Worse than Denmark 1-4 1985 feeling

[Noelys Guitar]

Then we had Tony O'Neill in charge at the FAI and he was determined to get a top manager. And he did. I know it gave me and other hardcore fans a renewed spring in our steps. From utter dejecton to a new lease on life. We could dream again. But this time with real conviction. This Delaney, FAI, Stan axis is souless and lacking in everything that is now needed. We need someone to come in and rekindle the belief. Someone with real experience and vision that they can get this squad of players playing to their maximum.

[Billy Lord]

Hang on, that was very good Denmark side! Besides, we gave as good as we got until the second-half, when they took over. There's no comparison between that loss and the 1-1 with Cyprus. Cyprus! I'd go back to the 4-1 home defeat against Austria at Dalymount in 1971 for a worse home result. That was 36 years ago.
Of course, there was the 0-0 against Iceland a few years ago that wasn't so smart, with McCarthy playing Roy Keane as a sweeper. That was possibly more embarrassing.

[Noelys Guitar]

I'm not talking about the individual results themselves Billy but the overall campaigns of Hand 84/85 and Staunton 06/07. And how the hard facts have to be faced by the FAI and Staunton.

[Dotsy]

I was thinking about this last night NG. I agree with BL that there is no comparision in the matches (that was a cracking Danish side who went on to do well in Mexico). I take your point about the campaign overall but there were some good performances during it too and I don't think it was as bad as what we have just witnessed.

That said I cannot remember feeling this dispirited. I don't thrust Delaney and don't believe he has the interests of Irish football as a priority over his own ambitions. TON was ambitious sure but his overriding concern was doing what was best for the game so there was some hope.

[Ozymandias]

that was a class denmark side that wnet to mexico and played the best football of all the countrues there. A terrible keeper was their achilles heel. After that game I was priviledged to have seen laudrup preben elkjaer olsen etc....after last night I just feel cheated by our fai manager and players but mainly the former two

[Stuttgart88]

I didn't feel so bad in '85. I had no real expectations back then. Hope yes, but not expectation. Finals were something I watched on telly, qualifiers were when we got one or two decent teams coming to Dublin and sometimes we lifted our game and got famous wins.

In the meantime I grew to expect. Not necessarily to qualify but to give it a bloody good shot.

Now all expectation is long gone and hope is all I have again.

I fear we may be perpetually mediocre (at best). The national association is failing stakeholders and the players are failing the supporters.

The only crumb of comfort I can take from last night is that 1985 represented a turning point and I can only hope that this is the same.

[tetsujin1979]

well said Stutts

[tiktok]

Agree with Stuttgart88.

We were never as bad under Eoin Hand as we have been in this qualifying tournament. If it wasn't for injury time goals against San Marino and Cyprus we'd be second bottom in the group, big difference between that and beign outclassed by a very good Danish side.

It's the worst I've ever seen anyway.

[gspain]

This is much much worse than the dark days at the end of Eoin Hand's regime.

Eoin Hand could manage but he had just lost it. Denamrk had a decent team in 1985.

The only 2 countries Cyprus have ever beaten away from home in a competitive match are San Marino and Malta. It should have been 3 last night. Their coach was disgusted and rightly so. Our mupper could only say "do better".

Cyprus are a poor football team. They have totally outplayed us twice. Bad finishing and some questionable refereeing decisions denied them the win they deserved.

[gwhite]

This indeed should be a turning point. We have until next September to prepare for the WC qualifiers, a new manager installed NOW is what needs to be done. Look at Scotland a couple of years ago, they sacked Vogts and Smith came in and they were like a new team straight away. Proof that change in manager can work. It's obvious that the players aren't responding to Stan, if they give him the next campaign and we do badly, we'll be 5th seeds for the next few campaigns.

[Noelys Guitar]

Agree with Stuttgart88.

We were never as bad under Eoin Hand as we have been in this qualifying tournament. If it wasn't for injury time goals against San Marino and Cyprus we'd be second bottom in the group, big difference between that and beign outclassed by a very good Danish side.

