Originally Posted by
Jerry The Saint
Interesting use of the smiley there. In what way do you think his success in Ireland doesn't count as "an achievement"? Do you think that the other teams felt sorry for Pats and let them win a couple of leagues - "Ah sure, 'tis only the League of Ireland, we're not really bothered like dem lads in England"?
Winning the U-16 and U-18 European championships in the same year, finishing third in the World Youth Championships - I take it this doesn't impress you either? It's obvious that these successes weren't down to a Golden Generation of players - the likes of Gary Doherty and John O'Shea went on to make the senior team and several others were very average players who couldn't even make it in our own league which some people have such a low opinion of.
The next 2 games will be vital but it's conceivable that Ireland could be out of the running for qualifcation in just over a week's time. Kerr brought most of these players to the last day and within 1 result of qualification in both his campaigns. Personally, I think he overachieved, especially given the attitude of some players who wanted to treat Ireland games as a holiday and disliked the fully-prepared, profesionally-run setup that brought Roy Keane back into the squad. We've now seen a decline in performance and, most obviously, expectations with Staunton indicating that we should write off Euro 2008 already. In a way it's understandable and may help keep him in a job for longer especially given the support of his buddy in the FAI, something that Kerr never had.