Foot.ie decides - Ireland's best goal!

[DeLorean]

Robbie Keane/Kennedy

[pineapple stu]

Interesting. We've definitely had better, just depends what they were paired against I suppose. Actually, Robbie Brady got a beaut against the USA, I assume that made the original cut but can't remember seeing it.
No, didn't make the cut (you can see it here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KBMdz-oS7Y&t=6m6s)) partly because I thought the Pilkington goal at the start was a better goal (lovely pass from McGoldrick to split the defence), and partly because I was trying to cut down on the number of free-kicks (they're a bit repetitive). Also, I think Harte's was better anyway!

[DeLorean]

I think Harte's should've been saved tbh (by our arch nemesis).

[geysir]

I think Harte's should've been saved tbh (by our arch nemesis).

Afair, Dudu had some problem with his left shoulder, that's one possible reason why he tried to flick the ball over with his right and the only decent excuse he could have had for doing it that way (https://youtu.be/o9j0r_YuqAo?t=36).

[SkStu]

Keane/McAteer

(McAteer v Kennedy toughest choice to date by far. McAteer nicks it due to the build up, clean strike, its importance and it being away to a big team)

[pineapple stu]

So that's 8-2 for Robbie Keane H v Israel, 2005 over Liam Brady H v Brazil, 1987

And it's 7-3 for Jason McAteer A v Holland, 2000 over Mark Kennedy H v Yugoslavia, 1999

That's it for the last 32. I'll pick up with the last 16 on Monday morning. I think people adding a reason is already making it more interesting (such as geysir's view of the Harte goal) - I'll make it a strong recommendation for the last 16, and in the event of a tie, votes with no reason are discounted.

In chronological order, what we have left is -

Ronnie Whelan N v USSR, 1988 (one of four finals goals in the last 16)
Alan McLoughlin A v Northern Ireland, 1993
Ray Houghton N v Italy, 1994
Jason McAteer A v Holland, 2000
Matt Holland A v Portugal, 2000
Jason McAteer H v Holland, 2001 (one of four goals to whitewash its opponent)
Matt Holland N v Cameroon, 2002 (McAteer and Holland the only players with two goals left)
Andy Reid H v Cyprus, 2004 (not 2005, as I had earlier)
Ian Harte H v Israel, 2005 (the only set-piece left)
Robbie Keane H v Israel, 2005 (the only match with two goals in the last 16)
Kevin Doyle A v Slovakia, 2007
Glenn Whelan H v Italy, 2009 (along with Harte, one of only two group runners-up to make it through)
Darron Gibson H v Wales, 2011 (the only goal not in a competitive game)
Aiden McGeady A v Georgia, 2014
Shane Long H v Germany, 2015
Wes Hoolahan N v Sweden, 2016

In terms of managers, we have -
Mick 4
Jack 3
Kerr 3
O'Neill 3
Trap 2
Stan 1

[geysir]

Excellent job so far.

[Fixer82]

Can't believe McAteer has beaten Kennedy. i'm assuming it's because of the context of the goal.
But there were very few players pulled on a green jersey could've scored a goal like Kennedy's.

Small side note, he was in the original WC 2002 squad but had to pull out through injury (despite scoring in the Niall Quinn testimonial match V Sunderland) and Steven Reid stepped in at the last minute.

I wonder if Kennedy had been in that World Cup Squad would he sound a little less bitter about the Irish soccer team

[Closed Account]

Can't believe McAteer has beaten Kennedy. i'm assuming it's because of the context of the goal.
But there were very few players pulled on a green jersey could've scored a goal like Kennedy's.

Small side note, he was in the original WC 2002 squad but had to pull out through injury (despite scoring in the Niall Quinn testimonial match V Sunderland) and Steven Reid stepped in at the last minute.

I wonder if Kennedy had been in that World Cup Squad would he sound a little less bitter about the Irish soccer team

I haven't voted or been involved in any of this vote so disregard everything after this sentence of that matters to you.

Put yourself in kennedys position. With my bad foot, I could hit that and it wouldn't look too unnatural. mcateers with my bad foot, ya again fine. But he makes it look like his good foot. Better goal. No arguments.

[Eirambler]

No bad goals in that last 16 list. Just shows how meaningless friendly games ultimately are that we didn't put a single proper friendly goal through - even Gibson's goal was in the semi competitive Nations Cup. The fact that the Nations League significantly reduces friendlies makes it one of the better ideas UEFA has come up with in recent years.

[pineapple stu]

Can't believe McAteer has beaten Kennedy. i'm assuming it's because of the context of the goal.
But there were very few players pulled on a green jersey could've scored a goal like Kennedy's.
I don't know. I think context-wise, they were quite similar - excellent (and slightly unexpected) qualifying results against a main rival.

