Originally Posted by Nah Nah Nah Nah
Tell me what Doyle did any better than Keane apart from scoring the goal which Keane had a major contribution in setting up? I like Kevin Doyle but he is nowhere as good a Robbie and never will be.
I thought Doyle had a great game. Worked his socks off, held the ball up really well and got the goal he deserved.
Pity he was playing up front on his own. Time for captain fantastic to get the finger out.
Tell me what Doyle did any better than Keane apart from scoring the goal which Keane had a major contribution in setting up? I like Kevin Doyle but he is nowhere as good a Robbie and never will be.
Jesus Lads, looks like Dunphy's words of wisdom do have some effect.
We did the job and in the most part played solidly well. Trap has got a strategy and in true roman form we obtained what we set out to obtain. Georgia, like any footballing team thesedays are no pushovers - just look at England's comprehensive victory over the mighty Andorra - and for an inch of a post and a late defensive lapse (when the game was already won) it could quite easily have been 3-0 - a more reflective scoreline.
Positives
Steven Reid - Immense powerhouse in the midfield - best player on the pitch.
McGeady - May have gave the ball away a few times trying to coax the defender into an error - however that is his game and when it works we were streaking free. His control, passing and dribbling has never been in question - just great to see it in a green shirt - should give him added confidence for Wednesday.
Hunt - Gave a dogged performance and never gives up - always snapping at heels and for every ball he gives away he will win back
The Strategy - Like many others on the board I would like to see Andy Reid in the team, however in Trap we Trust and we got the result. Maybe he does need to be more mobile or lose a few pounds and his reaction is the most important thing. The most important thing is that we have a manager who is dictating a strategy, rather than a strategy dictated by the players. Great to see us learning from England's mistakes.
Our Dogged Style - Obviously Trap likes the high tempo wing action with the midfielders ghosting in from deep and I personally think that suits our footballing mentality. Our greatest footballing period was based upon this footballing premise and whereas there is an argument for more creative players in the team are we really going to outcreate the Italians and even potentially technically superior Bulgarians? Maybe playing to our strengths is the key.
The Defence - looked solid enough for the first 80 minutes and encouraged by the height in the back 4.
Learning Points (There are no negatives)
Substitutions - obviously unsettle when en masse - however the game was won
McShane - A true warrior on his debut and in the msot part of the lass campaign however his confidence is brittle and we don't need it ruined any further
At the end of the day we have no divine right to qualify and considering that we have only qualified for one tournament since 94 are all maybe guily of expecting too much. For a squad which it has been questioned is the worst for 30 years it was encouraging. Roll on Wednesday.
cant complain with the 3 points. its early days and the important thing is to win our matches. if montenegro are any way as good as they are being made out to be they will cause us lots of problems.
If richard dunne had played as well as o shea today everyone would be raving! In fact Id go to say some of dunnes clearnaces were pure panic and could have gone anywhere.
Mageady seemed to put the effort in at least but thru on goal and fell over himself. overrated.
Doyle proved once again that if he gets one chance he is more likely to put it away than if robbie gets 5. thats not to say robbie played poorly, far from it but I think we cant rely on him to get us goals in tight games.
I switched off the rte post match. we are talking bout our first competitive game under a highly succesful coach ,away from home and we scored two and picked up 3 points. they were going on like we had lost the world cup final or something. very negative.
A gradual improvement throughout the qualifiers and Ireland still in with a shout at the business end and I will be happy. to that end you cant really complain with 3 points.
Worked his socks off, held the ball up, took his chance. 3 things Keane didn't do. And hasn't done for us in a while in a qualifying campaign.
Lads just woken up after a great night in Mainz, best Ireland trip in a long time and the singing last night was top notch.
For me Stephen Reid and Kevin Doyle were excellent. I am not sure cause I was at the game but I noticed Doyle making runs time and time again, his running of the channels was top class and himself and Keane seem to have a system going on.
Great first goal and good defensive performance. Stephen Reid is so important to us and I thought Whelan was good but would not have given him MOTM. Miller coming on was a joke but we got away with it.
In Trap we trust
3 things Robbie did do. Worked his socks off as he always does, Nearly scored a goal from a very acute angle from the only chance he got, never stopped motivating and guiding his colleagues throughout the game.What else do you want from him apart from scoring goals which will come providing he is given the ball to do so.There is evidence of this already by the 30 odd goals he has already scored. Let’s see will Kevin Doyle ever achieve this?
