Republic of Ireland v Austria - Sunday 11th June 2017 - World Cup 2018 Qualifier

[tricky_colour]

Decent side Austria, would not take anything for granted, not that we would.

[Fixer82]

No, it was the Mexico game that was in New Jersey, this one is in Dublin.

Ah yes of course!!

[TrapAPony]

Decent side Austria, would not take anything for granted, not that we would. Sabitzer, Arnautovic, Schopft, Janko were their front 4 when we played them in Vienna and all are absent. Ilsanker plus their 3 first choice goalkeepers are also out. We have already beaten them in Vienna & their 3 strikers in this squad have never scored for Austria. I wouldn't take them for granted but I think a draw against them would be a poor result at this stage. We really should be going all out for the win. No excuses.

[seanfhear]

Decent side Austria, would not take anything for granted, not that we would.
Being favourites doesn't normally do us any favours.........

Hoping for a win but not going to take anything for granted..........

[Fixer82]

Any word of a team?

[CraftyToePoke]

Doyle in goals.

[DannyInvincible]

Any word of a team?

It'll probably be announced close to 4PM. It's usually announced about an hour before kick-off, isn't it?

The FAI's Twitter feed ought to be a good place to follow for such info: https://twitter.com/FAIreland

:)

[writerbk1969]

Absolutely no excuse today given the problems Austria have.
Even with that advantage don't expect a Martin O'Neill side to go out all guns blazing and win 3 or 4-0. That's not his waY.
It will tense, not pretty to watch and might bore the neutrals , but should be the usual 1-0 win with Austria still in the match with 90 minutes up.
Don't beat them and we don't deserve to go to Russia next year.

[Diggs246]

Kevin long to start

[johnnyc]

Uh oh. Any word on other central defenders carrying a knock or something?

[Lionel Ritchie]

Randolph in goal. Whelan captain.

[DannyInvincible]

Disappointed not to see Westwood start, but it's hardly a surprise that O'Neill has favoured Randolph.

Kevin Long getting the nod is odd. He's played a few games towards the end of the season for Burnley and is completely untested at competitive international level. It's a risky call throwing him into such a crucial game. I hope it doesn't come back to bite us.

Cant fathom Hoolahan not starting.

Nevertheless, I'm still confident. I think we have more than enough in the team that has been chosen to beat a considerably-depleted Austrian side.

[DannyInvincible]

Don't beat them and we don't deserve to go to Russia next year.

Heh, they're not that bad! They're a decent side and, although I think we should have enough to get the three points, it won't be a walkover.

[DannyInvincible]

Uh oh. Any word on other central defenders carrying a knock or something?

O'Neill was interviewed by RTÉ there and it seems it's a straight judgment call. No word of an injury to anyone else or anything.

[DeLorean]

Annoying team selection. Haven't been as annoyed since I called the team selection against Germany gutless, well the performance was anything but so let's hope for more of that.

[mark12345]

Annoying team selection. Haven't been as annoyed since I called the team selection against Germany gutless, well the performance was anything but so let's hope for more of that.

Annoying? I would call it very annoying. Liam Brady advised MON yesterday to opt for the creative option (ie play Hoolahan from the off). It's something most of us would have agreed with. But once again an Irish manager opts for Glenn Whelan instead of the braver optiong. He's your player Martin. Hope he proves you right and the rest of us wrong. Hate being so negative before a game. Come on lads, let's do it.

[shakermaker1982]

Way too deep and & midfield need to get on ball.

[tricky_colour]

It is a petty lack lustre start.

[pineapple stu]

Good finish from Hinteregger. Not liking this so far. We've had chances, but Austria are better on the ball. The two yellows are uncharacteristically wild too.

[writerbk1969]

Well done o'Neill on the balls up of a selection and now bottling it when we are favorites.
We deserve nothing on this showing so far.

[mark12345]

Way too deep and & midfield need to get on ball.

pretty difficult when we don't have a midfield. No Hoolahan. Dropped for Whelan - down to MON.

[Lionel Ritchie]

The solitary occasion we go straight through the middle we nearly scored.

[Fixer82]

I think we're the better team. We're controlling the game more. Just need more control in final third. Whelan has been good. Ward has been poor. Walters has done well.
Big second half needed

[mark12345]

Well done o'Neill on the balls up of a selection and now bottling it when we are favorites.
We deserve nothing on this showing so far.

