Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

Big Sam had a 100 percent record with England . Give him a call

Would Brian Kerr take it? Safe pair of hands. Could steady the ship for a year or two. He will get the mix of the squad better IMO. They badly need someone who is an experienced organiser of teams/a tactician. And can get them to gel.

if I was in the FAI Kerr would be my no1 choice, if Kenny goes. If Kerr wants it.

Safe pair of hands to steady the ship for a year or two is exactly what the FAI did with McCarthy. So what do we do in 2 years time is the question.

With the way his reign ended at Derby I'd say Cocu would want to avoid another dodgy job, and might consider moving back to the continent for a club job.

He would not play youth for youth sake alone. But at the same time he would give them a more gradual transition. Impression Kerr gave is that he thinks it is daft throwing in a load of inexperienced u21’s all at once.

Kerr is 68 and not managed in 10 years. Clearly not the answer. The talent pool of Irish managers is quite shallow, the realistic options will have to come from abroad.

Stop tryna mash players into "tactics" that dont work solely because they are young.

Not really asking too much from any decent manager, too much from Kenny it seems.

He's been in Dublin over the summer training himself and has been using the facilities in Abbottstown during that. So not like he was just passing one day and they called him in for a chat. Was already there and there's no harm having him train with the squad if he's already there.

Obviously clubs will be put off with his injury record. Covid has hit the finances so much that teams probably can't justify bringing him until they get their squads sorted for the start of the season.

I'd say Brady himself could be blocking himself out of a move. Maybe he thinks he can do it still at a high level, or didn't want to go abroad at first. At this stage beggers can't be choosers, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was still a free agent come January.

Needs must, Kerr proud Irishman inexpensive experienced. Man manager, tactician, keeps up with the developments in the game. The foreign manager stuff just sounds exotic. Fairly soon they will realise the crap structure they have to worth within. And how poor the players are. Remember Trapattoni? Plus realistically what good quality foreign manger would want the Irish job?

Dutch lads were brought in well over a decade ago by the FAI talked a good game such as Ruud Dokter and another Dutch compatriot of his. ‘Performance director’ or whatever title they were given. Fairly soon I believe the noises were they could not believe the politics in Irish football which meant it went no where. Competing Schoolboy leagues v LOI etc. Instead of working together they fought against each other more often than not. A ‘foreign’ manager will only sound good on paper.

Plus there are plenty who have said if Kerr was in another country his football knowledge would not be let go to waste it would at least be tapped into in an advisory role.

Anyone hear anything on Robbie Brady, has he found himself a new club awful shame at 29 not to be playing ,

The last few years his career just fell off a cliff ,

Is the U-21 match this afternoon being broadcast? No mention of it on RTE.

Yeah Kenny seems like a pure idealist wants to play football the ‘right way’ fair enough that is his ‘philosophy’ as they say.

But it does not mean completely abandoning pragmatism, tactical organisation and work rate. Closing down players, defending attacking set pieces. I don’t think Kenny is able to do this. At this stage we should see a Kenny style of play. An organised side lads who know their jobs. Fellas who play without fear. What have we seen so far?

The worst of everything we have seen. Ineffective safe side to side slow passing. Few if any, capable of turning and even attempting spraying penetrative passes controlling midfield. Awful aimless crossing into the box that fail to beat the first man, or are sky high. Awful defending at set pieces. No variation in attacking set pieces- Duffy only outlet. Awful finishing and very poor movement from the players.

A lot of these problems IMO, are not just because the player’s are not ‘technicians’ as the phrase goes. It is because the manager has not settled a side with the same tactics and worked on the pragmatic side of the game. The ‘basic stuff’ as John Giles would say. Lads knowing their jobs work rate etc.

I disagree part of the hype is because the players are young which assumes that they will do well etc. Only three of the new young lads stand out as far as I see. Bazunu/Kelleher and Idah. Kenny should be moving heaven and earth to get McGoldrick back for instance. Have a few old heads around the squad to show the younger lads the way even in training. Experience should not just be discarded or let go.

