Ireland V Australia - Wednesday, 12th August 2009 - Friendly - Thomond Park

[jbyrne]

dont agree about whelan. he is a good player, hes actually a very nice passer and has a good shot on him. won his way back into stoke's team at the end of last season. id stick with him in there as he will stick the boot in where needed sometimes also.

agree. he was light years ahead of a very sluggish gibson last night

[DeLorean]

Anyone who thought Whelan was rubbish last night just didn't watch the game closely enough. Simple as.

I'm definitely one of Whelan's biggest critics on this site but thought he was one of our more committed players in the 2nd half. Lots of decent tackles that I didn't think he had in him to be honest. He was as poor as anybody in the first half though.


And some people here really need to get the blinkers off when it comes to Robbie Keane.

He annoys me with his mouthing attitude. I thought he could have gone easy on Gibson as well when he made a balls of that good chance in the first half. Gibson had his head in his hands, quite obvious he knew he messed up and captain fantastic gave him an awful going over. I know it was frustrating but I'd expect better from him. Keane is vital for our chances though and has been a great player for us over the years so I wouldn't be too critical, and any blinkers people may have towards him, he's earned.

[Duggie]

a simple pass and robbie was 1 on 1 with the keeper. course he was going to have a go at him, I would, anyone would if they were playing. hes our capt, thats part of what i want him to do.

[DeLorean]

won his way back into stoke's team at the end of last season

Due to Diao's injury

[DmanDmythDledge]

Due to Diao's injury
And kept his place when he recovered.

Whelan was very good for Stoke towards the end of last season but bar our first two qualifying games we haven't seen performances like that for Ireland.

[DeLorean]

a simple pass and robbie was 1 on 1 with the keeper. course he was going to have a go at him, I would, anyone would if they were playing. hes our capt, thats part of what i want him to do.

Nah, it served no purpose. The guy looks seriously short of confidence and it was a friendly. Yes it was annoying but I'd expect better. Don't think Doyle would have reacted the same or most players for that matter. It would have been ok if it was a more seasoned player that messed up.

[Razors left peg]

Perhaps in pure footballing ability terms you are right but I think you are under estimating the experience 97 caps brings with it, I dread to think what could happy to a Foley / Nolan should they freeze in the headlights for 3 massive massive games for us. Agreed Kilbane is not ideal at LB for us and his time is probably nearly up but I think he'll stay in for the rest of this campaign and I for one didnt think he did anything outrageous last night. There were plenty ahead of him for the wooden spoon, including Gibson and St-Ledger, two of our young and up and coming stars - no?

I know what u are saying but St Ledger didnt freeze up when it came to his compeditive debut, McShane for all his fault since had a very good debut and there have been others that have excelled on their debuts... yes I know it can go the other way too but at this stage Kilbanes experience really doesnt count for anything when he is the major weak link in the defense.Teams have copped on to it now and are targetting him with alot of sucess.As I said before I Kilbane isnt going to get any better at this stage of his career and I would prefer to see someone in the team that while he might make the odd mistake like Kilbane does at least he will grow into the team and have a chance of improving that Kilbane doesnt.
Im not knocking the guy for the sake of it because he has been a great servant to us but his time has gone now.Gary Breen is still playing but would you have him back just because he is experienced?

[DeLorean]

And kept his place when he recovered.

Whelan was very good for Stoke towards the end of last season but bar our first two qualifying games we haven't seen performances like that for Ireland.

Thought it was still mainly down to injuries he retained his place. I remember Diao was selected to start the Liverpool match for his return but the injury played up again and Whelan got the nod. I wonder will he play much at all this coming season after the Whitehead signing? Out of the 3 Whelan/Gibson/Andrews I think Andrews should be first choice, has been decent every time.

[youngirish]

Thought it was still mainly down to injuries he retained his place. I remember Diao was selected to start the Liverpool match for his return but the injury played up again and Whelan got the nod. I wonder will he play much at all this coming season after the Whitehead signing? Out of the 3 Whelan/Gibson/Andrews I think Andrews should be first choice, has been decent every time.

Whelan will struggle to get a regular game at Stoke this year as the season goes on. He's a decent Championship player but is out of his depth both at International and Premiership level. In that regard he's similar to McShane but has a little more quality about him.

Andrews is a better player (at least he offers something going forward) though he's by no means great either.

