Republic of Ireland v Bulgaria - Sunday, 23rd March 2025 - UEFA Nations League

[backstothewall]

Delighted to be proven completely wrong.

[Nesta99]

I'll be delighted to see Dunne coming on, a long time happening. Real local thats from just over the road from me.

[rebelmusic]

That's the exact goal I was thinking of

But he's finished that one nicely, just as he was about to go off. Back in this!

Edit - it's Parrott off actually. I wonder was that the plan, or did the goal change it?

Suggestions that he picked up a knock

[Olé Olé]

Suggestions that he picked up a knock
He did look to have a slight limp coming off.

[pineapple stu]

Idah off the bench to finish off crap opposition

It had to be!

Nice controlled finish in fairness

[Olé Olé]

I think Cullen has been dreadful tonight. I normally cut him slack because I feel he can be left at sea by those around him. Tonight he has just been very bad in very simple situations. Knight had a few hairy moments but I thought he improved.

[Olé Olé]

So happy for Sykes and him having an impact.

[geysir]

One for the students, but Isn't Jimmy Dunne the most popular full name to play for Ireland seniors, the present Jimmy Dunne is at least the 4th.

[osarusan]

For a while it looked like we might wilt and let ourselves have the game be dictated to us by an opposition as poor as us, if not worse, but we sorted things out and, even though we needed Idah's goal to settle the nerves, we were back in control ofter the equaliser.

[Jd2793]

thank god we won but that mob are abysmal. delighted with fergusons goal, hopefully gives him confidence. still badly stuck for cms, knight is a nothing player.

[Razors left peg]

Happy with that. We were by far better team. Evan getting a good goal such a bonus. I still don't like the midfield combo of Cullen and Knight but Hallgrimsson has improved us. He makes decent subs at good times too.

[Joxerbrowne]

Happy with that. We were by far better team. Evan getting a good goal such a bonus. I still don't like the midfield combo of Cullen and Knight but Hallgrimsson has improved us. He makes decent subs at good times too.

Knight could be a great RWB, runs all day decent on the ball if not spectacular and gets stuck in but just struggles with the physicality of midfield imo, just dosent have the presence.

[pineapple stu]

If you'd been offered four wins from four against Finland/Bulgaria when HH took over in September, you'd have grabbed it.

None of the wins were exactly comfortable, and the defeats against Greece and England were comfortable for them.

But feck it. It feels we're starting to move up from rock bottom at last. I don't think Hungary will be too worried by tonight, but little steps.

[tetsujin1979]

Had this stat ready to go, just in case!
1903926982917693575

[Nesta99]

I think its bit harsh to call them abysmal. A work in progress, we are adding more good stuff each camp and I think slowly eliminating the obvious flaws. Seeing passes fizzed in to the feet of defenders centrally to turn and distribute to dangerius areas is another string. Scoring goals, winning from behind, back to back win streak. It is porgressing nd I think we have some good players that could come in.

[Insidetherock]

Great result.. staying in B was absolutely vital for us..

Pretty much gives us 3 chances of qualifying now for 2028 now..

Win or be runners up

Play offs

Get one of the two hosts positions

We're raw, but looks like we're becoming a lot more pragmatic than we were under Kenny..

If only we could granny rule in a few decent midfielders, Matty Holland/Andy Townsend types..

(Oh if we'd only kept Rice ?)

Portugal look like they're going to be group winners, but Hungary took a bad clipping this weekend, so if we could catch them cold in the first qualifier game, we could have a real chance of at least getting a play off spot

[SkStu]

Pretty accomplished performance and agree that the subs worked and were well timed. Mentality is night and day to the Kenny days.

That said, the starting lineup didn’t fire. Ferguson and Parrott can’t play together is my takeaway. Knight stunk the place out. Collins was Collins. O’Brien was quality.

Manning my MOTM. ;)

[Insidetherock]

Anyone hear Parrots interview.. he sounded more Dutch than Dublin ??

[Eirambler]

A lot to unpack there, but I think that's a game we'd have lost, or at best nicked a late equaliser in, a couple of years ago.

Great to see Ferguson take that second chance after blowing the first one, a sign that it's still there if he could just get a run of games. I still think he'll probably have to leave the EPL in the shorter term for that to happen.

Parrott was excellent again, a real coming of age week for him at international level, even though he didn't score.

Azaz is going to be huge for us I think, you always have a chance with him on the pitch because he can see a pass and he can take a chance. We don't have anyone else like him right now (maybe Moran in a few years).

I was worried about Idah coming on against a deep lying defence, but thankfully we were ahead when he came in, and Bulgaria had pushed out, which suited him perfectly.

Dunne and Sykes look like genuine options for us, being able to move Doherty to left back is a good option to have also. Taylor looked good again when he came on (but centre mid remains an issue). A shame we couldn't get Abankwah on.

Overall I still think that's a game we win comfortably more often than not, but the Bulgaria goal against the run of play made things difficult again.

But it's another come from behind win, which is a really promising sign.

[sidewayspasser]

Anyone hear Parrots interview.. he sounded more Dutch than Dublin ??

Well, if you send a parrot to the Netherlands, he'll start speaking Dutch.

[Eirambler]

And after 30 minutes in which Ireland have been utterly comfortable, albeit without creating that much, Bulgaria nick a goal.

This was when Kenny sides tended to shrivel...we'll see what happens now.

I think the best thing about tonight, and the last few months, is that we have repeatedly answered this question now. Kenny never had a Plan B and just couldn't manage in-game situations at all, it's a huge flaw he has as a manager.

Was it Armenia at home where things looked like falling apart and he was just standing there absolutely clueless on the sideline with no idea how to sort it (thankfully Armenia self-combusted that time and we avoided relegation more because of them than anything we did).

Whereas Hallgrimsson seems to have multiple options lined up, different levers he can pull, and he doesn't look overly panicked when things aren't going well. I'm really impressed with him so far.

[Razors left peg]

I think the best thing about tonight, and the last few months, is that we have repeatedly answered this question now. Kenny never had a Plan B and just couldn't manage in-game situations at all, it's a huge flaw he has as a manager.

Was it Armenia at home where things looked like falling apart and he was just standing there absolutely clueless on the sideline with no idea how to sort it (thankfully Armenia self-combusted that time and we avoided relegation more because of them than anything we did).

Whereas Hallgrimsson seems to have multiple options lined up, different levers he can pull, and he doesn't look overly panicked when things aren't going well. I'm really impressed with him so far.

I agree with you for the most part but also let's not lose sight of the fact that a lot of the better options etc is down to players now maturing. Parrott, Idah, Collins, O'Brien, Azaz all in that early to mid 20 bracket where they are finally developing into really good players. Hallgrimsson is still going with Kenny's midfield for most part and it still shows a lot of the same problems. If we can unearth a gem in that position we have the makings of a good side

[rebelmusic]

Completely agree with you @Eirambler, I'm really impressed with HH after this window. The team has clearly had Plan B and even Plan C drilled into them and the subs all seemed to working of a predetermined game plan.

I think there's a couple of areas that need to be shifted for us to get consistently competitive.

The Cullen-Knight pairing doesn't work and despite being the better player tonight, Knight should be dropped. They were the only players who were panicking when they got the ball and played some ludicrous passes. I really think Taylor is the better option and despite never starting for Ipswich, he has 22 PL appearances this season and generally comes on around the 50th minute.

Collins needs a kick up the arse. He needs to fully step into the captain role or give it to someone else. He is consistently excellent for Brentford but doesn't bring the same form to Ireland. It's really time for him to step up and be the player we all know he can be. O'Brien looked far, far more comfortable than him tonight.

The competition for the 3 strikers and Azaz is heating up and HH needs to manage it carefully. Idah was clearly ****ed off he only got 20 minutes when interviewed. It's fantastic we have 3 decent strikers all fighting for their place but I really hope it can be man-managed and not become the issue that dominates the media discussion and become a Wes Hooligan/Andy Reid situation.

[Eirambler]

Yeah, I have to say I'm coming round to the Taylor idea having been dead set against it before now. I've always been a fan of Knight, but he has really tested the limits of my faith in him this week. Maybe he just can't play a midfield two, so if that's what we're going to persist with he might need to be a sub for a while.

Maybe Taylor can be the box to box midfielder that we need. I just don't see any other option unless we either recruit or Lawal comes good at some point. And there doesn't seem to be anyone we know of that we can recruit.

In terms of the striker conundrum, I still think Cannon will have a say in things also, even though he has lost ground by missing this squad. And Armstrong looked seriously ****ed to be left unused on the bench again tonight. Great to have options.

[Razors left peg]

I think the biggest issue with Knight and Cullen is that they are almost too similar and just don't complement eachother. Both work very hard but often do the basics really badly when on the ball.

[rebelmusic]

I think the biggest issue with Knight and Cullen is that they are almost too similar and just don't complement eachother. Both work very hard but often do the basics really badly when on the ball.

Agreed. I do think we need one of them and it really should be a first choice / second choice situation. By overall form for Ireland and the championship Cullen wins out by a distance., tonight aside.

And yeah, there doesn't seem to be any recruitment options. Smallbone doesn't fit the bill either. Weirdly I thought Dunne was excellent when he came forward and was showed the physicality we've been lacking....but it's probably a pipe dream seeing him as an option.

[Insidetherock]

As far as strikers being peed off they're not playing.. good.. excellent in fact..

Long as the ones that do, play well enough to keep them on the bench, the better for us

Try Collins in the middle in June.. Cullen/Knight/Molumby/Smallbone.. all simply too small

Watching us against England showed how small they were..

We need a presence there

Getting Smodizc/Obesele/Ogbene back, and we've the guts of a decent team..

We know we're a solid B3 team.. even getting to B2 and we're in with a real shot of qualfying for the next couple of Euros direct or through play offs

This is still a seriously young team remember

Get rid of Brady from left back.. two decent CMs, and I'd be a very happy bunny

[Olé Olé]

The competition for the 3 strikers and Azaz is heating up and HH needs to manage it carefully. Idah was clearly ****ed off he only got 20 minutes when interviewed. It's fantastic we have 3 decent strikers all fighting for their place but I really hope it can be man-managed and not become the issue that dominates the media discussion and become a Wes Hooligan/Andy Reid situation.

Don't really mind if it becomes a media discussion. It doesn't need to be managed carefully for that.

Idah seemed annoyed. But he also seemed to be overstating the impact he is having this season. He seemed to be quick to say he's playing, scoring and winning at Celtic and ignoring that he's recently lost his place. Great for a striker to be confident but not so great for them to be a tad delusional.

The interview I liked most was Parrott's. He was a man that seemed annoyed but annoyed with himself for not scoring whilst the other two played well. That said, his words belied his face and he spoke about playing well being most important and how great the competition is with each of them driving each other on.

Overall, it's a great situation we are in. Idah shouldn't kid himself though regarding his season. He's scored in the CL in big games but he hasn't torn the SPL up or played every week - he's largely been second fiddle to Kyogo and now Maeda. Ferguson got his goal but had the concerning effort we have referred to. He has a lot to do in terms of fitness and I'm wondering why it's taking so long. Parrott is the one that looks the sharpest and the best and is playing the most and scoring the most at club level.

All in all, Parrott deserved to play the most of all of them across the two games. And the other two could learn a thing or two off him about getting games and working hard. The man looks incredibly fit and sharp.

[Olé Olé]

And I'm a big Idah fan. I think there's a chance he could progress beyond Parrott and maybe even Ferguson over the next few years.

He played well and took his goal well when he came in. He's capable of all of this.

But he has a clearly volatile self confidence. He demonstrated that in the summer when he was shown a bit of love by Celtic fans on the back of a decent loan spell and threw the toys out of the pram to force through the move there. Hero. Went on a run then with no goals and couldn't hit a barn door against poor opposition. Zero.

I think he could do with figuring things out upstairs if he wants to progress to the level both he and I think he could!

[Drummerboy2]

I have been hugely impressed by Parrott over the last couple of games. He has a touch of class about him as well as a willingness to run the hard lines for the team. Delighted for both Ferguson and Idah to score. I think we have 3 good young strikers now, which s a huge plus.
HH has also impressed me. He has a air of confidence and assuredness about him. The players seem to respect him and he is able to make effective changes during the games if needed.
Back four in both games were steady, Doherty back to his best again. Not sure why OShea was left out, but O'Brien coped really well also.
Our big problem is midfield. I think we have an abundance of centre halves and we should push Collins into a holding position in front of the back four. I have not been impressed by Cullen in recent games. Azaz should be one of the first names on the team sheet going forward.
All in all a promising window, and I feel we are on the right track after several years in the wilderness. Long may it last.

[Stuttgart88]

I think SkStu got it right. Knight was awful. Makes Molumby’s absence from the squad the more surprising.

I think we sent the ball sideways and backwards too often and this betrays a lack of confidence in central midfield. On the very few occasions Cullen took the ball on the half turn and drove forward there was lots of space to attack but instead our CMs would more frequently receive the ball and play it sideways or back to the full back area without having had the courage to turn and face the play. I like how O’Brien carries the ball forward with purpose if there’s a gap. As a team we don’t develop play through the middle as effectively as I’d like but it helps when your CBs gain 15-20m just by attacking open space.

Ferguson’s presence completely broke up the Azaz/Parrott partnership that worked so well on Thursday and our team performance suffered badly as a result.

Idah looked sharp. Maybe I missed dry wit from Pineapple Stu above but a winner is a winner and it was a good goal. He looked way fitter than Ferguson. Ferguson just didn’t have the legs to take a few more steps before his early shot in the second half, but the boy showed what a talent he is with the one spell of real quality he was able to produce.

I liked what Sykes brought, just a bit of snappy dynamism when it was needed – but one careless dispossession late on annoyed me. Similarly, Collins’ silly unforced mistakes are annoying. Johnston was frustrating. There’s a really dangerous footballer in there but his end product was poor.

Overall, not as good as I hoped for after Thursday but still more good than bad. Winning is a habit and we’re starting to win games again.

[Stuttgart88]

Not sure why OShea was left out, but O'Brien coped really well also. Our big problem is midfield. I think we have an abundance of centre halves and we should push Collins into a holding position in front of the back four. The answer could well now be for O'Brien and O'Shea to be the CBs with Collins reprising the Lawrenson/McGrath midfield relocation.

[OwlsFan]

The answer could well now be for O'Brien and O'Shea to be the CBs with Collins reprising the Lawrenson/McGrath midfield relocation.

Not sure. Lawrence and McGrath were good on the ball. Collins gives it away too easily.

[ifk101]

I think you can try dropping Collins altogether. While quite possibly unfair, it feels like he has concentration lapses in every game he plays for us. A couple of sloppy moments in the first game that a top-tier team punishes, recall a loose 5-yard pass out of defence last night that missed his man and set up a chance for Bulgaria. Not onboard with the trying Collins in midfield, he actually is poor on the ball (compare him to O’Brien here (who I would argue has technically benefitted from his time on the continent)) and the games with Bulgaria show he’s not great at passing either. (Don’t think the talking element of the captaincy suits him btw, maybe an unnecessary distraction hurting his performances?).

Agree that Knight was subpar last night, but he captains and has played ever league minute for a competitive Championship team this season – we can get more out of him if used correctly.

Thought we had a good organisation and compactness last night but that hybrid positioning of Azaz was unnecessary and an unneeded change from the first game. Has John O’Shea’s mastermind written all over it.

Agree with Stuttgart about the DMs not receiving and turning in possession being (continuously) problematic. Our U21s were poor the other night against Scotland but we did have a couple of players in midfield capable of receiving and turning so maybe there is hope longer term.

[Acornvilla]

We're still sloppy and doing silly things, but individuals are really coming in to their own and making a difference up top which they weren't able to before, the ship feels like it is turning. Also maybe more physically able to keep intensity and pressing up, but we'll probably need more of a sample size on that one.

As others have said, left back/center midfield are still an issue, and will keep us to a certain level, but the other areas are largely stronger with potential for more to come, and maybe in a position to help compensate in a way they really couldn't before. I do think Knight will eventually be a PL midfielder, and be a better player than Cullen, he does offer a lot of energy as a 2nd half sub and could be where he offers us most in the short term. I do think Molumby should be in the squad for similar reasons, but he probably does have more limitations to his game right now, and loves a stupid yellow.

I think we'll be in a slightly stronger spot after the summer injuries allowing, I really believe in a lot of these players and the potential they have. It has been nice to see a few have good moments this week and take steps forward. There is definitely a fighting chance of coming 2nd with a bit of luck, and we deserve some. Regardless of how poor Bulgaria are, 2 wins in a week, the boom is back!

[Predator]

Finn Azaz, Troy Parrott and Robbie Brady were excellent last night. Azaz in particular showed that he has the quality to play at a much higher level. He was at the heart of so much of our good play and I was left wondering why he has been toiling for the likes of Plymouth and Newport County until very recently. Such an intelligent player.

Parrott is unlucky he was the striker who didn't score, but his overall contribution to the attacking effort was outstanding. He was industrious, showed cleverness with his movement and his touch is very sharp. Great to see. Like probably everyone else, I thought Ferguson's touch was a bit slack and he was probably coming much too deep at times, but he took the goal really well. Bulgaria fell asleep and he punished them.

Robbie Brady's deliveries, both in play and from set-pieces, were strong again last night, but his aggression defensively is also an asset. For someone who is not the tallest, the man knows how to win headers.

I had a feeling that there'd be a change at CB before the game, but I thought, based on his error-strewn performance in the first leg, it would be Collins dropping out, not O'Shea (who has probably performed better overall for Ireland). The fact that Collins has been HH's captain probably factored into the decision.

I was probably most frustrated with Mikey Johnston. It was as if he was on a different wavelength to the rest of the team at times as he often took the wrong option. He holds onto the ball too much at times for my liking too. There was a moment in the second half when he dithered on the ball in our own half and put us under pressure. Headless stuff. You can see he has flashes of brilliance, but I'm not sure I'd have him for the crunch games.

[Eirambler]

Finn Azaz, Troy Parrott and Robbie Brady were excellent last night. Azaz in particular showed that he has the quality to play at a much higher level. He was at the heart of so much of our good play and I was left wondering why he has been toiling for the likes of Plymouth and Newport County until very recently. Such an intelligent player.


I still can't believe Villa sold Azaz for only £2m last year. I'm not aware that there was a buyback or anything in the deal either. He looks like a Premier League player any time I watch him play.

[Olé Olé]

A really tidy but unlikely solution would see Azaz being capable of dropping into the midfield two and playing in there as a schemer - receiving it under pressure, playing it forward from deep, maintaining some bit of positional discipline without the ball and having some type of ability to put a tackle in. He has some attributes to do it. We'd lose a bit in the final third but, then again, its the final third where we have the striking options. And maybe we become frailer in midfield too because he'd have to be partnered with one of Cullen and Knight.

I don't know what the solution is but it definitely isn't persisting with Cullen and Knight together. It is so frustrating that we have options and alternatives in other roles but such a dearth in midfield.

Kelleher/Bazunu/Travers (write off Bazunu until he's up and running if you like but Travers is still good)
Doherty/Dunne/O'Brien
Collins/O'Shea/O'Brien/Scales/Abankwah soon
Brady/Manning
Johnston/Ogbene/Ebosele/Sykes
Azaz/Szmodics/Smallbone
Ferguson/Idah/Parrott

There is nice depth built up there and decent options when all are fit. The Cullen/Knight/Molumby combos in the engine room are just not great. I just don't know about Taylor.

What annoys me is that they are all upper end Championship players but that never seems to be enough in our midfield, even though it kind of does the job elsewhere. A good chunk of the list above comprises of players teetering between lower PL and upper Champ. Josh Sheehan of Bolton and Kenny McLean of Norwich are playing plenty for Wales and Scotland of late, including in wins against decent sides.

I used to blame Kenny's tactics for contributing to the lads being overwhelmed but I can't blame that any longer. It's mad.

[Olé Olé]

I still can't believe Villa sold Azaz for only £2m last year. I'm not aware that there was a buyback or anything in the deal either. He looks like a Premier League player any time I watch him play.

Boro forum seems to have him down as quality but wildly inconsistent. That might explain things. He has been quality in 2 from 2 this window though. Other circumstances can impact too.

[backstothewall]

I still can't believe Villa sold Azaz for only £2m last year. I'm not aware that there was a buyback or anything in the deal either. He looks like a Premier League player any time I watch him play.

I wonder if there was perhaps a PSR aspect to that fee being lower than one might otherwise have expected. Morgan Rogers went the other way for £9m during the same window which looked cheap even at the time (He's worth at least 5 or 6 times that now).

Azaz went first but he looks a lot like Middlesborough getting a like for like replacement for Rogers.

[SwanVsDalton]

A lot of players there who we know can play a lot better - Collins, Ferguson, Knight, Cullen, Johnston - and, yet, we controlled the game and won it despite conceding a silly goal.

Happy to let most of those guys figure it out in the friendlies and into the World Cup qualifiers, with the exception of working at the centre mid conundrum. But, ultimately, we don't have an N'Golo Kante (or even a Lee Carsley) waiting in the wings.

Bulgaria are terrible but that hasn't stopped from losing in recent years. This is as green shoots as it gets.

[backstothewall]

Thinking about last night, it was as incredibly frustrating watch for most of the night. Bulgaria are awful, and it's entirely obvous how NI put 5 past them.

Out midfield was our biggest problem last night. Cullen was uncharacteristically sloppy, and Knight was as bad as he's been for the past year or longer. I would hope that Cullen's performance was a one off, but Knight simply shouldn't be starting at this stage. Smallbone would be my first choice to start alongside Cullen, but in his absense it should have been Taylor. This is an area that needs looked at in the June friendlies though. It's time to look at new players. I'm pretty agnostic about who they might be, but there are players we could try (Luca Connell?, John Patrick Finn?, Joe Hodge?, Killian Phillips?). These games are an opportunity to twist rather than stick.

Collins is a cracking player, but he should also be dropped. The mistakes he continually makes in a green shirt are going to cost us at some point. We have other good options in central defence. Perhaps losing his shirt (and the armband) would be the wakeup call he needs, and he might come back a more focused player the next time he gets a chance.

Azaz looks quality, and Mikey Johnson had a good night.

Ferguson was awful up to the goal. He doesn't look close to being match fit and although he took the goal well he shouldn't have played. The miss was horrendous. The only possible explanation for taking the shot on from that range was that he didn't have the legs to bring it into the penalty area. He needs a pre-season and a move. I'd go along with the point Eirambler made about getting out of England entirely and heading for somewhere on the continent.

Idah was far more mobile and really stretched the game when he came on. I felt he dropped too deep at times but that speaks to an enthusiasm and mobility that Ferguson lacked completely.

That sounds very negative, but it's all balanced out by one huge positive. We would have lost that game 1-0 under Stephen Kenny. There's still a lot to figure out but things are a lot better than they were.

[SkStu]

I wonder if there was perhaps a PSR aspect to that fee being lower than one might otherwise have expected. Morgan Rogers went the other way for £9m during the same window which looked cheap even at the time (He's worth at least 5 or 6 times that now).

Azaz went first but he looks a lot like Middlesborough getting a like for like replacement for Rogers.

I thought it was closer to 4M they sold him for. Either way, he was out of contract at the end of the season with Villa if i recall correctly so Boro got the business done in the January window. Cracking deal.

[pineapple stu]

I was probably most frustrated with Mikey Johnston. It was as if he was on a different wavelength to the rest of the team at times as he often took the wrong option. He holds onto the ball too much at times for my liking too. There was a moment in the second half when he dithered on the ball in our own half and put us under pressure. Headless stuff. You can see he has flashes of brilliance, but I'm not sure I'd have him for the crunch games.
Funny, I called out Johnston early on as someone who had been doing well - but yeah, the longer the game went on, the more he looked like threatening something without ever delivering on it.

He can be great when he's on form, but when he's not on form he can be nowhere. Probably why he's only an ok Championship player at best so far (it looks like WBA are dropping away out of the play-off race given their current form; far too many draws)

[Razors left peg]

Thinking about last night, it was as incredibly frustrating watch for most of the night. Bulgaria are awful, and it's entirely obvous how NI put 5 past them.




Funny enough I was never that frustrated watching the game, not like I have been in the past anyway. There are games we watched that its pretty obvious early that the game could be 400 minutes long and we'd never score, I always felt that we would score yesterday. It was annoying for sure to go in at half time down a goal, but for some reason I was always confident we'd win it.

I actually had a look at YBIG match thread yesterday evening after the game and it was just a constant flow of "this is as bad as anything under Kenny" right up to Fergusons goal.... I really didnt see it like that at all. We were good yesterday, far from perfect and there are big flaws, but it was good

[backstothewall]

Funny enough I was never that frustrated watching the game, not like I have been in the past anyway. There are games we watched that its pretty obvious early that the game could be 400 minutes long and we'd never score, I always felt that we would score yesterday. It was annoying for sure to go in at half time down a goal, but for some reason I was always confident we'd win it.

I actually had a look at YBIG match thread yesterday evening after the game and it was just a constant flow of "this is as bad as anything under Kenny" right up to Fergusons goal.... I really didnt see it like that at all. We were good yesterday, far from perfect and there are big flaws, but it was good

I don't think i disagree with any of that. I always thought the liklihood was always that we would probably score.

My frustration was that we were making hard work of it. Bulgaria are incredibly limited and it should never have been close. It was very obvious how NI put 5 past them.

We started off like gangbusters. The first 5 minutes were as good as I've ever seen an Irish team play, admittedly against an awful opposition. We were dominant for the first 20. There was a real zip to the way we were passing the ball and an obvious intent in everything we did. But then all that just stopped and we were back plodding our way through. Bulgaria didn't change anything or suddenly improve. We just took our foot off their neck.

What can i say about them scoring the way they did. It was probably the first time in the game they made it into our penalty area. It just goes to prove the old saying. Never give a sucker an even break.

There was an opportunity there to produce a really dominant performance and run up a big score that would boost moral. A win's a win and it represents definate progress from the Kenny era but it could have been so much more.

[Razors left peg]

I don't think i disagree with any of that. I always thought the liklihood was always that we would probably score.

My frustration was that we were making hard work of it. Bulgaria are incredibly limited and it should never have been close. It was very obvious how NI put 5 past them.

We started off like gangbusters. The first 5 minutes were as good as I've ever seen an Irish team play, admittedly against an awful opposition. We were dominant for the first 20. There was a real zip to the way we were passing the ball and an obvious intent in everything we did. But then all that just stopped and we were back plodding our way through. Bulgaria didn't change anything or suddenly improve. We just took our foot off their neck.

There was an opportunity there to produce a really dominant performance and run up a big score. A win's a win and it represents definate progress from the Kenny era but it could have been so much more.

