Greece V Republic of Ireland - Friday, 16th June 2023 - Euro 2024 Qualifier

[passinginterest]

Collins, that’s two or three times now, way too lackadaisical. Agree that Doherty is not helping. I think the problems are mostly about where Smallbone is supposed to be covering.

Agree re Smallbone. For all his quality on the ball his defensive play is not as disciplined and with Doherty off the pace and getting caught in no man’s land it’s a big weakness that the Greeks are exploiting.

[pineapple stu]

Our defence is an accident waiting to happen it feels

[NeverFeltBetter]

The back line is really struggling. I'm not sure what the issue is but they look disorganized and nervous.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Maybe a bit too confident from Ferguson...

[pineapple stu]

Anyone other than Ferguson should have been subbed off immediately for that effort!

[SkStu]

Agree re Smallbone. For all his quality on the ball his defensive play is not as disciplined and with Doherty off the pace and getting caught in no man’s land it’s a big weakness that the Greeks are exploiting.

There’s an example about 35/36 mins in where Smallbone was on top of Lenihan on the left but I assume is supposed to be covering that right side channel. They worked it quickly back right into massive space. He’s all over the place and exposing Doherty and the rest of the back line.

[passinginterest]

As much as I thought there was potential in the front two, it’s probably contributing to the issues closing down the Greeks out wide. Maybe Knight for Idah and have him and Smallbone close those channels more with just Ferguson through the middle.

[pineapple stu]

Idah's been really poor

Smallbone is the main positive here I think. But overall this feels more how I expected the France game to go

Not the only one mind. We're giving the ball away far too easily. If we do draw this, it'll be a really bad performance and not a positive for Kenny

[placid casual]

Idah is just filling a shirt out there, no more. Bring in ogbene who will at least do his defensive work as well as put the opposition under pressure. Idah is just like parrot, an Irish striker who has managed to pave out a great living for himself in english football but has no real burning desire to be anyway successful.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Greece giving us more problems than France...

Bazunu good, Ferguson good. A few others are OK, but the back line and Idah are a disaster. It's been poor overall, Ireland are letting Greece dictate everything.

This is a huge half-time for Kenny. He's got to send them out better organized and ready to go for the win.

[Calcio Jack]

Aside from the defence being loose , Kenny seems to have set the midfield up to play as a non midfield I.e. shambles , clueless and useless …. And yet it’s 1-1

[Crosby87]

Tsikas or whatever his name is is just shredding us

[joey B]

In general that was awful,that we’re level is the only positive,hopefully a big improvement in the second half….

[Colbert Report]

We should have been down 3-0 in the first ten minutes.

[pineapple stu]

Idah is just like parrot, an Irish striker who has managed to pave out a great living for himself in english football but has no real burning desire to be anyway successful.
I think that's harsh. I've said before on here that Idah is like Conor Sammon. His work rate is superb and it brings him up to a level where he's still not really good enough

It's why Cannon was such a big loss. We're desperate for options (plural!) up front

[shakermaker1982]

Midfield is non existent.

I think it’s time for a formation change. Kenny needs to do something….

[texidub]

Definite traces of end of season sleepiness. Great to get a goal back quickly, but they need to bolster midfield. Bazunu brilliant.

[Crosby87]

Yeah it was always an uphill swim for Sammon.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I really wish there was a world where Bazunu would get a chance at a big club, one where he wouldn't be constantly left exposed by the 3/4 in front of him.

[mark12345]

Don't know. But has anyone else seen the laser on the faces of Irish players and the ref?

[ontheotherhand]

Should be 3 or 4 down if not for Bazunu.

Everyone else bar maybe Ferguson is having a really bad night. Really bad decision making and passing from everyone. Cullen's worst half of football for Ireland. Can't pass the ball.

And yet we are 1-1....and we can only play better than that.

I'd get Knight on for Idah and try to get a better hold of the midfield. Let Smallbone focus on getting forward and let Knight do the defensive work he isn't doing well.

[mark12345]

They also need to put a man marker on Liverpool left back. That would stop an awful lot of the Greek attacks

[geysir]

The big problem is not at the back, it’s the old bogey - midfield.

