Post Match and looking ahead

Emmet 7: Post's too long to quote but just wanted to make a point...

I don't think changing Doyle will make a difference in that regard. The way we play - direct, deep lying midfielders - means the gap between strikers and centre mid is huge. Doesn't matter if it was Doyle or Best or De Stefano. They would still receive not enough support from midfield. This is our system. However it doesn't mean Doyle might not pop up and grab a goal, he's excellent around the six yard box and has proven this in the international level. Changing him would, if anything, disrupt the structure of a team as a whole. He's more vital than you indicate imo.

I really don't think Doyle is good enough for this level. I love his work ethic but the quality is just not there. I'd love to see some system tested where McGeady plays through the middle. He's pretty strong, pacy and skillful, could be able to set keane up from an advanced midfield role.

Either way I don't want to be because I am sick of getting disappointed time and time again but I am optimistic for Wednesday.

Hoodoos have to end sometime..

All we need is a bit of luck..

Roll on Wednesday!

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Originally Posted by Blue Man

its going to be a hell of a first ten mins in Paris!!

Early goal and its game on again.

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I do believe there'll be an early goal. I don't believe we'll get it.

England/Holland 1990, Spain 1993, Holland 1994, Germany/Spain 2002, Switzerland 2003, Czech Republic 2007, Italy 2009 to name a few of those other early goals......

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Originally Posted by Emmet7

.... the job he was asked to do, supurbly. He closed down, he put in two supurb crunching tackles in a row on one occassion

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I can actually hear your accent here. :D

I'm reasonably confident and upbeat about the away game as I do think we created a number of good goal scoring chances and I do see us scoring (especially from a set piece).

i was so proud of the lads sat night. we def deserved a draw out of it. i thought duffer had a great game, dont know why he was taken off. fair play to andrews and dunne for giving it to diarra after the final whistle. id love nothing more than us to do them wed night but i dont know. they will have a lot more chances over there. will be a tough ask as we all know deep down. but you never know...

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Originally Posted by Blue Man

Early goal and its game on again. Score first and we'll win it! Believe!! Cmon Ireland

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I'd prefer a late goal to be honest. I know beggars can't be choosers but an early goal would shake the French out of their complacency and I couldn't see us holding out for 80 minutes in such circumstances. That said, I'll take any goal whenever.

Looking back at it. I think the first leg result might favour us in a strange way. At least we now go there knowing that we have to score. If we had gone there at 0-0 and France had scored in 72nd minute in Paris we'd have had played out what happened Saturday night, but at that stage too late. I think we'll be cautious, but fancy us to score at least one. Sometimes, it good to score in the first leg, but where did that get us against Belgium in 97 or Turkey in 99. This is the first play-off we will ever have faced going without a goal. It might just bring us out that little bit more. Some people saying Trap will go for broke in last 10 mins, I don't think so. He usually only gambles that with Folan but he's not there. Best doesn't appear to have the same impact.

For the first time in few years, I think there's real sense of make-or-break about this one and the players feel it. It's almost audible in their post match interviews. Robbie Keane will be 32 (?) at next World Cup, he knows Wednesday is last big chance to get himself to a World Cup in his prime. The likes of him, Dunne, Kilbane all experienced let downs under Kerr and Staunton, I think the reality might just be dawning at the right time.

I dont know where all this optimism is coming from, we had a couple of half decent chances, and that was about it. We contained them well, but that was in a game where we thought we could go there with a 0-0 and still be ok, it backfired and maybe ledger should have done more to close anelka down, a deflection like that usually means you have given the striker that little bit too much space and its only a half block. Either way i reckon we will have to go an win, the french will score early, we could well score but I cannot see us winning. I think we need to be realistic here, plus i dont want to feel as deflated by building myself up for the inevitable fall. Leaving croker saturday was as depressing as leaving the irish embassy in boston when we were knocked out on penalties, and i dont like feeling like that. Ill still sing my heart out for the 90 mins like saturday for the lads.

looking at anelka's shot i dont think it was even going to trouble shay. loooked weak and way a really bad effort. :mad:

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

I dont know where all this optimism is coming from,

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You can distinguish between hope and optimism?