It's the worst I've ever seen anyway.

We took one point from a poor Norway team in that group. We had Paul McGrath, Brady, Stapleton, O'Leary, Robinson, Galvin, Cascarino, Moran, Whelan. So lets not get foggy memories here. We had more fans at the away 81 WC qualifer in Belgium than at that home game against the Danes. And yet within 3 years of that home Denmark defeat, the Danes lost all 3 games at Euro 88 and we got to within 4 mins of the semi-finals.

[WembleyGreen]

I remember that game well and I remember the lousy sick to the pit of your stomach feeling I had as I left Lansdowne that day but I wasn't angry like I feel now because as pointed out we had been slaughtered by a very good Denmark team on the day and we were outplayed and outclassed in every position. In this campaign we have been humiliated twice by Cyprus and we were totally shown up by San Marino, that night in Serravale I lost all respect for Stan and had the ref not played over the alotted injury time we would have been even more humiliated by the worse team in Europe and we would have deserved it. It was bad enough as it was but we all know SM deserved a point that night. 3 of the worst displays in Irish football history have taken place under the Delaney/Staunton set up and I can't see a bright future with either of these clowns in charge. GO NOW! PLEASE for the sake of Irish football and the sanity of the nation GO!

[tiktok]

We took one point from a poor Norway team in that group. We had Paul McGrath, Brady, Stapleton, O'Leary, Robinson, Galvin, Cascarino, Moran, Whelan. So lets not get foggy memories here. We had more fans at the away 81 WC qualifer in Belgium than at that home game against the Danes. And yet within 3 years of that home Denmark defeat, the Danes lost all 3 games at Euro 88 and we got to within 4 mins of the semi-finals.


I remember being gutted after it, but not angry like last night.
Like Stuttgart88 said, it's the difference between hope and expectation, I hoped to beat Denmark, but I expect us to put a team like Cyprus away, they nearly did the double over us and should have beaten us last night, whatever the danes and we were like three years after (remember that we relied on a favour to actually get to germany), on that night they were a good side playing good football.

[geysir]

Nothing can compare with this qual. except the bitterly dissapointing 86 wcQ. Noely is spot on there, we had a vg team and the 2 games against Norway were the pits. There were 2 teams to qualify and nothing to play for in the last game was as low as this campaign. Denmark were not invincible, they had lost 2 away games.

BTW Giles did walk away but it was clear there was a poisonous air against him and that played a big part in his decision, ironically at a time when he would have taken us through that group.

[cheifo]

Goodness I loved watching that Denmark team.They played fantastic football.
Sivebaks goal was incredible.Stan be a good lad and hand in your resignation.

[Stuttgart88]

Just to qualify: I was miserable after we drew 0-0 at home to Norway in our Kerry GAA strip. A shot by Dave Langan was all I can remember. But by the time Denmark came around I expected nothing except maybe a half decent game. Man, was I jealous of the huge Denmark support in the East Stand that day!

[Noelys Guitar]

Just to qualify: I was miserable after we drew 0-0 at home to Norway in our Kerry GAA strip. A shot by Dave Langan was all I can remember. But by the time Denmark came around I expected nothing except maybe a half decent game. Man, was I jealous of the huge Denmark support in the East Stand that day!

The only saving grace that day was the Danish women in amongst the Roligans! Tried to speak to some of them but i came out with utter gibberish. Do you come here often or something.

[as_i_say]

I think as well last night the chances that a good team would have taken and they missed. 3 one on ones including 1 3 on 1! if that lad had not tried to chip given and just kept running they would have walked it in with a few passes. that would havebeen something to see.

[fergalr]

Don't see the comparison myself - this is much much worse. The is by far the worst qualification campaign in my personal experience of going to games (since the late 70s).

[Docboy]

In the 20 years that I've been attending home internationals that was far & the away the worst performance I've had to witness. We don't have a great side and we certainly have no divine right to qualify for the major tournaments, however, stan is making a mockery out of us.

