Republic of Ireland v Hungary - Saturday, 6 September 2025 - 2026 World Cup Qualifier

[Kingdom]

Barry's is Fine Gael tea lest any have forgotten or just don't know !

Barry's Tea is the bestest tea on this fine island. That a Kerryman can accept that means you should all accept it.

[seanfhear]

Barry's Tea is the bestest tea on this fine island. That a Kerryman can accept that means you should all accept it.
I must admit that I have drunk that Blue-Shirt tea and it is good tea but it is still Blue-Shirt tea !

[Razors left peg]

Is Molumby injured?

If you were to nitpick the squad Id have Molumby over Philips, but its a fairly marginal call and not one that I think anyone would be too upset about.... apart from Molumby himself

[pineapple stu]

Wasn't Phillips dire in Luxembourg? Like, even by comparison with the rest? I'm surprised he's kept his place tbh. Molumby has flattered to deceive often, but I think he can feel hard done by.

But it's not going to be transformational to the squad for sure

[MeathDrog]

I think Molumby is the fall guy for the mental capitulation in Wembley with our complete inability to manage the game. Heimer was horrified after that match and can't look at him the same. It's hard to blame him.

[Dermobohs]

Barry's Tea is the bestest tea on this fine island. That a Kerryman can accept that means you should all accept it.
Shocking. I’m appalled .
Thompsons finest, the lovely Punjana is the only allowable tea for everyday cuppas.
Spot of earl grey in the evening.

[Razors left peg]

Wasn't Phillips dire in Luxembourg? Like, even by comparison with the rest? I'm surprised he's kept his place tbh. Molumby has flattered to deceive often, but I think he can feel hard done by.

But it's not going to be transformational to the squad for sure

Yeah I wouldnt be a fan of Philips at all. Great attitude and will run all day, but Molumby is a better footballer. We really need someone coming through there

[Fixer82]

Yeah I wouldnt be a fan of Philips at all. Great attitude and will run all day, but Molumby is a better footballer. We really need someone coming through there

I will wait a while before I judge Phillips but my instinct is that you are right

[Kingdom]

Squad selection aside, I'll be interested in how HH approaches this one. He's making the right noises, but he's kind of conceded that he'll take the draw at home (not unwise, fair is fair).

Kerkez, as much as I like him, looks like someone who can be targeted defensively and it is absolutely clear he's a liability in the air. In that respect, for any set-pieces, I would overload the front, go long and attack him with someone unusually capable in the air - Matt Doherty, Jack Taylor, or COD (had he been selected). Let Ferguson Collins and O'Shea draw their big lads away and isolate Kerkez.

Secondly, Szobosolai. I'd man mark him, I'd sit Jason Knight on him all game - well technically I would sit Molumby on him all game, but in lieu of him not being in the squad, I'd give it to Knight. He's a fine player and he could really kill us in an area where we've shown scant willingness to learn this decade.

[Eirambler]

In his press conference he mentioned Hungary's ability from long shots and what will be our need to make sure the space around the edge of the box is closed down quickly. It was a welcome change from his predecessor, who completely ignored the issue and seemed to refuse to make a plan to deal with it.

[mark12345]

Squad selection aside, I'll be interested in how HH approaches this one. He's making the right noises, but he's kind of conceded that he'll take the draw at home (not unwise, fair is fair).

Kerkez, as much as I like him, looks like someone who can be targeted defensively and it is absolutely clear he's a liability in the air. In that respect, for any set-pieces, I would overload the front, go long and attack him with someone unusually capable in the air - Matt Doherty, Jack Taylor, or COD (had he been selected). Let Ferguson Collins and O'Shea draw their big lads away and isolate Kerkez.

Secondly, Szobosolai. I'd man mark him, I'd sit Jason Knight on him all game - well technically I would sit Molumby on him all game, but in lieu of him not being in the squad, I'd give it to Knight. He's a fine player and he could really kill us in an area where we've shown scant willingness to learn this decade.