McGeady and Hunt need to be dropped and Lawrence given a chance. It amazes me how many on here sing Whelan's praises because he managed to sneak into the Stoke team towards the end of last season largely due to other players being injured while nobody mentions that Lawrence is one of that same team's top players (if not their best player). Surely he has to offer more than McGeady and Hunt. Neither create anything for the strikers or alternatively are capable of grabbing a goal themselves.

[eamo1]

I noticed the Foot.ie Irish flag down on the South Terrace last night.:).

[Junior]

I know what u are saying but St Ledger didnt freeze up when it came to his compeditive debut, McShane for all his fault since had a very good debut and there have been others that have excelled on their debuts... yes I know it can go the other way too but at this stage Kilbanes experience really doesnt count for anything when he is the major weak link in the defense.Teams have copped on to it now and are targetting him with alot of sucess.As I said before I Kilbane isnt going to get any better at this stage of his career and I would prefer to see someone in the team that while he might make the odd mistake like Kilbane does at least he will grow into the team and have a chance of improving that Kilbane doesnt.
Im not knocking the guy for the sake of it because he has been a great servant to us but his time has gone now.Gary Breen is still playing but would you have him back just because he is experienced?

Fair do's - it is a really tough call. 3 games plus a possible further 2 play off ones to go in this campaign

I take your point on debuts too.

Foley looked poor enough in the friendly against Nigeria and thats all Ive seen of him bar reading all the glowing reports on here.

Nolan - has looked ok. Nothing spectacular but certainly not out of place.

Kelly - We know he can play at this level, will he play any club games between now and 5th Sept?

For Trap it really is a case of damned if you do and damned if you dont (I guess that what he is paid for) - I am just not sure about changing it now.

Id have Kilbane in for the Cyprus game, try something else for the SA game, by October we will have had two months of club football and 2 internationals

If he is still happy with his decision on Kilbane at that point, then Ill happily keep the faith and be confident Kilbane will do a job for us at Croker.

[Predator]

I don't know guys, but the team that started against Australia is one of the strongest possible Irish teams at the minute and it doesn't look good. A 3-0 defeat at home, friendly or not, is unacceptable. To think Tim Cahill wanted to play for us years ago!:eek:

[the-blue-harp]

Get the results? Based on what, blind faith?


has he got the results so far that see us on course to the world cup? yes. thats not blind faith its fact.

[John83]

...To think Tim Cahill wanted to play for us years ago!:eek:
Such a pity we broke that deal by insisting he pronounce his name correctly. ;)

[RivaldoBabb]

its a funny time to have an international freindly, and it produced a funny irish performance. Actually, it was diabolical in all areas of the pitch, though in fairness we were playing with 10 men as Doyle was obviously struggling with his fitness.

Central midfield was shocking, Whelan gave away too many frees or just gave the ball away...not an international player. We made Australia look like world beaters and they are pretty average themselves.

Still only a freindly, the real stuff is in september.

[Lenny82]

The back 4 were all poor especially O'Shea and Dunne. Not Kilbanes worst game but he would have been sent off in the 1st half for 3 bad tackles if it was a competitive game. Nolan looked comfortable and should start against Cyprus.

Keane created a couple of good chances for himself but contributed little else.

Doyle didn't win one header however, he is still injured so it was probably down to this.

Whelan battled hard and did okay but I would have Andrews in there ahead of him alongside S. Reid so hopefully he is back fit by the Cyprus game.

Hunt is an impact player and should only ever come on for last 30/45 minutes. Trap should tell Duff and McGeady before each game that whoever is playing sh*ttest will be taken off for Hunt!!

[geysir]

McGeady and Hunt need to be dropped and Lawrence given a chance. It amazes me how many on here sing Whelan's praises because he managed to sneak into the Stoke team towards the end of last season largely due to other players being injured while nobody mentions that Lawrence is one of that same team's top players (if not their best player). Surely he has to offer more than McGeady and Hunt. Neither create anything for the strikers or alternatively are capable of grabbing a goal themselves.
There is no limit to your .... ahem .... tabloid profundity.
Lawrence was crap (i.e.pants) when given a good long chance. He is fortunate to be still in the squad to be given another opportunity to impress.

Are you actually suggesting that he be given another chance to be awful in a crucial away fixture, ahead of players who have performed decently and gained results when it mattered?

[boovidge]

Get Stan back. We won some friendlies with him. Who cares about competitive games? :rolleyes:

[Duggie]

mcgeady has to stay playing. yes his distribution/crossing is poor at times but with so little creativity in midfield right now we badly need duff and mcgeady on the break.

