Trapattoni signs two-year extension

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Originally Posted by SuperDave

Tell you the truth, I saw the list of players you posted and was trying to discredit as many of them as possible.... I went too far on stapleton, but the rest hold up. You listed Tony (Top Flight Record, England and Scotland 110 games, 23 goals, aged 28-32, apparently a players peak) Cascarino, among others, as great players of his generation. Yeah. Right. He was the Clinton (15 in 88 PL games) Morrison of his generation.

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I only jumped in to support Frank Stapleton.It was not my list.

I may have responded to some list of players from Jacks time saying that they were good players which I believe they were particularly against the players from other International sides at the time. I did not put the list but may have quoted it. Cascarino was a better player for Ireland than any club he played for except maybe Millwall.

Yes it was some what easier for players from Scotland and Ireland to get into the top division teams in England in those days.

Back in those days(maybe a little before that) Scotland had many of the best players. I do wonder where all the Scottish good players have gone.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave

. I went too far on stapleton, but the rest hold up..

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Are you sure?
"Beglin was effectively second choice at Liverpool".:rolleyes:
Anyone who states that, does not know the teams and the footballers at that time.
He was amongst the 3 Irish who were first choice for arguably the best team in Europe in the mid '80s

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Originally Posted by SuperDave

McCarthy was a journeyman, Beglin was effectively second choice at Liverpool, Stapleton was a goalscoring Gary Doherty (okay, maybe a slight disservice) and Casc.... well, his Celtic and Chelsea record speaks for itself. The bunch of players we have now includes Shay Given, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Richard Dunne, as well as the absent Steven Ireland, who are as good as any of the players at Eoin's hand (boom boom).

The players we had were good, but not significantly better than what we have now. If we qualify for this world cup, the players we have now will be sepia tinged greats in twenty years as well, probably equally undeservedly.

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You forgot Paul McGrath. He was also useless. Paul McShane is much better. And Mark Lawrenson, yes I know he played for Liverpool when they were at the height of their prowess and supposedly was rated as one of their best players but tell me was he as good as Kevin Kilbane? I think not.

How is this not a good Irish team.
McDonagh
Hughton O'Leary Lawernson Beglin
Heighway Daly Brady O'Callaghan
Stapleton Robinson

3 Liverpool players/3 Arsenal players/Spurs player/Brighton player (later Liverpool)MU player

no early extension this time around, looks like uncle gio will have to get us qualified to keep the job.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2011/...ttoni_fai.html

would just getting us to the playoffs be enough?

should it?

edit: i realise bumping this old thread may give the wrong impression, given the title! apologies if so.

Yeah ya b****x. Jumped out of my skin there.

If he qualifies us then no question new contract.
Playoff, then yes I think overall we are continuing to move in the right direction, squad and options are expanding and developing.
Finish third or worse in group, then only way he should be rehired is on far less generous terms.

I am a fan of Trap overall. His style isnt always the most attractive but by and large he has done well with limited resources. Also if we did get rid of Trap at the end of this campaign, the number of REALISTIC attractive options out there are small enough.

I wouldn't give a contract to Trapattoni unless we qualify

It's impossible to say without knowing who would replace him. I've been critical at times but would still prefer him over most potential candidates. They would want to be sure of a top class appointment before letting him go.

Couldn't win Bulgaria or Montenegro home or away in the last campaign and one good performance against a crap French team doesn't change that it was a poor campaign. Now in this campaign we lost our only big game and that was at home to Russia. And this guy is on €2 million per annum and his style of football on top of that is driving people away.

No contract? No chance.

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Originally Posted by TiocfaidhArmani

Couldn't win Bulgaria or Montenegro home or away in the last campaign and one good performance against a crap French team doesn't change that it was a poor campaign.

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If that was poor, when have we had a good campaign?

Even if Trap won us the World Cup, I wouldn't have him back until he recalls the Reids, Lee Carsley and Dean Kiely!

lol 3 old men and a fattie..

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Originally Posted by TiocfaidhArmani

Couldn't win Bulgaria or Montenegro home or away in the last campaign and one good performance against a crap French team doesn't change that it was a poor campaign. Now in this campaign we lost our only big game and that was at home to Russia. And this guy is on €2 million per annum and his style of football on top of that is driving people away.

No contract? No chance.

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He dropped his style of football for the game against Uruguay. yes it was entertaining but a good attacking team walked through us.

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Originally Posted by TiocfaidhArmani

Couldn't win Bulgaria or Montenegro home or away in the last campaign

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Undefeated against a team that, at the time, were ranked higher than us and against a team that are now ranked higher than us, not to mention finishing ahead of both.

...and the home game vs. Montenegro was a dead rubber anyway, with several players rested.

Stick or twist for the next campaign? - particularly if we don't qualify this time around.

I know entertaining "what the players think" can be a bit of a tight rope to base decisions upon but I think the players would like to see Trapp retained for another campaign.

Would this squad of players be willing to adjust again to a new manager with new methods and be expected to "hit the ground running" and qualify first time or would they they prefer the continuity of what they've absorbed from Trapp over the last 3 years??

It would be a surprise if any of Keane, Dunne and Duff were not available for selection for one more campaign.

In addition there are the "Trapp" players who Trapp has introduced to the team, for example Lawrence, St Ledger, Whelan, Andrews, Fahey - all of these players know what Trapp expects from them.

I think its a case of better the devil you know on this one.

I sense a Mick McCarthy scenario with Trap. There is a sizable element of our support who has lost faith in him, primarily because he hasn't selected some obvious players (e.g. Reid, Kenny, Hoolahan etc for whatever reason) and once you lose some of the fans, a manager is doomed because the boo boys are always heard above the silent majority.

I am not sure we could afford his salary in any event. I would like him to stay on but I doubt it will happen if we don't qualify. Cue Dunphy and Giles to start interviewing Paul Jewell again :O

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Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton

If that was poor, when have we had a good campaign?

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I'm not getting into a long-winded debate about it, it was a poor campaign. Italy played the vast majority of the game in their ground with 10 men and we scraped a draw. Didn't win at home and the rest of the results, especially the failure to beat Bulgaria or Montenegro just once in four games is very poor. Yet we double his wages to €2 million. Someone explain that one to me.....

Trap's an expensive manager, no doubt, but I don't think it was a poor campaign. Or at least, it certainly wasn't poor compared to the three that proceeded it. Only right we expect improvement again this time around, particularly in regards turning draws into wins and beating big sides. Jury very much out in those respects.