FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

First time seeing Ireland in the flesh under O'Neill.Worst performance since home draw with Iceland.Scotland shoujd have won by three.Think Martin's best days are behind him.Best ever atmosphere Ive ever witnessed at an international game.Was like a Champions League game only we were watching Jon Walters instead of Messi

Fair play to the Ireland fans who were going to outnumber the home support, it seems they turned up in blue shirts and sang Scotland songs to fit in.

Better team won the game, Ireland are a classic O'Neil team in being physical and well organised but there isn't much football in that team and they got what they deserved.  Strachan has Scottish playing good football but they don't convince at the back and the forward line doesn't offer enough threat.  All to play for.

[T Fearon]

I was in North Stand and there was a fair few Irish fans in my vicinity.Definitely more than 3, 500 Irish fans there.Scottish fans are so passionate, never have I witnessed an anthem sung with more gusto than Flower of Scotland was last night

[rrhf]

Irish players being booed at celtic park. Pantomime nationalism.... the last big expression of Scottish nationalism was the rejection of their own sovereignty. 

[SHEEDY]

if seamus coleman is going to be the same player for Ireland that he is for everton then we need to have the ball. in nearly every match everton dominate possession allowing both full backs to push up. it was Scotland who dominated possession and the match last night allowing Robertson to push forward at every opportunity.

Scotland players seemed more comfortable on the ball while the irish players always seemed to look for long and walters with the long ball which nearly always meant a loss in possession. james McCarthy was a massive loss.

the home qualifers against Poland and scotland are now must wins.

[Aaron Boone]

Next competitive match v Poland and they are a serious team. Take out Lewandowski and they still have players who ply their trade at Torino, Ajax and Seville. And their keeper plays for Champion League regulars Arsenal.

[seafoid]

Coleman is probably the best RB in one of the best leagues in soccer. Perspective = needed.

He plays in a better team in his day job, Syf. It's like those top Ros players. If they were playing for Mayo they'd be more successful .
International football is more like club championship GAA. It's all about the weak links.

Passing, movement, composure, quality, heart, intelligence, temperament, guile, daring, enterprise - that is what you need in the team as a whole according to the panel. And it's hard to fill up 15 minutes talking about mediocrity.

[JoG2]

if seamus coleman is going to be the same player for Ireland that he is for everton then we need to have the ball. in nearly every match everton dominate possession allowing both full backs to push up. it was Scotland who dominated possession and the match last night allowing Robertson to push forward at every opportunity

Everton, the Barcelona of the premier league.

Coleman is a top player but was very poor last night. Someone on the panel totted out the same possession excuse. Look, it's up to a full back to put his opp number on the back foot at times during the match and someone cover across weather they are dominating or have less possession.  I don't think Coleman once pushed up and winged in a cross. (I could be wrong)He had a bad day at the office, but as I said, is a top player

[rodney trotter]

Brady offers a lot more then McClean on the wing, who is more of a grafter with not much end product.

[JoG2]

Brady offers a lot more then McClean on the wing, who is more of a grafter with not much end product.

McClean is one of the first names on the teamsheet

[rodney trotter]

Not for his attacking ability, he is pretty headless.

[lynchbhoy]

Not for his attacking ability, he is pretty headless.

I wouldn't say headless but he is still learning IMO
But offers a lot more to the team - I'd have expected we would have been destroyed on that wing if Brady was there instead!
If ward plays then McLean must play - how often was McLean defending the left wing with ward nowhere in sight!!!!!

I'd actually like to try McLean at lb with Brady in front of him

Or see McLean  at l wing back in a 352

[JoG2]

McClean is an odd name to pick out after last night's team and individual performances

[lynchbhoy]

McLean has limitations in terms of skill but he more than makes up for it with his work rate tackling and defending team playing abilities!
Def was one of our better players last night - but like the rest of the side , offered little in attack .
Hendrick and Gibson not back fully match fit or exp enough at international level in this team. No cohesion. Hard to build on that!

I laughed when folk said before German game that he might be outmuscled - he's a real Derry Mucker and if anything would scrap rather than run away!!

[magpie seanie]

I was in North Stand and there was a fair few Irish fans in my vicinity.Definitely more than 3, 500 Irish fans there.Scottish fans are so passionate, never have I witnessed an anthem sung with more gusto than Flower of Scotland was last night

Pity they weren't as passionate when the went to the polling stations. Faux nationalism.

[lynchbhoy]

Obv a lot of the Celtic Scottish were at the game cheering on Ireland- as a few of the Irish chants and songs were amended Celtic songs!
They were booed by the jock fans

Sickens me we lost to them as they are a poor outfit but have cohesion and great team spirit - certainly lifted by their recent good run of form too

Def agree with you Seanie ( did you get my pm from a few weeks ago?)