Tippy tappy is fucking terrible to watch if the team are shit.
It’s like watching Roscommon keep the ball for 6 minutes but going nowhere. Who the fuck wants to watch that
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The fact that it took him until half time to make a change v Greece, why not do it during after 10 mins. I’ll cite Damien Delaney again, but he said put Lenihan out full back, drop the Doc back to right full, three in midfield with Idah and O’Dowda playing off of Ferguson. Make the change and stem the tide against them. Get to half time at least and in the meantime, the coaching team get their heads together as to how to start the second half.
Delaney spoke around Kenny’s being naive that Greece wouldn’t know how to deal with Ireland when the fact was they had our number straight away. And not only that, they knew how we would change things at half time. Delaney made a good point that he had empathy with the Doc and Smallbone as they were made look like muppets but they were only carrying out orders. He said he wasn’t surprised that the Doc lashed out at the end, Kenny had sold him and the team a pup.
I can recall playing junior football and if a team were getting the better of us due to a formation they were using or the one we had wasn’t working, we’d be telling the coach to change it up, or we’d make the changes ourselves. Not apples for apples, but you should be able to let them know.
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Greece won the euros (not qualified for, not got out of the group but won the fucking thing) playing hoof ball.
This idea that we have to play mad “attractive” football is nonsense.
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I think the playing good football under Spock argument is a myth for reasons I’ve mentioned hundreds of times. But Friday seems to have been a turning point for many who had been holding that view up to that point.
It was really bad because not only was the football poor & panicky when we had the ball, the team selection was bad (an ineffective/flaky/light left winger selected as left wing back away from home against a qualifying rival, for example) he was embarrassed tactically in a few different ways.
How Greece had studied our 3-5-2 & basically destroyed it, how he wasn’t able to do anything to change it in the first half, how his belated half time change hadn’t any impact.
And it’s not just the 3-5-2 formation we use per se, it’s how the players within the formation don’t seem to know their roles within it. We’re not a compact or organised unit. The team shape is all over the place. See that second goal conceded. Very little cohesion in or out of possession or players following a pattern of play. He talks about tight margins but you’re more likely to come up short at international level, if you’ve a modest group talent wise, if you don’t have that solid base.
Sadly we’re probably looking at 2028 before we qualify for a major tournament again. When we reached the World Cup finals in 2002 it felt like something that would occur regularly. The failure to reach any tournament again until 2012 was a real pity with the calibre of players we had during that period.
Euro 2016 was an uplifting experience but alas we’ve regressed again since then. In my mind the argument “that we haven’t the players anymore” probably came starkly into view when you had the likes of Conor Sammon starting regularly in 2013. Martin O’ Neill did an excellent job papering over the cracks of our ailing fortunes and got nothing only hardship for it. We have a reasonably decent core of young players at the moment but unfortunately we have a manager who’s fairly rudderless. A whole generation of supporter will miss out on serenading nuns on public transport at a major tournament.
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I’'d say Duff is already better than Kenny & would command more respect.
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Oir happiest and mostvsuccesful sporting period was with hiofball
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A lad who has played at the highest level is likely to command more respect with full time pros than a lad who has only ever coached a few mechanics and postmen.
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All things being equal, I’d love us to play this expansive, progressive, PC, inclusive, kinder to the environment stuff that Spock wants us to play, but I much prefer winning ugly than losing to Luxembourg
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Who locked him out of the dressing room
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His little tirade shows a man under ferocious pressure. Either that or he’s deluded. Point to reaching Scottish cup finals, Christ. Like Davy referring to Walsh Cups or Fitzgibbon Cups.
He’s fortunate the FAI don’t have a pot to piss in as he’d be gone otherwise. You feel sorry for the guy, it’s his dream job and it’s going horribly wrong, but then you remember he’s on upwards of €400k/€500k a year.
It’s a poor group of players but it’s being led by an even poorer manager. If he had us tough to beat but occasionally pinching 1-0 wins against better teams you’d say fair enough. But no, he has this misguided notion that a midfield of Cullen, Molumby and Knight can play open free flowing football against everyone. He’s living in cloud cuckoo land.
Like everyone I want the guy to do well but after three years it’s the same tripe. Terrible displays to go with the terrible results.
Probably pinch a draw or two in September and then slip up against the Greeks or Gibraltar again.
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Of course he’s under ferocious pressure. I feel sorry for him.
So do I.
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Has he actually won more trophies than anyone in modern history?
Has he actually won 46 Champions League and Europa League games? Or were they all just diddy preliminary games?
Its like him saying he has a 100% record in his last competitive match. The man is a cabbage. Let him off.
Only took charge of 46, not won 46.
This is the quote
I won five league titles. 46 Champions League and Europa League games
That’s pure word manipulation on his part if he’s saying he didn’t win them
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I only had a recollection of him reaching one Scottish cup final with Dunfermline. I looked it up there and it turns out that he’s counting some Scottish Challenge Cup final for lower league clubs as a major final too. Like the Scottish equivalent of the Johnstone Paint/Papa Johns trophy.
Was wondering that too
What a fud
Around three weeks ago at the height of the warm weather a friend of mine was coming back from a day’s tomfoolery up in Ballina/Killaloe.
Anyway he stopped in the Applegreen in Birdhill and low and behold who was queuing for a Burger King amongst a large crowd of ordinary punters only the bould Spock.
There’s something quite endearing that our National Coach would be as relatable, but I doubt Trapatonni, MON or Big Mick would be see eating Burger King ffs.
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