Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095080#Comment_121095080

True, O'Neill could be spikey but that is what made him a great manager he did not suffer fools. Also O'Neill was known for his motivational skills with players. Something I would argue that Kenny has lacked, as well of the fact that Kenny seemed slow tactically.

When I think of Mick McCarthy he used to be good at motivating players, was a straight talker, but also kept thing simple tactically - played to a teams strengths. Shown by his different styles of play in his two separate Ireland tenures.

Again something Kenny has not done, I would argue Kenny has made Ireland's weaknesses more vulnerable to the opposition and made Ireland easy to play against for the majority of his matches.

mjsc1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094716#Comment_121094716

Ok. Switch Bazunu in to the dutch team tonight. Would he have looked as shaky ?

I would say no. Bazunu for Ireland, supersedes his club performances, thankfully. And that's all that matters for Ireland.

Ferris_Bueller

On the bus back from the game now. A deflating night despite what could have been after taking the lead and a hugely encouraging first half performance.

I was so in favour of Kenny's appointment and really wanted it to work out, but it hasn't. This window was no disgrace but he has had too many major red marks against him and if you want to get through those you need to get some big results which he hasn't done unfortunately. We are better to watch, we have a new young team and he deserves credit but it's time to move on. If he was kept on and you lose the first game of the next campaign there will just be the feeling of here we go again.

Who we get in next I'm not sure, and tbh I feel I don't even care as I think we will still struggle. Tony O'D asked Kenny if he has taken this team as far as he can and unfortunately I think the answer is yes.

fullstop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095117#Comment_121095117

it won’t be all that matters if he doesn’t get his head out of his hole at club level, because before long we’ll have our best 3 keepers benchwarming for their clubs.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095147#Comment_121095147

You say that like goalkeeper is an easy position to play, he is 21 and has no defense in front of him at his club.

LowOdour

Look through a ist of available managers at the moment.

I'd say very few would get a tune out our current squad of players

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/trainer/verfuegbaretrainer/statistik

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095058#Comment_121095058

Yes he really brought Sunderland and notts Forrest to the next level in his last two club jobs . It's astonishing that nobody would touch him with a barge pole since.

DeanAustin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094991#Comment_121094991

Asking questions is fine, albeit his Jeremy-Paxman-wannabe style grates. It’s the fact he didn’t let Kenny answer and cut across him 2 or 3 times that was borderline rude.

fullstop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095157#Comment_121095157

Don’t put words in my mouth.

I was replying to a post saying his form for Ireland is all that matters. If he doesn’t start improving for his club, he’ll be on the bench and it will be a lot more difficult to maintain his level for Ireland.

Say what you want about his defence, he was statistically the worst keeper in the prem last season 🤷‍♂️

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095173#Comment_121095173

Everyone has their peak, to pick Forest and Sunderland is disingenuous in the extreme. As if all O'Neill's other achievements are an irrelevance. But you know that.

gormdubhgorm

I was wondering what people would feel about Kenny getting a role in the FAI at underage level? I mean there seems to be sympathy for the fella, people on here seem to like him. Maybe that is what he would be best at?

I think the FAI made a major mistake by not giving Brian Kerr a role, all that knowledge of LOI, youth football wasted. The same thing should not be done with Kenny?

MisterAnarchy

https://twitter.com/sirmalacymurray/status/1700936073130430824

Pretty accurate impression

siblers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095200#Comment_121095200

That's an awful impression and painfully unfunny. He wouldn't want to give up the day job

siblers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095196#Comment_121095196

Another stupid mistake by that donkey Delaney's was not keeping Kerr in the FAI in a different role.

Not sure what role suits Kenny best. Would he work well trying to develop the underage game? Or is he better hands on coaching? Would like to keep him if he has something useful to bring to the table

Scrabbel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094972#Comment_121094972

I'm not sure how much Lee Carsley would cost but seeing as he's not in the EPL, you'd think he might be affordable.

PTH2009

Think Kenny would suite some underage role. He was doing good with the under 21s til covid fucked things up

Regarding tonight it's the hope that kills ya and makes the long journey home longer. Holland were just too good for us and are very unlikeable

BlazingSaddler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095269#Comment_121095269

Carsley well in the running to be next England manager after the Euros

sligeach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094911#Comment_121094911

SK: Maybe I could try eh, em, eh..... turning it(kettle) on without putting any eh, em, eh..... water in at all? Em... see what happens?

TO'D: I don't think you should do that. It would just blow up and you'd be picking lumps of metal out of your face for the next year and a half. You'll get big red blotches and puffy fish lips, bigger than the rest of your face.

