Republic of Ireland Team Talk/News/Rumours 2020/2021 - see Mod Note in OP [18/11/20]

ShamNNspace

briany wrote: »

The most galling thing about that result was that the next day, I think, an ailing Bobby Robson had to go on Liveline to explain the result and answer the questions of irate callers. It seems ridiculous now. I'm sure it seemed ridiculous then as well, but a bit less so because people still expected a bit more of the Irish team.

I remember it well, a permanent stain on the fai for sending that great football man and gentleman into that lions den, the cowards whoever coaxed Bobby to go on that show, what a friggin shower

LuckyLloyd

He’s been retained

tayto lover

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

He’s been retained

Who?

The_Kew_Tour

sugarman wrote: »

Its up there.

But the worst for me has to be Macedonia in '99.

Final group game.

Leading one 1-0 into injury time.

3 minutes added.

Corner in 93rd minute.

1-1 bullet header with last move of the game.

Would have topped the group and qualified for Euro 2000 automatically had we won.

In lot of ways I'm still not over that game, even 22 years on

Augme

Oat23 wrote: »

They typify the type of Irish fan who sat back and let Delaney run wild for the past 15 years and run us into the ground, but when it comes time to reap what they let his FAI sow they are full of nothing but complaints..

It was actually the LOI type of fans who went to games who have out us in this position more than any other type of fan tbf.

Augme

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

He’s been retained

Given the financial situation if the FAI were people expecting any different?

Azatadine

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

In lot of ways I'm still not over that game, even 22 years on

I think that was one of the greatest kicks in the stomach results ever. Alan Kelly made a great save which resulted in the corner that they scored from. It was the last action of the game. Such a kick in the teeth....

Last nights result was worse though.

Citizenpain

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

In lot of ways I'm still not over that game, even 22 years on

Awful jersey too

Ferris_Bueller

Hard to say anything that hasn't been said already, it was a disaster of a result, a very poor performance with few positives and Irish football is in a very bad place with no easy way out.

While I can definitely understand the criticism of Kenny, we cannot blame the state of Irish football on one man who has been in charge of the senior team for 6 months. There have been numerous warning signs and terrible results over the last few years; Losing 1-5 to Denmark, two terrible nations league campaigns, scraping wins against Gibraltar, two draws with Georgia we were played off the pitch.

Sacking him now won't achieve anything. It would be again trying to paper over the cracks. It's hard to say with any confidence that he is the man to take us forward but I'd give him the remainder of the campaign to at least try and make a bit of progress. We need to take a long hard look in the mirror if we are to fix where we are at. Players need to step up to the plate and stop shirking responsibility, fans need to be patient and be realistic where we are. Too many are happy following their beloved Liverpools and Man Utds then tune in for 90 mins every few months and complain how bad we are. The FAI need to seriously plan how to take advantage of the new Brexit regulations and get our own house in order when it comes to developing players.

It is easy to blame Kenny, get a new manager in and rinse and repeat. He might not be the solution to all of our problems but it would be foolish to pin all of the blame on him and you are codding yourself if you think sacking him and getting a new man in will fix things.

Worztron

~Rebel~ wrote: »

I think it’s one of those things where it’ll take the fullness of time to really tell. Perhaps our worst home result though.

But for me both Macedonia and Cyprus are still much worse, particularly when you look at the players available for those Irish sides back then.

Perhaps it was Luxembourg's best result ever.

Worztron

sugarman wrote: »

... But the worst for me has to be Macedonia in '99. ...

I still remember that night - it was stomach turning stuff at the end.

Annabella1

Definitely dreaming !
But would love Chris Wilder

FixdePitchmark

Said I'd stick it up for nostalgic reason - I do recall the details now as I watched it. But they were gone. Long time ago.
Bizarre game - but is this the one (or there is another one that was 1-1)

Did you smash it

Irish football is some nest of vipers.

Videogate, Robbie Keane’s contract, McCarthy’s bonuses, Delaney (needs its own paragraph), senior team is so bad I don’t really think we should be that surprised that we are losing to Luxembourg, no sponsor, fai debt between 70-100 million, Aviva may be fully owned by the IRFU by 2040, dalymount a half condemned ruin.

