FAI Selection Team ... Whos on it this time ???????

After the complete and utter disaster that took place the last time i think there should be a lot of focus on the FAI Selection Team this time round. Incidentally who exactly was on that team who picked Trap? They should be let within 500 miles of it time time round. Abject failure are the words that come to mind.

Was Pat Devlin involved last time round?

The team first need to nail down the criteria that they want to select from because last time they just went for the name, clear as day and because of that they should be excluded this time round.


Edit: It was Don Howe, Don Givens and Andy Townsend


Don Givens???? Jebus wept ..... if he is anywhere near it then we'll be even worse off this time round. No major competition for the next 20 years. God help us all.

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Originally Posted by A face

After the complete and utter disaster that took place the last time i think there should be a lot of focus on the FAI Selection Team this time round. Incidentally who exactly was on that team who picked Trap? They should be let within 500 miles of it time time round. Abject failure are the words that come to mind.

Was Pat Devlin involved last time round?

The team first need to nail down the criteria that they want to select from because last time they just went for the name, clear as day and because of that they should be excluded this time round.


Edit: It was Don Howe, Don Givens and Andy Townsend


Don Givens???? Jebus wept ..... if he is anywhere near it then we'll be even worse off this time round. No major competition for the next 20 years. God help us all.

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Pretty sure it was Ray Houghton, not Townsend.
It was Givens who led to contact with Trapattoni, someone he knew at Neuchatal Xamax (sp?) put them in contact with him

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Pretty sure it was Ray Houghton, not Townsend.
It was Givens who led to contact with Trapattoni, someone he knew at Neuchatal Xamax (sp?) put them in contact with him

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Houghton was definitely involved and I think it's the reason he does not co-commentate on Ireland games on RTE now. That's been one of the main positives of the Trappatoni era.

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Originally Posted by PatJR

Houghton was definitely involved and I think it's the reason he does not co-commentate on Ireland games on RTE now. That's been one of the main positives of the Trappatoni era.

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I don't think thats the reason. Brady was part of the 'set up' and he continues on the RTE panel.

The panel that selected Staunton was John Delany, Michael Cody and David Blood (all 3 from FAI HQ)

For Kerr's appointment, ex-Norn Iron boss Bryan Hamilton presented a shortlist to the FAI panel of Delaney, Milo Corcoran and Kevin Fahy to interview.

Let Foot.ie decide!

What could go wrong?

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Originally Posted by A face

After the complete and utter disaster that took place the last time i think there should be a lot of focus on the FAI Selection Team this time round. Incidentally who exactly was on that team who picked Trap? They should be let within 500 miles of it time time round. Abject failure are the words that come to mind.

Was Pat Devlin involved last time round?

The team first need to nail down the criteria that they want to select from because last time they just went for the name, clear as day and because of that they should be excluded this time round.


Edit: It was Don Howe, Don Givens and Andy Townsend


Don Givens???? Jebus wept ..... if he is anywhere near it then we'll be even worse off this time round. No major competition for the next 20 years. God help us all.

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Pat Devlin you are kidding me! LOL

No he certainly was not involved. It was bad enough we had to pay him off under the Staunton regime. As Liam Brady said….who is he! LOL

Givens, Howe and Houghton were the Holy Trinity last time out.

Ideally a new manager will also have responsibility for the whole system, like Olsen at Denmark.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Givens, Howe and Houghton were the Holy Trinity last time out.

Ideally a new manager will also have responsibility for the whole system, like Olsen at Denmark.

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................so thats a Holy trinity of, Howe - way passed it, washed up English League dinosaur coach, Givens - abject failure at underage level and Houghton - former player and averge journo

What could possibly go wrong ? :rolleyes:

A selection committee who followed up Stans reign with appointing a manager who brought us to two playoffs and a major tournament is a "disaster" now is it? I'd love to know what words you'd use to describe the team who appointed Staunton.

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Originally Posted by Murfinator

A selection committee who followed up Stans reign with appointing a manager who brought us to two playoffs and a major tournament is a "disaster" now is it? I'd love to know what words you'd use to describe the team who appointed Staunton.