SK: Like eh......(silence)...... Alex Ferguson?

TO'D: Exactly like Alex Ferguson!

SK: Maybe that's what happened to him?

TO'D: 👍 👍

SK: 😁

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095273#Comment_121095273

ah he's really not in fairness. Southgate making that move was very much the exception rather than the rule, thanks to his profile as a much-loved former England international.

For example, look at Paul Simpson - managed the England U20s to win the World Cup in 2017. His next job was as an assistant for Bristol.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095196#Comment_121095196

This is absolutely something I’d be on board with. The 21s under his helm looked excellent.

pjohnson

He probably should have been left with the Under 21's the whole time. He was doing a great job with them and would be a big loss if he just left the set up entirely. Hes just not able for seniors.

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094735#Comment_121094735

Outrageous that we could lose so many games with zero straightforward media analysis of what has been happening. The entire platoon of football journalists and commentators will look back with regret on this period. A new manager will come in, it will be different, and people will be looking at these guys who waffled absolute nonsense the last three years and assume they are talking shite.

Didi was a breathe of fresh air when compared to the absolute spoofing we have been subjected to on OTB for years.

ratracer

I would agree that Lee Carsley is probably the most suitable option out there at the moment. He is not going to get the England job after Southgate, they are already talking up trying to get Pep Guardiola as their next boss FFS!

But then, Carsely has done well with their U21’s, Kenny is being praised in here for his role with our underage setup, would the same issue happen to Carsley stepping up to the big boys??

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095490#Comment_121095490

Let’s find out.

athlone99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095051#Comment_121095051

Your ignorance knows no bounds. Dundalk were professional under Kenny, different standard yes, but still the only Irish manager to manage in the Europa league is recent time.

ratracer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095509#Comment_121095509

Oh I fully agree!

I was in favour of SK getting his chance. He’s had it and it didn’t work out, contact is up after the campaign so it’s time to say goodbye to him!!

athlone99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095403#Comment_121095403

That's probably true, 21s is probably his level but he did deserve his chance at the Senior role. It hasn't worked out but I would like to see him back involved with the FAI, whether Kenny would be happy with that only time will tell.

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095591#Comment_121095591

It takes a huge amount of humility and rationality for that to happen in these scenarios. Kerr should never have been lost to the setup also.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095572#Comment_121095572

Brendan Rodgers?

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095490#Comment_121095490

Carsley would be exactly the same as Kenny, stepping up from u21 management to senior level is too big of a jump.

And as others have pointed out Carsley is not getting the England job, not before he does a stint in club management at least.

I don't know who the replacement for Kenny should be, I don't follow the game closely enough.

But I do know they need experience beyond LoI or international underage.

Roughly I'd say English championship would be the minimum

There has to be some manager somewhere in Europe that would be a fit for the task and the price.

The bar is very low right now, the short term expectations on a new manager would be as little as "get Ireland back to being competitive in a qualifying group".

That's where the Kenny experiment has left us.

Surely they can find someone who can do that.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095509#Comment_121095509

Assuming he would leave a good job for us. Or that we can pay better than England underage.

Ashbourne hoop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095200#Comment_121095200

Of who though ? Awful

athlone99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095603#Comment_121095603

If you want to get into the semantics of Irish V Northern Irish then yeah Rodgers too. But in terms of born south of the Border then its Kenny.

Ashbourne hoop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121094980#Comment_121094980

Really hard watch.. Reminds me of his time at Rovers. He looked nervous and mumbled through interviews at Rovers. The difference when he went to Dundalk was like night and day. He was composed, articulate and looked really confident, comes with winning I guess.

It hasn't worked out but he' s laid a good foundation and there's good players coming through the U21s etc. No idea who'll be the next manager, no one obvious jumping out.

ebbsy

Need to pay the big money. Get somebody in who the lads will have respect for.

Van Gaal ?

NITRO95

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095731#Comment_121095731

The FAI don't have big money. They don't even have small money.

I wonder are we going to be looking at someone like Mark Kennedy, currently managing Lincoln in League One

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095476#Comment_121095476

Not to mention the amount of claptrap on here.

I think some people have taken liberties with the general goodwill towards Stephen Kenny. He’s an LOI man and it was perhaps thought to be good for the domestic game if he was successful and most Irish soccer fans myself included would like that to happen. Anyone other manager with that shambolic record would have been removed ages ago. Steve Staunton and particularly Brian Kerr another manager from an LOI background didn’t last as long. Kenny should have been removed in the last window at the very least. He was done.