Azatadine

Christ.... McAteer.....that was assault!

briany

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Said I'd stick it up for nostalgic reason - I do recall the details now as I watched it. But they were gone. Long time ago.
Bizarre game - but is this the one (or there is another one that was 1-1)

Worse than the result, that jersey was a travesty, a day-glow abortion. The same way when you look at a strong light, you get those floaters in your vision for a little bit, maybe that jersey had the same effect, impairing the players' ability to see and therefore leak crucial goals.

Francie Barrett

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

He’s been retained

We really have very little other choice.

If we sack him now, we've not really given him a fair crack at the job. Also, it's not like any decent manager out there who'd be willing take over a qualification campaign that's dead in the water.

The situation isn't completely unsalvageable. If we can win the three remaining games against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg, that might buy Kenny some more time. If we can get a result against Serbia or Portugal, that would probably be enough to get him a chance at the Euro's.

I think we'll know where we are with Kenny by the end of the September/October internationals. I just hope that he can at least have something that is close to a full strength squad to give him every chance at keeping his job.

FixdePitchmark

Was thinking about the Macedonia stuff - with the benefit of a significant amount of time for reflection (what 20 odd years).
Obviously them games had more of an impact - and we had a proper team that was on the route to qualifying.

But they were away games - in an awkward places to go to - against a team (even in the clips) - playing unbelievably passionate and just coming out of a regional war. We were a bit arrogant about Macedonia after the game ("I had a Macedonia")

That region has an incredible history and very developed soccer history.

Yes - the impact on us as a top team was no doubt. But you put could forward a good argument that last night is worse considering the size of Luxembourg and their historical results.

Looked up their historical world ranking - and yes - far superior team historically and at the time of playing.

DM_7

His legacy is damaged every day he is on that contract but Robbie Keane's record with Ireland was extraordinary. We see teams like Wales propped up by a guy like Bale now but Ireland had something like that with Keane.

Lewandowski is just behind him now but look where he sits with his record.

https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1376261943690985472?s=19

Keane is 6th in Euro history while Shane Long is 7th in Ireland's list with 17 goals (2nd got 21).

briany

Only a pity for Keane that some of his prime years were spent under Trapattoni, having to chase down long balls and flapping his arms in frustration. He was much more of a goal poacher than a lad who could take and hold up those types of balls. Back when the team had Keane and Duff in the side, and even the likes of Kilbane on the wing - now there was a side who could have played a bit of passing football.

Five Eighth

My biggest memory of being absolutely gutted was the 1981 World Cup qualifier v Belgium. We had a perfectly good goal disallowed and then in the 88th up popped Jan Ceulemans to score the winner. We lost out on qualification on goal difference.

Have a read.

http://www.balls.ie/football/how-the-greatest-irish-team-never-to-qualify-were-robbed/281893

ballsymchugh

I'd love to know why people think it's our right to qualify for our first world cup since 2002 with a team that is at its lowest in terms of quality for a hell of a long time. is it because the aviva is a big stadium??
Remember this team should have been relegated to division 3 of the nations league after MoN, only got a playoff to the Euros because the other 2 teams in the nations league qualified via their own groups.
We scored 7 goals in the last euro qualifiers, 3 in total against Gibraltar. the 2 goals at home included an own goal. hoof and hope didn't work then, so why wouldn't the manager try and change it.

we are missing players in the mid 20s. for some reason, older players have the likes of brady and hendrick who haven't played a decent game since 2016, shane long who for some reason only scores once in a blue moon, doherty hardly broke a sweat playing. as mentioned before on the thread, hendrick just isn't interested any more. mcclean has seemed headless for a good while, the match in geneva being a really low point. he gave everything in the world cup 2018 qualifiers but just seemed brutal since. he just can't cross but always feckin wants to.

the young players look like they would run through a brick wall for the team but they need older players to look up to, not exactly the ones we have right now. there's only so much Seamus Coleman can do

we might get a break where we have no injuries. hourihane might play as well for ireland as he is at club level. some forward, just one, might start scoring at a decent rate that taking a shot in international football won't phase them. that won't be Shane Long though. there's only so many times he can head the ball straight at the goalie.

when Dara O'Shea, Knight, Molumby, Cullen etc are all in their late 20s, I think we'll have a cracking team, as long as they keep going.

