EURO 2012

[Hound]

Given and Dunne have carried the team through the qualifiers. If they played for the last 2 years like they played in the last two games, we wouldnt have got within an asses roar of this tournament. The rest of the team are playing like they always do, they just look worse because they've been playing against better players and we've dug a big hole for ourselves in the first few minutes of each half.

Hopefully plenty of changes for the next match.

Westwood has to play in goals because Given isnt fit.
Kelly to come in for Ward, and O'Dea for any one of the others.

I don't buy much of the hype re McClean, but he has to start, and I'd let Hunt start on the other wing. Personally I don't think Gibson is a better player than Whelan, but I wouldnt mind seeing Gibbo get a go.

Long and either Walters or Doyle up front.

[seafoid]

Positives- I was just talking to a Dutch fan who said at least they played like a team. Even if they were outclassed. They kept going to the end. And the fans never started whistling them.
Holland are going out as well most likely and they are already fighting each other.

[ziggy90]

On a lighter note lads, is it true Chelsea have offered £40.000.000. for the Irish fans?

[AZOffaly]

I think so too. I'm loathe to defend that lad, but fair is fair. What he's saying is it's not enough to go over there and have the only highlight being the brilliant behaviour of the fans. That doesn't mean he thinks they shouldn't be singing and supporting the team.


Maybe he thinks we are too easily pleased alright, but his criticism is that the fare on the field is not good enough, not the support off it.

[brokencrossbar1]

The reality is that Spain are several levels above Ireland and many other teams.  They have been playing a system of football which is bred into the players from they are 8-9 years old, it is akin to the Total Football idea that the Dutch implemented in the 70's.  I watched a rare Irish attack last night and every player bar Torres was behind the ball and Torres was on the half way line.  With 3-4 seconds of the Spaniards retrieving the ball there were 6 players in the Irish half.  That sort of work rate cannot be coached in the few weeks in the build up to a tournament.  They have a completely different approach at so many levels in Spain in terms of how they want to develop the game.  I remembering reading an article about the Spanish FA a number of years ago and how they had more under age coaches employed in the clubs and schools than the English FA had total coaches, I think it was something ridiculous like a few thousand and they were all top class coaches.  Because the Irish players predominantly ply their trade in either the PL or the Championship they are all being exposed to the "coaching systems" of the English FA either directly or vicariously.  There is no "joined up" approach to the development of the game and the players suffer as a result. 

I think Keane may have been a bit OTT but I agree in general with his sentiments.  The "sing song" reference is more directed to the approach the FAI have to the whole thing I reckon, ie the fans are happy so we are doing ok, as opposed to the fans.  But also he is saying fans should expect a bit more than fulfillment of fixtures!

[BennyHarp]

Stats from last night showed Spain had 865 passes. The only way Ireland could achieve that is if Jason McAteer went on Mastermind. Boom Boom!!

[J OGorman]

theres not real thing like going man to man Gaelic football style in soccer, zonal marking and parking the bus 20m out seem to be the thinking the pick the man up as he comes into the danger area! personally a great player like maradona was tramped on from start to finish and there was never a player more than a couple of yards from him no matter how far down the field he was!!we probably needed to do that type of man to man on xavi and Inesita, still would have been beat but at least maybe they couldn't walked through the middle so easy!1 it is a poor Irish team but we all knew that!! Manager got the best out of which we have, we got no more Keanes, McGrath, Towsend, whelan, houghton, o`leary, Bonner, Steve staut, denis erwin, etc, we got to accept that and know that a defensive system will get you so far but cant take you the distance!!!

Was thinking exactly the same myself WW - if you let anyone play in any game to their tempo, they will beat you, and enjoy doing it at the same tiime.
Was it just me or did it seem very pally after the game between the players? "Well done Cesc, you made a right bollix out of me there".
No More Heroes Anymore.

lads maybe in the game of yore. Its practically become a non-contact sport. You've a keen midfielder snapping a some pup with a tan and bags of skill, wont be long before lined. I blame Sky

[J OGorman]

this came up on the board before, whether it is better to qualify and be a laughing stock or not to qualify. remember some lads howling at the sacreligious idea that not qualifying might be better. what have ireland gained though by this. of course u can admire the fans for having a sing-song, but the team really had no business there on the pitch at this level. it is embarassing, and for every patronising t**t who says, ah look, bless them and their plucky ballad-singing, there's another that will call it as primitive football by primitive people. the only possible positive is that it might lead to some change in direction in how we play. unlikely though, we're too stitched in to the fabric of English football to do things independently of them.   

that's an absolute crock of sh1t. Whats the point in entering a competition? The team got there on merit. The chances are Spain are gonna win the tournament, if not, come very close. The only people who seem to be embarrassed are the usual Irish begrudgers or those who (while being soccer fans) only support a successful English premier team were the size of their rod is direct correlation to success of said English premier league team . Primitive people, really?

