Qatar v Republic of Ireland - Tuesday, 30th March 2021 - Friendly

You know things are really bad when you draw 1-1 with Qatar and people are saying it's a decent result. It's another dreadful result if we're being honest, we're just more conditioned to them now, which is probably just as well given how the autumn games are likely to go under Kenny.

As for Parrott, hopefully he makes it as a decent professional and a solid international, there's plenty of time for him to develop. But he must be the most overhyped wonderkid to ever leave our shores. Was being made out like he was the next Robbie Keane. He is nowhere near the level Keane was at at a similar age. Anthony Stokes was better at 19 than Parrott is.

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Originally Posted by DCWA

Bazanu. He settled well after his rashness for the overturned peno and the spill at the edge of the box. His distribution is excellent, very sharp. He is confident, decisive and clearly has all the attritibutes to be a top keeper. With him and Kelleher and to a lesser extent so far Travers we have good options in that position going forward when not so long ago it looked a serious concern.

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I wouldn't agree with this. Distribution and decision-making are two very different aspects of goalkeeping. Three or four times in those two games Bazunu showed wojus decision-making, and we're fortunate it didn't cost us. That doesn't get balanced out by some good distribution. I'd be terrified if he were in nets against Portugal.

Yes, we have some good goalkeeping prospects, but he was one of the downsides of tonight for me.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

You know things are really bad when you draw 1-1 with Qatar and people are saying it's a decent result.

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Well look, they are Asian champions and that's not a mickey-mouse tournament. They beat South Korea and Japan to win it. They didn't play well at all, but they're not Oman. I think it was an ok result, and we've been short enough on them lately that I'm ok with that. Certainly it wasn't a great result by any stretch.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I wouldn't agree with this. Distribution and decision-making are two very different aspects of goalkeeping. Three or four times in those two games Bazunu showed wojus decision-making, and we're fortunate it didn't cost us. That doesn't get balanced out by some good distribution. I'd be terrified if he were in nets against Portugal.

Yes, we have some good goalkeeping prospects, but he was one of the downsides of tonight for me.

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Tbf I didn’t say he got his decisions right just that he was decisive. I think perhaps too keen as someone else has mentioned but it is a very good sign to me at such a young age playing for his country for the first or second time he is willing to back himself and make those decisions. I would have no concerns that over the next couple of years he will couple that decisiveness with timing.

Obviously Randolph still solidly #1 and Kelleher given his performances at a high level is ahead of him but I seen all the attributes there to suggest the lad is or will be a very good keeper.

Poor Kenny is totally lost

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I wouldn't agree with this. Distribution and decision-making are two very different aspects of goalkeeping. Three or four times in those two games Bazunu showed wojus decision-making, and we're fortunate it didn't cost us. That doesn't get balanced out by some good distribution. I'd be terrified if he were in nets against Portugal.

Yes, we have some good goalkeeping prospects, but he was one of the downsides of tonight for me.

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Just as well you arent the goalkeeping coach at Man City Stu.
two goals conceded in two games no chance with either.
I agree with rating players harshly, youth is nothing to do with it , he is a professional and no excuses allow, do think you are harsh

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Originally Posted by sbgawa

Just as well you arent the goalkeeping coach at Man City Stu.
two goals conceded in two games no chance with either.
I agree with rating players harshly, youth is nothing to do with it , he is a professional and no excuses allow, do think you are harsh

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Do I think I'm harsh? Nope. Three or four howlers in the two games and he's been lucky to get away with them. Great prospect, but he's not a positive from tonight's game.

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Originally Posted by DCWA

Tbf I didn’t say he got his decisions right just that he was decisive.

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Decisively wrong isn't much good to us!

I hope he does learn from it. But he's got a lot to learn still. I can see why he's conceding two a game at Rochdale for example.

I think some folks are so desperate for green shoots that they're wilfully ignoring mistakes from Bazunu.

I thought the good tonight included Duffy, McClean, Coleman, O'Shea, and Long. Flashes from Christie, Knight and Brady too, and a solid shift from Horgan. Robinson was dire. Molumby wasn't great. Bazunu was shaky. Parrott didn't catch my eye much, for good or bad. All I saw tonight was a suggestion that Kenny made a bags of the team selections last week in the games that mattered. I said before the game that a score draw would be a good result, and I stand by that.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

As for Parrott, hopefully he makes it as a decent professional and a solid international, there's plenty of time for him to develop. But he must be the most overhyped wonderkid to ever leave our shores. Was being made out like he was the next Robbie Keane. He is nowhere near the level Keane was at at a similar age. Anthony Stokes was better at 19 than Parrott is.