TheCitizen

ballsymchugh wrote: »

I'd love to know why people think it's our right to qualify for our first world cup since 2002 with a team that is at its lowest in terms of quality for a hell of a long time. is it because the aviva is a big stadium??
Remember this team should have been relegated to division 3 of the nations league after MoN, only got a playoff to the Euros because the other 2 teams in the nations league qualified via their own groups.
We scored 7 goals in the last euro qualifiers, 3 in total against Gibraltar. the 2 goals at home included an own goal. hoof and hope didn't work then, so why wouldn't the manager try and change it.

we are missing players in the mid 20s. for some reason, older players have the likes of brady and hendrick who haven't played a decent game since 2016, shane long who for some reason only scores once in a blue moon, doherty hardly broke a sweat playing. as mentioned before on the thread, hendrick just isn't interested any more. mcclean has seemed headless for a good while, the match in geneva being a really low point. he gave everything in the world cup 2018 qualifiers but just seemed brutal since. he just can't cross but always feckin wants to.

the young players look like they would run through a brick wall for the team but they need older players to look up to, not exactly the ones we have right now. there's only so much Seamus Coleman can do

we might get a break where we have no injuries. hourihane might play as well for ireland as he is at club level. some forward, just one, might start scoring at a decent rate that taking a shot in international football won't phase them. that won't be Shane Long though. there's only so many times he can head the ball straight at the goalie.

when Dara O'Shea, Knight, Molumby, Cullen etc are all in their late 20s, I think we'll have a cracking team, as long as they keep going.

I don’t think anyone on here expected us to qualify for the Qatar World Cup. Some of us expect to beat Luxembourg though, because we have better players than Luxembourg do.

Citizenpain

sugarman wrote: »

Wrong Macedonia game, that was '97.

I’d blocked it out . That game before it was also sickening against Croatia . Suker goal in injury time to win .

briany

Citizenpain wrote: »

I’d blocked it out . That game before it was also sickening against Croatia . Suker goal in injury time to win .

I forget the paper - possibly the Herald - where the headline the next day simply read, 'SUKER PUNCH'.

FixdePitchmark

By the way - just so we can soften the blow - there was not a chance in hell this team were qualifying - I don't think many people know that even in 2nd - it is very hard to qualify - Europe is losing ground all the time in places to very poor teams from other parts of the World - Bring back Blatter and Platini . "Could we be team 33" .



Play-off stage: The 10 group runners-up would be joined by the best 2 Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group. These 12 teams will be drawn into three play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals and finals, with the home teams to be drawn), with the 3 path winners qualifying for the World Cup.

Gavlor

In terms of grassroots numbers football is huge in Ireland. The problem is the amount of elite level athletes that choose football as their number one sport when push comes to shove. Look at the amount of top class, technically gifted footballers and brilliant athletes that we lose to gaa and to a lesser extent egg chasing. Imagine if those boys were fully committed to soccer?

Football generally gets the guys that aren’t good enough to be the star player for their gaa club. Hopefully the work being done by the fai at elite grass roots level will start to attract more of the tier 1 talent.

No other European country of our size has to compete with gaa and rugby for elite level athletes and I see that as the main issue facing the the national team from a footballing perspective.

Girly Gal

Gavlor wrote: »

In terms of grassroots numbers football is huge in Ireland. The problem is the amount of elite level athletes that choose football as their number one sport when push comes to shove. Look at the amount of top class, technically gifted footballers and brilliant athletes that we lose to gaa and to a lesser extent egg chasing. Imagine if those boys were fully committed to soccer?

Football generally gets the guys that aren’t good enough to be the star player for their gaa club. Hopefully the work being done by the fai at elite grass roots level will start to attract more of the tier 1 talent.

No other European country of our size has to compete with gaa and rugby for elite level athletes and I see that as the main issue facing the the national team from a footballing perspective.

