Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

~Rebel~

Couple minutes for Azaz at least, and at last... nice little moment on his introduction too.

Mushy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943462#Comment_121943462

Was wondering who the co-commentator was. "Almost the quickest debut goal" as Azaz can't get ball out from under his legs

Zico !

This will definetly rule out john o shea for the job

glenjamin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943479#Comment_121943479

It would not surprise me still if he got the job permanently or remained as caretaker for the Nations League due to the incompetence of the FAI.

downtheroad

That was atrocious

Zico !

No boos at the end I think at this stage no one gives a sh1t anymore

ratracer

Pretty grim stuff! I know we don’t have the most technically gifted players, but it just seems clueless. At least play the players in their natural position.

Not very promising looking for the next couple of years.

SaoPaulo41

Mick McCarthy bigging up JOS for the job just now. Its like mate's looking after mates .

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943496#Comment_121943496

Who would you boo. For the most part the players were fine and the manager is gone anyway.

~Rebel~

Grim enough game. Poor enough performance, and basically nothing learned about anyone, beyond maybe that Sammie is a decent addition (more-so learned in the first game).

I wouldn't necessarily beat O'Shea with it too much either, ultimately 2 games and one week is just not anywhere near enough to imprint a strategy. Though I wasn't fond of his in-game changes, which are the one thing he did have immediate control over. Felt very conservative, when we needed to start trying to change the tempo of the game and do something. Our most impactful attacker left on the bench for the whole game too.

TheRiverman

😴😴😴😴😴😴😴.

Zico !

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943508#Comment_121943508

Really the players were fine -they didnt even have a shot on goal ffs

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943520#Comment_121943520

I said for the most part.

I don't rate very many of these players so ya I think they gave everything they could. It's just everything isn't much with this team.

Don't see what booing does for anyone.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943520#Comment_121943520

There was the one alright! The Omobamidele header into the keepers arms.

klose

2 games at home and no goals, give it Sheasy

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943534#Comment_121943534

For sure... really, aside from Sammie now being a firm squad inclusion, everything about this window can be memory holed and we start fresh with a blank slate for the next window.

downtheroad

Coleman motm...embarrassing

Is he retiring? Token award

happyoutscan

Some would still have you believe we should be beating these teams on a regular basis.

Deluded.

Don't have the caliber of player(s) needed and that won't be changing any time soon.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943555#Comment_121943555

Well, it has to be an Ireland player, so who else? Thought he was probably our best player (not saying much admittedly), and that was some engine on him to keep going for another full game after playing 90 minutes the other day.

artanevilla

The engine ran out of fuel at the end.

I'd have given it to Collins.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943566#Comment_121943566

Great pass to ferguson in space at the end.

They shouldn't be giving any motm award after that performance.

You'd be embarrassed accepting it.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943583#Comment_121943583

I think over the past while more often then not, they are. It's a stupid system, but it is what it is - sponsor requirement job.

callaway92

Imagine being from somewhere in Munster forced to buy the dual ticket for the two matches it included🤢🤢

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943555#Comment_121943555

What's embarrassing is these MOTM awards after losses, just for the sponsors. Often really bad losses.

pgj2015

That's the last straw for me, I cant watch them anymore, hopeless, and to think people blamed Kenny 😂 we don't have the players, no one could do anything with that team.

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943606#Comment_121943606

Well in fairness, John O'Shea, like Kenny doesn't have the experience to be a senior international manager.

We need an experienced manager. However, probably not as much as we need a couple of decent midfielders.

AllGunsBlazing

People are expecting a messiah, not a manager.

Utterly bog standard group of footballers. The midfield being especially bad.

I can't imagine why any decent manager, with options open to them, would want this gig.

Francie Barrett

Give O Shea the u21 job and let's see what he can make of it over two years.

RonanG86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943659#Comment_121943659

So if he does a good job, we can give him the senior job? That's essentially what happened with Kenny, even though he was promised the senior job at the outset. And we know how that worked out. So U21 success is clearly not a reliable barometer of senior ability.

Never want to see Ireland line up three center backs again. I appreciate we're not blessed with midfield talent, but three out of Cullen, Knight, Smallbone, or maybe a McGrath, Azaz or Hodge chucked in surely going to make a better fist of it than two? Less ground to cover. Smaller gaps between them so they can find each other more easily. It's not like our wingbacks are much of an outlet either, so we might as well dispense with them and use regular fullbacks. And our center backs would have a clearer responsibility.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943659#Comment_121943659

why give him any job? he hasn't managed anyone.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943659#Comment_121943659

Would absolutely love to see him in that position to be honest. Be ideal. Crawford is definitely not good enough anyway, and O'Shea immediately brings more clout. Would be incredible if Kerr would join him too, no better man to work with the kids.

I wouldn't necessarily be looking at it from the POV of testing him for the senior role, but rather giving him a job he'd be well suited to in and of itself. I'd still probably like to see him go off after and manage a senior team, before he was given the top job.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943659#Comment_121943659

"Sorry Jim, we're giving your job to John O'Shea off the back of too pretty poor performances in friendlies".

