Irish Football Blog

**Stuttgart88** · 03/04/2013, 8:04 PM

Only bone of contention for me was the slightly one-sided view of Long's showing. I'm still angry about his lack of composure late on and indirectly this had consequences.

**Eminence Grise** · 03/04/2013, 8:14 PM

A good read - fair and balanced.

**tetsujin1979** · 03/04/2013, 11:46 PM

good article, agree with everything you've written there
almost a relief to read it after some of the other pieces from the last week

**paul_oshea** · 04/04/2013, 10:14 AM

"In-form EPL players like Clark, Coleman, Wilson, McCarthy, Hoolahan and Long have waited interminably to break into this Irish team, yet limited players like McShane, Ward, O'Dea, Green, Keogh, Cox and Sammon have been parachuted into big games with negligible experience or club pedigree"

I think that's the only point that hasn't been touched on since the Austria debacle. Its well put, some will say that 1 or 2 have made an impact when coming in but not when compared to the impact the ones who we had been calling for for a few years now.

There was one other point you made, I don't think its the managers eccentricities around selection (but a level of)its an arrogant, I'm the boss, attitude and 2 fingers to the pundits and media that has created this problem.

Its a good piece though.

**Drumcondra 69er** · 04/04/2013, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

"In-form EPL players like Clark, Coleman, Wilson, McCarthy, Hoolahan and Long have waited interminably to break into this Irish team, yet limited players like McShane, Ward, O'Dea, Green, Keogh, Cox and Sammon have been parachuted into big games with negligible experience or club pedigree"

I think that's the only point that hasn't been touched on since the Austria debacle. Its well put, some will say that 1 or 2 have made an impact when coming in but not when compared to the impact the ones who we had been calling for for a few years now.

There was one other point you made, I don't think its the managers eccentricities around selection (but a level of)its an arrogant, I'm the boss, attitude and 2 fingers to the pundits and media that has created this problem.

Its a good piece though.

It is a fair point but I don't think it's quite as black and white on some of the players listed. It was the one thing I actually intended responding to once I was back on a pc as I read the piece on my mobile last night.

"In-form EPL players like Clark, Coleman, Wilson, McCarthy, Hoolahan and Long have waited interminably to break into this Irish team, yet limited players like McShane, Ward, O'Dea, Green, Keogh, Cox and Sammon have been parachuted into big games with negligible experience or club pedigree"

Clark has been very hit and miss this season and spent a lot of last season in and out of the team and playing in midfield or at fuill back. Once he started playing regularly at centre half he was considered and is now in the team. Coleman had an awful season when fit on the right wing last year and has admitted this himself. as soon as Moyes trusted him to play at right bnack this year he came into our team and has played there since. Wilson again has probably suffered from playing in many different positions and also didn't turn up after being picked for a game v the pub team. McCarthy again had a very poor season last year up until around March and would have been in the Euro squad were it not for his father's illness. Fair point with Long althogh he's not as prolific as the media would have you believe and has been nursing an injury all season. Again, he's now in the team. Hoolahan should have been tried earlier but was capped back in 2008 before falling out of the reckoning after sropping to League One before his recent resurgence.

McShane hasn't really played a competitive game since coming on v France in 2009 as far as I know and Keogh rarely plays in big games bar his sub appearance v Sweden which was a matter of minutes. Ward was part of a team that was unbeaten for 14 games in the run up to the Euros. Fair points on Green, Cox and Sammon but you could point to most managers having some unusual team selections at various stages (Jonathon Douglas anyone?).

**Drumcondra 69er** · 23/04/2013, 8:01 PM

Latest blog post is on Tony Grealish's passing.

Few memories and thoughts there if anyone's interested.

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/201...irst-time.html

**geysir** · 23/04/2013, 9:21 PM

That's a very nice read Drums. I remember that game against the USA, but only for Chris Hughton, because it was his debut and the bit of hullaballoo in the press about him being the first black player to play for Ireland. After 20 minutes or so, in total parody, a friend turned to me and said 'the nígger's doing all right'.

**Drumcondra 69er** · 23/04/2013, 10:12 PM

Yeah, I remember Hughton's debut as well, hard to believe the deal made out of it at the time. Not that there was any negative coverage but just that it was an issue.

**paul_oshea** · 24/04/2013, 9:58 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

That's a very nice read Drums. I remember that game against the USA, but only for Chris Hughton, because it was his debut and the bit of hullaballoo in the press about him being the first black player to play for Ireland. After 20 minutes or so, in total parody, a friend turned to me and said 'the nígger's doing all right'.

I hope he wasn't your friend any longer, even if you ensured you put in the word parody there.

**geysir** · 24/04/2013, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

I hope he wasn't your friend any longer, even if you ensured you put in the word parody there.

Well Paul, fortunately I'm able to discriminate parody in context without the least bit of doubt,
and I wouldn't mention it otherwise.
But perhaps there is no accounting for cynical interpretations.

**SkStu** · 24/04/2013, 5:01 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

There's a context for humour, any humour, even the blackest of black humour.
Is there a context for what passes for typical so called gay humour/innuendoes/double meaning, in a thread which is discussing homophobia in football? There probably can be, but I don't see any example of it in this thread, just typical adolescent, embarrassing, out of context attempts at humour.

The thread moves from some interesting discussion of homophobia in football, to 'why are you not laughing at this great sexist type humour?'
Maybe when we are discussing racism in football, we can have a few racist type jokes in there to break up the monotony of discussion, jokes that some of my African friends would find funny.

http://foot.ie/threads/174551-Homoph...=1#post1665195

Sorry Geysir, im just being a bit of a ****...

but i hope you gave him a piece of your mind!

**Supreme feet** · 28/04/2013, 11:05 AM

Another shameless plug for the blog; the second in a series of retrospectives of past campaigns. Be warned - this one brings back some painful memories. http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspo...-campaign.html