That's always been the case, given that the numbers playing the game is much higher now than say 30 years ago it should mean more players should come through at elite level, but, that's not happening

rob316

What is the obsession with playing "good" football, it's all about winning at this level. The irony of the supporters that we hold charlton in such high regard, a manager who had a fine group of players and still kicked it high and long. Trap hounded out for the style of football. The players just aren't there either, is there a football association in europe that supports their domestic league worse than ours? In spite of the fai teams like dundalk have exceeded expectations consistently.

noodler

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

By the way - just so we can soften the blow - there was not a chance in hell this team were qualifying - I don't think many people know that even in 2nd - it is very hard to qualify - Europe is losing ground all the time in places to very poor teams from other parts of the World - Bring back Blatter and Platini . "Could we be team 33" .



Play-off stage: The 10 group runners-up would be joined by the best 2 Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group. These 12 teams will be drawn into three play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals and finals, with the home teams to be drawn), with the 3 path winners qualifying for the World Cup.

That's a ****ing joke tbf.

10 runners up and only three places between them.

Sooner the WC is expanded the better for me.

Gavlor

Girly Gal wrote: »

That's always been the case, given that the numbers playing the game is much higher now than say 30 years ago it should mean more players should come through at elite level, but, that's not happening

There’s never been an elite programme in Ireland until recently.

ballsymchugh

TheCitizen wrote: »

I don’t think anyone on here expected us to qualify for the Qatar World Cup. Some of us expect to beat Luxembourg though, because we have better players than Luxembourg do.

Given the last few campaigns, we shouldn't be surprised. We've had trouble with teams below us in groups. Just about beating or drawing with Georgia, just about beating Gibraltar. A result like last night shouldn't be unexpected once in a while.
yes, we should be beating these teams but that's not always guaranteed.

atilladehun

rob316 wrote: »

What is the obsession with playing "good" football, it's all about winning at this level. The irony of the supporters that we hold charlton in such high regard, a manager who had a fine group of players and still kicked it high and long. Trap hounded out for the style of football. The players just aren't there either, is there a football association in europe that supports their domestic league worse than ours? In spite of the fai teams like dundalk have exceeded expectations consistently.

Trap and Charlton played quite differently. Defensively Charlton had a press while traps team sat in a bank. Charlton allowed more players to join the attack once position was established, trap was more reluctant.

FixdePitchmark

noodler wrote: »

That's a ****ing joke tbf.

10 runners up and only three places between them.

Sooner the WC is expanded the better for me.

Well - we have the worst team ever going in - but when I seen Portugal in our group I looked above up and said - ok - we can't get in anyway. It isn't even a playoff.

Europe is a nightmare now. Big teams will drop , never mind us a 3rd / 4th tier team (in realty)

The_Kew_Tour

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Well - we have the worst team ever going in - but when I seen Portugal in our group I looked above up and said - ok - we can't get in anyway. It isn't even a playoff.

Europe is a nightmare now. Big teams will drop , never mind us a 3rd / 4th tier team (in realty)

I agree.

4 teams fighting out for 1 place in the playoff is tough now.

Be good few decent teams at home for next December

Blanco100

Gavlor wrote: »

In terms of grassroots numbers football is huge in Ireland. The problem is the amount of elite level athletes that choose football as their number one sport when push comes to shove. Look at the amount of top class, technically gifted footballers and brilliant athletes that we lose to gaa and to a lesser extent egg chasing. Imagine if those boys were fully committed to soccer?

Football generally gets the guys that aren’t good enough to be the star player for their gaa club. Hopefully the work being done by the fai at elite grass roots level will start to attract more of the tier 1 talent.

No other European country of our size has to compete with gaa and rugby for elite level athletes and I see that as the main issue facing the the national team from a footballing perspective.

Football gets the lads who aren't good enough for GAA? What a load of rubbish.

Quite the opposite, if you are a good soccer player you will do well in GAA (Maybe size is more an issue) but a know some serious GAA players who are absolutely crap soccer players. Soccer is a far more technically nuanced game.

If you are 6 foot plus, honest and athletic you will excell at GAA.

I'll say this though, senior GAA teams prob do more training than elite level under 15s and 16s in this country.

Dig deeper, there's damn all tradition in schoolboy football here. The aim is to get to England.

GAA have their Hogan Cup, Rugby has their senior Cup. I said it before, the contact hours in soccer where the elite players train with each other in this country is shameful. And won't improve without a national academy, which in turn won't happen given the dire financial situation.

