Most disappoint thing After tongiht

[paul_oshea]

Ill pat myself like geysir does with a cheshire cat type grin across my face.....

The most disappointing thing is we are not joint top. I said friday, i said last year after playing slovakia, that they are no great shakes. For far too long people on here give teams, too many teams actually, too much respect. Slovakia were there for the taking at home, I said it last night after watching the last 25 mins again, that they offered nothing as an attacking threat. We really should have won that game, with automatic qualification pretty much still in our hands tonight.

Traps biggest problems is this too, we give teams at home too much respect that we really shouldn't, when we should be going out for the win. Change the tactics when we can and more importantly need to.

Where is mypost now?

[Sullivinho]

Personally, the most disappointing thing was Glenn Whelan's pre-match defection to play right back for them instead.

[paul_oshea]

Haha that and the bear grylls sullivinho...quality

whelan probably did more for them as a right back than he did for us as a midfielder

[DannyInvincible]

Ill pat myself like geysir does with a cheshire cat type grin across my face.....

The most disappointing thing is we are not joint top. I said friday, i said last year after playing slovakia, that they are no great shakes. For far too long people on here give teams, too many teams actually, too much respect. Slovakia were there for the taking at home, I said it last night after watching the last 25 mins again, that they offered nothing as an attacking threat. We really should have won that game, with automatic qualification pretty much still in our hands tonight.

Traps biggest problems is this too, we give teams at home too much respect that we really shouldn't, when we should be going out for the win. Change the tactics when we can and more importantly need to.

Where is mypost now?

That's one way of looking at it. Another is that we're fairly fortunate to be in the position we're in. I don't think our current position - a bit of a surprise, largely thanks to Armenia, whom we still have to play - should paper over the obvious problems. We could very easily have lost earlier ourselves, which would actually have meant Armenia sitting in second position in the group right now. On any other day, we would have lost. It's a miracle we didn't. Dunne's stop on the line defied the laws of physics. And it's not like Russia hadn't plenty of other gilt-edged chances before and after that. We can't rely on our opponents wasting opportunity after opportunity if we keep letting them slice right through us like we allowed Russia to do. Can't Trap see that? Sure, you can say it's ultimately the result that counts - of course, that's what he'll always say - but the manner of our draw earlier was no vindication whatsoever of the system. Given the anaemia and gaping chasms evident throughout, even referring to it as "the system" is a tad generous. It's failing us and will fail us again in the play-offs, if that's where we end up. Something needs remedied, and pronto.

[paul_oshea]

Luck(and look) i think everyone sees that now, which has been said by few on this board the last year.

Tardelli was roaring at him all night even.

He is just incredibly lucky, what he mustn't realise is that, luck does run out.

Everytime we attacked the ball or player we came off better than when we sat back and let them attack us. But there is no point us sitting here on keyboards writing this, even if everyone now finally sees it. Its up to the players to start ignoring him and just doing it.

[mypost]

Where is mypost now?

Here.

Second in the group, point in Moscow, 7 clean sheets, destiny in our own hands, easier run-in. I'm a happy Irish fan tonight.

Someone else lost 4-0 at home. That would be a bit disappointing I think.

[Crosby87]

I guess we all have to look at the entire qualifying round as a body of work. If we go top or end up in Poland in the end of things, how can we really call for Traps head? On the other hand if we lose to Armenia everyone will be. Its precarious. But it's all about the results.
One thing is clear, hope St Ledger and JOSH play in the Oct games. We can nary afford to have players out and it seems like we have them out of out starting 11 more than most countries.

[paul_oshea]

I thought you said Slovakia were a good team, in the world cup, drew with italy etc etc....

Anyway I saw that keith Andrews is on the photos on the rte section with the caption "Keith andrews marks Andrey Arshavin", i think thats being a little more than kind to Keith.

Play-off in our own hands. Not destiny, that would be being able to win the group in our own hands.

Crosby, Traps formation/tactics/gameplay have nothing to do with what got us a point tonight, nothing at all.