[youngirish]

There is no limit to your .... ahem .... tabloid profundity.
Lawrence was crap (i.e.pants) when given a good long chance. He is fortunate to be still in the squad to be given another opportunity to impress.

Are you actually suggesting that he be given another chance to be awful in a crucial away fixture, ahead of players who have performed decently and gained results when it mattered?

I could agree with your post even if it does emit a fair whiff of arrogance if it weren't for a couple of fundamental flaws to your logic:

1. Lawrence has never had a good long chance in the team. How is one friendly game against Nigeria a good long chance? In any case he wasn't crap just fairly average which I would argue is still a step up from his competition.
2. McGeady and Hunt on the other hand have certainly had a good long chance to impress for Ireland and have never managed to do so. McGeady in particular has been dire from day one yet still he seems to be an automatic starter.

And finally what sort of drugs are the people taking that claim it would be foolish to bring in somebody untested at International level (though not at club level) because they possibly could make a mistake to replace someone like Kilbane and McGeady who in fairness have lots of international experience but are guaranteed to be rubbish and make mistakes. I could see the point if you were replacing average players who do their job with untested ones.

Please read these posts before submitting them and try to make sense of such statements.

[Den Perry]

Sorry but Hunt was woeful, ok he controled the ball well most of the time, only to subsequently lose the ball with a poor pass or cross straight into Schwartzer's hands.

We need to nip this Stephen Hunt buzz in the bud now, everyone said look at the commitment from Kilbane and the the chap won't go away (sorry Kev love ye really) and Kilbane has much more talent than Hunt.

Keane played well tonight I thought, he held up the ball and held off the Aussie defenders a few times, I would never have put him down as a strong player. Defence was ok, Whelan made a good few defensive tackles and Andrews proved to be better than Gibson with his cameo. Duff had one or two good bits of play.

But the thing is Trap doesn't view International friendlies as any other Irish manager has in the past. He views them in the same way the likes of England, Italy, Brazil etc. they are just warm up exercises and the result doesn't matter. It's no longer about picking up world ranking points, just look at our result against Serbia and Poland. Austrailia are also a very good side so I wouldn't worry too much about the result, it's all about the game against Cyprus

Thank God!!somebody agrees with me about Stephen Hunt. This guy is the most overrated Irish player in years. Regarding last nights match,I can only comment on what I saw on highlights, but from those snippets his touch was rubbish, his crossing was terrible and he has the footballing brain of a chimp. I've been banging on about him for a whle now. I've seen him play live numerous times and watching his touch beggars belief. Yes, he does provide energy..but it all seems misplaced. At the very most he should be used as an impact sub

[geysir]

I could agree with your post even if it does emit a fair whiff of arrogance if it weren't for a couple of fundamental flaws to your logic:

1. Lawrence has never had a good long chance in the team. How is one friendly game against Nigeria a good long chance? In any case he wasn't crap just fairly average which I would argue is still a step up from his competition.
2. McGeady and Hunt on the other hand have certainly had a good long chance to impress for Ireland and have never managed to do so. McGeady in particular has been dire from day one yet still he seems to be an automatic starter.

And finally what sort of drugs are the people taking that claim it would be foolish to bring in somebody untested at International level (though not at club level) because they possibly could make a mistake to replace someone like Kilbane and McGeady who in fairness have lots of international experience but are guaranteed to be rubbish and make mistakes. I could see the point if you were replacing average players who do their job with untested ones.

Please read these posts before submitting them and try to make sense of such statements.

Of course I´m being arrogant, you dish it out by the jcb load , you should be man enough to take a little whiff of sarcasm :)
Lawrence was tested at international level like Foley, and found seriously wanting.
Means it would be a stupid managerial risk to use a player in a crucial game who has had the chance to impress and who played much worse than what you have got.
Likewise it would be stupid to replace the faltering Kilbane with Foley, i.e.suddenly throwing in Foley ahead of players who have shown much more promise when tested like Nolan and the more experienced Kelly (when match fit).