That McAteer goal was very well-worked with the two backheel flicks in the build-up, and then a 25-yard finish. They were two excellent goals and really neither deserves to leave this early - but that's what happens in knock-outs. The bigger surprise for me was that Houghton's goal in the 1994 World Cup beat Kennedy's in the groups tbh.

I deliberately didn't define what made a goal good at the start, and I'm not going to do so now either. Personally, I'd like to think I'd take the goal as a whole rather than the occasion - so for example I think I would have voted for Keane in Holland over Long v Germany for the way the build-up stretched the Dutch defence all over the place, with a backheel pass and two superb angled passes to create space. Though I can't deny I love the Long goal for its absolute simplicity.

That also ties back a bit to Eirambler's point about the lack of friendly goals - just Gibson's pseudo-friendly one is left of the five (Keane v Holland, Brady v Brazil, Lawrence v South Africa, Walters v Uruguay) that made the knock-outs. Is there a bias towards competitive goals? And yet which other friendly goals would really stand up against the lat 16 as is? Duff v Canada is an obvious one for me - yet the points that Canada were crap and not too bothered and their keeper should have done better are all quite valid. Stan's free v USSR and Miller's strike v Sweden all polled well in the groups yet were pipped narrowly - and probably rightly so. And big finals goals like Houghton (Euro 88) and Keane (v Germany and Saudi Arabia 2002) didn't come close to getting through, so it's not all about the occasion.

[geysir]

I went Houghton 1 Kennedy 2 in the groups and McAteer over Kennedy in the knock out. Sometimes good old fashioned bias is a factor, Kennedy should have been subbed before that goal, he was really poor all that game, his goal was unworldly superb but a one off and I don't remember him doing very much in general in an Irish shirt.

[Fixer82]

I remember Kennedy and Kavanagh both scoring in a friendly V Sweden too. Both good goals. Unavailable on youtube

[OwlsFan]

2) John Aldridge N v Mexico, 1994
A lovely patient build-up and a header fuelled by petty revenge at that official in the yellow cap :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvwC0vsJcjI

Yes one of the best but seldom remembered for the lovely build up.

[pineapple stu]

OK, time to get the last 16 underway. Plan is the last 16 between today and Wednesday, the last 8 on Weds-Fri, and the final four next week. Reasons aren't mandatory, but I think they're recommended (given the interesting things they threw up last time)

Suddenly seems an appropriate time to be celebrating the best of Irish football too, with Jack's passing over the weekend...

First up - Glenn Whelan H v Italy, 2009 against Wes Hoolahan N v Sweden, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OWV5omYkyQ

[pineapple stu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzbEPjqYGis&t=3m41s
Time is 3:41; time-stamped link is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzbEPjqYGis&t=3m41s).

[pineapple stu]

And the second match is two World Cup qualification-securing goals (well, the first one all but sealed qualification; we still had to beat Cyprus). It's Jason McAteer H v Holland, 2001 up against Alan McLoughlin A v Northern Ireland, 1993


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ_l0d2r4Mo

[pineapple stu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9Bt18Rvv4&t=1m30s

Time is 1:30; time-stamped link is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9Bt18Rvv4&t=1m30s).

[NeverFeltBetter]

Hoolahan - The build-up play from Coleman is excellent, he couldn't have hit it any better and it was at the highest level. Ireland's performance for the next 40 minutes remains one of the frustrating moments of recent times for me.
McLoughlin - As great as McAteer's strike is, there's nowhere near as much pressure on him to score in that moment, both with the lack of defenders and in the larger context of getting the right result, than there was on McLoughlin, who gets his volley through a crowd of players in the most hostile of atmospheres.

[Eirambler]

Glenn Whelan for the first one, possibly the best Irish free kick goal - caught out the entire Italian defence with one simple pass. I wonder if it was a spur of the moment thing or something that had been picked up in video analysis in terms of how the Italians were defending free kicks?

I'll go for McLoughlin for the second one. To be honest it wasn't even the best goal in the game but the first touch to set up the shot was excellent. Interesting watching the whole YouTube clip to hear the relative disappointment in the voice of the commentator for McLoughlin's goal compared to his reaction for Jimmy Quinn's goal a few minutes earlier. He also didn't seem to think a fairly clear barge in the back by Nigel Worthington should have been given as a free kick in the build up either.

[tetsujin1979]

Whelan and McAteer

[osarusan]

Whelan over Hoolahan. Farther out, better strike, from maybe the last man on the pitch I'd have expected to do it.

