Kerr fends off French jibes

Quote:

---

Manager slams counterpart's remarks over Irish style

A WAR of words has broken out between Brian Kerr and Raymond Domenech over comments the French manager made during the summer.

Kerr is annoyed that Domenech was critical of the way Ireland played in the second half of their 2-2 draw against Israel and warned him that he's in for a surprise when the sides meet at Lansdowne Road tomorrow week.

"Everyone knows what it's going to take for us to beat them here," said Kerr. "It's going to take the traditional qualities of Irish teams and not the sort of stuff that your man (Domenech) was talking about when he was having a go at us a few weeks ago in an interview - basically slagging us, having a laugh over the way we played in some of the matches and stuff like that.

"It's not going to be like that - it's going to be us using all the qualities that we have of discipline, desire, passion and good football, many of the things we have done in the past.

"But we're going to have to do it with them having an even better team now," said Kerr.

Ireland currently lead Group Four by one point from Switzerland, with Israel two behind and the French three off the pace.

With Ireland idle this Saturday and the other three in action, the Group Four picture will be dramatically changed come 10pm on Saturday.

Ireland have France at home next week, followed in October by Cyprus away and Switzerland at Lansdowne Road and Kerr is still confident that Ireland have the ability to qualify for Germany.

"Now we've got two homes and an away one to go, we need to continue playing with desire, verve and confidence and I've got a feeling that we're capable of that over the last three games.

"If we can do that, that will be enough - but I'm sure the other teams in the group have their angles and desires as well. They know what they're after, they are good teams and have developed over the group as well."

Kerr has named a 23-man squad for next week's showdown with France and the only change from the group which assembled for this month's friendly against Israel is that Roy Keane returns in place of Alan Quinn.

There are no injury worries ahead of the game and Kerr admits he not too worried about the lack of game time that strikers Robbie Keane and Clinton Morrison have enjoyed so far this season.

"It is disappointing neither of them have played much, and I don't know what impact that will have when it comes to the game. "But we intend keeping them very busy when they come in with us. We will give them plenty of football, and the training will be sharp, while the adrenaline around this game will be enough to have them at their best."

Kerr says he has a clear idea in his head about the team he wants to start against the French although he reminded everybody that factors such as form, injuries and attitude could still have a bearing on his final decision.

But even with eight days to go it appears that there are only two position up for grabs with Stephen Carr, Steve Finnan, Andy Reid and possibly Steven Reid fighting for the right back and right-side midfield slots.

Carr and Finnan played in Paris but Kerr has favoured Andy Reid on the right at home. He wasn't giving anything away yesterday though, even to the point of humorously suggesting that he might even play 4-3-3.

Kerr's squad will assemble in Dublin on Friday and the manager is delighted at the opportunity to have his players together for such a lengthy period of time.

"The fact that we've no game next Saturday leaves a decent gap between last weekend's matches until we play.

"I'm hoping that having a little bit more time, plus the freshness of the players not having a competitive game will help us going into the Wednesday of the match."

Kerr has digested the contents of the video showing France's win over the Ivory Coast and reckons that Domenech won't stray too far from the 11 players he started that night in Montpelier.

"It was interesting to watch them go about their business. They played well and they look stronger now," said Kerr.

Gerry McDermott

---

http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stor...=12&si=1459124

"It's going to take the traditional qualities of Irish teams and not the sort of stuff that your man was talking about when he was having a go at us a few weeks ago in an interview" :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

"It's going to take the traditional qualities of Irish teams and not the sort of stuff that your man was talking about when he was having a go at us a few weeks ago in an interview" :D

---

Any link to the interview with Domeneche? Could Domeneche be that crass?

Read the article and what Domenche said was what a lot of Ireland fans having been saying. We played the long ball game in the second half against Israel. We played poorly against the Faroes. And we don't have a settled pattern of play. Nothing stronger than that. Kerr is trying to build this up for himself. I really don't believe he believes we can win. And that is sickening. He stated last week that we don't have to win this game. OK technically correct. But this has been the thinking right through Kerrs reign. This is not the time for a "result". We need to win ala 1-0 against Holland at home. This team can beat the French (or anybody else for that matter) at Landsdowne. And heres hoping Kerr believes that too!

