Trap contract?

Ward has belatedly got his chance and Trap was quick to give Cunningham his chance too, but he broke his leg. Clark was good against Wales but was really shakey against Uruguay(?). I think Delaney did well enough at LB a few years ago to stay in the squad. Maybe Ward could have got his chance 6-9 months ago, but it's a marginal call. KK is doing OK, not great but not terrible either. I trust Trap's judgment.

When the alternatives are considered, I'd give Trap the contract now! McCarthy took time - 6 games before a win I think. It was quite a few games before we even scored I think (2-2 Croatia?). We can't afford to give another up and coming manager the same kind of flexibility.

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Originally Posted by dotts101

i applaud the work and service of kilbane but he is playing for huddersfield, he arguably cost us qualification against bulgaria home and away.

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we finished 6 points behind Italy so even IF we had beaten bulgaria home and away we would still have missed out on automatic qualification. shay given was at fault for one of Italys goals, for example, at home..... should he be replaced as you could argue that cost us more than not beating bulgaria? i am sure there were many chances missed, errors for goals etc from other players. we cant replace the whole team but do have to go with the most reliable we have. for now kk fits that mould

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Originally Posted by jbyrne

we finished 6 points behind Italy so even IF we had beaten bulgaria home and away we would still have missed out on automatic qualification. shay given was at fault for one of Italys goals, for example, at home..... should he be replaced as you could argue that cost us more than not beating bulgaria? i am sure there were many chances missed, errors for goals etc from other players. we cant replace the whole team but do have to go with the most reliable we have. for now kk fits that mould

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Wasn't Shay's fault at all. It was John O'Shea who lost the ball high up the pitch and that resulted in Italy's quick counter attack

I would wait as long as possible in rewarding a new contract. We all know things can change rapidly. Of course Trap (or his advisors) could call the FAI's bluff by saying a.n.other country has offered Trap a contract to 2014. Now that would be tricky. Lets hope we get through the summer and the autumn results make it immaterial.

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

Wasn't Shay's fault at all. It was John O'Shea who lost the ball high up the pitch and that resulted in Italy's quick counter attack

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was talking about the first goal. beaten poorly at near post from a corner

I think where we are now with Trap, is pretty much where we ended up with kerr. Just never doing enough to qualify.

If we come away as stutts says with 10 from 12 then I do think that is the approaching the next level. If we come away with 12 from 12 in the next 3 then i think we have reached that level, we will qualify for Euro 2012, and then he should be extended.

So you are saying unless we get 12 from 12 Trap should be shown the door?

Considering only 3 managers have taken 3 points from Moscow in the last 66 years, don't you think that threshold is a bit high?

I think we should wait till the end of the campaign before making any decision but considering the calibre of candidate that have applied for the Irish managers position in the last 10 years, I can only envisage that the next manager to take the reigns with Ireland, whenever that is, will constitute a step backwards.

Thats not what I said at all.

I will admit I have come around to Traps ways in recent times and the most recent set of results achieved with such a depleted squad shows a depth growing in the squad, and a spirit too, which hasnt always been there in my time following the side. There also is growing credible competition for places throughout, with the players more and more earning their living at decent levels of football. I also will admit being wrong by the looks of it in the McCarthy saga.

Important for me as well is the recruiting of eligible players, I am for it but I am also glad if Nobles reputed demand for an assurence of starts, for example, resulted in him being passed over is true, even though we could have done with him in simple playing terms perhaps.

I would like to see him stay, I would like the FAI to make it clear they want him to and although not qualifying would be a blow, as it is a navigable group, I dont think it should define him, a nice side is emerging and in a couple of years should Myler and a few more flourish it could be a good era.

Also, as someone else said, we can score now when we need to in most cases and the managerial options out there would suggest we would be better off holding what we have.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

I think where we are now with Trap, is pretty much where we ended up with kerr. Just never doing enough to qualify.

If we come away as stutts says with 10 from 12 then I do think that is the approaching the next level. If we come away with 12 from 12 in the next 3 then i think we have reached that level, we will qualify for Euro 2012, and then he should be extended.

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that's a bit much, Kerr never got to a play off and (IMO) experimented even less with the squad than Trapattoni

I couldn't see us getting wins in Armenia or Macedonia quite as confidently under Kerr either. And doesn't look like Trap's going to replicate the fairly disastrous fourth place finish in the 2006 WC quals.

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Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton

And doesn't look like Trap's going to replicate the fairly disastrous fourth place finish in the 2006 WC quals.