It's a hobby sport, as is most GAA and Rugby for what it's worth, easier to make the cut in those sports as there is usually a team for everyone.

In soccer, schoolboy football is run like fiefdoms of a select few, who reject any thought of joined up thinking, not wanting to surrender any "power" they have got.

The schoolboy leagues have rejected nearly every FAI recommendation Ruud Dokther put forward. It's almost like boxing with various sanctioning bodies at this stage, the amount of different schoolboy leagues who are loathe to route any players into a LOI club.

And to be fair, the LOI clubs are not equipped to coach the cream of young players on full time basis either.

FWIW I think Kenny is out of his depth. But all talk of changing the senior national team manager is completely irrelevant. Make changes where it matters, he is only the tip of the iceberg.

TheCitizen

ballsymchugh wrote: »

Given the last few campaigns, we shouldn't be surprised. We've had trouble with teams below us in groups. Just about beating or drawing with Georgia, just about beating Gibraltar. A result like last night shouldn't be unexpected once in a while.
yes, we should be beating these teams but that's not always guaranteed.

This is a losers mentality. It’s not acceptable.

We haven’t won any games since Stephen Kenny took over.

gormdubhgorm

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Why should it have to be up to the FAI? It is just a question of getting off yer ass and going to a game. Cork City could be your one sure didn't Tipp man Long play for them.

Blaming Delaney is just an easy 'out' to take attention away from Irish soccer fans. Look at the massive crowds that turn up in the AVIVA for an English teams pre-season friendly wearing the English team shirts when they play LOI teams. English teams barely breaking a sweat, cashing in on the PL brand
It is madness the more you think of it. It is way too easy to blame Delaney alone.

Yet we will hear all sorts of grassroots sh!te talk. sure the FAI had had Dutch performance directors for many a year.

If people really like soccer games a person would watch any soccer game.
The amount of GAA games I went to league away, O'Byrne Cup, Club, even minor/u21 county games. Why do I go? Because I enjoy the sport look for up and coming stars. I care don't what level if i was in the humuor to watch a GAA match off I'd go.


For the average Irish soccer fan did Shane Long only exist when he played in the EPL for Reading???

Well firstly, Shane Long was from a neighbouring parish, so we were following his progress from the beginning of his career. The progress of Ollie Cahill, Stephen Napier, Daryl Kavanagh, Michael Rafter and Lee Grace has also been followed quite a bit during the careers in these parts.

ON the point of the FAI's negligence, John Delaney is on record as calling the league, the FAI's ''problem child'. No money has been invested in the league. He went on a PR tour a few years ago to throw a few bob toward small clubs. My own club in the local village was in receipt of 10k and id say it was only because someone knew someone, who knew someone, who knew Delaney, within the club. Nod and wink culture basically. They received 8 times less than what was spent on his James Bond themed bash up the road in Mount Juliet

Thirdly, Cork is 120 miles away from me. Waterford is 30/35. Very easy for Dubs who are a short bus trip away from their local ground to tell everyone who they should be supporting, and for the record, I've been to as many LOI games as I have Premier League games.

On the subject of shouting for English/foreign teams, as an analogy, can you not like Usain Bolt for example, and still hope our own sprinters can win??

TheCitizen

TheCitizen wrote: »

This is a losers mentality. It’s not acceptable.

We haven’t won any games since Stephen Kenny took over.

Its a losers mentality, but its also the harsh reality. We wouldn't score in a brothel. Look at the chances for example missed against Slovakia who we played of the park in Bratislava the night.

Girly Gal

Gavlor wrote: »

There’s never been an elite programme in Ireland until recently.

The point is, 20, 30 even 40 years ago with less players playing at grassroots level we were producing more players who could play at top level clubs, atm we don't have any out field player playing CL level football and haven't had one in a good few years, in fact we have very few players who can consistently hold down a place in premier league teams and once Sheffield are relegated we'll have even less. It's very difficult for any manager to turn the current group of players into a team that can at least challenge for qualification.
I don't think anyone really expected us to qualify for the world cup, after all we weren't able to qualify for the Euros despite around a third of the teams in Europe getting in, so how anyone thought we would qualify for the World Cup with less places available is beyond me, but, I think people are entitled to expect us to at least not be beaten by Luxembourg, we should at worst be able to avoid defeat to teams who are ranked much lower than us, and whose players generally play at a lower level.

square ball

First of all SK has to take a lot of responsibility for the result Saturday. No doubting that but sacking him and getting a new manager whoever that may be isn't going to turn us into world beaters overnight.

