Cult of Stephen Kenny

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176884#Comment_119176884

Are you suggesting 10/12yos are thinking about career's? Surely they're just playing which ever sport they're enjoying most.

Built into that enjoyment is structure, coaching, prevelance of the sport in the wider community and how much notoriety it brings to be attached with a specific club/team.

Soccer is way down the list in most communities in Ireland for all of the above.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176742#Comment_119176742

We are playing far better football than under trap, o neil, mc carthy, we create chances, pass the ball well enough but the players have no idea how to put the ball in the net. remember a paddy power advert a few years ago it said time for the Ireland game, 90 minutes of kicking the ball away like its a nest of wasps, that was a perfect way to describe the "football" we were playing at the time, players were terrified of the ball, at least now the players want the ball and try to create something, not just lumping it up to the striker.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176922#Comment_119176922

It's a results business, he took the big job and he's failing big time.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176801#Comment_119176801

Our Haaland is probably playing Gaelic football or hurling. and maybe the Norweigans aren't as obsessed with the English premier league are Irish people are, that is why they have had more success in Europe.

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176922#Comment_119176922

I think its different to the old way but the new fear factor is playing forward passes. It's genuinely just as bad to keep playing it backwards and lose it eventually as it is to keep hoofing it.

The middle ground is where good teams reside. Maybe the forward passes will come with time but SK is running out of time.

Hopefully his replacement finds the middle ground.

completedit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176922#Comment_119176922

What have you been watching? In the last third of the pitch we look exactly like how Ireland always play. Our only thing in mind is to punt the ball into the box. There's nothing wrong with that, that's how many goals can be scored but there's nothing revolutionary about how we attack. The only difference is our long balls come from a bit higher up the pitch than before.

pgj2015

David clifford and ciaran kilkenny along with a good few other chose GAA over money playing in Australia.

Fred Astaire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176922#Comment_119176922

No we aren't.

Our win v Italy and Austria under Martin O Neill was a far better performance than anything Kenny has served up over 17 competitive games. Our draw away to Italy under Trap and our normal time victory away to France under Trap was a far better performance than anything under Kenny. Our draw at home to Denmark under Mick was better than anything produced by Kenny.

How anyone can actually watch these games and claim we play good football is utterly beyond me. Tonight was a dreadful display, utterly pathetic and it is the norm of the reign. We've seen that performance 6 times in the last nations league, we saw it v Azerbaijan and Luxembourg at home, even Serbia at home we were repeatedly carved open. To claim we are playing better football is just nonsense at this point, unless you value the defenders passing it amongst each other as some sort of total football knock off.

I also highly doubt you watch our games given you have left out the Shane Duffy up front tactic that we have repeatedly deployed, complete with long ball after long ball - across numerous games. Nice football my arse.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176937#Comment_119176937

There was some good passes in the game today, years ago they were just belting it up and pray it breaks to us. Egan hit a lovely pass to robinson in the first half.

You'd have to wonder how many of the Dublin senior Gaelic football squad might have become quality association football players. They have all the right physical attributes.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176927#Comment_119176927

Exactly and tonight we had 6 shots, 3 on target. We hit the target roughly every 30 minute and had a shot about every 15… not going to win many matches if that’s all you really create.

we play poor, slow and tactically inept football with feck all end product, it’s boring and hopelessly inept.

completedit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176969#Comment_119176969

Lionel Messi. Our players are physically fine, they lack finesse, skill, technique and guile.

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176961#Comment_119176961

The more games I'm watching the more the dogma is clear. Instead of hoof it forward when under pressure it's now knock it backwards.

The players neeed to be comfortable in possession which I definitely think SK has tried to instill in them but there needs to be way more impotence placed on playing forward passes.

Losing the ball in the final 3rd with a 50/50 pass and defending high up the pitch if you do lose it is better than passing all the way back and playing out all over again.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176976#Comment_119176976

Erling Halland. He would make a fine GAA player. Do you think a GAA player could be a fine soccer player? Or does every soccer player have to be exactly like Messi?

