Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

Mr.Nice Guy

Joint-lowest points tally of any of the pot 3 seeds.

Joint-lowest win percentage of any of the pot 3 seeds.

Lost to Luxembourg at home in one of the country’s most embarrassing results.

Finished with less wins in the group than Luxembourg.

Out of a possible 12 points against pot 4 and 5 sides, took only 7.

Only 2 competitive wins in entire tenure against sides ranked 94th and 119th in the world respectively.

Who do the FAI think is going to snap him up?

Patrick2010

The only reason this thread is going on so long is 2 or 3 trolls posting the same crap continuously. Someone with a weird fascination with Lisa Fallon.

Same guy who views Mick as the messiah. I was a big fan of Mick first time round but he’s past it now.Go onto the Cardiff forum and see they couldn’t wait to get rid of him. These guys buy into (or pretend to) the idea long ball is the only way players can play.

When the likes of Dunne, Brady and Kerr say let him see out his contract before offering another you know they’re just willing us to lose the next few games

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118176424#Comment_118176424

Whether or not they would have mad it is a guess to be fair. Expanded tournaments yes but also Yugoslavia is now 6 countries and USSR about 12 so it's an expanded Europe too especially when you add the Czechoslovakia split and addition of Israel (one less Germany though)

But most importantly isn't moaning about bad refs the ultimate definition of moral victories.

Not that I agree with Gorms statement either though

The_Kew_Tour

The Mick Mccarthy fan club are strange bunch.

It's over 20 years ago now..let it go....

johnnyryan89

https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1460670253298597892

Don't get Crawfords fascination with playing central players out on the wing. Noel bloody King is doing punditry tonight for the game.

Ferris_Bueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118174207#Comment_118174207

At left back allegedly our most exciting prospect seems to be Tayo Adaramola who is at Crystal Palace. An exciting left back who looks quick, a great dribbler and likes to bomb forward. Have only seen him play once and a few clips here and there so can't really comment. Further up the ladder in terms of first team football we have the likes of Joel Bagan, James Furlong, Thomas O'Connor and Liam Scales.

noodler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118176219#Comment_118176219

We finished third in the last qualifying group as well but the difference was night and day.

One we competed in until the final whistle of the final game and the other we were out after two games.

I'd be wary of arguing simply finishing third is ok.

Did you smash it

The under 21s finishing is tragic.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177636#Comment_118177636

Wonder if it would've been better for everyone if Parrott was back with them for the moment. He's down the pecking order with the seniors now, and there's no shame in playing underage while you've got the chance.

ceegee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118176526#Comment_118176526

Who do you think the FAI are going to snap up to replace him?

Everybody recognises that the start to the group was poor, however there's been a big turn around in the last 10 games. For some reason fans like you refuse to acknowledge that.

The players are vocally behind him. The match going fans are vocally behind him.

For an association currently looking for a sponsor, its a much easier sell when you've a home grown manager who promotes young exciting players, rather than a washed up manager who hoofs it up the pitch and moans in the media about our lack of talent

PokeHerKing

Stoppage time winner for the U21s!

tayto lover

Fantastic win for the U.21 team. Last second goal but thoroughly deserved on that second half display.

The future’s bright, the future’s Green,

Did you smash it

Fcuking Hell, Thats great. The finishing up to then consisted of blasting improbably over The bar at every Opportunity and Wrights awful miss

johnnyryan89

Good finish from O'Neill whose still an U19s players.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177734#Comment_118177734

Great interview with him there

i hadnt heard of him before

Francie Barrett

Sweden did a Portugal tonight, played for the draw but ended up playing far too conservative and got beat.

Great to see the lads get a win, but not at all convinced with Crawford. Everything is far too defensive with him. I know Kayoade isn't the best striker, but what chance does he have when he's isolated for 95% of the game? Also, why was Ebosele dropped after his excellent cameo against Italy? Smallbone was bizarrely playing on the right wing when Ebosele would have been perfect there.

On a positive note, Kilkenny was fantastic tonight and totally bossed the midfield. He has to be getting his senior debut for these March friendlies.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177424#Comment_118177424

The difference was night and day alright.

In the last one we laboured to a 1-nil win away to Gibralter (you thought Luxembourg and Azerbaijan were bad?) and a dreadful display in Georgia, where if we tried to get the win then it might not have come down to the final whistle of the final game.

