Worth a look in a friendly though? It might be a bit soon but he’s proven in a league where McGrath was a total failure and he’s on the books of Aston Villa and, I believe, highly thought of. We’ll see true enough. Just not anytime soon.
Ronan was on the books at Wolves, and for longer, got closer to the team too, it didn't amount to anything in the end. I see your point, we aren't good enough so why stick, keep twisting & seeing if we can improve, and you're right, just maybe in a window where France or similar aren't up next y'know.
Stephen Kenny Saviour, Leader, Winner, An Autobiography - In All Good Bookstores Now
Considering we now have the squad now, as much as some want to argue over it, how would ye approach the 2 games?
If it was my choice Id be starting our team for the France game against Latvia and make changes after an hour. The time for experimentation is over, it's sh1t or get off the pot time and we should be trying to get as settled a team as possible in the next few games. I hope we have a bit better luck with injuries this campaign too, it felt like we were always missing a few players last time around.
Moving into match week I'm starting to get excited about the games. I'd love to be flying home for them, it's the one big thing I miss living so far away.
So long as neither starting eleven or on the hour refreshments contain Browne, McGrath or McLean says youOriginally Posted by Razors left peg
Yeah, something like that it the likelihood I spose.
Idah is a doubt & Johnston won't be expected to feature majorly as its his first rodeo with us according to SK on RTE. Idah asked not to be left out while there's a chance.
Stephen Kenny Saviour, Leader, Winner, An Autobiography - In All Good Bookstores Now
Don't forget our auld mate Jeff, we don't want to see him either...... but I've a feeling we might. France are a big team in midfield and our lads are mostly Hobbits. He could start Hendrick to add a bit of size in there.So long as neither starting eleven or on the hour refreshments contain Browne, McGrath or McLean says you
He was desperate for Reading the other day, commentators even named him & one other specifically, said you can't bring what he brought in midfield & expect anything other than a beating. Several passages featured him twenty yards behind breaking opponents closing in on goal as he jogged in their general direction in his own time. Still, fully expect him to be involved but that's where we're at.
Stephen Kenny Saviour, Leader, Winner, An Autobiography - In All Good Bookstores Now
I think he's awful, and agree that if he's involved we could be in trouble, but I can also see a potential rational for picking him.
His worst is pitiful but he also has played good games for Reading. Indeed Hendrick (4), Szmodics (5) and Sykes (5) have scored 14 goals to date, more than some of our futurist forwards. I'd worry more about Molumby. His tenacity and gutsy approach is admirable but being so outclassed would render him a red card waiting to happen.
I’m surprised at Brady’s omission. He’s been one of our best players the last few times he’s played
id be pretty disappointed if kenny used this game as another one for starting the first 11. Cullen shouldnt see the pitch IMO. Hes played loads with burnely, give him some time off and lets see someone else in his role. id like smallbone and sykes to get starts. ferguson in for 60 then take him off. wonder will kenny change formations given johnston is included? he sounds like an out and out wide player would be a bit silly to have him in one of the two no.10 positions. wouldnt mind seeing himself or ogbene out wide, never been a fan of ogbene when he has his back to goal up front.
This is just silly.
France were a 119th minute world class save away from being world champions. They're a side with quality all over the pitch we can only dream of. They are so superior that they could come to Dublin and win by 3 goals and it still wouldn't automatically be a terrible night for Kenny. There could still be positives in defeat. I'd even say the same about the Dutch, albeit to a lesser extent.
The idea that Kenny needs a good result against France isn't one I'd agree with myself. He needs solid performances against the French and the Dutch.
He needs results against Greece and Gibraltar.
Last edited by osarusan; 17/03/2023 at 9:54 AM.
I think the games are too different for that. France we need to set up for minimal time on the ball, maybe backs to the wall defending, an outlet up front who can hold the ball up and so on.
If we set up that way against Latvia, we're in for a tedious 90 minutes cos they'll likely do similar. I'd rather use the Latvia game to work out why we can't take the game to smaller teams (Malta, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Gibraltar...(!))
I'm expecting nothing pointswise from the Frace game, no matter who the manager is. This will make a draw or a win all the more enjoyable. A draw would be an excellent result. As long there are bouts of fearlessness and ambition from the Irish team, I'll be happy. Looking forward to seeing Ferguson, in particular, but also Knight. Coleman has been playing well recently too. Cullen, of course. And Collins.