Couldn't agree more. There was a way to approach this game and this certainly isn't it. Up in the air long ball stuff all day long? Pathetic.
The only time we have looked like doing something is when Arter has got on the ball.
It was said a week ago, after Uruguay, that Arter and Hoolahan needed to be the first names on the team sheet. Instead he puts Whelan and Hendrick in ahead of Hoolahan.
Neither have done anything so far.
O'Neill has balls it up with his team selection. At the very least he needs to put Wes on at the start of the second half.
The selection of Long at the back is a bit puzzling also. If he was gong for experience of the big occassion then it clearly wasn't Long's game to play.
Nothing against the lad but he doesn't have the time playing top flight football to warrant a place. Keogh was the man.

[DannyInvincible]

Really poor for the opening 20 minutes when all we did was launch the ball forward and lose it. Wasn't Roy Keane talking about going to war? Didn't look like it.

We've been slightly better since we started passing it around on the ground a bit more, but unfortunately we were caught sleeping for the Austrian corner and we've been deservedly punished.

Whelan has at least shown willingness to get on the ball but he's obviously limited and isn't seriously going to offer us anything going forward.

The two bookings were very rash and totally needless.

We badly need Hoolahan on. It's criminal that he didn't start.

[mark12345]

I think we're the better team. We're controlling the game more. Just need more control in final third. Whelan has been good. Ward has been poor. Walters has done well.
Big second half needed

We're the better team? Seriously? Not on this evidence

[pineapple stu]

Dunphy suggests we bring on Murphy, Wessi and O'Shea.

Combined age 105.

Says a lot about where we are as a squad.

[DannyInvincible]

I think we're the better team. We're controlling the game more.

Can't agree with that. Austria have looked a lot more composed and comfortable than us on the ball. We didn't string three passes together in the first 20 minutes.

[CraftyToePoke]

Just because the woman down the street smiles at you, it doesn't mean you finish with your missus.

Come Sunday, we would be most likely bringing Hoolahan on to fire fight the scenario which has arisen directly due to him not having started IMO.

And that's not cool.

CTP , or henceforth Oh Wise One.

[tricky_colour]

Really poor for the opening 20 minutes when all we did was launch the ball forward and lose it. Wasn't Roy Keane talking about going to war? Didn't look like it.

We've been slightly better since we started passing it around on the ground a bit more, but unfortunately we were caught sleeping for the Austrian corner and we've been deservedly punished.

Whelan has at least shown willingness to get on the ball but he's obviously limited and isn't seriously going to offer us anything going forward.

The two bookings were very rash and totally needless.

We badly need Hoolahan on. It's criminal that he didn't start.

I don't like the going to war stuff, we are hear to play football not break people's legs.

WE need goals not broken broken bones, skill not brutality.

More to football than 11 thugs on the pitch.

[tricky_colour]

WE have been real bad in my opinion.

[Lionel Ritchie]

The solitary occasion we go straight through the middle we nearly scored.

[mark12345]

Dunphy suggests we bring on Murphy, Wessi and O'Shea.

Combined age 105.

Says a lot about where we are as a squad.

Murphy and O'Shea???
Why not Wes, McGeady and one of Horgan or O'Dowda?
In case we don't remember we have to attack

[tricky_colour]

All the good football has came form Austria we have been 95% disappointing.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't like the going to war stuff, we are hear to play football not break people's legs.

WE need goals not broken broken bones, skill not brutality.

More to football than 11 thugs on the pitch.

I don't think Roy was speaking literally...

Anyway, it's not as if we were trying to play football from the kick-off either. That's the problem. First thing we did was a hoof up the field, when Ward booted it forward for Walters and it rolled harmlessly out of play. Our play continued like that for much of the half.

[pineapple stu]

55 minutes in against a small keeper who's played three games in two years, and we haven't had a single shot on target yet

[mark12345]

Really great to watch......this stuff what ever you might call it

[mark12345]

As inspired a substitution as I have ever seen......where the heck is Wes, McGeady?

[tricky_colour]

Better second half.

[NeverFeltBetter]

55 minutes in against a small keeper who's played three games in two years, and we haven't had a single shot on target yet

65 minutes. This is insane.

[sbgawa]

Double post

[tricky_colour]

Wes warming up.

[sbgawa]

Watching this is a great advertisement for why all the changes rued docktor is making at underage level are needed

[NeverFeltBetter]

McClean is the only one really impressing me so far. We're getting nothing from this playing in the manner we have. So underwhelming.

[brine3]

If this is how we are going to play then I couldn't care less about qualification.

[DannyInvincible]

Wes on at last. Should have been on long ago.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Walters decision making for that breakaway was criminally inept.

[mark12345]

Wes. Great to see him on the pitch. But you take off our most influential player????
Stunning.

[pineapple stu]

Our first shot on target...and it's from a n Austrian player

[NeverFeltBetter]

Absolutely hopeless in front of goal. Long, McClean, they should both score. Stark laying out of our deficiencies here.