Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[Crosby87]

I don't even know who Michael O'Leary is. :bashed:

[paul_oshea]

I knew you wouldn't.

A geographically biased and/or culturally biased joke.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Quite a bit of pessimism in The Sunday Times from Paul Rowan re: our defensive options. Dunne looks like he is retiring, O'Shea faces an uncertain future, Richard Keogh described as not good enough, Clark as error prone and Wilson not good enough to lead a defense in the Dunne mould but a decent option as a compliment to someone else.

Quite baffling not to mention Delaney in that case seeing as he has been our best defender (and probably 2nd or 3rd best player) this season. Delaney and Wilson would compliment each other quite well if we are going to select players on merit and form and nothing else.

Duffy too has looked like a Premier League player when he played for Everton, Hoban and Kiernan are still very young and have been linked with big clubs in the past and Mark O'Brien is still a great prospect if he can finally put his fitness woes behind him.

It is quite daunting but I think we have bigger issues than who plays CB. Dunne came out of nowhere to be an important player for Ireland and O'Shea has never really fulfilled his maximum potential.

Surely one our young lads will come good and at least in Delaney, we have a ready made replacement to assume a leadership role in Dunne's stead and even at 33 he has a vital and much earned role to play in plugging a gap in the short-to-medium term.

[Charlie Darwin]

Quite baffling not to mention Delaney
It's only baffling if you assume that Rowan was writing a genuine piece to examine the quality of our options, and not just being pessimistic for the sake of it.

[Crosby87]

Curtis Davies: Me wouldn't consider playing for Ireland after Keane slap hurt me feelings.
http://www.thescore.ie/curtis-davies-roy-keane-ireland-1411788-Apr2014/

[sadloserkid]

Curtis Davies: Me wouldn't consider playing for Ireland after Keane slap hurt me feelings.
http://www.thescore.ie/curtis-davies-roy-keane-ireland-1411788-Apr2014/

Or why would I want to work for somebody who doesn't rate me?

To be fair he stresses that he's not Irish in the piece that was in the Indo, that's a pretty good reason not to play for a country.

[DannyInvincible]

The headline is slightly misleading. Is it to give the impression Roy Keane's volatile personality is proving detrimental? Roy's "insult" didn't put Davies off playing for Ireland. Davies wasn't planning on declaring for us anyway.

[Crosby87]

Roy: Me not impressed with Arsenals celebrations after beating championship side.
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/roy-keane-overcelebrating-arsenal-need-a-reality-check-9257340.html

[Charlie Darwin]

The headline is slightly misleading. Is it to give the impression Roy Keane's volatile personality is proving detrimental? Roy's "insult" didn't put Davies off playing for Ireland. Davies wasn't planning on declaring for us anyway.
Yeah, I wonder if this isn't Davies saying 'please stop asking me about declaring for Ireland, it's not happening.' Which is fair enough.

[Crosby87]

Delaney: Me believe one Tourney every decade not enough. Duff: Me maybe coach in FAI ranks after me retire.
http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/john-delaney-no-more-excuses-3433915 (http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/john-delaney-no-more-excuses-3433915)

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Me getting very tired of this meme.

[DannyInvincible]

Delaney: Me believe one Tourney every decade not enough. Duff: Me maybe coach in FAI ranks after me retire.
http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/john-delaney-no-more-excuses-3433915 (http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/john-delaney-no-more-excuses-3433915)

Anyone have any further info on the "€2.7million grant from the Irish Sports Council to boost the FAI's grassroots plans"?

[SkStu]

Sorry Tets.... ;)

http://balls.ie/news/morning-sports-pages-96/

(Top backpage)

[Crosby87]

Petr Cech looks like someone that should have been playing in the 1920s.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Aggressive posturing from the 1920's i.e. "I'm gonna lick you" could pass for awkward 21st century flirting.

[The Fly]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/louis-van-gaal-wants-roy-keane-as-his-assistant-at-manchester-united-30210954.html

[Stuttgart88]

Very speculative piece and not untypical of the Indo's style of undermining anything to do with the Irish team and set-up at every opportunity.

[DeLorean]

Any more news on whether John Robertson is getting involved? I enjoy Keane but in one way it could be a blessing in disguise if he was replaced with Robertson, such is the hysteria that surrounds him. I smell copious amounts of bullsh!t in any case.

[shakermaker1982]

John Robertson hasn't been very well. I think he had some problems with his heart last summer so not sure whether he's ready to get back into the football business.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Pretty sure that he is scouting for us.

