Gibraltar V Republic of Ireland - Monday, 16th October 2023 - Euro 2024 Qualifier

[Crosby87]

Remember the last time we played them away it was 1-0.

One of the support staff didn't make the flight home on time. Forever known in FAI circles as "Left at the Gibraltar"

[SkStu]

Now - a 4-0 win even against the 198th ranked team is not to be sneezed at. But given how early we scored, how dominant we were and how poor they were throughout the game (particularly their goalie) - we should have run up a cricket score. But the real issue was - how slow the Irish play was, the lack of crosses when we got down the wings, and the lack of serious attempts on goal. Yes we had 24 attempts - but an awful lot of them were miss-hits, rebounds off knees, ricochets etc. There was few cleanly hit shots and I don't remember a single header where an Irish player actually attacked the ball in the box (unlike the Greek goal on Friday).

I wasnt overly happy with the performance either, dont get me wrong. I just think that it doesnt matter who gets the goals, as long as you get them. I had moments last night, too, where i wondered if Kenny knew how to get the most out of Ferguson as he was very quiet but then he's been quiet since his injury too so dont want to put the blame firmly at Kenny's feet.

What bothered me most about the performance yesterday was how there was a lack of urgency or maybe directness in the approach play. In addition to what you identify, there were a lot of sideways and backwards passes when a quicker and more assertive pass was on. It just seemed a bit too lethargic at times. But, we did score 4 so it worked and we won.

On your last point, Duffy, Knight and (I think) Molumby all had very decent headed opportunities that should have been put away and, of course, Doherty and Robinson's goals were headers so...

[tetsujin1979]

The way Gibraltar play, with two banks of five when out of opposition, means getting the ball forward is difficult. Johnston is probably the best dribbler in the squad, and was the difference maker in the home game, and player of the match again yesterday.
It was also the first time Gibraltar conceded four goals since March 2021

[pineapple stu]

What bothered me most about the performance yesterday was how there was a lack of urgency or maybe directness in the approach play. In addition to what you identify, there were a lot of sideways and backwards passes when a quicker and more assertive pass was on. It just seemed a bit too lethargic at times. But, we did score 4 so it worked and we won.
You wonder too is there an extent that, once you go 2-0 up against a side like Gibraltar early doors, thoughts turn to not returning to your club injured.

I think there's plenty of sticks to beat Kenny with without making a facile 4-0 away win be one.

[ontheotherhand]

I was happy enough with it. Lot's of passes slid behind, around and over their stacked lines of defenders, lot's of chances created and we got our most dangerous player, Johnston, into good positions. It's always brutal playing sides like that. We did fine.

I also don't mind that Ferguson wasn't the only outlet. He's been struggling a bit and we shouldn't be relying on any one player. He still scored.

[Razors left peg]

Kenny tried to move on from Duffy in the early days, in recent times he's bottled it and brought him back. Invariably Duffy is primary receiver of ball from Keeper as we try to play out. He's not good at that and it causes immediate problems.

It's not the sole reason of course but it's one symptom of what's obvious and not being corrected and was on full display against Gibraltar

[CraftyToePoke]

I think it just demonstrated that Gibraltar really is the no win fixture its spoken of as being. We weren't note perfect but we were an awful lot better than other recent games against them under other managers. That about fair ?

Also in the post match, he should have just taken the win, spoken about the win but he decided to go on about how we are disadvantaged by having so many players in the Championship and two games a week causes hamstring injuries. He then listed our hamstring injured players in his time & how when playing other countries with players in better leagues they only have one a week. This just seemed to occur to him & he hadn't factored in European competitions, which of course the French & Dutch lads to a majority all play in, and even several Greeks. So there's your two games a week. The studio immediately pointed this out & to be fair it was obvious.

Just take the win, talk about the win, and for God's sake don't do an improvised ramble full of holes off the top of your head man.

[Predator]

Kenny tried to move on from Duffy in the early days, in recent times he's bottled it and brought him back. Invariably Duffy is primary receiver of ball from Keeper as we try to play out. He's not good at that and it causes immediate problems.

