Almost definitely not.
Almost definitely not.
So far, so good. A point is OK here.
I suppose one way to play the likes of Belgium is to pay hoof ball for 60-70 mins, then mix it up with some subs in the last portion of the game when the Belgians are frustrated.
If we draw this game and the Italy game, and Belgium and Sweden also draw, we'd be second with 3 points.Quote:
Originally Posted by tricky_colour
Looking very nervous on the ball. Might as well have Murphy on instead of Hoolahan if the tactic is just going to be lash everything long. At least McCarthy has looked a bit more aggressive and made a few nice interceptions.
Definitely a big improvement in McCarthy's mentality from the last game.
Right. Get in, have an orange quarter, sip of water and regroup.
Tough, tough first half there but almost what we expected. That said they've only had a few shots on target and we have had a couple of half chances. Energy levels seem down though whereas you wouldn't think Belgium were also playing their second game in as many days.
I know Belgium defenders are susceptible to the ball over the top or long ball but they are not susceptible to the hoof from the full back. Have to change our approach in the second half and try and keep possession a little more and spread out. Game may be calling out for McClean but I don't know if it's worth getting him on if we can't get him the ball.
Long has looked better than against Sweden. Hoolohan and Hendrick look leggy. McCarthy ha been way better. Whelan has been silent and I don't know if that's a good thing. Wards done about as well as we could expect. Defenders again both doing very well and Coleman a little bit disappointing as he was in the first half v Sweden. Randolph has done well, especially that off side tip onto the bar. Wow. DeBruynes delivery has been absolutely outstanding and caused more nerves than their general play.
I don't know. Hopefully expectation will begin to weight too heavily on the Belgians and we get a little more of the ball and a little more space. I'd take the draw now, even a 0-0.
Need to be braver on the ball. Belgium haven't really created anything but we need to close De Bruyne down.
Think back 4 have done well.
Wessi needs to step it up.
Long is the most frustrated player out there though.Quote:
Originally Posted by texidub
Big trouble now. After all they said in studio about Lukaku too.
Was that a penalty for us though? Double-kicked in the head?
Looked a peno to me...
Oh god this is not good at all, could get messy 😢
McCarthy. FFS. Let Witsel go.
McCarthy lost his man for the header and should have taken a yellow for the first goal.
Ah fook.
McCarthy gone back to his old ways in this half.
Mentality off from the start.
Is that goal the problem with modern football?
Lots of teams have tried putting ten men behind the ball, stifling a better team and hoping for a counter somewhere. But then the games are dull. But if we play football - as we've had to do since we scored - we get picked open.
So the best bet is to play dull, stifling stuff as long as we can.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
Ward seems to have lost a lot of weight.
Come back Mr Trappatoni all is foregiven!
Oooph. Goodnight.
James McClean - cheers mate.
Sean St Ledger - words fail me.
Time for Keogh?
Clark again!
Dreadful decision making!
Out of his depth!
Said it from day one....
Over to you Lads and Lassies....
Just want to mend the goal difference a bit at this stage. Maybe that's even asking too much.
Am I right in thinking we've never won a finals match in white, and only lost once in green?
Can't remember what colours we wore in 2012, but fairly sure we lost in green for the first time then.
10p I will never see again. :(Quote:
1 Robbie Keane
2 Republic of Ireland 1 - 0
(Scorecast) 60/1
Stake £0.10 Returns £6.10
Excuse me!Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
Attack the post not the poster!
You come on here when your country is 3-0 down to misguidedly gloat and annoy everyone with your one track crap. You're a troll.
I don't gloat, I was just stating a fact.
Clark isn't good enough
Hindsight is 20-20, but all that hoofball and not retaining possession at the start of the match set the tone for a loss.
Tend to agree, there was a very negative tone to the start, time wasting over every stoppage in play. I'd be surprised to see Clark and McCarthy start the Italy game. Such a massive disappointment.Quote:
Originally Posted by texidub
To answer my own post, we lost twice in green in 2012, and also against Holland in 1988, which I forgot.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Record in green - 13-4-6-3-11-13
Record in white - 8-0-2-6-3-12
Counting penalty shoot-outs as wins/losses, not draws.
