Heimir Hallgrímsson

[ontheotherhand]

My 2c. I think Duff yoyo's between occasionally making very useful points about the state of Irish football, using his profile to bring attention to things he believes needs to change and then the other stuff. He has been a huge boost for the league generally, he's definitely a mad man, this level of intensity about anything isn't good for a person but I think most of his carry on is to take attention away from his players, it's all screaming Jose. I thought his interview with Richie Sadlier last year was a good insight to his mentality, he's a good guy at the heart of it I would imagine. The pro level of the sport is a sitcom with some football in between, so I wouldn't take much of what anyone says very seriously, let alone get worked up enough to dislike anyone.

I do wish Bradley was a bit happier, I think he uses negatives to motivate himself, a never ending siege mentality no matter how well things are going, and look he's been through some really tough events in his life, and has a sick child, so I cut him a lot of slack for his general demeanor. I would agree that his general results with Rovers have been on par with budget/expectations for much of his time there, except at the beginning where he managed to cling in to the job, and build something very succesful. I also think he deserves praise for last years Euro run. It will be very interesting to see how things pan out this year, I'm sure he still has much to improve on if he's going to be an International manager one day, but he is still only 40/

I think they were both too hasty to take shots at Heimir, and were better off sticking directly to comments re the top level of the organization, and hopefully we're past that now.

I am not as convinced of Heimer as some others here, but I think he's doing ok, and seems like a very decent, capable man who I only wish well. The individual players and depth is continuing to improve, we will have a decent shot in September if we can put close to our best squad together.

A lot of fair points made there. I will say that Bradley is incredibly positive in person. I'd have reservations about a few things he's done or said but he's a gent in the flesh, and very different to how he sometimes comes across in interviews. Of course the interviews are part of the job and how he will be seen generally so it's understandable if people have their own opinions.

I'd agree with your HH assessment so far. A lot is going to hinge on a couple of key players finding form at the right time.

[rebelmusic]

I'm really confused by some of the responses to what I said but I don't see how criticising Bradley is any reflection on this forum, which has been a fantastic place to share thoughts on Irish soccer for 15 or so years (for me)

I'm also a Cork City supporter so maybe living in a perpetual state of disappointment has an effect on my outlook on managers of Dublin sides :)

[ontheotherhand]

I'm really confused by some of the responses to what I said but I don't see how criticising Bradley is any reflection on this forum, which has been a fantastic place to share thoughts on Irish soccer for 15 or so years (for me)

I'm also a Cork City supporter so maybe living in a perpetual state of disappointment has an effect on my outlook on managers of Dublin sides :)

😂😂😂 I wasn't really responding to you tbf rebelmusic. I don't agree that Bradleys comments were hypocritical though fwiw. He wants his players to play at the highest level they can. If you listen to him regularly that is obvious and he never stands in the way of them moving up. The issue was the national manager coming out and suggesting that they should leave Ireland in order to get a call up. At that point in time, with all things considered, it was a clumsy statement. I don't think he meant it that way and his apology showed that he understood why it was an issue. He comes across as a smart man who understands how important the domestic league is and will be. He made a mistake and he owned it. Have to respect that.

Bradley saying he wants to manage at the highest level is fairly irrelevant to the discussion imop. He's said many times that Josh can go on and play at higher levels. Of course, a senior call up will help Rovers earn a bigger fee when that inevitably happens. Which is why I say Bradley got what he wanted.

For some added context: Neil Farrugia was knocking on the door of a call up while with Rovers. He left and stated that the primary reason was to get a senior cap. That hurt Rovers, particularly in Europe, and that was clearly fresh in Bradleys mind. Farrugia looks further away from a call up now than before. Probably would have been in a squad had he stayed and helped us beat Molde, fitness permitting. Kenny is another who might have been in the frame for at least this June window had he kept playing and scoring goals in Europe. It's not always as simple as the magic airplane.

[rebelmusic]

That sentiment I completely agree with. Ever since watching Simon Cox get called up game after game I do believe that the LOI has been unnecessarily shunned by Irish managers. There's many occasions where an experienced LOI player would have been a far better choice then what was called up. Hopefully that's changing and I do hope that Josh's callup wasn't just a box tick from HH to silence the noise.