Yeah it could have been a lot more, we had a couple of good early chances and if one of them had gone in it might have opened the floodgates. Its hard to keep the foot on the neck the entire game, especially with our midfield limitations so I think it has to be expected that they would get some of the game. The NI game really was an outlier in their recent results. For the most part they keep games fairly close so Im not too concerned that we didnt run up a big score. Id have been a lot more worried if we werent even creating any chances.

[liamoo11]

Thinking about last night, it was as incredibly frustrating watch for most of the night. Bulgaria are awful, and it's entirely obvous how NI put 5 past them.

Out midfield was our biggest problem last night. Cullen was uncharacteristically sloppy, and Knight was as bad as he's been for the past year or longer. I would hope that Cullen's performance was a one off, but Knight simply shouldn't be starting at this stage. Smallbone would be my first choice to start alongside Cullen, but in his absense it should have been Taylor. This is an area that needs looked at in the June friendlies though. It's time to look at new players. I'm pretty agnostic about who they might be, but there are players we could try (Luca Connell?, John Patrick Finn?, Joe Hodge?, Killian Phillips?). These games are an opportunity to twist rather than stick.

Collins is a cracking player, but he should also be dropped. The mistakes he continually makes in a green shirt are going to cost us at some point. We have other good options in central defence. Perhaps losing his shirt (and the armband) would be the wakeup call he needs, and he might come back a more focused player the next time he gets a chance.

Azaz looks quality, and Mikey Johnson had a good night.

Ferguson was awful up to the goal. He doesn't look close to being match fit and although he took the goal well he shouldn't have played. The miss was horrendous. The only possible explanation for taking the shot on from that range was that he didn't have the legs to bring it into the penalty area. He needs a pre-season and a move. I'd go along with the point Eirambler made about getting out of England entirely and heading for somewhere on the continent.

Idah was far more mobile and really stretched the game when he came on. I felt he dropped too deep at times but that speaks to an enthusiasm and mobility that Ferguson lacked completely.

That sounds very negative, but it's all balanced out by one huge positive. We would have lost that game 1-0 under Stephen Kenny. There's still a lot to figure out but things are a lot better than they were.

Hard to believe how heavy and unfit ferguson is. He has been back playing since at least last September I genuinely don't know how he isn't fit enough in 8 months. Fitness to run around and close down has nothing to do with match fitness with the ball. It simply is grunt work and diet. 8 months of training and he was knackered after 50 minutes. That is not the sign.of a top pro. Great goal

[Nesta99]

Hard to believe how heavy and unfit ferguson is. He has been back playing since at least last September I genuinely don't know how he isn't fit enough in 8 months. Fitness to run around and close down has nothing to do with match fitness with the ball. It simply is grunt work and diet. 8 months of training and he was knackered after 50 minutes. That is not the sign.of a top pro. Great goal

I'd question the s+c setup at his club for letting him be out of condition injury or not (taking match fitness seperately). Potter spoke about trying to get him right to get him on the pitch when he moved on loan which seemed and odd way to put it. He isnt a Wayne Rooney thats supping pints and eating pies when the ball goes dead so its a strange one from a distance. His body type may decondition quickly, no that different from a rugby forward thats good for 50mins a game. Why the 9 role is his bread and butter, short sharp bursts and not lung busting super high press.

[CraftyToePoke]

I'd question the s+c setup at his club for letting him be out of condition injury or not (taking match fitness seperately). Potter spoke about trying to get him right to get him on the pitch when he moved on loan which seemed and odd way to put it.

Surely after a string of managers and ending up back with the original manager who isn't picking him either now, the questions need to be aimed at the player himself ? S&C at his employers is a new one, and a remarkable one even by our collective green tinted spectacles tendencies. Goals change games & they change post game narratives too, none more so than his last night. He was breathing out his ass. No wonder Idah is a bit spiky, he'll probably know the score I'm thinking.