Republic of Ireland V Turkey, Italy, Costa Rica & Portugal - May/June 2014

**shakermaker1982** · 26/05/2014, 4:15 PM

It's scary how many places are up for grabs for the first competitive game next season. Keane,McCarthy, Forde & Coleman (maybe O'Shea and or Dunne if fit) would be nailed on. It's a team in flux at the moment and we'll have a few more bad nights before we start to see improvement in results and team organisation (hopefully).

Disappointing turn out. Wasn't the same ground packed out for a Liverpool Z side the other week? Maybe the FAI need to organise friendlies against Premier League reserve teams to get the fans to flock to the ground....

**Stuttgart88** · 26/05/2014, 4:18 PM

Originally Posted by the doc

Ah hmm,

Haven't you forgot someone?

sorry, young Hendrick is an exciting prospect. And David Forde looks better than Elliott.

I suppose you could argue for someone who hasn't played a club game for about a year and is currently looking for a new club.

But Westwopd isn't going to be a miracle cure

**Bungle** · 26/05/2014, 4:39 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Is that true about WC seeding?

Right now, we're 32nd in Europe according to the Fifa Rankings so we're just about in the 4th seeds batch, but scarilly near being 5th seeds.

The only positive is that alot of those teams aren't very good, so you would like to think that a few good results will get us right back up there.

**pineapple stu** · 26/05/2014, 4:50 PM

There's a lot of assumptions - and a long time to go - but here's a site which has us as fifth seeds for the moment alright.

Edit - sorry; the most recent version seems to be this one, which has us back up to fourth seeds.

Agree with the general consensus on here re the Turkey game; thought we tried to play ball, which was nice to see, but we have no penetration at all really. We particularly didn't fancy shots from just outside the box, which was strange. Main concern still remains how we have few enough players to replace 2012's ageing spine - Given, Dunne, O'Shea (ish), Duff, Keane. Replace those with the likes of Elliot, Delaney, St Ledger, McClean and Murphy and we deserve to be fourth - or even fifth - seeds.

**Stuttgart88** · 26/05/2014, 4:52 PM

It's definitely FIFA rankings that count forward seeding, yes?

Anyway, another rant. The more I see us playing in a half empty stadium the more it kills me that we didn't go ahead with eircom Park. Politicians, within and outwith the FAI, cost us dearly in that regard. The costs were underwritten by Deutsche Bank, Irish football would have had a compact and personal stadium and the association wouldn't have had to stump up a penny, relatively speaking anyway. It pains me.

Wasn't JD instrumental in its demise? I think Geysir can recall the facts. All I can really recall is the government using the Baldonell flight path as an excuse, and the FAI hopping on Bernard O'Byrne's generous use of his FAI credit card.

There are dark forces in our country looking to undermine our participation in the world game at every opportunity. Unfortunately, many of them are involved in football but they get a generous helping hand from others.

I'd love to "map" the vested interests that made a balls of our country's economy to the sports they contribute to.

**bennocelt** · 26/05/2014, 5:05 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

It's scary how many places are up for grabs for the first competitive game next season. Keane,McCarthy, Forde & Coleman (maybe O'Shea and or Dunne if fit) would be nailed on. It's a team in flux at the moment and we'll have a few more bad nights before we start to see improvement in results and team organisation (hopefully).

Disappointing turn out. Wasn't the same ground packed out for a Liverpool Z side the other week? Maybe the FAI need to organise friendliest against Premier League reserve teams to get the fans to flock to the ground....

Heh, remember the days when Ireland played Manchester United (Moran test), Celtic (Bonner test?) and a Premiership all star team? Thats actually not bad idea

**Charlie Darwin** · 26/05/2014, 5:17 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

It's definitely FIFA rankings that count forward seeding, yes?

Anyway, another rant. The more I see us playing in a half empty stadium the more it kills me that we didn't go ahead with eircom Park. Politicians, within and outwith the FAI, cost us dearly in that regard. The costs were underwritten by Deutsche Bank, Irish football would have had a compact and personal stadium and the association wouldn't have had to stump up a penny, relatively speaking anyway. It pains me.

Wasn't JD instrumental in its demise? I think Geysir can recall the facts. All I can really recall is the government using the Baldonell flight path as an excuse, and the FAI hopping on Bernard O'Byrne's generous use of his FAI credit card.

No way, not even close. Eircom Park was a sham of an idea that cost the FAI millions and probably would have bankrupted them if they'd gone ahead with it. JD was one of the people within the FAI who forced the board to admit they had no idea if it would cost �60m or �130m and that they hadn't actually got any advance financing whatsoever. If people think the FAI is badly run now, they were 10 times worse then. Lunatics running the asylum comes to mind. There are a lot of things you can put down to 'dark forces' in Irish sport and politics, but this isn't one of them.

**pineapple stu** · 26/05/2014, 5:53 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

Disappointing turn out. Wasn't the same ground packed out for a Liverpool Z side the other week? Maybe the FAI need to organise friendliest against Premier League reserve teams to get the fans to flock to the ground....