I did think that HHs idea of having a camp in May would have been a great idea and maybe an LOI only camp at end of season would be something worth investigating. US or Norway being examples who could benefit from this. Getting the FAI onboard is another story.

[ontheotherhand]

That sentiment I completely agree with. Ever since watching Simon Cox get called up game after game I do believe that the LOI has been unnecessarily shunned by Irish managers. There's many occasions where an experienced LOI player would have been a far better choice then what was called up. Hopefully that's changing and I do hope that Josh's callup wasn't just a box tick from HH to silence the noise.

I did think that HHs idea of having a camp in May would have been a great idea and maybe an LOI only camp at end of season would be something worth investigating. US or Norway being examples who could benefit from this. Getting the FAI onboard is another story.

Careful. They'll think you're suggesting Cathal O'Sullivan will solve all of Ireland problems and score a peno v Spain in 2002 while he's at it.

[elatedscum]

Careful. They'll think you're suggesting Cathal O'Sullivan will solve all of Ireland problems and score a peno v Spain in 2002 while he's at it.

Just once can we call up Git Forrester? He looked so so so good from when Kenny came in last season. I kinda think without the personal heartbreak and awful stuff that happened in his life, that we’d be talking about a mainstay in the irish setup

[Kingdom]

Jesus Christ this is absolutely ****ing pathetic reading on this forum.

I'll expand on this.
That the jibe of hypocrite could be levelled at Bradley is ludicrous. I don't like Bradley but I don't particularly dislike him either. I wouldn't have on the level of idiot as Damien Duff for example. I don't think he's a particularly brilliant manager, but he's earned respect with his achievements with a very good group of players.

"HH had Bradley on toast."
The MNT manager had his press conferences dominated in the early stages of his tenure over stupid comments he made about local players. I don't see how 'dig up, stupid' in at attempt to extract oneself from a farcical situation earns one brownie points.

I don't know is it the inbred nature of Irish society that brings out the worst in people, or whether our 'national' media is really just that petty that it makes rational people perform down to base levels, but it's reflective here.

[Kingdom]

Just once can we call up Git Forrester? He looked so so so good from when Kenny came in last season. I kinda think without the personal heartbreak and awful stuff that happened in his life, that we’d be talking about a mainstay in the irish setup

100%.

I'm only somewhat aware of the difficulties Git has faced, but there's no shadow of a doubt that the guy's career has been impacted by it. There's parallels to a degree with Keith Fahey, another incredibly gifted footballer.
I think of players like Diesler who simply couldn't reach the standards they were capable of due to difficulties off the pitch, very sad.

[ontheotherhand]

Just once can we call up Git Forrester? He looked so so so good from when Kenny came in last season. I kinda think without the personal heartbreak and awful stuff that happened in his life, that we’d be talking about a mainstay in the irish setup

He's lovely to watch on his day but probably hasn't had enough consecutive days. 3 or maybe 4 seasons ago when he was scoring for fun might have been a time to have a look? Think he's well capable of playing up a level, particularly if surrounded by better players. He's head and shoulders above almost everyone when he's at it and often looks like he's let down by the movement around him. As of now though, I think Honohan is the most likely candidate given the options we have. Josh will be across the water soon enough so I'm sure he'll get more chances. Hes showed he can standout against big clubs in Europe. Remarkable upwards trajectory considering he wasn't rated much by a lot of Cork supporters. Has more improving to do to be a serious option obviously.

If things were different you might have the likes of Git, Burke or Byrne around the edges of the squad. We don't have many players like them. They've all had their struggles though and those doors are probably closed. It was hard enough for Hoolahan to get a look in. The LoI themed friendlies would have been interesting but I think you'd really want the top players here to be included alongside the ones playing at a higher level if we were seriously considering them and we won't need to unless we are hit with a serious injury crisis.

But look, it's a conversation that rarely goes anywhere good online. Great one for a few pints after a game although tonights conversation will probably be dominated more by Drogs European situation.

[elatedscum]

How many of the " best " sports managers are nice people, I'll wager not too many.