I haven't seen that weakness in Kerkez, but fair play to you for a good observation. You mentioned the aerial game - that is exactly where we will find success against Hungary. Collins, O'Shea, Doherty, Ferguson and maybe even Scales or O'Brien at some point during the game. That is a serious amount of weaponry for corners and free kicks. Or from crosses from Ogbene and Johnson. All that said I sure as heck don't like to hear that HH would settle for a draw.

[Kingdom]

I haven't seen that weakness in Kerkez, but fair play to you for a good observation. You mentioned the aerial game - that is exactly where we will find success against Hungary. Collins, O'Shea, Doherty, Ferguson and maybe even Scales or O'Brien at some point during the game. That is a serious amount of weaponry for corners and free kicks. Or from crosses from Ogbene and Johnson. All that said I sure as heck don't like to hear that HH would settle for a draw.

Tony Gordon - who to be extremely fair to him this season has shown a good determination to win duels in the air - beat him badly on Monday night and was a left off before Guimares (I think?) made him look absolutely clueless at defending anything aerial for the first Toon goal.

Against Bournemouth, twice I'm nearly 100% sure the ball came across the box and he was almost crouched down (not a good look for a little 'un) looking skyward as the ball crossed his patch.

Could it be a blip? For sure. Could it be something to consider, examine and exploit further? Of course. Is it something Mark Travers might have noticed and could be consulted about even if not in the squad? Absolutely.
Of course, there's no guarantee that he'll play lb for them - when they played in Dublin last year, their formation was unorthodox, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a more attack-minded role for them (they'll surely look to win in Dublin ahead of hosting Portugal)?

[Razors left peg]

Id be willing to bet that we have smaller squads now due to financial reasons

The story today from John Fallon about redundancies in the FAI probably backs up this theory

[Kingdom]

RTE Sport online are claiming it is a UEFA requirement to only have a 23 man squad. Seems unusual.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025/0826/1530325-waiting-game-over-as-world-cup-ambition-gets-serious/

"UEFA stipulations limit the manager to calling up a maximum of 23 players for the international window, and Hallgrimsson admitted that it was a tough task attempting to get the balance right with the final selection.

A welcome headache, no doubt, as Hallgrimsson’s 12-month tenure has resulted in a settled squad with real competition for places, and with so many established players omitted, including captain Seamus Coleman, it places an added onus on those involved to hold onto their jersey.

Hallgrimsson also offered some insight into his selection process, with a real emphasis on versatility and on those who can bring something different to the squad."

[Razors left peg]

RTE Sport online are claiming it is a UEFA requirement to only have a 23 man squad. Seems unusual.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025/0826/1530325-waiting-game-over-as-world-cup-ambition-gets-serious/

"UEFA stipulations limit the manager to calling up a maximum of 23 players for the international window, and Hallgrimsson admitted that it was a tough task attempting to get the balance right with the final selection.

A welcome headache, no doubt, as Hallgrimsson’s 12-month tenure has resulted in a settled squad with real competition for places, and with so many established players omitted, including captain Seamus Coleman, it places an added onus on those involved to hold onto their jersey.

Hallgrimsson also offered some insight into his selection process, with a real emphasis on versatility and on those who can bring something different to the squad."

If thats true maybe its to try keep a level playing field for all countries?

[Kingdom]

If thats true maybe its to try keep a level playing field for all countries?

Those first 3 words are very important.
The wording "a maximum of" on RTE suggests that no replacements are permitted. In a post-pandemic world...that seems very unusual.

[pineapple stu]

But Hungary have 27 in their squad... (https://valogatott.mlsz.hu/ferfi-a-valogatott/hir/csapat/negy-ujonc-a-ferfi-a-valogatott-irorszag-es-portugalia-elleni-kereteben)

"This time, Marco Rossi announced a larger than usual squad of 27 men for the World Cup qualifying matches in September, so that the national team would be prepared for all eventualities in the first two matches of the World Cup qualification."

You can only name 23 players in the matchday squad afaik. But that's different.

[Razors left peg]

Ok so we are back to FAI being cheap and broke :D

[cobhlad]

Ok so we are back to FAI being cheap and broke :D
Had we left that scenario for a bit?

