Ireland V France - Saturday, 14th November 2009 - World Cup 2010 Playoff First Leg

[backstothewall]

Good god i'm nervous. We need a perfect storm to go through. A french squad at war with themselves, the worst they can play, and the best we can muster. What makes me nervous is that it might just happen.

If we can keep a clean sheet tonight and get Sagna, Evra and Gourcouf booked (they are all 1 yellow away from a suspension, along with Gallas and Abidal), i think we might just go through.

[backstothewall]

Marks out of 10 for the first half


Given 11
O'Shea 11
Dunne 11
St Ledger 11
Kilbane 11
Lawrence 12
Andrews 12
Whelan 12
Duff 11
Keane 11
Doyle 11

If anyone ever gives Whelan or Andrews stick again I will personally get in the car, drive to their house, and personally kick the living sh1t out of them.

Come on Ireland!!!

[passinginterest]

Keep reminding self to breath. Can't do analysis now. Oh Jesus.

[backstothewall]

I posted this thread during the anthems. In the first half it got 2 views. Both me. Since then its gone up to fifty.

Thank the lord i don't have a heart condition. I am also drinking at an incredible rate.

[Irish_Praha]

I posted this thread during the anthems. In the first half it got 2 views. Both me. Since then its gone up to fifty.

Thank the lord i don't have a heart condition. I am also drinking at an incredible rate.

Dont forget to go to the toilet before the second half starts :D

[leedsfan88]

were going to win...i hope:)

[backstothewall]

Dont forget to go to the toilet before the second half starts :D

I've worked out a sweet spot in the back garden where i can pee in the drain and still see the telly

[Irish_Praha]

I've worked out a sweet spot in the back garden where i can pee in the drain and still see the telly

Funny :D

But more seriously France are pinning us back now. If it continues like this it will be time to make a change in the next 5 mins. Would like to see McGeady or Hunt coming on but the only problem is that Lawrence and Duff are playing fine but we do need some kind of change.

Edit: Best coming on for Doyle

[backstothewall]

**** **** ****

[Irish_Praha]

:( sh!te

[Ciaran W]

Excellent sitting back by ireland again

[passinginterest]

Heartbreaking stuff.

I think I'll start a facebook group called "Leave Kevin Doyle on for 90 mins please". He was playing well didn't look totally wrecked and Best came on and gifted the French the ball they scored from.

They looked a couple of levels better to be honest, massive task in the second leg but we live in hope. :(

[DotTV]

Heartbreaking stuff.

I think I'll start a facebook group called "Leave Kevin Doyle on for 90 mins please". He was playing well didn't look totally wrecked and Best came on and gifted the French the ball they scored from.

They looked a couple of levels better to be honest, massive task in the second leg but we live in hope. :(

In fairness they are a couple of levels better. An og split the teams. France deserved it, but both teams had chances.. Gignac missing an open goal but almost exactly the same as lawrence missing an open goal. We could have sneaked it at the end.

1-0 isn't a disaster. The tie is still open. And at least we know we have to go and win now. The one advantage is that the French naturally don't sit back so there may be opportunities.
We should have won when we played them in France a few years back. I was in the stands that day, unfortunately I'm an ex pat now but everyone who is heading over will make the 12th man and hopefully we can pull it off!

[backstothewall]

Its a long shot now. But it was always a long shot.

I don't think blaming anyone achives anything. We move onto Paris, score 2, and forget about tonight.

[tricky_colour]

That's right, it ain't over yet, not by a long way, can we play 180 minutes without scoring?

[old git]

Marks out of 10 for the first half


Given 11
O'Shea 11
Dunne 11
St Ledger 11
Kilbane 11
Lawrence 12
Andrews 12
Whelan 12
Duff 11
Keane 11
Doyle 11

If anyone ever gives Whelan or Andrews stick again I will personally get in the car, drive to their house, and personally kick the living sh1t out of them.

Come on Ireland!!!

do you still feel the same after the 2nd half :D:D
thought both andrews & whelan excellent in first half but we still need a bit more creativity in midfield also ..

[Emmet7]

I have a feeling Henry demanded they change the tactics in the second half, he said as much in the post match interview, saying the players played in a way they preferred (rather than the way Domenech set out at the start). But maybe I am wrong.

