FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[Crete Boom]

 First of all well done to the lads a win is a win especially after the Germany debacle. We should remember though that the majority of the Faroes team are part-timers and the definitely suffered fitness wise in the second half because of a tough match on the previous Friday. But they did seem to have the number of O'Shea and O'Dea whenever the ball was delivered from out wide which is a major worry and it did take an own goal to seal the result for us. On the positive side Coleman and Wilson were solid and attacked really well throughout the game and preferred to try and retain possession when they received the ball as opposed to hoofing it long. Keith Andrews got into the box as much as he could and did the donkey work in midfield but the highlight for me was James McCarthy. He constantly demanded the ball and provided a focus to begin each attack. McGeady played well and again showed what we could have if he could match consistency with his natural ability. Walters again ran himself into the ground and is now a real option up front for us even though Long should still be in ahead of him.
On Trap watch well the Cox substitution put pay to any hope he might have changed his ways and the way we stood off the Faroes after the first 15 mins to settle for 0-0 at half time points to the same old failings. Also to hall off Robbie Brady at half time was baffling and can't have done his confidence any good?When we went 2-0 up again we dropped off and invited the Faroes on to us which was almost fatal and would have been fatal against a professional team! Again in the aftermatch interview he (maybe unintentionally) put down the Irish players by saying we haven't a hope against Germany which is a rookie mistake to admit in public even if it is true. Germany can't be as invincible as he thinks or else Sweden are now in that unbeatable bracket Trap doesn't believe we can compete with?
Lastly fair play to our northern brethren in Oporto last night. What a magnificent result and shows what a well organised properly set up passionate team can achieve on any given night provided they have a system that suits them and that they can believe in. Johny Evans put in a huge performance at the back and McGinn and Corey Evans got through trojan work on the wings and attacked well all night to keep Portugal honest. Any one notice that bar last 20 mins the North did their best to keep possession of the ball through Davis etc....

[magpie seanie]

Seanie, you should give this lark of picking a 442 Irish team a miss.
When is the last time you have seen Kelly play?

Good 2nd half against the Faroes. I actually saw Westwood throw the ball out twice to the feet of some Irish player in the 2nd half.
His first half was spent hoofing it to Walters, the 2nd half we kept it on the ground, worked hard and eventual surpassed the Faroes in the passing statistics.
I hope Cunningham can recover his fitness and form soon and get into that LB position.
I don't know about Trap and this result , the selected starting team was all set to play the same long ball game to Walters,  then he changes it in the 2nd half or do the players decide that stuff at half time (according to some reports)?
Regardless, it still appears that Trap's first port of call is the hoof game. He did well to get this bunch of players from the technically crude English club teams to the Euros, but time to move on and see if we can manage to get them to play football.

OK - no need to get all revved about it. I was only starting a discussion.

[Declan]

FAI currently meeting - Ciao Trap

[thewobbler]

That NI result should be a wake up call to the "we don't have the players" brigade. Surely our players are at least as good as what NI have at their disposal?

Since 1986, NI have had a result like this every two years. The trade-off has always been two years of horrible results in between.

Seriously though, when you look at how far Scotland have fallen and how consistently rubbish Wales have always been, there's a lot to be said for having a chance of seeing tournament football. On paper there's probably a better team in Wales these days than there is in Ireland, but you'd never know it.

[AZOffaly]

Trap keeps his job. Guess the Faroes result saved him. Shane Long will be ecstatic

[From the Bunker]

FAI currently meeting - Ciao Trap

You think so? They will have to buy out the one Million plus contract, then they have to go search for a manager. Who's a mid range costing (experienced) manager that is currently available (cos there won't be much left in the kitty)? McCarthy, Kerr, Coyle, Keane (god help us). We could go back to the future and look at someone like Kilbane, Cunningham, Denis Irwin that may come cheap, but would have no experience, but you see where an appointment like that may get us.

