Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

Liam O

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664473#Comment_119664473

This is it. Ireland's strength, outside of LWB, is the defence. These should be able to give the midfield and the forwards some ability and a platform to play above themselves and create/score more with the safety net behind them.

Playing defensively basically means our substandard midfield and attackers have to do something special to win us games which clearly isn't going to happen with who we have there.

sterz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664494#Comment_119664494

Hit me with your alternatives.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664316#Comment_119664316

Shane Long was definitely faster than both Obafemi and Ogbene.

The problem was he was used as a big man and was completely isolated and fucked over by manager after manager.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664540#Comment_119664540

The players are enjoying the way Kenny plays too. They dont want to upset the staus qou. Someone else might come in and put results first.

noodler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664540#Comment_119664540

As opposed to saying what exactly though?

Moreover, lads getting game time are more likely to back the man.

Not saying he doesn't have the backing, just pointing out how unlikely the players are to publicly say anything other than what they have.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664774#Comment_119664774

I didn't mention (and am not talking about) anyone saying anything. I'm talking about players demonstrably playing for the manager on the pitch and buying into his plan, in response to that poster saying Kenny was a failure as a leader. If the people you're leading have clearly bought into what you're doing, then your leadership qualities are self-evident.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664774#Comment_119664774

Exactly, remember Robbie Keane backing Staunton when he was 'the gaffer'? Even though it was going terrible.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664953#Comment_119664953

Perfect example of the exact opposite of the current situation, where the players clearly weren't playing for Stan on the pitch regardless what platitudes were thrown out.

Actions speak louder than words, and the Irish squads actions right now suggest Kenny has their full respect and commitment.

noodler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664977#Comment_119664977

Bar Cyprus I can't say I agree.

Great performance at home to the Czechs, win at home to Wales and Slovakia and a very credible point in Slovakia.

It'd be a bit like looking back at Kenny's reign in a few years time and using the Luxembourg, Ajaer and Armenia results as evidence the team weren't playing for him.

BonnieSituation

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664494#Comment_119664494

Who have you got in mind today?

BonnieSituation

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664548#Comment_119664548

What are you on about?

In a thread of waffle, this is up there.

BonnieSituation

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664700#Comment_119664700

Is there anything left of the bottom of that barrel?

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664625#Comment_119664625

Probably get Wales again

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665414#Comment_119665414

Its even worse getting bet by the like of wales and scotland than france or england. It really kicks home just how bad things are going in terms of results.

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665423#Comment_119665423

Unbelievable, thinking we should be beating Scotland and Wales, what exactly do you base that on ?

Very curious 🤔

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664517#Comment_119664517

What is wrong with his leadership ability ?

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665439#Comment_119665439

Cause we was better than them 20 years ago is why.

Gusser09

I dont think we should be beating them just to clarify that. Im saying it shows how far we have fallen.

I do think we should be beating Luxembourg, armenia azerbaijan and a few others that we have failed to get wins against.

I think SK has gotten off lightly so far so the euro qualifiers are massive next year. He just has to deliver results to continue to justify this project.

Do u think anyone else can do better? Im not sure. But we cant just continue to look at poor results and give Kenny a free pass. That time has passed.

Ive always said that Kenny would be judged on results against the likes of armenia and luxembourg. The last two groups we have been out of the running after a few games due to poor results against inferior opposition. Thats not good enough.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665422#Comment_119665422

Its Armenia. You would hope that one of our championship standard players can step in. Armenias midfield is made up of players primarily playing domestically in Armenia or lower obscure european leagues. They have one playing for Krasnodor and one playing for randers in denmark. Hopefully we get a win. If not there shouldnt be any excuses for failing to win. Id imagine the championship and even League 1 is of a better standard that the Armenian league. But look the usual lads will step up and tell me that technically armenia and their league is far superior.

In my opinion this game will be a true reflection of where we are at.

jacool

Here are the current rankings

19       Wales

27       Ukraine

45       Scotland

47       Ireland

92 Armenia

We beat Scotland 3-0 and lost 2-1. We drew with and lost to Ukraine. The loss to Armenia is the shocker, and we really need to hammer them tomorrow night. I threw Wales in there, as someone thought we should be beating them.

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665692#Comment_119665692

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any Irish supporter who doesn't think we should be beating Armenia/Azerbaijan/Luxembourg.

I agree beating Armenia and beating them well should be make or break for SK.

I'm sure if we do beat them we'll have the usual lads in saying 'big woop, it's only Armenia, we were out of the group' etc etc.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665414#Comment_119665414

Denmark, Wales, and Georgia as 4th seeds. It's written in the stars.

BonnieSituation

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665827#Comment_119665827

Please no

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665656#Comment_119665656

You should read up on "Luxembourg, armenia azerbaijan" football over the last few years and then match it to what we have been doing here at the same time.