Completely different French teams in both halves, they were supurb in the second half and could give any team in the world problems if they play like that which they probably will in Paris.

Any team with Henry and Anelka in the side will be difficult to beat. That's not to mention the bench. Domenech could look around and see Benzema and Malouda on the bench, did Trap have anyone near that quality to bring on?

To be honest I think we are lacking creativity all over the park not just centre midfield. The French defenders and forwards are far better passers of the ball than their Irish counterparts. It was shown tonight that we cannot pass our way out of defence except with a long hoof. We just don't have 10 outfield players who can pass like the French.

[weldoninhio]

Marks out of 10 for the first half


Given 11
O'Shea 11
Dunne 11
St Ledger 11
Kilbane 11
Lawrence 12
Andrews 12
Whelan 12
Duff 11
Keane 11
Doyle 11

If anyone ever gives Whelan or Andrews stick again I will personally get in the car, drive to their house, and personally kick the living sh1t out of them.

Come on Ireland!!!
i live in Rush, Co. Dublin. I support Blackburn, ever since Dave Worrell was their youth captain, and Keith Andrews is the worst player EVER to play for us. You have my address, GO FOR IT!!

[OwenGoal]

If you look out your window you'll see a man holding a dead raven. He knows where you live. If he isn't there anymore that's a bad sign. Sleep well.

[Colbert Report]

Keith Andrews was my man of the match, for what it's worth

[mypost]

Another one of the many who couldn't stop giving the ball away. Madness in our own box at one point.

Keane played well, laying passes off well to teammates and winning 50-50 tackles. Unlucky with his chance pre-Lawrence. Seeing his miss from the Davin Stand looked like a goalmouth scramble. Seeing it since on tv is heart-breaking. :(

[backstothewall]

do you still feel the same after the 2nd half :D:D
thought both andrews & whelan excellent in first half but we still need a bit more creativity in midfield also ..

I do actually. They were both superb. Like I said befoe the game, to get something we needed a perfect storm, the worst the French could play. In the first half thats exactly what we got, they were terrible, and our combative approach had them on the ropes. In the second half we played as well as we did in the first, but they were a different kind of animal.

Even at that we could have on. If the ball goes off St. Ledger for a corner, and Lawrence puts that away, we have a fomous victory

[Stuttgart88]

I thought Andrews had a super first half, less good in the second.

[Larks]

Didn't think doyle deserved man of the match. I don't blame trap for subbing him, he was looking tired. I do blame trap for bringing on Best to replace him. I really think Morrison should have been on the squad ahead of him.

[Duggie]

i thought duff was class on sat night. couldnt believe they took him off.

[Stuttgart88]

Best was told to help out midfield. Surely a midfielder would be better at helping out midfield.

It was crying out for Andy Reid between midfield & Keane, Trap's potential plan B from a year ago.

Ce'st la vie.

[jmurphyc]

If France stick to the same formation I'm hoping we have an extra body in midfield. I daresay that Keane and Doyle will start, so I'm hoping one of them will be deep most of the time in Paris. In the second half Paris were killing Whelan and Andrews in the centre through the sheer weight of numbers. We desperately need someone to help crowd the midfield, and like Stutts says, to bridge the gap between the midfield and attack. Otherwise we have very little chance.

[foureyes]

I have a feeling Henry demanded they change the tactics in the second half, he said as much in the post match interview, saying the players played in a way they preferred (rather than the way Domenech set out at the start). But maybe I am wrong.


i thought that too. when they came out after half time he was giving instructions to two or three players.

it's widely accepted that zidane did this in wc 2006. i think henry is trying to replicate that.

[twoenz]

i thought that too. when they came out after half time he was giving instructions to two or three players.

it's widely accepted that zidane did this in wc 2006. i think henry is trying to replicate that.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/sep/10/france-thierry-henry-raymond-domenech

It's been going on longer than just this match too.

[tetsujin1979]

Didn't think doyle deserved man of the match. I don't blame trap for subbing him, he was looking tired. I do blame trap for bringing on Best to replace him. I really think Morrison should have been on the squad ahead of him.
I was shocked when I read that yesterday, was convinced Anelka was MOTM
Put it this way, if Anelka had played for Ireland, we would have won.

