Iceland in the playoff

[DublinSpur]

A deserved victory for Iceland in the end. They coped with the conditions far better from the off. We really struggled to get any momentum going forward and another early goal put is on the back foot from the off. Fahey was the pick of the bunch for me - a very solid game to compliment her performance at Richmond Park.

That said, a good campaign overall. We are progressing but unfortunately so are many other nations at the same or better rate.

As an aside, thought Emma Byrne's tights were pretty cool. Might pick up a pair before Sunday!

[geysir]

If the conditions were ideal, Iceland would have won 6 nil. Those the hard facts.
They have won all their competitive home games.
As it was, the conditions for the game were good except for the rock hard slippy surface.
The ladies were like Bambi on ice at times. Both teams managed to cope as best they could. The players were slipping on the turn and difficult to put on the brakes once you got a bit of momentum. One time there was a collective ooh from the crowd as one Irish player hit the ground and banged her head on the hard turf.
The Irish ladies kept going to the end, credit to them for that, they contested & tackled all the way through and kept the score down.

[thekitman]

Is it time for a change of managerial/coaching personnel?

would Denis O'Brien put up a few bob for a "world class" manager?

is staunton busy?

[soccerfan]

In reply to the FAI brave defeat for the Irish team, the only thing I believe is brave is Noel King picking and average midfielder (average because she couldn’t be seen in the NUIG team for the entire season last year!!!) and putting her left full, cost us the game and then putting the same player back in for the return leg, now when Staunton made mistakes similar to this he wasn’t long packing his bags for a quick exit!!
Olegunner I’m going to put the following in points so it should be a lot easier for you to understand:
1. America Colleges play on average of 18games over a 4 mth period in the autumn, Irish colleges play an average of 15 games over a 6mth period beginning in October. Which would you prefer all games in one semester and then twiddle your thumbs for spring and maybe play a few tournaments...

2. Regarding your point on boozing, America Colleges most times implement a 48hr drinking ban on teams, can you name a college playing premier league soccer here that allows their players to go out get hammered two nights before a game?

3. There is top quality players in this country and if Noel King is that busy to hop in his car to travel outside the capital well maybe he should send his new development officers to check out the players, definitely midfielders between three particular colleges who are miles ahead of what I seen last Sunday and there are natural full backs, def one who was actually left footed..I’m not sure if she is still in college but played with UL, like Evra she covers a lot of ground getting up and down the wing and had pace that could not beaten last year. What we need is a little more youth in the team, sorry but at 37 its time to give someone else a go!!!

4. If you ever bothered to investigate players schedules here you would find that 99% of players here train twice a week minimum with their college along with a game during the week, then they travel home at the weekend to train at least once with their club and play a game also, now correct me if I am wrong but does this not equal training and games totally 6 days a week for American Colleges, who might I add ONLY play with their college!!

5. Finally take a walk around campus and take note of all the athletes you see carrying a ltr bottle of water on a daily basis as they go to their lectures, then stroll to the gym on campus and have a wee peak to check out the athletes who are in the gym working out on their own or maybe even coming off the field with a ball..

6. ELITE PLAYERS ARE NOT BORN, THEY ARE DECENT PLAYERS WHO WITH A LITTLE TIME, PERFECT PRACTICE AND INVESTMENT GROW AND CAN COMPETE ON THE ELITE LEVEL!!

[LmkSnr]

I also went along to the game at Richmond Park to support the girls in green. I watched the game and it saddens me to say I discovered the top ranks in the FAI are very out of touch with the level of senior soccer in this country. There is no way anyone could seriously say we played well on the day. We were terrible, septic almost in my opinion. We played far too slow, we gave away the ball far too easily, there was no support for the striker and left her to do all the work by herself, which in fairness to her she covered alot of ground.....maybe the midfielders should have taken a leaf out of her book. I honestly believe most senior league clubs would have given Iceland a better game and competed a bit more on any day compared to what I shockingly saw.

As for the colleges....

