Gibraltar V Republic of Ireland - Saturday, 23rd March 2019 - Euro 2020 Qualifier

[Fixer82]

According to OTB, McCarthy insisted the Astro turf pitch be watered.

[Fixer82]

I'm confident Mick will work them out. The ghost of Liechtenstein haunts Ireland in these sorts of games but I remember Mick hooking David Connolly and putting on The Doc after 25 minutes against Andorra during in his last spell in charge when he realised how vulnerable they would be to getting the ball in to a big man in the box.


When it was really Robbie he should have hooked, as he was having a stinker. Felt for Connolly that day

[Kingdom]

When it was really Robbie he should have hooked, as he was having a stinker. Felt for Connolly that day

How dare you? You can’t say something like that - consider this a warning.
But you’re right.

[geysir]

Was Robbie ever substituted?

[Kingdom]

Was Robbie ever substituted?

Switzerland home by Kerr. When we needed a goal.

[geysir]

Switzerland home by Kerr. When we needed a goal.
No matter how desperate the need for a goal was, you can't just recklessly throw all caution into the wind and discard the like for like substitution. And besides, a draw didn't look too bad on Brian's CV.

I hope there's an early goal or two, the time honoured panacea for playing against the minnows. Otherwise the minnow military strategy grinds the game into a sufferance, they'll be slowing down the game, whining to the ref non stop, diving and rolling around like Kilnsmann.

[Olé Olé]

https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1109479918398631936?s=20
Randolph; Coleman, Keogh, Duffy, Stevens; Doherty, Hendrick, Hourihane, McClean; Maguire McGoldrick

[NeverFeltBetter]

Predictions? A straightforward 3-0 for me.

[passinginterest]

5-0 Maguire hat trick

[samhaydenjr]

https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1109479918398631936?s=20
Randolph; Coleman, Keogh, Duffy, Stevens; Doherty, Hendrick, Hourihane, McClean; Maguire McGoldrick

Yeah... seems about right. Marginal calls would be Keogh over Egan - both have been having decent seasons - Keogh has the international experience and has played alongside Duffy more, although Egan statistically is a bigger goalscoring threat; McClean over Brady - probably down to Brady's recent return from injury and McClean's all-action style will be useful for breaking down a packed Gibraltar defence.

I really hope both McGoldrick and Maguire get on the scoresheet to set themselves up for the rest of the campaign.

[Olé Olé]

Egan over Keogh and Arter over Hendrick for me but it's not the worst and we get a good luck at Sean, McGoldrick and Doherty gets time at right mid.

[Diggs246]

On RTE, Stephen Kelly is dressed like Oscar Wilde which interesting !

[NeverFeltBetter]

Looks like some wind out there. Got to keep it on the deck.

[shakermaker1982]

Look nervous. Need to calm down.

[centre mid]

Too much ball over the top stuff from Duffy. Far easier to play on the deck in windy conditions.

[backstothewall]

It's time we had a goal

[pineapple stu]

They're wojus. We just need to calm down here.

Are we playing with or into the wind?

[shakermaker1982]

Where is our CM?

[NeverFeltBetter]

They're wojus. We just need to calm down here.

Are we playing with or into the wind?

Think Hamilton said the wind was coming from the direction of the Rock, so must be against first half.

Gibraltar are poor, but the weather is obviously a huge impediment. The crosses from the flanks seem a bit ill-considered in the circumstances.

[pineapple stu]

Their letters are falling off now.

Two great chances there though. Shame half-time's coming up

[NeverFeltBetter]

Quite worried about this game now. Should be in front but Gibraltan packing the defence means everything is a frustrating crapshoot in the box. Wind and pitch making things difficult, McClean losing his cool. Would take a 1-0 now!

[backstothewall]

McClean should be taken off here. Offering nothing and then caps it off by getting himself booked against a bunch of postmen and brickies.

[pineapple stu]

We've been here before and eked out wins. It's Georgia I'm getting more concerned about, although conditions will be better at home

[geysir]

We have zero presence at CM, still we're getting closer. Gibraltar are set up well, a good minnow team considering the club standard of their players.

[pineapple stu]

They're technically decent in our half, and inept in their own. We need to pressure them more; win possession back higher up the pitch. And keep the ball better!

[osarusan]

If we get a goal it's all over as they'll never score, but we are really struggling to break down 10/11 men. Wind seems to be more swirling than going in one direction, so I'm not sure how different it will be in the second half.

Surely we can find a way through.

[samhaydenjr]

Playing with the wind in the second half? Bring on Travers!


https://youtu.be/pUh9ucFoYv4

[shakermaker1982]

I think they are still traumatised about Roy shouting at them last year. They will turn into fantastic footballers as soon as they get the cuddle treatment.

[pineapple stu]

Playing with the wind in the second half? Bring on Travers!


https://youtu.be/pUh9ucFoYv4

Let's leave Randolph on after that save!

[third policeman]

McClean should be taken off here. Offering nothing and then caps it off by getting himself booked against a bunch of postmen and brickies.

He is at best a mascot. Should never play again

[NeverFeltBetter]

Randolph seriously saving our bacon there, and Hendrick probably wins the game at the other end a minute later. This game turns quick.

[passinginterest]

Nice goal. First of many hopefully!

[samhaydenjr]

Let's leave Randolph on after that save!

Hah! Lulled them into a false sense of security! 1-0! OK, if you want to play dinosaur football, expecting goalkeepers to make saves and stuff, then I guess Randolph can stay on. But if he doesn't score in the second half, then we should rethink his place.

[pineapple stu]

He is at best a mascot. Should never play again

Harsh!

[The Fly]

I see we're using our patented donut formation again.

[pineapple stu]

At least Mick looks worried. This would be all according to plan for O'Neill. Give them the ball = good

[Razors left peg]

This is atrocious

[third policeman]

Think the under 19’s would have done better against this lot. We should stop picking players who are not good enough and start rebuilding with players who might be good enough.

[pineapple stu]

They'll fancy an equaliser here

[NeverFeltBetter]

Stepped off big time since the goal, which is dumb. Get the feeling the team wants out of this overseas territory as fast as possible, and their heads are already on the plane.

[The Fly]

Why didn't Crowley receive a call up again? Was it just a paperwork delay?

[pineapple stu]

Has their keeper made a save bar the one from his own player?

[NeverFeltBetter]

Just the one from Keogh. Aside from that he's mostly flapped at crosses.

[samhaydenjr]

OK, now I'm really worried about the Georgia game

[Razors left peg]

Think I'm gonna bury my head in the sand for 3 years and hope that when I look again the underage teams will have progressed to the seniors

[third policeman]

Why didn't Crowley receive a call up again? Was it just a paperwork delay?

Mick going to watch him in Dutch cup final. I think paper work is done, but might be wrong. He’dmake a difference.

[shakermaker1982]

I bet Mick didn’t think we were this bad....but we are. MF as always is a massive problem area for us. We cannot link play and we look clueless as to what we need to do with the ball.

This is WOEFUL. These guys are part time FFS.

[geysir]

Randolph motm.

[pineapple stu]

That was probably the worst I've ever seen us play (maybe the 2-2 in Serbia aside)

Let's hope it was conditions. We'll know on Tuesday

[centre mid]

That's was dreadful, even allowing for the conditions we revert to hoof. Gibraltar are quite poor. McClean offers absolutely nothing, we should've experimented there today. Hopefully Georgia have an off night against us.