Now I agree we should be beating them but the reasons we are not is unrelated to the manager.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665872#Comment_119665872

So why are their players playing in obscure leagues? Serious question. Their current squad available to them.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666063#Comment_119666063

Luxembourg for instance compensate for problems lime this by focusing on a core group who have been together and had expert training from a young age. As a national team they are very cohesive and we'll trained.

We were a bankrupt sht show full of lower league journey men while these countries were putting really smart money into bettering the national team.

There is a reason why serious football journalists are writing stories about the Luxembourg structure while the same people only talk about us when it comes to corruption and mismanagement.

We were late to the game but it is finally paying of with a talented young senior team and an u21 side close to qualifying using essentially our B 21s.

I accepted what happened at the start of Kenny's reign due to these factors. It doesn't mean I would accept these results much longer.

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665634#Comment_119665634

20 years ago we had a crop of top League players, we don't have these level of players now. Scotland has a much better structured League, they don't have a dominant GAA to contend with.

Wales have it better too, their League would be comparable to ours but they also have their top clubs operating in the English leagues.

So 20 years ago is irrelevant.

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666135#Comment_119666135

Fair comment , but they don't rely on the Welsh league, their good young players are picked up by PL and championship clubs, better access no doubt.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666162#Comment_119666162

I think Wales like us in the past just got lucky. A few good and 1 world beating player came along together as opposed to them having good structures or anything like that.

I honestly have absolutely no idea if it has helped the current crop but dont forget the Welsh have 2 big professional clubs and 1 top conference club in the English game too. Incidentally it was the Wimbledon fiasco that gave Delaney his opportunity to rise to the top of the FAI and that whole period has a lot of what might have beens.

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666126#Comment_119666126

Think you missed my sarcasm. 20 years ago is indeed irrelevant but it's the reason some "fans" persist with the notion that not beating a Wales or Scotland means we're not playing to our potential amd we need to sack the manager.

Or simply put, some people are living in the past.

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665768#Comment_119665768

I wouldn't be so sure about that when we were humiliated by losing at home to Luxembourg the chat from many was about how good Luxembourg are etc etc

johnnyryan89

One or two changes according to Kenny for tomorrow night. Cullen suspended will be the one obviously and likely replaced by Hendrick.

secman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666480#Comment_119666480

Did indeed miss it, bit of a morning here, wife just got a positive antigen test, all new territory for us 😁

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666485#Comment_119666485

I think a fairer statement would be Luxembourg are trending in the right direction.

But we should be beating them. Which we did away quite convincingly. To finish were we would have expected to finish in the group.

When you step back and view everything objectively I think we're trending in the right direction currently, with a very young squad with massive upside.

But lose to Armenia or struggle to win imo the trend would be starting to nosedive again and he should be sacked.

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666627#Comment_119666627

Yeah I largely agree with you Armenia is a must win game if we win that tomorrow we've largely done as expected and we move onto the qualifying group with some confidence however if we lose there has to be questions as regards Kennys continuing employment results still matter.

The biggest problem with the whole debate is that there are 2 entrenched camps 1. Those who never thought Kenny was any good saw him as a jumped up LOI manager and jump all over any bad result as proof that Kenny is a fraud not good enough etc and they simply refuse to acknowledge the genuine progress made and the good performances. 2. Those who will back Kenny at all costs completely resolve him of blame for the many poor performances and results and simply point to young players and better style of football as reasons to keep Kenny. these generally back Kenny because he is an LOI man and one of their own and shout down those with opposing views as barstoolers etc and scream that no one could do better etc.

BonnieSituation

TBF, those very barstoolers, as you called them, are suggesting some absolutely mental replacements that it's hard to not be entrenched against them.

McFly85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666695#Comment_119666695

I will acknowledge that while I think there’s no good reason to get rid of Kenny now because I think he’s done a great job overhauling the squad and there has been definite progress, he might have hit his ceiling - if we have another campaign where he hasn’t learned how to deal with lower seeded teams and we drop points again, he might have to go, and I won’t have any complaints.

But some of the suggestions here are the exact opposite of the type of appointment I’d like to see. So-called big name managers with no interest in the team and their primary focus being qualification at all costs so they can pick up a fat bonus cheque. Managers who’ll go back to telling us all we don’t have players who can play. Managers who represent no progress and put us back to square one when someone else has to be appointed.

If Kenny has to be replaced, fine. But we should be looking for someone who can take the good work he has done and improve on it over a couple of campaigns. We need to permanently get out of the mentality of trying to qualify immediately at the expense of consistent, long term improvement.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666695#Comment_119666695

Think there's way too much made of the LOI angle. Loads of people supporting him have little/no interest in the LOI, and simply see an improvement in football quality, an improvement in the age range, and acknowledge that amidst the ups and downs there has been definite progress. I'd fall into that category for sure. And I'd also be far from saying Kenny is the best man for the job - of course he's not. There's tonnes of managers far better than him - they're just not going to come anywhere near us. Of the pool of managers we have access to, he's probably a very decent option and has done enough in successfully bedding in the early-20s players to get the Euros campaign.