His subsitutions have generally been suspect too thte last few games, bar cox tonight. Thats the only other thing you can say a manager saves his own bacon on. He simply is more than riding his luck, to try and in anyway make out anything other than this, is extremely naive of anyone as an idividual and just pretty plain ignorant - stupid.

[geysir]

Most disappoint thing After tongiht

How a young Irishman ( albeit a sarcastic culchie ) can stubbornly and shamelessly post a thread title like that, in face of all advice, spell checkers, admonition and mocking over the years from fellow board members and yet still persist with this lazy pathetic standard, is truly mind boggling.

[dantheman]

That Keith Fahy goal on match-day one is looking good now

[paul_oshea]

How a young Irishman ( albeit a sarcastic culchie ) can stubbornly and shamelessly post a thread title like that, in face of all advice, spell checkers, admonition and mocking over the years from fellow board members and yet still persist with this lazy pathetic standard, is truly mind boggling.

When you are as content with yourself, internally and externally, as I am, you don't need to worry about these "leetle details".

Or maybe just as many pints as I have had

[mypost]

We could very easily have lost earlier ourselves, which would actually have meant Armenia sitting in second position in the group right now. On any other day, we would have lost. It's a miracle we didn't. Dunne's stop on the line defied the laws of physics. you can say it's ultimately the result that counts - of course, that's what he'll always say - but the manner of our draw earlier was no vindication whatsoever of the system.

The manner doesn't get us the point, the result does. We could have lost, but we didn't, and so we're in a very good position going into next month. It's results that will decide Trap's future here, not tactics, formations, or style of play. We got the result we needed, we couldn't afford to lose in Russia or Slovakia, we didn't. Nobody else won in Armenia, we did. Results pay the bills.

He simply is more than riding his luck.

Sofia 77, Brussels 81, Sofia 87, Hannover 88, Gelsenkirchen 88, Belfast 88,
Rome 90, Wembley 91, Poland 91, Seville 92, Vaduz 95, Bucharest 97,
Zagreb 99, Skopje 99, Amsterdam 00, Niigata 02, Suwon 02, Paris 04,
Tel Aviv 05, Stuttgart 06, Nicosia 06, Bari 09, Paris 09, Zilina 10

Dashed hopes, shattered dreams. That's only the away games.

We deserve a bit of luck. We've had very little of it down through the years. We're possibly 2 games away from a major championships, and some of you look as though you write for Fleet Street, because eventually we get something our way.

[DannyInvincible]

The manner doesn't get us the point, the result does. We could have lost, but we didn't, and so we're in a very good position going into next month. It's results that will decide Trap's future here, not tactics, formations, or style of play. We got the result we needed, we couldn't afford to lose in Russia or Slovakia, we didn't. Nobody else won in Armenia, we did. Results pay the bills.

Would you fancy us in a play-off if Trap persists with this? Your tone would suggest all is fine and dandy as long as we're racking up the desperate 0-0 draws, which is worrying. The system came up short last campaign and I fear the same will happen again. Tactics impact upon results and just because we got the draw doesn't mean we can sweep the obvious problems under the carpet and sit comfortably on our laurels until it comes to play-off time. Of course, that draw earlier might very well not have been enough had Slovakia beaten Armenia because the fact is that the matter was left out of our hands for a spell. The line between losing and drawing today was far too fine for my liking and I'm now somewhat apprehensive about Armenia at home, never mind the prospect of a more established side in a play-off. What do you make of the multitude of glaring chances from which Russia should and could have scored? What would you be saying had one of them somehow gone in? You admit we rode our luck a bit; is that what we're now relying on? Ride our luck and just pray to God our opponents waste the three or four gilt-edged opportunities we let them have?

[backstothewall]

There is more to our approach than that. Just because our midfield don't create much doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. Creativity comes from the wide men who have the freedom to play in more advanced areas of the pitch, and we get crosses in from the full backs. The primary job of the 2 central midfielders is to protect the back 4. And they must be getting something right given that we've gone 7 games without conceding.

We were up against a dangerous outfit today, and all be it that it was a rearguard action, we were disciplined, determined and organised in defence. Compare that to the Cyprus fiasco. This time 4 years ago we were dead and buried.

