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unfortunately the suits want to turn this game into some kind of non-contact sport. by the rules, hunt won the ball and then took the man. no foul, no card. if anything, hunt won the ball too early giving the czech player plenty of time to "air-crucify" himself so the ref could take notice. conversely, richard dunne thumped peter cech across the throat (with no attempt to play the ball) for mcshane's would-be equalizer that was cleared off the line. shoulda been a free out.
Champions League is a higher class than playing the likes of the Czechs and Slovakia. Yes McGeady was woeful but by-jaysus to say he's out his depth and not good enough for Ireland is ridiculous when guys like Jonathan Douglas and Steven Hunt are kicking around the squad.Quote:
Originally Posted by carloz
Hunt got himself into more trouble yesterday as he was seen throw away the black armband (that all players were wearing as a mark of respect for Ian Porterfield) in the direction of the sunderland fans. Hopefully there was no intent to offend.
http://readytogo.net/smb/forumdisplay.php?f=66
Like Ireland, McGeady is a luxury we can't accomodate because the rest of the team isn't strong enough. The kid's only 20 so cut him a bit of slack. He's very much work in progress. Personally I still think he takes the ball standing too much, he should be moving onto the ball.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morbo
I predicted elsewhere he would play on Saturday. Also whether he was rusty or not he played the full 90 minutes. I suspect he wasn't fit for the Slovak game but could have made the Czech game but we've seen this all before for years with the top clubs ruling their players out given any opportunity.
You're wasting your time slagging off Robbieeeeee on here, I gave up long ago. People look at statistics (top scorer etc) total ******. Fact is our TOP SCORER hasnt scored AWAY from home in a competitive match since Rotterdam in 2000. Thats seven years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar
I was always a big Robbieeeeee fan (since Argentina in 98) and cannot understand why he cant show the same level of committment and maturity for Ireland as he does for Spurs. He has been 'below par' (im choosing my words carefully) for Ireland for a long long time.
Not one person in Prague I spoke to had complementary things to say about him.
While I dont think he should be dropped (unless Long and Murphy start scoring) the captaincy should be taken off him and a new manager kick him up the hole. He should be taking a leaf out of Michael Owen's book.
We'll have to wait (and wait) and see.
According to Paddy Power, Ireland's odds of qualifying are 16-1 which would make you think there was a tiny glimmer of hope but then again our odds of not qualifying are 1-200, WTF? those are some ****ty odds Paddy power are offering, both bets represent terrible value for money, I reckon we got about a 1% chance of qualifying, you'd never know, if the Germans or Czechs were done for match fixing and got points deducted we could sneak in.
I remember falling for an Aprils fools joke on the radio that Portugal(or maybe it was Holland) had being kicked out of Euro 96 and Ireland got in by default, *******S!
:DQuote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
There's more tactical awareness in the telephone directory.
Who was going to be the super-sub to equalise and keep us in the tournament in Prague?? Drum-rolll:
Andrew Keogh. :confused:
Final Score: 0-1. :rolleyes:
Jesus.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
I feel like crying after watching that. What a performance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Torn-Ado
If you have not seen Paul Potts version before then you had best get your hankie then ;)
It's seems a lot more moving to me, I don't know why, maybe because he is a short fat bloke in a scruffy suit with busted teeth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA
Leader of the Khmer Rouge????Quote:
Originally Posted by tricky_colour
I think he did. It was a stupid and dirty tackle to make He got the ball first but it was a an overly agressive and high tackle that could have done real damage to the Czech player. I thought that at the time when I was at the game and having seen the footage from a few angles I dont think the tackle can be defended. Ok he made a good cameo appearance and it gave the Irish team better balance. But that was all thrown away but his lack of experience and stupidity in my view.
Of course he was the hero to the mob for some bizarre reason.
No. It was never a red card.
Nor was it a dangerous or high tackle. If it ws you can be assured that the Czech bench would have reacted -they didn'tQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
It was a stupid challenge but I'll put it down to desire. It wasn't in the same mould as McAteers and Connollys malicious challenges against Macedonia and Belguim respectively.
He tried to get the ball but did so in a stupid way which was always going to leave him open to a red.
Agreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by soccerc
I assumed it was a second yellow.
Maybe a bit stupid and naive. He would have got no more than a yellow card in the Premier League for it. Hunt though is still quite inexperienced in dealing with international players and their playacting and refs who don't allow physical challenges like they do in the Premier League.
He'll know better next time. Hopefully.
Well I definitely wouldn't blame the lad with the support he got before and when he came on, his natural instinct would have been to try and win every ball and be aggressive as he could be to live up to the support he was receiving
Maybe if he was on from the start:rolleyes: he wouldn't have felt that he needed to show the fans or manager as much, as he would have had the full 90 minutes to show the tremendous skill he possesses (plus the 90 minutes in Bratislava)
Basically instead of playing for 3 hours he played 30:confused: minutes because of the manager's unwillingless to start him (in both games)
Wouldn't blame him - wanted to repay the fans support for him. end of.
It seems that Irish fans like mindless running around the pitch rather than actual skill to be honest. Hunt is a decent player no more and no less but he is seen as the saviour by many of the Irish fans. I find this baffling.
