Ireland V Germany(A) 11th October & Kazakhstan(H) 15th October 2013 - World Cup '14 Q

[back of the net]

One thing we have learnt from tonight's match is the Ireland isn't Germany.

im guessing you were very good at geography in school

[Fixer82]

Germany were class.
Not sure why Doyle was on the left wing and Whelan on the right. Found that baffling.

But on the plus side, I think we can say Forde has nailed down the Number 1 spot and played very well. Kept the score way down.
Stokes I thought showed some nice play at times. We looked like we had the potential to counter attack, though we didn't take any of those chances.

We had more chances in the game than I think we did in both our last competitive matches put together.
We didn't hoof the ball up the pitch at every opportunity and at least looked like playing/wanting to play a bit of football at times.

I don't think it's all doom and gloom. The team is in a period of transition and tonight was a very tough test for players who have been playing under the same system for the last 5 years.

I think there are positives to be taken.

Really disappointed no subs were brought on though. What was that about? Nothing to lose by throwing on a player or two (McClean, Reid, Hoolahan, Long etc)

[Emmet7]

He was a good player, failed manager, may well be a sound man but he is a disaster as a analyst/co-commentater.

And yet I'm sure he's on a lovely wedge from the RTE sports Dept. gravy train.

That makes him perfect for RTE so.

I also can't stand Dunphy at this stage - nothing player and nothing analyst.

All the other RTE analysts are infected by his negativity and boring one dimensional analysis - ie Ireland are crap - every Irish manager is crap - most of the players are crap - we're a crap country and so on and so forth. It's just armchair analysis from people who failed as managers.

Giles I'd have time for. It's ironic that RTE have probably the best analyst in the British Isles in Giles and the worst in Dunphy. I had to laugh at the start of tonight's program when Bill O'Herily referred to Dunphy as an "expert".

As for the game tonight, 3-0 was a true reflection of a team of Bayern Munich, etc players as well as Ozil, probably the second best player in the world today against a team of lower EPL/Championship players. Andy Reid is supposed to be our most technically gifted player and yet he plays in the Championship.

People need to get real.

I think Martin O'Neill is just waiting for a club to come in for him in the EPL and the Irish job is a last resort. He's not dumb. He knows we don't have the talent, the FAI are a joke, and clowns like Dunphy will be calling for his head at half time of his first competitive match.

[tricky_colour]

im guessing you were very good at geography in school

Brightest lad in the class

(sat under the light bulb)

[Fixer82]

Giles I'd have time for. It's ironic that RTE have probably the best analyst in the British Isles in Giles and the worst in Dunphy.

Now that's just outright offensive....

[Emmet7]

Well its a common term for describing these isles.

I have no problem rephrasing it as Ireland and Britain, to please the PC brigade.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Well, I'll forgive you this one transgression, given the rest made eminent sense.

[Emmet7]

Thanks.

While I am on the anti Dunphy rant, did I hear correctly at the start of tonights program that he wouldn't have Forde in goals? Forde has been superb since stepping into Givens shoes - wasn't it Westwood that let in 6 the first time against Germany...Forde gave one of the best displays of an Irish goalkeeper I can remember tonight and was deserved man of the match. I'll give Dunphy the benefit of the doubt on this one but if he did say Forde shouldn't be in the team its one more example of his poor analysis.

A couple of years ago he called Gibson a nothing player which of course is bullsh*t. Gibson is not world class but he can be decent enough when he wants. A month ago Dunphy said it was wrong Gibson wasn't in the squad and Brady pulled him up on that one reminding him of what he said before. Before the game tonight Dunphy says he doesn't rate Gibson.

Dunphy is a complete clown - is there anyone else they can put on the panel or do we have to listen to his incoherant ramblings after every Irish game?

The panel always sound half cut at the end of games by the way or am I just imagining it.

[gastric]

Tonigth we saw the immediate future of Irish football. Robbie, Dunne and O'Shea have been great, but their time is over. While the tactics were certainly negative, the personnel will remain pretty much the same. It was great to see another forward get a chance and Stokes did pretty well. Under Trap he would never have got a chance and hopefully the new manager will take risks and build a squad, not just a team. We were outplayed, but I think there are positives for the future. The likes of Hoban, Duffy, Drennan and Madden should be given opportunties in next year's friendlies to help reinforce positions where we are a bit light in talent.

[Crosby87]

Sorry Lads, were there no subs?

[tricky_colour]

Sorry Lads, were there no subs?

Yes there were 3, the Germans made 3 subs as many of their lads were shattered chasing the Irish trying to get the ball,
we didn't make any as our lads were so good they hardly broke sweat the whole match!!

[texidub]

[bennocelt]

Well its a common term for describing these isles.

