FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[Main Street]

yes, Hills now have 1/2 not to qualify and 6/4 to qualify

4/1 was ridiculously generous I would have broken a habit of a lifetime and had a punt at those odds.

We are most likely to be seeded in pot 2 for the draw.  A top 2 finish qualifies directly, with a fall back position on 3rd place play offs, to qualify. Trap finished in the top 2 in first 2 campaigns, players lost faith in Trap for the 3rd campaign, tactics, rigidity etc  wore down crucial elements of  morale of the squad
Even in that 3rd campaign, was there that much of an improvement needed to better Sweden and Austria?  Not in my opinion,. Sweden had the brilliance of Zlatan and built their modest team around him.
A new management team, a decent enough/average squad quality, plenty of time to fine tune effective game plans before a shot is fired in anger next September. Imo qualification is a done deal. The task at hand is to compete/give a game to the better teams and we have 2 years to work on that.

[highorlow]

So McCarthy you are saying, fair enough. Personally I rate O'Neill higher than him but that's just my opinion.

I don't mind O'Neill and his Celtic record is remarkable. His initial perceived reluctance is what bothers me along with having Keane with him. Maybe Keane has changed and maybe O'Neill was entitled to bide his time.

I see now they are only 'committing' to 2 years, shur with any sort of arse kicking we should qualify for the next euro's so that's also a bit of a kop out.

[Applesisapples]

So McCarthy you are saying, fair enough. Personally I rate O'Neill higher than him but that's just my opinion.

I don't mind O'Neill and his Celtic record is remarkable. His initial perceived reluctance is what bothers me along with having Keane with him. Maybe Keane has changed and maybe O'Neill was entitled to bide his time.

I see now they are only 'committing' to 2 years, shur with any sort of arse kicking we should qualify for the next euro's so that's also a bit of a kop out.

How do you know he was reluctant? Maybe Keane was the stumbling block, or some other aspect of control the FAI didn't want to concede?

[Syferus]

O'Neill let the FAI stew and probably (and obviously in the case of Keano) got more control and better terms.

[highorlow]

How do you know he was reluctant?

I didn't exactly state as such as I don't know for sure.  I qualified it in my later post, i.e."initial perceived reluctance".

Anyhow there is enough anecdotal evidence to presume he was stalling or reluctant. Mick wouldn't have been contacted and lined up otherwise, would he?

I see the clown price among the comedy show has covered all bases this time, on the one hand he is saying it's the best thing for Irish soccer and at the same time saying it could be a potential train wreck.

The clown prince will be right now when Keane stages another walk out (probably blaming everyone but himself) or if they qualify.

[Hound]

How do you know he was reluctant?

Anyhow there is enough anecdotal evidence to presume he was stalling or reluctant. Mick wouldn't have been contacted and lined up otherwise, would he?

Ipswich said they never received any approach from the FAI to speak to Mick.

[highorlow]

His agent in Ireland got an informal approach.

[Fuzzman]

Sorry maybe this link is better in here

Found this wee website

Naturally it's a bit biased but still an interesting read though I've only started it

http://www.soccer-ireland.com/saipan/index.htm

[deiseach]

Sorry maybe this link is better in here

Found this wee website

Naturally it's a bit biased but still an interesting read though I've only started it

http://www.soccer-ireland.com/saipan/index.htm

That's insane. Erm, excuse me for the afternoon...

[rodney trotter]

Talk of a All Ireland team playing England every 2 years for Charity. A lot of the best Northern players are playing for ROI so not many guesses who would make the team , bar Johnny Evans

[anglocelt39]

Talk of a All Ireland team playing England every 2 years for Charity. A lot of the best Northern players are playing for ROI so not many guesses who would make the team , bar Johnny Evans

feck if you think the GAA all star awards are a rigged political compromise wait till they sit down to pick this one, in fact wait till they sit down to pick who picks this one, this sentence could go on forever.

[CitySlicker11]

Anyone care to take a stab at an All Ireland selection?

1. Forde
2. Coleman
4. Evans
5. O'Shea
3. Wilson
6. Gibson
7. McGeady
8. McCarthy
11. Hoolahan
9. Long
10. Keane

[Applesisapples]

Anyone care to take a stab at an All Ireland selection?

1. Forde
2. Coleman
4. Evans
5. O'Shea
3. Wilson
6. Gibson
7. McGeady
8. McCarthy
11. Hoolahan
9. Long
10. Keane

There's no point the IFA have kicked it into touch, to borrow a phrase from another code.

[muppet]

Anyone care to take a stab at an All Ireland selection?

1. Forde
2. Coleman
4. Evans
5. O'Shea
3. Wilson
6. Gibson
7. McGeady
8. McCarthy
11. Hoolahan
9. Long
10. Keane

There's no point the IFA have kicked it into touch, to borrow a phrase from another code.

The IFA has just released a statement saying that the IFA kicking anything to touch is not on their radar.

[deiseach]

There's no point the IFA have kicked it into touch, to borrow a phrase from another code.

I can't say I blame the IFA, Enda Kenny really should know better. However, I wonder will the do a lorra work for charidee (but they don't like to talk about it) crowd be denouncing the IFA in the same terms that the GAA were when they wouldn't allow Healy Park be used for fundraising soccer matches for the victims of the Omagh bomb, matches which Omagh Town used to pay off their own debts.