Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

The problems we have upcoming…….

USA 2026 qualifying consists of smaller groups where only the top team goes to the finals automatically. Second place + Nations League goes to the playoffs.

Playoffs are seeded.

And our Nations League group…….

Kenny absolutely underperformed as manager but he’s only a manager. Suggesting the players are still underperforming because of him is as mad as saying he should have been kept on.

If a new manager comes in and underperforms then that’s on him. Kenny is gone and hasn’t been of any relevance to the team since he left.

Can we never talk about Neil Lennon again please, he threatened a woman he was having an affair with.  

"telling her someone “could” put a knife to her throat if she spoke out."

He should never have been considered for the Ireland job. It wasn't just some tabloid thing. Plenty of **** people in football, we don't need one managing our national team. It would have been a circus. There was literally a TD saying he can't be hired when news broke he was interviewed, that was not going away.

you’re entitled to your opinion on lennon’s aptness and capability for the role.

It is very much a minority opinion as is the opinion from others that Damien duff is ready and qualified for coaching a job as high profile as the Irish MNT.

yes he is, if Josh gets the job we can certainly come back to that point. I personally think Josh has little to no chance of being appointed full time although there is an outside chance he takes the nations league games

So it’s an arbitrary opinion of mine that Neil Lennon wouldn't have being a popular choice around February this year to be Irish manager?…it’s hard to debate with points so disconnected from reality so I’ll refrain from replying to anything you post in future.

There should be a very high bar, and I would prefer no manager to someone with those accusations, you can brush it off all you want, but that says a lot about you, as it does those clubs. We all have differen't values, and I do want our manager to not be that kind of person. Of course he's going to deny it, and of course no charges were brought, it's almost impossible to get convictions for something even more serious let alone just being threatened.

More so the fact that you brushed it off as nothing more than a tabloid story. Have you looked at who Hibs just hired, they have no values.

The cheque would bounce

I have no time for Lennon, though he'd be more qualified than Josh.

That said, it is harsh that rumours about him were (allegedly) enough to keep the FAI away from him when proof against Duffy doesn't stop him getting selected. Its a bizarre moral compass.

Was it confirmed that Lennon didn't get the job because of these rumours or is it just copium for people thinking he was unfairly overlooked?

You're literally brushing it off now, repeatedly. This is a stupid waste of time talking in circles. I've said what I think and I mean it.

Malkay MacKay

watched a lot of Cannon in his time with PNE playing with Parrott, that’s why he’s on there for me. Just really impressed me with his finishing and runs and pace. Has had a tough past season, but there’s something special in there, like Oba imo.

Idah I think weirdly would be a better option for us if we were better - he seems great for finishing close in chances, and following up on saved shots etc, but so much of the life of an Irish striker is spent very far from goal, so I personally favour lads with legs and a bit of skill and magic that can make something happen. Would also favour 2 up playing closer together rather than 3 spread across the pitch.

And it’s ok if you don’t like my list… it is only my list.

had been thinking of him too… Trap 2.0 - would certainly be good fun anyway! Might be a nice retirement job for him.

You think minimizing it as a "tabloid story" isn't brushing it off. That was the point.

It's cool, we can let it go. I stand by thinking he should have never been considered.

You know, I was never really on the Manning hype train, and found some of the desperate calls for his inclusion online a bit OTT at times but it seems strange how successive managers don't really seem to rate him. Russell Martin was very keen to bring him along to Southampton, he's doing ok if unspectacular, not a huge success, but he was still getting decent game time for the best team he's even been at. I think he lacks a bit of Dynamism to play LWB at a really high level but to not even be a squad option is odd, when we probably have a few weaker footballers still in and around the place. I love Robbie Brady for what he's done in the past for Ireland, but I think his body has failed him over the last few years and he just won't ever be the player he was, and while I think McClean always got a bit of a raw deal from fans he also shouldn't be coming back at this stage.

I'd rather pick between Doherty, O' Dowda, Manning and Scales tbh, even if we went to a more conventional back 4. I'm not sure O' Dowda is ever going to work out as a full back either, and I respect his willingness to show up and play wherever he's asked, but he's another one you'd have had high hopes for that it's just not really gone anywhere. I really think between Left Back and CM, until we sort it we're an a hiding to nothing. Hoping that Scales is still finding his feet and will improve, while Doherty is a mystery, career has stagnated so badly, excellent footballer, can play anywhere along the back, he could be great but is he ever fully match fit? He has been such a let down, really desperately need players to sort their club situations out and be playing, which feels like a tale as old as time, but now that we have less stars to drag us along to greater heights I think it's more important than ever.

I think we're all fairly on board with O' Shea not getting the job now, but I really wish he used the 4 games to give more opportunities to younger players again. It's an incredibly tough job to walk in to now for whoever comes next with the fixtures the way they are.