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

[NeverFeltBetter]

Agree with Hamilton when he says to reserve judgement till full time against Georgia, the conditions out there were so woeful that I think it's unfair to offer a full assessment of McCarthy's Ireland just yet. Plenty to work on mind.

[The Fly]

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

It hasn't been confirmed but it seemed to me that the paperwork shouldn't have posed much of a problem given how quickly Rice's transfer was facilitated.

Anyway...in conditions like that the game has to be played on the deck with players who possess a little composure and creativity controlling things in the centre. Our fecking donut/polo mint formation & tactics™ offer nothing. The true test is still on Tuesday, but I do think people should really temper their expectations for this side until the playing personnel in midfield substantially changes.

[Razors left peg]

If the players we had on the pitch today played like that for their clubs they would all be non league footballers. Have they been so brainwashed for years that when they line up for Ireland they are incapable of getting the ball down and passing

[geysir]

I did say that Mick would be on the first plane to Holland after he has actually seen us play. But he picked the team having two full backs on the right and féck all at CM. The biggest disappointment was the lack of work ethic after we went one up and allowed them into the game when we should have been knocking down their door to get a second.
The minnows did exceptionally well.

[Fixer82]

As much as he set up the goal, I thought McGoldrick was really poor.
Maguire not a whole lot better.
Brady did well when he came on but we have the ball back to them way too much.

[geysir]

McGoldrick is a bit of a plodder.

[Sullivinho]

If the wind was the major factor in that performance... how quickly can we build a roof over the Aviva pitch and restrict heavy breathing / flatulence among supporters for tuesday?

For Randolph to be a virtual spectator for a half and pull off that save ... MVP stuff.
McGoldrick is something of a luxury.
Maguire seems like a trier.
I realise that I love McClean the man a bit more than McClean the player.
Hourihane's set piece prowess is a breath of fresh air within a gale.
Does Hendrick's goal fall into the category of flattery or deception? I can never tell with him.

[SwanVsDalton]

Pairing two people in midfield who have a habit of ghosting in and out of games, as Hourihane and Hendrick do, is always going to be a bad idea. The should never play together unless it's in a three, and even then...

Arter (or someone) should play in there on Tuesday, Brady for McClean and consider bringing Aidan O'Brien back in for either McGoldrick or Maguire.

[Diggs246]

At half time I would have take hourihane off for arter and taken Maguire off for judge. Playing judge at 10 and pushing mcgoldrick up to 9

[Diggs246]

Please no.
We've a lad playing in a defensive role, purely as a right-back, and a guy who is excelling in an attacking wing-back role. Why would we switch them around?

Is it still crazy too suggest matt at right back and coleman in the advanced role?

[liamoo11]

Is it still crazy too suggest matt at right back and coleman in the advanced role?

Yes they are full backs just switch doherty to left full and let him use his ability to pass the ball into midfield and cut inside and have strikes on goal coming from a full back position. None of our full backs have any guile that makes them suitable to play midfield.

[Closed Account 2]

A terrible game of football in atrocious conditions but we have the three points. In the past we've played better against minnows and only drawn (Lichtenstein in the 1990s springs to mind) so getting the points on the board is the main thing. Central midfield is a bit of a worry, I wonder if it's worth Mick giving Conor Coventry a chance there. He's been getting rave reviews in West Ham's youth team, some of their fans are going so far as saying he looks better than you-know-who did at the same stage a few years ago.

[tricky_colour]

3 points in the bag.

[Diggs246]

Yes they are full backs just switch doherty to left full and let him use his ability to pass the ball into midfield and cut inside and have strikes on goal coming from a full back position. None of our full backs have any guile that makes them suitable to play midfield.

That's a different debate. When we were discussing it previously most people including me where more then happy with Stevens and i think he deserves another go at LB. Would u keep Doherty at right mid if Stevens keeps his place?

[liamoo11]

That's a different debate. When we were discussing it previously most people including me where more then happy with Stevens and i think he deserves another go at LB. Would u keep Doherty at right mid if Stevens keeps his place?

No. to me you are picking 2 out of three for full back from Coleman, Steven's and doherty. Physically I think Steven's is behind the others and he lacks the top flight experience of the others. He also offers less in terms of goals. So I wood have Coleman right full doherty left full. But if doherty can't get into those 2 positions fair enough but he shouldn't play at all then.

How can mcgeady not be on the right of midfield against Gibraltar when doherty was the alternative?does anyone seriously think doherty has the craft and guile to create chances against s team that is sitting back in two banks of five?

At wolves he comes onto ball from deep in acres of space and uses his athletic and physical ability to play simple passes to break into the space behind to create chances which is fantastic but playing right wing is totally different when space is tight and you need to use actual skills to create that space not just athletic ability. Clearly that's why doherty has never played right midfield I'm club football but has played at least a season and a half as a left full

[Eminence Grise]

At half time I would have take hourihane off for arter and taken Maguire off for judge. Playing judge at 10 and pushing mcgoldrick up to 9

At half time I would have taken off the rooftop aerial and cancelled the TV subscription but I was hoping one of Duffy's 'passes' might have floated by and done the job for me.

[tricky_colour]

As much as he set up the goal, I thought McGoldrick was really poor.
Maguire not a whole lot better.
Brady did well when he came on but we have the ball back to them way too much.

Was it Brady who put McGoldrick through initially for the goal?

[tricky_colour]

Does goal difference count?
If so we have already dropped a point, other side will be putting cricket scores past them.
Mind you our goal difference is always rubbish, so no great loss really.

[Charlie Darwin]

Was it Brady who put McGoldrick through initially for the goal?
Hourihane I think. Brady hadn't come on yet.

[geysir]

Does goal difference count?
If so we have already dropped a point, other side will be putting cricket scores past them.
Mind you our goal difference is always rubbish, so no great loss really.
You post, therefore you exist...somewhere .... but where?

[Fixer82]

The game was awful to watch.
I wonder would the likes of Auden McGeady have been suited to do some sort of damage on an Astro pitch.
Regarding central midfield, I sill think Shaun Williams should be considered as he olds on to the ball well and demands it too.

Watching Duffy boot the ball into the sky constantly on Saturday was just awful to see

[Drumcondra 69er]

https://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.com/2019/03/gone-with-wind.html

Blog on the Gibraltar trip, match and FAI shenanigans for anyone interested.

Couldn't finish yesterday due to other commitments so slightly out of date...

Will have more positive Georgia blog tomorrow!

[tetsujin1979]

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