FAI...New Manager is Heimir Hallgrimsson

[Baile Brigín 2]

Where to we stand with Euro 2028 qualifiers? Are any of the co hosts guaranteed a spot?
It be a hoor to miss a tournament we are co hosting

Up to two non qualifiers based on rankings at the end of the qualifiers.

At the moment we are 4th. If we don't qualify we need 2 of England, Scotland and Wales to qualify.

[seafoid]

Disappointed for the north & south.  What odds on Iran participating?

Have to qualify first and there will be two spots reserved for 2 that don't qualify. Were Scotland, Wales, abd Ireland not to qualify, will be two best qualifiers.

I would be surprised if we don't  qualify for the Euros. There are more qualifying spaces. The team will improve and are unlikely to f**k up as per the Armenia match. Kenny had no choice when he took over. He had to run mol an oige agus tiocfaidh si because there was nobody. There were 14 goals scored from outside the box.

2023
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2023/0617/1389717-liam-brady-this-is-worst-group-of-players-ive-seen/

2024
"In my opinion, having this short time with the team, I think that is something we will develop slowly. It's not something you can force. This will develop slowly, and [] on the ball you can have the relaxed player, playing maybe the risky passes, without losing it. eventually" HH
Since then they have put a lot of work in and come on together as a team.
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/0326/1565365-troy-parrott-family/

I think it was a successful campaign. They got the people behind them and we had those 2 matches where it all came together.

[lurganblue]

Certainly a hard one to take lads, and hard not to see it as a big opportunity missed.  Should have won it in normal time, and really had plenty of the ball to get the winner too but just seemed to lack the killer pass. I dont think they get that 2nd goal if Scales is there, but maybe I'm deluded in that.

One thing for sure is though, we have a team that will fight for every ball.  They'll put a shift in.  And there is quality there too.  It's a process, but I think we can all see the improvement.

[johnnycool]

Certainly a hard one to take lads, and hard not to see it as a big opportunity missed.  Should have won it in normal time, and really had plenty of the ball to get the winner too but just seemed to lack the killer pass. I dont think they get that 2nd goal if Scales is there, but maybe I'm deluded in that.

One thing for sure is though, we have a team that will fight for every ball.  They'll put a shift in.  And there is quality there too.  It's a process, but I think we can all see the improvement.

The wee pasty bollox from Wolves managed to get his head on quite a few corners before he scored that goal.

[Milltown Row2]

Playing the other losers is a waste of effort

[gallsman]

Playing the other losers is a waste of effort

Contractual in terms of TV.

[bannside]

Seamus Coleman will get some reception.

Gutsy effort, if someone had said a year ago that team would gk toe to toe with Portugal Hungary and Czechia, not too many would have believed it.

[AustinPowers]

Seamus Coleman will get some reception.

Gutsy effort, if someone had said a year ago that team would gk toe to toe with Portugal Hungary and Czechia, not too many would have believed it.

Maybe not , but it's of  little consolation now

[GTP]

The manager said they had a list of penalty takers including Szmodics, I am guessing Idah was also on the list, since he took one, and was brought on with this in mind. Probably suited that game better than Kenny would have with corners and long throws and crosses coming into the box at both ends.
I don't think Czechia would have got two goals without the gift of the penalty. ROI players should have known that having got a soft one the referee would have to judge any contact in their defence to the same standard. The squad managed to maintain interest in the qualifying long after I had thought given the start to the campaign.
 

Never mind judging to the same standard. I know you don't mean to but talking about "any contact in their defence" kind of reduces some of the culpability. Their penalty was as stonewall as can be, and as stupid as can be as well. No excuse whatsoever for conceding it.

I was thinking the referee would be more inclined to give a penalty for the general jostling and holding that goes on or a swing and miss catching a player,such as ROI got.
Manning gave a ref he should have known was being vigilant the perfect opportunity to give a penalty. And if the foul had been missed VAR was lurking in the background to intervene. That he didn't seem to realise the risk would point to his actions being inexcusable.

[seafoid]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2026/03/28/malachy-clerkin-a-brutal-end-but-the-seeds-sewn-by-irelands-campaign-will-sprout-long-into-the-future/
But there's another layer too. Out there in the world, where for so long the Ireland soccer team were never a matter of interest or even curiosity, really. Where you have to go back a decade for the last time your mam knew the name of the Ireland goalie, where there hasn't been a matinee idol like Troy Parrott since forever. Out there, Thursday night mattered.
It kept kids up long past their bedtime. Another of the mams said the chat overnight in her house was about how her daughter thought the new away Ireland strip was slay and how they'd have to get it and how she'd get good wear out of it even though it was fairly pricey now in fairness. A men's Ireland team connecting with 10-year-old girls. That hasn't happened for a while.
But it happened this week. It made people cancel plans and swap shifts and move things around to make sure to be on the sofa in time for kick-off. It turned a nothing weekday evening in late March into a Reeling In The Years event, gathering the whole country around the fire to warm its hands. Something like that lasts.

[Milltown Row2]

Given how poor Italy were, they would have been a better team to play

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Given how poor Italy were, they would have been a better team to play

Czech republic were dung that's what makes this all the more difficult to take

[weareros]

Media would want be careful with the seeds sown for future stuff. I remember after we missed out on 1982 WC on goal difference to France (who made semi-finals of WC), media were certain we'd have a good Euro qualifiers and make next WC for certain. They turned out to be two absolute disasters and that was with some of the best talent we'd ever produced. Granted less teams qualified but we were still coming 4th in 5 team group. The current team is made up of average players at best, bar one or two like Parrott who are class on their day. Coming in top 2 is far from certain with our lack of creativity.

[seafoid]

https://x.com/ConanDoherty/status/2037451628010246340/mediaViewer

[statto]

Playing the other losers is a waste of effort

I thought the 3rd/4th place playoff at the world cup was the most meaningless match ever, I was wrong.