FAI...New Manager Hunt continues

[Evil Genius]

I'd hate to think anyone would rejoice in their country being embarrassed like this.

Oh, I dunno, I can think of a few Irishmen who might be indulging in a bit of, ahem, Schadenfreude right now. Or even Freudenschade...

Anyhow, all together now: "Low lie the Fields of Athenry"

P.S. Does anyone think an All-Oireland team might fare a bit better?   Darron? James? Marc perhaps? Even Alex? 

[Wildweasel74]

why do we keep thinking we should be competing at a high level in professional football. A very good team in the late 80`s and early 90`s who done very well for a population of 5 million, has brought unrealistic expectation of a small national football team. with Gaelic football, hurling, and possible rugby up the pecking order in relation to reducing an already small playing base. Spain got a population of 60million+, germany a population of 70million+, soccer their national sport, but we still think we should be fit to compete at this level. changing the manager will not make much difference, the players are simply not there. we went through 4 or 5 so called crap managers since Big Jack left and sure Eamon D said his style of play was the demise of Irish soccer. time to face a reality check, Scotland got a professional soccer league, yet we think we should be well above Scotland. Why is this? Sure ireland have some great players over the years, but at present we havent got a decent enough panel of players to compete at this level. Sometime the truth hurts!

[stew]

I'd hate to think anyone would rejoice in their country being embarrassed like this.

Oh, I dunno, I can think of a few Irishmen who might be indulging in a bit of, ahem, Schadenfreude right now. Or even Freudenschade...

Anyhow, all together now: "Low lie the Fields of Athenry"

P.S. Does anyone think an All-Oireland team might fare a bit better?   Darron? James? Marc perhaps? Even Alex? 

Congrats vile, the north's team would have three or four players fit to play an an AI team, way up from the one two years ago.

Any anniversary's coming up you might like to comment on? 

Arsewipe!

[GalwayBayBoy]

I'd hate to think anyone would rejoice in their country being embarrassed like this.

Oh, I dunno, I can think of a few Irishmen who might be indulging in a bit of, ahem, Schadenfreude right now. Or even Freudenschade...

Anyhow, all together now: "Low lie the Fields of Athenry"

P.S. Does anyone think an All-Oireland team might fare a bit better?   Darron? James? Marc perhaps? Even Alex? 

Anyone that uses the "Oirland" suffix is usually a confirmed utter wánker. Or Nick Griffin. Let alone someone who is actually Irish anyway like yourself.

[sammymaguire]

I am with wildweasel in this one. Ireland had a golden era for 10-15 years and were totally punching above our weights but look at Portugal for example, 10m people and although they qualify for most tournaments I don't think they have ever won anything and that's with technically more gifted players the likes Ireland have never seen in green jerseys...

[Itchy]

I'd hate to think anyone would rejoice in their country being embarrassed like this.

Oh, I dunno, I can think of a few Irishmen who might be indulging in a bit of, ahem, Schadenfreude right now. Or even Freudenschade...

Anyhow, all together now: "Low lie the Fields of Athenry"

P.S. Does anyone think an All-Oireland team might fare a bit better?   Darron? James? Marc perhaps? Even Alex? 

I can see why a northern ireland fan would want an all ireland team alright given that your team is shockingly bad. Put I think it would weaken the Republic team as in the interests of fairness we would have to include some of your players which could only make us even weaker. The best we can do is loan you Paul McShane and Paul Green as a good will gesture.

[AZOffaly]

I don't think winning and losing is necessarily the be all and end all for the way this country feels about its soccer team. After all, we're constantly told we aim too low.

However, what is hard to accept, even in a period of relatively poor quality, is that the manager doesn't pick the best players in their best positions. It is also the minimum to expect that the 11 picked go out and bust a gut for the cause.

I said a while ago that while Trap's footballing philosophy, his reluctance to trust the players to do anything other than defend and try get something from a set piece or something opportunistic from Keane or someone, is acceptable while results are going your way it becomes a pretty hot topic when things go against you. People are okay winning that way, but not losing in that way.

Trap has, at this stage, contrived to make several rods for his own back. From his approach to the game, through his stubborn refusal to change his criteria for selecting players (God knows what that criteria is), through his refusal to attend games where Irish players are playing regularly, through his frequent 'communication' gaffes around call ups and injuries, he has effectively alienated a large amount of the players, annoyed a huge proportion of the support base, and essentially ventured past the point of no return at this stage.

It didn't need to be like that. The Irish public were ready to embrace this man and his record. If he had been seen to be really interested in the job, and even shown a bit of trust in his players, then he'd be in a lot better place right now. Victories and defeats are a big part of how a manager is received, of course they are, but when you are with a team like Ireland, you have to make sure you maximise the resources you have, and more importantly are *seen* to maximise the resources you have.

I don't think people have unrealistic expectations of this team. They may have slightly more unrealistic *hopes*, but assuming the manager will watch his players, pick the best ones, and make sure they go out and compete is not unrealistic no matter who you are.

[cadence]

I'd hate to think anyone would rejoice in their country being embarrassed like this.

Oh, I dunno, I can think of a few Irishmen who might be indulging in a bit of, ahem, Schadenfreude right now. Or even Freudenschade...

Anyhow, all together now: "Low lie the Fields of Athenry"

P.S. Does anyone think an All-Oireland team might fare a bit better?   Darron? James? Marc perhaps? Even Alex? 

is freudenshade a freudian slip here and you really find your mother particularly fetching? i'm openminded and don't care much about any of this old bollocks anyway, so you actually don't have to answer.