Very good point plus Southgate was been slated as been a lucky manager. The press and fans were calling on him to be more adventurous. But he kept it simple was organised was hard to beat. Ended up overachieving in the tournament. Very similar in many ways to Jack Charlton’s idea of keeping it simple being hard to break down and working hard.

Even Mick when he was manager the first time played more football on the floor. But made sure Ireland were hard to break down and a threat from set pieces. Even though Mick wanted to play football the ‘right way’ there was a mix. That goal Robbie Keane scored v Germany was caused by a long direct ball to Quinn and Keane’s work rate. Nothing fancy.

That is a bit of a logical fallacy and I think you know it. On the other hand you could argue they never would have be a position to be at a final if we’re not for pragmatism. Kenny needs to get the mix right at the moment he is in no mans land.

England were favourites for the Euros so how did he overachieve?

David McGoldrick with 1 goal in 14 internationals is hardly the solution. From what i can see of the current strikers,, the problem is that they just can't score. Having an old head around who is also a striker that can't score doesn't really help.

Ireland haven't been good so far, but they haven't been awful. The goals against Portugal came when they were tired, Kenny was trying to make subs for a few minutes before this but wasn't allowed. The goals against Lux and Azerbaijan were long range efforts that go in less than 1 in 10.

We've scored 4 in 4, but 2 of those have been set pieces. Connolly alone has missed enough chances to win a few games.

We've gone from scoring 1 in 8 during Kenny's first 8 games to scoring 9 in 7. There is clearly progress. We've shown up well against the top 2 seeds in the group away from home. We've been shown up against the bottom 2 seeds at home. Kenny is struggling to find a way to break down teams who sit back, not having a striker capable of scoring doesn't help.

I don't want Kenny to get a new contract at this stage. He has to show more improvements before that. But I'm not really sure we should just abandon him yet. We seem to be going in the right direction at least. He just needs to figure out how to break down teams that sit back, and how to deal with the favourites tag. For me he needs a result against Serbia or Portugal at home, and we need to win at least one of the games against Lux or Azerbaijan.

Portugal game Ireland played well and fought hard despite Kenny, not because of him in my view. The players did not want to get walloped so were more ‘keyed in’ than they normally would be. There was still lots of needless sideways passing in which Ireland were lucky not to concede a goal. Plus if Bazunu had not saved that early pen it was game over as a contest. Ireland would have been chasing shadows for the rest of the game. Let’s be honest.

Just listening to the Stand with Giles and Brady and the boys have it down to a tee.

Moving Coleman and Doherty against Azerbaijan showed a lack of tactical awareness and was an absolute head scratching decision. They cause Portugal problems down the wings but bringing McClean in when his crossing ability and defending ability is well known at this stage, was a massive mistake.

Playing three centre forwards was another mistake. Parrot, Connolly and Idah are all central players.

I think playing two of the three as strikers in a 3512 formation could get the best out of them. Idah and Connollys pace centrally could be good. Cullen looks like a decent player with an eye for a pass so try him in behind.

And did you see England’s approach even though they have the team they have.?Hard to break down first and foremost. Work rate. Organisation.

Compare it to Kenny’s approach even though they have the players he has. No technical midfielder, side to side - safe passing - zero threat - no decent crosses- easy for average teams to defend against - easy to score against (invite pressure) - slow closing down - poor work rate. In a poor limited team like Ireland work rate and organisation should be no1 regardless of style of play.

England were at home, had the easiest run of any top side and still lost. With a great set of players. What you think is making your point is actually the opposite. Southgate is not getting the best out if his group. What has that got to do with Kenny??

They wouldn't have been in the final without it ,

Southgate knows they are weak at the back so sets up to make it extremely difficult to get at the back line ,

Similar to Tuchel at Chelsea last season , they didn't conceded goal not because they have brilliant defenders but because the defensive structure never allowed teams to get at the defenders frequently enough to do the damage ,