Qatar v Republic of Ireland - Tuesday, 30th March 2021 - Friendly

[Bielsa´s irish]

I dont wanna play a friendly tomorrow, for pride, i want our players to get some bookings because they care, grab the game by the scruff of the neck kind of attitude we were very friendly vs serbia and lux, and thats one thing I dont like about Kenny we look very friendly and this is football

A heavy defeat and the manager could get sacked

Eire to win tomorrow

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

They are the worst team Ireland could play right now.
The are the highest ranking team (58th) that the general public think are brutal.
The reality is they are Asian Champions, beating South Korea and Japan.
They were a guest team at the Copa America and didn't disgrace themselves, drawing with Paraguay in the groups.
They have beaten the likes of Switzerland in friendlies.
And they are playing all three games this window in the same ground in Hungary.
No travel for them just training days.
I'll take a 1-0 win right now.

Ghana beat them 5-1 recently, South Korea beat them, they only had narrow wins against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan. Obviously they have improved greatly with their import of players but this all sounds like getting your excuses in early. We should be expecting to beat these. Prior to Kenny, we only lost 1 match since 2018, that was away to Switzerland. It's a sign of how bad Kenny's reign has been so far if we're talking up Qatar.

[sadloserkid]

If Jason Knight thinks that a result against Qatar tomorrow will "put things right" after Saturday then maybe his attitude isn't what I hoped.

[NeverFeltBetter]

They are the worst team Ireland could play right now.
The are the highest ranking team (58th) that the general public think are brutal.


Think that's a really good way of putting it.

A good summary here, if you can stand the ads: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/qatar-world-cup-2022-what-can-the-controversial-hosts-expect-to-achieve-on-the-pitch

So, it isn't just the money, the coach with roots in Barca's underage, the importation, it's the fact that they've been working for over a decade with this period as their exact goal. The Ghana result is a bit of an outlier I would say, and God knows there is enough data: they've played nearly 30 games in two years. People can't stick their heads in the sand and pretend Qatar are still the worthless minnows they were when they were awarded the World Cup. Are we really "talking up" a continental champion? Would we expect Ireland to easily beat Japan, Australia, South Korea or Iran with the same ease some think we should have accounting for Qatar?

Now, that doesn't mean I think Ireland should lose, all things being equal. A draw wouldn't surprise me there. But this is Stephen Kenny's Ireland, a few days after a tenure-defining loss that has the manager and the squad in serious question. It's nailed on for Qatar to get a positive result.

[Stuttgart88]

If Jason Knight thinks that a result against Qatar tomorrow will "put things right" after Saturday then maybe his attitude isn't what I hoped.What do you expect him to say?

[CraftyToePoke]

What do you expect him to say?

Something that demonstrates an understanding that nothing they do tonight will ever put right what happened V Luxembourg. And further still that nothing they do ever will achieve that. But that they will attempt to hockey Qatar and in doing so offer some tiny crumb of hope that that the present regime and all its contents aren't entirely unfit for purpose.

Anything that doesn't equate a WCQ loss at home to Luxembourg with a friendly with Qatar really would be nice.

[Stuttgart88]

I think you can micro analyse what a 20 year old says. Do you really think for a minute a result against Qatar will mean any of them thinks Luxembourg is suddenly forgotten about? I just think it was a stupid thing to pick up on that comment. I'd prefer to focus on the rest of what he said which was that it's time for the kids to man up and get used to being international footballers.

[CraftyToePoke]

I think stupid is a strong word. And unnecessary.

What Knight said, now that was stupid in the current climate, whatever else he said.

[backstothewall]

I liked what Knight had to say. He was also fullsome and enthusiastic about his backing for Kenny, in a way that was above and beyond the usual clichés trotted out in these situations.

Wayne Rooney has already put the armband on him for Derby at 20 years old, and I can see him having the right character to follow Coleman as captain of Ireland.

[Stuttgart88]

This is what he said:

"Us young lads coming through need to step up now. This is the international stage and you're here for a reason so it's down to us to ultimately perform and perform when we are asked to.

It was really disappointing after the game on Saturday, a really really bad result against Luxembourg ultimately but we're looking forward to the game against Qatar tomorrow, and trying to put things right. There's a real energy to do that; you can sense it from around the group."

So if he had said "trying to improve things" would anyone have batted an eyelid? It's a real stretch of the imagination to equate what he actually said with earning redemption after Luxembourg. It's not advanced English literature where you're trying to assess hidden meaning and nuances. The boy said all the right things and picking on that part of what he said was, well, I've said it already...

[sadloserkid]

Anything that doesn't equate a WCQ loss at home to Luxembourg with a friendly with Qatar really would be nice.

This, in a nutshell, is exactly what I'd like.


I just think it was a stupid thing to pick up on that comment.

And I think it's stupid to overlook an insipid, blase comment to preserve whatever glorified notion of a player's mentality you hope is there. It was a direct quote FFS, there's no microanalysis or reading between the lines there.

[Stuttgart88]

Do you think that Knight really believes a result against Qatar will offer full redemption for the loss? I don't.

What is stupid is for us to be arguing over it - because as you say it was a blasé comment!

