Given that he has shown ability to not only beat higher ranked opposition, but also finish ahead of them over a full campaign, I think it's slightly harsh to say his chances of success are draw-dependent. Obviously the draw is very important, but that's the case for every non-powerhouse looking to qualify, and would be the case for any other manager that takes over also.
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I don't care so much about qualification. I'd like Ireland matches to no longer be an assault on my eyeballs.Comment
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In an ideal world we would be able to mix it up and remain competitive, as we were under O'Neill at the Euros but unfortunately it didn't last.Comment
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Sky Sports are saying that Slaven Bilic isn't being considered for the Stoke job, despite being a favourite in some bookmakers - http://www.skysports.com/transfer-centre
BREAKING NEWS
Sky Sports News has been told former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is not being considered for the vacant manager’s job at Stoke.
Bilic is joint favourite with most bookmakers, but it’s now clear he isn’t in the running.
Martin O’Neill is still a strong contender, but there are other candidates that owners Peter and John Coates are looking at.
Stoke are considering asking O’Neill to take the job on a short term basis we understand, so that they can make a more considered, long term appointment in the summer, but it isn’t clear whether O’Neill would be happy with that arrangement.Comment
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That's true. He could do with a nice stress free gig. Sign him up, John.Comment
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I wonder is Michael O'Neill holding out to see if we come in for him , my understanding is he has offers from NI and also Scotland, but hasn't signed. The Scottish offer I believe if the media are right is lucrativeComment
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The question I was answering was the fear of ill consequences arising out of replacing a known quantity like O'Neill.
I can live with one small part of my reply being assessed as "slightly harsh", ---- but in the main a tolerable opinion.
As we have seen before with Trap, it doesn't bode well when a manager who should have been retired, stutters unconvincingly into a 3rd campaign.
Re us and higher ranked opposition under O'Neill, ranking is an indicator but oft times an inaccurate indicator as was shown in the kind 2018 WC qual draw. A lowly (but decent) 3rd seeded team, just ahead of us in the rankings, ended up topping the group, which tells us that Wales were a good first seed team for us to have and Austria were well above their station as 2nd seeds (as Charlie predicted). Therefore us beating & finishing ahead of higher ranked teams was not an accurate indicator of prowess as was demonstrated in the play-off tie.Comment
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He'd get results for us, surely. Not sure whether he'd do much in terms of the brand of football or promotion of youth/new caps that Martin has been criticized for. His style of play has been dour for NI and promotion of youth is normally due to being strapped for players.Comment
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Wales/Austria might have been favourable in the overall scheme of things, but they were ranked ahead of us very much on merit. They had both achieved things were could only dream about in the previous couple of years and were deserving of their high standing. Yet we still managed to out-perform both (or at least out-result them!).The question I was answering was the fear of ill consequences arising out of replacing a known quantity like O'Neill.
I can live with one small part of my reply being assessed as "slightly harsh", ---- but in the main a tolerable opinion.
As we have seen before with Trap, it doesn't bode well when a manager who should have been retired, stutters unconvincingly into a 3rd campaign.
Re us and higher ranked opposition under O'Neill, ranking is an indicator but oft times an inaccurate indicator as was shown in the kind 2018 WC qual draw. A lowly (but decent) 3rd seeded team, just ahead of us in the rankings, ended up topping the group, which tells us that Wales were a good first seed team for us to have and Austria were well above their station as 2nd seeds (as Charlie predicted). Therefore us beating & finishing ahead of higher ranked teams was not an accurate indicator of prowess as was demonstrated in the play-off tie.
Good point about Trap and the 3rd campaign, the situation is very similar in a lot of ways.Comment
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I never get this sort of comment for international football. I can understand it for a club side where you have 20 odd games at home each season to watch and if the style of football is not easy on the eye, it might be tough to endure. But for international football where you only have may be five competitive games of football each year (circa 7.5 hours), I really don't care whether it "assaults my eyeballs" or not if it is successful because I follow Ireland in the hope of being successful (i.e. qualify for tournaments) and not to be entertained for 8 hours. I would choose any day of the week a scrappy win that puts us on the road to qualification over a free flowing defeat.
I have lived through the era of the glorious defeats when we qualified for nothing. In my opinion it is all about trying to qualify by whatever method is deemed best. Nothing would sicken me more than seeing us playing great football and losing - it would be as sickening as playing shi+e football and also losing except possibly more disappointing.
As for O'Neill and Stoke, the former's name is mentioned for every vacancy these days. He was 18/1 for the Sheff Wed job recently. I'd attach little credence to the rumours,Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.Comment
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I appreciate what you're saying, but you have to understand from the perspective of people trying to coach football to kids here, and then showing those same kids the football on show at Ireland matches.
There's more to international football than the Senior men's team, and considering the whole football development plan is built around an ideal of how to play football, it seems a bit ridiculous that what the senior manager passes off as football deviates completely from what is being taught at underage level.
I don't think it's particularly fair either to compare the days of the 70s and 80s prepared teams - which from lore were horrific, and prone to serious squad withdrawals - to the current organisation surrounding internationals.If I question Liam Scales ability to play intl football, refer me to this signature & his peformance at home at lb vs Port on Nov 13 2025.
Signed
Kingdom.Comment
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That was a different era. Firstly, the tournaments were much smaller so there were less places up for grabs. For 1982 we were in a qualification group with France, Belgium and Holland. Secondly, even if we played well enough and somehow had a chance of qualifying against these teams, refs in those days were for sale. 1982 being the case in point again.
Don't forget, as well, that we made it to the last 8 of the Euros in 1964.
The dominating narrative in Irish football for the past 30 years is is that we couldn't do anything until Jack came along and got us to play results oriented football. But it doesn't wash with reality.
It's now 2018. Euro 88 was 30 years ago. You didn't get anywhere in 1988 playing tactics from 1958. So I don't know why O'Neill has us set up like we are lining out at the Neckar Stadium.Last edited by brine3; 11/01/2018, 12:54 AM.Comment
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Looking more ominous. There's a headline on the front page of the Indo that he's set to take the Stoke job. Just walked past it so I didn't read further and not sure if that headline is deduced from the above article.
Interesting to note Keane would be part of the deal. Rules him out of the Ireland job.Comment
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