[Uncle_Joe]

I cant honestly remember the last time a player for the away team got man of the match in lansdowne/croke park. Im sure it happened at some stage but then again maybe not :confused:

[tetsujin1979]

I cant honestly remember the last time a player for the away team got man of the match in lansdowne/croke park. Im sure it happened at some stage but then again maybe not :confused:
When Spain beat us 3-1 in the USA '94 qualifiers, one of their players got MOTM. After that I honestly can't say. Unless in the last France game in 2005?

[jmurphyc]

I wasn't there, but didn't Litmanen get MOTM against us a few years back? Which I assume would have been under McCarthy.

[dynamo kerry]

I wasn't there, but didn't Litmanen get MOTM against us a few years back? Which I assume would have been under McCarthy.


that makes sense. I was at that game. I seem to recall it being one of a few friendlies of annoying nature around that time.

scotland at home (loss)
greece at home(loss I think)
and that one

[Closed Account 2]

i live in Rush, Co. Dublin. I support Blackburn, ever since Dave Worrell was their youth captain, and Keith Andrews is the worst player EVER to play for us. You have my address, GO FOR IT!!

Corrado Grabbi, Kevin Davis, Barry Ferguson.... Though to be fair Blackburn are such an average side there are any number of flops I could have picked.

[geysir]

These days I think the award is for the Irish motm.

[twoenz]

It's given by Eircom, so I'd think it's just a home side award.

There was a spell that Paul McGrath got it for showing up.

[weldoninhio]

Corrado Grabbi, Kevin Davis, Barry Ferguson.... Though to be fair Blackburn are such an average side there are any number of flops I could have picked.

I'd swap Andrews for any of those. He might put in the occasional tackle, but he also dwells on the ball, gives away possession, can't complete a 5 yard pass and panics under pressure.

[Closed Account 2]

Corrado Grabbi ?? 30 games 2 goals.... and he was a striker. Andrews has got 4 goals in 40 odd games and he isnt even a goal scorer...

[czarner]

Didn't think doyle deserved man of the match. I don't blame trap for subbing him, he was looking tired. I do blame trap for bringing on Best to replace him. I really think Morrison should have been on the squad ahead of him.

I really wonder if anyone except Trap and/or the men whispering in his ear think Best should have been in there ahead of Morrison. Morrison isn't exactly a world-beater or anything, but he does have plenty of international experience and a decent goal-scoring record for us, including some important ones (away to Switzerland and Israel in the last WC campaign) and at least one classic (against the PRC - as long as you ignore the celebration). His work-rate in an Irish shirt could never have been faulted either, unlike Best's at the weekend. Can his exclusion since the start of the Trap reign be down to anything but pettiness on behalf of someone of influence in the camp? Seems to be a prominent feature of this regime...

[irishfan86]

I really wonder if anyone except Trap and/or the men whispering in his ear think Best should have been in there ahead of Morrison. Morrison isn't exactly a world-beater or anything, but he does have plenty of international experience and a decent goal-scoring record for us, including some important ones (away to Switzerland and Israel in the last WC campaign) and at least one classic (against the PRC - as long as you ignore the celebration). His work-rate in an Irish shirt could never have been faulted either, unlike Best's at the weekend. Can his exclusion since the start of the Trap reign be down to anything but pettiness on behalf of someone of influence in the camp? Seems to be a prominent feature of this regime...

If we're talking about being simply objective, Leon Best has more goals than Morrison, playing on the same team, in the same league, against the same opposition every week.

I suppose next you're going to tell me that the reason for this is because of Morrison's generous nature and his brilliant passing ability.

I like Morrison, and he never let us down, but to call the selection of Best over Morrison a result of pettiness is unfair on Best who is having a great season with Coventry.

[Emmet7]

Didn't think doyle deserved man of the match. I don't blame trap for subbing him, he was looking tired. I do blame trap for bringing on Best to replace him. I really think Morrison should have been on the squad ahead of him.

I like Doyle as a footballer, although he does need an awful lot of time on the ball when scoring with the occassional exception. He can appear slow and ponderous at times.

If he wanted to make the leap to world class striker like Anelka and Henry, it would be to keep his head up, be more selfish, once picking the ball up head for goal and with the goal in sight, shoot. You can't score unless you actually shoot.

