Have a sneaking suspicion Weldoninhio is Yapster reincarnated. Damn the internet.
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Have a sneaking suspicion Weldoninhio is Yapster reincarnated. Damn the internet.
Forgot you were coming over here...what do you think? :D Also, which bar did you go to?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
They won the Euros in 1992, so that irrelevant, and as soon as they came up against an above average team in the WC they got hammered.Quote:
Originally Posted by JGKyne
It's a pity Ireland aren't sixth seeds like Wales. Then we'd only have the opportunity to play proper nations, unlike all those fake ones Keane scores against.
So who then is going to beat Robbie's record shortly? Long? Doyle?Quote:
Originally Posted by weldoninhio
Fact is that Keane was and still is Ireland's greatest goalscorer. I'd even bet that he will score more than Long and Doyle in the remainder of this campaign. Combined.
I'd bet that too. Doyle and Long will get a goal each, while Robbie will get 3. Kilbane to score the winner on Friday though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Metrostars
If we use this standard to judge our strikers, then Niall Quinn only scored five goals against "proper" opposition, John Aldridge probably fewer and I'd be surprised if Frank Stapleton got into double figuresQuote:
Originally Posted by weldoninhio
Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by samhaydenjr
Aldridge's competitive record was pretty mediocre, aside from a hat-trick against Turkey (who were very mediocre themselves pre-1996) and the consolation goal against Mexico in 1994. The remainder of his competitive goals came against Malta, Albania, Latvia, Lithuania and Northern Ireland.
Quinn scored competitive goals against Holland, Turkey, England, Northern Ireland (2), Denmark, Liechtenstein (4), Malta, Macedonia and Cyprus. Thirteen in all; quite a mixed bag.
Stapo scored competitively against Denmark (2), Cyprus, Holland, France, Iceland, Spain (2), Malta (2), Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Luxembourg. 14 altogether. Better record than Quinn and Aldridge in terms of quality of opposition.
Keane has scored competitively against Malta (3), Yugoslavia, Turkey, Holland, Iran, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Albania, Georgia (3), Israel, Cyprus (3), Faroe Islands (2), San Marino (3), Wales, Italy, France, Andorra, Russia and Macedonia (3). 32 goals. There are a few very poor teams there, but even leaving out the nine goals against San Marino, Malta, Andorra and the Faroes, it's still 23 - an excellent record, which includes three in playoffs and three in Ireland's four major tournament games. The goals scored against Cyprus, Georgia and Macedonia are also very creditable, as they were tight games that Ireland struggled to win, and may have drawn or lost without Keane's goals.
Just to compare, Kevin Doyle has scored competitively against San Marino, Slovakia (2), Wales, Georgia, Andorra and Cyprus.
Hard to compare with past eras, as there are slightly more games in the qualifying groups these days, by virtue of having more teams in UEFA. However, Ireland's two biggest all-time wins - against Malta 8-0 and Cyprus 6-0 - both came in the 1980s. Also, back then, Turkey, Norway and Switzerland were regarded as minnows/banana skin teams in the same vein as, say, Georgia, Macedonia and Cyprus are today. Turkey lost 8-0 to England during the 1988 qualifiers, for instance. There have always been 'minnows' and 'low-profile-but-awkward' teams in qualifying groups. I don't think it's really any 'easier' to score at international level now than it ever was, and Keane's record is obviously commendable.
Not sure about the headline but here is Robbie's interview with the Sunday Independent from yesterday's paper. For some reason they only added it to the online archive this morning...
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...e-2860332.html
Good article. I've no problem with Robbie's move, in fact I think it's genuinely good. Landon Donovan is a class act and if LA Galaxy is good enough for him, it's good enough for Robbie. Robbie's justification of the move holds a lot of water, for me. Good on him. Would any of us not have done the same? We can't all say that English football is over-rated and not good for our more stylish players, and then berate Robbie for settling for some second-rate opportunity in England.
Exactly and $9 million a year and a lifestyle you can only dream of. Yeah, we'd all day no to that at the age of 31!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Mouth Ulther?Quote:
Originally Posted by TiocfaidhArmani
Srsly though, Ye are both right. Though I expect to be on at least that at 31. Fair is fair.
It's getting close to matchday so I reckoned a pointless dig by David Kelly must be due. True to form, the miserable **** obliged.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-2863678.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Couldnt agree more, what a load of rubbish, I will very soon be ticking the independant off my reading list. 'Pointless' I think is a great summation of the article.
David Kelly's article is as bad. Again what a waste if 5 minutes of my life. There was nothing in that article of note at all.
Two things though...
Keane the human being? Is David jealous that Keane doesn't want to be his buddy?Quote:
While Keane the professional footballer's unswerving loyalty to Ireland remains unquestioned, and his goalscoring record demands respect, Keane the human being remains as misconstrued as ever.
Keane is our top goal scorer and captain. Once he does his job I could careless that he isn't as insightful as Mr Kelly would like. Keane's private life is just that. Private. I'm not one of those people who goes in for the whole "if they are in the public eye they are public property idea". The pettiness knows no bounds.
Yes, the fabled voices of reason that are barstoolers. The very same people who won't have any interest in Keane until November if we are in a play off.Quote:
Now that he has decamped to what Emmylou Harris once described as a "whole new world," Keane has been pilloried from all quarters of opinion, from bar stool to news print, for supplanting one hotbed of vulgar excess for another, albeit sunnier.