15000 or so at the Turkey game apparently. (Like all the best LoI sides, the FAI have stopped announcing official attendances lately) 42500 for the Liverpool v Rovers game.

But of course, the Ireland game was only a friendly. Not quite the same as a Dublin Challenge.

But friendlies never get great crowds. You can look around Europe for a few examples - 2500 at Slovakia v Montenegro, 6500 at Finland v Czech Republic. Even Germany "only" got 35000 for their game last week (in a 50000-capacity ground)

I know we used to get better crowds for them (30000+ often), but there's a recession, there's a lot more friendlies these days (it feels that way anyway) and we're not very good lately. Understandable that crowds have dropped.

**Crosby87** · 26/05/2014, 6:44 PM

They need to do some sort of deal where you get a bucket of crackbird included with admission. The only thing is stutts said he has been watching the team for 40 years so if he is in his 50s he could have a heart attack.

**DannyInvincible** · 26/05/2014, 7:02 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

no mention here - http://www.live-footballontv.com/ - which is fairly reliable for football listings.

No mention of it here either: http://liveonsat.com/LJS_FT_friend_intl_ALL.php

Is it possible it won't be broadcast on television?

**ArdeeBhoy** · 26/05/2014, 7:49 PM

It's on some US channel at the very least (and as a result being broadcast worldwide?), as seen mentioned in my Fbk. feed, will repost a link the next time I see one?

**tricky_colour** · 26/05/2014, 9:05 PM

I am sure someone will be showing it somewhere, but Costa Rica has about the same population
as Ireland so it's not a big revenue earner for broadcasters. Probably a bit early for it to be listed
anywhere but someone will broadcast it.

Kick off will be 1 AM UK and Ireland time according to my calculations.

**shakermaker1982** · 26/05/2014, 9:14 PM

I do prefer when we are on the road anyway. Gutted I'm missing Craven Cottage in Saturday because of the boxing. Cracking little ground.

To be fair to the FAI I've heard they are giving out a shed load of complementary tickets & we still can't get the punters in. If there is an upturn in results then I'm sure the fans will be back. The Aviva needs to be turned into a fortress, Christ we did better at Croke Park. We must have only lost to France in a competitive game?

**back of the net** · 26/05/2014, 9:56 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I do prefer when we are on the road anyway. Gutted I'm missing Craven Cottage in Saturday because of the boxing. Cracking little ground.

To be fair to the FAI I've heard they are giving out a shed load of complementary tickets & we still can't get the punters in. If there is an upturn in results then I'm sure the fans will be back. The Aviva needs to be turned into a fortress, Christ we did better at Croke Park. We must have only lost to France in a competitive game?

Yeah only lost to france there competively and think the only other loss there was a 3-2 defeat to poland in a friendly

Fortress Lansdowne is long long gone

**tricky_colour** · 26/05/2014, 10:18 PM

Does anyone think the new stadium is responsible for poor results at home?
As in it being less intimidating to the opposition?

I think the old stadium had a grittier look to it.
The new one is about as intimidating as a airport waiting lounge.

**Crosby87** · 26/05/2014, 10:19 PM

You're a boxer shaker?

**Stuttgart88** · 26/05/2014, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

No way, not even close. Eircom Park was a sham of an idea that cost the FAI millions and probably would have bankrupted them if they'd gone ahead with it. JD was one of the people within the FAI who forced the board to admit they had no idea if it would cost �60m or �130m and that they hadn't actually got any advance financing whatsoever. If people think the FAI is badly run now, they were 10 times worse then. Lunatics running the asylum comes to mind. There are a lot of things you can put down to 'dark forces' in Irish sport and politics, but this isn't one of them.

I'm almost certain a lot of the cost was underwritten by Deutsche Bank who were to securitise the ticket sales for all events held there. Their investors would take the risk of ticket sales not bring as high as anticipated. The FAI were to have been a "non recourse" borrower.

That was at a time when banks were underwriting any risk, even based on numbers presented by the FAI

**DannyInvincible** · 26/05/2014, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by tricky_colour

Kick off will be 1 AM UK and Ireland time according to my calculations.

Where are you getting your times?

The BBC say kick-off is at 15:00, which I assumed was Irish/UK time: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/...eland/fixtures

Then again, they also say the Portugal game is on Tuesday the 10th of June at 14:45, but LiveOnSat have it down for the 11th of June at 01:00.

**tricky_colour** · 26/05/2014, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

Where are you getting your times?

The BBC say kick-off is at 15:00, which I assumed was Irish/UK time: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/...eland/fixtures

Then again, they also say the Portugal game is on Tuesday the 10th of June at 14:45, but LiveOnSat have it down for the 11th of June at 01:00.

It seems I added 5 hours rather than take 5 hours away.

**DannyInvincible** · 26/05/2014, 10:52 PM

Ha, I'm still not sure how you'd have gotten 1AM though. Wouldn't adding five hours have given you 8PM Irish time or were you working from different kick-off times?...

Are these games kicking off around 10AM eastern US time then?