It's not the sole reason of course but it's one symptom of what's obvious and not being corrected and was on full display against Gibraltar
I'm not sure it's true to say that Kenny ever "tried to move on from Duffy". I'd be confident in saying that Duffy, along with Matt Doherty, has probably played most games of the Kenny era (maybe tets can confirm) and there is a reason for it - they are among our best players. Duffy played most games in the early days as first captain in the absence of Coleman (scoring crucial goals too) and only really dropped out of the team when he wasn't playing last season at Fulham, which was entirely reasonable, but he has been straight back in since he got regular club football again. He performed well during this window, too, with the only mark against him being that he probably should have scored. Kenny is not afraid to hook or drop any player, as evidenced by how he dropped team captain Coleman in the early days and hooked star multi-million pound youngster Collins against Greece. He wouldn't be playing Duffy if he didn't think he was good enough, simple as.

As I see it, Ireland's problems aren't with playing out, because the defence, no matter who plays, is clearly capable of getting the ball into midfield and attack. The issue is when it is there, we struggle to make clear chances against better teams and when we do get them, we don't take them. That's the long and short of the Kenny era I think: missed opportunities rued. I would also suggest that that we are very vulnerable to counter-attacks nowadays precisely because we commit more bodies forward to help fashion those extra chances, whereas in the O'Neill and McCarthy eras we were a bit more cautious - and thus more defensively solid.

[tetsujin1979]

I'm not sure it's true to say that Kenny ever "tried to move on from Duffy". I'd be confident in saying that Duffy, along with Matt Doherty, has probably played most games of the Kenny era (maybe tets can confirm) and there is a reason for it - they are among our best players. Duffy played most games in the early days as first captain in the absence of Coleman (scoring crucial goals too) and only really dropped out of the team when he wasn't playing last season at Fulham, which was entirely reasonable, but he has been straight back in since he got regular club football again. He performed well during this window, too, with the only mark against him being that he probably should have scored. Kenny is not afraid to hook or drop any player, as evidenced by how he dropped team captain Coleman in the early days and hooked star multi-million pound youngster Collins against Greece. He wouldn't be playing Duffy if he didn't think he was good enough, simple as.

As I see it, Ireland's problems aren't with playing out, because the defence, no matter who plays, is clearly capable of getting the ball into midfield and attack. The issue is when it is there, we struggle to make clear chances against better teams and when we do get them, we don't take them. That's the long and short of the Kenny era I think: missed opportunities rued. I would also suggest that that we are very vulnerable to counter-attacks nowadays precisely because we commit more bodies forward to help fashion those extra chances, whereas in the O'Neill and McCarthy eras we were a bit more cautious - and thus more defensively solid.
I posted this on twitter after the games in September. I don't have the updated figures following the two games in October to hand, but with Duffy playing both games, he's overtaken Hendrick, and still behind McClean, Doherty, Egan, and Cullen
1702297666854519029

[ifk101]

I thought Duffy was a wasteful on occasion with the ball against Gibraltar. He did launch it long and aimlessly a couple of times. But …


As I see it, Ireland's problems aren't with playing out, because the defence, no matter who plays, is clearly capable of getting the ball into midfield and attack.

… to add to this



"And then when you look at us when we're in possession of the ball, I think we're poorly set up if you ask me and you could maybe lean on saying that at times we may be poorly coached.
"Particularly when our two centre-halves have the ball, everything in front of them is so static."
Corry explained that a vantage point high in the stands within the Aviva highlighted the disconnect between the Irish lines on the pitch as the team struggled to go from back to front in a more fluid way.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2023/1017/1411406-how-the-greece-game-highlighted-irelands-disconnect/


We got the approach right against Gibraltar (i.e. looking to work the ball in behind their defence). However, against stronger opposition as we have seen, the main issue we have - the “disconnect”, becomes visible.

[tetsujin1979]

Sort of interesting stat from the game
1714944825827508480

[Eminence Grise]

Would not have thought that at all - in 31 years!

[tetsujin1979]

There's been loads of games with one Celtic player starting - McGeady, O'Dea, Robbie Keane during his loan spell - but I can't find any with two, or more, since that game

[seanfhear]

All things considered ~ ~ Not that many Irish players have even played for Celtic in my lifetime.