Edit ~ You probably have to be pretty duplicitous with, players / agents / other, at times any !

Premier League Winning Managers:

People who I think were definitely nice people: Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, Claudio Ranieri
People who are probably nice: Carlo Ancelotti, Kenny Dalglish, Manuel Pellegrini,
Complicated Individuals: Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola,

[seanfhear]

Premier League Winning Managers:

People who I think were definitely nice people: Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, Claudio Ranieri
People who are probably nice: Carlo Ancelotti, Kenny Dalglish, Manuel Pellegrini,
Complicated Individuals: Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola,Complicated Individuals = = Nice One !

I think I would prefer my soccer managers to have a bit of an edge. If you really want some-one nice ~ Get yourself a nice dog !

[irishfan86]

Give this man a new contract now. It was slow out of the gate but he had a lot of rot he had to undo.

He’s restored our organization and most importantly our guts and pride.

[rebelmusic]

Give this man a new contract now. It was slow out of the gate but he had a lot of rot he had to undo.

He’s restored our organization and most importantly our guts and pride.

100% agree. His comment at the end about the positive impact on the whole organisation says it all. And never do the Kenny experiment again. This is how Ireland play.

[Eirambler]

It took a full year for HH to undo the damage Kenny did. I'm not sure it's fully undone at this point either. But we must never go back to choosing a manager who is hell bent on implementing a personal ideology and style of play that doesn't suit the players we have.

[passinginterest]

It took a full year for HH to undo the damage Kenny did. I'm not sure it's fully undone at this point either. But we must never go back to choosing a manager who is hell bent on implementing a personal ideology and style of play that doesn't suit the players we have.

Has it changed that much? It’s pretty much the exact same style as the positive results under Kenny. By the end the confidence was drained from the players under Kenny. Heimir has lifted that back up and got them a little more organised. They’re still trying to play football when they have the ball and trying to use pace on the break.

No doubt Heimir deserves another campaign now. But he hasn’t completely reinvented the wheel.

[irishfan86]

Has it changed that much? It’s pretty much the exact same style as the positive results under Kenny. By the end the confidence was drained from the players under Kenny. Heimir has lifted that back up and got them a little more organised. They’re still trying to play football when they have the ball and trying to use pace on the break.

No doubt Heimir deserves another campaign now. But he hasn’t completely reinvented the wheel.

Couldn’t disagree more strongly. The team is far more direct now. Uses long balls and crosses when appropriate.

Apart from blooding the young players (a not insignificant thing), Heimir has implemented a more solid organized unit that is far more urgent and intense.

This isn’t the day to sh*t on Kenny, he’s taken his lumps — but romanticizing his tenure beyond the blooding is really a stretch.

[Nesta99]

We still play it short out from the back along with lumping it. We are just more comfortable moving the ball to break a high press. A lot of forward momentum was from a ball played down the line and playing it around the corner. Its working now, it didnt when it ws started as a way to keep ball rather than go 50/50 with a keeper going long all the time. This manager is definitely more pragmatic than idealistic but there is overlap beyond the capping of players. Not that its important now really.

[Eirambler]

Has it changed that much? It’s pretty much the exact same style as the positive results under Kenny. By the end the confidence was drained from the players under Kenny. Heimir has lifted that back up and got them a little more organised. They’re still trying to play football when they have the ball and trying to use pace on the break.

No doubt Heimir deserves another campaign now. But he hasn’t completely reinvented the wheel.

Ah it has. Much more direct, a significant reduction in the tippy tappy through the thirds stuff that we just don't have the players to successfully implement. I still have issues with some of what HH is implementing, particularly in terms of how we set up against lower ranked teams. But it's far more sensible as a whole than what came before him.

I agree that we don't need to spend too much time today dragging the man through the mud again, but at the same time I'll absolutely take issue with the view that where we have got to here is in any way to do with Kenny. Probably the best thing that happened was that his time in charge coincided with our weakest period in terms of the players we had available to us. But he managed the team woefully poorly during his time in charge, even taking that into account, and if he was still there now we'd have been battling Armenia for third in the group.

