The only thing that ever matched it was 2018 for occasion
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Some cunt will throw this out so i’m going to deprive them of it.
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I was there in front of Nestors
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I was inside in the Augustinians praying
You’d do well to have some respect for your elders and betters
Ross Tierney after wasting a couple of great chances in the U21’s against Fulvio’s boys.
Tyrone?
The Italian manager is extremely stylish on the sideline. Wearing an auld farmers cap.
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Italy.
Huge gap in class over the piece .
Ireland are woefully coached.
TNH
Only saw the first Italian goal. One of the Ireland centre halves inexplicably went to head a cross that came in at knee height. And promptly slipped on his hole. Setting up the Italian lad perfectly.
Very hard grade to judge . Tbh I wouldn’t envisage many of those I saw tonight playing senior .
Italy were technically better but lacked something too ( Ireland should have equalised on 83 minutes).
Armagh?
We could be here all night
its midnight here, ive just opened a can of carling and am donning my internet cloak.
Last night was a phenomenal occassion, I would like to thank you all for the parking advice, I admit i thought long and hard about @Horsebox 's suggestion to utilise the services of a lockhard outside Stella Terrace or the Fatima Mansions or wherever it was is local to him but in the end I decided that since we were heading to the premium section we would do it properly and i happily paid my 10 euro to the enigmatic Walter at the gates of Pembroke Wanderers Hockey and Cricket club and reverse parked my car there. As the winter is approaching here and gah and soccer is done my fella is playing hockey on Saturday mornings in a wonderfully welcoming and well spoken club outside the down, its a fantastic sport and with the added bonus of me not having a clue about it so i cant be asked to volunteer as a coach,I see it as investing in his future, he may befriend some Chloe Watkins type character with horses and money and set him up in good stead… anyway momentarily digression aside but nonetheless not without context the facilities in Pembrooke look most impressive and it was a full value parking experience.
Taking a 7 year old to a match is of course a much different experience to the days of yore but nonetheless perhaps more enjoyable, we walked along the wonderfully windswept Serpertine Avenue towards Herbert Road before stopping in some hotel where the good natured and very civilised crowd ( this is a far cry from Slattery’s now) were well at it- i paid 27 euros for a 2 cups of tea, 2 burgers and a bottle of sprite, we’re back allright…
we arrived at the ground just after 6-30, there was a nice crowd around now , i checked out the Wanderers Football Club pavillion and took a look at the Lansdowne Road back pitch respledent under lights before heading in thru section M about 6-45.
The hour flew, now the view we had was superb, it was my first time in the expensive seats and tbh as it was my first game since Denmark 2019 id no problem paying the money, plus with a kid its just a better experience.
The Portuguese warmup was outstanding, a series of 1v1s, shooting practice, watching Bruno and Joao Mountinho repeatedly put free kick into opposite top corners was impressive, also a lot of standard passing drills , etc.
The referees were unreal , they were out for a good 30 mins, doing fartleks accross the pitch, sprints, shuttles, turns, it was very impressive stuff…
The athmosphere really gets going around 7-30, decent light show and then the anthems, it was a superb setting with a wonderful joie de vivre type of athmosphere now
The game itself, tough first 25 where we couldnt get the ball, they fairly dominated without creating much tho and as i schooled @Big_Dan_Campbell on yesterday what was key was we saw gradual improvement- what did we allow the Serbs do in oct? we let them walk thru our midfield and in on top of the back 3- that didnt happen this time, Cullen was utterly superb, ably marshalled by Hendrix at closing down the midfield spaces, also Coleman who was very dynamic and Doherty who had a magnificent match, he was superb harried and hassled - those two lads had phenomenal workrate which was a continual feature throughout.
Our 2 main men at the back were incredible- we have x2 brilliant center halves in Duffy and Egan, the keeper behind them is a freak tbh, he is so calm and collected , the way he passes out from the back with such self assurance, never looks flustered, always poised… Kelleher will never get ahead of him.
I was concerned about McGrath and Dozie Ogbene during the first 25, they ball wouldn’t stick to them and they looked lost but by God did they come in to it, especially the latter who just seems infectious, he smelt blood with pepe and ran at the cunt- more on pepe later, McGrath is a gorgeous footballer, beautiful balance and poise but tends to drift in and out a little, he acquitted himself with distinction again tho.
The second half was powerful stuff, Idah had a wonderful entrance, ran in slowly and just bumped into Pepe, it was old school stuff and he looked the part, He did pretty well now i thought, Pepe was completely rattled by now, a deliberate handball and he was being driven haywire by Robinson and Ogene and i think he was a little taken aback by Idah’s link up play also… he succumbed in pretty pathetic fashion to a rountine he is well versed in, Robinson had him strung up tbh i thought- Pepe walked into the second yellow
Portugal, i thoroughly enjoyed them, they have some smashing players- the main man is pure theater and he plays the crowd wonderfully with the walk , the facial expressions, the acting, the free kick routine, he is something else really- its my first time ever seeing him and in my eyes he is the GOAT of my lifetime- even at the this age he just carries an enormous threat, when he got the ball you’re on edge, off it at times his movement was phenomenal, id say in 2011-15 with Royal Madrid when he reinvented himself as a front man it must have been unreal altogether… it was just great to see him in action… they have some heavy artillery, the fucking boy wonder Joao Felix came off the bench as well and he looked top notch
all in all , a good solid performance, loads to be encouraged by and more importantly improvement and progression. the support behind the team and manager really is great now, where it was fashionble to have a go at the side and management pre september dissenting voices now are seen like covid lockdown supporters and are more whispering amongst themselves for fear of being heard and derided… the team look happy, individuals are playing above themselves in a system that looks to be developing.
im very happy
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I’d say her oul fella has it on his wall.
“The shirt off his back” makes it sound like it’s the only one he owns