I thought we had turned a bit of a corner after the performance and set up against Serbia. I think the lack of match fitness had a big role to play in us falling apart after 60 minutes in the first game and also the lack of energy last night but there are no excuses for losing to Luxembourg regardless. Set up was all wrong. Should have changed formation at half time when we were struggling. I was hoping he would do well, fly the flag for LOI and bring in a new era where we could win by outplaying teams rather than parking the bus and hoping for a goal from set piece. We have been terrible to watch since Traps era and have played some of the worst negative football ever seen in the last 5 or 6 years. How would any child be inspired to want to play Football for Ireland watching the ****e we have been producing? We have struggled for goals since Robbie retired. Our results and performances we getting progressively worse for a number of years.

Our domestic league is ranked as one of the worst in Europe, the FAI is in massive debt with nothing to show for it and grassroots in the game has been underfunded for decades. The facilities available to our players is shambolic considering our relative success over the last 30 years and participation levels across the country, there was no national underage league or pathway from grassroots to Professional football in this country until the last couple of years. We are dependent on the academies in the UK to develop our players once they turn 16 and most get chewed up, spat out and sent home as 'failures' disillusioned, broken and retired from the game before 25.

We will not get better until the Football Association of Ireland is able to provide its clubs a decent league where players can develop, earn game time playing adult soccer before moving elsewhere f they want to not because they have to. Up until the early 90's young Irish players playing well in LOI could have moved to the UK and be signed as first team players. We should be capable of holding onto our players and giving them the chance to progress in the League of Ireland. Despite the FAI's neglect of the LOI, almost half of Saturdays starting team came through LOI. For the last 10 years we probably have more caps given to guys that came through LOI and guys that were born and raised there than Irish born players who went over at 16 which is the norm. If the IRFU can support can support professional rugby on the island there is no reason the FAI can't put in place structures to allow a decent domestic league to flourish at adult and underage levels.

Sacking SK and hiring a big name manager (the normal response from the FAI) if they can find one that would play more 'direct' will only get us back here again. Last night's result needs to trigger review of every single aspect of how football is run in this country. Some steps have already been made but massive reform is needed.

We are where we are because we deserve to be.

Fr Tod Umptious

Girly Gal wrote: »

The point is, 20, 30 even 40 years ago with less players playing at grassroots level we were producing more players who could play at top level clubs, atm we don't have any out field player playing CL level football and haven't had one in a good few years, in fact we have very few players who can consistently hold down a place in premier league teams and once Sheffield are relegated we'll have even less. It's very difficult for any manager to turn the current group of players into a team that can at least challenge for qualification.
I don't think anyone really expected us to qualify for the world cup, after all we weren't able to qualify for the Euros despite around a third of the teams in Europe getting in, so how anyone thought we would qualify for the World Cup with less places available is beyond me, but, I think people are entitled to expect us to at least not be beaten by Luxembourg, we should at worst be able to avoid defeat to teams who are ranked much lower than us, and whose players generally play at a lower level.

That has a lot to do with the money pumped into the EPL in the last 3 decades.
The famous 1989 Liverpool v Arsenal winner takes all title game had 5 Irish players starting.
Over one third of the Liverpool team were Irish internationals, Stan, Whelan, Houghton and Aldridge.
But it was also a time when English soccer was the pits.

But since then the EPL has taken off and has become far more attractive to top quality European players and players from further afield.
Leaving Irish (and British) players to fall down the ladder as they have done.

Now Brexit will reduce the number of Europeans playing in England and with it the quality of the EPL, but I don't think it will help Irish players much if they can't sign contracts until they are 18.

noodler

Paul McGrath calling for Kenny to go

ben.schlomo

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

That has a lot to do with the money pumped into the EPL in the last 3 decades.
The famous 1989 Liverpool v Arsenal winner takes all title game had 5 Irish players starting.
Over one third of the Liverpool team were Irish internationals, Stan, Whelan, Houghton and Aldridge.
But it was also a time when English soccer was the pits.

