Brian Kerr: Strength to Strength (1 Viewer)

[Johnnyc]

Yeah but the fact is he did so well with players who wouldn't really amount to much (Check the 1997 World Youth Championship team!) and with the players that did come through, he got them used to the youth set-up.

Qualifying for underage tournaments is a hard enough buisness, performing so well in them is harder again. He did fantastic. It's not his fault that players ultimately didn't make it, he did all he can as far as I'm concerned. Some I presume just wouldn't have the talent to go higher, others would probably develop lifestyle issues.

We came third in that 1997 tournament, it's the only details easily found on Wiki. Here's some teams, check ours in comparison.

Brian Kerr= genius

France

• Mickael LANDREAU (GK)
• Willy SAGNOL
• Jean Sebastien JAURES
• Mikael SILVESTRE
• William GALLAS (-17')
• Peter LUCCIN
• Thierry HENRY (C) (-72')
• Daniel MOREIRA (-66')
• David TREZEGUET
• Kodjo AFANOU
• Cedric MOURET

Argentina

• Leonardo FRANCO (GK)
• Leandro CUFRE (-66')
• Walter SAMUEL
• Juan SERRIZUELA
• Esteban CAMBIASSO (-54')
• Diego MARKIC
• Juan RIQUELME (C)
• Bernardo ROMEO
• Pablo AIMAR
• Diego PLACENTE
• Lionel SCALONI (-45')

England

• David LUCAS (GK)
• Ronald WALLWORK
• John CURTIS (C)
• Marlon BROOMES
• Jody MORRIS
• Jamie CARRAGHER
• Danny MURPHY
• Kieron DYER
• Paul SHEPHERD (-83')
• Mark JACKSON
• Michael OWEN

Republic of Ireland

• Derek O CONNOR (GK)
• David WORRALL
• Robert RYAN
• Colin HAWKINS
• Niall INMAN (-87')
• John BURNS
• Thomas MORGAN (C)
• Damien DUFF (-78')
• David WHITTLE
• Neale FENN
• Trevor MOLLOY (-80')

• Substitute(s)
• Paul WHELAN (GK)
• Aidan LYNCH
• Stephen MURPHY
• Michael CUMMINS (+80')
• Alan KIRBY
• Glenn CROWE (+78')
• Desmond BAKER (+87')

Jesus. That obviously says plenty about Kerrs ability as a manager, but equally it says something about the flaws within the FAI when it comes to player development. To essentially only have one player make the grade from that lot is a shocking statistic.

 

[Hector Grey]

is it a coincidence that all of the french and argie teams made it top a top level, even if for some it was in france and argentina, and very few of the english and irish teams made it. does that point to a problem in the english system, as far as grooming young talent is concerened? obvioulsy the french kids came through clare fontaine, but all of them were leeeg uuun players or better. i haven't heard of most of that english squad since championship manager 97/98. can't just be that the players were "better". maybe it's true, foreign talent is harming homegrown and irish players.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

it must be kind of liberating to be a shite international team tho, like you're expected to lose all your matches, so when you win or draw, its a national holiday. and if a player scores, he can have his way with all the ladyfolk of the island.

But enough about Ireland.



Hey-oo!

 

[Jerry Twig]

Staunton's Ireland career had a bottom-curve trajectory from what I can remember - he was good when he started and had a great finish up to and during the 2002 WC, but he was invariably mediocre to shit for a good eight years in the middle. He should be remembered for his great service to the Irish national team, but only through very very rose-tinted glasses could you consider him one of Ireland's better footballers.

 

[Froog]

so its agreed, kerr is only good at grooming children.

 

[Unicron]

We came third in that 1997 tournament, it's the only details easily found on Wiki. Here's some teams, check ours in comparison.

Like I said, he did well, fair play. But the focus on underage football shouldn't be to win things, it should be developing the kids into the types of players that can make it at senior level. And again, that's more down to the coaching at club level if you're talking about u-17 players.

There was a guy interviewed on Off The Ball a few weeks back who was talking about a time he'd gone to see the under twelves at Ajax being coached. Results were completely unimportant, the focus was on getting everyone as two footed as possible, get everyone able to play in a couple of positions. He came back to Ireland and started excitedly talking to the FAI guys ...

"Yeah but we beat those kids 4-0 last year."

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Jesus. That obviously says plenty about Kerrs ability as a manager, but equally it says something about the flaws within the FAI when it comes to player development. To essentially only have one player make the grade from that lot is a shocking statistic.

