Irish Football Blog

[Drumcondra 69er]

Alright lads,

I set up a blog a while back with some stuff that I was doing during the Euros and have done a few more for this campaign since. Latest thoughts are below and the old ones are on the link in the signature, any feedback appreciated!

Still fooking gutted, having to relive that last 20 minutes writing about it was a nightmare!

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/2013/03/the-last-cut-is-deepest.html

Irish Football Blog - A False First XI - http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/

[SkStu]

Love it Tony.

[Acornvilla]

Good read, I demand more.

[Supreme feet]

Set up a blog a while back too; might as well throw it up in this thread. Started a new job last month, so I haven't had as much time to post (on here or in my blog), but a damage report of the Austria game is in the pipeline. http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspot.kr/

[Drumcondra 69er]

Good read, I demand more.

Cheers mate. Click on the second link and scroll down and there's old stuff from the Sweden and Germany games as well as some pieces from Poland last summer. Might be some typos on the Poland ones, they were done on an iPhone on various trains or in.hotels so predictive text got hold occasionally! Should really fix them up....

[ArdeeBhoy]

Nice one, T.C.

[EAFC_rdfl]

I've opened up both blogs and will take a read during the day, but why the white text on black background? I can feel my eyes getting strained even at the thought of reading it.

[geysir]

Cheers mate. Click on the second link and scroll down and there's old stuff from the Sweden and Germany games as well as some pieces from Poland last summer. Might be some typos on the Poland ones, they were done on an iPhone on various trains or in.hotels so predictive text got hold occasionally! Should really fix them up....
I'm heartened to read that it was circumstances other than consumption of alcohol, that contributed to some mistakes, thereby putting a small nail into the stereotype drunken Irish fan :)

The blog is very good read, keep it up.

[geysir]

I've opened up both blogs and will take a read during the day, but why the white text on black background? I can feel my eyes getting strained even at the thought of reading it.
Have you not an option in your browser to switch the format of a page, for easier reading?

[Drumcondra 69er]

I've opened up both blogs and will take a read during the day, but why the white text on black background? I can feel my eyes getting strained even at the thought of reading it.

Haven't settled on a format, played around with a few templates on Word Press and blogger and thought that one looked okay.

Cheers for the feedback, am open to suggestions on it, the original blog was just a Facebook.Euro diary so only set the blogger template up last month.

If anyone knows how to get one image to fill the background rather than the tiled effect let me know as well, every tIme I click single image using a picture small enough to be uploaded I only get a small image in the top left?

[EAFC_rdfl]

Have you not an option in your browser to switch the format of a page, for easier reading?
BOOM, I've learned something new! View -> Page Style -> No Style and away I go. Cheers, I prefer having No Style anyway :D

[Drumcondra 69er]

I'm heartened to read that it was circumstances other than consumption of alcohol, that contributed to some mistakes, thereby putting a small nail into the stereotype drunken Irish fan :)

The blog is very good read, keep it up.

No, they were done when I was hungover rather than drunk! ;)

[Stuttgart88]

Great stuff D69er and Supreme Feet. Some genuinely prophetic stuff in SF's Poland review, unfortunately.

I'm thinking of establishing a blog myself and may PM both of you for advice. I also want to add discussion on issues like development, finance & governance.

I may call mine "Mit Kick and rush" after the German language commentary of the austria game that tricky posted!

[Junior]

Fair play, a decent read and pretty much concurs with exactly how I read the game. Will have a read through some of the others later.

Outside of what you wrote....

McClean - I accept that he was a great presence for us in an attacking sense and I also think he worked back well when he needed to. His crossing when the ball was 'in play' was great, some cracking balls once he had gone outside his man and whipped the ball in. However his set pieces (well corners mainly, cant remember if he took any frees) were woeful and what makes matters worse, even once Whelan stepped up to take once off his hands resulting in our 2nd goal, we then reverted back to McClean taking more poor ones - Wtf was that all about?? Surely Trap, O'Shea, Whelan even needed to step up and dictate that he'd had enough chances at that point and Whelan /ANOther should be taking them. Lacking a leader on the pitch?

Also, not sure why, but McClean seemed to favour coming inside the fullback. When he did, he mainly ran up a blind alley and lost possession. When he went outside, he generally put in a good ball. Did he not think he had the pace to beat his fullback on the outside? surely it would make sense to go on to his favoured left foot? If he really does prefer to come in side (I dont see him enough for Sunderland to know) shouldnt we try a switch mid game and put him on the right wing and let him come inside on to his favoured foot?


On James McCarthy - I thought he had a great game for us initially. His touch, awareness and willignness to accept the ball in any situation is a breath of fresh air. However after talking to the lads after the game, I would accept and concede that he did go very quiet in the 2nd half. We needed him more than ever then to get a grip of the ball, get a grip of the game and keep possession. However, his lack of experience or perhaps it was just he was generally being pulled down to the level we were sinking to as a team, deeper and deeper in to our own half, hoofing the ball out, meant it was coming straight back.

It was simple for me. Double sub on 60 minutes. Sammon off for Doyle, Hoolahan on for Whelan. Pretty much same formation perhaps with Hoolahan more advanced and McCarthy withdrawn.

If pressure was still coming and that change had not delivered any returns, then Walters Off and Green. Green tucking in if required. Doyle could obvioulsly drop deeper to assist in the middle etc...