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Thats a bit harsh on Kerr there and I will defend him on that one. We may have finished 4th in that group but we obtained 17 points (which in some of the groups would have been enough to secure a playoff), finished 3 points off top spot and we would have gone through the campaign unbeaten had it not been for a moment of Thierry Henry brilliance. We played the French off the park in Paris and had O'Shea converted that sitter, things could have been so different. I think Kerr did get a raw deal and it must be remembered that a month before he was sacked, we were 14th in the world in the FIFA rankings. The fact that Delaney was never in favour of his appointment from the off, meant that his days were numbered right from the start.

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Originally Posted by French Toasht

Thats a bit harsh on Kerr there and I will defend him on that one. We may have finished 4th in that group but we obtained 17 points (which in some of the groups would have been enough to secure a playoff), finished 3 points off top spot and we would have gone through the campaign unbeaten had it not been for a moment of Thierry Henry brilliance. We played the French off the park in Paris and had O'Shea converted that sitter, things could have been so different. I think Kerr did get a raw deal and it must be remembered that a month before he was sacked, we were 14th in the world in the FIFA rankings. The fact that Delaney was never in favour of his appointment from the off, meant that his days were numbered right from the start.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Kerr hater. But a fourth place finish was a poor showing regardless of points accrued. We let too many points slip by and his absolute refusal to go for broke, even when desperately needing a win at home against the Swiss, was the last straw. He got the rough end and the side were a little unlucky but he didn't do himself many favours either. Particularly in comparison to Trap IMO.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

If we come away with 12 from 12 in the next 3 then i think we have reached that level, we will qualify for Euro 2012, and then he should be extended.

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12 points in the next 3 games?
You're a cheeky lad raising the bar to such impossible heights, no wonder we can never be good enough for your standards :)

Fair point French Toasht.

However, does anyone here think that with a must win away game against Switzerland, or a must win home game against Switzerland, a Trap-managed team would have gone out with such a whimper as we did twice under Kerr?

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Fair point French Toasht.

However, does anyone here think that with a must win away game against Switzerland, or a must win home game against Switzerland, a Trap-managed team would have gone out with such a whimper as we did twice under Kerr?

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In short, no. I think Trap is a better manager than Kerr and I think the two Swiss games mentioned were low points, but I still think Kerr got a raw deal. For example McCarthy's first campaign for Ireland involved the debacles against Macedonia, Iceland and Lithuania and in his second campaign things began to fall apart in the second half of the campaign in Malta, Croatia and Macedonia. Compared with Kerr's campaign and a half, McCarthy was extremely lucky to have got a third campaign.

Trap doesn't have the same ability in terms of players as either of those managers, and many of his notable players are in the winters of their careers, yet through organisation, dedication and honesty of effort, he has the team playing really well and should be commended for that.

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Originally Posted by French Toasht

Trap doesn't have the same ability in terms of players as either of those managers, and many of his notable players are in the winters of their careers, yet through organisation, dedication and honesty of effort, he has the team playing really well and should be commended for that.

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I dont know about that, I agree there isnt a Roy Keane figure, a player of real world stature at Traps disposal, but overall I think there is a bit more quality overall through the squad, more competition for spots. I recall watching games in the Kerr and McCarthy era's, often remarking the answer had to come from the starting eleven as there wasnt a game changer or impact player on the bench. I think these days we have a little bit more all round.

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Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

I dont know about that, I agree there isnt a Roy Keane figure, a player of real world stature at Traps disposal, but overall I think there is a bit more quality overall through the squad, more competition for spots. I recall watching games in the Kerr and McCarthy era's, often remarking the answer had to come from the starting eleven as there wasnt a game changer or impact player on the bench. I think these days we have a little bit more all round.

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A "little bit more" is an understatement, although allowing for Roy K being worth our entire current cm package, our squad depth elsewhere has increased by leaps and bounds.

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Originally Posted by geysir

A "little bit more" is an understatement, although allowing for Roy K being worth our entire current cm package, our squad depth elsewhere has increased by leaps and bounds.

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Originally Posted by French Toasht

Thats a bit harsh on Kerr there and I will defend him on that one. We may have finished 4th in that group but we obtained 17 points (which in some of the groups would have been enough to secure a playoff), finished 3 points off top spot and we would have gone through the campaign unbeaten had it not been for a moment of Thierry Henry brilliance. We played the French off the park in Paris and had O'Shea converted that sitter, things could have been so different. I think Kerr did get a raw deal and it must be remembered that a month before he was sacked, we were 14th in the world in the FIFA rankings. The fact that Delaney was never in favour of his appointment from the off, meant that his days were numbered right from the start.

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on a serious note, that mans name should no longer be associated with the word brilliance.

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Originally Posted by dotts101

on a serious note, that mans name should no longer be associated with the word brilliance.

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What man's name?