That game last night v a poor Dutch side who basically turned up half interested was there for the taking. However we had a lame duck manager sitting in the dugout. The FAI post Delaney are a strange bunch. Delaney was a corrosive and toxic influence but now they don’t seem to have any direction of any kind.

Strange though that they took the decision (perhaps the right one) to not renew the women’s team manager’s contract even though she was relatively successful but left the lame duck Stephen Kenny sitting there for months past his time was up. Is it solely down to money and that Kenny still has some of his contract left to run or is to do with his LOI background and there’s some LOI pals of his on the LOI committee that left him there.

Father Hernandez

At the game last night and the atmosphere was incredible, certainly for Amhran na Bhfiann. Seemed to pump up the lads and what a dream start, certainly had me dreaming.

I think SK's gig is up, it would have taken 8 points from our remaining 4 games for him to continue IMO and that's now 8 from 3 games. Play offs our only realistic chance and even that seems to be at a low % of happening. He'll be gone at the end of his contract.

For me, Kenny deserved his chance and it just hasn't worked the way we all wanted. Looking at the bigger picture, we are an international side in transition, we don't have players of real quality to make a difference just yet. All that is needed is perhaps 1 or 2, look at the likes of Wales getting to the WC last year. We have the bones of a solid international team and as I said yesterday here, I do think in 2 years time we'll be in a better place.

Kenny may not be a world class manager and I've never really been Kenny in or out, more sceptical since the Luxembourg result in March 2021. 2 and a half years is a long time in football. He has been unlucky (injuries, covid, the Euro 2024 draw with France & NL) and other times it's his decision making that has let us all down.

Given he is quite poor at speaking to the media, this is usually a stick to beat him with. It's not great it must be said but at the end of the day he comes across a very likeable character who clearly loves the game and the players have huge respect for him. That says a lot to me.

It hasn't worked out but as previous posters have mentioned, there must be a role within the FAI for Kenny if he wants it. He's brought through a huge amount of younger players we will hopefully reap the benefits of soon and it's be a massive shame to lose his rapport and experience with the future of tomorrow.

McFly85

The difficulty in attracting a manager of relatively high calibre now is that it’s not a job that they can sell as something that raises their profile.

We’re miles off getting to a WC, or getting close to a playoff, so anyone taking the job will have to wait 4 years before maybe qualifying for 2028. That’s an awful long time essentially out of club management for little potential payoff.

So really I think it’ll come down to someone like Crawford for who the job would be an upgrade, or an older Irish manager who doesn’t care about getting back to club management.

ebbsy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095745#Comment_121095745

I presume you are pulling my leg with that one.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095249#Comment_121095249

It wasn’t funny because it was too much like the real thing. Just go Stephen ffs.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095603#Comment_121095603

Ireland have no chance of getting Brendan Rodgers right now. He’s in a job.

He could be someone maybe a few years down the line that would be a great appointment.

NITRO95

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095848#Comment_121095848

Who do you seriously think is going to take the Irish job for 500k or less per year? It's not going to be a LVG or a Roy Keane or anyone of that ilk. As mentioned above we are looking at anywhere between 3-7 years before we qualify for a tournament.

We are going to be looking at bottom tier Championship, League 1 level managers. Maybe we can get a European manager in but they will be the equivalent of a Championship manager at best

And before anyone mentions them. Mick McCarthy is a League 1 level manager and MON isn't working for 500k per year.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095886#Comment_121095886

That game was there to win last night. Stephen is done and should have went at the last window. All they’ve done is drag out the process and torture the guy and the rest of us. Release him now and start the process of getting a new manager. I don’t see the point of leaving him there for the last two games.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095879#Comment_121095879

My post wasn’t about him getting the job. It was about being an Irish manager in the Europa league.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095731#Comment_121095731

You know FIFA were inches from stepping in because we were bankrupt a few years ago right.

Would have been the first country outside of a few Carribbean backwaters to have footballs version of the IMF in.

Dr. Bre

What’s the chances of us dropping to 4th seeds for the next Qualifying campaign?

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095731#Comment_121095731

What big money? FAI finances are still nowhere near stable enough to be splurging on a manager. That's why it's more likely the next manager will probably be an out of work manager, I'm not sure the FAI has the money to buy anyone out of their contract. Any money the FAI has needs to be spent on youth setups and coaching. Otherwise the future will be even bleaker.

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121095896#Comment_121095896

Ah please don't mention Roy Keane. He has become a parody of himself.

Augme

Kenny has to go and I think everyone is in agreement with that at this stage. It's still frightening to see how divorced from reality some irish fans are though.