Worst Irish performances off all time

Fr Tod Umptious

There is a thread about the worst XI off all time and some posts are saying "the team that played in game x", which is grand until you realise that the team that played in game x were all brilliant, but just had a bad day collectively.

So what about the worst performances by Ireland teams of all time.

Here are my three

Liechtenstein 1995
San Marion 2007
Cyprus 2006.

1-4 v Denmark at home in 1985
1-6 v Germany at home in 2012

Both wretched. Not some fluke where we couldn't score...but where we were just played off the pitch in front of Irish fans.

fryup

trinidad & tabago in the eoin hand days

RedemptionZ

It's hard to say because the strength of the squad has to be taken into account. But for me Cyprus. What a mess.

Dirty Dingus McGee

There was some match we played on a Wednesday at about 5pm and we wore an all orange jersey in around 97.I think Dennis Irwin conceded a penalty in the match for handball.

Can't remember who it was against or even the end result but the orange jersey always counjours up image of an horrific performance.

HalloweenJack

^^^Macedonia.

As I said in the other thread, the team that lost 5-2 to Cyprus.

Billy86

HalloweenJack wrote: »

As I said in the other thread, the team that lost 5-2 to Cyprus.

And it's not even close, even including Macedonia or Lichtenstein in my opinion. I've suppressed that match from my memory as much as possible, but if I recall we were lucky to get even two and they could well have had 7 or 8.

Arghus

I don't know about all time, but I do know about my time.

The draw with Lichtenstein is forever etched in my memory. My childhood was basically the time when the boys in green were a fairly good international outfit, so to see that sort of ineptitude and bad luck come together all at once was a bit of a shock.

Letting in five goals against Cyprus that time was a disgrace.

It wasn't the worst but I hated that 2-2 draw at home with Austria during the qualification campaign for the last World Cup. We'd done so well to come back from an early goal against us, to be leading 2-1. The last thirty minutes were absolute torture as Ireland retreated in Trappitonian fear and negativity deeper into their own half, inch by inch, foot by foot. It looked like we might just make it out with the win, which we were so cowardly that we didn't deserve. Then Alaba scored with a deflected screamer right at the death... It was so sickening because we'd looked good up to a point and then just bottled it and got a deserving sucker punch for good measure.

Arghus

Arghus wrote: »

It wasn't the worst but I hated that 2-2 draw at home with Austria during the qualification campaign for the last World Cup. We'd done so well to come back from an early goal against us, to be leading 2-1. The last thirty minutes were absolute torture as Ireland retreated in Trappitonian fear and negativity deeper into their own half, inch by inch, foot by foot. It looked like we might just make it out with the win, which we were so cowardly that we didn't deserve. Then Alaba scored with a deflected screamer right at the death... It was so sickening because we'd looked good up to a point and then just bottled it and got a deserving sucker punch for good measure.

That was a sickener.

The crowd baying for Sammon to be hauled off - he was dead on his feet - and bring Hoolahan on, someone who might put his foot on the ball and stop the wave after wave of attacks. So Trap obviously took off Long and put on Green, because he liked Green, Green was nice, Green had no imagination.

The_Kew_Tour

Cyprus 5-2 for me.

Macedonia 99 away hurts most though, even to this day

adaminho

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Macedonia 99 away hurts most though, even to this day

Don't the Ireland team have a bib for the worst trainer that says I've had a Macedonia?

JoeA3

adaminho wrote: »

Don't the Ireland team have a bib for the worst trainer that says I've had a Macedonia?

They definitely used to anyway in the McCarthy days.

LeBash

The Cypress game. I was at the match and on the way to the stadium the bus driver was saying they felt they had a good chance and I laughed inside. Staunton was a great player for Ireland but should never have been dropped into management. Was a sad seeing such a good career almost be over shadowed.

The lichtenstein game in 95 to me looked like the team were playing to make sure they had summer holidays.

Omackeral

Celtic losing to Lincoln Red Imps the other night.

kfallon

In the space of a week in '95 we lost 3-1 at home to Austria (we were 1 up) and then drew 0-0 away to Liechtenstein which basically ended our hopes of automatic qualification for Euro '96, that was a bad week.

Another one which prob only amounts to a 15 minute period was the 3-3 draw in Poland in '91, 3-1 up and controlling the game and a very experienced Ireland team collapsed in the last 15 minutes to draw the game. We took only 2 points from Poland in the qualifiers (drew 0-0 at home) and it ultimately meant that England went to Sweden and we stayed at home.

Fr Tod Umptious

Deleted User wrote: »

1-4 v Denmark at home in 1985
1-6 v Germany at home in 2012

Both wretched. Not some fluke where we couldn't score...but where we were just played off the pitch in front of Irish fans.

Yea 1-6 v Germany was up there with them.

But the Denmark game was a line in the sand.
It was Eoin Hands last game and Charlton took over the following spring, won the Icelandic tournament in the summer and the rest is history.

Iused2likebusts

The 0 0 draw with Egypt in 1990 was a dreadful performance. Of course there have been much worse results over the years. Back then we had a very strong team but jack had only one way of playing which of course was successful. I often felt he should have tweaked things a little bit against lesser sides. That game was one of the worst football matches of all time. Back then we had made the last 8 in euro 88 and very unlucky to not make the last 4. We also made the last 8 in Italian 90. We were a top 10 team in the world.

Brendan Filone

I found the match thread for the 5-2 defeat to Cyprus (with predictable responses):

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055000100&page=14

gimmick

Ya the Cyprus 5-2 is by far and away the worst ever.