[ontheotherhand]

Has it changed that much? It’s pretty much the exact same style as the positive results under Kenny. By the end the confidence was drained from the players under Kenny. Heimir has lifted that back up and got them a little more organised. They’re still trying to play football when they have the ball and trying to use pace on the break.

No doubt Heimir deserves another campaign now. But he hasn’t completely reinvented the wheel.

Yeah. It's not very different. Backs to the wall against the better sides, maybe a bit more chaotic against the peers, with more direct play and more long throws but that's how a lot of teams are playing now. A few of the players have improved, notably Parrot, but Kelleher, O'Shea and others too. That's the difference really. But that's football. Kenny would've lost that game 2-1 because nobody up front would've rescued it. He had to go. Heimir had to go a few weeks back but Ferguson's injury put Parrot forward and he stepped up in a ridiculously massive way. Even Coleman coming back was huge. Doherty finally being sidelined. Sliding doors stuff and it'll keep HH in the job, which I'm fine with. Managers need luck. But what a ****ing week. Anyone trying to still swing digs at Kenny at this stage should be ignored. Just enjoy the moment.

[Fixer82]

HH was mature enough to change things after Armenia. That's the difference. Kenny kept trying to do the same thing and stick to his philosophy. HH brought Coleman and Egan back into the fold when another manager would've doubled down and been stubborn.

HH seems to be a good man-manager and that's a big difference. I'm reminded of Kenny making a big deal of Long handing Idah his jersey, only for Long to realise it was his No.9 JERSEY.

And small things like that can change a team and a team dynamic. Do we honestly think under Kenny that we would have won that match yesterday? All our best performances have been under manager's who got the players revved up and going for a game. Charlton, O'Neill, McCarthy.
Kenny didn't have that but HH seems to have it. Th players are responding to him and he's slowly changing the mindset.

You don't get the impression there are any players sitting on the bench grumbling that they're not on the pitch. Everyone seems to be ready to step in when called upon and loving being part of the group.

[rebelmusic]

Totally agree on the squad part...I caught a glimpse of Bazunu after the the final whistle and he looked like he'd just won the euro millions. Every one of them is going back to their clubs hoping to prove themselves and fight for a place in March.

Out best managers created that mindset, our worst, including Trap, did the opposite

[Fixer82]

Totally agree on the squad part...I caught a glimpse of Bazunu after the the final whistle and he looked like he'd just won the euro millions. Every one of them is going back to their clubs hoping to prove themselves and fight for a place in March.

Out best managers created that mindset, our worst, including Trap, did the opposite


100% on Trap.
I played (Gaelic) under certain managers and you knew they had their favourites and they had others they didn't really care about. Trap was like that.

I'm not sure any of the players don't think HH thinks highly of them.
Jim Gavin did the same with the Dubs. None of those players took it for granted and were made very aware of how lucky they were to play for Dublin and for each other. Very good man-management.

[backstothewall]

I think the way he dropped and then recalled Molumby set a precendent that you have to perform to stay in the squad, but that there will be opportunities to get back and it's up to the players to take them.

I think that had a positive impact on Molumby, and i think decisions like that have have a positive impact on the squad overall.

e.g. I'm not sure some of our previous managers would have picked Festy over a Premier League players like Doherty, regardless of how he played for us. At times the inexperience of Festy is obvious, but it's far preferable to the dross Doherty was offering up

[rebelmusic]

In fairness to HH, all the issues he diagnosed when he came onboard we've seen a lot of growth over the campaign. To name a couple

The 'shirt is heavy': It really was in the first two games. By Lisbon there was really significant change and whatever you want to say about Amenia in Dublin, we kept a clean sheet and we won. They reverted to type in Yerevan and I think finally took responsibility.

We need more bast****: 3 red cards in a campaign and two of those at least were a result of the Irish players getting under the skin of the opposition. We haven't seen that since Jack's day really.

People aren't fighting for places: The 23 man squad logic ended up being really shrewd tactics. Festy having his Twitter meltdown. Molumby being ****ed off. Coleman being ****ed off. Doherty finally being dropped That's what we've needed for years.


I could go on an on but HH has been like a politician that actually keeps his campaign promises. Suffice it to say, I'm a huge fan at this point and even if we bottle it in the playoffs he deserves another campaign

[pineapple stu]

Not sure where to put this, but has there been a weirder qualifying campaign? (And maybe even for other countries, not just an Irish qualifying campaign!)

First game - we were dead and buried after 15 minutes. 2-0 down to Hungary at home, and qualifying hopes were already over. The campaign looked like being the same as Kenny's campaigns. After all, if Hungary were steamrollering us at home, we had no chance away. But the second half was a completely different beast - the red card helped of course, but we got Hungary under intense pressure and finally equalised in the last minute
Second game - completely outplayed by Armenia. Up there with Kenny's worst performances, and you wouldn't have begrudged Armenia their VAR-disallowed third
Third game - attackers v defenders in Lisbon. 30 shots v 2. But we saved a penalty and were within minutes of an utterly unlikely draw
Fourth game - more drivel against Armenia, this time at home. The Armenian guy who headbutted Molumby (was it?) saved our campaign. We were great after that, and their keeper made some top saves.
Fifth game - outplayed Portugal, a month after struggling for long patches against Armenia. Our greatest qualifying performance ever? Well, for four days anyway. And Ronaldo's first Portugal red card into the bargain
Sixth game - 3-2 v Hungary.

To get all those highs and lows into one campaign is wildly improbable. Don't recall anything like it.

[SkStu]

Not sure where to put this, but has there been a weirder qualifying campaign? (And maybe even for other countries, not just an Irish qualifying campaign!)

First game - we were dead and buried after 15 minutes. 2-0 down to Hungary at home, and qualifying hopes were already over. The campaign looked like being the same as Kenny's campaigns. After all, if Hungary were steamrollering us at home, we had no chance away. But the second half was a completely different beast - the red card helped of course, but we got Hungary under intense pressure and finally equalised in the last minute
Second game - completely outplayed by Armenia. Up there with Kenny's worst performances, and you wouldn't have begrudged Armenia their VAR-disallowed third
Third game - attackers v defenders in Lisbon. 30 shots v 2. But we saved a penalty and were within minutes of an utterly unlikely draw
Fourth game - more drivel against Armenia, this time at home. The Armenian guy who headbutted Molumby (was it?) saved our campaign. We were great after that, and their keeper made some top saves.
Fifth game - outplayed Portugal, a month after struggling for long patches against Armenia. Our greatest qualifying performance ever? Well, for four days anyway. And Ronaldo's first Portugal red card into the bargain
Sixth game - 3-2 v Hungary.

To get all those highs and lows into one campaign is wildly improbable. Don't recall anything like it.

It really was. Total rollercoaster...the emotions were hard to manage!

1. Disappointed relief
2. Despair
3. Bittersweet / Proud Heartbreak
4. Angry relief
5. Joy
6. Ecstasy

[elatedscum]

Not sure where to put this, but has there been a weirder qualifying campaign? (And maybe even for other countries, not just an Irish qualifying campaign!)

First game - we were dead and buried after 15 minutes. 2-0 down to Hungary at home, and qualifying hopes were already over. The campaign looked like being the same as Kenny's campaigns. After all, if Hungary were steamrollering us at home, we had no chance away. But the second half was a completely different beast - the red card helped of course, but we got Hungary under intense pressure and finally equalised in the last minute
Second game - completely outplayed by Armenia. Up there with Kenny's worst performances, and you wouldn't have begrudged Armenia their VAR-disallowed third
Third game - attackers v defenders in Lisbon. 30 shots v 2. But we saved a penalty and were within minutes of an utterly unlikely draw
Fourth game - more drivel against Armenia, this time at home. The Armenian guy who headbutted Molumby (was it?) saved our campaign. We were great after that, and their keeper made some top saves.
Fifth game - outplayed Portugal, a month after struggling for long patches against Armenia. Our greatest qualifying performance ever? Well, for four days anyway. And Ronaldo's first Portugal red card into the bargain
Sixth game - 3-2 v Hungary.

To get all those highs and lows into one campaign is wildly improbable. Don't recall anything like it.

