FAI...New Manager Hunt continues

[Il Bomber Destro]

Irish rugby can't fulfil its potential on the World stage,whereas Irish soccer over achieves.

Irish rugby punches its weight .  It is a minority sport here and in the world in general .  The irish soccer team was decent from 1988 to 2004 and has been mediocre ever since bar a "blip " .

Both sports are over reported by a jokeshop media .

The ROI have reached a 24 team euro championship . Wow !!!

Bosnia were shite and ROi looked marginally better .

Ireland don't even have to qualify for the rugby World Cup. Only 8 countries take rugby with any degree of seriousness and out of those 8 countries, Ireland is the only one who has never made it past the last 8 of the World Cup. Ireland doesn't punch its weight in rugby, it is the slow learner in the class.

Ireland punch above their weight in football, hundreds of nations take football very seriously. A proud footballing nation like the Dutch couldn't qualify for this 24 team tournament, if the Danes bow out tomorrow night then it will mean that 3 of the last 6 European Champions will have failed to even qualify for the recently expanded tournament (Holland 88, Denmark 92 and Greece 04). So yes, it is a big achievement for a small country like Ireland to qualify in the most popular team sport the whole world over where it has significant competition from other sports and a semi-pro domestic league.

On the other hand, finishing between 5th and 8th (or lower) on the world stage on a consistent basis in a minority sport where Ireland easily has one of the highest playing number is embarrassing, the rugby team are utter failures.

Now the rugby team are regularly put on a pedestal for us for being mediocre in a minority sport where they have one of the biggest playing populations while the football team are vilified for punching way above their weight in the most popular, more enjoyable and most skillful sport in the world.

I think it says a lot when you look at the crowds at both events, rugby crowds are mainly full of people who have never even played the game in their lives and has a really high proportion of women who attend, also who have never played the game. The football crowd is generally full of people who have played the game, followed it all their lives and as a result has a really low ratio of women to men. That's because international football is not contrived.

[Il Bomber Destro]

Fantastic results.

Really shames those rugby meats along with it to make it all the sweeter.

What in God's name is the relevance of that comment?

Football is real sport, it requires actual skill - not taking steroids and running into overweight freaks.

Rugby is a contrived, soulless, unskilled social outing with a team of privately schooled bottle merchants who shit their pants when the pressure is on.

Ffs ROI finished ahead of scotland to get a play off against Bosnia in a stadium marginally bigger than Oriel Park.  Then back to a rugby stadium with a sell out crowd who had abandoned the team up to a few weeks ago .  The vast majority of the mob there tonite rarely attend a league of Ireland game.  At least the rugby crew support an irish club/province rather than a corporate identity on some shithole in northern England or scotland .

Corporate identity?

Isn't that what Ulster, Munster, Connnacht and Leinster are in rugby?

Don't they nationalise any steroid taking dickhead that comes into the country within a year or two and cap them straight away?

Rugby is a contrived, fake, shallow cesspit of a game, it would be an insult to sport to consider debating it under that term.

[Main Street]

   Under normal circumstances we wouldn't have qualified, we came into the Finals through the scullery, but fully deserved all the same. Bosnia have proved to be better than Wales and went toe for toe with Belgium,  as individual players they are technically better than us,  but somehow Mo'N has been able to use our limited technical ability and blend it into a team which oozes spirit and togetherness and apart from a 20 minute spell of being pinned back in the 2nd half, we were masters of the tie. Looking at how happy Roy Keane was at the final whistle,  I might even get over him deciding to not travel and play in the 2nd leg WC play off against Iran in 2001.

[Tony Baloney]

Some lads are more concerned about running down rugby than celebrating the win. 

[ashman]

Irish rugby can't fulfil its potential on the World stage,whereas Irish soccer over achieves.

Irish rugby punches its weight .  It is a minority sport here and in the world in general .  The irish soccer team was decent from 1988 to 2004 and has been mediocre ever since bar a "blip " .

Both sports are over reported by a jokeshop media .

The ROI have reached a 24 team euro championship . Wow !!!

Bosnia were shite and ROi looked marginally better .

Ireland don't even have to qualify for the rugby World Cup. Only 8 countries take rugby with any degree of seriousness and out of those 8 countries, Ireland is the only one who has never made it past the last 8 of the World Cup. Ireland doesn't punch its weight in rugby, it is the slow learner in the class.

Ireland punch above their weight in football, hundreds of nations take football very seriously. A proud footballing nation like the Dutch couldn't qualify for this 24 team tournament, if the Danes bow out tomorrow night then it will mean that 3 of the last 6 European Champions will have failed to even qualify for the recently expanded tournament (Holland 88, Denmark 92 and Greece 04). So yes, it is a big achievement for a small country like Ireland to qualify in the most popular team sport the whole world over where it has significant competition from other sports and a semi-pro domestic league.