[puskas]

that's an absolute crock of sh1t. Whats the point in entering a competition? The team got there on merit. The chances are Spain are gonna win the tournament, if not, come very close. The only people who seem to be embarrassed are the usual Irish begrudgers or those who (while being soccer fans) only support a successful English premier team were the size of their rod is direct correlation to success of said English premier league team . Primitive people, really?
[/quote]

yes they qualified and got there on merit you can argue. how did they qualify though? was it a "miracle that Trap even got us that far"as I've been hearing. Was getting past Armenia and Estonia a miracle? they got lucky to be in one the softest groups. they got the only soft draw in the play-offs. Ireland haven't beaten anyone decent in a generation. they are unable to hold on to the ball. technically they are by a distance way off the pace of any other team in that tournament. yes it is embarrassing to be shown up in front of Europe as a pack of donkeys chasing shadows.

[Jonah]

that's an absolute crock of sh1t. Whats the point in entering a competition? The team got there on merit. The chances are Spain are gonna win the tournament, if not, come very close. The only people who seem to be embarrassed are the usual Irish begrudgers or those who (while being soccer fans) only support a successful English premier team were the size of their rod is direct correlation to success of said English premier league team . Primitive people, really?

yes they qualified and got there on merit you can argue. how did they qualify though? was it a "miracle that Trap even got us that far"as I've been hearing. Was getting past Armenia and Estonia a miracle? they got lucky to be in one the softest groups. they got the only soft draw in the play-offs. Ireland haven't beaten anyone decent in a generation. they are unable to hold on to the ball. technically they are by a distance way off the pace of any other team in that tournament. yes it is embarrassing to be shown up in front of Europe as a pack of donkeys chasing shadows.
[/quote]


There are very few teams who could have lived with Spain last night.
I doubt England for example would have done much better.

[J OGorman]

that's an absolute crock of sh1t. Whats the point in entering a competition? The team got there on merit. The chances are Spain are gonna win the tournament, if not, come very close. The only people who seem to be embarrassed are the usual Irish begrudgers or those who (while being soccer fans) only support a successful English premier team were the size of their rod is direct correlation to success of said English premier league team . Primitive people, really?

yes they qualified and got there on merit you can argue. how did they qualify though? was it a "miracle that Trap even got us that far"as I've been hearing. Was getting past Armenia and Estonia a miracle? they got lucky to be in one the softest groups. they got the only soft draw in the play-offs. Ireland haven't beaten anyone decent in a generation. they are unable to hold on to the ball. technically they are by a distance way off the pace of any other team in that tournament. yes it is embarrassing to be shown up in front of Europe as a pack of donkeys chasing shadows.
[/quote]

you'll be happy to know that a lot of countries outside of Europe watch as well.

Your preference would be to not bother entering the Euros or the World Cup? Correct?

[puskas]

Your preference would be to not bother entering the Euros or the World Cup? Correct?

No. Are you willfully missing the point? You support the team and hope they qualify which they did BUT they are shite, depressing and they leave me cold.

Are you saying people should just move on with an "ah they did their best" and try to scuff and hoof their way through the next qualification campaign?

Question for you: Ireland qualified again for this one after missing out on the last 4 tournaments.  Now which would you prefer (a) Ireland reach the next 4 tournaments with the same outcome as this one (b) they miss the next four tournaments but reach the fifth one with a new generation of kids who can play intelligent creative football. 

[deiseach]

Question for you: Ireland qualified again for this one after missing out on the last 4 tournaments.  Now which would you prefer (a) Ireland reach the next 4 tournaments with the same outcome as this one (b) they miss the next four tournaments but reach the fifth one with a new generation of kids who can play intelligent creative football.

Is that what the choice is? No other possible outcomes for Irish soccer?

[BennyHarp]

Your preference would be to not bother entering the Euros or the World Cup? Correct?

No. Are you willfully missing the point? You support the team and hope they qualify which they did BUT they are shite, depressing and they leave me cold.

Are you saying people should just move on with an "ah they did their best" and try to scuff and hoof their way through the next qualification campaign?

Question for you: Ireland qualified again for this one after missing out on the last 4 tournaments.  Now which would you prefer (a) Ireland reach the next 4 tournaments with the same outcome as this one (b) they miss the next four tournaments but reach the fifth one with a new generation of kids who can play intelligent creative football. 

Why not try to reach the next four tournament while developing footbhallers for the 5th. Id say the money received for qualifying would help and it breeds some interest. I'd be of the opinion that the longer you are out of these tournaments the further you fall behind.

[Billys Boots]

In other 'new football' news, Michael Laudrup is the new manager of Swansea City.