FAI...New Manager Hunt continues

[T Fearon]

At the moment Wales are looking the best of these islands teams,with Bale and Ramsey etc backed up by some technically very good players.

Martin O'Neill's career is ending in ignominy,after promising so much, sacked by Sunderland and surely by FAI if Ireland fail to qualify.

[imtommygunn]

I also wonder about o'neill these days too.

I think mcclean is perfect to bring on as a sub but why long doesn't play I don't know. Marc wilson is ropy as is given, great servant though he's been , and shouldn't be on the team.

Bringing on long and keane when they can't hold the ball up was never going to work. Murphy should have stayed on and hendrix off.

There's not an awful lot of difference in scotland and ireland players. The difference is management. Scotland were composed and the better team though shocker of a goal to give away.ireland are so predictable.

Scott brown may be a tosser but not a patch on naismith who spent the whole game diving and elbowing. With that ref he could do what he wanted though.

[Jell 0 Biafra]

Can't fault the effort, but we just don't have the horses these days.  We're terrible, and Scotland are slightly better, as it happens.   what might have happened in 2002 if things had gone differently...

[T Fearon]

You are all too hard on the legendary Broony! Getting in people's faces and being annoying is part and parcel of his game.Have met him a few times at Celtic and off the pitch he is quietly spoken and very affable,not the same lunatic as he is on it at all!

I also think the influence John Robertson had on O'Neill as his sidekick at Leicester,Celtic and Villa is underestimated.From what I understand O'Neill is primarily a man manager and motivator,and even he can't convince technically limited players that they are better than they really are.

[Farrandeelin]

Is that slim chance of making it to the Euros gone now altogether?

[T Fearon]

Yes.They are effectively three points behind Scotland with four to play,and two of those include Germany home and Poland away.Looks like Germany,Poland and Scotland in that order.Galling given that N Ireland,Wales and England look certainties for France next summer and the Scots have a fighting chance of getting there via the play offs

[Teo Lurley]

I think everyone is missing the obvious. We're not crap because Martin O'Neill is a bad manager, we're crap because we have a load of crap players. Martin O'Neill may be a bad manager also but no matter who we have in charge the same thing would happen. We're about equal in standard to Scotland, which is not very high. Our best players play for Everton and Southhampton. Slightly above average clubs in a very average premierleague. The rest of the team are championship or lower premier league level.
We don't have players like Duff, a younger Given, a younger Robbie, Dunne, we don't have a Roy Keane. That's why we're crap, until we fix this we may forget about it.

[Pub Bore]

I think everyone is missing the obvious. We're not crap because Martin O'Neill is a bad manager, we're crap because we have a load of crap players. Martin O'Neill may be a bad manager also but no matter who we have in charge the same thing would happen. We're about equal in standard to Scotland, which is not very high. Our best players play for Everton and Southhampton. Slightly above average clubs in a very average premierleague. The rest of the team are championship or lower premier league level.
We don't have players like Duff, a younger Given, a younger Robbie, Dunne, we don't have a Roy Keane. That's why we're crap, until we fix this we may forget about it.

Exactly.  When your big hope is Wes Hoolahan (aged 33) you know you're completely fucked.  It looks like teams like Iceland, Slovakia, Wales, De Nort, Austria are all in with a great chance of qualifying.  Ireland are behind all of these teams now.

[Nigel White]

I think everyone is missing the obvious. We're not crap because Martin O'Neill is a bad manager, we're crap because we have a load of crap players. Martin O'Neill may be a bad manager also but no matter who we have in charge the same thing would happen. We're about equal in standard to Scotland, which is not very high. Our best players play for Everton and Southhampton. Slightly above average clubs in a very average premierleague. The rest of the team are championship or lower premier league level.
We don't have players like Duff, a younger Given, a younger Robbie, Dunne, we don't have a Roy Keane. That's why we're crap, until we fix this we may forget about it.

Unfortunately you're spot on with this post.

[An Watcher]

In simple terms we'll have to win in poland to make the playoffs. Difficult but not out of the question

[Applesisapples]

Was just thinking that it looks like Shane Long is this year's Wes Houlahan, who was last year's Stephen Ireland, who was that year's Andy Reid, who was that year's Lee Carsley, who was that year's Mark Kennedy, who was that year's Stephen McPhail.

Players who fans become increasing determined are the missing link, when all evidence suggests they are just another average player.

I like Long. It'd be hard not to. But a striker with a below average scoring record is actually not the missing link.

Nail on the head, if there is an Irish player who can score goals consistently at a high level I don't know of him. Is Stokes injured? Don't anyone say he's not at that level...Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew were quite comfortable.

[imtommygunn]

I think everyone is missing the obvious. We're not crap because Martin O'Neill is a bad manager, we're crap because we have a load of crap players. Martin O'Neill may be a bad manager also but no matter who we have in charge the same thing would happen. We're about equal in standard to Scotland, which is not very high. Our best players play for Everton and Southhampton. Slightly above average clubs in a very average premierleague. The rest of the team are championship or lower premier league level.
We don't have players like Duff, a younger Given, a younger Robbie, Dunne, we don't have a Roy Keane. That's why we're crap, until we fix this we may forget about it.

I agree with parts of this but how come scotland were so much better organised than us on saturday?

While I think they have better players they're not massively better.

Scotland had a lot more organisation and purpose about them - as a team not as individuals - and this is where I think O'Neill and Keane are failing. I also think they fail in team selections at times. Why was Murphy taken off to leave two guys who couldn't hold the ball up on the field? There would be others over various games too. No way should Long not be on the team either. Reid and guys like that fair enough but the work ethic Long gives you doesn't allow opposition defenders time on the ball - scotland had far too much on saturday.

[Main Street]

I thought Scotland were crap and we couldn't break them down. We deserved our marginally offside goal  because we worked hard for that break, they didn't do enough to get their very lucky break, which happened while we were have a mini siesta.
It was the first game I was content with the way O'Neill had us playing.  I liked the solid middle and the wing backs.  MON can work that plan to a tee and it looked like we could do it blindfold. We got good use of Brady but Coleman mishit almost every ball.
The 2nd half is another discussion though.
The 2 previous games put us under extra pressure in this game  whereas  the point was a good result for the Scots. 
MON had more to account for in those 2 games.

[ludermor]

Was just thinking that it looks like Shane Long is this year's Wes Houlahan, who was last year's Stephen Ireland, who was that year's Andy Reid, who was that year's Lee Carsley, who was that year's Mark Kennedy, who was that year's Stephen McPhail.

Players who fans become increasing determined are the missing link, when all evidence suggests they are just another average player.

I like Long. It'd be hard not to. But a striker with a below average scoring record is actually not the missing link.

Nail on the head, if there is an Irish player who can score goals consistently at a high level I don't know of him. Is Stokes injured? Don't anyone say he's not at that level...Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew were quite comfortable.

Not injured, just shite. The same Stokes who managed the grand total of 8 goals the season past..........

[Walter Cronc]

Not sure if this has been posted.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33136816