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Was just having this debate on Facebook with some guy asking why does Kenny never start Parrott. I pointed out Troy has scored just 1 goal in the last 2 seasons (23 club games) that one goal came in the 3rd tier.

Definitely has potential and looked good at youth level but need to be taking the next step up soon, From what i have seen he is a best a championship player

seems like the overall narrative was that we played well and 1-1 was a decent result.

I don't understand.

Leaving out Shane Duffy and Hendricks was clearly a mistake by Kenny. McClean was not fit (so maybe understandable) but Long should have got more time as well.

Things got a bit spiky with Tony O'Donoghue in the post match interview

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Do I think I'm harsh? Nope. Three or four howlers in the two games and he's been lucky to get away with them. Great prospect, but he's not a positive from tonight's game.


Decisively wrong isn't much good to us!

I hope he does learn from it. But he's got a lot to learn still. I can see why he's conceding two a game at Rochdale for example.

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You were a little concerned by Bazunu to begin with weren't you? Questioned whether he was highly rated at Man City etc?

He kept us in the game against Luxembourg with some fine saves at point blank range. He's also made a few overly committed moves. Howlers is a stretch. Nothing got through him for a goal did it? Few dangerous passes out. Few balls claimed that he might have left. He's 19. I think anyone who didn't already have an opinion formed probably thinks he did well over the two games. The ones I know do at least. On here most seemed to want to stick with him after Lux. Those looking for errors will highlight them and those who believe in him will forgive the errors and focus on the saves, the confidence and the fact he only conceded two great strikers.

He looked much more comfortable than Travers and at 19 I think he will get better and better.

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Things got a bit spiky with Tony O'Donoghue in the post match interview

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I don't know if it was even intended to be spiky. It felt to me like Kenny went out there to make some points in the face of plenty of criticism and he needed to warm himself up before forcing out those points. Calling out his record at Dundalk and with the Irish under 21s to imply he is a serial winner didn't do anything to amend the results we have seen since he became senior manager.

I like him and have sympathy for him in the circumstances but beating your chest to a remote interviewer doesn't serve much of a purpose. Kenny would be better off accepting that the noise of the last few days is inevitable and, based on the results, justified. Just work towards fixing it.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

You know things are really bad when you draw 1-1 with Qatar and people are saying it's a decent result. It's another dreadful result if we're being honest, we're just more conditioned to them now, which is probably just as well given how the autumn games are likely to go under Kenny.

As for Parrott, hopefully he makes it as a decent professional and a solid international, there's plenty of time for him to develop. But he must be the most overhyped wonderkid to ever leave our shores. Was being made out like he was the next Robbie Keane. He is nowhere near the level Keane was at at a similar age. Anthony Stokes was better at 19 than Parrott is.

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I think the Parrott hype has subsided for now. There are a lot more people looking to call out the hype merchants than there are hype merchants.

19 games it took Michael O Neill to win one for the North.. 19.. including a loss to Luxembourg

And two years later, he got them to the Euros

Player wise, what has Kenny got that we haven't seen yet?

We're hammering 19 y olds for not being world beaters ffs

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Originally Posted by Olé Olé

Kenny would be better off accepting that the noise of the last few days is inevitable and, based on the results, justified. Just work towards fixing it.

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He has done that repeatedly and mentioned twice again in his post match interview this evening how he/they are not happy at failing to beat Luxembourg.

TO’D ends the interview by saying “well said” to SK are to we take from that he is in agreement with him? Not usually how an interviewer would wrap it up.

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Originally Posted by Insidetherock

19 games it took Michael O Neill to win one for the North.. 19.. including a loss to Luxembourg

And two years later, he got them to the Euros

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Not quite.

He won his 10th game, vs Russia in a WCQ.

Granted, it was another 8 games before he won his next(!), but that second win was away to Hungary, the opener of the ECQ's where they went on to win 6, draw 3 and lose just the once to top the group.

The real point being that even during that winless sequence, he never quite "lost the dressing room", even if he did lose/discard one or two individuals along the way.

I'm not qualified to judge SK, but if he is to have any chance it is essential he sticks to his guns with whatever he wants to do, since players need certainty, all the more when they are young and results aren't going their way.

This interview with Michael O'Neill summed it up for me:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/news...er/ar-BB14NIVM

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Things got a bit spiky with Tony O'Donoghue in the post match interview

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Im a big fan of his and wished him well in the Ireland job but. He comes across absolutely awful in recent interviews, the stress is apparent and he just ends up waffling.

I actually found that interview gave me a bit more confidence in Kenny. He came across as far from beaten to me and determined to get it right.

I hope he does.