The only game in that group where they even tried was that last one against Denmark because they had nothing to lose. Imagine if the management had the same ambition for the rest of the group games instead of plodding along?

End result, both groups ended up with us finishing in third place, but the second one involving introducing a lot of new, young players and adapting a new philosophy to catch up with the rest of international football (including the likes of Georgia and Luxembourg) because we were stuck in the past by about 10 years. Changing all of that and finishing in third with a trajectory that's only trending upwards is a damn sight more appealing to me than the usual huff and puff in one game to take it all. Had we beaten Georgia then the Switzerland game becomes a much more appealing challenge.

secman

Lee O'Connor had a superb game, Kilkenny was excellent, O'Neill was unbelievably calm for his goal, thought he lost his chance when he didn't hit it first time. 👏

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177424#Comment_118177424

Bang on the money. A simple point that is being ignored.

noodler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177839#Comment_118177839

I think that's really reaching (and a touch of goalpost moving too!)

Georgia away is tougher than Ajar or Lux and that game actually meant something. If we start scoring three in games that matter than that will be something.

We actually beat Georgia as well, at home. It wasn't pretty at times but there wasn't much pretty about the Home games against Serbia, Luxembourg or Ajaerbajan.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177869#Comment_118177869

Presumably because people can have some sense of context? That this campaign was about the toughest possible circumstance for a new man to come into? Trying to bed in new systems and tactics and team spirit during a first year entirely disrupted by Covid (both in terms of isolation protocols, and actual cases ripping through the squad time and time again) is a massive challenge, and it's notable that as those obstacles have dissipated, the progress has been much faster.

So in context, landing 3rd is pretty grand.

(Not to mention the context of some of those games themselves - who knows how things might have been had we gotten those 2 stonewall absolutely nailed on penalties to take us 2-0 up over both Portugal and Serbia. Now, obviously things happened as they happened, but it just illustrates that the margins in key moments have been small)

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177973#Comment_118177973

Not reaching or goalpost moving at all. You said the difference was night and day between the two campaigns and I countered your point. The Euro 2020 campaign was dogsh*t and with a play-off already guaranteed before a ball was kicked, we had nothing to lose by being more ambitious.

But no, for the most part we went back into our shell and did what many thought we know best, in particular away from home, and only until the last game did we look like a proper football team.

There is currently only one place in the rankings between Georgia and Luxembourg. What is exactly makes Georgia a much tougher away trip than Luxembourg?

Gibralter, meanwhile are significantly worse than both Azerbaijan and Luxembourg and we needed a couple of excellent saves from Randolph to make sure we beat them 1-0 away from home. Compare that to the two away performances towards the end of the campaign.

'Night and day' indeed. We finished in the same position with the added cushion of a play-off already available. Great ambition there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177869#Comment_118177869

What is your opinion on the Euro 2020 group campaign, if you don't mind me asking? Feel we did the best we could?

noodler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178071#Comment_118178071

How can you call a campaign where we were infinitely more competitive, got better results etc "dogshit"?

This is getting a bit surreal.

Just because I am making this point doesn't mean I want Kenny sacked (still not convinced but no going back now).

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178094#Comment_118178094

What better results? We beat Gibraltar? One of the only teams In Europe that actually had amateurs playing? The Gibraltar away game is the worst iv ever seen ireland play 11 behind the ball against actual non professionals unlike Andorra and Luxembourg that you paint as amateurs but they are very much not we where 5 mins away from beating Portugal and we drew with them. Did it take some time? Yes did most up us expect tha definitely

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178094#Comment_118178094

Because it was dogshit. We did well at home but showed zero ambition away. Same old poor Ireland just missing out while making no effort to get results away from home.

Compare that to this campaign, when there were clear efforts to win games and not sit back at 0-0 or 1-0 and hump the ball down the pitch.

0-0 and utterly dominated by Georgia, 1-0 but matched against Gibralter, beaten easily by Switzerland and a draw against Denmark when the team only started to play after going 1-0 down. Imagine we showed that ambition for the whole match instead of playing for the draw? Even against Portugal and Serbia away in this campaign, they always looked for a second goal. They played with a purpose and it wasn't hitting and hoping like in the painful displays in Euro 2020.