Tonesjones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176922#Comment_119176922

We are after getting beaten twice in a row.

Once by Armenia and again by a second string Ukrainian team.

We played some great football against Portugal and Belgium but its all gone wrong again. On the backfoot again. Very frustrating

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176969#Comment_119176969

Haha has happy….Shane Supple played a handful of league games for Dublin and ipswich, Falkirk, Oldham and Bohemians…

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176884#Comment_119176884

I don't agree with that...if there was no gaa and an improved league because it I'm positive you would see more good soccer players....imagine if the same level of interest that's funnelled into the hurling and football championships, county finals all Ireland club finals was focused on soccer here....it would be bound to produce more players at a higher level

I'm not saying it would result in trophies mind you but to say the better players go and play soccer because that's where the money is and the rest get left behind because they aint good enough seems incorrect or reductive at best to me

I think you are underestimating the draw of GAA from a young age....its bred into you, I'm certain theres many a potentially talented soccer player that never was because they never even considered it (or their parents/community around them didnt) or they missed a window to start young and couldn't catch up to the skill level required in their late teens/20s while competing against lads that had 10yrs more experience etc

I look at some of the younger players in particular on successful teams football and hurling and the skills, fitness etc and think they are not far off professional.....while holding down a job.......as soccer fan my mouth would be watering at the thought of getting some of those young lads into a youth academy with a sole focus on soccer......I've no doubt some of them would be top class if they were committed to it the same way they commit to their county teams...with a community around them focused on the sport

It may have been a bit more common in the past as there less options in the country for a physically talented person to earn big money playing a ball game...take Niall Quinn, Kevin Moran......you can't tell me there wouldn't be more of those now given the increased skill levels, commitment and physical conditioning at some of the top counties if you got them young.

We're sports mad in this country if you ask me, its just that soccer is down the pecking order really.....we benefitted a lot from proximity to the English league, emigration and near poverty in the past..........

completedit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119177012#Comment_119177012

If any of those GAA lads showed a talent for football and I mean enough talent that it was clear they'd be exceptional then they'd pursue football. It's only a few counties where some lads might never play football and what are the chances these tiny populations are going to produce some great soccer player? We definitely lose some players but it's not like the USA or something where literally their best athletes rarely end up as footballers or even as much as kick a football(and yet they still can produce quality players) Those GAA lads more than likely have played football at some level and many were probably quite good but showed more talent in their respective sports and ended up going down that route. You only have to look at Scotland to see a similar country that rarely produces outstanding players(but more than us) and they have no GAA.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176935#Comment_119176935

Norway have also won 160 medals at the Summer Olympics apparently, never mind the way they dominate the Winter Olympics. We are just f*cking shite at anything to do with football.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176935#Comment_119176935

I think they actually are obsessed with the PL, maybe not as much as we are.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119177024#Comment_119177024

Nah..I just can't agree with that.....just the existence of GAA and all that goes with it reduces the player pool in a country with an already low population (in terms of most of the best European teams) ...then there's rugby, your thesis fails on numbers alone

Then if you look at really successful ireland teams of the past many had a large proportion of English born players qualifying on granny rule etc on the starting 11.....not lads that made the trip over because they were too good for GAA.

You take away gaa and replace it with the same focus on soccer (not that such a scenario is even remotely possible) but say you did then you at least get Switzerland or average Norway/Swedencountry level on a consistent basis.....or possibly even approaching Netherlands due to proximity to English league imo.

It's a bit silly to think that all the good ones are spotted and make their way to soccer leaving the mullockers and redneck neanderthals behind to play stickball in ballyarsebackwards with Ciaran and Pat theback O'Meballsack.

completedit

I know plenty of guys who were amazing at GAA and football but amazing in football is different from GAA. You have to be beyond amazing to make pursuing football a worthwhile goal. GAA success is attainable, football success even for the talented is a pipe dream.

