Ireland V Sweden(A) 22 March & Austria(H) - 26 March 2013 - World Cup 2014 Qualifiers

[Murfinator]

You didn't obviously watch the game, Green wasn't anywhere near Ibra, and didn't man-mark him. Keane played deep. You are clearly making stuff up not me. Austria's average age is 24.5 ours is 26.5. They have 2 or 3 around 30 and they have 2 from Austria, 1 from swiss league, 1 from bayern the rest from lower/average German teams(2 for bremen lying 4th from bottom in the bundesliga), along with a couple from average Italian sides(bolonga lie 11th in Italy a little like stoke in england). Outside of the top 2 or 3 in Germany the league isn't stronger than the English top tier. Sweden are a stronger team than Austria, with 1 exceptional player and 1 very good player. We played a better game of football, playing barcelonaesque at times in terms of cohesion and pressure when without the ball, now we have gone back to a game that hasn't worked for us, and has us seen us get trounced by good opposition, yet its the game you are suggesting we play because it works against average teams, but you said they are better than us - I see us as average. The system doesn't work for us, or anyone else, we showed what works for us and that's what I am advocating.


Here is a very good article from Stephen Reid http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-29153400.html

We showed on Friday that having a player capable of playing ball and dropping deep like Keane did on link up we are far more effective. Sammon does not give us that, so playing this hoof-ball game is not our key to winning, crowding the midfield and having a decent playmaker is.

Could you name the old Austrian journeymen in their current squad that you were referring to, please.
And I would hope you're not calling Stuttgart or Schalke "lower/average" teams. I would disagree with your assertion that the mid-table Bundesliga is weaker than the mid-table of the EPL. The Bundesliga mid-table is filled with teams who have played in Europe, contested league titles and even won league titles. The strength in depth is stronger. In England the mid-table consists of sides with championship experience, set up in a way to be difficult to beat and preserve themselves in the league. They have no European experience, no experience contesting the league and importantly no winning culture. Sounds familiar don't you think?

Again we have players capable of playing ball against mediocre or weaker midfields. It was the right move against Sweden and would be the right move against the Kazakhs or faoroes. It would be an abysmal, suicidal move against Germany and probably unwise against Austria. A lot of people don't seem to understand the perils of playing that kind of game against a team who can do it better than you.

[Fergie's Son]

7.45 our time. so 1.45 your time.

Thanks Paul. Have the clocks gone forward an hour in Ireland yet?

[geysir]

I'd say our chances are evens.
1/3 a chance for a win, 1/3 for a draw, 1/3 for none of the aforementioned.

[DeLorean]

Thanks Paul. Have the clocks gone forward an hour in Ireland yet?

Not until next weekend.

[paul_oshea]

Could you name the old Austrian journeymen in their current squad that you were referring to, please.
And I would hope you're not calling Stuttgart or Schalke "lower/average" teams. I would disagree with your assertion that the mid-table Bundesliga is weaker than the mid-table of the EPL. The Bundesliga mid-table is filled with teams who have played in Europe, contested league titles and even won league titles. The strength in depth is stronger. In England the mid-table consists of sides with championship experience, set up in a way to be difficult to beat and preserve themselves in the league. They have no European experience, no experience contesting the league and importantly no winning culture. Sounds familiar don't you think?

Pogatetz and György Garics, Janko as well if they go with him. I thought Fuchs was 30 as well actually. I was referring to Bremen where two of the players come from. The Europa league has loads of English teams left at this stage, the CL having 2 german teams left, which I agreed with about the top 3 or 4 teams.

[DeLorean]

Another reason we should have played Green ahead of Whelan - he's clearly 1995 hat-trick hero Peter Stöger's clone!

[shakermaker1982]

Murf,

We are only talking about passing a football now and again from defence into midfield instead of hoofing it out for a throw in. I wouldn't see that as perilous. Nobody thinks or expects us to play tika taka but keeping the ball now and again is a good move at any level of the game.

Obviously I respect Austria but they aren't at the level of Spain, Croatia, Russia, Germany etc & we should be looking to get 3 points tonight.

[geysir]

Austria are Germany lite.

[Noelys Guitar]

It really depends how we play. Austrian didn't score against Kazakhstan which says a lot. I watched the first half of that game and they struggled even more than we did. Ourselves, Austria and Sweden at probably at the exact same level. My worry is our the style of play at home and our inability to control the game. McCarthy is going to be the key player again tonight and I expect a better game from Long that was shown against Sweden. The key is going to be if we do take the lead (as i expect) can we hang onto it. Still no confirmation on whether Wilson plays. I really hope he does and we keep the same defensive unit as against Sweden.