Henry's goal in 2005 and Anelka's in 2009 were both half chances, and that's all these guys need. Doyle just needs a turn of pace and the ability to make space for a shot either inside or outside the box.

I don't blame him for everything though, I'm sure it's bloody tough playing up front in internationals. But Trap was right to take him off in all the games he did. Those games weren't set up for Doyle and if he didn't score in 60-65 minutes of being reasonably fit, he wasn't going to score in the last 20 or so minutes while being physically wasted. His contribution was declining around the time Trap took him off.

[Fixer82]

I really wonder if anyone except Trap and/or the men whispering in his ear think Best should have been in there ahead of Morrison. Morrison isn't exactly a world-beater or anything, but he does have plenty of international experience and a decent goal-scoring record for us.

I remember really thinking both Morrison and Connolly could have felt quite aggrieved (especially the latter) at not being called up by Stan. Obviously Connolly, while scoring for fun with Southampton, is in League 1 and can't be seriously seen as an option, Morrison could probably still do us a job. He indeed scored some great goals for us and was always a good option to have i feel. Amazing what a change of manager can do to a player. He probably thought he'd be with Ireland for another few years and then along came Stan...

[Closed Account 2]

I think Morrison offers more than Stokes, and given he is in the squad it's a bit of a shame Clinton's not in it. He has a physical presence and pace and would be a good option to throw on near the end of a game.

[czarner]

If we're talking about being simply objective, Leon Best has more goals than Morrison, playing on the same team, in the same league, against the same opposition every week.

I suppose next you're going to tell me that the reason for this is because of Morrison's generous nature and his brilliant passing ability.

I like Morrison, and he never let us down, but to call the selection of Best over Morrison a result of pettiness is unfair on Best who is having a great season with Coventry.

According to the stats I've seen, Best has scored one more goal than Morrison so far this season, having played substantially more games. Don't know why Morrison has not been playing as often though, given the goal-scoring record - anyone know?

To be fair Best has recieved a player of the month award this season, but my main point was not about how things have been going since the start of August (Best made his debut in May, and Morrison scored several more goals for Coventry than him last season) but over the past few years. It's been a long time since Morrison's been called into the squad (didn't realise Staunton never called him up), and I don't remember anything about his performances that justifies this complete rejection. Hence my thinking that someone in the Irish set-up has a vendetta against him. Such pettiness is quite a feature of our national mindset I suppose, but it's very frustrating to see it negatively affect a player who I always thought put in a great effort and was one of our more effective players.

[irishfan86]

He was one of the more consistent performers during the Kerr regime, and didn't deserve to be completely ignored by Stan, despite the emergence of Kevin Doyle.

But one must ask, are there other reasons why you want Clint back in the squad?

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs134.snc1/5735_113410493508_33002628508_2324357_3218058_n.jp g

[czarner]

He was one of the more consistent performers during the Kerr regime, and didn't deserve to be completely ignored by Stan, despite the emergence of Kevin Doyle.

But one must ask, are there other reasons why you want Clint back in the squad?

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs134.snc1/5735_113410493508_33002628508_2324357_3218058_n.jp g

Lol! Didn't know what you were on about at first, as the Great Firewall blocks random sites, including apparently http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net - wasn't til I went to reply that I saw the link + opened it in a proxy. Tell me it isn't real. And is that Stephen Ireland's tattoo?

[saint dog]

I think Morrison offers more than Stokes, and given he is in the squad it's a bit of a shame Clinton's not in it. He has a physical presence and pace and would be a good option to throw on near the end of a game.

stokes in a fantastic striker , give him a couple of years and he'll be our first choice

[Emmet7]

What we need is a goalscoring machine.

Stokes goal against Rangers was top notch and the best thing about it, he made it on his own and from nothing, without requiring service. That's the kind of clinical finishing we are missing in the Irish setup.

Even Ray Houghtan was able to make goals from nothing like he did against Italy in 94.

[Greenbod]

What we need is a goalscoring machine.



This is a really fantastic point. I sometimes wonder how one poster can be so knowledgeable and insightful...........I fully agree that a goalscoring machine would be really helpful (why didn't Trap think of this??), after all, goals can help win games.

To your other point...I'm not so sure about Ray Houghton's availability for tonight.