Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

glenjamin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121247513#Comment_121247513

1 more sub to go.

He'll probably bring on Browne in the 89th minute...

sonic85

There's not an ounce of creativity in this team at all. Gibralter are absolute rubbish and it's the same tired ponderous attempts at attacking. No attempts from long range and nobody in midfield who can thread a pass. Poor

Pipmae

OMG the Belgium v Sweden game called off at half time. The players refuse to play the second half. Two Swedish fans shot dead before the game started. You're not safe anywhere nowadays.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1714011735818915869

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121247536#Comment_121247536

Kenny is "preparing for the future" after all.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121247518#Comment_121247518

Perfect age

briany

Stick that in your pipes and smoke it, Gibraltar. Be sure to remove the duty free shag first, though.

Brock Turnpike

"This must be your favourite opposition?"

Jesus **** Christ

Brock Turnpike

I think the Kenny-train is starting to roll! Choo Choo!

gormdubhgorm

RTE studio giving out about Doherty not celebrating like a mad eejit?

This is where it is at, is it?

Seneca the Stoic

He has to go, but have to say it’s nice to see Kenny smiling and somewhat relaxed.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121247717#Comment_121247717

Probably looking forward to a couple of days on the beach.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121247223#Comment_121247223

Wasn't brilliant at Shamrock Rovers, but did very well with Derry. 6 trophies and got through a few UEFA Cup rounds before PSG knocked 'em out. And obviously did incredible stuff with Dundalk after. He'll have absolutely no trouble getting another LOI job.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248268#Comment_121248268

Not to mention the work he did at Longford and a double at Bohs. He'll have no trouble getting a job in LOI and probably could get a decent level job in the UK if he wanted.

glenjamin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248452#Comment_121248452

He'd say L1/L2 at best. Sure look what happened with Brian Kerr. Done a decent job for us and the next managerial post he took was the Faroes (unless he was offered jobs and turned them down, idk). Even Staunton could only get a job at Darlington after he left.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248268#Comment_121248268

His first stint at Derry he took over a team that had been battling relegation and in back to back seasons it went down to the final day of the season to decide the league winners. Lost out in 2005 to Cork by two points who beat Derry City on the final day and lost out on goal difference to Shels in 2006.

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248827#Comment_121248827

I'd agree with this, very hard to see him getting any offers above L1 level at least in England. The USA could be an option whether the MLS or the USL with there being plenty of jobs available in both, decent pay and a fairly mixed level of football.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248847#Comment_121248847

Can't see teams in England having any interest in him whatsoever. Don't think there was any rumours of interest while his Dundalk team were dominating and his stint at Ireland will be a big negative against him.

You see lower league teams now going for inexperienced/up and coming managers with Oxford United's captain retiring mid season back in January to take the Portsmouth job being one of the more out there appointments in the last couple of years.

kksaints

On last night's match a comfortable win as we really should expect. The performance was better than some of our other matches against the real minnow teams but you can't read anything into that other than ideally we'd be as aggressive with our midfield in other matches against the minnows. Play like Knight and McGrath did against any half decent counter attacking threat and we'd be torn to shreds. McGrath's flick for Dohertys goal was spectacular and deserves praise. McGrath did well and certainly justified his start. Doherty had one of his good performances with 2 assists and the goal. Johnston also had a fine performance and he does offer something different with his trickery and ability to dribble past defenders. Thought Cullen was a mixed bag tbh, much more aggressive with his passing which was positive however the quality wasn't that good and we will need him to be sharper in matches against better opposition.

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248879#Comment_121248879

I'd just base it on the fact that we've seen L1 teams interested in Stephen Bradley and L2 in Ruiadhi Higgins. Kenny to me has had more success than Bradley and definitely more than Higgins.

HalloweenJack

Kenny's mastered the LOI but the times he's put himself on a different stage (Dunfermline and now), he hasn't been able to shine so I struggle to see what new interest he will have generated in himself.