[back of the net]

AFAIK he is scouting and that's it.

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, that's what I heard too. He's checking out the opposition apparently.

[geysir]

The last I heard (vaguely recently), was that O'Neill was thinking about inviting Robertson for some scouting duties.
He is not actually doing it at present, nor is he on the management 'docket', yet.

[DeLorean]

Keane on the rumours (http://balls.ie/football/roy-keane-speaks-about-being-linked-to-man-united-assistant-job/)

[tricky_colour]

So.......... he has a job already, I guess that rules him out.

Bit unfair to question people before they have even been offered a job.

Anyhow I backed Giggs at about 6-1 but all my bets have turned pear shaped of late.

[Crosby87]

The Guardian's Top 25 WC moments: #13 Roy walks out.
Loooooooooong article (many of you should avoid) rehashing the moments that gave at least a few on here severe ulcer problems that last until this day.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/01/world-cup-moments-roy-keane-ireland-exit

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/coleman-the-shining-light-as-irish-make-waves-across-water-30267940.html

Irish PL players ranked by Dan McDonnell.

[geysir]

That's a fair enough appraisal. Encouraging that many of our players have improved their game or stood up well to a new challenge, like Coleman, McCarthy, Meyler, Whelan, Delaney, Long and Wilson, most of the rest were hit by injuries or didn't take great strides forward.

O'Neill is a fortunate manager to take over this squad, at this stage in their development.

[Stuttgart88]

I agree. Trap must be applauded for bequething a group with such potential.

[Stuttgart88]

We might need to change the headline of this thread back to "managed" if the Indo is to be believed. Keane bookies' fave to manage(d) Celtic.

[Paddy Garcia]

I agree. Trap must be applauded for bequething a group with such potential.

I'm not sure but think that your tongue is in cheek again? And I'd fully agree if it was!

[Stuttgart88]

It was!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Keane bookies' fave to manage(d) Celtic.

Hopefully, wrong. Definitely don't want that ****

[Paddy Garcia]

Hopefully, wrong. Definitely don't want that ****

Well one way or another we have him!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Agreed, but if a certain person was to manage the Irish team, I'd feel exactly the same way...
:(

[geysir]

I'm not sure but think that your tongue is in cheek again? And I'd fully agree if it was!
Yes, but the named players in question have undoubtably improved their position at their clubs this season, along with the few players like Hendricks coming through. That leaves the team/squad in a stronger situation than it had been in Trap's last campaign.That means O'Neill is not taking over a dying team out on its feet, but a team which should be at least as competitive as they were in Trap's 3 campaigns, with a bit of organisation. There is more life growing than is dying in the team.
O'Neill and his back room staff are supposed to organise what's available to them.
The players come in almost fully formed, for better and for worse and any development they do is done at their clubs but the intl experience usually helps.

What usually comes to pass in a new manager first year, in the main, the old issues were not all the last manager's fault, eg the crowds not turning up in numbers for friendlies, Shane Long missing sitters, a centre half bird watching.

[Paddy Garcia]

Agree for most of those players - though I don't think Whelan and Delaney are the future.

The key challenges are the spine, specifically replacing Keane and Dunne with the same quality - but McCarthy is looking good to shore up centre-mid.

Jack's squad (& to a certain extent Mick) was boosted every 18-24 months with the emergence of 1 or 2 (even 3 on occasions Kelly, McAteer & Babb) genuine contenders for first team places.

[geysir]

The future is the campaign for 2016 and my point is that Whelan and Delaney have improved their standing with their clubs while facing new stronger challenges, they have not gotten worse.
Whether their ability is good enough is another question.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Delaney is possibly our only short-term bet defensively....see Saturday's match programme...especially as reckon Dunne will do well to last the full campaign.
Hopefully Duffy will soon be good enough too...

[paul_oshea]

Yes, but the named players in question have undoubtably improved their position at their clubs this season, along with the few players like Hendricks coming through. That leaves the team/squad in a stronger situation than it had been in Trap's last campaign.That means O'Neill is not taking over a dying team out on its feet, but a team which should be at least as competitive as they were in Trap's 3 campaigns, with a bit of organisation. There is more life growing than is dying in the team.
O'Neill and his back room staff are supposed to organise what's available to them.
The players come in almost fully formed, for better and for worse and any development they do is done at their clubs but the intl experience usually helps.