[Eirambler]

Yeah, it's 23 on match days alright. But you can name as many in your overall squad as you want.

[Kingdom]

But Hungary have 27 in their squad... (https://valogatott.mlsz.hu/ferfi-a-valogatott/hir/csapat/negy-ujonc-a-ferfi-a-valogatott-irorszag-es-portugalia-elleni-kereteben)

"This time, Marco Rossi announced a larger than usual squad of 27 men for the World Cup qualifying matches in September, so that the national team would be prepared for all eventualities in the first two matches of the World Cup qualification."

You can only name 23 players in the matchday squad afaik. But that's different.

Lets be fair though, Hungary don't generally give two sheets about anything direction coming from Europe, whether that's Nyon, Brussels or Strasbourg.

[pineapple stu]

I don't think they necessarily get a choice tbh

Serbia have 29 in their squad for the window though. The North have 26. Germany - sticklers for rules of course - only have 23. But there's enough there to say it's not a rule that you can only call up a max of 23

[tetsujin1979]

Hungarian squad was also named on Tuesday
https://valogatott.mlsz.hu/ferfi-a-valogatott/hir/csapat/negy-ujonc-a-ferfi-a-valogatott-irorszag-es-portugalia-elleni-kereteben

Going by wikipedia, their main threats are Szoboszlai(16 goals) and Sallai(14)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary_national_football_team#Players

Armenia squad also announced
https://www.ffa.am/en/news/eghishe-meliqyany-hraparakel-e-hayastani-azgayin-havaqakan-hravirvats-futbolistneri-canky

Would seem to have a similar international record to our own
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia_national_football_team#Players

[Eirambler]

Parrott ruled out of the two games it seems. Cannon, Armstrong or Barry to come in?

[pineapple stu]

Ah ******. That's a massive blow.

[Kingdom]

******** ******** ********.

At least 88 doesn't have to worry about making any tough decisions now.

[Razors left peg]

Parrott ruled out of the two games it seems. Cannon, Armstrong or Barry to come in?

Id bring in Barry. We have enough cover as striker with Ferguson, Idah and even Szmodics. Barry can give us more options wide

[Fizzer]

Desperate timing for us given Parrott’s form. I’d be inclined to try Barry out. Ferguson has had a really good start but he doesn’t have much more than 70 minutes in him just yet, I wouldn’t like to be relying on Idah at the moment to do much for us. Is the alternative to call up another midfielder? Maybe Molumby to be brought on if we need to defend a lead (it’s the hope that kills you).

[Razors left peg]

Its really not ideal having Parrott missing given his form, but I think it might actually give us a better team balance. Hallgrimsson played with both Parrott and Ferguson in the last games as far as I remember it, with Ferguson dropping deep into the 10 role. If Azaz goes into the 10 and Ferguson plays up front that will be better than trying to just shoehorn both Ferguson and Parrott in.

Im not saying that it good that Parrott is out obviously, but right now it looks like we only have room for one striker in the actually team so its one decision that is already made for the starting 11

[liamoo11]

Id bring in Barry. We have enough cover as striker with Ferguson, Idah and even Szmodics. Barry can give us more options wide

Cannon has been woeful

[Eirambler]

Cannon is being played wide right at Sheffield United by Selles. It's not his position at all, he's an out and out centre forward.

[rebelmusic]

Just a thought on the 23 man squad stuff. When HH joined there was a lot of talk about needing the players to fight for places and make them more competitive in general. I really doubt the FAI would quibble over a couple of grand worth of flights and hotel bills. Limiting the squad sort of guarantees that the players who want to be picked will feel more pressure.

This window is the first in a very, very long time where, outside of maybe Philips, I'm content with the selection but also wishing we could accommodate Ebosele and one or two others.

If the goal was the make the players fight harder for their places, it's working.

[Razors left peg]

Apparently Festy throwing a tantrum about being left out of squad. Has removed all Ireland references from his social media.

[Eirambler]

He did that before when Crawford didn't pick him for the Under 21s. Kenny had to prematurely call him up to the seniors to smooth things over if I remember correctly.