Simple positional changes could have resulted in a much sturdier set-up, stan isn't going to learn all this. He has to walk and delaney too.

[gspain]

We took one point from a poor Norway team in that group. We had Paul McGrath, Brady, Stapleton, O'Leary, Robinson, Galvin, Cascarino, Moran, Whelan. So lets not get foggy memories here. We had more fans at the away 81 WC qualifer in Belgium than at that home game against the Danes. And yet within 3 years of that home Denmark defeat, the Danes lost all 3 games at Euro 88 and we got to within 4 mins of the semi-finals.

The Denmark team that beat us 4-1 qualified for the WC. They beat Scotland, West Germany and Uruguay (6-1) in that tournament. They played some sparkling football. Cyprus's best ever away win was v Malta.

We beat USSR 1-0 at home and Switzerland 3-0 at home in that campaign. 2 wins in our last 2 games would have put us through and we lost both. Yes Denmark was depressing but it needs to be put in perspective.

[Dodge]

Goodness I loved watching that Denmark team.They played fantastic football.
I've always had a bit of a thing for Denmark due to that team. Preben Elkjaer and Michael Laudrup were little heroes of mine when I first start watching international football

[Piltownpossy]

Just to qualify: I was miserable after we drew 0-0 at home to Norway in our Kerry GAA strip. A shot by Dave Langan was all I can remember. But by the time Denmark came around I expected nothing except maybe a half decent game. Man, was I jealous of the huge Denmark support in the East Stand that day!

That night against Norway was grim to say the least. That was my lowest point at an Ireland match ever. Players booed off the pitch then too.

I liked the Kerry jerseys though :)

[stojkovic]

The Denmark team that beat us 4-1 qualified for the WC. They beat Scotland, West Germany and Uruguay (6-1) in that tournament. They played some sparkling football. Cyprus's best ever away win was v Malta.

We beat USSR 1-0 at home and Switzerland 3-0 at home in that campaign. 2 wins in our last 2 games would have put us through and we lost both. Yes Denmark was depressing but it needs to be put in perspective.

We had an away double-header before the Denmark game. Should have beaten the Swiss away (0-0) and then played very well in Moscow for about an hour but were then torn apart and lost 2-0. USSR were one of the favourites in Mexico and should have beaten France (Rats beats Bats).

Hand was sacked for the results in the games against Norway (0-0 and 0-1).

[cheifo]

Just to qualify: I was miserable after we drew 0-0 at home to Norway in our Kerry GAA strip. A shot by Dave Langan was all I can remember. But by the time Denmark came around I expected nothing except maybe a half decent game. Man, was I jealous of the huge Denmark support in the East Stand that day!

Was that the game where Brady was subbed to the clear disgust of Frank Stapleton who thew his hands in the air?
Yeh Denmark support was incredible.This was their first good side ever(I think).Their current manager Morten Olsen was brillant the way he use to take the ball out of defence with such ease.I seem to remember him teasing one of our strikers with the ball over in Copenhagen.

[RiffRaff]

That Denmark team was for me better that the one that won the European Championships in 92. They had also knocked England out of the previous european championships in the qualifiers and i think got to the semi finals and were a great team to watch. I do remember how depressing that campaign was for us, we had some great players who looked completely ordinary when they pulled on the green shirt. The comparison with now is that i think some of them knew that Eoin Hand wouldnt have the balls to drop them, and people were being picked on the basis of their club status rather than what they did on the pitch.

[Stuttgart88]

Should have beaten the Swiss away (0-0) Cascarino's debut?

[geysir]

There was poison in the air that day the Danes whipped us.

The humiliation of the best generation of Irish footballers was complete.
Bonner Langan Lawrenson O'Leary Beglin Hughton Daly Brady Whelan Stapleton. (McGrath as a sub)
We had a team that could take on the best. We were absolutly woeful in 2 games against Norway (a píss poor team).
In previous groups we had taken on the best in Europe at home and beat them and at least fought fiercely in the away games. WTF should we have been feeling inferior to Denmark in the event of having a WC place to scrap over at home. We had beaten better teams than that Danish team.
Considering our team, that group was the most dooable pre- Charlton.