Like I said, Mick had a Euro 2020 play-off guaranteed and was still too afraid to lose games.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178053#Comment_118178053

And that is another good point. Even in the matches we were beated it is not as if we got kicked off the park. There was only ever 1 goal in it really and alot of it was that we had no striker that was scoring or a creative midfield.

Tis disappointing to see people wanting jenny fired and a big Sam type manager back in to be honest. Hopefully Kenny can convince them we're better than that next campaign

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178580#Comment_118178580

It's actually a weird contradiction. On the one hand these posters think we're only good enough to hump balls forward and hope to get on the end of something. But on the other hand they think we've a devine right to beat every team ranked below us.

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118177839#Comment_118177839

Struggled to a 1-0 WIN against Gib. This year we struggled to a 1-0 LOSS to Luxembourg. If we’re gonna pick one match of each campaign.

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178219#Comment_118178219

“Same old poor Ireland just missing out” - well Kenny has sorted that. Out from game 2 of the group. Hail Kenny.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179113#Comment_118179113

Good lad. Hopefully next time when we draw Germany and Sweden, et al, we'll have the group sewn up after 3 games.

kowloonkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178580#Comment_118178580

I think it's fantastic to be honest that there is a big majority of the fanbase who are patient and supportive of a long term plan that is at least trying to change footballing culture in Ireland and make it more technical and imaginative, and ultimately more pleasing to watch and play.

Whether it has worked or not so far is of course debatable, but I really can't comprehend anyone that doesn't at least acknowledge that what SK and the new FAI are trying to do is a positive thing. There was always a lot of talk that the fans wouldn't want to wait or give up the chance of qualifying for a few tournaments that a huge upheaval would risk, but I think the reaction to the new regime shows that most fans have a long term view and are not short sighted.

I think the Irish people have a lot of flair and imagination when encouraged. I don't really believe that we like playing the old British style. If you look at some of the mercurial sportspeople from this island there's no reason why we shouldn't strive to be the something like the next '1980's Holland' because with the influx of players from different backgrounds and the optimism brought by change, I think that there is a lot of hope for the future. SK is just the first on this road I hope.

kowloonkev

Just seen an article on RTE with Noel King suggesting SK doesn't deserve a new contract. That is fcuking priceless.

Mantis Toboggan

The time for sacking Kenny is long gone. When he first came in he dropped Duffy and Coleman and we were playing possession football but going nowhere. We weren't scoring and we were creating very few chances. If he was going to be sacked it was then.

Kenny has come to his senses, got the two lads back into the team and dropped players who weren't good enough. We're a lot more direct in our play now which I think suits the players. We are now creating more chances and looking like we can score a few more goals. There's no doubt things have improved and I really think we'll have a good shot at the euros in the next campaign. The players seem happy with management so I see no reason why this should change.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179245#Comment_118179245

The irony is superb. Also on a sidenote is he doing panto or something, looked like Joe Pesci from Home Alone at the u21 game last night.

Patrick2010

This the same Noel King who managed to hold onto the job of U21 manager for 8 years despite a string of bad results and no progress?.

Kerrydude1981

Did people really expect us to qualify out of this group with so many new unexperienced players been added to the squad, the major success of the group is getting the young players into the squad and getting them game time.

People laugh and say "we have only beaten...." beating the so called minnows is the bread and butter of qualification groups, we have started to get back to doing that and the team is starting to show signs of improvement, I'm looking forward to next year's games, because these young players with their attitudes have lifted everyone at a time when we needed it the most.

Another major thing was getting in Anthony Barry, ever since he was added to the backroom team, things have improved.

Fattybojangles

There is a tendency amongst pro Kenny people to completely forget about just how mind numbingly horrendous the first 15 games under Kenny were. The nations league games against Wales Bulgaria Finland were atrocious some of the worst football Ireland have ever played. The home loss to Luxembourg was the worst I've ever seen. Denigrating the campaign under Mick where we were 1 goal away from qualifying and celebrating a campaign where we were out after 2 games is madness and so blinkered it's almost untrue. Results and the possibility of qualification still matters. Many of the young players in Kennys squad now were given debuts by Mick and he seems to get no credit for that and is painted as a dinosaur and Kenny is painted as the modern messiah.