[youngirish]

Of course I´m being arrogant, you dish it out by the jcb load , you should be man enough to take a little whiff of sarcasm :)
Lawrence was tested at international level like Foley, and found seriously wanting.
Means it would be a stupid managerial risk to use a player in a crucial game who has had the chance to impress and who played much worse than what you have got.
Likewise it would be stupid to replace the faltering Kilbane with Foley, i.e.suddenly throwing in Foley ahead of players who have shown much more promise when tested like Nolan and the more experienced Kelly (when match fit).
I don't think Lawrence looked any worse than McGeady or Hunt when played against Nigeria. I see keeping substandard players in the team as more of a risk than trying new ones.

I'd bite your hand off now if you told me Foley would start in Cyprus instead of Kilbane and his keystone cop antics when defending.

[paul_oshea]

I was at the nigeria game and had a great view of lawrence. The only difference between he, and the other two mentioned previouslly, was that he didnt even get the ball to do a bit of schimmeying and lose it. He was doing his best matt holland impression that day.

[DeLorean]

I'm a fan of McGeady to be honest. I thought offensively he was excellent in the first half last night, with no help whatsoever. He generally has to play himself into a game with such an inadequate central midfield. His end product is fairly poor but he's generally involved and himself and Duff starting are is a no brainer for me, especially against lesser opposition.

[as_i_say]

I was at the nigeria game and had a great view of lawrence. The only difference between he, and the other two mentioned previouslly, was that he didnt even get the ball to do a bit of schimmeying and lose it. He was doing his best matt holland impression that day.

Ah Mr Invisible himself. He can also add worst pundit ever to his list of achievements.

[jbyrne]

Ah Mr Invisible himself. He can also add worst pundit ever to his list of achievements.

he wasnt invisible when he popped in two crackers v portugal away and cameroon in japan

[Scram]

Thank God!!somebody agrees with me about Stephen Hunt. This guy is the most overrated Irish player in years. Regarding last nights match,I can only comment on what I saw on highlights, but from those snippets his touch was rubbish, his crossing was terrible and he has the footballing brain of a chimp. I've been banging on about him for a whle now. I've seen him play live numerous times and watching his touch beggars belief. Yes, he does provide energy..but it all seems misplaced. At the very most he should be used as an impact sub

Hunt is a conundrum, I can't yet figure out if he brings more good than bad though last night I leant to the more good side. There isn't much in it but he certainly over-rates himself.

[Scram]

a simple pass and robbie was 1 on 1 with the keeper. course he was going to have a go at him, I would, anyone would if they were playing. hes our capt, thats part of what i want him to do.

Don't agree there really, especially when, if Robbie had looked up while in the box he had Foaln beside him and Hunt unmarked to pass to, insted he tried to score through two defenders.

There was a whole lot of schoolboy like not looking up last night from players in a forward position.

But seeing as Gibson is a MUFCker then fair enough!

[Razors left peg]

Don't agree there really, especially when, if Robbie had looked up while in the box he had Foaln beside him and Hunt unmarked to pass to, insted he tried to score through two defenders.

There was a whole lot of schoolboy like not looking up last night from players in a forward position.

But seeing as Gibson is a MUFCker then fair enough!

can ya not keep that sort of rubbish to the Teamtalk or Football 365 message boards.

[sligoman]

One of the worst matches I've ever seen.

Scott McDonald being cheered by both sets of fans made me ashamed to be Irish. Also, why was Kewell being booed? I hope it wasn't cos he played for Liverpool?:o

[paul_oshea]

Delorean, mcgeady does a lot of running, and holding the ball, if we are 1-0 up and we need to run down the clock then that is good, he gives us a bit more time with the ball before he gives it away. But as an attacking threat it is absolutely of no benefit if his end product always ends in the opposition getting the ball back, it completely negates any jizzy jazzy stuff.

[SkStu]

it completely negates any jizzy jazzy stuff.

:D Duff used to do lots of jizzy jazzy stuff.

[Superhoops]

I'd bring in Lee Carsley for these next few games

[carloz]

Really worries me when i see some of the stupidly over the top remarks of some people here. Pointless friendly where we were below average. This doesn't compare to the Holland game a few years back where we were simply embarressed. Its the kick up the arse we needed before the massive Cyprus game. My only worry is how toothless how much lack of imagination we seem to have in home games under Trap. Excellent away, decididly average at home

[carloz]

I'd bring in Lee Carsley for these next few games

Lee Carsley wasn't the answer under Staunton, he won't be the answer now. Gibson, Andrews and Whelan havehelped get us into this great position in the group, to bring in Carsley now based on a friendly is just a slap in the face to them. Remember we still have S. Reid to come back who was always our number 1 CM

[paul_oshea]

:D Duff used to do lots of jizzy jazzy stuff.

yes, but he had an end product ;)

[christo]

Don't agree there really, especially when, if Robbie had looked up while in the box he had Foaln beside him and Hunt unmarked to pass to, insted he tried to score through two defenders.