Some of us expected to win a pitch battle to qualify for that WC, It was surrendered meekly and hardly a first shot had been fired.

Many of the same accusations thrown at the team and manager then are being thrown now. But now we have a media intensity multiplied by a hundred. Message boards going on for months about the slip ups :)

[Ozymandias]

That Denmark team was for me better that the one that won the European Championships in 92. They had also knocked England out of the previous european championships in the qualifiers and i think got to the semi finals and were a great team to watch. I do remember how depressing that campaign was for us, we had some great players who looked completely ordinary when they pulled on the green shirt. The comparison with now is that i think some of them knew that Eoin Hand wouldnt have the balls to drop them, and people were being picked on the basis of their club status rather than what they did on the pitch.

agree with all that..that denmark team underachieved...were brilliant to watch...particularly the denmark uruguay game in the world cup finals.....amazing

[EastTerracer]

stan is making a mockery out of us

Stan is just the unfortunate victim of John Delaney's mismanagement of the FAI. Yes, he has to go, he was never ready for the job. God bless him, he is doing his best but it's nowhere near good enough.

Delaney should be the focus of the real anger here. He promised us world class and make a complete hames of the appointment. Now he tries to distance himself. To see his media contacts spinning on his behalf (see Bill O'Herlihy's speech in his defence on Wednesday night) is very worrying.

It was only a friendly but losing 2-1 to Trinidad & Tobago is still the worst result (even with a hungover C team).

Denmark 1985 was a turning point thankfully (I was one of about 200 on the East Terrace). We can only hope this will be again but I have no confidence in the FAI ever doing the right thing under this regime.

[stojkovic]

Cascarino's debut?

Correct.

Still at Gillingham I think.

[lopez]

The only saving grace that day was the Danish women in amongst the Roligans! Tried to speak to some of them but i came out with utter gibberish. Do you come here often or something.That was also the only good thing about that day for me. I met one young Danish coleen on the boat train from London and we nearly didn't make it to the game, as we both checked into a b&b near Store Street for some 'sleep'. We then missed the boat the next morning and ended going back to our b&b to conclude business. :eek:

However, there was a depression about the turmoil in Irish football at the time. I thought we'd never ever qualify for the World Cup (we were now 4th seeds in going into euro 88). Everyone knew that we needed to ditch the amateurish or part time managers and get in someone who could half manage and motivate what was on paper a good team. We did exactly that and that's all we are asking for now.

Whoever said the three worst results for Ireland have come in this campaign is right. Without those two injury time goals against San Marino and Cyprus, we would be probably finishing sixth.

[RiffRaff]

That was also the only good thing about that day for me. I met one young Danish coleen on the boat train from London and we nearly didn't make it to the game, as we both checked into a b&b near Store Street for some 'sleep'. We then missed the boat the next morning and ended going back to our b&b to conclude business. :eek:

.

I dont think I would have had any recollection of the match if it was me!!

[CollegeTillIDie]

A Republic of Ireland team went to play in Brazil and got beaten 7-0 in 1982.
A year or so before that a League of Ireland selection played Brazil and only lost 6-0. When you consider the League of Ireland had no full time teams and only a handful of nominal full time professional players, that puts the two results in context. A lot of players failed to travel on that 1982 tour which also included the woeful Trinidad result.

[tetsujin1979]

A lot of players failed to travel on that 1982 tour which also included the woeful Trinidad result.
Did they just not travel, or were they refused permission by their English clubs, because of the Falklands war?

[CollegeTillIDie]

Some might well have done on that grounds. Brady to his credit did travel but was one of the few first choice players to make the journey.

[RiffRaff]

As far as i can remember, most of the top english clubs refused to allow their players to travel. The squad was made up of players from the lower divisions in England and a few from the league of Ireland. Brady was playing in Italy at the time and wasnt affected by this.