Robbie Keane announces international retirement

Howard the Duck

Coat22 wrote: »

"Irish football" LOL - international football is nothing to do with "Irish Football". I used to go to international games in the late 80s when there were 14,000 at games in Lansdowne Road on a Wednesday afternoon before we qualified for Euro 88 and became every eejits "passion" in Italia 90. I stopped going when the Ole Ole crowd such as yourself took over and every defeat and draw with the Israels of this world became a "deadly effort".

Probably why they stopped playing games on Wednesday afternoons.

Laois_Man

Howard the Duck wrote: »

Probably why they stopped playing games on Wednesday afternoons.

More to do with Landsdowne Road not having floodlights back then.

Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck wrote: »

Probably why they stopped playing games on Wednesday afternoons.

Have to say, was at the games in LR for the Euro 88 qualifiers and they seemed pretty full. I can remember the Scotland, Belgium and Bulgaria games anyway.

I think, like the whole under 9s story, we may have been told a few likkel fibs by Coat.

Bless him, the one time he popped out of the ManYooooo forums to talk about Irish football...and unfortunately he got it all wrong...

Laois_Man

Just for the record:

Ireland 0-0 Scotland - Attendance 48,000
Ireland 0-0 Belgium - Attendance 49,000
Ireland 2–1 Luxembourg - Attendance 18,000
Ireland 2–0 Bulgaria - Attendance 26,000

Source

Laois_Man

Laois_Man wrote: »

Just for the record:

Ireland 0-0 Scotland - Attendance 48,000
Ireland 0-0 Belgium - Attendance 49,000
Ireland 2–1 Luxembourg - Attendance 18,000
Ireland 2–0 Bulgaria - Attendance 26,000

Source

Uh oh.

Coats? COATS? Could someone go and find Coats. Tell him we want to ask him about the figure of 14,000 for qualifiers before Euro 88...

I actually didn't realise the attendance for the home game against Bulgaria was so much lower than the Belgium and Scotland games.

SEPT 23 1989

my father took me out of school to watch those matches

never remember it not being dangerously full

Captain Havoc

Robbie Keane is only a couple of months older than me. He's the last of my my childhood heroes still going and now he's retiring. I remember being in Lansdowne Road the day he got his first two goals. There were also the moments I wasn't there for, the goals against Germany, Saudi Arabia and the penalty against Spain in 2002. In the run up to that World Cup, he scored a header against the Dutch and in the 2 - 0 playoff win against Iran. He would later score three more in playoff games, in the infamous game in Paris and two against Estonia in 2011. I loved that goal against Spain, penalties are rarely glamorous, Hartey had already missed a penalty but Robbie stepped up. I was the only paddy amongst a thousand Spaniards that day, they knew they were lucky. I hope to see one more cartwheel next Wednesday, Robbie Keane has been inspirational servant for Ireland, he's always showed up and given 100%. Not the flashiest of players, which is why I always felt he was underrated but he always let his goals do the talking, he had one job, score goals and he did so well for 17 years.

Bounty Hunter

Has anyone used the word Legend to describe Robbie yet...

Legend.





Obviously it didn't work out with the change of coach when he was signed but I also liked how He moved to Inter Milan. I mean he was only 1 year in the premiership and signed by a team that already had Ronaldo up front.

Coat22

Deleted User wrote: »

Laois_Man wrote: »

Just for the record:

Ireland 0-0 Scotland - Attendance 48,000
Ireland 0-0 Belgium - Attendance 49,000
Ireland 2 1 Luxembourg - Attendance 18,000
Ireland 2 0 Bulgaria - Attendance 26,000

Source

Uh oh.

Coats? COATS? Could someone go and find Coats. Tell him we want to ask him about the figure of 14,000 for qualifiers before Euro 88...

I actually didn't realise the attendance for the home game against Bulgaria was so much lower than the Belgium and Scotland games.

Not sure I said Euro 88 qualifiers but I was at the latter 2 and ok - it was 18k and 26k (was also at friendlies v Romania and other where 14k was the norm. A big step from the post Euro 88 full houses when we needed to queue overnight outside Ray Treacys travel shop to get tickets (a competitive game against Scotland will always get a full house and that Belgium team had just been in the WC semi final)

So whats your point exactly? That I'm lying that I wasn't at games in a half empty Lansdowne before Euro 88?

Jayop

Perhaps not the greatest player ever from Ireland but 100% Ireland greatest player. What a record and the dedication he showed was unbelievable especially after going to LA to keep coming back.

Coat22

Coat22 wrote: »

So whats your point exactly? That I'm lying that I wasn't at games in a half empty Lansdowne before Euro 88?

The point is that, when you took a break from the ManYoooooo stuff to tell me that you were a much bigger Irish supporter than me before we qualified for Euro 88...

Coat22 wrote: »

I stopped going when the Ole Ole crowd such as yourself took over...

...you were amusingly wrong.

Either way, you still avoided my question. When was the last time you posted about the game at any level in Ireland?

Ferris_Bueller

What a career he has had in a green jersey, don't think we will ever see the likes of him again in our lifetimes anyway. Scored a ridiculous amount of goals for us and his goal against Germany is one that will be remembered and shown for years to come. Hope he gets a great send off on Wednesday night and how nice would it be if he could end it all with one more goal.