By the time the college season's starts most girls are at the end of the club season. Most of them are multi disciplinary as well with most playing GAA so they are peak These girls are on top of their game someone should have the decency to spend some time to watch college games or senior cup games!! From watching college games and Senior Cup games and I would nearly go as far as to say Intermediate Cup games soccer is played at an alot faster pace than in ANY point in the SENIOR International game I witnessed. Off hand I know UL this year have alot of Senior players Salthill (3) Ballina (2) Aisling Annacotty (5) Lifford (5) plus some Kerry girls that are Kerry football all stars. Out of all these players more than half play GAA football with their county and are GAA club champions as well as competing in the highest level of soccer so they DEF would play harder than any american college teams. I don't know what college teams you have witnessed Ole Gunner but clearly they are not the best and your comments are almost laughable and bordering insulting for college teams.

[olegunnar]

In reply to the FAI brave defeat for the Irish team, the only thing I believe is brave is Noel King picking and average midfielder (average because she couldn’t be seen in the NUIG team for the entire season last year!!!) and putting her left full, cost us the game and then putting the same player back in for the return leg, now when Staunton made mistakes similar to this he wasn’t long packing his bags for a quick exit!!

(I actually know Meabh, she isn't best suited to that position, and this limited her performance, but its not HER fault, SHE doesn't pick the team, so let's not attack her)


(Anyway..)

1. America Colleges play on average of 18games over a 4 mth period in the autumn, Irish colleges play an average of 15 games over a 6mth period beginning in October. Which would you prefer all games in one semester and then twiddle your thumbs for spring and maybe play a few tournaments...

(Your 6 months include xmas break,and exam breaks and 3-4 of the 15 games are on the same weekend,intervarsities,so i think the seasons are largely similar in duration)

2. Regarding your point on boozing, America Colleges most times implement a 48hr drinking ban on teams, can you name a college playing premier league soccer here that allows their players to go out get hammered two nights before a game?

(I dont think its an issue of a college letting their players get hammered two nights before a game,i'd never come across a girl in rag-order before a game. I was moreso talking about AFTER the match. and i'll develop this in a later point)

3. There is top quality players in this country and if Noel King is that busy to hop in his car to travel outside the capital well maybe he should send his new development officers to check out the players, definitely midfielders between three particular colleges who are miles ahead of what I seen last Sunday and there are natural full backs, def one who was actually left footed..I’m not sure if she is still in college but played with UL, like Evra she covers a lot of ground getting up and down the wing and had pace that could not beaten last year. What we need is a little more youth in the team, sorry but at 37 its time to give someone else a go!!!

(37 is rather old, experience yes, but does the player have the legs? Who are these noel king officers, surely they can do some of this talent spotting indeed.why have scouts and not use them? Evra playing for UL? I'd have no idea who she is either, did she play World student games last yr??)

4. If you ever bothered to investigate players schedules here you would find that 99% of players here train twice a week minimum with their college along with a game during the week, then they travel home at the weekend to train at least once with their club and play a game also, now correct me if I am wrong but does this not equal training and games totally 6 days a week for American Colleges, who might I add ONLY play with their college!!

(Not all colleges follow this plan,those that do,tend to be the colleges that realise they have a good squad,and therefore train to win something. there are premier teams that don't train twice,nuig last yr,barely had a session a wk.and as for 1st division,where there of course can be good players,i'd douby they'd be training more than once weekly,I dont know them all,so i'm possibly off the mark)

5. Finally take a walk around campus and take note of all the athletes you see carrying a ltr bottle of water on a daily basis as they go to their lectures, then stroll to the gym on campus and have a wee peak to check out the athletes who are in the gym working out on their own or maybe even coming off the field with a ball..

(This is the point I said i'd develop from earlier. Yes there are athletes walking around campus,say in DCU, and they have their water and their gym and training etc. Not so sure i'd see them on the beer the night of a race or swim or match? So my point is elite level athletes don't drink/mind their diet/get elite level coaching and advice, this is not an attack on any player at all,just can we say that wscai college players,on the whole,would not be classed as elite athletes by the water/gym etc definition. Yes, training away,play hard, play midweek and weekends, but in terms of being an ELITE athlete, maybe not. I was in college for sport science, so thats why i'm keen on this area...)

[olegunnar]

(LMK SNR)

i have seen premier teams play nuig last yr,so i'm quite familiar with the big 2,ul and sit. I'm not here to insult anyone, if there is a single player in college that is interested in playing senior international, i'm sure she will make the world student games squad, which is managed by Noel King, so they will be working under him, and can have the chance to sell their abilities to him first hand. i think they are in slovakia, but check cusai website to be sure.

Other than that, email fai staff and get a player looked at. its their job to check these things out