The FAI were initially established with the intention of replacing the IFA as the island's association but were only granted admission to FIFA based upon the 26-county jurisdiction of the Irish Free State.Originally Posted by third policeman
Anyhow, even if it was legally possible, which it isn't, in accordance with the present governing regulations, who would budge and relinquish the privilege of official succession?
Coleman is a bit of a special case. He basically admitted he wouldn't contemplate playing his best player in a must-win World Cup qualifier in order to foster a good relationship with the player's club. He's a complete and utter patsy. Of all the criticisms you could level at Trap, bending to clubs' interests isn't one of them.
Just reading the transcript of Coleman's post-Macedonia press conference: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/f...gareth-5851388
It's extraordinarily hostile and arrogant.
Oh yeah right. My mistake. That was the reserves playing against Portugal at Windsor Park on Friday night.
Eh I dunno. Let me think now. Maybe because we have an all Ireland team in Rugby and Boxing and one or two smaller sports I believe. Good folk all of them and able to get on with one another like brothers. And much better teams for it. But who am I to have crazy notions like the soccer lads joining forces.
Just heard interviews with Giles, Brady, Dunphy and the one with Robbie. Excellent points made by the pundits and echoed in his own way by Robbie who said in not so many words that the team is set out to play the long ball game. The lads in the studio mentioned Trap winning leagues and titles with Juventus, Bayern Munich and also coaching Italy. But Giles made a very good point in that you have to work with the players you have, even if they are sub standard like our lads. In that respect Trap has been an abysmal failure because he has failed to coach the players to play the proper game (a la Italy, Juve, Bayern). Sure, it would have been work for him to do it, hard work, but it appears he never even gave it a try. So at the end of the day, you or I could have coached Juve, Bayern or Italy and done well with those exceptional players. But the real acid test of a coach is what he can do with inferior players. Ireland are going to have to knuckle down and change their game 180 degrees to emulate the better teams of Europe. It has to happen and if we spend two / three years in the wilderness in the process so be it. But it has to happen. It does produce results - just look at Belgium.
Does the unionist tradition in Ireland really enjoy that much recognition by the IRFU though?
How can you say with any certainty? It's impossible to say whether those teams/sports are better for it or not as you have nothing in terms of "split" teams against which to measure their success or lack thereof.And much better teams for it.
You're essentially asking another association to disband and agree to fall under your fantasy umbrella. It's all fine and dandy for some, but can't you see why that might be problematic for others who hold dear their association's history and tradition? It's both ignorant and inflammatory in that sense. If they'd rather not dilute or give up their identity, let them be; why troll them, especially when we have an all-island side ourselves and all our nationals, irrespective of where on the island they have been born, are fully entitled to play for us if they so wish?But who am I to have crazy notions like the soccer lads joining forces.
You're a bit behind the times Mark. Yes, there are also all-Ireland teams in (among others) rowing, table tennis, cycling, cricket and hockey. Yet NI's top performers in all of them play in British teams. That's not because they're unable to get on with their Southern brothers, it's that they're from a different country. NI's top boxers also take part in the Commonwealth Games.
Oh and spare us the witless sarcasm. If you want to be someone's reserve team and qualify more often, call England or Germany.
Huh??
Never mind 'witless', as opposed to the same GR 'point' being made pompously 'ad nauseum'...
I find it a bit rich to see Steven Reid appointed to some sort of wise international sage by Independent Newspaper. The guy had an unfulfilled international career for one reason or another and (like Sadlier) really doesn't command authority in my view.
The day after Sweden game he was on front of Newspaper giving the lazy line "where are our world class players coming through?" 2 points to this in my view:
A) We're in no different a position playerwise than we were in the past. Good players come through and step up in their own time eg. Who would have predicted Coleman? Who's to say Robbie Brady isn't developing into a top player etc It's just lazy to say "I can't see where our players are going to come from".
B) My second point is how the hell does Reid compose this article between the match ending at 9.30pm and print going to press that same night? Does he have a positive and negative article ready in advance depending on result? Even with a ghost writer....
It takes **** all time to write an article, especially when it's ghost written. Reid takes 5-10 minutes to make his case to the journo who then vomits it onto a page. There's a shell written out beforehand since it's largely fairly predictable, and most of it can be written during the match. The Indo goes to press later than that, around 11-11.30 I think. They possibly even hold the press on the night of an international since that'll be a big part of their sales the next day.
So, what's your point here exactly? Leave things the way they are, or largely to chance, in other words? Where are our top players going to come from? We have no infrastructure in place to ensure a certain stream of top-class talent coming through.
I also find it slightly strange that a man who grew up in England is asking where our players are coming through. In no way am I diminishing the Irishness of the diaspora but we really can't rely on them forever - English clubs are struggling to produce English players, let alone Irish players.
My point is that we are not that badly served at present and that once or twice every generation it has been proved that we produce a world class talent. Nobody can predict as Trap would say "the next future".
A lot of bluster and banter here for a very simple idea which has worked for Rugby, Boxing and Cricket. It could work for football.
Actually, no I don't want someone's reserve team. It was sarcasm on my part as you correctly point out. All I want is for all the players on the island to be brought together and put into one team and see what comes out of it. A damn site better than the Republic on their own or the North on their own could produce. More the merrier concept - you know. And come on down to the South, I'll buy you a drink and we can sit and watch a game or two and have a bit of fun. You might even like it.
It's not an idea that has worked well for other sports because those sports have always been operated on an all-Ireland basis and, as Gather Round mentioned, many of the best still opt to represent the UK. There's no precedent for an ROI and NI team joining together in recent times.
And the point you're missing is that the NI team represents a distinct community and they seemingly don't want to subsume their identity into the ROI. Any pan-national football team would require both NI and ROI sacrifice their unique identity and I don't think either side is prepared to do that, especially when the carrot is only a marginally better football team that still won't qualify for many competitions.
How would you respond to someone suggesting we should lump ourselves into a "British Isles"/UK team or some similar entity?
I'm guessing this is directed at GR, which gives me a chuckle.And come on down to the South, I'll buy you a drink and we can sit and watch a game or two and have a bit of fun. You might even like it.
Where are you from yourself, Mark? Perhaps, it's you who'd be best advised taking yourself up to Belfast for a drink with the locals.
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 08/09/2013 at 11:11 PM.
You've just admitted in another thread that we're permanently in the doldrums. Why do you think this is and how do you suggest we tackle this problem, assuming you see it as such? Or are you content enough to leave the "production" of world-class talent to chance rather than design? Why settle for one or two lucky bright sparks in a generation? We should be looking at what countries like Belgium or Croatia are doing right at the minute. Belgium put a plan of action in place a decade ago and are reaping the rewards now. The current Belgian "golden generation" is by no means a product of chance.
Do Belgium and Croatia have to contend with the religion of GAA in most parishes (and increasingly rugby) for the hearts and minds of their youth?
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