Denmark vs Ireland, World Cup Play-Off 1st Leg, kick-off 7.45, RTE 2 & Sky Sports

FixdePitchmark

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

Haha, well yeah that's a possibility too.

Either way, he's entertaining and very intelligent, he'd argue the night sky is blue just for the craic and win most arguments.

I'd have him over 99% of pundits out there any day.

Phil Neville, Shearer, Mills, etc, jaysus!

I like him too - would read or listen to him on anything.

He brings that artistic , touchy freely, voice of the nation aspect.

He is a bit gone in head a long time.

But a lovable rogue

DeanAustin

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

Haha, well yeah that's a possibility too.

Either way, he's entertaining and very intelligent, he'd argue the night sky is blue just for the craic and win most arguments.

I'd have him over 99% of pundits out there any day.

Phil Neville, Shearer, Mills, etc, jaysus!

I watch him for the entertainment factor but he’s a very very intelligent man and great at arguing.

I’ll never forget him arguing with Kenny Cunningham a while back. Destroyed him and the funny thing was, I thought Dunphy was completely wrong. He did likewise with Darragh Maloney over Noel King and Souness over England.

He’s no fool.

One_Of_Shanks

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

We had a shot heading for goal that hit keepers shoulder, we had a clear cut chance dropped on a plate from a free kick in front of goal and mis-kicked it we had a free header from a corner that flew into hands of keeper, on another night this could have been 3-1 .

The only really clear cut chance of the game was yer man Sisko or Sisto or whatever he's called.
That was a sitter.

Other than that mostly nothing that would suggest a 4 goal game mate.

Fair result imo. But Denmark probably feeling they should have scraped it and would be hard to argue with that too.

Berserker

Poor fare tonight lads, from the bits I watched and I think it's gonna be more of the same in the second leg. You can't afford to concede at home. Wouldn't surprise me if it went to penalties.

keeponhurling wrote: »

We played well at home to Serbia in a must win game, with Meyler and Wes.
We might do it again.

I thought you lost at home to Serbia?

Potential Underachiever

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Meyler a massive bonus

Have they got anyone coming back ?

Tell me you've changed your username, I've always read it as FixedPitchmark, why am I only seeing it as Fixde tonight?

nbar12

PhuckHugh wrote: »

Super performance. We will beat them 2-0 Tuesday.

I wish I had your optimism. Could only muster 2/9 points at home against Serbia, Austria & Wales. 
What makes you think we can beat the Danes 2 nil?
Give me some of those drugs you've taken, sound.

Kermit.de.frog

When Lansdowne was a kip it was much more favorable for Ireland.

FixdePitchmark

osarusan wrote: »

It would be a good result if there was a sense that we planned to really have a go at them in the home leg, but I imagine the second leg will be a 'keep it tight and contain' job also.

To get to the world cup we either win on penalties or score more goals, and I cannot see where those goals are going to come from when we play that way.

I know we can't score.

But if we just get a set piece , then a goal when they are chasing we are in World cup.

After the group we had -
where we were with 2 games to go in group.

A match at home against one of worse teams in playoffs at 0-0
I'd bite the hand off ya.

Imagine facing away in Italy
Croatia
even Sweden

Being realistic - we are a very limited team , who have no right to make world cup.

A playoff against them at home - bring it on.

I genuinely think if we press hard fast and kick lumps out of them, we could take them. Crowd etc.

I'm just saying - I'd take it a year ago.

FixdePitchmark

Potential Underachiever wrote: »

Tell me you've changed your username, I've always read it as FixedPitchmark, why am I only seeing it as Fixde tonight?

I know - a hidden trick , a sort of Dublin twist on it.

briany

Berserker wrote: »

I thought you lost at home to Serbia?

Sounded like a sarcastic comment, to me, mocking the calls to bring on Hoolahan, and play with a bit more of an attacking mindset. A 0-1 is where all that got the team against Serbia in Dublin. No-one remembers or cares about games where Ireland played well and still lost. Certainly not a month or more after the fact.

Kermit.de.frog

osarusan wrote: »

To get to the world cup we either win on penalties or score more goals, and I cannot see where those goals are going to come from when we play that way.