Where in the Article can you find what Domenech said.

'We will face a battle' - Domenech
Wednesday August 31st 2005

THE comments by French manager Raymond Domenech which appeared to ridicule Ireland's style of play, and annoyed Brian Kerr, came during an interview with FIFA's World Cup website last July.

During the interview, Domenech was asked if he had thought of any method in particular for motivating his troops ahead of the crucial match against Ireland and replied: "I've already got the cassette of their second half against Israel. It's worth seeing (laughs).

"The Irish brought on two huge strikers and pumped long balls up towards them from defence.

"We're going to need to be strong to meet such a physical challenge.

"So, I'll show the tape to the players on the first day of training and tell them: 'That's where you're going. Anyone who doesn't fancy it still has time to tell me. You can go back home!'

"Because that's what we're going to be up against. If it looks like we're heading for a result, the Irish will definitely end up playing that way.

"And the crowd will be behind them, urging them forward."

Kerr accused Domenech on Monday of slagging his team off and having at laugh at them and warned his French counterpart that his side could be in for a surprise at Lansdowne Road next Wednesday.

Draws not enough for France, says Domenech
21 July 2005
by FIFAworldcup.com



Enlarge Photo
Photo Gallery
In May this year, France breathed a collective sigh of relief when their footballers finally carved out their first victory at home in almost 12 months. Beating Hungary 2-1 in a friendly, Les Bleus put in an attractive performance, but it was the timing more than anything that augured well ahead of the real test of character to come in September.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winners travel to Dublin to face the Republic of Ireland, and, as coach Raymond Domenech tells FIFAworldcup.com, returning home with a win will be absolutely essential if they are to avoid watching next year's showpiece in Germany on television.

Raymond Domenech, let's talk first of all about the Hungary friendly. What did you take out of your last match of the 2004/05 season?
Above all, the fact that we won. But also how we won. In the first half I saw everything I asked for from my players: movement and hunger, which have been our bywords since the start of the rebuilding process. We want to create something by experimenting a little, but without the crowd ever getting bored of watching us. That's the most important thing for us, and unfortunately it's also what came out of EURO 2004 to some extent. So the desire stood out for me, the pleasure that the players took from being on the pitch. And, of course, there was the joy at the end of the game. It could easily have been a complete waste, with the holidays so close, the nature of friendlies, the fitness of the players at the end of the season and our opponents' reputation. But it was the opposite, so I can only be pleased.

Do you think that first home win in a year could be a turning point for your team?
Yes and no. The way we played was just as important. It's true that it's necessary to win matches, but we couldn't carry on playing well without eventually getting a result. We're advancing along the lines I've been talking about from the very beginning, and, by playing better and better, it's inevitable that we'll pick up victories. It's not by being afraid and failing to play our game that we'll achieve anything. So that win was the confirmation of everything we've been doing for almost a year.

France played an unfamiliar formation with a defensive midfielder in the middle, two creative players in front of him and two wingers. What do you think a system like that can bring to Les Bleus?
Exactly what we saw in the first half against Hungary. It's a tactic that allows a lot of overlaps, because there aren't really any fixed positions. Five players are involved in creating chances and a striker has to stay alert to finish them off, which is what Djibril Cisse and others do so well. A team that plays with a rigid formation just isn't going to surprise anyone these days. It's with constant movement that we become dangerous.




Enlarge Photo
Photo Gallery
What have you made of France's international players this season?
There's been a tightening up within the team. It's thanks to bringing the new players in that we've seen that. You don't raise your level and make the step up by watching other players in action, which is why I wanted to put certain people in the front line. If you look at the average age of the France teams I've fielded this season, it can seem worrying. And rightly so, because at this level it's often maturity and experience that make the difference. Today, the group of players who have broken into the team are getting closer and closer to the others in terms of their performances. You don't progress an enormous amount between 50 and 100 caps, but the leap from two to 30 changes everything.
Speaking of which, how has the new wave's integration worked out exactly?
It's always tough at the start. The France team was stuck in old habits, everyone had known each other for a long time and everything was going reasonably well. Then, all of a sudden, they saw the new players arrive and the chance was there to form a new group. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The youngsters were rather reticent with regards to the others and there was a waiting period. The perfect example for me is Gael Givet. When I called him up, everyone was asking themselves, 'Who's he? Where did he come from?' And that's despite the fact he'd just played in a Champions League final with Monaco. Then, little by little, he integrated into the side and won respect. In the end, the others realised he's someone they can go into battle with, a player who can be depended on and who'll graft and defend France's colours right to the very end. So it was that recognition of the younger players' worth that helped them gradually integrate.