[Itchy]

I think Mr trapp needs to stop, write down the names of the best players he has in every position and then focus to getting them playing as a team. He is too obsessed with some players. If I were him I'd pick the following team for the faroes...

Westwood
Coleman
Wilson
O Shea
Clarke
McGeedy (on his last chance)
McClean (if fit, otherwise move coleman to wing and put ward and wilson as fb's)
Andrews
Gibson (has to be recalled)
Long
Walters.

Thats 11 players all capable of playing in the premier league or equivalent league. Why the need to make things so bloody complicated. If your not going to give this team a shot against the Faroe Islands then you never will.

[Celt_Man]

I don't think winning and losing is necessarily the be all and end all for the way this country feels about its soccer team. After all, we're constantly told we aim too low.

However, what is hard to accept, even in a period of relatively poor quality, is that the manager doesn't pick the best players in their best positions. It is also the minimum to expect that the 11 picked go out and bust a gut for the cause.

I said a while ago that while Trap's footballing philosophy, his reluctance to trust the players to do anything other than defend and try get something from a set piece or something opportunistic from Keane or someone, is acceptable while results are going your way it becomes a pretty hot topic when things go against you. People are okay winning that way, but not losing in that way.

Trap has, at this stage, contrived to make several rods for his own back. From his approach to the game, through his stubborn refusal to change his criteria for selecting players (God knows what that criteria is), through his refusal to attend games where Irish players are playing regularly, through his frequent 'communication' gaffes around call ups and injuries, he has effectively alienated a large amount of the players, annoyed a huge proportion of the support base, and essentially ventured past the point of no return at this stage.

It didn't need to be like that. The Irish public were ready to embrace this man and his record. If he had been seen to be really interested in the job, and even shown a bit of trust in his players, then he'd be in a lot better place right now. Victories and defeats are a big part of how a manager is received, of course they are, but when you are with a team like Ireland, you have to make sure you maximise the resources you have, and more importantly are *seen* to maximise the resources you have.

I don't think people have unrealistic expectations of this team. They may have slightly more unrealistic *hopes*, but assuming the manager will watch his players, pick the best ones, and make sure they go out and compete is not unrealistic no matter who you are.

Excellent post. Completely agree

[ballinaman]

Word from the Faroes camp is that they are resting their star carpenter for the irish visit.....wow, waking up drunk is some laugh

[laoislad]

...wow, waking up drunk is some laugh

I feckin know what you mean, me head is banging.
Just watched some of it there now as I had it recorded.
Im not sure if anyone else had mentioned it but I'm astounded with John O'Shea our supposed captain last night saying afterwards that there is a 'way to lose', that to me says it all.
They went out on the pitch knowing they would be beaten so really they hadn't a hope of getting anything from the game with an attitude like that.
What you needed last night was a Roy Keane on Marc Overmars type tackle in the first few minutes to let the Germans know we weren't going to be pushovers.
Instead we dropped our shorts and let them ride us up the jacksie the whole night long.

[From the Bunker]

So here we are. We qualified for the Euros. Had a few challenge matches before it. Blooded little or no new players. Gibson and Ireland don't want to play for us. Coleman, Westwood, McClean have have nearly no experience at international level. Houlihan, Clarke and Pilkington who have regular premiership experience are no way near the first team. Long, McCarthy, McClean have had public issues with the Manager. There seems to be little or no Granny rule scouting. O'Shea's quote on how to lose games, told it's own story!

On the FAI side, they sack him they will have to pay big time. Maybe they could do a deal to pay 50% if he walked. If they don't get rid, they'll suffer for the home games.

[Evil Genius]

I can see why a northern ireland fan would want an all ireland team alright given that your team is shockingly bad. Put I think it would weaken the Republic team as in the interests of fairness we would have to include some of your players which could only make us even weaker. The best we can do is loan you Paul McShane and Paul Green as a good will gesture.

OK, you obviously don't get it, so I'll explain.

Every time NI has a bad result*, you only have to wait a day or two until the Radio Talk Shows and Newspaper Polls wheel out the same tired old "Isn't it time we had an All-Ireland Team in the football? After all, other sports do it, and we're stunningly successful at those blah, blah, blah..."

As for my "wanting" such a team, every NI fan I have ever met (and I must have met most of them in my 40 years of following the team) agrees on one point: We don't want to lose our team, at any price.

For if nothing else, even when we are getting humped, we can take some small pleasure in seeing our neighbours get humiliated from time-to-time, since at least we know we're shite... 



* - A regular occurrence these days, it has to be said

[Itchy]

I can see why a northern ireland fan would want an all ireland team alright given that your team is shockingly bad. Put I think it would weaken the Republic team as in the interests of fairness we would have to include some of your players which could only make us even weaker. The best we can do is loan you Paul McShane and Paul Green as a good will gesture.

OK, you obviously don't get it, so I'll explain.

Every time NI has a bad result*, you only have to wait a day or two until the Radio Talk Shows and Newspaper Polls wheel out the same tired old "Isn't it time we had an All-Ireland Team in the football? After all, other sports do it, and we're stunningly successful at those blah, blah, blah..."

As for my "wanting" such a team, every NI fan I have ever met (and I must have met most of them in my 40 years of following the team) agrees on one point: We don't want to lose our team, at any price.

For if nothing else, even when we are getting humped, we can take some small pleasure in seeing our neighbours get humiliated from time-to-time, since at least we know we're shite... 



* - A regular occurrence these days, it has to be said

Eh - you obviously don't read sarcasm to well. I know full well ye don't want an all-ireland team.