No matter who we have played at Croke Park we have given them 80% of the ball so it's no special achievement for France to dominate the ball.
I'm sure Bulgaria were very confident of beating us in the return game in Sofia.

Ya, and how did that end up geysir?

anyone got the game i will try and watch it.

Spent so much time concentrating on singnig and stuff i cant remember a couple of these chances that were mentioned and want to ahve another look.

Funny thing is, oshea said if he got a chance again like the one in paris he would do a lot better this time. :D

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Ya, and how did that end up geysir?

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It would have gone to penalties :)
Do you have the cojones to face that?

Come on Paul, don’t you think that pretty much everyone here acknowledges that we’re rank outsiders now?

However, we’re being subjective and looking for areas where the door may open for us. If the team thought like you I wouldn’t bother traveling.

The scrap on Saturday may work in our favour
They may think the tie is won
We may take the game to them like we did in Bulgaria, after Bulgaria dominated the Dublin game
We may get a goal from a set-piece or other route
We may ride our luck like Scotland did when they won there
What if we have an early one-on-one and Lloris takes Robbie down and gets a red card?

Stuff happens in football, like Hull winning at Arsenal despite being 1 down and there being a gulf in class. Like Scotland winning at Wembley after losing 2-0 at home.

I don’t for a second EXPECT it to happen but I’m hoping it will

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

What if we have an early one-on-one and Lloris takes Robbie down and gets a red card?

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Dammit, it'll never happen now that you said it!!

Everybody is realistic in the knowledge that we are not going to dominate and control the pace of the game in Paris. But for all the ball the French had on Saturday they really didn't do that much with it. I don't see them running away with the game in Paris and judging from the few set pieces we had on Saturday, they didn't look comfortable in defending our set pieces. We will have chances to score on Wednesday - it's up to the players to make the most of them. It's far from over.

well we might score from 2 corners. ya anything is possible. but overall its going to be tough. they will be better at home. all we all can do is pray we get a bit of luck or something and at least get a 1-0 to bring it to extra time. what better way for andrews to go up to diarra if we knocked them out and told him where to fcuk off.

Haven't seen it on the box yet.

There's not much to say without regurgitating what's been said already. Hard to fault any individual really. Thought Andrews played his best game for us. Doyle works so hard for the team to the detriment of his own game. He does the same for Wolves and Reading. He is Technically alot better than he gets credit for in some quaters and his work rate goes some way to mask our poor midfield.

Was a bit bemused when Best came on and took up a position in the middle with Keane alone up front practically. I would have preffered/thought it would have been the other way round with Keane coming from deeper and Best competing up front.

I also don't buy into this "should have closed Anelka quicker thing". Players of that quality can punish you for over committing too. The same was said about Dunne and Henry after the France game in Landsdowne too. You have to choose battles as a defender. The deflection was wicked

France looked good in posesion because Trapp sets out to contain them when in posession rather than pressure them into loosing possion so I don't give too much stock to it. Their keeper had to be better than ours on the day. We mustn't forget that.

Next match. Kick Lumps out of them. There's no accountability now. Games are finished. Cards are never carried. Take the yellow, walk and let Whelan get him next time, and so on.

Lawrence played very well but I wouldn't start him in France. McGeady has to start. There was little or nothing given in the final third. McGeady Duff and Hunt will put them on the back foot more than Lawrence will. They managed to contain Duff because he was really all they had to worry about in that regard. No one else was going to draw anything out of them. McGeady only got a few minutes on Sat and Hunt was on the wrong side for him to truly do what he's been good at for Ireland.

It's not like the French don't have history in this.
Bulgaria 1993 anyone?