I have no problem rephrasing it as Ireland and Britain, to please the PC brigade.

PC brigade? tut tut. Common from British people more like. British islands? Nah.
No wonder most people on the continent think Irish people are British!

Anyway no subs, thats crazy!

[Stuttgart88]

I agree with dr peepee in the team selection being over thought. I found it bizarre to be frank, even if there's some logic to putting bodies in the way of their full backs. Before I'm too critical of King though I suspect he was just trying to limit damage and stay compact from the off, with Tuesday night being the occasion to let the creative players on the pitch.

I found it very odd that with 20 / 25 mins to go not one of Reid, Hoolahan, Long, McGeady or Pilkington was considered.

Otherwise I agree with Fixer above. The positives for me were that our set pieces were good, the players are allowed to take risks with the ball, we did create some decent chances, we countered reasonably well at times and Forde did well. Stokes' radar was broken, but I think he showed some potential. I thought Doyle had a thankless task but still looked a cut above anything Sammon could do.

We were up against sheer quality so there was never going to be that much learnt. We'll have a much better idea after Tuesday and hopefully we'll start with a more positive selection and use the bench well.

[kingoffifa]

rarely post, often read.

with dr peepee and stutts on this.
it was germany in fairness, anything other than a defeat would have been a gift from the gods.

i thought that king explained himself well enough in the interview on rte, admitted it was an attempt to contain them and try and nick a goal.
He didn't make a sub, which i found strange from an energy levels perspective, rather than "go out there andy and change the game"

There was a change in how we played, the ball was not hoofed every single time, and sometimes we got a few passes together.

baby steps people, baby steps.

[SwanVsDalton]

Think Stokes is getting off a little lightly here for a rank-bad first half. Schoolboy panic ball led to the German first, hesitant when put in by Gibson and laughably caught off-side while looking down the defensive line during one of our more positive moves.

He improved a bit in the second - looked more composed - and did well to force Neuer into a couple of decent saves. Deserves more auditions and hopefully he'll be more clinical if he plays on Tuesday.

[legendz]

I agree with dr peepee in the team selection being over thought. I found it bizarre to be frank, even if there's some logic to putting bodies in the way of their full backs. Before I'm too critical of King though I suspect he was just trying to limit damage and stay compact from the off, with Tuesday night being the occasion to let the creative players on the pitch.

I found it very odd that with 20 / 25 mins to go not one of Reid, Hoolahan, Long, McGeady or Pilkington was considered.

That's why I'm reluctant to be too critical as well. He's an underage manager given the job for two games. He's seen Germany win in the Aviva last year and is obviously aware of their undoubted talent. Though I don't agree with it, I suppose his rationale was damage limitation and staying compact. For his method, he must have seen some benefit in having Whelan on the right to cut out a threat as much as possible. He should have made some changes in fairness, Reid on the left, McGeady on the right and Long in attack. The fact he didn't suggests he'd have been happy with 2-0.

There'll be no logic to fielding the same team on Tuesday night. With players having played the entire game and some experienced players to come back in, I'd imagine there will be changes. At this stage I'd imagine: Forde in goals. Coleman and Wilson full-backs. Dunne and O'Shea in central defence. Possibly Gibson and McCarthy being the midfield two in front of the back 4. I'd like to see Reid given a game on the left, I'm not sure who might get the attacking nod on the right. Hoolahan then playing off Keane. There's is no place for a cautious approach. As long as the team in set-up sound defensively, not like a disaster in Cyprus, attacking players need to be encouraged and given the opportunity from there.

[geysir]

I'd be more positive after the game than before.The team selection was over complicated and the performance suffered.
Considering that handicap, we did alright and we have plenty of room to improve on that performance.
Stokes made his mark and should be in the squad for future games.

[jbyrne]

Stokes made his mark and should be in the squad for future games.

he gave away the first goal and fluffed two chances that robbie would have stuck away. he also should have played in McCarthy earlier after about 10 mins when another chance went wasted. i cant understand where this view that he played well is coming from at all

[legendz]

Think Stokes is getting off a little lightly here for a rank-bad first half. Schoolboy panic ball led to the German first, hesitant when put in by Gibson and laughably caught off-side while looking down the defensive line during one of our more positive moves.

He improved a bit in the second - looked more composed - and did well to force Neuer into a couple of decent saves. Deserves more auditions and hopefully he'll be more clinical if he plays on Tuesday.

Agreed to an extent. His mistake for the first goal should have been more determination to atone for the error with some of his chances. Stokes's is quoted after the match as saying "I had a couple of split second decisions to make and they just didn't work for me." Ah, that's the difference between being a top striker and not. When he was playing in the Premier League he used to make similar bad decisions. On the offside in the first however, he was not offside. It was a bad call by the linesman.