[tricky_colour]

I have been wondering why we seemed to hit so many over-hit balls in the final 3rd V Sweden
and have reduced it to two possible causes:-


a) Our players are crap

b) The pitch was doctored. It looked to me like the grass was cut much shorter in the final The sort of dirty trick only the Swedes are capable of. Looked like it was cut progressively shorted causing through balls to run on a couple of yard more than normal.

I expect they will have mown the evidence away by now though.

[ArdeeBhoy]

It's going to be a tight game.
We could just about afford to lose, but we'll need 6 points v.these two teams in September if we do. Praying for a home win tonight, mind.

And at that game, that night in Skopje;a tad depressing.

[ArdeeBhoy]

I have been wondering why we seemed to hit so many over-hit balls in the final 3rd V Sweden
and have reduced it to two possible causes:-


a) Our players are crap

b) The pitch was doctored. It looked to me like the grass was cut much shorter in the final The sort of dirty trick only the Swedes are capable of. Looked like it was cut progressively shorted causing through balls to run on a couple of yard more than normal.

I expect they will have mown the evidence away by now though.

It wasn't doctored. And they relay the pitch, 5-6 time s a year. Including since last weekend when their National Bandy Final was played.

[tricky_colour]

I'd say our chances are evens.
1/3 a chance for a win, 1/3 for a draw, 1/3 for none of the aforementioned.

The book makers make us slight favourites with odd of 6/4 5/4 and 7/7
Then it's about 2-1 or 9/4 for the either the draw or Sweden

[tricky_colour]

It wasn't doctored. And they relay the pitch, 5-6 time s a year. Including since last weekend when their National Bandy Final was played.

Well it may not have been intentionally doctored but it they relay different parts of it differently then some bits will be faster than others.
It doe look a bit patchy with some bits cut shorter than others. I was just looking at a replay and there is one bit where the ball
seems to get stuck under Robbies feet and the grass there looked longer and greener.

[peadar1987]

Well it may not have been intentionally doctored but it they relay different parts of it differently then some bits will be faster than others.
It doe look a bit patchy with some bits cut shorter than others. I was just looking at a replay and there is one bit where the ball
seems to get stuck under Robbies feet and the grass there looked longer and greener.

I saw that too. McClean is quicker than Walters, so they had our right wing mown shorter, that way McClean kept getting the ball trapped in his feet whereas Walters wasn't able to catch the through balls.

[tricky_colour]

I'm weirdly nervous about this game, more than I have been for an Irish game in a while. Not so much about the result (well, relatively speaking), but with how the team will play. It sort of seemed against Sweden that a corner might have been turned in terms of mentality, tactics and putting trust in the players to actually play a bit of football as opposed to watching the other team do it. But the re-inclusion of Whelan (after Green's showing I mean) and choice of Sammon makes me worried that we'll end up back at the hoofball.

Dropped points here would be a total disaster and the Austrians shouldn't be pushovers.

I have similar fears if we play Whelan and McCarthy, that leaves us with out anyone in the midfield to
put pressure on Austria when they have the ball.

I wonder if we would have been over run so much in the midfield in the Euro's if Paul Green was playing.
Paul seems to be the only one who puts any pressure on the opposition midfield without him we only ever
win the ball back deep in our final 3rd meaning a return to hoofball.

[tricky_colour]

I saw that too. McClean is quicker than Walters, so they had our right wing mown shorter, that way McClean kept getting the ball trapped in his feet whereas Walters wasn't able to catch the through balls.

Yes that confirms what I just said about Robbie getting the ball stuck under his feet, that happen on McClean's side of the pitch.
The other side was like an ice rink in the final 3rd!!

I think we have been done!!

I have only just managed to get a decent quality video of the game, the pitch was just a blur of mushy green on the stream
I watch live.

[geysir]

I have been wondering why we seemed to hit so many over-hit balls in the final 3rd V Sweden
and have reduced it to two possible causes:-


a) Our players are crap

b) The pitch was doctored. It looked to me like the grass was cut much shorter in the final The sort of dirty trick only the Swedes are capable of. Looked like it was cut progressively shorted causing through balls to run on a couple of yard more than normal.

I expect they will have mown the evidence away by now though.

According to the RTE's campaign montage of pieces of brilliant play by Wes, his overhit pass was perfectly struck but the inrushing Andy Keogh was out of position

[CraftyToePoke]

Functioning stream anyone ?

Please

By please I mean now

For the love of God

[Fergie's Son]

Not showing it live here for some reason.

Stream would be appreciated.