In my opinion there's probably flaws everywhere in this. A lack of a really decent league here means our English speaking boys move to English clubs who, it would seem, have pretty poor youth development, and then you'd factor in things like home-sickness, a lack of desire, players thinking they've made it just because they've gotten a move "abroad".

And, obviously, the best 11 guys in Argentina, France etc. are 99 times out of 100 going to be better than Irish players due to their bigger pool. And from then they have the incentive of competition and being pushed for a place to drive them on.

I'm just speculating, and really, you could talk about this for hours. Bottom line is that Kerr did amazingly well and should really not be marooned up in Torshavn watching U-11 matches.

 

[Unicron]

Staunton's Ireland career had a bottom-curve trajectory from what I can remember - he was good when he started and had a great finish up to and during the 2002 WC, but he was invariably mediocre to shit for a good eight years in the middle. He should be remembered for his great service to the Irish national team, but only through very very rose-tinted glasses could you consider him one of Ireland's better footballers.

He did play much of that middle period on the left of midfield where I don't think he ever played at club level for any extended period of time.

 

[Vinnie]

I'm just speculating, and really, you could talk about this for hours. Bottom line is that Kerr did amazingly well and should really not be marooned up in Torshavn watching U-11 matches.

The other bottom line is that he made a balls of the Ireland job and has shown consistent poor judgement ever since through his press column ranting and bitterness. If you add it all up I reckon he is not too far away from where he should be.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

The other bottom line is that he made a balls of the Ireland job and has shown consistent poor judgement ever since through his press column ranting and bitterness. If you add it all up I reckon he is not too far away from where he should be.

John O'Shea wrapping his arms around that Israeli attacker and Dudu Awat, their keeper, probably put paid to our chances of qualifying that time.

His press stuff has been disappointing, it's true.

I've done some silly stuff after being dumped myself though, so I won't wholly condemn him to the Faroes for that.

We'll see what's what when Barcelona are fielding two Faroese prodigys beside Lionel Messi in a few years, Vinnie.

 

[Wheels]

For anyone unemployed he's being interviewed on Sky Sports News at the moment.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

For anyone unemployed he's being interviewed on Sky Sports News at the moment.

Cheers! That blonde is tasty.

Czechs have sacked their manager. He should've waited for that job.


Wanna come over and drink cans?

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Wanna come over and drink cans?

I'd come over, but I've planned to head to the Spawell to nick some golf balls.

 

[Wheels]

Cheers! That blonde is tasty.

Czechs have sacked their manager. He should've waited for that job.


Wanna come over and drink cans?

It's tempting. It really is.

 

[Hector Grey]

John O'Shea wrapping his arms around that Israeli attacker and Dudu Awat, their keeper, probably put paid to our chances of qualifying that time.

His press stuff has been disappointing, it's true.

I've done some silly stuff after being dumped myself though, so I won't wholly condemn him to the Faroes for that.

We'll see what's what when Barcelona are fielding two Faroese prodigys beside Lionel Messi in a few years, Vinnie.

i disagree with that. it was more than one game did for ireland and kerr.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

i disagree with that. it was more than one game did for ireland and kerr.

Well, we finished a point behind Switzerland and Israel. The two points there would've seen us finish second.

 

[Hector Grey]

Well, we finished a point behind Switzerland and Israel. The two points there would've seen us finish second.

then you might consider us "unlucky", but we weren't unlucky. he showed no balls against isreal home or away, and the away 0-0 game switzerland was ...was....humiliating. he was a poor manager, a poor communicator. good with the kids and all, but....would you let a decent van driver drive the train to cork? would you?

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

I considered us unlucky in those qualifiers. Everyone had trouble against the Heebs.

And I also don't consider us good enough generally to qualify for tournaments.

 

[Hector Grey]

I considered us unlucky in those qualifiers. Everyone had trouble against the Heebs.

And I also don't consider us good enough generally to qualify for tournaments.

at 2-0 up, at home? no, there was no ill luck there, just poor judgement. same in isreal. same in switzerland. and at home to switzerland... no ill luck there, just no motivation whatsoever.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

But with a smidgen of luck and a a few less cunts against Israel at home we'd have qualified for a play-off, been drawn against (who did Suisse get who made a show of themselves? Turkey?) and then would've gone to the World Cup and most likely performed well. No one gives a shit how you get there. And we very very nearly did.