I have no issues with any anyone constructively criticising a player if he is not up to it or does not have the potential e.g. Miller et al but to see people constantly on Robbie’s back trying to find fault is ridicules
Last edited by FarBeag; 07/09/2008 at 10:19 AM.
Boy I am not looking forward to reading anything on this board if we get beaten that's for sure .
Bottom line an away win againist Georgia is a very good start , 3 points in the bag and at the top of the table .
NEXT PLEASE .
Great to here that - can't account for his full output on TV. Great to see him leading the line like that. With Robbie filling the hole behind (note the word "the" and not "his" - which would put a perculiar twist on it altogether) it sounds like the two of them could be beginning to link well.
Absolutely delighted to get off to a win and a deserved win too. Roll on Wednesday. C'mon Ireland!!!!!
Anybody got a link to the goals other than RTE
In Trap we trust
Great to wake up on a Sunday morning with 3 away points in the bag. We made Georgia look a bad team ( I bet they will take points off of Bulgaria). It is great to see us defending from the front again. McGeady can blow hot and cold but he made the first goal and chased back to defend. Steven Reid is our best player and he rarely wastes the ball. Always seems to have more time to place his passes than other players. Hunt was lucky he was'nt sent off fo that early tackle. He has to watch that as I don't want to see us playing with ten men. If we can get the 3 points on wednesday then we will have already put some daylight between ourselves and Bulgaria.
Great start to a campaign, I can't remember when we last started with 3 points (Germany defeat, France draw, Russia defeat, Holland draw.. the Euro 2000 group, we beat Croatia, was that our first game?).
Times have changed, there won't be 3 goal victories over the likes of Georgia anymore, Wales struggled yesterday, Scotland lost, Bulgaria drew, these 'weaker' teams are better than they once were, so this is a great 3 points. Bulgaria could go to Tbilisi and easily lose.
Thursdays are Oriel.
We've heard that one before
In fairness Wales are a minnow, and yeah the Croatia game was our last win......i know cause it was my first competitive Ireland game..
That was the one campaign in the last 13 years that I've missed most matches.
Another thing thats struck me. After our fifth seeded team took points from Bulgaria (something I wasn't too surprised about), we could be in serious danger of not getting into the playoffs if we only finish 2nd, as this is looking like a seriously competitive group.
Thursdays are Oriel.
Really enjoyed watching us yesterday evening. First time in ages. Went to an AC/DC tribute after the game and had a great night. Just out of bed and off to the pub again to watch the hurling. Not working tomorrow. Sport makes life great sometimes.
The dude abides....
3 points in what was potentially a very tricky away game, better teams than Ireland will drop points away to Georgia but still the constant moaning and sniping goes on.
If we win on Wednesday 6 points from 6 in 2 away games will be an unbelievably good start, In Trapp we trust :-)
Reid was awesome, Whelan did what he is there to do, still think Carsley would be a better crab & hats of to O'Shea his best game in a long time in a green shirt I thought, although there's a case for him getting closer for their goal.
Me neither. When was the last time we won a competitive game away from home?
The last two campaigns I went to matches with hope and optomism only to come away bitterly disappointed having not enjoyed the game because we
played sh**e.
This was enjoyable - we knew what we were doing. We scored and did not panic. I though of all the times we scored and you just knew we would collapse after that and pile 10 men back in defense.
Only the last minute or two were hair raising. But this is an amazing improvement and I'm so looking forward to Wednesday.
It was great that we got the result, it's only the first competitive game and gives us a shot in the arm that we really need.
I disagree with many commentators that we played well. I thought we were mediocre, not terrible, but nothing great. We seemed to coast through long sections of the game.
And I was FURIOUS at the end. The last 5 minutes it was obvious that we were back to our old ways of being terrified of conceeding a late goal... they hadn't created a good chance all through the game (except for that first half corner)... so what were we scared of?? We need to learn the lesson from that one immediately.
We're in a very tight group. Italy and Bulgaria both SCORED late goals, we conceeded one. If we're in a tight game with them then it could cost us dear.
Still we got the win... that's all that REALLY mattered from that game.
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