FAI...New Manager Hunt continues

[Esmarelda]

Jesus there are some miserable heures about. Happiness is a choice lads. Try it.

Well done Ireland. Great night and looking forward to the playoffs.

Happiness is a choice?

So you'd have been happy if Ireland had finished bottom? And that's a fairly mild question compared to what could be asked.

[Maroon Manc]

It was also away from home lads, so that's a good result in isolation.

However, regarding this as an achievement as a whole, i.e. the campaign, I would have thought it was a very attainable goal, and actually this was a winnable group if we had performed well. I don't believe Martin O'Neill is a great manager. I don't believe he is a shocking manager either. I think he is very conservative, and this has cost points against teams we can and should be beating. It has probably also led to some good results against teams that are better than us.

All in all, I'd have said that NOT getting at least a playoff would have been a failure. Getting to the World Cup would be a success. The Playoff is now just a means to an end, and not an end in and of itself.

But last night was a great occasion and a great result in the circumstances. It would be churlish to say otherwise.

It was attainable based on nobody knew what Serbia would turn up and that after the first few games Ireland had put themselves in a great position but there's no comparisons between the Ireland & Serbia squad. They've plenty of top players who either play for big clubs or have done previously.

Yes, but still attainable. They finished top of the group by 2 points.  We dropped 11 points in 10 games, including points in draws with Wales at home, Austria at home and Georgia away.  That group was very winnable as it turned out.

Thats too simplistic though, there's a reason Ireland dropped points in those games and its because of the quality of players. There's no comparison in this squad and the one that qualified for the 2002 world cup.

[AZOffaly]

I don't think it's just about the quality of the players. Our players should be able to handle Georgia for example. I think we dropped points because of inherent conservatism in the approach. But look, we reached the Playoffs and if we get through them, then it's all paid off.

[Billys Boots]

To be fair - Soccer gets a bad rep! Never mind the North South stuff! Rugby and GAA can do no wrong! Rugby achievements get completely over rated and GAA gets away with no other country to bench-mark against!

Now you're talking. 

[thewobbler]

Happiness is of course a choice.

But so is perspective.

Reaching a playoff isn't a cause for celebration in itself. Nor is beating a Wales team full of Championship players.

If we make Russia then the end will justify the means.

But if not, then I'd be questioning why we must sit through such inane shite as the past couple of years of qualifying. I've no expectations of Ireland ever winning a major trophy. But playing football along the ground surely isn't that big an ask.

[magpie seanie]

It was also away from home lads, so that's a good result in isolation.

However, regarding this as an achievement as a whole, i.e. the campaign, I would have thought it was a very attainable goal, and actually this was a winnable group if we had performed well. I don't believe Martin O'Neill is a great manager. I don't believe he is a shocking manager either. I think he is very conservative, and this has cost points against teams we can and should be beating. It has probably also led to some good results against teams that are better than us.

All in all, I'd have said that NOT getting at least a playoff would have been a failure. Getting to the World Cup would be a success. The Playoff is now just a means to an end, and not an end in and of itself.

But last night was a great occasion and a great result in the circumstances. It would be churlish to say otherwise.

Have to agree with the above. Last night was a good night and whatever about other games, last night MON got the tactics spot on and delivered, thanks to a tremendous effort from the players. Again - what we think isn't as important as what the players think and it's abundantly clear they like MON and buy into his methods.

I'd go along with people bemoaning his conservative nature but one area where we're hugely lacking is in the striker department, specifically in the goalscoring area. We've always had guys who could stick the ball away. Givens, Stapleton, Aldridge, Cascarino, Quinn, Keane but since Robbie we've only had Walters who has a good goals to games coversion ratio. Long has scored a lot of goals over the years but looks like he'll never score again now. Robbie used to get goals against the weaker sides and it would look easy but it would get the wins. For those games he's badly missed and not close to being replaced.

Delighted for Duffy and Meyler in particular. A lot of this Irish squad are doing well in their clubs and I think their morale as a group is fantastic. Everythings not perfect but there are huge positives. 

[general_lee]

Happiness is of course a choice.

But so is perspective.

Reaching a playoff isn't a cause for celebration in itself. Nor is beating a Wales team full of Championship players.

If we make Russia then the end will justify the means.

But if not, then I'd be questioning why we must sit through such inane shite as the past couple of years of qualifying. I've no expectations of Ireland ever winning a major trophy. But playing football along the ground surely isn't that big an ask.

It's international football ffs. If you want entertainment watch La Liga or Champions League. I'm sick to f**k of people complaining about how hard it is to watch. Don't watch it then! I mean  what else do you f**king expect?

Ireland beating Wales 1-0 away is cause for celebration. A team arguably better than us and we won in a tense, closely fought contest away from home. Full of championship players I hear you cry.. the Championship is better than the majority of leagues in Europe so give over

[Billys Boots]

It was also away from home lads, so that's a good result in isolation.

However, regarding this as an achievement as a whole, i.e. the campaign, I would have thought it was a very attainable goal, and actually this was a winnable group if we had performed well. I don't believe Martin O'Neill is a great manager. I don't believe he is a shocking manager either. I think he is very conservative, and this has cost points against teams we can and should be beating. It has probably also led to some good results against teams that are better than us.