And say we do get rid of him. Who are we going to bring in? Which one of Roy Keane, Dave O'Leary or John Aldridge do people fancy to deliver us from Traps tactical ineptness?

[mypost]

Would you fancy us in a play-off if Trap persists with this? Your tone would suggest all is fine and dandy as long as we're racking up the desperate 0-0 draws, which is worrying. The system came up short last campaign and I fear the same will happen again. Tactics impact upon results and just because we got the draw doesn't mean we can sweep the obvious problems under the carpet and sit comfortably on our laurels until it comes to play-off time. Of course, that draw earlier might very well not have been enough had Slovakia beaten Armenia because the fact is that the matter was left out of our hands for a spell. The line between losing and drawing today was far too fine for my liking and I'm now somewhat apprehensive about Armenia at home, never mind the prospect of a more established side in a play-off. What do you make of the multitude of glaring chances from which Russia should and could have scored? What would you be saying had one of them somehow gone in? You admit we rode our luck a bit; is that what we're now relying on? Ride our luck and just pray to God our opponents waste the three or four gilt-edged opportunities we let them have?

We could get someone like England, or we could get someone like Estonia. I don't know who we'll get in the play-off, we may not even need one, so it's a hypothetical argument atm.

The system took us last time from 10 points off qualification to a ref's inability to spot blatant multiple offences in Paris. Our system has resulted in just 2 qualifying games lost from the last 20. Other countries may play better football, but they don't have that record. Eventually, it will reap it's rewards.

I like 4-4-2, I probably wouldn't have played it today admittedly, but it doesn't matter now, we got our point, and it's a very valuable point. Others whinge about how we were "overrun" in midfield. Now let's be honest, most of us have been watching this game a long time, and everyone knows that if you go to Moscow, no matter what or who you play, you'll be under the cosh for long periods, so you fight tooth-and-nail for everything, or you pay the consequences. That team fought out there for every bit of luck it got today, Given and Dunne in particular. They can take a break for the next game, and watch the forwards have the ball instead. That was our first ever point in Moscow today, and the Russians were booed off their own pitch. This team has 7 straight shutouts and won in Armenia, we're not going to lose 4-0 at home to them.

Trap has won everything going, and has taken us from the floor, to a near-miss, onto the brink of qualification. If he gets it, he should get his new contract asap.

[the bear]

first of all i couldn't give a jumpin jaysus how we get to the finals as long as we make it

die hard defending and pure luck have left us in a great position, 2 must win games , now is the time to go and grab the bull by the horns, and play our way into the tourno.

we all know what the problems in the team are theres no point in me writing them out again they are in nearly every post on this site already. therfore i would like to think that trap with all his experience can recognise them to. he seemed to be playing for 2 points out of these games. we dont deserve them but we have them. god knows we deserved a bit of luck finally. surely he knows that now is the time to be proactive and try and qualify for this thing.

[DannyInvincible]

Being critical of Trap's stubborn system or his apparent failure to see gaping problems isn't necessarily an hysterical call for "Trap out now!". His impressive record is undeniable, although it doesn't mean he gets everything right all the time either. The merits of his system aren't beyond debate, or criticism if needs be. Better the issues are weeded out before the likely play-offs rather than feeling sorry for ourselves afterwards and dreaming what might have been. Unless we're now denying there are issues there?

[Murfinator]

Its less about paying respect and more about having 3 unfit players, 2 centre mids who dont like the ball and a Left back who cant defend. Believe me we didn't sit off them and play deep by choice, you just don't get to choose what area of the pitch to play when you don't have any possession.

[osarusan]

It's results that will decide Trap's future here, not tactics, formations, or style of play.

But tactics,formations and style of play determine results.

[mypost]

Tactics determine results. Courage, heart, spirit, determination, and sometimes luck also determines results. We don't play the likes of Russia every week. Apparantly they tore into Slovakia last year, but the Slovaks got a lucky break and won the game. A repeat of that and our results then next month, will send us to the finals.

We got our result last night, and we'll take it. Job done.