Ireland 2-0 Faroe Islands.What you think?

[Poor Student]

I wouldn't be too worried. Ireland have never been lethal up front or too great at really putting away weak teams. It happened before in 1999 when Portugal topped the group putting the weak teams away with twice as much goals as us. The important thing is the results. I'd be much happier winning every game 1-0 than losing a few and scoring a bucket load. The most crucial thing is the three points. In 1999 it was Ireland's ability to beat all the low seeded sides home and away which enabled us to finish ahead of Holland and almost top the group. If we can have a similar campaign we may qualify as winners or best runners up. The next round of fixtures are crucial. An away win over Israel would really set us up. Three points will do no matter how.

As for Miller, I noticed at Celtic he consistently gave the ball away far too cheaply. I don't think he will turn out to be as great as his intial showing in the CL last season. He's very injury prone as well. I think he's about 24 now and he still hasn't really established himself as a first teamer.

I agree about Duff. It used to really annoy me under McCarthy when we played him up front with Keane. He is far more effective on the wing where he will drift to anyway. We may as well have two men in the box when he cuts in to cross and not one. Although granted Kerr does prefer Morrisson when fit. Simply Gary Doherty is not that good so I would leave him on the bench only as an alternative if all other options are exhausted and we want to go route 1. I have a feeling Kerr pruposely avoided high balls and crosses including corners as the Faroes are a physically strong team. Kerr should give Elliot a go in the friendlies but I'd hold back on McGeady until he establishes himself at Celtic first.

[tricky_colour]

Well not the greatest result but not too bad, we had quite a few
chances anyway.
Hats off to the Faroes though, they can punch well above their
weight, OK they have had a couple of 6-0 defeats but 2 or 3 is
more typically, some decent sides have only beat the by a goal
in qualifiers


UEFA EURO 2004 Prel. Comp. HANOVER GERMANY - 16.10.2002
Germany (GER) 2:1 (1:1) Faroe Islands (FRO)

FIFA WC 2002 Prel. Comp. UEFA MOSCOW RUSSIA - 28.03.2001
Russia (RUS) 1:0 (1:0) Faroe Islands (FRO)

( better than we did ).

FIFA WC 2002 Prel. Comp. UEFA TOFTIR FAROE ISLANDS - 03.09.2000
Faroe Islands (FRO) 2:2 (0:1) Slovenia (SVN)

UEFA EURO 2004 Prel. Comp. TOFTIR FAROE ISLANDS - 07.09.2002
Faroe Islands (FRO) 2:2 (2:0) Scotland (SCO)

2-0 up at half-time.

So they may cause a big upset yet.

[speedking]

Good performance, poor finishing. 3 points are the main thing.

[razor]

Very disappointed after an excellent start.
Woeful finishing from Keane, Reid and Miller.
I really thought they might get one in the end, we were a bit lax at the back.
But we always seem to struggle against the poorer teams, maybe expectations are too high.
So thats the 2 soft home games and 2 hard away games out of the way, so far so good but there is a hell of a long way to go.

[zinedineontour]

At the end of the day it was always going to be a come down from the france game. Decent first half and the game petered out after that. On another day we could have had 6 so not to be. 3 points is the key at this stage as goal diff wont really come into play as its head to head that counts. Overall solid display good to see Robbie get over the record so the talk of it is all over now .. Miller still looks a good bit short of international level and reidy needs a decent move in january

[Lionel Ritchie]

Very poor considering the chances created. Should have had at least 5.

That said, 3 points, no injuries and top of the group. How bad.

All true. Though funnily enough, if Ian Harte hadn't been back in Spain spitting out his dummy last night I think the guy might've had a hat-trick from frees against the faroes.

[koneinc]

A very disappointing second half, we really need another striker! Give McGeady/Elliot a run out in the friendlies....

/Kone

[thejollyrodger]

Is Miller really 24 ? Féck he is pushing on a bit. I thought he was 20 or something like that. I have doubts about him. I cant see him breaking into first team football in Man Utd.

Maybe miller should start looking at the transfer market in January. He needs regular football, not spend the next few years sitting on a man utd bench.

[bryanodowd]

dissapointing second half alright wouldve liked to see them push on score couple more. keano missed few chances alrite but 3 points top of the table should we really complain?