Against Hungary, France played well again but this time they won. What do you think made the difference?
Our development, maturity and desire. It was our tenth match, and it was better than our ninth, which was better than our eighth, etc. I may sound pretentious when I say it, but this is exactly what I spoke about when I first took the job: we'll improve with every game. Recently, I've been saying the only thing we lacked was the win at the end, and now we've got that. Now we have to win and know how to control a match when we're ahead. With every passing game, we take another step forward.

The eleventh step will be against Côte d'Ivoire. How are you going to approach that match?
It's our traditional August encounter. The big difference is that this time it will be followed from the start of September by two games – and let's not kid ourselves here – that are going to be decisive. That's what I told my players when I saw them last: for them the season starts in September. Of course, they’ll have to be ready in August, but it's the two matches after that which really matter. In that sense, playing Côte d'Ivoire is part of our preparations. Those who come back from holiday at the beginning of August should be slightly concerned because they'll have a hard time being at the top of their game come September. So, taking on Côte d'Ivoire will serve as a dress rehearsal and allow us to advance a little further before the qualifiers start up again.

You were at the Ireland-Israel (2-2) game. Do you think that draw helped France at all?
Not necessarily. The Irish, the Israelis and the Swiss have all scored a lot more goals than us. So even if we all finished level, we would be at a disadvantage. We could easily have a better scoring record than all three in direct head-to-heads, and yet still finish fourth because of a worse overall goal difference. So we'll have to win at least one match away from home and score as many goals as possible. After that, it would be better to win one and lose one than get two draws. We absolutely have to 'finish off' one of our opponents on their own turf.

France narrowly missed out on victory in Israel. What were you thinking at the moment David Trezeguet was sent off?
I remember saying to myself, 'Now we need to hold on, and how are we going to do that?' The last thing I wanted was to lose that match after we had everything on our side in terms of winning it. That could have completely changed the nature of the group. In the end, the draw leaves us in a situation where we can still hope, but where there's also some doubt.

Have you thought of any method in particular for motivating your troops ahead of the crucial match against Ireland?
I've already got the cassette of their second half against Israel. It's worth seeing (laughs). The Irish brought on two huge strikers and pumped long balls up towards them from defence. We're going to need to be strong to meet such a physical challenge. So I'll show the tape to the players on the first day of training and tell them, 'That's where you're going. Anyone who doesn't fancy it still has time to tell me. You can go back home!' Because that's what we're going to be up against. If it looks like we're heading for a result, the Irish will definitely end up playing that way. And the crowd will be behind them, urging them forward.

The match in Dublin could be the kind of game that really brings a squad together.
It could be in Dublin, it could be in Berne, it could also be both. Those fixtures are just as important as each other. I'm not saying that winning one of them will be enough, but it's definitely the only sure way of staying in the hunt.

Finally, you have come in for a lot of criticism. How have you reacted to that?
My biggest worry has been never really understanding the reasons behind the attacks. Why so much vitriol? Especially since, at the time, I was only doing what I could with what I had. It's still a complete mystery to me. I could understand it if we started off hearing encouragement and it began to disappear after poor results, but it all started before the match against Bosnia. Wasting so much energy before anything's even happened is something I just don't get. Certain people seem to find that interesting.

Who was the second huge striker?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Who was the second huge striker?

---

It seems that Elliot made a big impression on Domenech :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

Where in the Article can you find what Domenech said.

---

Here:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Domenech

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberry! Now go away before I taunt you a second time!!!

---