He'd probably be the next call up if someone like Ogbene cries off, so he needs to just calm down.

[Razors left peg]

Yeah very childish. I dont think he can switch countries at this point so he needs to cop on

[Eirambler]

No, he's long since cap-tied to Ireland. But maybe he's going to be more of a Stephen Ireland type that ends up not playing at all. He's a useful bench option with his pace, but he's far from essential to the squad.

[Eirambler]

Looks like Molumby could be in line for a late call up as Phillips has gone off injured against Hibs this afternoon. Potentially an improvement to the squad I'd suggest.

[ifk101]

Johnny Kenny called up as Parrott's replacement ...

[Diggs246]

Strange

He said Louie Barry was unlucky not to make it. Barry plays in one of the best championship teams, but he calls up Kenny. I literally don't get it.

[tetsujin1979]

Are you confusing him with another player? Sheffield United are bottom of the Championship

[Diggs246]

Well fair enough !
I would say they won't be there for long

[pineapple stu]

I know Cannon's form has been crap the last year or so, but calling Kenny up ahead of him still feels like a kick in the teeth there. Kenny's barely made an impression at Celtic.

Guess we can presume Robinson is finished for the foreseeable, despite double figures in the Championship for a relegated team last year. Only a sub this year though (as Cardiff have raced to the top of the table)

[ifk101]

I’d have gone with Cannon as well. Not trying to beat down on Kenny but he's not currently doing enough at club level to merit the call-up (not in the Celtic squad yesterday?). But importantly for me, he is a new player for HH, right? Was under the impression the games leading up to the WC qualification had a double purpose of allowing HH the time to get to know the players available to him.

[Eirambler]

I think Barry is seen as more of a wide forward than a centre forward. Cannon is out of form and being played out of position at his club. I like him and would see him as a much better longer term prospect than Kenny, but in the short term I can understand going with Kenny as someone who seems to be playing well in the limited game time he has been getting.

Realistically it's unlikely the selected player here will see game time, unless it's in a situation where either game is dead as a contest when a substitution is made. They will be behind Ferguson and Idah at centre forward at a minimum, and maybe behind Szmodics too.

[elatedscum]

I’d have called up Millenic Alli to replace Parrott. Kinda think all of Coleman, O’Dowda, Molumby, McGrath, Ebosele and him have been hard done by with this squad

[seanfhear]

I’d have called up Millenic Alli to replace Parrott. Kinda think all of Coleman, O’Dowda, Molumby, McGrath, Ebosele and him have been hard done by with this squadI expect / suspect that Coleman is well contactted in advance about these matters ~ Or at least I would expect that.

[Kingdom]

I’d have called up Millenic Alli to replace Parrott. Kinda think all of Coleman, O’Dowda, Molumby, McGrath, Ebosele and him have been hard done by with this squad

As someone who is fond of a possible left-field call that never comes to pass (Graham Carey I'm looking at you) - that's a very good one ES. And to be fair, he's been on a bit of a roll this year for sure.

[tetsujin1979]

Not that Alli wouldn't be an interesting choice, but would Graham Burke be more deserving? Alli hadn't played above League One standard until this year, and scored four goals for Luton in 16 games before they were relegated. One goal in seven appearances this season.

[Eirambler]

I agree that Alli is potentially worth a call up, he has dealt well with every step up in standard he has faced in the last couple of years. That said, he generally not playing centre forward at Luton (but could be a usefully versatile squad option for us at some point).

[pineapple stu]

Not that Alli wouldn't be an interesting choice, but would Graham Burke be more deserving? Alli hadn't played above League One standard until this year, and scored four goals for Luton in 16 games before they were relegated. One goal in seven appearances this season.
Burke is being outshone in the goalscoring stakes anyway by Pádraig Amond, who has 12 for Waterford compared to 7 for Rovers for Burke.

I know goals isn't the only metric for a forward, but given Amond was never capped, I don't see that Burke is really going to add much. And I don't think Alli would add much either for the reasons you say.

But beggars and choosers...