Ye had a good piss up in the stables. That sums up Irish fans. Vast majority premier league fans who jump on the Irish bandwagon for big tournaments. Most of them could barely name 4 Irish players.
I dont recall many posts from you on the LOI thread
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We have a steadily rising population while most other European countries have falling populations.
We are a European powerhouse in waiting.
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How did Denmark do away to Georgia in that campaign?
We were always in contention to qualify out of that group the whole way through the campaign and had both Denmark and Switzerland in the back foot late on in both games in Dublin. Both sides have shown that they are fine sides with their showings at the euros and in qualification and nations league since.
But I suppose the AI spambot would prefer us losing to Armenia and Armenia than taking six point v Gibraltar.
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I just go to major tournaments for the piss up and also some away play-offs for the same reason.
After being fervently anti-Kenny for the first year of his tenure partly because I believed he hadn’t a barney but primarily for INTERNET kicks, I’m now fervently* pro-Kenny.
*moderately
A very winnable game thrown away. Another chance blown.
The fact is that this is/was a fairly mediocre group. Armenia are Armenia. Scotland are ok but are still carrying three or four players. Ukraine are playing on adrenaline but aren’t world beaters, even at their best.
And here we are. Three defeats from 5 and one game away from relegation. We’ve lost to every team in the group and don’t appear particularly difficult to play against.
Two years in and we’ve suffered some pretty disgraceful results. Yet it’s always turned around, ‘but we played well against X, Y and Z.’ Even the famous Portugal away game, they missed a pen and spurned a few glorious chances before we wilted late on. It wasn’t as if Portugal scored from the only two chances they made all game.
Been said before countless times but Kenny is so lucky he’s pals with most of the media pack. All good displays are hyped up, the bad results quickly brushed under the carpet. He gets such an easy ride, compared to nearly every Ireland manager going back to Eoin Hand.
There’s no doubt the guy is genuine and is 100% committed to the role but at some stage the black and white issue of results has to become a deciding factor. He doesn’t have a vintage set of players to choose from but surely you cut your cloth accordingly. That’s what MON and Trap did, for all their faults.
The narrative is already being written for Tuesday. Win scoring a couple of goals and the usual couple of buzz words will be thrown out. Progress. Expected goals (XG). Possession stats. New caps.
Aside from that, what the hell was Browne at for the pen? He dropped his team mates and manager right in it. Doherty for the first, terrible. Always has that in him. Too fucking arrogant to concentrate for a full game.
I don’t think wannabe Gangsta Troy is up to it either. Relying on players like him, Doherty and co won’t end well for any manager. Ogbene has usually impressed off the bench, not sure we can afford to do without his pace from the start.
A really poor campaign overall. I think the Euro 2024 campaign will be much of the same. Lovely little triangular passing at times but good results being thin on the ground.
We aren’t qualifying for any big tournament under Kenny IMO. I’d love if he did but does he have the air of a man with the iron clad will and belief to drag an average enough team to (even a bloated) Euros or World Cup…? Not sure there are many out there that can tbh but that’s another conversation.
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You have to be horrible to play against.
Those Danish pricks absolutely hated us for years because we played like cunts. It comes from the manager.
Kenny doesn’t have that cuntishness required to go places.
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Ireland have a collection of 6 or 7 excellent young players coming through. If we could get somebody to coach defensive shape like Trap, we would qualify for everything.
I didnt see the game last night, but trying to play constructive football is no excuse for a poorly co-ordinated press and poor defensive shape.
Its great seeing the centrebacks split at goal kicks, but Ireland has a respected football heritage to protect too. We dont want to end up like Georgia, neat and tidy, but everybody beats you.
Scotland have a good team, no shame in losing to them but we must fucking win on Tuesday.
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A manager with similar football principals and coaching ability to Conte is what we need.
Look at the centrebacks and goalkeepers Ireland have coming through. Its clear where our strengths are. A manager that can coach a cohesive team shape in and out of possession. We are not really a team for possession based football.
The older man who coached Denmark to hockey us was available. I never understood why we never went for him. That Denmark team had a lovely variety to their play, plenty of vertical, direct long passes to go with the neat stuff of Eriksen and Delaney.
We have some top young fellas coming through. If we don’t win on Tuesday he should go.
I’ll be astonished if we dont qualify for the next Euros. We have more than enough.
Bazunu, Collins, Obamidele…any manager worth his salt would qualify us in 2 years with that foundation…that’ll be a 150million back 3.
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Ive just booked my tickets to Germany 
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Developing a hard edge to a team takes time. Mick McCarthy’s teams were notoriously flaky over the first four years of his tenure. The hard edge only really started to develop around 2000.
A lot of that edge is automation and just good defensive coaching, if he does x and goes there…you HAVE to be here EVERY TIME. If he does that, you have to prevent this et cetera. All about individual accountability.
Doherty is our most talented player, but is acting like a cunt out of possession.
Conte spends hours on the training pitch every week coaching defensive shape.
Being tough to play against is more diligently tracking runners than thundering into people.
Ah I was in the Stables that night and I’d have a near encyclopaedic knowledge of Irish internationals since around 2001. Whether it was the 0-0 away to Albania in March 2003 or a 2-0 away win against Macedonia in June 2011 I’d be able to remember it. I’d also name virtually every Irish international player during that period, from your Jonathan Douglas’ to the obscure Joe Lapira that the likes of Balls.ie obsess over.
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If kenny had the gumption to pick Ferizaj we would have won last night
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We played like stupid cunts in fairness the night they waltzed though us and we lost 5-1
Kenny is out of his depth. Bring Martin o Neill.
The 1-5 was an anomaly.
If McClean keeps his head in front of goal at 1-0 its a totally different game.
As it was, O’Neill gambled as he had to in the second half at 1-2 and played without a midfield which backfired spectacularly but I’d never hold it against him.
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You’re the most reactionary cunt going. Before the game last night you would have said Doherty was our best player and Knight a certain starter as well