http://www.theguardian.com/football/...ship-qualifier
Quote:
Eleven years ago the notion of O’Neill coaching what is essentially a Championship team in international shirts was ludicrous. Not so on a June evening in Dublin where he was seeking to invigorate an Irish campaign and move the narrative away from one of disquiet towards the FAI’s chief executive, John Delaney.
Don't understand the analogy. As bad as we are, we always put out a team that has at least 9 Premier League players.
Why should anyone take anything Ewan Murray says at face value anyways? The man looks like he spends more time looking in the mirror putting on make up than he does watching football.
Quote:
In direct opposition here, O’Neill not only faced the man who replaced him at Celtic – with budgetary constraints attached after years of lavish spending – but someone more obviously suited to international football. Gordon Strachan’s obsession with coaching detail contrasts markedly with O’Neill, who wouldn’t be a regular at taking club sessions. It is partly to O’Neill’s credit that he stepped into this environment, one that would not have seemed a logical one for his management style. His alliance with Roy Keane was even more tricky to fathom.
OK.... this is more agreeable.
Quote:
O’Neill’s deployment of Daryl Murphy rather than Shane Long in attack may have raised eyebrows but the reality is the Southampton man has not performed to anywhere approaching his true capabilities, consistently, when on international duty. The identity of Ireland’s centre-forward was partly immaterial; it seemed the approach would always be to hit the front as quickly as possible.
Because he hasn't been given a chance! He has started about a third of the games he has played for Ireland and has never started consecutive competitive games. The majority of the time he does play, he impresses. Do your research.
Quote:
And yet, during the opening stages, Ireland’s overall play was vastly superior to their opponents’. The hosts were sharper, slicker and more menacing. When the opening goal arrived it was on account of dreadful officiating but nobody could reasonably argue O’Neill’s men did not merit their advantage. They were, that said, lucky to have 11 men at their disposal after James McCarthy’s elbow to the face of Russell Martin.
Guess we can stop dining on the Hanley/Long incident now. McCarthy was lucky in hindsight and Walters goal was blatantly offside. We get the breaks and we still can't capitalise. They acknowledge their mistake in starting Ritchie and he makes way promptly at the break. We never acknowledge our selection errors until it is too late and the damage is irreversible.
