Trapattoni signs two-year extension

[Uncle_Joe]

At what stage does an Irish Manager guide the team to second place in a group containing the world champions (fingers crossed), and not deserve another campaign?

[DeLorean]

My opinion would be a combination of the extremes pointed out so far.

Firstly, I think we should be thrilled that we have got him for another 2 years. He's a high profile manager that before his appointment we could only dream of attracting. Whatever happens in the next 2/4 games he has taken us to the brink of qualification, something we were a million miles from achieving 2 yrs ago.

Secondly, with regards to Andy Reid. If he keeps up his current attitude and performances and keeps saying the right things to the media, I believe that Trappatoni will give him his chance, if not for the WC then definitely the Euros.

Thirdly, we have had an enormous amount of luck in this campaign. Definitely hasn't balanced itself out in my opinion, but who cares, long may it continue.

[osarusan]

i agree we havent been blessed, we've just been bland and boring.

Despite my disgust for his tactics/style of play and occasionally his selection, i have no problem with him getting another two years.

My feelings also. I don't much like they way we play, but I'm happy with the results.

[frog-gufc]

listen lads as long as he's gettin the results thats all that matters, if you have your doubts just think back as far as the start of the euro qualifers back in 2002 untill the end of stans reign and ye should soon cum to your senses as the man once said" you can only work with the tools your given" i disagree about andy reid and carsley but besides that i cant complain

[jbyrne]

I think we have the potential to be seriously whupped by a decent team, if we ever have to play one.

yes, like maybe when we have to play the world champions someday

[Cloggs]

We won't be whupped by a 'decent team', in fact the one thing Trap seems to have guaranteed is that. You could argue that we're less likely to cause a shock win against a big team nowadays, but we are certainly not going to be hammered by anyone nowadays. And considering the last time we had one of those shock wins was 8 years ago, that's a pretty good trade for me.

As for luck.... In our past campaign we needed luck to scrape a last minute draw at home to Cyprus and a last minute winner to San fecking Marino. Now our 'luck' consists of grinding out good results despite not having the majority of possession. No last minute blocks, no miracle saves, no last gasp goals. The fortunate penalty against Georgia could be countered by the travesty of not getting a pen in Podgorica. We played fantastic football away to Bulgaria in the first half and went in at 1-1 due to a moment of madness. Similarly Bulgaria hardly had a chance all night in Croker until we put the ball in to our own net. So the big slice of luck we had was not having to play Georgia in Tblisi, is that really enough to say he's a hugely lucky manager??

And putrid football? Give me a competitive 0-0 with Italy in two weeks over not getting a kick in Stuttgart, being brushed aside in Prague and of course there was also Cyrpus. It's also less putrid than the Kerr regime, and is getting results that Kerr couldn't. He's also achieving better results/performances than McCarthy got for a very, very long time.

But if you know of a manager who will get Caleb Folan, Sean St Ledger, Glenn Whelan and Kevin Kilbane playing like Spain whilst also grinding out tough results then please do share.

in what planet have ireland or indeed any of the aforementioned players played like Spain??personally i think that the majority of the football thats been played under trap has been brutal to say the least.fair enough we're pretty competitive but we've been struggling in the centre of midfield,particularly with whelan who is not an international class player.no creative spark there imo.won't go into the andy reid debate as would love to see him back but nothing anyone can do about that other than trap himself.McCarthy's teams played much better football that attracted fans to watch the team and create a good atmosphere.people can say what they like about playing in croke park but you need the team to give people something to cheer about too

[elroy]

Great news, I was fearful that the money wouldnt be there for this so many thanks Denis O'Brien.

Traps results have been more than satisfactory, we've made great progress and the team has a shape and purpose that was so absent in the previous campaign. The high profile nature of our manager certainly does us no harm as far as Im concerned. Even if we dont qualify i still think this is the right decision.

[Jicked]

in what planet have ireland or indeed any of the aforementioned players played like Spain??personally i think that the majority of the football thats been played under trap has been brutal to say the least.fair enough we're pretty competitive but we've been struggling in the centre of midfield,particularly with whelan who is not an international class player.no creative spark there imo.won't go into the andy reid debate as would love to see him back but nothing anyone can do about that other than trap himself.McCarthy's teams played much better football that attracted fans to watch the team and create a good atmosphere.people can say what they like about playing in croke park but you need the team to give people something to cheer about too

My point was that with the players we have we won't be playing like Spain whoever the manager.
We are missing creative spark in the middle, but that's a very deliberate omission. Instead of that creative spark in the middle, we put all our attacking options in the two wingers and the front two, and effectively play
with four centre halfs, so there's no point blaming Whelan for lacking creativity as he's not picked for that.
And do you not remember the early days of McCarthy? It took us an awful long while to get to the 2002 WC qualifying campaign.

[Mr A]

Absolutely delighted. Viva il Trap!

[Drumcondra 69er]

Ah come on. Playing Georgia in Mainz, the penalty at home to Georgia, the Italian sending-off. That's 3 strokes of amazing good fortune and most certainly not evened out by whatever bad luck has befallen thus far in my opinion.

I usually believe in "you make your own luck", but that penalty in Croke Park

Jicks reply to your OP comprehensively argues otherwise, I won't bother repeating it.

[MeathDrog]

I know Trap has done a satisfactory job so far, but the FAI are still jumping the gun. The situation might be completely different come the turn of the year when the qualifying campaign is over. Could we at least have waited until we found out our final position? Or who we will be (probably) playing in the playoffs?

I know a lot of that may be seen as irrelevent, but as I said, Trappa might feel differently about his position by the end of the year should Ireland not qualify, that that I'm afriad is a strong possibility should we get a sh*t draw in the playoffs.


I seem to remember the IRFU doing something simular by offering O' Sullivan a contract before a **** poor World Cup.

[Jicked]

Conversely we could go in to the play-off with this hanging over everyone's head and disrupting preparations for that, anyone who remembers the end of Brian Kerr's last campaign knows how big a distraction that can be.

[Noelys Guitar]

Good news. Don't enjoy some of our matches football wise but enjoy the results. We are unbeaten in what many believed would be a tough group. We have progressed under Trap and the results don't lie.

[Stuttgart88]

Such as not getting a stonewall penalty against Montenegro? Or not conceding an unfortunate og at home to Bulgaria? The luck's evened out so far, it's a myth that we've been blessed.

Hear hear.

We've had good luck & bad.

Good goal disallowed against Georgia, penalty not awarded against Georgia, Steven Reid missing the whole campaign...

Look at Italy, they've got some pretty decent breaks too, to say the least. Cyprus missing a hatful of chances against them, their win in Montenegro was gifted to them and they should have been down to ten men.

[geysir]

I don't think I would have the stamina for a new managers thread/s

[Stuttgart88]

Jicks reply to your OP comprehensively argues otherwise, I won't bother repeating it.

Yes, that was a great reply. Good man Jickser.

[Yard of Pace]

yes, like maybe when we have to play the world champions someday

Who carved us open with embarrassing ease and then sat back after going down to 10 men

[geysir]

For that brief moment in time, "us" included Keogh at RM and McShane RB.

[Stuttgart88]

Who carved us open with embarrassing ease and then sat back after going down to 10 men

looks like Weldoninho has a new log in name.

[ruben_sosa]

great news, he could easily have been poached by a country with more money at their disposal. He's a class act and he has been responsible for the development of a bunch of irish players like St. Ledger, Whelan and Andrews who go back to their clubs with renewed belief and knowledge.