But since then the EPL has taken off and has become far more attractive to top quality European players and players from further afield.
Leaving Irish (and British) players to fall down the ladder as they have done.

Now Brexit will reduce the number of Europeans playing in England and with it the quality of the EPL, but I don't think it will help Irish players much if they can't sign contracts until they are 18.

Amazing that this needs to be explained, really.

johnnyryan89

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Amazing that this needs to be explained, really.

And repeatedly explained over and over how many times at this stage now.

sterz

noodler wrote: »

Paul McGrath calling for Kenny to go

I knew I shouldn't have looked up what he wrote. I had to stop after this gem:

And Stephen should know that if he wants Ireland to play like Barcelona it would be useful to have a Xavi and an Iniesta in midfield and a little magician called Lionel Messi up front.

topmanamillion

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

That has a lot to do with the money pumped into the EPL in the last 3 decades.
The famous 1989 Liverpool v Arsenal winner takes all title game had 5 Irish players starting.
Over one third of the Liverpool team were Irish internationals, Stan, Whelan, Houghton and Aldridge.
But it was also a time when English soccer was the pits.

But since then the EPL has taken off and has become far more attractive to top quality European players and players from further afield.
Leaving Irish (and British) players to fall down the ladder as they have done.

Now Brexit will reduce the number of Europeans playing in England and with it the quality of the EPL, but I don't think it will help Irish players much if they can't sign contracts until they are 18.

Agree with the most of what you said apart from this.
Brexit won't weaken the EPL one bit.
Any top player from Europe over 18 will be granted a visa to play in the EPL.
English clubs have essentially been picking the pockets of top European academies for decades. Those academies might get a little more value now but the best players will still be going to England.
I'd also expect them to ramp up their interests in South America.
Very few EPL clubs are blooding academy graduates/putting any faith in youth anyway. It's viewed mostly as a business model rather than a player pathway, see Chelsea.

Girly Gal

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

That has a lot to do with the money pumped into the EPL in the last 3 decades.
The famous 1989 Liverpool v Arsenal winner takes all title game had 5 Irish players starting.
Over one third of the Liverpool team were Irish internationals, Stan, Whelan, Houghton and Aldridge.
But it was also a time when English soccer was the pits.

But since then the EPL has taken off and has become far more attractive to top quality European players and players from further afield.
Leaving Irish (and British) players to fall down the ladder as they have done.

Now Brexit will reduce the number of Europeans playing in England and with it the quality of the EPL, but I don't think it will help Irish players much if they can't sign contracts until they are 18.

We had players playing for Liverpool when they dominated Europe, for Man United when they dominated the premier league and were one of the strongest teams in Europe. Liam Brady played for Juventus. We've always had one or two players who played at top clubs. Despite the fact more are playing the game we're no longer producing players who can cut it at the top level, so there's definitely something wrong with the way the game is coached here.

You probably have to go back to John O shea, Duff and Robbie Keane for players who consistently played at a high level throughout their career. Only Coleman of the current squad comes close, but, Everton have for the most part been a mid table team during his time there.

Beechwoodspark

I would leave the manager in place for the campaign then re assess

As many others have said, the problems in Irish football go away and beyond the person managing the senior team.

Fr Tod Umptious

topmanamillion wrote: »

Agree with the most of what you said apart from this.
Brexit won't weaken the EPL one bit.
Any top player from Europe over 18 will be granted a visa to play in the EPL.
English clubs have essentially been picking the pockets of top European academies for decades. Those academies might get a little more value now but the best players will still be going to England.
I'd also expect them to ramp up their interests in South America.
Very few EPL clubs are blooding academy graduates/putting any faith in youth anyway. It's viewed mostly as a business model rather than a player pathway, see Chelsea.

No they won't, because there will only be a finite amount of visas available, so not everyone who wants one will get one.
And from the EU players perspective it will be much less hassle to get a job in the EU where no visa or paperwork is required than in the UK where it is.