All in all, I'd have said that NOT getting at least a playoff would have been a failure. Getting to the World Cup would be a success. The Playoff is now just a means to an end, and not an end in and of itself.

But last night was a great occasion and a great result in the circumstances. It would be churlish to say otherwise.

I wouldn't really disagree with any of this, AZ - we had a better record away from home than at home, so that reeks of conservatism and opportunism.  I think O'Neill has become very influenced by the Iceland (playing) model since their second string beat us in Dublin - why try to score more than one, unless the opposition is no threat.  That approach has won us points in Wales and Austria, but probably cost us points in Georgia and Serbia.  I think we finished where we should have in the group.  I think Serbia are the best side we've played.  I think Wales were seriously over-rated, and very average without Bale - dropping Ramsey back into midfield last night was a huge error by Chris Coleman, though he may have felt that he needed to, given the Ireland line-up in the middle of the park. 

[thewobbler]

Happiness is of course a choice.

But so is perspective.

Reaching a playoff isn't a cause for celebration in itself. Nor is beating a Wales team full of Championship players.

If we make Russia then the end will justify the means.

But if not, then I'd be questioning why we must sit through such inane shite as the past couple of years of qualifying. I've no expectations of Ireland ever winning a major trophy. But playing football along the ground surely isn't that big an ask.

It's international football ffs. If you want entertainment watch La Liga or Champions League. I'm sick to f**k of people complaining about how hard it is to watch. Don't watch it then! I mean  what else do you f**king expect?

Ireland beating Wales 1-0 away is cause for celebration. A team arguably better than us and we won in a tense, closely fought contest away from home. Full of championship players I hear you cry.. the Championship is better than the majority of leagues in Europe so give over

You're missing my point.

Or maybe I'm not making it clearly enough.


There's a time and a place for ultra negative football. Sometimes I even enjoy watching it unfold.

But the question I'd ponder surrounds whether the end justifies the means.

We've just watched two of the worst years of football quality delivered by any team, anywhere. If that style of football comes unstuck in the playoffs, then no I personally don't believe it's worth it. We might as well finish 4th giving it a go and giving players a chance to thrive, as not qualify booting it 80 yards every time.

The goal hasn't been achieved yet by MON. Until it has, let's not celebrate what is frankly revolting to watch.

[Maroon Manc]

Ireland play conservatively for a reason, Ireland aren't good enough or MON doesn't spend enough time with is players to be able to play good football one game and conservatively the next. He has to pick a style of football and stick with it.

If Ireland had played a better brand of football with that squad of players or tried changing form game to game they'd have finished 3rd or 4th.

This squad is a miles away in quality from the 2002 team.

[general_lee]

Ireland play conservatively for a reason, Ireland aren't good enough or MON doesn't spend enough time with is players to be able to play good football one game and conservatively the next. He has to pick a style of football and stick with it.

If Ireland had played a better brand of football with that squad of players or tried changing form game to game they'd have finished 3rd or 4th.

This squad is a miles away in quality from the 2002 team.

What he said.

Given the talent at his disposal MON is completely right to play conservatively. Regardless of whether the team make it past the playoffs or not, Ireland are simply not good enough to play "attractive football". It's mind-boggling how someone would choose entertainment over competitiveness.

[Syferus]

MON gets way too much criticism, Ireland have over achieved to get to a play off and based on players Wales & Serbia are ahead so its a good achievement to get this far.

Wales with far more talent would love to be waking up this morning in Ireland's position.

You must have been watching a different Wales to the rest of us to think they had far more talent.

[thewobbler]

Ireland play conservatively for a reason, Ireland aren't good enough or MON doesn't spend enough time with is players to be able to play good football one game and conservatively the next. He has to pick a style of football and stick with it.

If Ireland had played a better brand of football with that squad of players or tried changing form game to game they'd have finished 3rd or 4th.

This squad is a miles away in quality from the 2002 team.

What he said.

Given the talent at his disposal MON is completely right to play conservatively. Regardless of whether the team make it past the playoffs or not, Ireland are simply not good enough to play "attractive football". It's mind-boggling how someone would choose entertainment over competitiveness.

See, football is not as black and white as you make out.

Efficient, conservative football will never be as attractive as free flowing football. But not does it have to consist of continually booting the ball 90 yards.

Ireland don't have the players to compete against the best teams. But there wasn't even a remnant of a top class side in our group. If Serbia or Wales look technically superior it is only because they've been encouraged to play football. Your heads in the sand if you think otherwise.

—

The biggest problem with MON's approach is that should we make Russia, it's likely that it'll be a repeat of Euro 2012. It's one thing, in my opinion, to be beaten by a better team. It's another to look completely incapacitated on an individual level  due to tactics.

[clarshack]

why aren't the North getting the same stick as the Republic? their tactics are pretty similar but they seem to get praise instead of criticism? in their recent 2-0 win against the Czech Republic, the Czechs actually had 77% possession that evening.

[gallsman]

Probably because there aren't too many NI fans on the board.