[mark12345]

Mikey Johnston needs bringing on for the second half

[pineapple stu]

Should be 3 or 4 down if not for Bazunu.
He's made one good save and the rest has been routine? Or am I missing something?

An improvement on club form, for sure, but...

[pineapple stu]

Halftime stats off Livescore - 14 shots to 2. 9 corners to 2. 60-40% possession.

Greece have some nice one-touch stuff on the edge of the box but their finishing has been really poor. I hope they don't have an option on the bench that could change that

[texidub]

Positive substitution brining Johnston on.

[Crosby87]

Idah out

[Crosby87]

Doherty is terrible

[Crosby87]

Yuck.

[joey B]

Woefully bad that,deary me…

[pineapple stu]

That's a super goal - though how do you get that much space in the box?

[SkStu]

That was way too easy. FFS

[NeverFeltBetter]

A beautiful goal, but humiliating for Johnston.

[ontheotherhand]

That's a super goal - though how do you get that much space in the box?

The defenders give it to you.

[Crosby87]

Lets be honest. Except for brief moments we are really, really bad.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Probably time for Smallbone. Not sure what McClean will offer, but why not

[Crosby87]

His 99th cap

[pineapple stu]

Probably time for Smallbone. Not sure what McClean will offer, but why not

I was wondering before the game what to do with McClean if we're chasing the game but you still want him to captain the team on Monday on his 100th cap


We have the answer I guess!

[NeverFeltBetter]

The difference between Ireland when they win the ball back in midfield and when Greece do it is enormous. They're full of speed and positive efforts to get the ball in the final third. We're slow and too prone to taking a few passes sideways. It honestly feels like we're a man down.

[SkStu]

For a team that spent so much time together over the last couple of weeks this is really disappointing. We look so hot and miss, disjointed, sloppy in and out of possession. Greece are no great shakes really, I mean they’re good and they’re better than us with some nice players but they’re limited yet still playing through us at ease. If we do draw this, it’s probably because they switch off like they did in the first. Depressing really.

[SkStu]

You’d have to think we’ll have a new manager for the September series.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Flagging badly already. I'd love to see them try and take a few men on instead of just passing around them.

[Calcio Jack]

I was wondering before the game what to do with McClean if we're chasing the game but you still want him to captain the team on Monday on his 100th cap


We have the answer I guess!

The last thing I’d want is for him to get a 100th cap - one of the most limited players ever to play for us , who’s main contribution is making rash tackles and a inability to cross the ball… picking him sums up Kenny’s lack of tactical nous

[pineapple stu]

The difference between Ireland when they win the ball back in midfield and when Greece do it is enormous. They're full of speed and positive efforts to get the ball in the final third. We're slow and too prone to taking a few passes sideways. It honestly feels like we're a man down.
100%

This game feels as far from what Kenny is trying to bring in as any lately. We're mostly lumping it down the wing and losing possession. It's the most worrying part of a poor performance.

[Colbert Report]

You’d have to think we’ll have a new manager for the September series.

Can we afford a new manager? We have a LOI manager now that is happy to work for LOI wages. Hiring someone like Lee Carsley is likely way beyond the FAI's financial capability.

[weldoninhio]

You’d have to think we’ll have a new manager for the September series.

Hopefully. The whole playing out from the back doesn’t suit us.

[Calcio Jack]

Can we afford a new manager? We have a LOI manager now that is happy to work for LOI wages. Hiring someone like Lee Carsley is likely way beyond the FAI's financial capability.

€500k pa isn’t LOI manager wages ….

[SkStu]

Can we afford a new manager? We have a LOI manager now that is happy to work for LOI wages. Hiring someone like Lee Carsley is likely way beyond the FAI's financial capability.

You were calling for him to resign a page or two back. I assume you did so thinking we’d need to replace him?

[placid casual]

Too many Irish players are happy sitting on the bench in british league teams getting similar or higher wages than some of these Greek lads, but they are not match fit, not razor sharp, no desire to really really work hard to succeed.
No-one in this Irish team apart from Cullen won a medal of any description this year if I'm not mistaken. That has an effect on my view. We have jobbing, professional footballers for an Irish squad and the mumbling, incoherent manager in charge is not the core reason for our lack of international progress.