Genuinely, if we don't concede against Portugal in the last minute, we would be tied with Portugal in first place. Or if we beat Armenia, we do the same thing. If we could combine two draws, we top the group outright.

It was such a brilliant campaign and yet arguably we threw away 6 points (2 home v Hungary where we were chasing the game v 10 men, 1 away to Portugal in the 92nd min, 3 away to Armenia)

I see both sides of the Kenny v HH thing, but if Kenny had Caomhin at this age and level in his career and say Troy at this point in his career, it would be a totally different story. Switch Kelleher for Bazunu or Travers alone, and we don't get close to qualification.

Biggest mistakes HH made had to do with squad size and squad choice. Leaving out Coleman for Dunne for the Armenia camp was madness, we needed a leader and he was on a couch in Liverpool. Picking Phillips ahead of Molumby was also mental. Not rotating players enough after a gruelling game against the Hungarians and a 10 hour flight followed by another game 68 hours after the first. I do think against Portugal if he leaves Coleman on the pitch for the last few mins we get the draw, instead of moving O'Brien from wide and moving Egan in. No need to change that back 3 when we were so comfortable.

Saying that, it generally feels like they've learnt from their mistakes and they've generally made decent footballing decisions.

[elatedscum]

https://archive.is/kMYjK

[rebelmusic]

I won't re-litigate the Kenny conversation. It's been done and there's too many variables for a a conclusive outcome.

Don't disagree with a lot of your points but I think the 23 man squad proved to be fairly inspired as for the first time in a decade players were throwing absolute strops for being dropped and it created a 'no position is safe'
mindset.

The Molumby that played before he was dropped and the Molumby that showed up afterwards backs this up.

The Coleman thing - a lot of us were seeing the logic at the time and for me the recall was more to do with Collins not rising to the occasion than anything else. Hindsight is fine sight and all that.

[pineapple stu]

Biggest mistakes HH made had to do with squad size and squad choice. Leaving out Coleman for Dunne for the Armenia camp was madness, we needed a leader and he was on a couch in Liverpool. Picking Phillips ahead of Molumby was also mental. Not rotating players enough after a gruelling game against the Hungarians and a 10 hour flight followed by another game 68 hours after the first. I do think against Portugal if he leaves Coleman on the pitch for the last few mins we get the draw, instead of moving O'Brien from wide and moving Egan in. No need to change that back 3 when we were so comfortable.
Armenia's not a 10-hour flight away. 10 return flight maybe. I'm always reluctant to read too much into the effects of a flight though. Professional footballer sits down for five hours two days before a match.

I think it's also a stretch to say we threw away two points against Hungary at home - it's hard to ever say that about a game where you're 2-0 down after 15 minutes, and your keeper has to be at his best to stop it being 3-0 before half-time.

But HH has certainly made some strange decisions. Leaving Manning out of a squad, then calling him up 48 hours before a match and starting him was another. But for all that, he's only had one bad competitive result/performance combination, and that was in Armenia. That counts four wins out of four in winnable Nations League games.

The dropping of players is an interesting one too. Doherty and Molumby both got the treatment - and maybe Scales too post England? Given their performances in this window, it might be worth dropping Idah and/or Festy from the March games to see if it has the same effect.

[backstothewall]

What has Festy done to deserve that? He gave away a few stupid free kicks late on against Hungary but that hardly merits being dropped!

[pineapple stu]

He was dreadful in the two games this window

[texidub]

Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen. Ruthless but necessary - no player is bigger than the overall mission (defending the World Cup in 2030!).

[rebelmusic]

I've seen a lot of criticism for Festy and he was fairly useless in the Portugal game. In the Hungary game I don't think the pressure he brought can be underestimated. I would credit him more than most of the team with putting Hungary into panic mode in the last 10 minutes as they began to overly protect the left wing.

He had a couple of movements in particular where he wrong footed the Hungarian and brought the whole Irish team forward. From there it was pretty much a non stop assault. His off the ball play had a huge impact

[jbyrne]

I've seen a lot of criticism for Festy and he was fairly useless in the Portugal game. In the Hungary game I don't think the pressure he brought can be underestimated. I would credit him more than most of the team with putting Hungary into panic mode in the last 10 minutes as they began to overly protect the left wing.

