Republic of Ireland V Luxembourg - Saturday, 27th March 2021 - World Cup Qualifier

[BonnieShels]

Shocking result, it is the worst in my living memory. And poor performance. Luxembourg were a bad team by anyone’s standards (except ours).

But as I’ve said before, I’ve already written off 2022 World Cup hopes. We have the worst squad since the early 1980s. We have no money. I’m still happy to give Kenny until 2024 to try to develop things. The rest of the campaign can be spent developing the squad. Goodbye to Brady, Randolph, Long, and Clark (has never lost the clumsy and rash attributes that plagued his English under 19 career). Time to blood in the youngsters and see who make it.

I would have to agree. I never expected us to go to Qatar and I was always hopeful that we'd develop further, but the incessant calls for his head since the Slovakia game are now in the "I told you so" phase.

It's hard to defend that tonight, but to think that we were qualifying bit for that result is madness.

[seanfhear]

Shocking result, it is the worst in my living memory. And poor performance. Luxembourg were a bad team by anyone’s standards (except ours).

But as I’ve said before, I’ve already written off 2022 World Cup hopes. We have the worst squad since the early 1980s. We have no money. I’m still happy to give Kenny until 2024 to try to develop things. The rest of the campaign can be spent developing the squad. Goodbye to Brady, Randolph, Long, and Clark (has never lost the clumsy and rash attributes that plagued his English under 19 career). Time to blood in the youngsters and see who make it.
Something about Clark that absolutely amazes me is that he has never worked on his upper body physique. I doubt there is many slighter Centre Backs at any of the two top divisions in England or many at international level. You’d think his different clubs would have made him work on this !

[seanfhear]

The squad of the early 80s was our best ever IMO, better that the team Jack inherited a few years later
We has some right god players in their prime at that time.

[Bungle]

People talking about experienced players. The likes of Shane Long, McClean and Robbie Brady have been letting us down for years. They didn't make any great difference when they came on.

Kenny had the luxury of a play off game in Slovakia and a whole Nations League campaign to bed himself in. Very few managers get that. I see next to nothing that impresses me about him. Possibly the only thing is that we aren't belting it upfield at every opportunity, but if that's the height of our ambition we are in big trouble. Nice to see some young lads play tonight I suppose.

We got rid of a seasoned and good manager in Mick who didn't even get the opportunity to see the Slovakia game through. An insult to a great pro for us as a player and a guy who managed our last good team bar a few years under Trap. Kenny is completely out of his depth. You can see the difference between a properly managed team in Luxemburg and us tonight.

We can't get any lower than this. Kenny should just play the kids. It might buy him some goodwill and at the very least it gets us more prepared for the future.

[Paddy Garcia]

I thought we did ok actually.

We were up against a team with a better set up, clearer structure and better managed.

[jbyrne]

We're going to be playing hoofball forever. It's all we're good for.

its not. there is a halfway house that suits us best.
its cloud cuckoo land to think we can out football most teams we play with the players we have

[placid casual]

It has to be said, this is in Kennys nature. He done this in Dunfermline, Rovers and now Ireland. He has perfected the dead man walking routine it seems
What he shows is the dundalk job was an anomaly on his cv and not the norm.

[NeverFeltBetter]

The issue is that in 11 games things aren't really improving at all. Yes COVID, yes injuries, but the team looks as incapable offensively as they did when Kenny started. Some fighting defeats are as good as it has gotten.

[Calcio Jack]

He’s a joke now - having held two biggest jobs in Irish football as usual Kenny fails - he’s just not able to deal with the pressure - embarrassing ; on a personal level feel sorry for him and his family, going to be hard to live with that - hopefully he’ll do the decent thing and resign and not boring us with some post match drivel in his usual inconhetent way

[Paddy Garcia]

Is there X LOI manager can do to draw criticism from the faithful?

I thought Stan was poor - but this is even worse.

[patric]

I thought we did well to hold them to a single goal.

[brine3]

You think the reason we lost to Luxembourg at home was because we didn't have Jeff on? Really?

Well apparently he was at fault for everything that went wrong in the past five years.

[brine3]

Is there X LOI manager can do to draw criticism from the faithful?

I thought Stan was poor - but this is even worse.

