Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

Who said anything about wanting him back? Mick's reign wasn't great but compared to Kenny's...........

McCarthy had us competing with Euro semi finalists Denmark and Euro quarter finalists Switzerland, Kenny has us competing with Armenia, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

You mustn't have watched both Bulgaria games, both Wales games, Luxembourg, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Malta etc etc. Some of the most dire, depressing matches I've ever seen. That Kenny plays attractive football is a myth.

The structure is shite though. There's no plan to progress the ball most of the time. Its keep it for the sake of keeping it. Structure doesn't continuously see players turb over the ballbetween their own box and the centre circle. But we do it a lot.

Mon and Mick were defensively minded, but they also emplued wingers and overlapping fullbacks to get forward, they had a forward to drop between midfield and up front too to link up with midfield and wingers.

This is just revisionist bullshit from people who are too blinkered to see kenny just isn't making progress . I really wish he was. I really had high hopes for him. Wasn't expecting us to be world beaters, or even necessarily qualifying. But we look as poor and disorganized as we ever have at any time in the last 30 years at times. *

*Staunton excepted.

@athlone99

Yeah, but it's just not delivering results. There's been an awful lot of goodwill and patience shown towards Kenny and his project by the Irish public, but it's going to run out at some point and I feel like that point is near.

We were competitive un der MON and McCarthy. You've raised that point already and it has been demolished.

The skill level needs to be there. Irish players never seem to have what I would call that 'continental finesse' when in possession of the ball. They always look gangly and uncomfortable, especially in tight spaces. James McClean chundering up the wings would be emblematic of this. You see other teams in or around Ireland's ranking in the world play a pass across the pitch, the receiver can get the ball under control in a touch and move it on, swift and slick. Too often with an Irish player, he can't do that. He needs two or three touches, by which time an opposing player is bearing down in him, more easily dispossessing him or forcing a rushed pass. All of this is stuff that I don't think you can coach away in a two week training camp. I think it goes right back to the very roots of these players' footballing education. If the grass roots trainers and academies truly have changed up their approaches, we may increasingly see a shift, but it won't be overnight.

He's played 1 competitive game for Ireland , then had 110 mins across 5 friendlies behind ODowda and McClean. Can understand Doherty being ahead, but he only plays their if Coleman is available for the otherside.

He's been the standout player in that left back/left wing back in the championship. He's made the team of the season and was one of the highest rated players across all positions. He's been pretty consistent for 3-4 years, gradually getting better, before a dip last year and then a huge improvement this year.

Odowdas played similar positions, but not nearly as well as manning has done so. Manning has also played further forward and been excellent.

He's not necessarily a game changer, but hed offer a balance so clearly lacking. Solid defending, good getting forward, would've been able to rotate Coleman and Doherty on the other side. He just hasn't been given any real chance.

I don't care how much effort McClean gives, he shouldn't be ahead of him for that position based on any footballing reasons

I just wish most of the other Irish lads put in as much effort as McClean does, even though it is obvious he is well past it at this stage.

Sure Bazunu's gaff must be full of MOTM awards at this stage? An old head on him. But again he seems very quiet by nature. Pity he is not a type that roars at fellas, gives instructions that is what the team needs.

To be honest I think it has to the most frustrating thing about Kenny's tenure. It is so bloody predictable and toothless. I remember way back when he started some on here used the argument that keep ball was a form of defence. But such posters did not seem to realise it just went backwards and sideways - real easy to defend against. No penetrative dangerous passes from midfield just scared safe passing for the sake of it.

And despite all this chat of change of style of play - what has Kenny's biggest threat offensively being? Set pieces! Which is traditionally Ireland's strength. You play to a teams strengths, to do other otherwise is to open up the weakness.

I think it was Gary Breen or David Connolly that pointed out when Ireland are pushed back as usual in their 5-3-2 it becomes 5 at the back. Then the main midfield Cullen/Molumby had loads of ground to cover leaving huge gaps. The midfield cannot cover it.

I think Ireland do not have wingbacks good enough to play the 3-5-2. It is no confidence that Doherty played his best football when he was with a Wolves team who had a creative combative middle which allowed him to go forwards. But Ireland don't have that as simple as that.

Ireland's midfield is really lightweight - the simple answer is shore it up with stoppers in the middle forget trying to pass it - they can't do it. Have a 4-5-1 instead with wingers. Let the wingers be the out ball getting it up the front man quickly.

There was a reason Trap brought in Paul Green, he saw Ireland's limitations so kept it simple.

Yeah sorry misread by me!

We did, it was in our hands in the last game.

Would you not consider what you are comparing that to?

Still a championship player, I doubt he would make any real difference to the team.

He's a standout championship player. There's a difference.

I disagree. He would make a difference. It would've allowed 2 options on the right, 2 on the left of people who actually play the role being asked of them, making life easier for other players.

Championship is a good level. Id have it ahead of spl personally, and it's far ahead of league one too from which a couple of our players the last year or so have been drawn

Just because you don't like the style doesn't mean you can make up whether we were competitive or not. We were competitive under MON and McCarthy, full stop. The results/tables/playoofs/qualifications don't lie. More than the style of play, Kenny needs to be moved on and I think the majority finally accept that.

It was very funny to listen to Newstalk because they have moved on from outright support, to mental gymnastics . Specifically remembering why they supported Kenny so much. Basically implying their intentions were good so they must be correct!

There is some soul searching happening as they must feel a bit eejitry, with all the blind faith and flag waving they have done to 'support' Kenny with very little critical analysis of what was going on. They had forgotten they were supposed to be unbiased journalists/pundits.