He had a couple of movements in particular where he wrong footed the Hungarian and brought the whole Irish team forward. From there it was pretty much a non stop assault. His off the ball play had a huge impact

agree with this. I watched the last 15 mins again last night and he made a nuisance of himself, turning his man brilliantly on a least one occasion, forcing corners and throw ins up the pitch and seriously added to the panic in the Hungarian team for that period.

[Stuttgart88]

I played (Gaelic) under certain managers and you knew they had their favourites and they had others they didn't really care about. Trap was like that.Paul Kimmage is worth a listen on a recent Irish Indo Sport podcast about Irish rowing. Brutal culture.

[ifk101]

I think Festy felt hard done by in not starting against Portugal as he was named MOTM in the Armenia game. He is known to be temperamental so maybe mentally that affected him and the level of his performances. But he wasn’t dreadful and objectively, and not that anybody frankly cares in the aftermath, he wasn’t alone in that we had several sub-par performances. For example, Azaz was poor in both games. Obviously, the move into a more central position against Hungary impacted on the result, but I’d have taken him off at half-time (luckily HH did not). Jack Taylor didn’t have a great international window, Molumby can do better, and arguably the whole backline were poor against Hungary. Not sure we can drop them all however.

[backstothewall]

I've seen a lot of criticism for Festy and he was fairly useless in the Portugal game. In the Hungary game I don't think the pressure he brought can be underestimated. I would credit him more than most of the team with putting Hungary into panic mode in the last 10 minutes as they began to overly protect the left wing.

He had a couple of movements in particular where he wrong footed the Hungarian and brought the whole Irish team forward. From there it was pretty much a non stop assault. His off the ball play had a huge impact

He got a lot of the ball in the last 10 minutes or so. That was because he was showing for the ball and running his nuts off getting up and down the right wing (at a time when those fresh legs were vital). The way he conceeded a few frees was naive but he'll learn from the experience.

For me the most pleasing thing was that bravery to keep showing for the ball and get involved. There's a touch of James McClean about the way he plays at times. He's able to compensate for some of the attributes he lacks with boundless enthusiasm.

[pineapple stu]

I think bravery in showing for the ball and boundless enthusiasm are all well and good, but I want to see ability to do anything while on the ball instead. The feeling I got at the time was he rarely beat the first man when putting in crosses or long throws (which I'd absolve him of a little bit if that was HH telling him that was his role). He looks bustling when he gets on the ball but when all's said and done, he has no end product at the moment.

Looking at a couple of other online match threads, I can see I'm far from alone in that view either. Which I accept is just a view, not absolute fact of course.

[ontheotherhand]

He was poor against Portugal but effective against Hungary imop. It was chaotic and suited him. Beat his man a few times and you could tell they were rattled. The long throw thing was bizarre. At one point he was waving for players to get closer but for whatever reason they seemed to think his next one would go further than the last. One of the strange tactical decisions that go against HH for me. Those throws should have gone short for a ball to be whipped in.

[rebelmusic]

Both Festy and Ogbene can be really frustrating with their final ball and I think we've all agreed on multiple threads that it's the reason they're at championship level.

Ogbene went to another level in this window though that we haven't seen before and I think is hitting his prime. Hopefully that maturity brings consistency going forward and could see him make the premier league next year.

Festy is a bundle of emotions and energy and has plenty of development but I've no doubt he will continue to learn and will be a key member of the squad for 2028, which is perfect timing for when I expect Ogbene will start to lose a yard of pace.

I won't argue how frustrating it can be to watch sometimes and it's not the last time he'll inspire me to throw my shows at the television

[Eirambler]

I'd have Festy in every squad. He's more useful when you're under the cosh defending a lead than when you're chasing a game and the opposition are sitting deep. But in games where we're defending a lead under serious pressure and need an outlet I'd want him on the bench to come on in that situation.

[pineapple stu]

Is he a useful outlet though?