Chicken and egg. O'Neill and Keane work with the players. They have judged, rightly or wrongly, we don't have the players and if we tried to play the continental teams at their own game we would get trashed.

One_Of_Shanks

DeanAustin wrote: »

I watch him for the entertainment factor but he’s a very very intelligent man and great at arguing.

I’ll never forget him arguing with Kenny Cunningham a while back. Destroyed him and the funny thing was, I thought Dunphy was completely wrong. He did likewise with Darragh Maloney over Noel King and Souness over England.

He’s no fool.

100% right fella.

He's highly intelligent and he'd destroy most people in any sort of debate.
Not just limited to football either.

I don't think he even cares which side of a debate he's on, he'd win.

I've huge respect for him. He has a great brain and I think sometimes he gets bored and goes for controversy and enjoys a giggle about the reaction it causes.
But yeah, he's certainly no fool.

The Talking Bread

Berserker wrote: »

Poor fare tonight lads, from the bits I watched and I think it's gonna be more of the same in the second leg. You can't afford to concede at home. Wouldn't surprise me if it went to penalties.



I thought you lost at home to Serbia?

We were the better team on the night against Serbia

Wales were the better team against us in Cardiff

Sometimes results aren't black and white just because you are home or away or just because you were the better team on the night.

ebbsy

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Tony o'Donoghue to danish manager

'' it's advantage Denmark now isn't it ''

go wan say it ,, say it , say it , it is isn't is, say it

What a fcking dick.

Tony is a gob****e.

We have sucked the life out of them 1-0 win on Tuesday.

theballz

Eriksen is useless

Kermit.de.frog

The Talking Bread wrote: »

We were the better team on the night against Serbia

Do you want to be the "better" team or do you want to win?

Let's face it we'll have to endure the nerves if we want to qualify on Tuesday cause it ain't changing now!

We'll go 1 - 0 up and sit back the rest of the game and ride our luck again.

Mokuba

Our performances in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign were almost identical - does nobody remember the horror show that was Scotland away? Scotland at home was dire, we struggled past Georgia home and away, Poland away was crap, and at home wasn't much better. Germany home = Wales away.

We played the same stuff last time, we went away from home last time and got a draw in the play-off and then we came back to Dublin and won.

We went to the Euros and we were the better team against Sweden, we deserved our win v Italy and we produced a heroic performance against possibly the best side in the world, losing out narrowly (in terms of pure talent at least).

We could go back to the Bosnia game thread and see the exact same stuff being written. It's crazy how similarly it has all panned out so far. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and I'm confident if we make the World Cup we will do ourselves proud.

The Talking Bread

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Do you want to be the "better" team or do you want to win?

.

Completely not the point I made. Maybe read it again.

fryup

we play....what i call....territory football

work our way up the pitch with free kicks, throw in's, header's on

and its quite frankly caveman..but its effective (against certain teams)

allthedoyles

Last match Hoolahan played for the Republic he gave a man-of-the-match performance .
Why has he been left out of the last few matches ?

keeponhurling

briany wrote: »

Berserker wrote: »

I thought you lost at home to Serbia?

Sounded like a sarcastic comment, to me, mocking the calls to bring on Hoolahan, and play with a bit more of an attacking mindset. A 0-1 is where all that got the team against Serbia in Dublin. No-one remembers or cares about games where Ireland played well and still lost. Certainly not a month or more after the fact.

It wasn't sarcastic. We played really well and were unlucky to lose. And even though we lost, our midfield played very well.

Main point was that MON might try something different, and it's not impossible that Meyler and Wes could start.

Berserker

theballz wrote: »

Eriksen is useless

A comment like that could come back to bite you in the bum.

Francie Barrett

Berserker wrote: »

A comment like that could come back to bite you in the bum.

And it probably will too. Thanks a lot.

The Talking Bread

allthedoyles wrote: »

Last match Hoolahan played for the Republic he gave a man-of-the-match performance .
Why has he been left out of the last few matches ?

Murphy was MOTM against Moldova, but Wes was the most influential player if that is what you mean. Different type of game though to be fair.

One_Of_Shanks

theballz wrote: »

Eriksen is useless

Eriksen is a cracker of a player.