On the other hand, finishing between 5th and 8th (or lower) on the world stage on a consistent basis in a minority sport where Ireland easily has one of the highest playing number is embarrassing, the rugby team are utter failures.

Now the rugby team are regularly put on a pedestal for us for being mediocre in a minority sport where they have one of the biggest playing populations while the football team are vilified for punching way above their weight in the most popular, more enjoyable and most skillful sport in the world.

I think it says a lot when you look at the crowds at both events, rugby crowds are mainly full of people who have never even played the game in their lives and has a really high proportion of women who attend, also who have never played the game. The football crowd is generally full of people who have played the game, followed it all their lives and as a result has a really low ratio of women to men. That's because international football is not contrived.

Pal

I am no spokesperson for rugby but it in a good few steps up the food chain than soccer.

Soccer is a pub game in this country followed by a bunch of barstoolers who follow their sport largely through Murdoch TV .

P

[BennyCake]

Some lads are more concerned about running down rugby than celebrating the win. 

We can't do both.

[Nigel White]

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of rugby, I can't understand why it had to be brought into this discussion. Its school playground stuff.

[ashman]

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of rugby, I can't understand why it had to be brought into this discussion. Its school playground stuff.
[/quote

There are no rights or wrongs in soccer or rugby . Both are just sports at the end of the day.

My point is the over blowing of a team finishing in a European nations cup of 24 teams being trumpeted as a great achievement .  If the team goes there and performs well and reaches the knock out them well done but until then hold your horses.

[stew]

Fantastic results.

Really shames those rugby meats along with it to make it all the sweeter.

This was the equivalent of the rugby crowd beating Italy .  The soccerball mob qualified beating a poor Bosnia  team for a dumbed down tournament .

8 countries play rugby.

Ireland knocked out a team that was ranked 25 places above us tonight. Bosnia have many players involved in European club competitions. Dzeko, Pjanic and Begovic play in the Champions League. Lulic, Zukanovic and Kolasinac all play in the Europa League. Ireland don't have a single player in their entire squad playing European club football.

Being one of the best 24 teams in football in Europe is a far greater achievement than being top 2 in the world in rugby, it's the numbers game and once again Ireland have punched way above their weight in football.

What a load of balls that is!

You are having a laugh right???

[Nigel White]

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of rugby, I can't understand why it had to be brought into this discussion. Its school playground stuff.
[/quote

There are no rights or wrongs in soccer or rugby . Both are just sports at the end of the day.

My point is the over blowing of a team finishing in a European nations cup of 24 teams being trumpeted as a great achievement .  If the team goes there and performs well and reaches the knock out them well done but until then hold your horses.

Its not you that Im getting at

[deiseach]

Jeez, ashman. It's a giant party and we have an invite. Hopefully we won't puke on everyone's shoes and pass out on a couch covered in our own piss like we did last time.

[Canalman]

Well done. We have had far better teams that didn't qualify for major tournaments and we have benefitted from the increase of teams next year.

A win or a couple of draws next Summer will be ok for me. Cannot see us getting out of a group. Papers will have us worldbeaters by then no doubt.

This team is a very likeable bunch.

Ourselves, Wales and NI fans will no doubt be vying for most boisterous (ahem) and best fans in France .

[JoG2]

This thread has turned very Irish. Life's too short to be so miserable bashman. Unreal turnaround to get promotion with a very limited team. Plenty of guts and effort, congrats to the squad and management. Wish I was able to go but you canny spend the same pound twice! It will be some craic 

[imtommygunn]

Fantastic achievement to qualify. The team is playing much better now than it was at the start of the campaign. McCarthy is starting to show his form for Ireland and even Glen Whelan had a good game last night!  Walters has been our best player in qualifying. He wasn't as effective last night but the bosnians were quite physical which meant he didn't get away with as much as he usually does.

Bosnia a very indisciplined team. They also took of their best player which helped us. They should have had one maybe two sent off although James McClean commited more fouls than the rest of our team combined.

Clarke and Keogh did well. Dzeko a bit too physical at times for them but they marked him well. Bar 20-30 minutes in second half we were much better and deserved the win.

That was a strong group to come out of. Even in a 16 team tournament Scotland and us would very much threaten to qualify so it's not like we're there due to a diluted tournament. You look at other groups and the top 4 are better than anyone in some of them.

The rugby team did great and the soccer team now have. They're not comparable. Enjoy this for what it is. There is starting to become great spirit in that team - as individuals there have been a lot better playing for Ireland at times but who cares and that almost makes it better.

[Bord na Mona man]

Yer man in the crowd with the 1990 shell suit was a classic moment. There would deffo be demand for retro Irish tracksuits of this vintage.
Time to don the pencil tashes and stone washed jeans and party like it's the Walkinstown Roundabout in 1990!