He wasn't in Portugal - was fairly ineffective and that's part of why they had 30 shots in the game - he wasn't a good outlet

He certainly wasn't at home to Portugal - our attacking threat all but stopped the moment he and Idah came on

He wasn't in Hungary - the match threads everywhere (here, boards, reddit, ybig) are full of people calling him out for giving the ball away, converting silly fouls and generally being not much good

[Fixer82]

Wouldn’t be dropping Festy. Brilliant against Armenia, brutal against Portugal but useful against Hungary.
He offers something different than Coleman. Direct, strong and fast and can be a handful.
He was a nuisance to the Hungarians in the last 10 or so minutes.
And he can cross the ball sweetly too.
His game has flaws for sure but his qualities are definitely worthy of a squad place

[pineapple stu]

Can he cross the ball sweetly though? The cross against Finland to set up Brady was the only time I recall him doing that.

I don't think he was that great against Armenia either btw - better than the other games for sure, but not a chance should he have gotten man of the match ahead of, say, Manning. He caused problems in that game, sure, but causing problems without having any end product will only get you so far.

[Fixer82]

Can he cross the ball sweetly though? The cross against Finland to set up Brady was the only time I recall him doing that.

I don't think he was that great against Armenia either btw - better than the other games for sure, but not a chance should he have gotten man of the match ahead of, say, Manning. He caused problems in that game, sure, but causing problems without having any end product will only get you so far.

I was at the Armenia game and the Armenian defenders certainly didn't like Festy. He ran them ragged. Having his running and pace coming off the bench in the last 20 minutes of a match where opposition defence re starting to tire could be crucial.

[ontheotherhand]

Is he a useful outlet though?

He wasn't in Portugal - was fairly ineffective and that's part of why they had 30 shots in the game - he wasn't a good outlet

He certainly wasn't at home to Portugal - our attacking threat all but stopped the moment he and Idah came on

He wasn't in Hungary - the match threads everywhere (here, boards, reddit, ybig) are full of people calling him out for giving the ball away, converting silly fouls and generally being not much good

The match thread here isn't full of people calling him out really. Just you and one other poster I think. March threads in the heat of the moment usually aren't the most reliable sources anyway.

Most comments here, after people have had time to reflect are reasonably positive. Nobody is saying he should start. Worth a place in the squad for me tho. Unless there's another option waiting in the wings I can't think of.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Is he a useful outlet though?

He wasn't in Portugal - was fairly ineffective and that's part of why they had 30 shots in the game - he wasn't a good outlet

He certainly wasn't at home to Portugal - our attacking threat all but stopped the moment he and Idah came on

He wasn't in Hungary - the match threads everywhere (here, boards, reddit, ybig) are full of people calling him out for giving the ball away, converting silly fouls and generally being not much good
His pace scares defenders - and that is his biggest asset at the moment.

[pineapple stu]

The match thread here isn't full of people calling him out really. Just you and one other poster I think. March threads in the heat of the moment usually aren't the most reliable sources anyway.
And Kingdom too, later on and in the cold light of day.

YBIG and Boards are much busier, and universal criticism. (I think reddit was the same but it's a headmelt trying to find anything there, so I can't find the match thread now)

You're right that there's an element of heat of the moment in it for sure. But I think it tells something all the same that every comment was very negative.

I'm not saying anyone is saying he should start. Just that maybe there's one or two in the squad that could benefit from the treatment Doherty/Molumby got.


I was at the Armenia game and the Armenian defenders certainly didn't like Festy. He ran them ragged. Having his running and pace coming off the bench in the last 20 minutes of a match where opposition defence re starting to tire could be crucial.
I was at it too, and I agree the Armenian defenders didn't like him. But again, he still had no end product.

[Jolly Red Giant]

I'm not saying anyone is saying he should start. Just that maybe there's one or two in the squad that could benefit from the treatment Doherty/Molumby got.
I think this would be a mistake - he strikes me as the type of kid (and he still is a kid) that needs an arm around the shoulder rather than a scolding.



I was at it too, and I agree the Armenian defenders didn't like him. But again, he still had no end product.
Agree that there was no end product - but the chaos he can cause among defenders can create gaps for others.