McAteer over McLoughlin. Better build up play, super strike with the weaker foot.

[OwlsFan]

Whelan, Hoolahan, McLoughlin, McAteer

[pineapple stu]

Wait - what?

You can't vote for everyone OwlsFan! :)

[DeLorean]

Hoolahan/McLoughlin

[Fixer82]

Whelan
McAteer

[SkStu]

Wessi/McLoughlin

[nigel-harps1954]

Whelan/McAteer

[passinginterest]

Wes. Brilliant technique and a lovely run and setup from Coleman.

McLoughlin. I spent so many hours replicating this goal in the garden as a kid. Lovely control and strike. McAteer goal is similar to Wes in way but he has a lot more time to take it. The pressure on the McLoughlin goal tips it for me.

[DeLorean]

Interesting trend developing here! (hijacked slightly by Eirambler)

[pineapple stu]

Yeah, definitely two camps here!

Currently 5-4 to Glenn Whelan and to Alan McLoughlin. Tight ties both.

Next set up this evening, though this pairing will run till the morning of course.

[osarusan]

Yeah, definitely two camps here!

Currently 5-4 to Glenn Whelan and to Alan McLoughlin. Tight ties both.

Next set up this evening, though this pairing will run till the morning of course.
Could you leave open longer, see if you get more votes? There's no rush on it.

[pineapple stu]

Longer than the 24 hours? I can I guess. I'll put up the next tie this evening anyway? It seems to generate a bit more activity in and of itself.

[geysir]

Whelan - manged to make himself invisible in order to pull off the equivalent of the Italian Job.

McAteer, build up play was legendary, the Roy Keane of old, ref plays 2 advantages, the Finnan dribble, the accidental 'dummy header' and McAteer's side foot perfectly meeting the bouncing ball

[pineapple stu]

So I'll put the next pairings up tomorrow morning, and Gibbs it 48 hours per tie - means the last 16 all this week. See what difference it gives the votes. I don't mind either way - might help those who don't log on every day keep up though

[Stuttgart88]

Wes / Alan for me if voting is still open.

[geysir]

Where did you come from? Have you got your id?

[Kingdom]

Yeah, definitely two camps here!

Currently 5-4 to Glenn Whelan and to Alan McLoughlin. Tight ties both.

Next set up this evening, though this pairing will run till the morning of course.

I'll go for Wessi & McLoughlin

[pineapple stu]

So going to leave the first tie open till this time tomorrow. It's still very tight.

But the next two round of 16 matches are open for voting now. First up, two finals goals face off. Matt Holland N v Cameroon, 2002 and Ronnie Whelan N v USSR, 1988.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9pYT3KCYOc

[pineapple stu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3l5zUw8vGM

[pineapple stu]

And Matty Holland stays on stage for the next pairing - Matt Holland A v Portugal, 2000 and Darron Gibson H v Wales, 2011.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_9f5-6Bvc0

[pineapple stu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOKax_8dELY

[pineapple stu]

And just to confirm, still taking votes on -

Glenn Whelan H v Italy, 2009 v Wes Hoolahan N v Sweden, 2016 (Currently 6-6)
Jason McAteer H v Holland, 2001 v Alan McLoughlin A v Northern Ireland, 1993 (currently 5-7)

Reasons for your votes are encouraged! They just make it more interesting.

[jbyrne]

g whelan / mcateer
r whelan / holland (portugal)

[osarusan]

Whelan over Holland. Ok he shinned it, but acrobatic volleys into the top corner against a top quality keeper have to be rewarded.

Holland over Gibson. Tough one, but I'll go for a perfect strike with the outside of the boot rather than the inside of it.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Whelan - it has to be. It's too spectacular of a strike to ignore, even if Holland's goal should be appreciated just for the sheer pressure Ireland were under at the time.
Gibson - Similar goals, but I just find this one a bit more impressive, the way it just flies into the top corner. Makes me wonder about the scorer again: a real what might have been of a player, if he had been able to properly stake a place at Man Utd under Alex Ferguson.

[DeLorean]

Whelan over Holland (v Cameroon). No explanation needed really, just a far superior goal.
Holland (v Portugal) over Gibson. Similar enough standard of goal, but the importance of Holland's makes it the clear winner. It was so out of the blue as well when we appeared to be slumping to an inevitable defeat.

[Eirambler]

Ronnie Whelan over Matt Holland. Holland's was a tidy finish but Whelan's was different class.

Matt Holland over Darron Gibson. Very little between these two, both very similar goals so the greater importance of Holland's in a qualifier swings it for me.

[Kingdom]

Ronnie Whelan & Matt Holland

[SkStu]

Double Dutch.

Holland and Holland