Good man Stephen Ireland... (2 Viewers)

[snakybus]

oh my. my oh my.

 

[kevin gallen]

We are going to badly miss Duff. Hard to see a good result here. Hope it doesn't rain as I'm on the hill.

 

[coast to coast]

to be fair, he's yet to lose a game, so that's why he gets the leeway. if we beat italy on saturday, what then?

Agreed - much of international football is of a totally muck standard where being organised is not jsut half the battle its about 80% of. Given that we're increbibly likely to get a play off from our qualification group with the World Champions in it, I think he's doing the job even if the football is totally atrocious and ghastly to look at it and support.

 

[Vinnie]

I'd much rather miss out on qualification playing good football than qualify playing some of the dourest football I have ever seen. Im not forking out for any more tickets until we have something approaching our best available 11 players on the pitch and we at least try to play football. 80 euro to spend 90 odd minutes in agonizing bafflement just doesnt cut it any more

Agreed - much of international football is of a totally muck standard where being organised is not jsut half the battle its about 80% of. Given that we're increbibly likely to get a play off from our qualification group with the World Champions in it, I think he's doing the job even if the football is totally atrocious and ghastly to look at it and support.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I pay 50 euro for my ticket.
Also, for me, qualification is by far and away the most important thing. The excitement of being at a World Cup is absolutely fantastic.
I'd love to see us play nice passing football but I think it's best to see this phase as the necessary austerity package after the shambolic Staunton era. Also, we're pretty unlucky that our most creative player is a lunatic and our second most creative player turned up fat for his first couple of games under the new manager.
We aren't blessed with great options. Trap is doing some service. Hopefully we can get more palatable over time.

 

[Cormcolash]

I'd rather see us qualify than play good football, but I'd also be pretty pissed if I was paying 70 quid to see every match at Croke Park and we were playing the way we've been playing. It's hard enough to watch it on TV! I'm trying to get a ticket to the Mount Black game, but the only reason I'm doing so is that I'd like to see the Republic playing in Croke Park before they move the matches back to Lansdowne. And I only live 5 minutes away from Crokers!

P.S The tags on this thread are amazing

 

[Vinnie]

The price of the ticket wasnt really my point. I've gone to most of the home games under Trap & Stan and recently Ive actually started to dread going. The sense of excitment has gone for me which I hate because Ireland at the world cup is probably my favourite thing ever. I love it even more than I love It's A Wonderful Life. I'll still watch the games and shout my hole off and pray to mother earth for us to qualify but something is definitely missing at the moment (Stephen Ireland?)

I pay 50 euro for my ticket.
Also, for me, qualification is by far and away the most important thing. The excitement of being at a World Cup is absolutely fantastic.
I'd love to see us play nice passing football but I think it's best to see this phase as the necessary austerity package after the shambolic Staunton era. Also, we're pretty unlucky that our most creative player is a lunatic and our second most creative player turned up fat for his first couple of games under the new manager.
We aren't blessed with great options. Trap is doing some service. Hopefully we can get more palatable over time.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I'd like to see the Republic playing in Croke Park before they move the matches back to Lansdowne.

Worst thing about following Ireland these last few years.
Even worse not having a midfield or full-backs.
And possibly even worse than having the team compared unfavourably to rugby players.

 

[Vinnie]

Actually, now that you mention it I think that might be a large part of my problem. I really hate watching football in Croke Park.

Worst thing about following Ireland these last few years.
.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

The price of the ticket wasnt really my point. I've gone to most of the home games under Trap & Stan and recently Ive actually started to dread going. The sense of excitment has gone for me which I hate because Ireland at the world cup is probably my favourite thing ever. I love it even more than I love It's A Wonderful Life. I'll still watch the games and shout my hole off and pray to mother earth for us to qualify but something is definitely missing at the moment (Stephen Ireland?)

Maybe part of that is the lack of actual competition in this group though. We've been poor but we're still probably going to get a play-off without a whole lot of worry. Probably.

 

[Jerry Twig]

I'd much rather miss out on qualification playing good football than qualify playing some of the dourest football I have ever seen.

I doubt you really mean that. If we get there you'll forget pretty quickly about the qualifiers. We can talk about how to play then.

 

[Vinnie]

Yeah, you're probably right but right now the thought of this team playing that style of football at a world cup fills me with dread

I doubt you really mean that. If we get there you'll forget pretty quickly about the qualifiers. We can talk about how to play then.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Agreed - I think it's OK to qualify like this but not to carry it over to the WC

 

[Richie]

Qualifiers are just a means to an end, it's all about getting the points, nobody's going to remember a beautiful passing display in a qualifier against Montenegro or Cyprus in a couple of years... Trap's mandate was to get us to the tournament by whatever means necessary - if we do that, he's succeeded, the pressure is off and I'm optimistic that he'd allow a bit more creativity into the side. If we qualify we'll have 7 months before the tournament, that's plenty of time to find a centre midfielder that Trap likes and who is also capable of stringing a few passes together and moving forward a bit when the opportunity presents itself.. Steven Reid might even be fit by then, or somebody like Fahey, McCann or Gibson might've made the step up, or maybe Andy Reid could sneak back into the team by bleaching his hair, growing a moustache and changing his name.

 

[Hector Grey]

ah fuck this, where did my reply go????

anyway, the gist being, there's about 6 teams that won't go to the world cup and play utterly dour football. and blame keano, that was another point. i can't be bothered typing that all again.

 

[ratmonkey]

Steven Reid might even be fit by then.

Fit, and then injured again, most likely.

 

[Vinnie]

Im not convinced there was a reply to begin with. I think you're just lazy

ah fuck this, where did my reply go????

anyway, the gist being, there's about 6 teams that won't go to the world cup and play utterly dour football. and blame keano, that was another point. i can't be bothered typing that all again.

 

[Hector Grey]

hey, i spent all pre season typing 7 hours a day so don't you call me lazy.

your ghostbusters is my it's a wonderful life, by the way. we should do a double header some day.

anyone know anyone who's even thinking of heading to sa?

 

[washingcattle]

Actually, now that you mention it I think that might be a large part of my problem. I really hate watching football in Croke Park.

Same here, from the moment I first walked out in the stands and saw how far the pitch is from the stands I was disapointed. Hope they lose the big screens with the fucking eircom ads when we move back to Landsdowne or wherever we wind up.

Fit, and then injured again, most likely.

He's injured now.

Dunne missed training yesterday he's got a "twinge" in the ankle.

Not going to go into my thoughts on Dunne missing the game but suffice to say this would be a bad thing. Like polio.

 

[Franco]

I've seen football, rugger, Gaa, and International Rules in Croker. These Ireland games have had the worst atmosphere because they've performed so abjectly. The smaller pitch has something to do with it aswell, but mostly it's been because the fare on offer has been so shite. The Bulgaria match was one of the worst sporting spectacles I've ever witnessed. And I saw bicycle polo in the Phoenix Park once.