Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

Duff won't take it now, he was in the papers a few weeks ago saying how the FAI spoke to him through an intermediary but he knew it was just lip service.

Keane would require club compensation which the FAI wouldn't be able to pay.

Bradley was never in the picture after Kenny the FAI were never going to hire another LOI manager.

Any realistic ones?

They’re not realistic because you believe so? Nonsense.

If we're seriously looking at O'Shea, then I'd actually just rather Lennon.

I'd also rather O'Shea's assistant, Paddy McCarthy ahead of him - he's far more highly rated (8 years as a key figure for Crystal Palace), and the only reason he's behind O'Shea is cause John's more famous (which was fine on a temporary basis, adding a bit more pageantry to the friendlies). Like it's worth remembering that even of the lads with only assistant experience, O'Shea should probably be down that list a bit, with only a few short stints in unsuccessful teams. Open to correction here - but I don't actually think O'Shea's ever even had 'right hand man' status in any of his club jobs? Has always been more of a coach, with other lads there as the actual assistant manager.

Honestly I think this line of thinking has had far too much time in the sun over the past four years under Kenny. I’m absolutely sick of people talking down the idea our national team could make a fist of qualifying for a tournament; and talking it down with complete confidence that this is the only acceptable consensus.

The entire self defeating ethos of the Kenny era and this FAI leadership needs to get in the sea. If O’Shea is the best they can do, heads should roll. We need people in charge who believe in Irish football and can hire a viable manager, get a shirt sponsor and establish good relations with political stakeholders, etc.

Your posts reek of a losing mentality tbh.

Sorry, I should have caveat-ed that by saying, any ex-Ireland player whose shown enough to warrant a go (I.e Carsley), should be considered

The overall point is, we’re Ireland, and the players, and the manager, should either be Irish (or Granny-rule Irish), or at the very least have a tangible link to Ireland. I know that last one probably gets a bit wishy-washy, but I’d imagine most people have an idea of what I’m getting at.

I know this is more of an ideological thing, and look, if Klopp turned around tomorrow and said he’d do us a favour, it’d be very hard to say no, but deep down, it still wouldn’t sit right.

Nobody is saying that the FAI have chronically underfunded youth football in Ireland for decades.

All of that is irrelevant for the next campaign. With the squad we have, there’s zero reason we can’t be competitive. You’re writing us off before the draw is even made. It’s nonsense.

We should appoint someone who gives us the best chance of qualifying. Someone who has never managed before, isn’t that person. We a national team not a development team or a stepping stone.

Appointing JOS is an extension of the attitude you hate. “Sure why not?” isn’t building with a plan. It’s giving someone with zero qualifications outside being an ex pro the job. And they’re handing out 5 year contracts.

I mean … who’s going to pay for it?

you can talk all you want about wealth in this country but there’s no real evidence that Ireland have acclimated to the present reality that sport is a business. We are small timers at practically every sport except horse racing.

It’s not a losing mentality to think that we have practically no chance of getting to the World Cup. Over 20 years since we’ve been at one, and the idea that it’s Kenny’s reign that has somehow trained us to accept mediocrity is far fetched too.

The simple reality is that the previous regime has put Ireland years behind where we should be. A lot of smaller nations in Europe are looking to adopt a long term approach with top class facilities to develop more technically proficient players. We still by and large depend on England to develop our players, which is getting more difficult too.

We’re still producing players of course, and we have some good ones - and we definitely were underperforming under Kenny. But there’s no manager in the world that could come into this group to make WC qualification a realistic prospect. We don’t have any creativity in midfield which really limits what we can do.

Euro 2028 will be our best opportunity in a while because there’ll be additional spots that could help us qualify. Hopefully we’ll have identified some more options by then.

In terms of who takes over now? I don’t think it matters too much. If they can’t find someone they feel can build the team long term then get someone in for 2 years and see how they do.

I’m not sure there is much to draw from rugbys organization that can be applied to football here.

Rugby has an inbuilt academy system with private schools. The domestic league is small time; no tv deal, dont know who the sponsor is and don’t know who is the best team in the AIL is, god knows what the prize money amounts to. The professional part only has five serious teams; the provinces + the national side. Rugby is already in the super league era and Ireland is the equivalent of The Netherlands or England football teams at a European or world level of rugby.

So the IRFU have done a good job but I just think it’s a completely different market place and Ireland’s place in the market is totally different.

I think it’s a dullards comparison if I’m honest.

and who’s going to pay for it?

they have a plan, published last year. It requires investment of 680 or so million. Again, who’s going to pay for it?

That's not for me to answer. Who commissioned the plan?

Two goals so far from Szmodics with not much other involvement, clinical.

you said they need to replicate whatever rugby was doing…which is kind of nonsense to be honest as there is no real comparison between the two..they do have the plan to do something though that would move Irish football into at least this century. But they won’t ever have the money to do that. So nothing will happen in Irish football.

I guess you feel that earning over 100k should permit expectations that the football association can overcome their 8 figure debt and do something meaningful with this plan. Turn that 8 figure debt into a 9 figure investment as it were. Elon musk with bill gates and Warren Buffett couldn’t manage that.

I’m not following the irony. Rugby in Ireland is fairly small time. 5 pro teams of any meaning. A nothing domestic league no one cares about because it doesn’t develop players for the international team.

Horse racing is truly where Ireland excels itself when it comes to sport in Ireland as a business

Rugby is a professional teamsport played with a ball. Its a worldwide game with European and World cups.

Horse racing is a race between horses.

So you're maintaining that the current board are earning their wage and that the funds received by the FAI are in no way capable of implementing incremental structural changes to bring football in Ireland into the 21st century?

I'm not even talking quickly, I'm like 10/15/20 year plan.

Or is it a billion euro or nothing in your opinion?

The 42 reporting that Poyet is back in the picture.

and I don’t see it changing with any other board or ceo unless the condition of “all other things” notably improve so I don’t really see the point of talking about Jonathan Hill or any other individual(s)

Trap got us to a WC play off and went out to the Henry handball. Trap got us to the Euros when it was hard to qualify for it. There’s no comparison between Trap and Kenny.

World rankings are a single metric. Stephen Kenny had us eliminated in every group as soon as possible. We lost to some abysmal teams. It’s the lowest point in Irish football in my lifetime.

Of course, Trap had better players. Trap is a legend of the game. Stephen Kenny is not.

Again, the travails of youth football are irrelevant to the next Senior team campaign. The FAI have to sort out a lot of things in terms of the long term, but it’s frankly boring at this stage having it mentioned as an excuse every time the current professionals that make up our Senior Team get a bad result. The excuses of the Kenny era should remain in the Kenny era.

Let’s get the best manager available and get some results in the Nations League. In parallel the FAI need to get a shirt sponsor, sort out political blockers to investment and take a step forward on things like youth development strategy. But Stephen Kenny wasn’t and the next Irish manager won’t be responsible for those items. It’s amazing people don’t understand the practical remit of the role, even after four years of Kenny didn’t solve Irish football like was promised.

Wouldn’t be first choice at present, thankfully.