We also missed the penalty v Spain in white (though did score a second one)
The only slight positive now is that a draw against Italy is useless so they have to just go out and play for the win from the off. Hopefully there's enough belief in that squad to bounce back.
Also, I've said it before, but I suspect we can enjoy this Euros, as it'll be our last finals appearance for a long time.
Ageing team, a poor team, nobody coming through, underage teams achieving little, no player development structure to bring players into the senior level...
Hard to know how we could have got anything out of the game really.
We could have done backs to the wall stuff for 90 minutes but we'd probably have conceded eventually. And as soon as we pressed a bit, they used the space and took advantage.
They're just better than us.
We have never lost in pink.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
They are a better team, but what about that peno that wasn't? That was a turning point.
Italy are already through though aren't they? Would work in our favour...
Not a penalty, apparently...
https://i.imgflip.com/161ro7.jpg
And they went straight down the pitch and opened the scoring.
But I think the issues with Irish football go somewhat deeper than maybe being given a penalty* against, as osarusan says, a team who are just a lot better than us.
* - is high feet in the box an indirect free or a penalty? Can never remember anything about that rule; might have gone out in the 80s for all I know.
True. But it shows how thin the line between success and failure can be.. heads went down after that.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Not a great performance and the game management was the exact opposite of what I hoped. Should have shut up shop at 1-0 down a la Trappatoni - a 1-0 defeat would still have given us a good chance of progressing as a top 3Rd place team (if we could beat Italys reserves) but even a win against them now might not be enough due to goal difference.
I think O'Neil bungled the tactics, to conservative against the Swedes (a win there and we would be through) to open in the second half today.
Way too much of Trappatoni out there today. That was the worst thing, there was never any sense that Ireland really thought they could get anything out of the game, they just hoofed and fell back. No way that was going to get even a point. Worked for a half - Belgium didn't have a shot on goal until they scored - but that was all. Desperately disappointing afternoon.
Randolph, wouldn't fault him for any of the goals, was close to keeping the second out, never really tested otherwise.
Coleman, alright in the first, fell away in the second. Clark, very poor throughout, badly at fault for the third, probably shouldn't start next game. O'Shea, probably the best of the back four, still not saying much. Ward, did OK for a time, but like Coleman just couldn't make an impact going into the second.
Brady might have been better served staying at left back, no real impact. Hendrick with his worst game in an Ireland shirt (that yellow card, what the hell was that?). Whelan anonymous, back to bad habits. McCarthy started OK and got worse. Hoolahan with nowhere near his usual contribution. Long hopelessly isolated upfront, and clearly showing his frustration.
McClean, tried going forward, and was doing his job when he lost possession ahead of the third, but ultimately impotent. McGeady offered nothing. Keane, I think, brought on only to rest Long, so who really cares?
A few times in the first it would only have needed a better short pass and Ireland were in, but that's as dangerous as Ireland became. Even when Ireland controlled the game for a short time after the goal, it was like Belgium were allowing us the privilege, as opposed to the Irish actually winning it. They had us by the balls the entire second half. It's not quite the level of of "outclassed" as Spain in 2012, but not a million miles away either.
Honestly, didn't think it was a penalty against Long either. High feet for sure, but was there really much, if any, contact, enough to justify him going into the fetal position? Is high feet enough for the infringement to be called?
The "Greatest fans, etc, etc" not covering themselves in glory today, silent as a graveyard after the goals, while Belgium fans did the wave. Maybe it bothers me more after the week of mindless clickbait. Stuck in a pub surrounded by people wondering when the rugby was on the moment Lukaku got his first too. :mad:
At least the mission is clear against Italy, and maybe they might not be going for it 100%. But a very tall order to get the win with this team. I fear Stu is right.