ERG89

Oh the one against San Marino where we scored a winner in like the 95th minute. So much of that campaign under Stan was awful but that in particular stands out.

LuckyLloyd

We lost 0 - 6 against Austria in our last Euro 1972 qualifier, Liam Tuohy's first game in charge. We also lost 0 - 7 to Brazil in a friendly under Eoin Hand in 1982.

LiamoSail

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Cyprus 5-2 for me.

Macedonia 99 away hurts most though, even to this day

Was that the 3-1 game in the Orange away shirt when McAteer got sent off?

That's the one that immediately spring to mind, such a disappointment

kfallon

LiamoSail wrote: »

Was that the 3-1 game in the Orange away shirt when McAteer got sent off?

That's the one that immediately spring to mind, such a disappointment

Yeah the kung fu kick to the chest :eek:

Did it finish 3-2 in the end?

LuckyLloyd

Yes we lost 3 - 2 that day.

LuckyLloyd

All matches here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matches_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland_national_football_team

Personally feel the worst performance of the national team was in ending up in a playoff for Euro 1996. They took 13 of their first 15 points, before only managing 4 of the next 15 including a draw away at Liechtenstein. That was a terrible tailing off for a very good and experienced squad of players well capable of qualifying at the time.

kfallon

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

All matches here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matches_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland_national_football_team

Personally feel the worst performance of the national team was in ending up in a playoff for Euro 1996. They took 13 of their first 15 points, before only managing 4 of the next 15 including a draw away at Liechtenstein. That was a terrible tailing off for a very good and experienced squad of players well capable of qualifying at the time.

2 defeats to Austria and a draw with Liechtenstein in 3 games and I think we all knew in our hearts that Charlton's time was up. He couldn't get the team motivated and to be fair for some of the senior players it was probably a qualifying campaign too far.

Fr Tod Umptious

kfallon wrote: »

2 defeats to Austria and a draw with Liechtenstein in 3 games and I think we all knew in our hearts that Charlton's time was up. He couldn't get the team motivated and to be fair for some of the senior players it was probably a qualifying campaign too far.

And after all that NI did us a favour by beating Austria and giving us a spot in the playoff.

keeponhurling

Far from our worst ever probably, but Scotland away in the last campaign was a really poor performance.
Maybe our worst recent one

LuckyLloyd

keeponhurling wrote: »

Far from our worst ever probably, but Scotland away in the last campaign was a really poor performance.
Maybe our worst recent one

Jaysus, wasn't that bad a performance at all imo. We had a few chances and it was a hard fought battle the whole way through split by the one moment of real quality either side could muster.

The_Kew_Tour

LiamoSail wrote: »

Was that the 3-1 game in the Orange away shirt when McAteer got sent off?

That's the one that immediately spring to mind, such a disappointment

No the one we let goal in injury time for Ireland to lose Automatic qualification to Euro 2000.

It's not worst performance just the most hurtful in my opinion.

Billy86

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

We lost 0 - 6 against Austria in our last Euro 1972 qualifier, Liam Tuohy's first game in charge. We also lost 0 - 7 to Brazil in a friendly under Eoin Hand in 1982.

Neither come within a million miles of losing 5-2 to Cyprus in a competitive game, though. Good shouts for honourable mention all the same!

Ulysses Gaze

5-2 v Cyprus was just monumentally bad.

dfx-

It's San Marino and that equaliser. Three defenders vs one part time striker who scored while lying on the ground.

A great goal.

major bill

Few that stand out for me include

Iceland at home 0-0 world cup 1998 qualifying - Pure ****e

Malta away 3-2 Euro 2000 Qualifying - blame the heat but we were awful lucky to get the result in the end

Anytime we play Macedonia, the 3-2 defeat away in the high viz jersey and the 1-1 away

San Marino and Cyprus under Staunton

Germany 6-1 mauling under Trap

The two Scotland Games in the last qualifiers.

kksaints

dfx- wrote: »

It's San Marino and that equaliser. Three defenders vs one part time striker who scored while lying on the ground.

A great goal.

"Highlights" from a infamous match for Ireland.

Ferris_Bueller

Definitely not the worst performances but for some reason when I saw this thread the two draws with Israel in the world cup 2006 qualifiers popped into my head. They were bitterly disappointing having been ahead in both.

Billy86

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Definitely not the worst performances but for some reason when I saw this thread the two draws with Israel in the world cup 2006 qualifiers popped into my head. They were bitterly disappointing having been ahead in both.

Dudu is still A Twat.

Hammer Archer

Billy86 wrote: »

Dudu is still A Twat.

Probably the most disgraceful showing from both a player and referee in the game in Lansdowne. Still remember Auoate punching Andy O'Brien from behind, falling to the floor clutching his face and O'Brien somehow getting sent off. And bizarrely the appeal was thrown out.

But it has to be either the Cyprus or San Marino game.

Arghus

Hammer Archer wrote: »

Probably the most disgraceful showing from both a player and referee in the game in Lansdowne. Still remember Auoate punching Andy O'Brien from behind, falling to the floor clutching his face and O'Brien somehow getting sent off. And bizarrely the appeal was thrown out.

But it has to be either the Cyprus or San Marino game.

San Marino was bad, real bad, but at least they got a win.

We got nothing but embarrassment from Cyprus.

dfx-

kksaints wrote: »

"Highlights" from a infamous match for Ireland.

Even the commentator can't help but laugh as the replay shows the striker crawling along.:pac: