"the greener":so far so good

**1MickCollins** · 03/08/2004, 1:54 AM

Originally Posted by Harry Tipper

It's a bit sad to be planning obituaries before we've even started.
These last few weeks before the whole thing starts up again are the best time I reckon. It's the dreamtime. We've got the fixtures. The table is still blank and I'm gone bananas with the usual '3 points here and one there and they'll drop two there etcetcetc' madness. One thing is certain though, no matter how you twist and turn it in your head, when it's all finished there'll be scorelines in there that one could never have guessed. I love dreamtime because we always finish on top. Once it starts its ******ed

Wha? Just setting obvious goals. I'm writing no one off, just saying what the minimum requirements are.

**Bowsy** · 03/08/2004, 8:57 AM

Originally Posted by carnstien

My opinion is that McCarthy and Charlton were both terrible managers.

They were lucky that at times during their respective reigns they had excellent players and extremly low expectations, making it virtually impossible to "fail". Any half decent manager could have done better than those guys in the same situation.

Like I said thats my opinion and you are not going to change it.

Excellent players???? Have you forgotten the bunch of kids and Jack's Dad's army McCarthy inherited. He did a fine job with that lot. Great manager no, good manager yes. He like Charlton, for all thier faults, achieved a lot more than any other Irish Managers in that they got us to Major Championships. Many failed with better players.

**sylvo** · 03/08/2004, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by davros

How about "We all hate M***** & M*****,we all F****** hate M*****!"

I dooooon't beeelive it,

for once yer talking sence.

**Bring Back Mick** · 03/08/2004, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by carnstien

If we don't finish second, I honestly don't think he'll be sacked.
One of the perks of managing the Irish team is that failure seems to be acceptable, thats why we were stuck with idiots like Big Jack and Mick for so long.

So if Jack didn't get the job..................Bob Paisley wouldn't have got the same out of the players and look for players the way Jack did....

Mick McCarthy..............."Mike Walker" Joe "Part Time" Kinnear - think we would be down with Norf Iron if they had the job, Mick brought players through like BK is doing now might not be to everyone's liking,bet you weren't complaining when we qualified for Japan.

I also doubted BK's appointment and after witnessing the Basle performance and the press conference after thought it will be a long road ahead.............but now that group is there to be won as long as we don't drop points at home

**lopez** · 03/08/2004, 1:32 PM

Originally Posted by Conor74

Out of idle curiosity, what age are you? Not that you have to be a certain age to comment, but do you remember previous incumbents and their records and their style of play?

Just ask if he knows who Eoin Hand is?

**eirebhoy** · 03/08/2004, 1:39 PM

Lads, its getting to the stage were I have to trawl through a load of pointless posts to find something half decent. So many threads are going way off topic with 2 or 3 people having conversations between themselves.

**Greenbod** · 03/08/2004, 2:44 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Lads, its getting to the stage were I have to trawl through a load of pointless posts to find something half decent. So many threads are going way off topic with 2 or 3 people having conversations between themselves.

You found something half decent here!!

Where? Can you share it with us?

**Metrostars** · 03/08/2004, 3:32 PM

Some of you either have a lot of blank space between your two lugs or are just kids. You may not be old enough to remember the bad old days of Irish soccer when coming third in qualifying was considered a great achievement. Big Jack with all his warts and unattractive tactics transformed Ireland from being a bunch of talented losers to the put'em under pressure enforcers that every big team feared playing against. True, both Jack and Mick probably did stay on a little too long and both became too fixed in their ways. But looking back, both were the right men for the right job at the right time.

**tiktok** · 03/08/2004, 3:53 PM

Originally Posted by Metrostars

But looking back, both were the right men for the right job at the right time.

That's spot on, I disliked Charlton, but he got results, a huge step up from the Eoin Hand years where we enjoyed so many moral victories (failing to qaulify on goal difference etc.) but achieved little else.

I liked McCarthy, better manager than player and overall he did well, he got us playing ball again.

But the fact that we can have threads debating whether or not we can win the next qualifying group, or have threads going on about our failure to qualify for a tournament is a disaster is testament to the expectations that two decades of decent managers has introduced.

Think about it, what were the people looking forward to the qualifiers for Mexico '86 looking for compared to what we're looking forward to ahead of Germany '06. The difference there is Charlton and McCarthy.

**lopez** · 03/08/2004, 4:32 PM

Originally Posted by tiktok

But the fact that we can have threads debating whether or not we can win the next qualifying group, or have threads going on about our failure to qualify for a tournament is a disaster is testament to the expectations that two decades of decent managers has introduced.

Think about it, what were the people looking forward to the qualifiers for Mexico '86 looking for compared to what we're looking forward to ahead of Germany '06. The difference there is Charlton and McCarthy.

I was wondering in Moscow airport in October 1985 whether Ireland would ever qualify for a World Cup in my lifetime. That was what it was like then.

**the 12 th man** · 03/08/2004, 4:53 PM

so briank kerr is doing a good job so far then ?
for many people,the jury is still out
for some people,the jury will always be out.

i say fair fcucks to the guy.

**gspain** · 03/08/2004, 4:54 PM

Originally Posted by lopez

I was wondering in Moscow airport in October 1985 whether Ireland would ever qualify for a World Cup in my lifetime. That was what it was like then.

I wasn't wondering. I knew but I was wrong.

- as Jimmy Magee said in 1985 Ireland will never qualify for a major tournament in my lifetime - Jimmy is still going strong. I think Lopez and I are of a similar vintage.

We were done in 82 - no question - referee in Brussels was almost certainly bribed. also robbed of a point in Paris due to a bad refereeing decision. However 84 & 86 campaigns were depressing - ok glorious moment coming out of Lansdowne in Sept 84 after a fortunate 1-0 win over the Soviets that we might do it but cruelly crushed by mighty Norway a month later - btw for Norway 84 read Cyprus 04.

Yes we were awful to watch under Jack but we weren't exactly Brazil before that. Away from home we shut up shop passed the ball around to kill time and hung on for a draw and normally lost. Jack's first competitive away match was in Brussels and we got lucky with a late equaliser but the eprformance merited a point - it was positive in your face and we attacked the Belgians. We made things happen.

Yes I like to see Ireland play good football. Sure I'd love it if we could play like Brazil in 1970 but most of all I want to see Ireland win. A boring 1-0 win in Basel will suit just fine.

**lopez** · 03/08/2004, 6:43 PM

Originally Posted by gspain

I think Lopez and I are of a similar vintage.

I'm surprised our paths haven't crossed. Remember someone I was drinking with in Zagreb shouting to you at the under-21 game from across the road. But apart from that, zilch. I'll try to catch up with your meeting with Davros at the U21 game in Berne.

**Peadar** · 04/08/2004, 9:28 AM

Originally Posted by gspain

A boring 1-0 win in Basel will suit just fine.

I hear ya, brother!
Points in the bag and off to the pub is far better than playing great football but losing and spending the next week watching the video wondering 'where did we go wrong?'