FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[SHEEDY]

Gus Poyet or Lee carsley would be best out of that bunch. Poyet has Greece going well, drew 2-2 with France last night.

[snoopdog]

I'm sure the wage will make a lot of managers interested. Big Sam would prob do a good job. Play a defensive system and get some results. We don't have the players to play football. Thankfully Kenny is gone.

[Armagh18]

Set us up to be hard to beat first and foremost. If we'd a team of lads who'll work like dogs along with the bit of quality up front that Ferguson is and will be for the next decade or so theres no reason we can't make it to major tournaments. Should be well able to beating the likes of Greece and if we were more solid we'd pick up the odd point or even a win against the better teams as well.

[Sportacus]

Gus Poyet or Lee carsley would be best out of that bunch. Poyet has Greece going well, drew 2-2 with France last night.

Only for a world class save, Ireland would have drawn with France as well.  Them's the breaks.

[seafoid]

We are very weak due to the lack of a professional league at home and competition in the EPL. It is very hard to develop players.  The FAI have a lot of work to do. 

Maybe if they paid the local players a wage in comparison to the southern high economic growth being more than the western world plus with the neoliberal crap ...........   

With what money ?

[Milltown Row2]

We are very weak due to the lack of a professional league at home and competition in the EPL. It is very hard to develop players.  The FAI have a lot of work to do. 

Maybe if they paid the local players a wage in comparison to the southern high economic growth being more than the western world plus with the neoliberal crap ...........   

With what money ?

You have led me to believe that Ireland is the land paved with gold! I thought the place was dripping in wealth

[Tony Baloney]

Plenty travel on planes and ferries to watch Celtic, United and Liverpool every week so there are no shortage of supporters but the local game isn't attractive unless you are a diehard.

It's a chicken and egg scenario that requires a consortium with deep pockets to take a punt on pumping money into the local game to develop it but they'd unlikely see the returns via the gates or TV revenue with such a small population centre so it's unlikely to ever happen.

[seafoid]

We are very weak due to the lack of a professional league at home and competition in the EPL. It is very hard to develop players.  The FAI have a lot of work to do. 

Maybe if they paid the local players a wage in comparison to the southern high economic growth being more than the western world plus with the neoliberal crap ...........   

With what money ?

You have led me to believe that Ireland is the land paved with gold! I thought the place was dripping in wealth

It isn't in soccer. Try the multinationals.

[thewobbler]

People constantly gurning about money and investment.

The laziest of arguments.

Having a professional league with a long history and some bloody big clubs, has done little to stop Scotland's slide into a tier 3 international football team.

Ireland has more players in the EPL than Scotland this season.

Having a weak domestic league, low wages and a rudimentary infrastructure hasn't stopped the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Mali all producing players (and international teams) that are clearly superior to Ireland.


——

Ireland had a long summer of good players in the 80s and 90s. Punched way above our weight for 20 years.

Now we're wintering.

Summer will happen again sometime.

[Milltown Row2]

People constantly gurning about money and investment.

The laziest of arguments.

Having a professional league with a long history and some bloody big clubs, has done little to stop Scotland's slide into a tier 3 international football team.

Ireland has more players in the EPL than Scotland this season.

Having a weak domestic league, low wages and a rudimentary infrastructure hasn't stopped the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Mali all producing players (and international teams) that are clearly superior to Ireland.


——

Ireland had a long summer of good players in the 80s and 90s. Punched way above our weight for 20 years.

Now we're wintering.

Summer will happen again sometime.

These countries have 4 or more than 5 times the population and no one hurls! or plays rugby for that matter, yes the infrastructure is far worse, but I'd say the lads coming through are a little bit more hungrier (literally) for a move to the big leagues

[thewobbler]

Playing numbers and football long culture are of course key drivers.

But I'm really not sure how the wealth of a person's nation could be any kind of factor in their potential/desire to become a high-level athlete.

Hunger isn't set at a national, regional, local or group level. It comes from within.

[Tony Baloney]

People constantly gurning about money and investment.

The laziest of arguments.

Having a professional league with a long history and some bloody big clubs, has done little to stop Scotland's slide into a tier 3 international football team.

Ireland has more players in the EPL than Scotland this season.

Having a weak domestic league, low wages and a rudimentary infrastructure hasn't stopped the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Mali all producing players (and international teams) that are clearly superior to Ireland.


——

Ireland had a long summer of good players in the 80s and 90s. Punched way above our weight for 20 years.

Now we're wintering.

Summer will happen again sometime.

If you have crap structures in place from grassroots to elite you are reliant on generational talents rather than a conveyor belt (ref. Leinster rugby). So yes, summer may come, followed by a long hard winter.

[Blowitupref]

Stephen Kenny's time as Republic of Ireland boss is over after the Football Association of Ireland confirmed it will not be renewing his contract.

Kenny's deal ended after Tuesday night's friendly draw with New Zealand.


The FAI were expected to made a decision on the Dubliner's future at a board meeting next week but decided to confirm his exit on Wednesday.

Kenny, who was appointed as Mick McCarthy's successor in April 2020, said on Tuesday that he did not expect to be offered a new deal.

The FAI said the decision was taken following a meeting and presentation to the association's board by director of football Marc Canham and chief executive Jonathan Hill.  "The board agrees that now is the right time for change ahead of the friendly matches in March and June 2024 and the next Nations League campaign starting in September 2024," read the FAI's statement.

[Milltown Row2]

Playing numbers and football long culture are of course key drivers.

But I'm really not sure how the wealth of a person's nation could be any kind of factor in their potential/desire to become a high-level athlete.

Hunger isn't set at a national, regional, local or group level. It comes from within.

Well if it comes from within the Irish lads have nowt

[weareros]

Do Irish people really make good soccer players. We rarely produce a player at international level standard that can leave a player dead with skill. Liam Brady and Damien Duff are the only two that come to mind, and Georgie Best who was on another level. A Roy Keane was a great player but very limited skill wise. When it comes to nimbleness and skill, as a race we are great at the fiddle, tin whistle, bodhrán, Uileann pipe, guitar, boxing, plastering and the pen. We seem to have been overly blessed with movement in the elbow, fists and fingers, but useless with the feet. Even Irish dancers look very stiff compared to the Latins and the few lads who venture out onto the floorboards and get too ambitious are in danger of tripping over themselves. Our best chance is immigrants adding to our gene pool. We are seeing that in Athletics and the beginnings of that in soccer. There's hope yet.