To be fair Luxembourg didn't score five.

[Bungle]

Shocking result, it is the worst in my living memory. And poor performance. Luxembourg were a bad team by anyone’s standards (except ours).

But as I’ve said before, I’ve already written off 2022 World Cup hopes. We have the worst squad since the early 1980s. We have no money. I’m still happy to give Kenny until 2024 to try to develop things. The rest of the campaign can be spent developing the squad. Goodbye to Brady, Randolph, Long, and Clark (has never lost the clumsy and rash attributes that plagued his English under 19 career). Time to blood in the youngsters and see who make it.

Whelan and Lawrenson were stalwarts in one of the best club sides of all time. Both world class players Brady was world class. O'Leary and Stapleton top class players. Moran a very good defender. Not sure if the era you refer to would include Beglin and McGrath, as they more came in the mid 80s. Packie was around as well. So much quality.

Now, we have a few very talented kids. I really like Bazunu, Knight and O'Shea. I like Cullen. Coleman still a very good player and a really great servant. Then a load of lads who have been living on Euro 2016 for years. McClean has great spirit but is a horribly limited player.

The two eras are chalk and cheese.

[passinginterest]

A big disappointment for me is the fact we stuck with a version of 3-5-2 all the way. I thought before the game it’d be better suited to 4-3-3, but could understand sticking with the 3-5-2 after Serbia. But at times it looked like we were crying out for 3 up top. Collins and Robinson never really linked, they were on opposite wings half the time with no one in the middle. At least when we’re struggling to create the extra body pressing possibly helps create.

I want to find positives but it’s so hard. I think whether Kenny stays on or not is all down to the players. I hope he’d walk away if the players don’t want to play for him. There’s no way the FAI can afford to sack him, and what would we get instead? Maybe an unproven modern coach who’s a number 2 somewhere? Or an old journey man from somewhere who brings back the hit and hope? Depressing is all that can be said.

[Philly]

Seeing a lot of defending Kenny, which I get. But his job tonight was to get a result, then after that hopefully progress the team. We never really controlled the game and created very few chances. It's just not excusable.

[pineapple stu]

The issue is that in 11 games things aren't really improving at all. Yes COVID, yes injuries, but the team looks as incapable offensively as they did when Kenny started. Some fighting defeats are as good as it has gotten.
I thought Serbia was an improvement, albeit that two goals flattered us because we really only had two chances and took them both.

But yeah, tonight was back to the dregs of the Nations League. It's really hard to know where things are going. I don't think I've been as deflated after a game before. The loss is bad, but we deserved it is worse...

[John83]

Is there X LOI manager can do to draw criticism from the faithful?

I thought Stan was poor - but this is even worse.
I just read the past few pages. Who's defending him exactly?

Hell, I said before Wednesday's game that a loss to Serbia and a draw with Luxembourg would be about par right now, to someone's disgust. Serbia didn't surprise me at all, and the goals were welcome, but tonight was very, very disappointing. I don't think we'll sack Kenny for financial reasons. He might resign. I'd be happy enough with that.

[shakermaker1982]

Interesting to see what the media do over the next 48 hours.

I don’t think you can stay on after that. I thought the last 12 months was ***** but tonight has got to be the last straw.

The criticism should also be aimed at the players. Bar the keeper tonight (well done Buzunu - had no chance with the goal), the rest have cost the manager his job.

[Trequartista20]

Kenny needs to go. And his demise will be imminent. He simply isn't qualified for the role.

Another appalling legacy of the corrupt Delaney regime.

Nauseating to think of the big pay-off he will receive.

[tetsujin1979]

The 5-2 loss in Cyprus will always be the worst result in Irish football history IMO, but this loss is the worst home result.

[brine3]

Interesting to see what the media do over the next 48 hours.

I don’t think you can stay on after that. I thought the last 12 months was ***** but tonight has got to be the last straw.

The criticism should also be aimed at the players. Bar the keeper tonight (well done Buzunu - had no chance with the goal), the rest have cost the manager his job.

The main problem I actually have with Kenny is how uninspiring he comes across in interviews and pressers. He'd nearly put you to sleep. Not that interviews and pressers are important, but what I am saying is it doesn't make you think he's inspiring the players in the dressing room. Stan had a similar manner.

