FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[Maroon Manc]

Croatia AZ, based on what? Look at who their players are playing for, there's no comparison. Their miles ahead of Ireland, beating them to qualify would be a great achievement.

Denmark is different though, think Ireland would have a great chance of beating them.

[AZOffaly]

Your expectations are too low

[Esmarelda]

Why is everyone going on about what clubs players play for?

Dundalk played in Europa League group stage last season. Did Stephen Kenny change his general approach to the game because his players were only playing in the League of Ireland? No, he didn't.

The point is that Stephen Kenny encourages his players to play attractive football and they've done so with relative success. That doesn't mean they can play like Guardiola's Barcelona. Our players playing with the likes of Burnley are able to play a possession based game. Wes Hoolahan at 35 in the Championship can clearly play this way. O'Neill insists that they don't.

[AZOffaly]

I think Martin O'Neill would be mad to set up in free flowing manner against Serbia, or maybe even Austria and Wales. Teams where you are plainly inferior, there's nothing wrong with a conservative, win the game by being solid and work hard, approach.

My issue with him is he NEVER takes the shackles off. Maybe he can't because he doesn't see the players that often to work on two game plans, but I think he has to do more. When we need a goal, we have very little in the way of creativity. We score the Soccer equivalents of the pushover try a lot of the time. Last night's goal was very well worked, with a dummy and all.

I'm not here to slate Martin O'Neill, I don't think he's doing a bad job or anything. I just wish he could be a bit more adventurous when it is required, and I don't believe finishing second in that group is an outstanding achievement, even if last night's result in isolation was an excellent win.

[thewobbler]

AZ I'm not sure how Ireland are clearly inferior to austria or wales. Because Martin chooses to lump it as first, second and final options, it might look that way. But in terms of player ability ((Bale excepted) it's nit the case.

[JoG2]

I agree with thewobbler. Teams no better than Ireland are competing well without resorting to this caveman football. Iceland being one example.

Ireland passed the ball around last night on a few occasions so why not more often?

Murphy's second goal on Friday, regardless of the opposition, came at the end of a beautiful move. Hoolahan's pass out to Ward was great. Why isn't it encouraged against the likes of Georgia? Is it right to tell our players that they better hoof it because Georgia are just too damn good?

People are entitle to say the end justifies the means but, although I'll be a sad day when I don't tune in, there's often very little enjoyment in watching.

Keyboard manager of the month goes to.....

What's that supposed to mean? The pass from Hoolahan, the cross from Ward and the header from Murphy were all brilliantly executed. Why don't you make your point instead of stupid comments like that?

Your subsequent comments are also nonsense.

Nobody has a sense of entitlement. In fact the argument is that the Irish players should be allowed to play the style of football they show they're able to play with their clubs. Nobody said we should be qualifying for anything.

It means exactly what it says. Regardless of the opposition, we should be playing champagne football with our current midfield, surely you see naivety in that line?  Even our midfield could pick holes in your post ffs !

Hilarious. You say it means exactly what it says then go on to explain it to mean something else.

Of course you know that isn't what I mean but I didn't realise until now that you're a troll. Good to know.

Carry on.

Dear god

[AZOffaly]

AZ I'm not sure how Ireland are clearly inferior to austria or wales. Because Martin chooses to lump it as first, second and final options, it might look that way. But in terms of player ability ((Bale excepted) it's nit the case.

I said maybe. As in they'd not be clearly better than them, so you might excuse a cautious gameplan.

[Declan]

Results trump everything so in that regard you've got to hand it to MON in achieving great results against better ranked teams. However you can applaud those achievements as well as questioning our tactics against teams where we should be able to have better possession and passing stats.

I'd love us to get Portugal in the playoffs and let McClean welcome Ronaldo to the Aviva

[laoislad]

Those players are well capable of playing better football than what O'Neill has them playing.
None of them are superstars but they can all play football.
As Declan says above results is all that matters but this notion that he has turned a bunch of rubbish players into a team on the brink of World Cup qualification is nonsense.
Ireland should have won that group. It's O'Neills fault they didn't.

[Walter Cronc]

Those players are well capable of playing better football than what O'Neill has them playing.
None of them are superstars but they can all play football.
As Declan says above results is all that matters but this notion that he has turned a bunch of rubbish players into a team on the brink of World Cup qualification is nonsense.
Ireland should have won that group. It's O'Neills fault they didn't.

Sure you think the Ox is a decent player 

[An Watcher]

I for one am happy to qualify for major tournaments by whatever means necessary.  Unlike the likes of Wales who have only ever qualified for two. 

[Syferus]

Those players are well capable of playing better football than what O'Neill has them playing.
None of them are superstars but they can all play football.
As Declan says above results is all that matters but this notion that he has turned a bunch of rubbish players into a team on the brink of World Cup qualification is nonsense.
Ireland should have won that group. It's O'Neills fault they didn't.

I don't know how you look at Serbia's or Austria's teams and think we had any right finishing above them. We did very well, undone mainly by a patethic performance against Georgia rather than against any of the big three.

[general_lee]

Those players are well capable of playing better football than what O'Neill has them playing.
None of them are superstars but they can all play football.
As Declan says above results is all that matters but this notion that he has turned a bunch of rubbish players into a team on the brink of World Cup qualification is nonsense.
Ireland should have won that group. It's O'Neills fault they didn't.

When have Ireland ever won a qualifying group? What's nonsense is this notion that the team can go out and play attractive football against the "minnows" and then change tact for the better teams. I'm sure with the limited time MON has the players for, the last thing on his mind is playing some champagne football against f**king Moldova just so a few critics back home can have some entertainment. Some people are just never pleased though.

[macdanger2]

This is an interesting piece about how Wales (and Romania)  apparently put careful consideration into what friendlies they play / don't play in order to optimise their world ranking

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017/1009/910952-wales-republic-of-ireland-rankings-coleman/

[JPGJOHNNYG]

This is an interesting piece about how Wales (and Romania)  apparently put careful consideration into what friendlies they play / don't play in order to optimise their world ranking

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017/1009/910952-wales-republic-of-ireland-rankings-coleman/

I have been saying this for years. The world rankings everybody laughs at but they are so important regarding seeding. Norway did something similar many years ago and got into the world top 10. I may be wrong but the one and only time we were top seeds was 2004 and we lost our first 2 games so were almost out of it before it hardly started.