[Main Street]

You think so? They will have to buy out the one Million plus contract, then they have to go search for a manager. Who's a mid range costing (experienced) manager that is currently available (cos there won't be much left in the kitty)? McCarthy, Kerr, Coyle, Keane (god help us). We could go back to the future and look at someone like Kilbane, Cunningham, Denis Irwin that may come cheap, but would have no experience, but you see where an appointment like that may get us.

The extra cost is the cost of the wages of the new manager. Those extra costs would be offset by probable extra income generated by the increased likelihood that we would still have a chance of making 2nd place at the last game,  versus a couple of half empty Lansdowne rd, dead rubber games which is the most probable outcome with Trap.continuing.
What the FAI think/hope is that we still have a chance of nearly qualifying for the play offs with Trap. We will be tanked by both Austria and Sweden.
I wouldn't mind Trap as manager after the Euros if he had show some awareness that football has changed  since he took over and we have the players with varying amounts of technique who have the ability to play in a team and play football as it is played in 2012.
I am not interested in what some people interpret as exciting football, just basic competence in defending, possession and distribution.

[rodney trotter]

As bad as Ireland are to watch, listening to Ronnie Whelan on commentary just makes it a whole lot worse.. They should let Hamilton at it ,or just replace whelan, misery at the highest..

[sammymaguire]

Trap stays - best result Ireland have had in a while, great news

[Declan]

Like all politics you can never believe everything you hear. The word was he was gone but Floppy obviously changed his mind and the lemmings followed suit.

[Billys Boots]

If they had had to pay Trapp off and install a replacement it would have set back the grassroots game for several years in terms of funding. 

[Main Street]

The fact that half of Trap's contract is sponsored takes some of the sting away. But would he have to be 'compensated' in full immediately, if he was given the sack?

It is still possible to offer a sane contract to a good intl manager and still have change from €600k.
For instance, there's no need for an expensive 'outside' backroom team. Chris Hughton was Kerr's clipboard holding sidekick, I doubt if he cost that much, he did it while holding the Spurs job.
Lagerback an experienced manager, manages the Iceland team for €300k or so.

[Croí na hÉireann]

[Leo]

 Do any of the posters on here understand how limited the current crap 9sorry crop) of players are?

Take magpie's selction:

Westwood  - reserve at Sunderland

Kelly - not a regular at Fulham  Dunne = done 9great servant gone past sbd)   O'Shea - seriously limited player at Sunderland /Clarke  - best of the new bunch, I'd stick with him, but not a regular at AV   Wilson - worth a look, plays for Stoke

Coleman - cant command regular place at Everton but one of our better players  McCarthy - was once the grat new hope but has turned into a journeyman midfielder  Andrews - has dropped from premiership to championship strugglers bu dont doubt his spirit or commitment/Fahey  - not a regular at Birmingham   McLean - could be our answer to Wayne rRooney!!

    Long  - best of our forwards but hardly a goal a game man at WBA     Walters - game but limited in ability and not a regular goalscorer /Doyle - way off the boil

Notice something?
Man Utd - no players
Man City - no players
Chelsea - no players
Arsenal - no players
Spurs - no players

Worst squad for Republic in my memory.

Trapp derserves them.

[Main Street]

It's not difficult to appreciate the squad limitations, but you can also appreciate that after 4 years of getting passed off the park by 5th and 6th seeded teams, by still persisting with a long ball game, bypassing midfield,  that there's a growing belief that Trap has not even got close to getting the most of the available players. There is also a growing belief that we will be easy meat for Sweden and Austria. They will be expecting at least 4 points each.
That when it comes down to it, Trap has ignored or pissed off anybody that can play a bit of football.
That even after long ball, kick and rush tactics were badly exposed in the Euros, he still persisted with the long ball to Walters game against the mighty Kazakhstan. Then again against the Faroes, for the whole 1st half  the long ball to Walters. The Faroes actually were a better team in the 1st half and tried to play football.
The game is up for this style of football, other teams look upon us beatable.

I don't swallow the technical deficiencies of our players as an excuse for neanderthal football. And if we continue to play that crap we are sure to finish 4th at best.