Footix of the Day

Kyle · August 15, 2024, 4:24pm

There’s a mute function bud…

TheUlteriorMotive · August 15, 2024, 4:50pm

You can always gauge @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy by when he posts on this thread.

He must be journeying through his own valley last day or two.

StoneCold · August 15, 2024, 4:58pm

I’ll mute you with a box in your gash

mikehunt · August 15, 2024, 6:07pm

I was at that match on behalf of the RILFCSC.

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · August 15, 2024, 7:18pm

Royal irish?

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · August 17, 2024, 11:14am

This tripe with an apology to man u fans

myboyblue · August 17, 2024, 11:15am

Jaysus

myboyblue · August 20, 2024, 8:35pm

myboyblue · August 26, 2024, 9:42am

Is Dave a footix?

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · August 29, 2024, 11:11am

myboyblue · September 1, 2024, 8:53am

StoneCold · September 3, 2024, 7:23am

Effortless

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · September 3, 2024, 7:26am

educational

Biff_Egan · September 3, 2024, 8:09am

@Aertel220 is a phenom

myboyblue · September 6, 2024, 8:37pm

Absolute fucking treachery at carton house today

Juhniallio · September 9, 2024, 6:29pm

Arthur auditioning for a spot as an otb presenter with this rambling-pre-question-context-setting drivel.

2024 Nations League B - Gameweek 1 - Ireland v England & Greece

That devastating first half showed how mad it is to fantasise that a return to some kind of Jack Charlton tactics could be effective in today’s international football. Sure, there’s always the slim hope you’ll force a defender into a mistake, but it’s much more likely that you get piggy-in-the-middled. This is why Stephen Kenny believed Ireland had to become a side who knew how to play with the ball.

Put ‘em under pressure football still exists, but now it looks like what Atalanta did to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final last May. The Italian team pressed man to man all over the pitch. When any Leverkusen player was on the ball there was an Atalanta player hunting him down. Whoever he might pass to would have another Atalanta player hunting him down.

Matching up man to man all over the pitch obviously meant that Atalanta were playing one on one at the back. This defied the conventional wisdom that you should aim to have one more defender than the opposition has attackers. Atalanta accepted that risk as a price worth paying for the ability to enforce their pressure game further up the pitch.

Compare this to what Ireland were trying to do on Saturday. We played a back five, including three centre backs who, most of the time, had nobody to mark. This meant that England had at least two and often three spare players in midfield. They played around the outnumbered Irish midfielders like they were training cones.

Yet the supposed increased defensive solidity brought by the extra defenders was illusory. Trent Alexander-Arnold played a 50-yard pass right through Ireland’s centre for the first goal. “Should never happen, at any level,” said Hallgrímsson.

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · September 14, 2024, 4:23pm

This fuckin simpleton giving his analysis now

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · September 14, 2024, 4:24pm

Trent

Jayo76 · September 14, 2024, 4:25pm

Terence

iron_mike · September 14, 2024, 4:25pm

Aren’t you the one making fun of young lads getting autographs from premiership players at the match last week. A fine hypocrite you are. Late shift tonight at the yacht club?