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943696#Comment_121943696

I mean, no-one has managed anyone until they have. An U-21 job is the ideal sort of first position. It's an instant improvement on Crawford anyway.

~Rebel~

wtf from Lewandowski there with his peno against Wales - you're allowed to stutter your run up, but he fully completely stopped, then started again, and then stuttered. That first stop should've made it null.

kksaints

Another disappointing result. Pretty much a replica of most Ireland performances against half decent teams at the Aviva. Start poorly and fall behind, then improve after we concede but struggle to equalise. Sometimes we got the equaliser but tonight we didn't and tbh the Swiss keeper didn't have a save to make in the 2nd half.

If that was an audition for a full-time gig for JOS he didn't pass it. Not changing the formation after making the first set of subs was a mistake and leaving Coleman on the full match was pointless.

Left back/ left wing back is such a problem position for us. Brady wasn't good and he's 32 so not really a long term option. O'Dowda isn't good enough simple as nor is Manning. Johnson had a poor game and Ogbene was missed. Knight works hard but qualitywise is probably only a squad player. Smallbone has had a poor start to his international career but I don't think the midfield two suits him, I'd feel he's better behind the striker. Ferguson was off it for most of the night but in fairness we never got the right ball up to him. He's been poor since October but he's still very young and I don't think him playing while still part injured a few months ago did him any favours.

Szmodic did well enough in the two matches. Has a good switch of play. He's no world beater but he's a good option to have. Back three is probably the biggest plus of the two matches. Bar one or two mistakes they were very comfortable for the two matches. Collins in particular was a different player from the walking mistake machine he was in the last campaign.

pgj2015

Even if Obafemi hadn't played a club game all year, I would play him every game for Ireland as him and Ogbene are the only 2 with pace, the rest of the Irish team are so slow on the ball.

joinme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943566#Comment_121943566

I hate this 'Ireland' player of the match BS, its embarrassing. If an opposition player is better, (usually the case at home these days) then give it to them. Don't treat the paying public like idiots.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943696#Comment_121943696

Sheasy retorts: I've managed to stay alive for 43 and a half years baby

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943606#Comment_121943606

Is this another effort from the pro Kenny mob?

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121944020#Comment_121944020

It would appear to be the opinion of an individual poster rather than, somehow, a 'mob'...

I also don't think there actually is a 'pro Kenny' group of people these days - opinion for a long time here has been fairly unanimous that he had to go. There probably are, however, a number of people who are not sure if we can expect much of a significant upturn in performances given the playing staff and the level of manager we're connected with.

budgemook

I wonder did Duffer watch and what he thought of it.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121944106#Comment_121944106

It was a phrase “the anti Kenny mob” that I saw the other day on this thread on here that I had in my head.

Anyway Kenny is gone. My problem with Kenny was he should have left months before he eventually departed, that wasn’t his fault, the FAI should have relieved him of his position and O’Shea should have had the last few games of the last cycle as caretaker. Instead he’s getting an audition now.

Any manager will need time to get something going with this team. We’ve forgotten how to win games. In these two games we should have beat Belgium. Switzerland watched that game and set up to counter us last night. There were posters complaining that O’Shea wasn’t experimenting and was trying to win these games. He was right. In fact he should have been more ruthless and stuck with the in form goalkeeper and maybe would have drawn last night as well.

Whoever they pick will need a bit of time to get these players to learn how to win at any cost again and if confidence comes back then done nice football might arrive now and then. We’ve tried the other way around and that clearly doesn’t work.

Francie Barrett

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943724#Comment_121943724

Crawford will never be the senior international manager and has made plenty of questionable decisions.

noodler

Two teams against the teams miles better than us.

I was quite happy with the Belgium game but we weren't brave enough last night until the last 15.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121944332#Comment_121944332

So? Being a potential future senior manager isn't a prerequisite to be U21s manager.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943175#Comment_121943175

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943145#Comment_121943145

Gavin Cumminsky tweeted that the FAI confirmed he wasn't in the running for the job. Turns out he was born and raised in Switzerland.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943032#Comment_121943032

Okay after tonight I hope Poyet just turns up to tonight's meeting and kicks shins before proclaiming I'm the manager now. If John O'Shea actually ends up as manager then heads should roll.

Last night was basically like re-watching what went on last year. Plenty of huff and puff and a manager totally outflanked tactically. Of the younger Irish coaches in the game he's not even the best rated Irish coach we could bring hire.

downthemiddle

Looks like Hill is a goner and we don't have a manager.

Quelle surprise.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121944673#Comment_121944673

One positive, one negative.

tigger123

The holiday payments situation was really damaging for the him, but more importantly for the FAI.

Also, the way they approached the Oireachtas Committtee with the late submissions, and redacted e-mails was really pitiful.

It's incredibly frustrating.