Euro 2016 - Ireland v Belgium

[anon7035031]

If we are considering yanks we must be truly fucked.

[Juhniallio]

@Sidney

I was sitting on the 18 yard line in the upper tier of the stand at the end where Belgium scored their goals and specifically watched James McCarthy for the 40 seconds or so leading up to the second goal. He looked like a player who wasn’t bothering his arse. It was nice to make the comment “McCarthy not bothering his arse to get back again, the lazy cunt” to the person beside me, and to be proven right five seconds later.

That’s amazing @sidney. Especially considering McCarthy was back and goalside of his man the scorer until after the cross was struck. You’re talking shite.

[Steven_Naimsith]

@Rocko

11 million is frankly a huge difference over our population. They’re also helped by their colonial past which has brought in higher immigration. Ireland might be better placed now in bringing in a larger and more diverse population but we’ll never catch up with a colonial pest like Belgium in that regard

It’s not a huge difference, not when you add in all the Norn Iron pick we get and the Scottish and English diaspora players we get to choose from we have as big a pick as they do.
They have basic technical skills, we don’t. FFS places like Georgia and Bosnia produce players with infinitely better ball skills than we do. It’s embarrassing to watch our lads and how uncomfortable on the ball they are. If it doesn’t involved hoofing it up the field and trying to horse some fella off the ball we aren’t at the races.

[Sidney]

Small victories, I guess.

[Ambrose_McNulty]

I’d rescind the like I gave to Sidney there, but the cunt of a site won’t let me.

[Fran]

Disagree, they failed to create many opportunities in the first half against us even when they had the vast majority of the possession. Lucky not to concede a penalty and caught us on the break straight from that and it was much easier for them to counter when we had to push forward. They’ll struggle against the better teams

[flattythehurdler]

Fucki g hell @rocko. You are seriously suggesting getting second hand yanks in as the way forward ???
I’m incredulous.
As an aside. I doubt this irish team would survive in the epl. They would likely struggle in the championship. It’s just the way it is.
I think we have a great chance of a draw against Italy, but a win will be difficult.
Can’t see the IT management wanting to lose that winning momentum.

[Little_Lord_Fauntleroy]

the SRFC youth academy is the only thing that can save Oirish football

[Massey]

FFS lads thinking a draw agin Italy would be a good result,Ireland are shit at this soccer lark,the late 80s early 90s was an anomaly,we were rubbish before and we’ve been rubbish since,we’re back to our level

[caoimhaoin]

Coaching is absolurely gash and the FAI have no idea what they are at.

Coaching education in general in Ireland is brutal.

[the_man_himself]

People in Ireland only have a passing interest in soccer in the main. A place has to be absolutely soccer mad to get anywhere with a population such as ours, like Croatia or Uruguay

[Little_Lord_Fauntleroy]

football is by far the most popular team sport in terms of playing numbers

[Piles_Hussain]

There’s no culture to it though mate. Sad to say, but Ireland has little or no distinct football culture any more.
We’re a shit england.
It will take a long time and a lot of work to change it. Sure, we’ll rattle along to any big tournament we get to and have the craic, but at the end of the day, we’re just a shit england.

[Tassotti]

Northern Ireland are a far superior team to Eire

[HBV]

Eire must have huge number of soccer players just hoofing the ball 50 yards into touch every Sunday morning kid.

[gilgamboa]

Correct. There are literally tens of thousands of players getting changed in prefabs or disused artic trailers every Sunday.

[Little_Lord_Fauntleroy]

Correct.corrupt governments goving grants to ethnocentric organisations to blame

[dodgy_keeper]

The fact is that qualifying for any major tournament is the limit of our aspirations. We just don’t have the resources or the structures to compete with the big boys on a consistent basis. We’ll always dig out the odd result but expecting us to go toe to toe with sides like Belgium is farcical.

Our domestic league is creaking. People moan about it - ‘it’s shit’ - but have never been to games or supported it. Stop letting your kids turn into fat PlayStation cunts and get them down to your local club, both playing for and supporting their local teams.

Hoolohan is a decent enough player but the fact a limited player like him is one of the few players we have who is calm on the ball is a damning indictment of where we are at. We’ve nothing coming through either, could be the last tournament we play in for a while.

[backinatracksuit]

I had to laugh yesterday morning when the pinnacle of the Hoolahan hysteria almost reached it’s peak IMO, the great Paul McGrath was on with whoever is in for Marian Finucane and he said that Hoolahan would get on any team in the world, he’s in and out of the Norwich team FFS sake.

[flattythehurdler]

Ireland punch way above their weight at most sports. They are relatively competitive on a global scale in soccer. What more can anyone ask?
There are too many other sports about and too rubbish a climate for lads to concentrate on honing soccerballing skills 24/7.
Be nice to get another game or two at the euros but tried their best, hey ho.
And Galway beat cletus and Co on their own patch so alls well.