If I had to be rational about it, I'd say 2-0 France, but it's Patrick's Day today, the only day of the year that it's legal for Irishmen to have hope for the future, so I'm focusing on the notion that a young and inexperienced Irish team against the Almost World Champions(TM) is the kind of background story that sporting legends are made of. It's the hope that kills ya, so 1-0 Ireland.. a moment of brilliance from Ferguson prefered, but will take an OG from Benzema too.
Well Benzema's retired, so I wouldn't hold out much hope of that!
I think I'd still come at the Latvia game quite open minded and play some lads that havent had much interaction with the squad to date or havent played much under Kenny. Would probably expect to see Doherty and Collins get at least 60 minutes to give them some game time. Same, maybe, for Omobamidele and O'Dowda. In midfield would be nice to see Smallbone and/or Sykes get a start and I'd agree with Jd about not worrying too much about game time for Cullen. Up top you'd be hoping to see Ferguson get a start.
For France, I'd probably go with something along the lines of what I posted in post #99 but with some tweaks in midfield and possibly Ferguson for Parrott.
Proof that we have them rattled already!Well Benzema's retired, so I wouldn't hold out much hope of that!
This is about Ireland, not Kenny. Your whole post is about what's best for him. And it's not just you. There's an obsession with what Kenny needs to stay in the job rather than what's good for Ireland. He doesn't need results against Greece and Gibraltar. Ireland need results against them along with Holland and France. It's not very likely but we have a chance to qualify from this group. Never have we given up before a ball is kicked before this. We've got victories and draws against far better teams on paper than us before.
Some people might say they don't care about qualifying for major tournaments any more. Well, I'm not one of them and I think the majority of Irish fans aren't either. We go into a qualifying group looking to qualify, not aim for third. In a group like this, we look for the top team to win home and away against the second seed. So France to get 6 points off Holland. We sneak a point against France. We have one of those famous nights at home to Holland, try to knick a point away to them and then beat Greece and Gibraltar. I couldn't care less who the manager is, it could be Kenny, it could be anyone but that should be the aim and we've always held out some hope that we could achieve that. Yes, we'd need an element of luck but it's not impossible.
All that can be asked of a manaer is that they maximise the resouces at their disposal.
I don't think that our resources give us a reasonab;e chance of beating or even drawing with France, so failure to do so doesn't automatically mean Kenny failed to maximise the resources (although the performance itself might indicate that).
I care about qualification. but I'm also (I believe) realistic about our chances of qualifying, which are very very limited given the top two seeds. I'm realistic abut whether we'll get what we need to qualify.
You said earlier you'd be confident of getting something from the French game if we had a better manager. I don't share that confidence, and tbh, I don't believe it. I think you are building up our supposed chances of getting something out of the France game just so you can say it's Kenny's fault if/when we don't get anything.
Last edited by osarusan; 17/03/2023 at 1:47 PM.
If Kenny was managing France, and had in his squad 3 players from Bayern Munich, 3 from Milan, 2 from Real Madrid and one each from Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia MG, Chelsea, Frankfurt, Liverpool, Lens, Leverkusen, Marseille, Monaco, Nice, Paris SG and West Ham, I'd be expecting him to deliver a comfortable win against Ireland.
No, it's Kenny's fault we have a tough draw and a 50/50 chance of getting a play off and that people are writing off our chances before we even begun but losing to France is the expected result. But losing against teams like France and all the top seeds we've played over the years is always the expected result. Yet we've only lost 4 home qualification matches since the Brian Kerr reign in 2005. 18 years. We punch above our weight and with a decent manager, we have the players to compete. We did before Kenny arrived and we will after he goes. Holland are no better than Denmark and Switzerland who we came very close to qualifying ahead of pre Kenny.
I want Kenny gone because he isn't maximising the resources available to him, we have a far less chance of qualifying for a major tournament because of results achieved under his term and he has shown he's not capable at this level. But probably the main reason I want him gone now is because it's all about him. People keep talking about what results he needs to save his job, what would be acceptable for him to continue. Kenny himself picks squads and team selections with saving his job in mind, the development of our players has been ignored. I want to go back to actually talking about our players and the quality they have instead of talking them down and targeting 3rd position. Kenny was supposed to be the man that brought positivity back but I've never seen Irish supporters so negative.
But I'll be cheering him on against France and in this group. I want this thing turned around and I don't care who does it. I don't think he's in any way capable but I will be delighted if I'm wrong. But if he doesn't then everyone needs to start putting Irish football first. It's far more important than one man.
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