There was a whole lot of schoolboy like not looking up last night from players in a forward position.

Gibson made the wrong pass, Keane also made the wrong decision but as Keane is a striker it is slightly more excusable really

[DmanDmythDledge]

Lee Carsley wasn't the answer under Staunton, he won't be the answer now. Gibson, Andrews and Whelan havehelped get us into this great position in the group, to bring in Carsley now based on a friendly is just a slap in the face to them. Remember we still have S. Reid to come back who was always our number 1 CM
They haven't really though as for most of the campaign they have all been poor. Agree that Carsley is not the solution but it is frustrating that there are obvious better options than those three.

[Fergie's Son]

I'm not even sure where to begin in responding to your post.


Richard Dunne is very average. There is a reason man city want to get rid of him. If we were to play teams who would just lump the ball into our box so the honey monster can throw his fat head at every ball and clear it any where then great. But the truth is he is always caught out against teams who play fast flowing football on the break. Not an intelligent footballer.

I'll start with Richard Dunne: Firstly, Man City fans clearly weren't so unhappy with Richard Dunne when they named him player of the year what, four years in a row now?

Secondly, Dunne has had some magnificent games for Ireland. One need only look at the recent match in Sofia to see just how important he his to the team.


There is an idea! James McCarthy – one of the biggest prospects we have had for years

Jamie McCarthy: Excellent prospect but that's all he is. He has yet do to anything in the Premiership as is as well off in the Under 21's. I can certainly see the justification in putting him in the squad but to consider him the current solution to our central midfield woes is patently ridiculous.



Kevin Kilbane is not a defender and never was a defender. He was a half decent left winger when we needed him.

Kevin Kilbane: No, he isn't great as a fullback and he seems to be constantly beaten by cross field balls. Foley may be the answer there.


Owen Garvan, probably the most creative midfielder I have seen in a green jersey this century. Give Shane Long a chance, he is lively, different, good in the air and can score goals.

Garvan still isn't convincing for Ipswich much less Ireland. Long came on as a sub so clearly Trapp rates him.


And can we please get Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid back in the squad. FFS we need them so badly.

Unlikely as to both. Ireland doesn't want to play for us. End of story. Reid wasn't good enough for Sunderland last year why is he suddenly good enough for us now?

[DmanDmythDledge]

Long came on as a sub so clearly Trapp rates him.

Unlikely as to both. Ireland doesn't want to play for us. End of story. Reid wasn't good enough for Sunderland last year why is he suddenly good enough for us now?
As a right winger though.:(

Reid was a regular starter for Sunderland last season and looks like he is going to start this season in the team under a new manager. How is that not good enough for Sunderland?

[Fergie's Son]

As a right winger though.:(

Reid was a regular starter for Sunderland last season and looks like he is going to start this season in the team under a new manager. How is that not good enough for Sunderland?

He really wasn't a regular starter particularly towards the second half of the season. Not sure how Bruce rates him tbh.

[DmanDmythDledge]

http://www.chatsoccer.net/irishabroad/playerDetails.xquery?playerID=23629&seasonID=138 ;)

[tetsujin1979]

Richard Dunne is very average. There is a reason man city want to get rid of him. If we were to play teams who would just lump the ball into our box so the honey monster can throw his fat head at every ball and clear it any where then great. But the truth is he is always caught out against teams who play fast flowing football on the break. Not an intelligent footballer.
you're wrong there
from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1206196/Defender-Richard-Dunne-wants-role-Manchester-City-revolution.html
I've been assured I don't have to leave and the manager never said I had to go

[MeathDrog]

how do u mean on this ?
i hope your not one of his knockers. hes essential to us. ESSENTIAL
By no means saying that, but people should call a bad game when they see one. Keane was poor last night. A lot of people saying otherwise, why, I don't know. To be fair he made himself a good chance in 1st half but should have put it away. Apart from that, more moaning, more wiggling of the finer when he thinks he's offside, more falling over too easily etc.

2nd half he made himself a good chance but should have just layed it off to Folan who probably would have scored. For those who are saying that he got long balls thrown at him, to an extent yes, but he still saw a lot of ball to feet and did very little with it.