Most important thing for me is that whenever he does leave, we look for the best manager available to continue the same profile and style of work. There is no going back to archaic hoof-ball, as that simply doesn't work anymore. It was on its last legs as a viable approach in and around 2015, and is well and truly dead by now.

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666820#Comment_119666820

Some of the suggestions have been hilarious but some of the reactions against say the likes of Hughton have been equally hilarious and entrenched Hughton's CV is infinitely better than Kenny's he did very good jobs at Brighton and Newcastle Kenny bombed out at Shamrock Rovers and Dunfermline FFS!

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667128#Comment_119667128

So Hughton is finished after one bad job? Yet Kenny is the future because he did ok with the u21's? On that logic Jim Crawford should be the next manager as he's done a better job with worse players at U21 level. I'm not advocating Hughton over Kenny btw I'm happy to give Kenny a shot at the euro qualifiers barring a disaster tomorrow night but I just find those who scoff at Hughton while lauding Kenny a bit mad.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667091#Comment_119667091

Hughton is living proof that football has moved on. He HAD reasonable success in the past with his brand of football. And then it stopped working, and he stopped having success. That's just how football works, there's tonnes of managers out there who were innovative, until they weren't anymore.

His current role as a technical advisor (basically a scout) for the Ghanians is a good gig for him now.

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667194#Comment_119667194

So we write Hughton off as a dinosaur after one bad job? Just as well for Kenny the FAI didn't do that after his disasters at Shamrock Rovers and Dunfermline.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667227#Comment_119667227

No... have you not watched Hughton's football? It's not like he couldn't got them doing what he wanted - he had them doing exactly what he wanted, and it just stopped being effective. It's also not just him, it's everyone who plays that brand of football. It's just a dead style. It doesn't work anymore. No-one is hiring that type of manager because it leads to exactly what happened in his final years at Brighton, and then again at Forest. Both Brighton and Forest changed tack to a more progressive style after getting rid of Hughton - and both experienced sharp upturns. Under Potter and Cooper respectively, both clubs immediately improved by a huge degree with the same batch of players.

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667236#Comment_119667236

It is though he did a great job at Brighton before that was there for 5 years got them up kept them up Yes Potter brought them on again but Hughton layed some pretty solid foundations.

BobDole22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667246#Comment_119667246

It wasn't that bad a bit defensive yes but its not trap MON muck either. Also we're not exactly playing Brazil 1970 stuff under Kenny are we its counter attacking with a bit of pressing.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667265#Comment_119667265

It's not a bit defensive. It's very defensive, and very reductive. As already said, the proof is in the pudding - after getting sacked from his last 2 jobs, the two lads who came in right after brought a more modern balanced style, and with the same players both saw significant improvement immediately.

And yeah, you're totally right, Kenny isn't trying to get us doing anything unbelievable (despite what some people try to make out, referencing Barca tiki-taka and such nonsense), he's simply got us playing a modern adaptable style that suits the players, and gives us a platform to build from. The football is better, the chance creation is better, the next step is simply our forwards finishing those high-quality chances (there's only so much an international manager can do in this regard).

Whatever the questions about the rights and wrongs of Kenny, Chris Hughton is not the answer. (lovely fella though he is).

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667194#Comment_119667194

Exactly, advisory roles are his area now. The game has moved on. He's a defensive minded, conservative coach who wasn't able to adapt or progress beyond that. No coincidence that he was replaced by younger, tactically astute, modern coaches in his 2 previous jobs. Both of whom have gone on to improve both teams immensely.

Gusser09

We can talk about style of play, players available and different managers etc. At the end of the day if Stephens win percentage continues on this path he will be relieved of his duties and rightly so. The FAI cant afford not to be qualifying for an expanded Euros every 4 years.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119666603#Comment_119666603

Think Coleman and Collins could work well together on the right. Said before the Scotland game would like Brady to come in for the second game because we'll have more possession. If Brady were to start he'll likely want the better defensive RWB with Collins likey to push on from the RCB position.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119667194#Comment_119667194

He's still quite a good coach, but not quite the right one for this group of players. Forrest are a basket case club and have been through a dozen permanent managers in 10 years.

They struck gold with cooper, but it may very well prove to be short lived there too. And they'll be back to the same cycle.

Houghton with a certain type of squad would be fine. Not this current squad though. He'd probably be a pretty good assistant though or give good, coaching insights. I've no idea what Andrews brings to the table. He was a mediocre pundit, and a decent player. He might be an excellent coach, but he's not done a huge amount has he?