All other managers of the past 30 years, Charlton, Mick, Kerr, O'Neill, Trap, no matter what you thought of their tactics, selection, or philosophy... at least they had a bit of fire in their character.

[the 12 th man]

Kenny's like a rabbit caught in headlights in the post match interview.

[tetsujin1979]

Kenny's like a rabbit caught in headlights in the post match interview.
He's never been convincing in interviews, but he's really bad here, falling over his words, repeating himself, and Kenny Cunningham would be proud of the amount of time he's said "y'know"

[zero]

total silence from the pro Kenny group. hardly a surprise.

blessed are the meek.

[Trequartista20]

The 5-2 loss in Cyprus will always be the worst result in Irish football history IMO, but this loss is the worst home result.

Debatably. And probably not for long if the wholly unqualified Kenny Remains at the helm.

Cyprus is certainly our worst away defeat.

[sbgawa]

Tony went easyon him.
He should have said
Stephen we have just lost at home to lux , will you resign

[seanfhear]

Maybe Molumby wasn’t that bad the last day after all ? ?

[boovidge]

At least so far nobody's claimed that we dominated the match and would have won with another goalkeeper

[shakermaker1982]

That was a hard watch with Kenny on Sky Sports. I felt really sorry for him.

Pity he couldn’t send Keith Andrews out. He’s had plenty to say about Irish managers in the past. This management malarkey ain’t so easy Keith.

[pineapple stu]

Interesting little factoid - there was only one player on the pitch who played in this year's CL group stages. And he scored.

Whatever about Kenny, that really hints at where our squad is right now.

[Trequartista20]

Were Mick not a committed Ireland supporter, he'd be laughing his socks off at his incompetent successor.

Just look at how well he's doing with Cardiff.

How close would the enthusiastic amateur, Kenny, get to a Championship job? (Rhetorical question).

Indeed is there any team within the English football pyramid who would do so much as grant Kenny an interview?

[Olé Olé]

total silence from the pro Kenny group. hardly a surprise.

blessed are the meek.

Are you enjoying this?

[jbyrne]

i think we could finish last in this group. cant see us winning a single match.

[pineapple stu]

i think we could finish last in this group. cant see us winning a single match.
Was just saying that on the Zoom beers.

Depressing thought. Luxembourg are fourth seeds, but they're the weakest ones, and Azerbaijan are a strong fifth seed and in reality the two are around the same strength.

[Paddy Garcia]

I just read the past few pages. Who's defending him exactly?

Hell, I said before Wednesday's game that a loss to Serbia and a draw with Luxembourg would be about par right now, to someone's disgust. Serbia didn't surprise me at all, and the goals were welcome, but tonight was very, very disappointing. I don't think we'll sack Kenny for financial reasons. He might resign. I'd be happy enough with that.

Any criticism over the past year has been dismissed and the critics labelled as either hoof ball fanatics, anti LOI or just ignorant and impatient. Reasoned debate has been quashed.

Not aimed at you - its been a tone encouraged by the media & FAI & many fans - almost something Delaney about it, in so far as he is beyond reproach.

[Bottle of Tonic]

Ok, what a shjtshow. Should SK stay to save money and develop players etc or should FAI get some merchant in to maximise results in the short term and arrest decline?

The key to that question is answering where our rock bottom is? We have no god given right to be 2nd or 3rd seeds in group qualifying. Could we spiral to a level of 3rd/4th seeds and hope of major tournament qualification be as remote as ever? How bad does anyone know do our results have to be before we drop to the tier of Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova etc???

If a drop to that level is imminent, then sorry you hire a Big Sam horses for courses merchant and arrest decline. Not talk about developing young lads as if international football is a project with a safety net and no long term negative outcomes.

I really wanted SK project to succeed. REALLY wanted it. But sorry, its gone.

Next step is huge. If SK can develop the squad without threat of us plummeting through the seedings then, provided players are on board, I'm happy. If any of that is at risk..... Adios

[Paddy Garcia]

Josh Cullen is interesting, I think one of the few positives over the recent games.

On his debut he was MOM aganist Bulagaria - I assume Kenny noted this? However under Kenny he did not get picked for the team to play against Bulgaria (maybe he did not even make the initial squad- not sure) - he is frankly only there now due to injuries.