[tammy]

The French team were slated in the media for only beating them 2-0. However they beat them with 10 men and it was away! We beat them 2-0 at home and people are happy?? Bull****!!

[blobbyblob]

The French didnt create 22 chances and they were lucky not to concede on occasions.

Get off the high horse, stop moaning and start writing your christmas cards.

[Metrostars]

Is Miller really 24 ? Féck he is pushing on a bit. I thought he was 20 or something like that. I have doubts about him. I cant see him breaking into first team football in Man Utd.

Maybe miller should start looking at the transfer market in January. He needs regular football, not spend the next few years sitting on a man utd bench.

Miller has been injured for much of the season. He is turning out to be Manchester United's and Ireland's Darren Anderton.

[eirebhoy]

The French team were slated in the media for only beating them 2-0. However they beat them with 10 men and it was away! We beat them 2-0 at home and people are happy?? Bull****!!

Would you like to explain what there is not be happy about? There is 100/1 chance of the group coming down to goal difference and a 200/1 chance for us to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in Lansdowne and finish level on points with them.

BTW, the Faroe's have only lost by more than 2 goals 5 times in their last 30 games.

[da Boy Wonder]

Although their track record as a minnow footballing nation is scoreline friendly in defeat over the past few years (expection Switzerland), it greatly disappoints me just how many opportunities we had to dish out the hammering the Faroes' deserved for being so bad.

In fact I'd go as far as to say they are the worst team ever to grace the Lansdowne turf. Compared to most minnow footballing nations like Andorra (well done on beating Macedonia! ) who put up a resistance, Faroes didn't even look like they could defend and I doubt they even had a plan for an attacking/counter-attacking game. All they were interested in was keeping the scoreline down via wasting time on throw-ins etc and but for our wastefulness and on some occasions their keeper, we should have exceeded on Switzerland's score.

I fully back Roy Keane's after-match statement about the second half. It was poor, trying to be over-elaborative with the final ball when the simple option would have been more effective and our finishing was appauling to say the least. I reckon 80-85% of possession was in the Faroes half, we completely dominated them and yet for all our efforts, the corners we had and the chances we made, we only scored twice - one of them was from a penalty.

Far too relaxed: we should be aiming to win games where opportunites arise against the better teams and where we produce many opportunites against the minnows, look to convert as many of them as possible as a practice for games against the better sides.

It's bad practice for the games against Israel, Switzerland and France in not being clincial against the weaker teams, we only get a limited number of chances against them and we must make them count - can't afford to be as wasteful with our chances as we were on Wednesday night.

Not to be over all critical. The primary objective of the game was to ensure we came out with the 3 points we were expected to gain and that we did. Lets not be too casual, as there have been times when many of the bigger nations have failed to deliver what has been expected against smaller, inferior nations in the past and it was important that this time was not one of them.

[Littlest Hobo]

no complaints here. Four points from the two games is okay.
If we can take 3 points away to Israel and pick up at least a point against the french and swiss at home then all the goal difference in the world won't matter a fiddlers fart.

[eirebhoy]

In fact I'd go as far as to say they are the worst team ever to grace the Lansdowne turf. Compared to most minnow footballing nations like Andorra (well done on beating Macedonia! ) who put up a resistance, Faroes didn't even look like they could defend and I doubt they even had a plan for an attacking/counter-attacking game.

We only beat Andorra by 2 goals aswell.

I've send this a number of times but it deserves to be said, from the Faroe's last 30 games, they've only been beaten by more than 2 goals 5 times.

[Closed Account 2]

Yeah but the performance wasnt that good but the players had played in the mother of all games that Saturday, they then had to face a mammoth training session in the freezing-cold of Malahide (the sea breeze there makes it feel below zero on some days), and to cap it all the team that played v the Faeroes was pretty much (man for man) the same team as v France.

I think our players were knackerd and it showed in our 2nd half performance. Still points in the bag, banana skin avioded, only one significant injury picked up and hopefully that'll be sorted by the Israel match. Two friendlies vs decent opposition (chances to see what the fringe players like Barrett, Miller -hopefully for a full 90 mins- Elliot, McGeedy etc are like 6 months on from Charlton and Amsterdam). If someone was to have said to me in August by Christmas you'll be top of the group, undefeated away vs the 2 biggest rivals and 100% record at home - id have taken it.