It's a compliment to how well Ireland defended that someone would watch tonight's game and declare Eriksen to be "useless".

But he's a smashing player and I would be much happier if he wasn't playing next Tuesday.

Hoolihan is Ireland's most gifted attacking/creative player.

Yet being honest I'd love it if we could swap him for Eriksen.

Yer wrong about Eriksen. And he might come back to haunt us yet.

NIMAN

allthedoyles wrote: »

Last match Hoolahan played for the Republic he gave a man-of-the-match performance .
Why has he been left out of the last few matches ?

I'd guess MON was going for a 0-0 tonight, and thought that if he played Wes tonight he wouldn't be fully capable of playing on Tue night.

So plan was to get 0-0 tonight and bring in some better players on Tue.

Stephen15

I do think to tonight was a case of it could have been better and it could been worse, a big improvement is needed going into Tuesday nights game however.

I do think we will be the happier of the two sides going after tonights game. Denmark failed to capitalise on a number of key chances which will hopefully come back to bite them.

allthedoyles

NIMAN wrote: »

I'd guess MON was going for a 0-0 tonight, and thought that if he played Wes tonight he wouldn't be fully capable of playing on Tue night.

So plan was to get 0-0 tonight and bring in some better players on Tue.

Hope you are right - but when you see the players he brought on at the end I think it doesn't bode well for Wes

The Talking Bread

keeponhurling wrote: »

It wasn't sarcastic. We played really well and were unlucky to lose. And even though we lost, our midfield played very well.

Main point was that MON might try something different, and it's not impossible that Meyler and Wes could start.

Meyler will definitely start, probably Long also (and he deserves to, showed how NB he could possibly be when he did come on...Murphy doesn't have the speed to chase the sort of balls we play out and he forces a lot of fouls by holding the ball up with back to ball awaiting support)

Toss up between Arter and Wes

RicketyCricket

allthedoyles wrote: »

Last match Hoolahan played for the Republic he gave a man-of-the-match performance .
Why has he been left out of the last few matches ?

He's 35. He plays for Norwich in the Championship and has only made 7 or 8 appearances this season. Wes has not got the legs for it anymore and the fact we are constantly pining for him worries me for the future of Irish football.

NIMAN

He's like our Messi the way some folk talk about him.

dastardly00

fryup wrote: »

we play....what i call....territory football

work our way up the pitch with free kicks, throw in's, header's on

and its quite frankly caveman..but its effective (against certain teams)

Similar enough to rugby when a team starts kicking for the territory rather than keeping the ball, running at the opposition and passing the ball.

At one stage tonight I thought we were actually deliberately kicking for the corners of the pitch!

One_Of_Shanks

NIMAN wrote: »

I'd guess MON was going for a 0-0 tonight, and thought that if he played Wes tonight he wouldn't be fully capable of playing on Tue night.

So plan was to get 0-0 tonight and bring in some better players on Tue.

Yeah agreed, but he still wont start Wes Tuesday. Long will start alright, yeah. Wes won't.

Wes off the bench around 60 mins if still 0-0 would be my guess.

It's O'Neill. Safety first.

NIMAN

It was like we were having a competition to see who could kick it the furthest.

ThunbergsAreGo

RicketyCricket wrote: »

He's 35. He plays for Norwich in the Championship and has only made 7 or 8 appearances this season. Wes has not got the legs for it anymore and the fact we are constantly pining for him worries me for the future of Irish football.

And the management think Robbie Brady is a better player

One_Of_Shanks

RicketyCricket wrote: »

Wes has not got the legs for it anymore and the fact we are constantly pining for him worries me for the future of Irish football.

People aren't really pining for him. They're pining for a creative player who can create something from nothing.

Sadly there is a dearth of players who have that capability in that position available for Ireland.

And that's why people talk about him so much.

gormdubhgorm

Can't stick that RTE panel at this stage.
They are turning into a pardoy of themselves.
That type of play gets results with very limited players against more technical players.
Even Denmark have decided that tippy tappy pretty football was not going to qualify them for tournaments.
And now go and get the points to qualify for a major tournaments a more direct route which Duff admitted suits thier players.

The panel are in a state of denial. None of them have mentioned that all the managers since McCarthy have played this way for what reason?