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A great bunch of lads

Selling tickets for the upcoming friendlies will be paramount in all this. Probably some type of rash decision with possibly O'Brien, Delaney and ex-manager/player type input. McCarthy looks to be out of the running for the Bolton and Blackburn jobs so he will be interested and he was at the match on Friday. O'Brien (if he is involved again) could be Roy Keane's backer for the job. O'Brien is pally with the ex Drumaville crowd, Niall Quinn, McManus, Desmond etc etc. And Keane gave that very toned down interview after the Germany game. The FAI the will have to fork out 1.7 mil to send Trap back over the Alps meaning the FAI and Delaney are possibly not masters of their own domain. I would not rule out a Keane appointment.

Who ever it is, they'll need to focus on the style of management and play, team selection ability, adaptability. The level of coaching badges, and the methods used. Its really as if they just heard what Trap has won and said 'sure he's got to be good so', completely over looking all the resources the guy had at his disposal in those honours. The team really need to look at what the manager can do with limited resources (the ones Trap keeps harping on about) and realise his job isn't to whine about it, just to get on with it and get the best out of them.

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Originally Posted by A face

Who ever it is, they'll need to focus on the style of management and play, team selection ability, adaptability. The level of coaching badges, and the methods used. Its really as his the just heard what Trap has won and said 'sure he's got to be good so', completely over looking all the resources the guy had at his disposal in those honours. The team really need to look at what the manager can do with limited resources (the ones Trap keeps harping on about) and realise his job isn't to whine about it, just to get on with it and get the best out of them.

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Agree with that. I can never remember McCarthy or Stan lamenting the players at their disposal. Kerr kick started the self-pity fest with his I can't buy players jibe. And Trapatonni took it to another level and has convinced a section of supporters that we don't have the players.

Thats the single biggest thing that has annoyed me about Trapattoni is his constant talk about how we cant expect to beat better teams with the players we have. I dont care if its the manager of an u10s team or International manager, the first job is to make the players believe in themselves and that they can compete against any team on the day.Its disgusting to see some of the interviews of him basically slagging off the players we have, and when you hear the players repeating it what hope do we have.

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Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar

Agree with that. I can never remember McCarthy or Stan lamenting the players at their disposal. Kerr kick started the self-pity fest with his I can't buy players jibe. And Trapatonni took it to another level and has convinced a section of supporters that we don't have the players.

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Kerr and Trap went to that well because the people were having a go. To a certain extent it's fair enough - they wouldn't say it if the media and us fans didn't need reminding so often.

Did the selection panel really do a bad job?

I think Trap wasa good appointment, he made a noticable improvement and brought in a decent backroom team. Phase one of the Trap era was probbaly successful even if it drove some fans away. Phase two is where it has gone wrong, and also the FAI contract negotiators.

Just out of interest: can any of the decline be traced to the point of Brady's departure?

Saying Trapatoni improved the team isn't really a ringing endorsement when Staunton was the previous manager. In 2 qualifying campaigns he didn't get a single win over the top 2 seeds and only for historic luck in Russia (and with the Estonia draw), wouldn't be able to use his qualification to defend his record.

You might point to the France play off but people forget they destroyed us in Dublin and should've had that tie wrapped up. There's also no guarantee we'd have qualified through extra time or penalties.

So in 4 years have we progressed? Maybe from some of the Staunton debacles but I honestly can't believe anyone can think of the Trapatoni era as a success. Unless the only parameter is qualification for major trophies. In which case the results in the tournament itself probably didn't matter to you

I think at our best under Trap we were marginally better than where Kerr left us. Stan is irrelevant!

I can't defend him now but I was happy with the first campaign, some awful borefests notwithstanding. The results justified the means.

My point is mainly that I don't think the panel can be blamed for where we are now. I was sceptical of the panel's composition and thought it was just a way of JD and co. deflecting blame for when the next manager slips up.

