Is Ewan up yet?
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Loved that Ireland jersey.
If Whelan had been fit for Italia 90 who wouldn’t have played? McGrath at right back or something?
I think he had a more talented group in '94
How much do those two men mean to the nation? We lived in an era of genuine legends. The word has become overused to lose its meaning.
Quality
Probably in better form anyway. But lacking a top striker (of the right age) and with a difficult path in terms of opposition and venues.
That win over Italy was unreal.
Sat to see @Thomas_Brady allow his anti Man Yoo bias affect his posting today of all days.
RIP Big Jack. A Leeds legend cc @mick_jones
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Quinn missing that was disastrous.
the record post the Italia 90 defeat to Italy was incredble
we didnt loose a competitive game again until spain beat us 3-1 in lansdowne on a wednesday afternoon and thereafter mexico in florida
pre usa 94, we beat holland 1-0 and germany 2-0 away in friendlies before beating italy 1-0 in new york - what were we up to 9th in the world? - that may never happen again in our lifetimes lads
things fell apart then with the back to back defeats vs Austria when i was doing my junior cert in 1995 before he signed out in the playoff for euro 96
we had a lull then, when mick took over- 96/97 were written off with macedonia situations but then mick went on a massive run with his own team post a 2-2 draw in holland in 2000 all the way to the defeat on spotters to spain in the world cup- we were talking about winning euro 2004 before alexander mostovi i think stuffed us in sept 2002 and mick was done
that’s two remarkable periods really for the team- mick needed a few years to build his but had keane to drag him thru the trenches with other great players ( robert keane, kelly , harte, holland, finnan)
jack more inherited a team but also was incredibly lucky at the outset with what happened in sofia in 1987, but from 1990 all the way thru till usa was an incredible period with a really great side - yeah there was hoofball, etc but that was the only way to get it done
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Flawed geniuses. Legends.
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You’re a bit thick.
jesus - yeah i was only watching The Impossible job very late last night about graham taylor and the ill fated 93/94 campaign ( brilliant TV btw) and was thinking what an incredibly decent man he was and i was thinking over a can of carling about football back then and now jack is done…
there is a lovely interview out there of jack and graham from rte in the lansdowne road tunnel post the 1 1 draw in nov 1990, two absolute football gentlemen
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One of the greatest of all time. His Ireland team provide the backdrop to my formative years 1988 to 1994, years where I grew from boy to man, Giants stadium was the first time I drank pints in a pub at 17 years of age. What a night that was
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And the last time he was seen, was arm in arm with Jack Charlton singing revenge for Skibberean
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It took an Englishman for the Irish to like their own flag again
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go out to 2:05 there or just watch the whole thing - “go and have that hag you promised yourself all day” - two proper football men
Ireland should have got to 2 to 3 tournaments under McCarthy. That last minute goal by Macedonia for the Euro 2000 qualification was a disaster.
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