Republic of Ireland v Finland - Wednesday, 14th October 2020 - UEFA Nations League

Listening to Mick repeatedly say how brilliant Hourihane and Brady are with set piece deliveries every game is driving me nuts already. 5 seconds later the balls hits the first man or floats into the opposition keepers arms.

Kenny is under pressure already, bonkers but he is. Harsh but that is how the crazy world of football works.

Senior international football is a big step up for most youngsters, it takes time for them to find their feet. This is why SK will need to persevere with Hourihane (woeful again) and Brady.

Going through the team:

The back 5 is solid. Happy enough with the depth there.

Central Midfield - always a problem area for us. I like Molumby but the other 2 spots are up for grabs.

Out wide - lack quality and other than McClean the rest do not chip in with goals

Up top - no goals whatsoever. McGoldrick is a good link up man but needs a 9 next to him. That would require a change in the 433. McGoldrick was playing CM at times against Wales which is a bloody waste of time.

Maguire will never be a decent international player. That first touch in the box in the 1st half is just not acceptable at this level.

I really hope I’m wrong but I think we are in for a horrendous 12 months. I just cannot see us scoring many goals.

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Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I really hope I’m wrong but I think we are in for a horrendous 12 months. I just cannot see us scoring many goals.

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While this may well be true, it's worth noting that it's just an extension of the last three years really.

Four goals in nine games in 2018, one of those in a 4-1 defeat.

Seven goals in eight games in Euro 2020 qualifying in a group where we played Gibraltar twice.

Now this. It's a serious problem, but let's be clear that Martin O'Neill and Mick both had the exact same problems, so it's hardly a Kenny issue.

Its funny i was trying to find on the slovakia thread about saying we could go 480 mins and only having scored one goal. Thats exactly whats happened.

I wont take anymore educated guesses, for the health and wellbeing of us all. :

He was vilified by some, but Jason McAteer's point has only intensified in relevance. And let us not forget that McAteer played under Kerr.

Kenny really needed to get off to a half-decent start - and he hasn't....

We already know we don't have the players to play defensive hoofball all that effectively. Not to the point of reaching a finals anyway.

Kenny is trying something new, but it's looking like we don't have the players to play a more patient passing game effectively either.

More than anything, lack of any kind of threat at all in the final third is killing us. And the more obvious it becomes as to just how unlikely we are to score goals, the more teams will be willing to attack us.

Id be much more worried if we weren't creating any chances. We are so it makes me think we are right track

Definitely right not to play Cullen.

He would have exposed his poor delection in the play off game.

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Originally Posted by Trequartista20

We've just replaced McCarthy with Kenny, so that slightly undermines your presumed point. But whatever..

Mick won one of his first eight. But those were friendlies, and against some of the best teams in the world at the time: Russia, Czech Republic, Portugal, the Netherlands and Mexico amongst them. So that's not really an entirely direct nor particularly useful comparison.

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Not sure you understood the fairly simple point so here you go - managers sometimes start poorly as they try out players etc. Cant judge anyone until theyve had time to build. Lads are on here doing the usual pining for managers of times gone by. Mick had it far easier with friendlies and world class players in his team. Kenny was dropped into a ****storm of pressure and it only got worse with half the squad decimated over 3 games. Im not a fan of kenny but he needs time like any manager.

I see you referenced McAteer later on...christ....ill leave you to it so.

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Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

I only wish we'd gotten that MON instead of the MON we got.

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bet you werent saying that until denmark did us 5 1. the italy, germany, bosnia, wales and austria results in his first three years cant just be ignored

I was actually. I'm a Rovers fan. I knew full well how good Michael was and wasn't keen on Martin at all. I might have a few whatsapp agurments with the mates from back then to prove it to you!

We haven’t had a fully decent squad with really quality players since 2002.

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Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

I was actually. I'm a Rovers fan. I knew full well how good Michael was and wasn't keen on Martin at all. I might have a few whatsapp agurments with the mates from back then to prove it to you!

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Screenshots, or it never happened!

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

We haven’t had a fully decent squad with really quality players since 2002.

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Yet despite that we've managed to qualify for Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and make playoffs for World Cups in 2010 and 2018. We also, technically, made the playoffs for Euro2020/2021.

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

We haven’t had a fully decent squad with really quality players since 2002.

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To be fair, we did start ten premier league players, plus Duffy on loan from a PL team, against Slovakia

24 team Euros really help us in fairness. You can reach those without a "fully decent squad with really quality players"

A lot of over the top negativity. I think there are big question marks over Stephen making the step up because with all due respect to the League of Ireland, you are trying to go toe to toe tactically with experienced managers and top players. However, he is trying to change a style of play that was horrific to watch and while we're not exactly lovely to watch right now, it's a million times more watchable than other regimes. He deserves credit for that.

The next 12-18 months should be deemed as a chance to blood Bazunu, Knight, Molumby, O'Shea, Idah, Connolly and Parrott in every game. A few others as well. There is already a decent core of good players there like Seamus, Doherty, Egan, Stevens and Duffy so some good heads for a young team. I like Hourihane for Villa so I think he could offer something for us still. I've given up on Jeff and Brady.

We need to face facts that even very good Irish teams with experienced managers and several world class players couldn't make it to a world cup. It's not just getting through the Germanys of this world, it's getting through the Denmarks and Switzerlands as well most likely in a home and away playoff. We are a pot 3 team in name only - we are more akin to a pot 4 team in terms of quality. Far better to get this team with an exceptional bunch of young players battle hardened for qualifying for euro 24 and aiming to be a 2nd seed for the wc2026 draw in a few years than hoping against hope that we might blag a playoff by getting a poor or off form 2nd seed and a poor 4th seed. There is not a pot 2 team aside from maybe Slovakia if they get into that pot that I would currently fancy us taking more than one point off.

Mick McCarthy > some League Of Ireland fella > former player with no management experience to speak of > Big name European
(repeat)

So who's it going to be? Keane? Duff? O'Shea?

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

To be fair, we did start ten premier league players, plus Duffy on loan from a PL team, against Slovakia

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but no goal poacher. finding one would be a game changer imo.

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Originally Posted by jbyrne

but no goal poacher. finding one would be a game changer imo.

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Get the rosary beads out for Parrott

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Originally Posted by cfdh_edmundo

Yet despite that we've managed to qualify for Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and make playoffs for World Cups in 2010 and 2018. We also, technically, made the playoffs for Euro2020/2021.

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Yes this is the bit i dont like, for whatever reason Kenny seems to have a free reign regardless, every manager that had us at least got us to a playoff over the last 15 years. I think thats minimum criteria for a new manager really.