FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[tiempo]

Don't watch ROI play footy but if MON didn't start Long then they deserve to go out.
Yet another manager too stubborn for his own good.

[thewobbler]

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.

[annapr]

Long plays in a team that finished top 7 in the Premier League, has played and scored in places like Anfield, Old Trafford etc. He will play in Europe next year. Daryl Murphy plays for Ipswich in the Championship and was a failure at Sunderland.
With the excellent crosses from Brady today you needed someone like Long to be on the end of them.

Ireland have too many average players.
Marc Wilson is a dreadful player and nowhere near international standard,same with Whelan.
John O'Shea is also past it.

[rodney trotter]

They will be 4th seeds for the WC qualifiers if it stays like this. Given, O Shea, Whelan, Murphy, Walters, from the team that started were over 30, Robbie Keane another. F all coming through as well, Grealish won't declare for Ireland.

[mouview]

I don't know why I watch the Irish soccer team anymore. It's at best boring and at worst depressing.

Been like that since McCarthy left.

And I actually thought at the time that Brian Kerr was the nadir!

Been like that since before the Charlton era. Eoin Hand had many, many critics but the players he had and the style they played with was infinitely greater than what has been going on here since. Association football just isn't a 'Home nations' sport anymore, all of the teams are varying degrees of rubbish with us probably at the bottom.

There is a season ticket for Irish internationals?  <<shudder>>

[tiempo]

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.

The missing link to what? No-one expects ROI to win the Euros or WC but putting their best team out and having a go would be an acceptable starting point. Long, Houlahan, Ireland, Reid, Carsley and Kennedy were all overlooked when clearly outperforming their peers, and typically in favour of negative fear driven tactics. McPhail doesn't fit bill for that comparison.

[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.