Irish Football Blog

**Closed Account 2** · 10/06/2013, 4:17 PM

Or the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest (hence British Columbia in Canada)....

**Drumcondra 69er** · 10/06/2013, 5:07 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Its Colombia, not columbia. Its not a university in New York. That really gets me. He gots me.

Well, there you go, learn something new every day! Now corrected! Would give you a thumbs up but no option on the phone!

**Charlie Darwin** · 13/06/2013, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Its Colombia, not columbia. Its not a university in New York. That really gets me. He gots me.

Rumania is even worse.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 14/06/2013, 7:29 AM

Or 'Orte'...

**Drumcondra 69er** · 07/09/2013, 7:19 PM

My thoughts on last nights game on the latest blog. Still absolutely gutted....

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/201...er-has-to.html

**Supreme feet** · 10/09/2013, 10:47 AM

Just to throw my own musings upon the reams of depressing analysis of last Friday, and our current situation. Must admit that my preview of the game was spectacularly wayward in parts, especially in saying that the eventual match-winner, Svensson, would be Sweden's Achilles heel. I was optimistic. I was wrong.

http://anditscomethroughhere.blogspo...st-mortem.html

**Stuttgart88** · 10/09/2013, 11:38 AM

Well done, best piece I've read yet on the whole situation.

**geysir** · 11/09/2013, 12:08 AM

I think Drum's will to carry on the blog to the end has been sapped.
Maybe he's even questioning his own will to live.

**tricky_colour** · 11/09/2013, 2:41 AM

Originally Posted by Junior

McClean - However his set pieces (well corners mainly, cant remember if he took any frees) were woeful and what makes matters worse, even once Whelan stepped up to take once off his hands resulting in our 2nd goal, we then reverted back to McClean taking more poor ones - Wtf was that all about?? Surely Trap, O'Shea, Whelan even needed to step up and dictate that he'd had enough chances at that point and Whelan /ANOther should be taking them. Lacking a leader on the pitch?

There was another example of this v Austria a few hours ago, we had a free kick form about what 40 yards out, McClean steps up to take it.
What does he do? He crosses it in at about 3 feet high in their small wall. WTF???!! Total waste, attack turned into defence.

I just cannot understand it, I remember when I was a school kid, I would regularly take the corners, must have taken close to 100 of the
*not* one was wasted. They all beat the first man or whatever and dropped into the zone in front of the goal.

It is beyond believe McClean cannot do that, indeed every player in the team should be able to do that including Trap!!!

What is further beyond belief is that he is still taking them.

The only possible reason I can think of for this is that he is the only player capable of running and putting in a tackle in when it breaks down.

It's not like it's difficult skill, I could swing one in between the posts 50% of the time!!

It like someone crashing his car into the garage 50% of the time he attempts to park it!!

All he has to do is kick the ball about 25 yards above head height, it does not even have to be accurate, 50% of the time you will find
and Irish player simply by luck.

I mean like, when he goes do drink a pint does he pour it down his shirt 50% of the time? It's about the same level of difficulty.

**squareball** · 11/09/2013, 4:05 AM

I honestly cannot understand this. All he has to do is beat the first man and its a decent ball. The number of players that cannot do this is crazy. Do they not practice taking free kicks and corners in training. It's not rocket science.

**Stuttgart88** · 11/09/2013, 9:15 AM

Not only did he not beat the first man with one kick, it bounced before the first man!

**Junior** · 11/09/2013, 10:06 AM

Yeah, when he stepped up to take it, I turned to my dad and said "straight in to the wall, watch"

Compare to Alaba's corners (I know he was the stand out player on the park but still) whipped in, middle of the goal, between the 6yard box and penalty spot. It should be as simple as that. Like doing lines at school, stay behind after training, hit a 100 corners each day until you are hitting the spot in your sleep.

When you are garbage in open play like we have been for such a long time now, then the one saving grace is you will score from a set piece, our set pieces are largely garbage, lacking invention or accuracy.

**shakermaker1982** · 11/09/2013, 10:18 AM

The Captain or manager should be making sure McClean is nowhere near a set piece. He couldn't cross a road, never mind a bloody ball.

**tricky_colour** · 12/09/2013, 2:16 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Not only did he not beat the first man with one kick, it bounced before the first man!

OK It did get past the first wall but it was a total waste, it was chipped over them into another line of Austrian defenders.
Furthermore it was the wrong kick for a left footer, it needed a right footed bending it in, as it was it would be almost impossible to
head it in as it would be coming from the back of an attacking players head.

I really have no idea what they were trying to do, it just looked shambolic.

I think the players had given it up as a lost cause by now I suppose.

They really need a new manager in to bring in some new ideas.