I'm not sure Kenny knows what he is doing.

[pineapple stu]

Could we spiral to a level of 3rd/4th seeds and hope of major tournament qualification be as remote as ever?
Well we are third seeds now.

And yeah, there's absolutely no reason we can't drop to fourth seeds, for sure. The problems in the Irish game are massive. We completely ignored the impact of the Premier League when it came in and as it's globalised, we've still thought we can rely on it for player development. We now have effectively no functioning professional league, we have fewer players than ever going to England, we have fewer opportunities than ever for full-time football here. The whole domestic game is a ****show and we actually deserve to be going to way we're going overall.

It's tough on those of us who do support the local game and so on, but ultimately the bigger picture is that we've been building up to this situation for 20 years. It'll take more than a change in manager to fix things (which isn't to say that's not needed)

[brine3]

Ok, what a shjtshow. Should SK stay to save money and develop players etc or should FAI get some merchant in to maximise results in the short term and arrest decline?

The key to that question is answering where our rock bottom is? We have no god given right to be 2nd or 3rd seeds in group qualifying. Could we spiral to a level of 3rd/4th seeds and hope of major tournament qualification be as remote as ever? How bad does anyone know do our results have to be before we drop to the tier of Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova etc???

If a drop to that level is imminent, then sorry you hire a Big Sam horses for courses merchant and arrest decline. Not talk about developing young lads as if international football is a project with a safety net and no long term negative outcomes.

I really wanted SK project to succeed. REALLY wanted it. But sorry, its gone.

Next step is huge. If SK can develop the squad without threat of us plummeting through the seedings then, provided players are on board, I'm happy. If any of that is at risk..... Adios

It's this type of binary thinking that got us where we are today.

Play teenagers, doesn't work out, hire a Big Sam type, impossible to watch, play teenagers, doesn't work out.

Meanwhile every other country with our quality of player manages to find a middle ground where they blend experience with youth, and blend decent football with realism.

I had hoped Kenny had a bit of realism about him. He doesn't. He's a dreamer. That doesn't mean the answer is Big Sam or Mick.

[da bishop]

We need to lose the McCarthy love fest and move on ,his last campaign was hardly a resounding success saved only by a centre half heading in a few setpiece goals coupled with hoofing the football anywhere from our last third of the pitch and a few glorious victories over Gibralter.Now Kenny has a list of unfortunate excuses for results up to tonight but tonight it was a disaster especially second half and toothless both on the pitch and his decision making off it.He needs to be left at it now ,bring in the kids and see can he produce over time, its not as if we are blessed with quality,all our so called established players are not regulars at their clubs and are injury prone.

[lofty9]

We were terrible, no runners from midfield beyond Collins. We failed to get Robinson in the game. Our brighter moments in the pocket all happened in the first half when Browne got into that space and fluffed his feet everytime. Stevens had an absolute stinker as a wing back. Brady, McClean and Long are finished. There was two occasions in the 2nd half in which our players could've put a simple ball through to Robinson after a great run and he'd have been through but they played the ball out wide instead. Players need to be more clinical in the very few opportunities that come up.

Lux have been building for this for three years, we are unfortunately having to dig new foundations of a new house now. They were fortunate though as I thought their Captian should've had a 2md yellow.

Where do we go now? Gotta hope Brexit sends our youth to Europe and they develop as players there rather than in lower levels in England.

[Neish]

Was a big supporter of Kenny, but tonight was awful players need to take a big share of the blame but Kenny just seemed clueless on the sidelines and unwilling to adapt. And perhaps not important but he always seems so uncomfortable in the post and pre game interviews

[mark12345]

total silence from the pro Kenny group. hardly a surprise.

blessed are the meek.

Stan, Mick (twice), Trap, O'Neill and Keane and now Kenny. Won't be long until we have 11 managers to blame instead of 11 players.

[tetsujin1979]

I posted in a WhatsApp group earlier that a loss would be bigger than just the international side, it's a kick in the teeth for the LOI. Kenny was pushed as the best manager the league had produced, his Dundalk side played the best football, and were the first side to earn a point in the group stages of European club football, but he's clearly not up to management at international level.