RonanG86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121247467#Comment_121247467

I'd like to see him get a proper run instead of Doherty.

johnnyryan89

https://twitter.com/IrelandFootball/status/1714220019482005898

U17s have to win to finish top and possibly get top seeding for the Elite Round after they drew 0-0 with Iceland at the weekend. Given the forecast and this game was pushed forward by two hours the weather conditions might make it a sloppy game.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248903#Comment_121248903

Think his time with Ireland is gonna overshadow anything he done before the job. Would need to rebuild himself again in the LOI to generate interest from L2 or possibly L1.

glenjamin

https://twitter.com/KennysKids/status/1714042014335905919?t=2oq4M1RxIrNh8hPEKXWR3g&s=19

Anyone any more information on this? Roberts is decent enough. Would certainly improve things in terms of lack of creativity if this is true. Shame he didn't commit 4-5 years ago. Must have suddenly realised he was Irish.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121248903#Comment_121248903

I'd agree with @johnnyryan89 above. Bradley and Higgins were seen as doing well at the current team and being on an upward career trajectory. That is not the case for Kenny after his work with Ireland who may have left his best days in the past.

Brock Turnpike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121249404#Comment_121249404

Saying it's Roberts is nothing more than guesswork.

johnnyryan89

Doubt he's even Irish. Signed for City at 18 and how he managed to stay on the books of City until a week shy of his 25th birthday is a mystery. His best football was played at Celtic between the ages of 19-21 and since then he's been meh.

Another name people are throwing out in hopes and probably isn't Irish either is Kasey McAteer whose started the season with 4 goals in 7 games with Leicester.

Pauliedragon

Saw it mentioned here earlier but dismissed it but they're saying on totally football that we are still in with a chance of a playoff. If we get even a playoff let alone qualify the qualification process is seriously flawed. No team like us deserves to be near the Euros. Back to 16 teams I'd say.

johnnyryan89

Turns out Kasey McAteer is the player Kenny was on about last night. Has started the season in form for Leicester and can play on the right or left.

https://twitter.com/McDonnellDan/status/1714371417775439901

~Rebel~

He was very good in the League Cup against Liverpool, was electric and very composed.

Not ideal that it's become so public before it's done, would expect the FA to have a word with him and his people.

TheCitizen

Is he related to Trigger?

Brock Turnpike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121252306#Comment_121252306

Very unlikely

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121250900#Comment_121250900

They said there was a chance (at time of publication) that we would go into the Netherlands game needing to lose to help Netherlands qualify which would free up a play off space for us.

Not really the kind of scenario UEFA would want to see.

Patrick2010

With their win the other night aren't they pretty well sure to qualify especially Gibraltar left to play?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121253862#Comment_121253862

Yes now (the podcast was pre Ned v Gre). Also the teams below is that we would need to lose are very unlikely to so no real hope we get in and we don't deserve anyway.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121253578#Comment_121253578

I looked at the groups at who might qualify could qualify etc. It is ridiculous. It almost has been made more difficult NOT to get a chance of qualifying for the Euros proper, than it is to qualify.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2024_qualifying

It really shows up what a complete sh!te of things Stephen Kenny has done.

Maybe there should be another possible play off spot for teams thinking of the future of football itself and having aspirations/notions of playing football the 'right way'?

Or there is always the chance another European country starts a war, that could free up another spot. It worked well for Denmark...

Pawwed Rig

The comments on S Kenny on social media are an absolute disgrace. I don't think there is anyone who really thinks he will be getting a new contract after this period but no one can say that he wasn't committed to the job and didn't have ANY positive impact. People need to have a good look at themselves.

ebbsy

Well there is no danger of us beating Holland.

Its a dead rubber, and the players will not be motivated.

Why should they be ?

Kenny should have been given the boot after the Lux defeat.

HalloweenJack

Against my better judgement, I posted on the AH thread in more detail. To summarise, I argued the following: It is telling that Robertson and Johnston spoke positively of him the other night and that the players continue to follow his instructions.

There doesn't seem to be any indication of player's being unhappy with what he's trying to do and how he's gone about it.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254017#Comment_121254017

I always find that those kind of personal attacks are always more reflective on the person themselves and their own insecurities than the person they are attacking.