Unless the National team manager has a system working underneath him, he has nothing. Trap has nothing because there is NO system in Ireland. We're a 3rd world country with 3rd world mentality and are grateful to the scraps from the Queens plate. Basically we're corgi's with attitude. We flog youngsters over to England as quick as possible and hope they do well enough, and not jump ship, to have them play for the national team. Irish football's mentality is similar to abortion, let others sort it out for us, we'll just turn a blind eye until it's all over. Now I know that's strong, but christ, I grew up watching LOI and loving football, but the be all and end all for our players (and sport) is to end up on a contract in England or (if you're not good enough) Scotland. We're not alone in having our problems, but I'd much rather the FAI would appoint a person and give them something to work with - which will never be possible in Ireland as that takes too much thought and work. Far better to let someone else take the risk and then complain when it all goes wrong.

Well I disagree. I (honestly) think they went with Trapatoni because England appointed Capello. I think if they had researched him properly they'd have seen the reasosn why he faded all the way down to the Austrian leagues (ie he didn't understand modern football)

Of course the problems in Irish football run far deeper than international team manager, but that doesn't mean they can't get that right

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Saying Trapatoni improved the team isn't really a ringing endorsement when Staunton was the previous manager. In 2 qualifying campaigns he didn't get a single win over the top 2 seeds and only for historic luck in Russia (and with the Estonia draw), wouldn't be able to use his qualification to defend his record.

You might point to the France play off but people forget they destroyed us in Dublin and should've had that tie wrapped up. There's also no guarantee we'd have qualified through extra time or penalties.

So in 4 years have we progressed? Maybe from some of the Staunton debacles but I honestly can't believe anyone can think of the Trapatoni era as a success. Unless the only parameter is qualification for major trophies. In which case the results in the tournament itself probably didn't matter to you

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I think that overlooks Trap's reign making us competitive at the tail end of qualifying again.

We went from regularly contesting play-off's to three campaigns on the bounce finishing nowhere in the reckoning pre-Trapattoni.

The fact we've got back in the qualification mix is a big improvement and completely a coincidence - even if we have got slices of luck and played bogging football along the way.

There are countries out there that can testify to how tough qualifying is when you fall down the seeding ladder.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Just out of interest: can any of the decline be traced to the point of Brady's departure?

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Yeah, mean when Brady ceased involvement with Trap and Tardelli? I thought it was just a hand holding exercise initially and it was just to help Trap settle into the role. I wouldn't have said it was as if Brady had any impact on how things were done. Didn't even notice him going to be honest.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

You might point to the France play off but people forget they destroyed us in Dublin and should've had that tie wrapped up. There's also no guarantee we'd have qualified through extra time or penalties.

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France destroyed us in Dublin but still could have gone back to Paris 2 or 3-0 down. In many ways, the entire play-off was a shoot-out between Ireland and Gignac to see who could butcher the most open goals.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

Of course the problems in Irish football run far deeper than international team manager, but that doesn't mean they can't get that right

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Definitely, and Trap going on about it ad nauseum was a cop out. He needed to play with the cards he was dealt, pick the best players for the job and utilise them .... He is not able to do it, so he complained.

People arguing in his defensive imo are looking at the stats too much, look at whats happening on the pitch ..... its brutal, uninspiring crap and we'll never get anywhere with him at the helm. Whats the point in qualifying if we're gonna get trashed like that all the time.

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Originally Posted by A face

Yeah, mean when Brady ceased involvement with Trap and Tardelli? I thought it was just a hand holding exercise initially and it was just to help Trap settle into the role. I wouldn't have said it was as if Brady had any impact on how things were done. Didn't even notice him going to be honest.

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But Trap's message seemed to be getting across when Brady was there.

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Originally Posted by A face

Definitely, and Trap going on about it ad nauseum was a cop out. He needed to play with the cards he was dealt, pick the best players for the job and utilise them .... He is not able to do it, so he complained.

People arguing in his defensive imo are looking at the stats too much, look at whats happening on the pitch ..... its brutal, uninspiring crap and we'll never get anywhere with him at the helm. Whats the point in qualifying if we're gonna get trashed like that all the time.

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if we're better off not qualifying, why bother playing at all?

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Originally Posted by A face

Definitely, and Trap going on about it ad nauseum was a cop out. He needed to play with the cards he was dealt, pick the best players for the job and utilise them .... He is not able to do it, so he complained.