[Diggs246]

Ghana beat them 5-1 recently, South Korea beat them, they only had narrow wins against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan. Obviously they have improved greatly with their import of players but this all sounds like getting your excuses in early. We should be expecting to beat these. Prior to Kenny, we only lost 1 match since 2018, that was away to Switzerland. It's a sign of how bad Kenny's reign has been so far if we're talking up Qatar.

Agreed. Nobody afaik was saying that qatar would beat us before the lux game

[backstothewall]

And I think it's stupid to overlook an insipid, blase comment to preserve whatever glorified notion of a player's mentality you hope is there. It was a direct quote FFS, there's no microanalysis or reading between the lines there.

You're right in saying that it's not reading between the lines. It's failing to read between the lines.

When it's the Taoiseach I think it's fair enough to take every word completely literally, but he's a 20 year old kid who plays football for a living. The broad strokes of what he was saying are exactly what we would want to hear.

People (including me above) complain that all footballers do is speak in tired clichés, but is that any surprise when the second somebody actually speaks honestly about the game, there's a bunch of people waiting to do their best version of Vincent Browne with it?

[DeLorean]

This is what he said:

"Us young lads coming through need to step up now. This is the international stage and you're here for a reason so it's down to us to ultimately perform and perform when we are asked to.

It was really disappointing after the game on Saturday, a really really bad result against Luxembourg ultimately but we're looking forward to the game against Qatar tomorrow, and trying to put things right. There's a real energy to do that; you can sense it from around the group."

I just take that to mean they're going to try to put things right, starting with the Qatar match. Nothing to see here.

[zero]

I expect a 0-0 tonight and a narrative that we are improving and should have won the game to be persued.

[Eminence Grise]

I don’t see the snippet as Crafty does – that it lacks awareness of the need for redemption. What twenty year old would have that level of insight? (My thinking as a twenty year old was far more about carrying on with the sins I enjoyed than redemption!!) I read it as trying to put right the things starting with Qatar that they’ve practiced in training, the mentality, the application and so on. Maybe asked today he’d say ‘get’ instead of ‘put’ or ‘put things to rights’ but are we really so uptight about the team* that we need to do a discourse analysis or gobbet reading of every off the cuff subordinate clause said by a young lad with very little media experience?

He’s a footballer, not the chair of a university debating soc. Or Jen Psaki’s understudy. It’s a loose sentence that probably needs better punctuation for clarity. Personally, I’d put a full stop after ‘ultimately’, because there’s a natural break there between looking back on Luxembourg and forward to Qatar which is important for context.

*Actually, we probably are. Nothing a few wins won’t improve. And getting our lives back after Covid.

[Real ale Madrid]

I'll go with a 1-0 win for us tonight with the goal scorer to be forever known going forward as the Qatar Hero.

[passinginterest]

We'll probably lose 6-0 I'm giving up on optimism in an effort to stem the tide!

Remaining squad as far as I know;
Goalkeepers: Mark Travers, Gavin Bazunu, Kieran O'Hara

Defenders: Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy, Ciaran Clark, Dara O'Shea, Ryan Manning, Cyrus Christie, Darragh Lenihan

Midfielders: Alan Browne, Jeff Hendrick, Jayson Molumby, Jason Knight, Josh Cullen, Conor Coventry, Robbie Brady, James McClean, Daryl Horgan, Ronan Curtis

Strikers: Callum Robinson, Shane Long, James Collins, Troy Parrott

Likely team? I'd start Bazunu again. Maybe give one of the others the last half hour.

At the back;
Coleman - Duffy - Lenihan - Manning

In the middle, I think it'll be a start for Hendrick with either him or Knight holding, neither of which I'm keen on, but doubt Coventry starts and Cullen looks wrecked.
So likely;
Knight, Hendrick, Brady (maybe Molumby)

Up front;
Curtis - Parrott - Horgan (or McClean if he's fit enough).

Squad players probably all deserve a chance to get a run. Maybe Long will start over Parrott. It'll be telling if he again leaves the senior players out in favour of the youngsters and we see Coventry, Molumby, Knight in the middle and none of Hendrick, Brady, McClean or Long get a start.

At this stage I'm not sure how much the result matters, other than a win gets the monkey off Kenny's back. Those who want Kenny gone and those who want him to stay are pretty much decided regardless (unless we do actually lose 6-0 I suppose). If he doubles down on leaving out the senior players it'll be a huge statement and it will be interesting to see how many suddenly aren't available for selection for the summer and autumn games if that happens.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Surely we will see a bit of fight tonight and a bounce back from the embarrassment against Luxembourg. The players having some pride in themselves alone should ensure that. When we lost to Cyprus under Staunton, we put in a much better display a few days later against the Czech Republic. So I think we'll see a spirited display tonight.

I was going to try to make a positive post but I've just heard Kenny interviewed and I'm infuriated. 'Some of our play has been nothing short of brilliant.' He actually said that and then listed off some excuses. When are the excuses going to end? It's 10 games in now, McCarthy only had 10 games, Staunton had 17. It's time to see some sort of progress on the pitch, some signs that Kenny is capable at this level. End the excuses and go win a ****ing game!!!!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!!!!