"ankles".......you are sharp!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
However, I disagree....it was a yellow card offence only, but in light of the expected, and received abuse he got from the home crowd, he should have engaged his brain ( and should have been reminded of this by his First Class Manager......Oh yeah, I forgot we don't have one! )
Well given a lack of skill in the team we'll settle for energy and honesty of effort as Johnny Giles might say.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
No he was not even on the pitch when we failed.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
I think you're being very unfair. Even Petr Cech (hardly Hunt's greatest admirer) spoke publicly about how he felt Hunt had been hard done by getting a red card. It was a heavy tackle but it wasnt dangerous. He didnt come over the ball, nor did he come two footed showing studs. He got the ball with his outsretched leg, then tripped the Czech lad with his shin while following through. It warranted a booking and a severe warning, but not more.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
We shouldnt muddy the waters regarding our failure in the recent games by looking to make a scapegoat of Hunt, or any other player for that matter. The blame is solely attributable to Staunton, and the FAI muppet(s) who hired him. They are the individuals who have let all of us down
You don't win games by standing still and waiting for someone to give you the ball.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
I don't see him as our saviour...I'm just baffled that he doesn't get into the starting 11. He does more than 'just mindless running around'. Have you even seen him play for Reading? He is the best crosser in the Premiership, yet even when he's on the pitch for Ireland he doesn't take the corners etc,:confused:
...oh and it wasn't even close to being a red card. It was the first hard tackle of the game - because our midfield had inexplicably stood off the Czechs before that. The crowd went bananas and the ref couldn't wait to appease them. It was a shocking decision. And then you had some nobody in a suit charging from the Czech bench confronting him as he left the pitch. I was at the game behind the dugouts and it still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth what happened.:mad:
Thats bulls-hit as far as im concerned.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
Mindless running around = McGeady, Robbie Keane
On the other hand, Hunt is a class act. He is hungry, aggressive and direct. Exactly what you need in a winger. He is a handful for any defender to deal with. Should have started both games. He's the hero of the mob (as you put it) because he showed, during his 30 cameo, everything the Irish team lacked in the rest of the two games.
Hunt is one of the last people I'd blame for our failure, yes he was a bit too enthusiastic with that tackle but it was never a red, if every player had his energy and attitude we would be a very tough team to beat, when you see players pull out of international duty because of a little gash and play 2 & half days later for their club, then its refreshing to see that there are still some players who play with passion for their country
Hunts connection with the Irish fans, reminds me of the buzz between the support and Dave Langan.Both players giving 110% for the cause, creating an audible sense of expectation with the ball at their feet.Neither player could claim the skill of Duff or Keane, but raw passion and effort goes a long way
Lets face it, before Hunt came on nobody thought we had a hope in hell of
getting anything out of the match, we were hopeless. he lifted the whole moribund team, and that endured even after he was taken off.
It wasnt a red but in fairness in an European away match and with a dopey ref and a hostile crowd you cant jump into tackles like that. The crowd and the Czech bench didnt help either.
I thought it was a shocking challenge at the time.He went right through their player and under the circumstances wasn't all that surprised he got red. But thats under the circumstances - normally I think a yellow would have been shown but its not unusual for the circumstances of a game to affect a ref's judgement.
I think if he had kept the head (it was a needless challenge he'd won the ball)we might have got something from the game as he lifted it when so many around him were inept. So yes, he did let us down.
It was never a red and he was a hero to the "mob" because he came on and gave everything he had, changed the game around and was getting booed everytime he touched the ball.
Of course we chanted his name, just a pity that it seemingly couldn't be heard on the tv, as it was loud enough there!
As has been noted elsewhere, the Czech bench did nothing - didn't even call for a free. Their manager has said he was as surprised as anyone to see the red.Quote:
Originally Posted by viagogo
Long live the "mob" then! Never a red card. No mention of the antics of some of the Czech players who hounded the ref into sending Hunt off. Now thats a mob.
All 3 protaginists have their blame.
I´d agree with Stan that he is an impact player:)
It´s just that we needed to be impacted after 2 minutes.
And there are times when we can´t afford to have such an impact "weapon" on the bench.
I would love to take all these refs who get fooled by a player's antics onto a practical demonstration of what happens to a player when he well and truly clobbered. I´d have the refs play a football game and have a few notorious tacklers inflict studs up from behind tackles on each and every one of them just to impress that the last thing you do, or even want to do, is leap in the air or roll around the floor.
I didn't think it was a red. It probably deserved a yellow as he followed through with agression without need. No way did he let the country down. Don't agree with the mob attitude but he looked like he cared...
If I spent the rest of my life trying to figure out how your comment related in any way to my post I don't I would have anymore idea then than I do now.Quote:
Originally Posted by dr_peepee
Please enlighten me.
You must have an IQ several thousand times greater then mine, which is technically, impossilbe :D:p;)
:D :D :D
hes better known by his first name as gaeilge, Pol.
let his country down? no way. he did us proud if you ask me. Thats like saying did david beckham let down england in 98 when he got sent off. evidently not, as he eventually became their captain. i don't think hunt deserved a red, but unfortunately, these things hapen sometimes, hes young and hes brash, and maybe alittle rash, but he didnt let his country down at all. he played with passion and heart, as did the majority of the lads i think, skill limitations aside. As usual its easy to find a scapegoat, but the bigger picture is there is no one person to blame. we're a comparatively small country, and we have a limited talent pool to choose from by international standards, a talent pool marginalised further by the lack of a credible domestic league, or an organised effecient governing body for teh sport in the country, a sport might i add which is far from the national sport in ireland. when coupled with having a young team, and a relatively inexperienced manager, and some bad luck with the health of one of the original members of the managerial team, in Bobby Robson, we're doing better than expected.
Studs showing and he went through the Czech player, as soon as I seen it I though it would be red. Possibly would have got away with it in the premiership it Mike Riley was not the ref. I agree he is a Dave Langan type character and I certainly would like him in the team for his energy alone.