On a side note, was in the Beggars Bush myself before the game (well outside it actually) and I was chatting to a few of the brummie Irish in Kellys in Stockholm (I think I read you knock about with them at games right?) so probably know yer face.

[Stuttgart88]

Someone said to me (quoting one of the RTE pundits?) that when MacClean lacks confidence he goes inside.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Set up a blog a while back too; might as well throw it up in this thread. Started a new job last month, so I haven't had as much time to post (on here or in my blog), but a damage report of the Austria game is in the pipeline. http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspot.kr/

Just had a read there mate, very good. :good:

[AlaskaFox]

Two very good reads there lads. Keep it up!

[Supreme feet]

Slow day in work, finally got around to reviewing the Austria game. http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspot.kr/2013/04/ireland-vs-austria-review.html

[Stuttgart88]

Slow day in work, finally got around to reviewing the Austria game. http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspot.kr/2013/04/ireland-vs-austria-review.htmlCouldn't agree more. Well said.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Couldn't agree more. Well said.

Yeah, would find it hard to disagree with much in there, good piece....

[Stuttgart88]

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]

A good read - fair and balanced.

[tetsujin1979]

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]

"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]

"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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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-Homophobia-in-Football?p=1665195&viewfull=1#post1665195

Sorry Geysir, im just being a bit of a ****... ;) but i hope you gave him a piece of your mind! :)

[Supreme feet]

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.blogspot.kr/2013/04/a-near-miss-irelands-euro-2000-campaign.html

[Drumcondra 69er]

Latest Blog - Thoughts on Wembley trip and game itself.

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/2013/06/28-years-later.html

[Drumcondra 69er]

Latest blog with thoughts on last night's game.....

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/2013/06/as-keane-as-mustard.html

[Stuttgart88]

Very good, as usual. Btw, the Columbia game was in London! I think you probably knew that, but slipped past your editorial dept.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Very good, as usual. Btw, the Columbia game was in London! I think you probably knew that, but slipped past your editorial dept.

Yeah, I was over at that game, Freudian slip! Now corrected!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Yeah, but you're forgiven.
Wasn't that the :rolleyes: 'stag do'?

[Drumcondra 69er]

Yeah, but you're forgiven.
Wasn't that the :rolleyes: 'stag do'?

Nah, stag do was the following year v Nigeria, same ground alright!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Ah, my bad. Doh!

[paul_oshea]

Its Colombia, not columbia. Its not a university in New York. That really gets me. He gots me.

[Closed Account 2]

Or the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest (hence British Columbia in Canada)....

[Drumcondra 69er]

Its Colombia, not columbia. Its not a university in New York. That really gets me. He gots me.

Well, there you go, learn something new every day! Now corrected! Would give you a thumbs up but no option on the phone!

[Charlie Darwin]

Its Colombia, not columbia. Its not a university in New York. That really gets me. He gots me.
Rumania is even worse.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Or 'Orte'​...

[Drumcondra 69er]

My thoughts on last nights game on the latest blog. Still absolutely gutted....

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/2013/09/the-winner-takes-it-all-loser-has-to.html

[Supreme feet]

Just to throw my own musings upon the reams of depressing analysis of last Friday, and our current situation. Must admit that my preview of the game was spectacularly wayward in parts, especially in saying that the eventual match-winner, Svensson, would be Sweden's Achilles heel. I was optimistic. I was wrong.

http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspot.kr/2013/09/sweden-post-mortem.html

[Stuttgart88]

Well done, best piece I've read yet on the whole situation.

[geysir]

I think Drum's will to carry on the blog to the end has been sapped.
Maybe he's even questioning his own will to live.

[tricky_colour]

McClean - However his set pieces (well corners mainly, cant remember if he took any frees) were woeful and what makes matters worse, even once Whelan stepped up to take once off his hands resulting in our 2nd goal, we then reverted back to McClean taking more poor ones - Wtf was that all about?? Surely Trap, O'Shea, Whelan even needed to step up and dictate that he'd had enough chances at that point and Whelan /ANOther should be taking them. Lacking a leader on the pitch?


There was another example of this v Austria a few hours ago, we had a free kick form about what 40 yards out, McClean steps up to take it.
What does he do? He crosses it in at about 3 feet high in their small wall. WTF???!! Total waste, attack turned into defence.

I just cannot understand it, I remember when I was a school kid, I would regularly take the corners, must have taken close to 100 of the
*not* one was wasted. They all beat the first man or whatever and dropped into the zone in front of the goal.

It is beyond believe McClean cannot do that, indeed every player in the team should be able to do that including Trap!!!

What is further beyond belief is that he is still taking them.

The only possible reason I can think of for this is that he is the only player capable of running and putting in a tackle in when it breaks down.

It's not like it's difficult skill, I could swing one in between the posts 50% of the time!!

It like someone crashing his car into the garage 50% of the time he attempts to park it!!

All he has to do is kick the ball about 25 yards above head height, it does not even have to be accurate, 50% of the time you will find
and Irish player simply by luck.

I mean like, when he goes do drink a pint does he pour it down his shirt 50% of the time? It's about the same level of difficulty.

[squareball]

I honestly cannot understand this. All he has to do is beat the first man and its a decent ball. The number of players that cannot do this is crazy. Do they not practice taking free kicks and corners in training. It's not rocket science.