[backstothewall]

There's been loads of games with one Celtic player starting - McGeady, O'Dea, Robbie Keane during his loan spell - but I can't find any with two, or more, since that game

It's a bit of a surprise that McGeady managed to avoid starting with one of Darren O'Dea, Cillian Sheridan, Robbie Keane or Anthony Stokes while they were there.

[tetsujin1979]

It's a bit of a surprise that McGeady managed to avoid starting with one of Darren O'Dea, Cillian Sheridan, Robbie Keane or Anthony Stokes while they were there.
Darren O'Dea didn't start a game for Ireland until a friendly in November 2010 against Norway, and McGeady had moved to Spartak Moscow the previous August - https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/1117/273248-live_republicofireland_norway/
Cililan Sheridan only started one game, against Argentina in August 2010, just before McGeady's move had been completed, but McGeady wasn't in the team - https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/0811/269157-argentina/
According to wikipedia Robbie Keane was at Celtic from 1st February 2010 until the 9th May. Ireland only played once in that time, a friendly against Brazil in March where McGeady came on as a sub - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/irish/8546506.stm
There were two friendlies at the end of May 2010, against Paraguay and Algeria, and Robbie started both games, but McGeady didn't play in either
Stokes and McGeady only started one game together, a friendly against Poland in November 2013, while McGeady was at Everton - https://www.fai.ie/ireland/match/19/2014/2013130

[EalingGreen]

All things considered ~ ~ Not that many Irish players have even played for Celtic in my lifetime.Depends what age you are. Not old enough to remember Conor Hazard, Niall McGinn, Paddy McCourt, Neil Lennon, Anton Rogan? Allen McKnight, maybe?

[seanfhear]

Depends what age you are. Not old enough to remember Conor Hazard, Niall McGinn, Paddy McCourt, Neil Lennon, Anton Rogan? Allen McKnight, maybe?
I suppose I should have said Republic of Ireland, and though some of those lads were reasonable players they didn't really set the footballing world alight either.

I am old enough to have bought the football magazine Shoot in the 1970's. Danny McGrain use to do a Celtic page every second week alternatively with a Rangers Stalwart of those times ~ His name escapes me right now but if you were to say it ~ It would immediately come back to me.

Having done a bit of internet-ing ~ I am pretty sure it was John Greig.

All very exotic for me in those days ! ! !

[seanfhear]

Depends what age you are. Not old enough to remember Conor Hazard, Niall McGinn, Paddy McCourt, Neil Lennon, Anton Rogan? Allen McKnight, maybe?
You need to brush up on the Auld Gaelic Language ~ My site name ~ seanfhear ~ Means, old man.

[backstothewall]

Superb Tets

[EalingGreen]

You need to brush up on the Auld Gaelic Language ~ My site name ~ seanfhear ~ Means, old man.Fhear enough.

Actually, you're quite right to pull me up, since I knew that "fhear" stood for "man", but had assumed your name was Sean. It hadn't clicked that it also translates to "old", as in eg The Shan Van Vocht, which Google Translate tells me should really be An tSean bhean Bhocht.

"Is lá scoile é gach lá"

[Fixer82]

When ireland played Russia in Moscow didn’t O’Dea, McGeady and Keane play?
Keane may have been at LA Galaxy at the time?

[Fixer82]

When ireland played Russia in Moscow didn’t O’Dea, McGeady and Keane play?
Keane may have been at LA Galaxy at the time?

Now that I think of it, McGeady was with Spartak at the time.
And did a fine job defensively in that game

[tetsujin1979]

When ireland played Russia in Moscow didn’t O’Dea, McGeady and Keane play?
Keane may have been at LA Galaxy at the time?
Strangely, none of them were at Celtic at the time of that game
Robbie Keane had signed for L.A.Galaxy about a month earlier - https://www.lagalaxy.com/news/la-galaxy-agree-terms-ireland-international-robbie-keane - McGeady was a little over a year into his spell with Spartak, and Darren O'Dea, while still at Celtic player, was on loan at Leeds - https://www.leedsunited.com/news/team-news/6781/darren-s-complete-and-ready-to-go

[tetsujin1979]

Thread locked and archived
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