I'm not singling out Keane, there was at least 5 or 6 others who were equally poor, but I just cannot understand people who almost say he had a good game for the sake of it.

[irishfan86]

So they are buying Lescott and Toure because they want to keep Dunne and play him... eh ya... im wrong alright.

They want to compete for trophies, and so having 4 top centre-halfs will be necessary to compete on all-fronts.

I think Dunne is happy to stay and fight for his place, and I think he'll be good enough to do it as well.

[DmanDmythDledge]

If you read it properly fergies son i said that trap should be trying to blood these young players like McCarthy into the friendly matches. Thats how they get international experience and how they become the answer to our shocking midfield...
In general I would agree with you but experimenting at such a crucial stage of a qualifying campaign is not a good move imo.

[irishfan86]

There's also the fact that McCarthy hasn't even figured in pre-season for Wigan because his fitness and strength isn't up to it yet according to Martinez.

[old git]

see article below by a david kelly in independant yesterday
seems to just want to rub it is how wonderful rugby and its players / supporters are :mad:
is it just me or has anybody got the feeling media / press have done nothing but put down game because it was being played outside dublin
:mad:

Pale imation of thomond we know


Thursday August 13 2009

NO bite, no b*****k. Bluff and bluster. Ireland may still fancy a jaunt to South Africa next year but their inaugural visit to Limerick was hardly inspiring stuff. Not to the locals more used to Hayes' heft, Rog's rockets and the raucous accompaniment from the Red Army.

It was the smell which told you something was different. A police horse unloading itself of its main meal was the first sign that Thomond Park was playing host to an altogether different occasion.

Aside from the fact they may have been better deployed directing traffic, it was unusual to hear the clodding clops of sturdy steeds steering their passage through the milling crowds outside the stadium as kick-off approached.

Soccer in Thomond Park? Well, if Rod Stewart, no mean devotee of the beautiful game himself, can strut his stuff here why not two international soccer teams? Eoin Hand finally got the chance to witness a soccer game here -- nearly 30 years after he was denied the chance to manage Limerick United at Thomond in a friendly against Spurs, a game that had to be moved to Lansdowne Road.

When you moved inside, the milling crowds were rather less milling. Society's decree, which soccer fans universally must obey, saw to it that there was no alcohol allowed for sale on the premises.

incessant

Normally at rugby occasions here, especially since the revamped stadium's re-opening 11 months ago, the match-day hype is fuelled by the incessant pre-game conjecture and controversy surrounding the many bars.

Sadly, soccer folk aren't trusted to concurrently drink and talk about football -- hence the presence of the horsey set outside the confines -- and there was a noticeably pallid nature to this friendly encounter.

Of course, that's the other thing about occasions such as these when contrasted with rugby affairs. You can't do 'friendlies' in rugby. You can't pull out of a tackle. You can't misplace a pass for fear of the unfortunate timing injuring your team-mate. And a rugby crowd can't do friendlies either.

Even the very contrived nature of how the respective games launch their proceedings illustrated the vast disparity in atmosphere created by a Thomond Park rugby crowd and last night's strangely awkward Thomond Park soccer crowd.

Rugby's kick-off immediately allows for a thunderously violent assault on the opposition's senses, and a consequently tumultuous upheaval amongst the crowd when they see their players either receiving and driving forward, or embracing the opposition's embryonic maul and forcing it to back-pedal at a furious rate of knots.

In soccer, a pair of players serenely tap the ball to each other and then, as we saw last night, proceed to concede possession to each other in double-quick time. Aside from early incisions from the wide duo of Aiden McGeady and Damien Duff -- whose maddening inconsistency would hardly be tolerated by the normally impatient Munster faithful in their rugby heroes -- there was little for the crowd to enthuse about on a balmy, dry evening.

When Robbie Keane waves his hand in phantom defiance of a decision that has gone against him, he looks faintly feminine when compared to rugby players used to obeying the referee's whistle even though they may have lost two front teeth and a tuft of hair.

Last November's earth-shuddering clash between a Munster and and All Blacks second string was one of the sporting occasions of the year, the bone-crushing intensity of it spiralling emotions to rapturous heights only seen during the famous storied sequence of Heineken Cup matches played here. Sale, Gloucester, Wasps, Clermont.