People arguing in his defensive imo are looking at the stats too much, look at whats happening on the pitch ..... its brutal, uninspiring crap and we'll never get anywhere with him at the helm. Whats the point in qualifying if we're gonna get trashed like that all the time.

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What happens on the pitch is an irrelevance to our "best fans in the world" as well as Delaney. The holy grail is apparently qualifying to have an excuse for a holiday, drink and a sing song.

Funny how we went from being the 'best fans in the world' to the biggest bunch of moaners in the short space of 3-4 months.

In whose eyes Nigel, and on both counts?

Keith Andrews said that the fans were great, 4 down to Spain was not the time to be getting on the backs of the players but if they were similarly humiliated at home in the coming months they'd be totally justified in doing so. I actually think the fans reacted reasonably well on Friday!

In a lot of eyes from what I see, and particularly mine. I always saw that 'best fans in the world' as a load of tripe anyway.

Didn't John O'Shea more or less say a couple of days ago that the fans were right to boo them after the Germany game? I can't locate the interview now.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

I always saw that 'best fans in the world' as a load of tripe anyway.

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As did most of the fans. In fact the moniker only came from (a) people with little interest or (b) people like you who use it as a facetious stick to beat fans who don't fit your idealised model of fandom with.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Didn't John O'Shea more or less say a couple of days ago that the fans were right to boo them after the Germany game? I can't locate the interview now.

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Here ya go!! Referenced in the Irish Examiner.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

As did most of the fans. In fact the moniker only came from (a) people with little interest or (b) people like you who use it as a facetious stick to beat fans who don't fit your idealised model of fandom with.

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Hold on a minute there Stutts, I wasn't using it as a stick for anything. People like me? Cop yourself on man. I was simply pointing out that going to Euro 2012, there was 'Il Trap' posters and signs everywhere, each and every street corner had one. Billboards all over the place.
99% of Irish fans, who put up these very same posters, are now calling for Trap to be sacked, calling him a disgrace.

How many of the 'best fans in the world' travelled to Faroe Islands? Couple hundred? And fair f*cks to them too.

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Hold on a minute there Stutts, I wasn't using it as a stick for anything. People like me? Cop yourself on man. I was simply pointing out that going to Euro 2012, there was 'Il Trap' posters and signs everywhere, each and every street corner had one. Billboards all over the place.
99% of Irish fans, who put up these very same posters, are now calling for Trap to be sacked, calling him a disgrace.

How many of the 'best fans in the world' travelled to Faroe Islands? Couple hundred? And fair f*cks to them too.

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cost of going to the Faroes is huge, especially after going to Poland for two weeks. If the Kazakhstan away game was next year, I would have gone. As it was, I couldn't afford it.

Nobody should be applauded for going on a football trip. They're the best things in the world. If you can afford it, why wouldn't you go?

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Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

Hold on a minute there Stutts, I wasn't using it as a stick for anything.

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OK, fair enough - but plenty have been.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

OK, fair enough - but plenty have been.

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To be fair, I think its more a pop at the hype surrounding Irish fans, rather than anyone having a problem with them. When you have the FAI CEO asking for a special award for the fans, its pretty easy to poke fun at that. Irish fans were rightly praised by locals and outsiders for their actions in Poland. However when commentators here (I guess these could be the people with 'little interest' you speak of?) started to pump this way, way out of proportion it became, again, an easy target

That's fair too, and I think most RoI regulars were embarrased by the term.

The "those with little interest" I was referring to are the types who wouldn't even know we have a regular game coming up in a qualifying campaign but love they hype when we're at a tournament. The Joe Duffy / Marion Finucane-influenced types - as I perceive them. Definitely not those here. There are some on here who see supporting RoI as a lesser form of fandom as supporting LoI and these were quick to constantly refer to "best fans in the world" in an ultra-sarcastic manner. There was a whole thread on it ("How the rest of the world sees us" or something like that) and it was a commonly recurring theme. Personally I think footy is a broad church and there's no one best way to support or love the game. My own relationship with the game now as a 45 y/o is very different to how it was as a 15 y/o, and again as a 25 y/o and so on.