I find it interesting that the former Captain R Keane was never subjected to as much vitriol despite his lack of willingness to engage sometimes and of course because of Saipan.
shouldnt such an article be in the social section of this rag rather than sport? you could count on one or two fingers the decent honest football writers in this country
couldnt agree more with this. spot onQuote:
Originally Posted by BonnieShels
I think Kelly fails to notice the major flaw in his piece. How O'Driscoll has failed on the world's biggest stage, but Keane has not. But he makes only minor mention of World Cup 2002. I don't care if Robbie's not grounded or an open book. He's got 51 goals in 109 appearances. O'Driscoll (8th in the world) has 45 tries in 118. Which one is the bigger match-winner?
also, odriscoll lives and plays here and is our best ever rugby player. that keeps him firmly in the public eye all the time.
Imagine being confronted by the likes of that miserable gobs (Kelly) on your doorstep, cajoling a few words in response to accusations of vulgar excess.
AF, I think that its unfair to criticise BOD in all this. Kelly us making that connection which is needless and just an attempt at vitriol.
I'm not criticising O'Driscoll. He's a fabulous player, I was trying to point out that it's stupid of Kelly to downplay Keane's contribution to Irish sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by BonnieShels
Free header, 4 yards out, misses. Enough said.
So you're going to judge his whole career on one miss?? Every striker misses chances, every goalkeeper makes a boo boo from time to time, midfielders lose possession, defenders make mistakes. They are human not machines. Wouldnt surprise me in the slighest if he scores the winner on tuesday.Quote:
Originally Posted by weldoninhio
It was a shocker, absolutely rubbish effort. Easier than the very similar header he missed in the exact same position late in the home game against the Czechs.
There are no excuses, but I think the way we play very few of our forward players get a proper feel for the ball at any stage of the game.
Also very similar to the header he nailed under pressure away to Cyprus.
Which makes it more frustrating.
I'm not criticising his whole career. He's got plenty of credit in the goodwill bank. But it was a shocking miss, and more so because it was by a guy who specialises in composure in front of goal.
How bad was Dunne's miss? I haven't seen it again. It looked like Sledge might have put him off.
I'm going to base my earlier opinion that he should retire on that miss. What he has done previously in his careeris irrelevant. He is not up to the job at this point in time, and his semi-retirement in LA is not going to help matters.
Dunne's came at him very quickly and he was probably expecting St. Ledger to get to it. He could have done better but it was a tough ask.
Are you on about the head and shoulder effort? I have little doubt that Robbie should have nailed it.
Wasn't it similar to the one he missed against the Czechs? Sometimes you could wring his neck :)
A daft article - however I don't think the goal that put us through to the knockout stages can be written off as a consolation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Supreme feet
Agree its stupid of Kelly to downplay Keane's contribution.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlaskaFox
Its equally stupid of anyone to downplay O'Driscoll's role. For example by suggesting he has failed on the worlds biggest stage.
Me neither, he is well capable of it, however, had he put away his penalty V Slovakia away, and his header last night we wouldnt need a winner from him on Tuesday. The group would be ours, or as good as, already. I admire Keane, he has done well for Ireland, always turns up and you feel it means so much to him to be our record goalscorer. He has forged an admirable career from his undoubted talent, but those two misses could be about to cost us our place in the finals, and the record books dont show those, he will still be the be all and end all of Irish goalscorers after this campaign, but those misses, to me, demonstrate why so many still harbour doubts about him as a true world class player, and with some justification.Quote:
Originally Posted by Park_Lane
They are the margins, and for all his goals in this present campaign, its those two missed chances which could define it.
Keane's miss was a bad one, but it wasn't an easy chance, trying to head the ball down with the keeper near him putting him off. It looks easy, but it's technically a difficult chance. But every forward misses chances, he's still a world-class forward, and if he scores the winner on Tuesday, his critics will have egg on the face again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Dunne's miss on the other hand is a shocker. It looked bad in the stadium, it looked worse on tv. Just knock it back where it came from and it's 3 points. But it's a long time since we won a qualifier in the last minute.
Remind who scored the winner in our last away game?Quote:
Originally Posted by weldoninhio
His movement to get in to the position shows he still has that gift. We have no one else of that quality. Strikers miss opportunities. If they had to retire every time they miss a chance, we'd have a forward line of defenders but hang on Dunne missed one as well.
Unbelievable criticism. The time for Robbie to go is when he isn't getting in to those positions. He'll miss some to be sure but like in France/Macedonia he'll also score some.
are you for real not an easy chance if centre forward missed that chance at a juniour sunday afternoon game we would be shocked technically difficult !! you head the ball not shoulder it when you are unmarked in front of goal a world class forward would not miss it. once again keanes misses could cost us dearly.. and then you try to blame it all on richard dunne after his chance in last few mins way more difficult chance than Keanes but he still should have done better .Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
If he hit the keeper with his header, then fair enough. He missed it altogether though. Unlike Georgia at home, when he scored with his shoulder, he didn't get away with it. As Geysir & I have already pointed out, it was the same mistake as against the Czechs.
I think he had his eye on the approaching keeper and was reluctant to put his head fully into it for fear of injury. Whether cowardly or responsible is open to interpretation, I guess.
Explain to me how it could be construed as responsible?Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
A nasty head injury might prevent him from doing his cartwheels with Galaxy.Quote:
Originally Posted by kennedmc
In seriousness, I dunno. I'm not really defending his hesitation - it was a horrible miss, no doubt about it - but I'm trying to think of why he didn't put his head fully into it and the only thing I can think of is that he feared a heavy clash to the head from the oncoming keeper. A miscalculation on his part, sure, but I'm guessing that's how he perceived it.