[passinginterest]

Surely we will see a bit of fight tonight and a bounce back from the embarrassment against Luxembourg. The players having some pride in themselves alone should ensure that. When we lost to Cyprus under Staunton, we put in a much better display a few days later against the Czech Republic. So I think we'll see a spirited display tonight.

I was going to try to make a positive post but I've just heard Kenny interviewed and I'm infuriated. 'Some of our play has been nothing short of brilliant.' He actually said that and then listed off some excuses. When are the excuses going to end? It's 10 games in now, McCarthy only had 10 games, Staunton had 17. It's time to see some sort of progress on the pitch, some signs that Kenny is capable at this level. End the excuses and go win a ****ing game!!!!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!!!!

You could certainly argue the first goal against Serbia was a result of some brilliant play, ok it's been flashes but he's not completely wrong. He has to try and find positives from somewhere and something to build on. I'm not a big fan of making excuses but I'm not sure there's a lot else he can do or say at the moment.

[Fixer82]

Is Arter injured?

[John83]

Is Arter injured?
Yes. https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/harry-arter-is-latest-ireland-injury-concern-as-forest-comeback-lasts-just-23-minutes-40205096.html

[Olé Olé]

https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1376947831836184582/photo/1

Bazunu, Coleman, Duffy, O'Shea, Christie, Brady, Hendrick, Molumby, Horgan, Long, McClean

That's the team of a man feeling pressure.

[centre mid]

Bazunu
Coleman, O Shea, Duffy, Christie
Hirgan, Hendrick, Brady, McClean
Molumby
Long

Not really sure of the formation tbh

Thought Parrott might have started.

[John83]

That's the team of a man feeling pressure.
It's swapping out most of the tired players too. Only O'Shea and Coleman are likely feeling leggy, and he's low on full backs anyway.

Good to see more game time for Bazunu, O'Shea, and Molumby. The latter especially will have something to prove after Liam Brady's comments following the Serbia match.

[Razors left peg]

Last hurrah for some of the older players, of go out an prove otherwise?

[pineapple stu]

I was worried we'd end up with a team like this alright. This could be a long evening. Hopefully Qatar are ringing the changes too...

[gally]

Possibly 4.2.3.1, his go to formation with the under 21s.

Bazunu
Coleman, O Shea, Duffy, Christie
Hendrick, Molumby
Horgan, Brady, McClean
Long

[Diggs246]

We lose 2-1

[Insidetherock]

Sure if we lose he gets torn asunder for being useless.. and if he wins we get torn asunder for not playing this team Saturday night

[Bungle]

Very disappointed with that team.

Wanted more of the younger lads to get more gametime rather than turn to mediocre players who haven't performed for years. For all the so called bull**** "project" talk, he is going short term here with a team that he hopes will grab a win rather than giving the actual future in players like Parrott and Knight game time and more experience.

[Razors left peg]

I was worried we'd end up with a team like this alright. This could be a long evening. Hopefully Qatar are ringing the changes too...

Well its up to the likes of Hendrick and Brady to prove they have a roll to play going forward now

[TonyD]

Sure if we lose he gets torn asunder for being useless.. and if he wins we get torn asunder for not playing this team Saturday night

That’s it. A no win situation really. Hopefully we do get the win though.

[pineapple stu]

What a great start. Not just the goal, but the whole start has been very positive.

[centre mid]

Really good start, great intensity and well worked goal

[osarusan]

Great start! Duffy absolutely flattening two Qataris to ensure McClean had a clear shot.

[pineapple stu]

And that is why Bazunu is at Rochdale...

Even if it was way outside the box FFS.

[centre mid]

Thata a mile outside the box FFS

[pineapple stu]

Fair dues to the ref there correcting himself at least.

[shakermaker1982]

Thank God for the linesman.

[sbgawa]

And that is why Bazunu is at Rochdale...

Even if it was way outside the box FFS.

Conceded a free kick outside his area when 1 on 1 ?? bit harsh
great save subsequently

[shakermaker1982]

I didn’t expect Coleman at CB, Christie at RB & O’Shea at LB.

* or are we playing with WB?!

[pineapple stu]

Conceded a free kick outside his area when 1 on 1 ?? bit harsh
great save subsequently
that wasn't a one-on-one. That was a complete rush of blood; he had no business coming for that ball. Similar thing in the Luxembourg game as well.

Absolutely the kind of thing that typifies a lower keeper. (Yes, he's 19 and has huge potential, but that's for the future)

[osarusan]

With Bazunu, and Travers before that, I wonder if they are trying too hard, in an effort to claim the GK position that is up for grabs.

[tetsujin1979]

We're looking outnumbered in midfield. One of the criticisms of Kenny so far has been that he's slow to adapt in a game, let's see if he can do something about that in the remaining time

[Insidetherock]

ffs Long could have stopped that and picked his spot, there was no one within a mile of him

[zero]

how close is this to qatar's strongest side, does anyone know?

[pineapple stu]

Luxembourg 1-0 Portugal :eek:

[centre mid]

Struggling to retain possession up top a bit now. We're droping a bit deep.