I did note at the time of his appointment that there were a few similarities with Brian Kerr's appointment - both came from a League of Ireland background, had a reputation for attention to detail, working with young players, and getting the best out of limited players, coincidentally both also replaced Mick McCarthy. And both were shown to be out of their depth at this level. Kerr had the strongest pool of players available to to an Irish manager since the late 80's, and underachieved massively with them. Kenny has a much weaker set of players to work with but is unable to produce anything with them. Right now he has many clean sheets as goals in his ten games in charge, His team have led their opposition for 22 of the 900 minutes in his reign.

As others posted in the build up to the game, Luxembourg are not the pushovers of old, have improved in recent years, and have players playing around Europe, including one with Champions League experience this season - the goalscorer.
They've also kept 2 clean sheets in their last 20 games before tonight. We had three shots on target.

The 5-2 loss in Cyprus ended qualification for the 2008 European Championships. The loss tonight has ended qualification for the World Cup in Qatar next year.
The 5-2 loss in Cyprus was the beginning of the end for Steve Staunton's time in charge - it dragged on for another year before a draw against the same opposition ended it.
The loss tonight is the beginning of the end of Kenny's reign.

Brian Kerr's contract was not renewed by the FAI when it expired at the end of 2005, it took 15 years before another manager with League of Ireland experience took charge of the national side. It might be longer than that before the next one does.

[mark12345]

The players were awful tonight in the sense that they looked like they didn't even know the objective was to put the ball in the opposition net. We had mountains of possession but absolutely no imagination in the final third. Lux didn't deserve to win but neither did we insofar as we couldn't score in an empty net these days. That fact has not changed over the last several years. Not Kenny's fault. But he will probably get the axe because of it.

[Kingdom]

total silence from the pro Kenny group. hardly a surprise.

blessed are the meek.

I guess I'm one of those that's aimed at. Still here, just trying to take it all in. It says a lot that wanting football to win out, gets you pigeon-holed, as if Ireland losing to Luxembourg doesn't hurt "us" too. But it does, don't worry.
And it's nearly 2a,m. Back tomorrow sweetie.

[Colbert Report]

I posted in a WhatsApp group earlier that a loss would be bigger than just the international side, it's a kick in the teeth for the LOI. Kenny was pushed as the best manager the league had produced, his Dundalk side played the best football, and were the first side to earn a point in the group stages of European club football, but he's clearly not up to management at international level.

I did note at the time of his appointment that there were a few similarities with Brian Kerr's appointment - both came from a League of Ireland background, had a reputation for attention to detail, working with young players, and getting the best out of limited players, coincidentally both also replaced Mick McCarthy. And both were shown to be out of their depth at this level. Kerr had the strongest pool of players available to to an Irish manager since the late 80's, and underachieved massively with them. Kenny has a much weaker set of players to work with but is unable to produce anything with them. Right now he has many clean sheets as goals in his ten games in charge, His team have led their opposition for 22 of the 900 minutes in his reign.

As others posted in the build up to the game, Luxembourg are not the pushovers of old, have improved in recent years, and have players playing around Europe, including one with Champions League experience this season - the goalscorer.
They've also kept 2 clean sheets in their last 20 games before tonight. We had three shots on target.

The 5-2 loss in Cyprus ended qualification for the 2008 European Championships. The loss tonight has ended qualification for the World Cup in Qatar next year.
The 5-2 loss in Cyprus was the beginning of the end for Steve Staunton's time in charge - it dragged on for another year before a draw against the same opposition at him ended it.
The loss tonight is the beginning of the end of Kenny's reign.

Brian Kerr's contract was not renewed by the FAI when it expired at the end of 2005, it took 15 years before another manager with League of Ireland experience took charge of the national side. It might be longer than that before the next one does.

I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. I thought Kerr did well with Ireland, played good football, and if not for that Israeli goalkeeper, we would have been qualified before the Switzerland match.

[Trequartista20]

Failing an immediate change of management, Ireland are well on course to finish bottom of the group and are, with little doubt, amongst the very worse sides in Europe right now.

[bennocelt]

I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. I thought Kerr did well with Ireland, played good football, and if not for that Israeli goalkeeper, we would have been qualified before the Switzerland match.

His crazy substitutions having no influence in the game at all............ tut tut