italy embarrassed Belgium the first game. They will be very lucky to make the QFs. They were in disarray and have achieved nothing, we made them look like Spain or Germany, when they are truely average bunch of individuals

They must be excellent conmen to fool the top clubs in Europe to play them in their first XIs.

topmanamillion

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

It is, like it or not, a factor.


We have no real culture of the game in this country. The days of English clubs incubating players for us are over.

100%

JustTheOne

Cheers ref.

GreNoLi

Not out of it yet.

baldbear

namloc1980 wrote: »

That's assuming all the other 3rd place teams finish on 4pts which they won't.

Assuming 4 out of the 6 groups 3rd place teams, which is looking likely finish on 4 points then goal difference will matter.

daRobot

Belgium will beat Sweden, so third it is, at best.

Mr.Nice Guy

I agree with what's been said. Most of our players have come through a system and culture that encourages hoofing it long to the big man. If we want to change that and to possess skillful, technical players, like teams with comparable populations like Croatia, then we have to invest in the coaching structures. The likes of Niall Quinn have offered to be part of this process. I don't know if those offers have been accepted, though I suspect not. Whether the likes of Ruud Dokter can turn things around for our set-up, time will tell; but I'm not optimistic.

One thing I do know: Glenn Whelan is not going to magically become Andres Iniesta no matter how much encouragement he is given. And neither are David Meyler or Stephen Quinn.

We don't have the players right now to compete with the best. That is the painful reality. We can't expect coaches to turn water into wine.

rm212

I don't think it is actually even technically possible for us to qualify with 2 points.

In Group A, if Romania draw with Albania, they go third with 2 points but finish with -1 goal difference.

In Group D, similar with Czech Republic, would finish with -1 goal difference.

In Group F, if Portugal draw with Iceland, they would finish third with 2 pts and 0 goal difference

EDIT: Actually, in group F, I forgot only one game has been played. There could be something there but we would still be 5th 3rd placed team. The only option is to beat Italy, I don't think it is possible with 2.

Graigmanliam

Dunphy has given apres match comedy gold for the future

Call Me Jimmy

So whats the deal with qualification? say we won and got third, how many spots?

rob316

Green Fella wrote: »

Yes and that just shows how bad the rankings are

Italy embarrassed Belgium the first game. They will be very lucky to make the QFs. They were in disarray and have achieved nothing, we made them look like Spain or Germany, when they are truely average bunch of individuals

Average individuals? What does that make us so.
Belgium might be under performing but to label any team with hazard, de bruyne, alderwiereld, vertonghen, courtois, dembele, Witsel, lukaku etc is far from average.

Once again this group of irish players is built up and everyone is crying when it's predictably fails. The talent just isn't there.

namloc1980

chillin117 wrote: »

Pain in the Arse when it get's to ''If A beat B and if X draws with Y and the French goalies granny dies of a dogbite (on a Monday)'' Then we qualify

But it's not. Simple really, beat Italy and we're through.

Chrissybhoy

Peist2007 wrote: »

We had players up the pitch in forward positions. As people wanted. Whelan and McCarthy sitting slightly higher. Result: punishment. As people asked for.

It was a corner of course lads were higher up the pitch no different than a corner in the first half. It's not as if we had lads commited from open play and got caught. I do agree after the first goal we commited more. But tactics were the same before first goal

edgecutter

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I agree with what's been said. Most of our players have come through a system and culture that encourages hoofing it long to the big man. If we want to change that and to possess skillful, technical players, like teams with comparable populations like Croatia, then we have to invest in the coaching structures. The likes of Niall Quinn have offered to be part of this process. I don't know if those offers have been accepted, though I suspect not. Whether the likes of Ruud Dokter can turn things around for our set-up, time will tell; but I'm not optimistic.

One thing I do know: Glenn Whelan is not going to magically become Andres Iniesta no matter how much encouragement he is given. And neither are David Meyler or Stephen Quinn.

We don't have the players right now to compete with the best. That is the painful reality. We can't expect coaches to turn water into wine.

The FAI needs to invest in getting coaches in this country UEFA qualified. Delaney needs to be removed or at least 90% of wages taken off him. Also the ludicrous money O'Neill is on could and should be spent elsewhere. I am not hitting out at O'Neill, but if you don't have the players you can't expect the manager to win games.

Ally Dick

I've one question for Giles "Was it cold in the ground this morning?"

vicwatson

O'Shea and Brady think it's night time for some reason

radiata

[/quote]

Beat Italy and we will go through.

Obviously that's highly unlikely but there's still faintest of hope[/quote]

No. We could beat Italy and still not go through. Do people not realise that not all 3rd place teams go through

Peist2007

Chrissybhoy wrote: »

It was a corner of course lads were higher up the pitch no different than a corner in the first half. It's not as if we had lads commited from open play and got caught. I do agree after the first goal we commited more. But tactics were the same before first goal

We attacked and won the corner. We were noticeably higher up the pitch as a unit right up to them hitting us on the counter and Lukaku scoring. Which is the tactical move that a lot on here wanted. I wanted us to keep it the same until 70 and then come out and play.

Tipsy McSwagger

Biggest surprise is the Irish team actually pulled off a string of 10 passes in the first half.

edgecutter

radiata wrote: »

Beat Italy and we will go through.

Obviously that's highly unlikely but there's still faintest of hope[/quote]

No. We could beat Italy and still not go through. Do people not realise that not all 3rd place teams go through[/QUOTE]

We have a poor mentality for must win games, we simply don't have a go regular enough. Italy's second string will want to play well and work their way into the first team.

Even Italy's second string is playing at a far higher level then our first team.

Sand

edgecutter wrote: »

The FAI needs to invest in getting coaches in this country UEFA qualified. Delaney needs to be removed or at least 90% of wages taken off him. Also the ludicrous money O'Neill is on could and should be spent elsewhere. I am not hitting out at O'Neill, but if you don't have the players you can't expect the manager to win games.

True - as others have said, the resources the FAI have are poorly allocated. Development of players is done on a shoestring, but they pay top dollar for the admin and first team coaches who cannot turn water into wine.

Oat23

irishmover wrote: »

Looking forward? You're an awful gob****e aren't ya?

The only gobsh*tes are the ones who settle for this stone age, also-ran bulls*it. We can do much better than this.

I don't blindly support anyone or anything. I'm Irish, so of course I want our teams and sportsmen/women to do well anywhere. But I'm tired of wanting this team and this association to do well. They are a joke.

namloc1980

radiata wrote: »

No. We could beat Italy and still not go through. Do people not realise that not all 3rd place teams go through

Highly unlikely that 5 or 6 3rd place teams will finish with 4 or more pts.