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119176732#Comment_119176732

Ah, the old Eamon Dunphy / Wes Hoolahan street-football hypothesis

Tonesjones

A lot of our future football hopes lie with the children of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa. Their children might want to play soccer as in their local communities in Irelands towns and cities the gaa would be non existant.

It's already starting to come through at the younger ages.

Wombatman

We deserve clueless Kenny and a team of Championship standard players for letting Delaney go on for a long as he did, sucking resources out of the game.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119177057#Comment_119177057

Was Paul McShane or Gary Doherty beyond amazing at football?

Apparently David Clifford was a top soccer player who could have gone down the professional soccer route, this came from an Irish professional soccer player. Id say in Kerry they would prefer to be on the Kerry team than the Ireland team.

Curse These Metal Hands

Would rather the team at least attempts to play football and fail for the time being that go back to the way things were. Had a season ticket from 08 to to 2016. Some good memories but it was mostly the likes of Georgia coming to the Aviva and dominating possession. Overall, it was a bleak experience and lesser ranked European teams always played nicer football than us.

Beating Germany was great and all, but scoring a 1/1000 shot goal, directly from your keeper to striker, then defending for your life , praying they have one or those nights where it just won't go in, shouldn't be a long term goal.

Qualifying for the odd tournament was nice, but we were lucky that we got to play Italy's second string team to reach the last 16 in 2016. We were grouped with finalists in 2012 but it was plain to see that we were by far the worst team in the competition.

Irish football has been about papering over cracks the last 20 years or so, and we were the last team in Europe playing that hideous style of football, and even then qualification was a rarity.

Would rather bring the kids to games where we are at least trying to play the ball forward along the ground and lose rather than sitting back and trying to nick a goal here and there. It's depression to watch. The under 21s are playing a nice style of football, I think when they come through they'll adapt better.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119177057#Comment_119177057

That's true....but it's even harder to produce quality soccer players if you reduce the player pool....and not chew away at the margins....we are talking vast chunks of potential players gone and only pockets of interest for soccer in the country and the corresponding lack of investment in training/coaching national league and in Dublin (where you should have more of a potential pool of players) you have both GAA and Rugby reducing your player numbers ....I'm not saying that situation is completely wrong (it could have been managed a damn sight better and less corruptly by FAI imo) , but I'm just saying ultimately it's reality..........

Then add to that how the Premier league has changed with the influx of money and outside players squeezing out not just irish but a lot of English players too.....without that the problems in irish soccer might not have been so obvious as there may have been so many quality players on English team more of the granny rulers may have viewed ireland as a more viable option for getting an international game and putting themselves in shop window etc....that has reduced one of the most valuable pools of talent we had available in recent times

A lot of factors have contributed to this...some within and some beyond the FAI .....

It's root and branch stuff to move forward now afaic ......

Pussyhands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119177048#Comment_119177048

I know for a fact that players choose rugby over gaa. When I was in college it was a common annoyance by lads in certain counties that their star players in under sixteen and minor teams left the gaa to go play professional rugby.

Young lads play all the sports and if they're good at gaa they're good at soccer and if they're that good at soccer they'll get trials over in England. I know multiple lads who went for trials. None of them made it.

One young lad in particular was the talk of the town. Everyone raved about how unreal he was at soccer. He was banging in goals left right and centre and was sent for trials over for a Premier league club.

Turns out he wasn't good enough for that level and is actually playing in the league of Ireland now at left back! The standard is so high for soccer.

Just look at the pro level aussie rules. The game is similar yet only a handful of gaa players could make the cut in it.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119177107#Comment_119177107

All that may be true but the basic fact remains if you reduce the pool you choose from the number of quality players also reduces.....

You seem to think that anyone that's good at soccer but plays GAA gets spotted or leaves of their own accord and that's it....there are no other factors at play.

It's a ludicrous hill to choose to die on but so be it......