Because it is the only way the players can get results. None of the panel are managers because they are in dreamland. Head in the clouds and talking like an opposition party in the dail we would do xyz...

How long did Dunphy last as a manager with his Shamrock Rovers dream?
How long did Brady last at Celtic?
Has Duff ever managed?

Look at the players and Hoolahan is not Iniesta for f**ks sake!

The one that really annoyed me was when it was said by Mr 'Tired and emotional'

'How can Roy Keane and Martin O'Neill let Ireland play that way? Martin and Roy were great players... who played football the right way'

When the answers were bleeding obvious.
1) There are no equivalent players to MON or Roy Keane in the Irish team.
2) MON and Roy Keanes objective is to qualify for competitions to do this they have to set the team out in the most effective way to qualify


I get the impression that the RTE panel want to see football played 'the right way' but not qualify for tournaments. Like in Eoin Hand's era.

Of course Dunphy STILL slated him as well!

RicketyCricket

naughtb4 wrote: »

And the management think Robbie Brady is a better player

The management also think sitting back for 90 minutes and hoping for a break is a good tactic for every game. Let these players play!

johnpatrick81

Wes Hoolahan would have been about as useful as a chocolate tea pot in that match.

If he gets 60 or even 45 minutes Tuesday he could make a big impact for sure. Tonight? Would have been a waste.

keeponhurling

The Talking Bread wrote: »

Toss up between Arter and Wes

Frustrates me a bit how cheaply Arter gives the ball away sometimes, for a premier league midfielder.
I can forgive the back 4 for sometimes hoofing it away cos their job is to defend , but second half tonight we were poor enough.

Banjaxed82

Tuesday needs a fundamental shift. Wes has to play.

If it reaches a point where Wes is coming off the bench, I think unfortunately the race will already have been run.

fryup

thought the black guy Sisto was the best player on the pitch, even though he missed a sitter

wonder will he be replaced with Bentner on tuesday?

johnpatrick81

One thing that annoyed me bigtime was Clarke repeatedly fouling them when we had set pieces. Brainless.

gormdubhgorm

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

People aren't really pining for him. They're pining for a creative player who can create something from nothing.

Sadly there is a dearth of players who have that capability in that position available for Ireland.

And that's why people talk about him so much.

Newsflash Wes Hoolahan is an average player in his mid 30s who can't run can't track back, plays for Norwich and has low stamina (he admitted the latter himself)

If he was as good as people make out he would not be playing for Norwich.

Also Hendrick and Brady were supposed to be the next great things but yet they are superseded yet again by a fella in his mid 30s who did not even play!

Banjaxed82

johnpatrick81 wrote: »

Wes Hoolahan would have been about as useful as a chocolate tea pot in that match.

If he gets 60 or even 45 minutes Tuesday he could make a big impact for sure. Tonight? Would have been a waste.

Really? Unlike the rest of the team, Hoolahan wouldn't have been hoofing the ball away in a panic, I can guarantee you that.

That would have been progress enough.

loudnoises89

Well if we fail to qualify, inevitably Wes will retire at his age. Who will be Dunphys new messiah then?

Kermit.de.frog

fryup wrote: »

thought the black guy Sisto Christie was the best player on the pitch, even though he missed a sitter

gormdubhgorm

RicketyCricket wrote: »

The management also think sitting back for 90 minutes and hoping for a break is a good tactic for every game. Let these players play!

St annes park would be the furthest they would end up playing if that was done.

Then there would be all this talk of moral victories etc

Arghus

I don't think the argument is that Wes is a footballing genius. He is a thirtysomething playing in The Championship.

But there's no denying that he brings something to the team when he's on the field, that, for whatever reason, no other player in the squad seems able to do. He always tries to do something creative with the ball and the other players respond and show for it, make runs etc, etc. Whatever about how good he may or not be, there's no denying that he has an influence on the team.

johnpatrick81

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

Really? Unlike the rest of the team, Hoolahan wouldn't have been hoofing the ball away in a panic, I can guarantee you that.

That would have been progress enough.

The plan was clearly to get a 0-0. We were never gonna risk men forward, so unless Wessi was gonna walk through them himself, his composure would have been wasted. Better saved for Tuesday.