In the Irish soccer team's defence, Munster's early efforts in the revamped stadium -- and those of their supporters -- were suitably unnerved in the early throes of last season, particularly on lacklustre occasions against Montauban in their opening Heineken Cup fixture, when only a late Ronan O'Gara penalty saved the then defending champions' blushes.

When Munster were caned here by Ulster during the Christmas holidays, their coach Tony McGahan wondered whether the stadium was a bit too comforting now for opponents; thankfully their Heineken Cup obliteration, mentally and physically, of the Ospreys later firmly disabused us of this notion.

With South Africa due here in September -- the all-conquering Springboks will hold more interest when they visit Croke Park a month later -- soccer will be a regular occurrence in these parts which, apart from adding to the roster of Irish stadia the FAI have been forced to rent down the days, also serves to belatedly reacquaint the rest of the country with international football.

This was the only the third international to be held outside of the capital and, intriguingly, not the first to take place at the home of rugby either.

Being the FAI, they once laid claim to the turf at the Mardyke in court but, through the proverbial type of mis-management which was often their hallmark -- some charge it remains stubbornly so -- that venue was lost to the oval ball game just as Flower Lodge followed the same ignominious passage.

Seventy years ago, the magisterial Hungarian side, fresh from their 1938 World Cup final appearance against Italy, shacked up in the Mardyke and special match-day trains ferried supporters from Dublin, Waterford and Limerick.

Ireland snatched a creditable 2-2 draw thanks to a late Jackie Carey goal; the Hungarians, perhaps in tune with the rugby spirit of things, had only nine men on the field at the final whistle.

It took another 46 years for the FAI to decamp to the provinces. Forming part of the Cork 800 celebrations, Spain, who had denied Hand's side a berth at the 1984 European Championships, were invited to Flower Lodge -- now of course, the Lodge is Pairc Ui Rinn and firmly within the control of the GAA, who gleefully seized on yet another FAI mishap when it comes to their painful, historic association with stadium construction and retention.

The game, denied the services of Manchester United and Liverpool players, who formed the backbone of the Irish team, ended in a timid scoreless draw. Friendly matches were seemingly unenthusiastically staged even a generation ago.

The legendary Limerick stalwart Al Finucane was wheeled out to give the occasion a suitably local sense of colour. "Now that we have this magnificent stadium, we hope to have many more international matches here," said Finucane when presented to the crowd before the match by an over-enthusiastic local radio DJ.

Asked to enthuse about the state of Limerick soccer, Finucane politely demurred, much to the embarrassment of the blazers: "No, it's not in a good state unfortunately."

Next came Packie Bonner, the FAI's technical director, who revealed somewhat surprisingly that the players -- including McGeady, who had moaned about getting lost on his way to the south-east earlier in the week -- would retain the memories of their stay in this part of the country for their lifetime. One sensed he protested too much.

Bonner, clearly too late to affect the hitherto sluggish sales pitch, then suggested that the evening's crowd would produce an atmosphere to top anything witnessed in Croke Park -- not a bad shout, in truth -- or, much more incredibly, Lansdowne Road. After all that, a lie-down may have been in order.

realities

Earlier in the day, the FAI, like Liam Carroll unable to attach economic realities to their potential revenue streams (anyone for an Aviva Stadium Vantage seat, now?), had allowed 3,000 schoolboy tickets to be delivered into a marketplace scarcely hungry for an Australia team featuring not Matt Giteau, the world's best rugby out-half, but Matt, er, Spiranovic.

At least it had the effect of pushing the attendance into the early 20,000s, in essence a realistic attendance for a gig such as this, especially given the ridiculously over-priced tickets; much was made in the Shannon clubhouse of the vast discrepancy between the cost of watching Munster or Ireland, compared to an as yet unproven Irish team, whose stock has been of the laughing variety until the expensively acquired and composed Il Trap.

Il Trap's conservative approach did little to enthrall the locals though, save the odd intervention from the front four, and there was little of the magical awe inspired by a Keith Earls break or a Paul O'Connell surge.

Need to know any more? Ireland were booed off at half-time. That never happens Munster. This was Thomond Park. But not as we know it.

- david kelly

[jbyrne]

One of the worst matches I've ever seen.

Scott McDonald being cheered by both sets of fans made me ashamed to be Irish. Also, why was Kewell being booed? I hope it wasn't cos he played for Liverpool?:o

was in the ground and heard none of that. isolated few fans at most. this kind of talk is a complete bore