Lets be positive

[colster]

I think it's time to be positive. I don't think things are as bad as people are making out.
I remember when McCarthy took over, we had a lot of old players and hardly any coming through. People said then that we were in for a long period in the doldrums.
I think we have a lot more players to choose from than McCarthy did when he started. We have options and a comparatively young side.

Get a new manager in and lets see how the likes of A. McGeady, S. Ireland, G. Whelan, K. Doyle, S. Kelly, W. Flood, S. Elliott, J. O'Brien, D. Potter, O. Garvan, M. Timlin, D. O'Dea, P. McShane, A. Stokes, P. McCarthy ... (the list goes on) progress in the next 4 years.

[tetsujin1979]

The Euro 2004 qualifiers under Kerr were supposed to be the a transition period, leading into qualification for the World Cup. It hasn't happen so now the team has to through all that again, possibly under a new manager. I see very little to be positive about

[Metrostars]

Time to be positive?

Ok, here goes.

Shay Given is at the top of his game right now.

That's it. Everybody else, and I mean EVERYBODY, have been crap, including Damien Duff who recently only seems to sparkle for Chelsea.

[thejollyrodger]

lets be positive indeed. The sooner people realise the real talent post the Roy Keane era the better. He dragged an average team up and everyone thinks that high standard is our natural level. Its not.

We have players coming through and the sooner people realise that to have a decent national team we need to develop the Eircom league and players technical ability the better.

[pineapple stu]

Let's be positive.

We missed out on automatic qualification by three points.

We dropped six utterly stupid points by sitting back after dominating and scoring early and conceding equalisers. Strike one of those out and we're in the play offs. Suddenly no-one's moaning. If a new manager comes in - or if the current one stays - he'll surely cop on to this. We underperformed badly in this campaign. Fourth seeds is a whore, but if we get a decent draw (i.e. Greece!), I don't see why we can't finish top two. No more play-offs either. :)

[eirebhoy]

That's it. Everybody else, and I mean EVERYBODY, have been crap, including Damien Duff who recently only seems to sparkle for Chelsea.
He's playing the way Mourinho wants him to play but I wouldn't say he "sparkles". His first half against Anderlecht was the best I've seen him this season. Nothing could beat his performance against Italy though.

[colster]

Look, there are reasons to be positive.
If you think about it we came within one win (one goal even) of making the playoffs yet most of the team never really performed.
Allied to that we have still have a young team most of whom are playing regularly at a high level.
Also, we have a number of players who are just breaking into the first team in the Premiership and others playing regularly in the Championship.
Also, the EL clubs are doing a lot better in Europe than I can remember.

I've said this for a while now. Our biggest problem is central midfield. We have a great goalkeeper, good right backs, decent center halfs, struggle at left full, good wingers, and 3 decent strikers.

If we can unearth a couple of decent central midfielders I think we'll be back in contention for the next W.C. We have a lot of players that are coming through in that position and others that may still resurrect their careers there .

[Metrostars]

He's playing the way Mourinho wants him to play but I wouldn't say he "sparkles". His first half against Anderlecht was the best I've seen him this season. Nothing could beat his performance against Italy though.

Like Kerr, he saves his best for friendlies.

[thejollyrodger]

excellent point colster. one goal more on ANY of the following games would have got a play offs , swiss away, swiss at home, israel away, israel at home, france away, france at home. We were only 1 goal short in the entire campaign.

I hope the FAI take the brave decision next wednesday and realise that its the lack of players that have cost Ireland not the management.

[eirebhoy]

Like Kerr, he saves his best for friendlies.
Its more the fact that Lippi most likely didn't do too much research so Duffer wasn't been marked by 3 players and their dogs. He actually did get doubled up on when they realised how good he was. At one time there were 4 players on him.

[Marked Man]

excellent point colster. one goal more on ANY of the following games would have got a play offs , swiss away, swiss at home, israel away, israel at home, france away, france at home. We were only 1 goal short in the entire campaign.

I hope the FAI take the brave decision next wednesday and realise that its the lack of players that have cost Ireland not the management.


Yes, one goal in ANY ONE of those matches would have done it. So that's 6 opportunities to score a vital goal, and none were taken. Says it all really.

[Volcán Masaya]

Look, there are reasons to be positive.

I've said this for a while now. Our biggest problem is central midfield. We have a great goalkeeper, good right backs, decent center halfs, struggle at left full, good wingers, and 3 decent strikers.


Who are these three decent strikers we have? I seem to have missed them.

[colster]

Who are these three decent strikers we have? I seem to have missed them.

Morrisson, Keane, Elliott. All of whom have scored in the last campaign. They may not be top quality but they're not bad IMO. If Doyle keeps up his form + progress we'll have a 4th and good competition for places.

[Stuttgart88]

Morrisson, Keane, Elliott. All of whom have scored in the last campaign. They may not be top quality but they're not bad IMO.
Outside those 3 only Harte (x2) and Andy Reid (x1) actually scored this campaign. Lack of goals from midfield was a big failing in this campaign. Set pieces were generally poor too.

[paul_oshea]

nothing to be positive about end of thread.

[colster]

nothing to be positive about end of thread.

Talk about over-reaction. We're getting like English fans. They're going to win the World Cup one minute and are the worst in the World the next minute.

We've had a bad campaign. If we want to progress we need to look objectively at the campaign, why we didn't progess, identify the positives and move from there.
When you look at it none of out players really hit top form (bar Given). You have to ask. Can they play better? I think they both have played better and can do it again. Remember we were 1 win/1 goal away from the playoffs even though we didn't play well.
I think we're lacking in 2 areas of the pitch Central Midfield and left back. Central Midfield is most important yet we have a lot of players available to us in that position that we haven't tried yet. Most of the young players breaking through for us at club level seem to play in that position. We have 3 at Premiership level in O'Brien, Ireland and Potter, 2 at Championship level in Garvan and Whelan.

Then we have the likes of the Reids, Miller, Healy + O'Shea, A.Quinn who are young yet and could still make it.

We have always been a team (up till now) that have been greater than the sum of it's parts. I don't see any reason why we can't do it again.