On the other hand Kenny has definitely brought on an improvement in the last few games and Ireland are enjoyable to watch at times and players are not afraid to express themselves and play some football. The players and the majority of fans are behind Kenny and IMO he deserves another qualification campaign but I believe he needs to be told that a better performance is expected in both the Nations League and Euro qualifying groups.

Francie Barrett

I wonder would Kenny/Crawford think about letting a few of the younger players in the senior squad drop back to the under 21's team for the must-win game against Sweden? Collins and Parrott would seem like prime candidates given they are only at the fringe of the senior team anyway. I'd be tempted to put Connolly into the under-21's as well, I think he needs a bit of a wake-up call quite frankly.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179278#Comment_118179278

To be fair Duffy deserved to be dropped at the time as his form was awful. He is like a new man now so regained his place

theoneeyedman

One welcome development in the last year is the re-emergence of Duffy for club and Country.

He was all over the shop a year ago, did deserve to be dropped in fairness, but whatever was causing the loss of form, he has been playing well this season,fair play to him.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179099#Comment_118179099

You’re actually saying a 1-0 win against Gibraltar is acceptable, considering most of their players are part-timers?

Nobody is justifying the Luxembourg result, but you’re actually trying to justify a 1-0 win away to part-timers where we were matched, and even out-played at times.

At least that Luxembourg result was put right in the away leg and emphatically, while Mick’s team beat Gibraltar 3-0 over two games.

I really don’t see why you think sacking Kenny is the answer while offering nothing in the way of a replacement, all because a hoofball merchant might have beaten Luxembourg at home.

Hammer Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179099#Comment_118179099

Kenny was unlucky that he didn't have a team as poor as Gibraltar in the group, you're right. Luxembourg are lightyears ahead of Gibraltar who are, going by the rankings, only ahead of San Marino in Europe.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179377#Comment_118179377

But there was no possibility of qualification at the start of the campaign. Unless of course you're interested in delusional thought. SK was always going to struggle early on as he attempted to implement his preferred style with players he hasn't worked with. Not many managers come straight in, at the level we're at, implement a new style, with young players and hit the ground running.

Progress has since been made, justifying early pain.

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179519#Comment_118179519

So let me get this right.

Mick vs Gibraltar - 6 points from 2 games - Bad?

Kenny vs Luxembourg - 3 points from 2 games - Good?

Because Kennys team scored one more goal?? That is some mental logic lad.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179278#Comment_118179278

Duffy captained Ireland and played every minute of the Nations League. Don't see the issue with Doherty starting ahead of Coleman in two games as it was the Nations League and a time that should be used to assess squad options. He was injured for the rest of the year.

tayto lover

There’s some sad posters in this thread.

They’re going to be even sadder when Kenny gets a new contract.

Kenny has a long term plan so judging him on his first campaign (even though results have improved) is foolish. He’ll get it right, never fear.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179575#Comment_118179575

How would you rate the 2-1 win over San Marino under Stan?

Because that Gibraltar result away was no better, considering they're both equally shite and full of part-timers.

Sooner you stop ignoring the fact that Luxembourg are an infinitely better side than Gibraltar then we can actually have a reasonable discussion, instead of you looking at everything in black and white.

If you want to put it that way, Kenny still finished in the same place as Mick did, for all the good that outstanding draw away to Georgia and emphatic 1-0 win over Gibraltar did.

As I have said multiple times, Mick had a play-off guaranteed and he was still afraid to lose.

Fandymo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179663#Comment_118179663

Going into the last games Mick had a chance of automatic qualification, y'know the actual goal of qualifying groups. After 2 games under Kenny we were out of the running for qualification or a playoff, y'know the actual goal of qualifying groups.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179714#Comment_118179714

Love the way you say 'the last two games' and conveniently ignored the previous game - that 0-0 draw away to Georgia.

If you're happy to go back into the stone ages you do you, but you will continue to ignore the fact that he already had a play-off before a ball was kicked in the group and he still set up not to lose instead of actually going for it. No ambition, no trust, no ideas.

Give me a coach with clear ideas and willingness to change when something isn't working over someone who will stick to the same shtick out of pure stubbornness.

I also notice you ignored my question about how you rated the 2-1 win over San Marino. Tells me everything.