Nothing in the team comes close to Trap taking over with the likes of Duff, Keane, Dunne, O'Shea and Given, with that level of skill, talent and experience(and age). Trap had it far better coming in, he had a very strong spine with great experience. You are giving me the impression that you have some sort of agenda regarding O'Neill and his term as manager, something to fall back on if he doesnt succeed in his stated mission to qualify Ireland for the Euros.

[geysir]

Nothing in the team comes close to Trap taking over with the likes of Duff, Keane, Dunne, O'Shea and Given, with that level of skill, talent and experience(and age). Trap had it far better coming in, he had a very strong spine with great experience. You are giving me the impression that you have some sort of agenda regarding O'Neill and his term as manager, something to fall back on if he doesnt succeed in his stated mission to qualify Ireland for the Euros.
Unlike some I'm backing us to qualify, we have the players and management team to do so, it's the easiest qualification criteria in history and I believe O'Neill can do it with a bit of managerial nous and I believe he has been given more than enough support to get us to qualify.
If he doesn't do it, it will rank as major failure. There's nothing for me to fall back upon as I have stated my opinion.
My opinion may be faulty as we may not qualify and O'Neill did his best with what he had.

I think it was you Paul who found fault or something up with a point I made once, that even in his worst epl season, off form and injury hit, Robbie was still better than Long. In the light of what you now write, I think you must have failed to grasp the point at that time or couldn't resist being sarcy.
Robbie and Duff both had passed their career peak at various times during Trap's first campaign.
But even in the autumn of their careers, Duff and Keane were still well ahead of what we have now and Trap knew their worth at the time.
Givens' quality was on the wane in or around 2011 and he became a liability.

Now we have a squad of players who are improving, we have different strengths, especially in midfield and O'Neill has more than enough to mould a competitive team.
If Scotland are supposed to be the team with their modest bunch then surely we can as well.

[ArdeeBhoy]

The glass is definitely half-full...

[Stuttgart88]

I think the positives are that Gibson, McCarthy, Brady and Reid all ought to be fit in the autumn. These will enhance our options.

We need to solve the left back problem pronto. Maybe Clark will step up in the US. Ward is a terrific bloke but he fills me with fear. I also really want to see someone make a compelling case to displace Whelan.

Although Georgia away is no gimme, the likelihood is that Oman, Georgia and Gib will mean we have a run of form going into the big games in October and November.

We need to start taking chances and cutting out the sloppy errors that cost us needless goals in the last two friendlies.

There is a lot of responsibility on MON to both devise a style of play and to make sure the players implement it.

But I agree with Ardee, the glass probably is half full. I want to see evidence it's not going to fall over though, which it might.

[paul_oshea]

Enhance our options, but all about the same level of mediocrity that in the past havent really made much of a difference, they assimilate easily into and out of the team, neither missed or needed.

[Stuttgart88]

I think the 4 mentioned above would all have added something to what we put out in the last two friendlies.

Anyway, RTE all over the Keane - Celtic thing. Press conf later tonight apparently.

However, SSN hadn't mentioned anything at all.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Jazz hands Robbie Keane better than Shane Long in his worst EPL season. :rolleyes:

Someone that spends 85% of games chastising the referee and his teammates while another striker invariably does all the donkey work for him. Thank God he gobbles goals against small teams because if he didn't have that.... he's not renowned for his technical brilliance.

Now I may be not be appreciating Robbie Keane enough but you could accuse other people of not appreciating Shane Long or Kevin Doyle enough too!

[Charlie Darwin]

Here we go again.

[back of the net]

Looking like roy keane is on way to celtic. O'Neill has announced that dermot Desmond has rang him asking him wud it be ok to speak to him. O'neill said he expects roy to be at italy game on sat but now unsure if roy will going on the American tour for costa rica and portugal games

[Paddy Garcia]

Jazz hands Robbie Keane better than Shane Long in his worst EPL season. :rolleyes:

Someone that spends 85% of games chastising the referee and his teammates while another striker invariably does all the donkey work for him. Thank God he gobbles goals against small teams - he netted more in one game against Burnley than he in anyways because if he didn't have that.... he's not renowned for his technical brilliance.

Now I may be not be appreciating Robbie Keane enough but you could accuse other people of not appreciating Shane Long or Kevin Doyle enough too!

You could simply decide to see the best in everyone?

[Charlie Darwin]

Looking like roy keane is on way to celtic. O'Neill has announced that dermot Desmond has rang him asking him wud it be ok to speak to him. O'neill said he expects roy to be at italy game on sat but now unsure if roy will going on the American tour for costa rica and portugal games
Walking out on your country IS THAT THE NEW THING NOW ROY