Many examples of this in the AH thread and if anyone ever wonders why you have to apply to get into the Soccer forum on here, that thread is a great example why.

johnnyryan89

https://twitter.com/McDonnellDan/status/1714401940505784736

Fair play to the lads even though they shouldn't be the ones helping to fund it. Pilot starts next year where one boy and one girl (€15k per person) will receive a full-time scholarship in a selected LOI club to combine training and education.

Over the next five years they're hoping that it's rolled out to each club with the end goal being that 10 boys and 10 girls at each club can train and study full time. They're estimating it could cost €6m a year.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254823#Comment_121254823

They most certainly should be funding it. The money top players are on its should be a given that they pump a fine amount of it back into grassroots.

The FAI and the government should also be throwing a ton of money into underage but it should be all of them not one or the other.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254017#Comment_121254017

There was no similar narrative for poor Steve Staunton. And Staunton's era was on the cusp of the social media generation, but he got hammered by the print media.

I am not saying that Social Media comments are justified to me that more of a comment on the society at large, and the drawbacks of social media.

But your comment above seems to be a 'desperate' look for some positive for Kenny. While also trying to engender sympathy for him. Top of my head Kenny's best achievement has been finding Ogbene. I doubt under another manager Ogbene, would he where he is now without Kenny.

After that I am really struggling, Kenny set Ireland backwards in so many other areas. World ranking, prestige, tactically. and so on.

Kenny has ripped the heart and soul out of Ireland overall. No energy, no fight. Teams look forwards to playing Ireland now. I bet Gibraltar went into the Ireland games thinking 'We have a chance here lads"

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254017#Comment_121254017

While I think there is no place for personal attacks on Kenny, this is part of the reason why he should have been fired before this International window. Leaving in lame duck managers past the point of no return is unfair to them ontop of being utterly pointless.

I think the reaction the rest of the way will be hugely negative because people were sold a complete pup and will be ashamed for buying into it.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254823#Comment_121254823

Money well spent a great initiative from Bazunu and McClean.

Did you smash it

Out of interest, has anyone ever spoken to someone who knew Kenny when he was an amateur footballer or working in a meat business or even in school?

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121255306#Comment_121255306

The initial €30k is coming from a fund that was set up by Bazunu, McClean, Coleman, and others during covid when the LOI came to a halt. Seems there was Mooney left over and they've decided on starting this scholarship.

Canham mentions that funds could be diverted from other projects for this and with education involved gives them something to lobby government with for funds

Bazunu mentions he's talked to other players this week (around 8 of them) who all seem willing to back this scholarship.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121254936#Comment_121254936

I said recently in another post that the media were a disgrace the way they treated Staunton. I recall they were hounding his parents at one stage.

Expectations were higher then though. It has been a poor decade for Irish football outside of euro 2016 barring a couple of big wins.

My comments are on a human level and reflective of my thoughts on LOI and lower league players in England. They are not aloof millionaires living in an ivory tower who never have to smell the great unwashed - these guys are living among us and deserve to be treated with dignity

breezy1985

Expectations were higher during Staunton's time and I still think he is the worst appointment the FAI made.

The great shame of the media at the time was that they were incapable of unwilling to go for the jugular of the people who gave Stan the job. Would have saved Irish soccer a lot of trouble if that kind of incompetence was investigated fully at the time.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121257131#Comment_121257131

It made a certain amount of sense at the time though - Stan was supposed to have Bobby Robson working with him, and it's obvious who the senior figure would've been in practice there (despite the "i'm the gaffer" speech). Stan would've been the figurehead, but I've no doubt Robson's influence over tactics and player personnel would've been huge - you don't bring in someone of that stature for anything less. But once Robson got sick so soon afterwards (before our competitive first game), the plan fell apart as instead of just spending a few years learning from one of the best in history, Stan was left drowning miles out of his depth on his own.

Where the FAI definitely failed was in not finding another elder statesman to take Bobby's place though. It was always obvious that Staunton needed major guidance, and they pretty much hung him out to dry.