We've given ourselves a chance. Regardless of who you are, the experience most of these players have had of international football in a green shirt has been defeatist, negative and hopeless. Trapattoni told them they weren't good enough to compete at this level. Up to yesterday, they have largely had that hanging over their heads. If someone tells you your not good enough for long enough, you will eventually believe it.
I was concerned by the absence of positive language being used by players and management leading up to it. Talk is cheap too I said to myself. Doing is more important than talking. They needed to put in a performance, play some football, defend well, make some chances and not lose. In my book they ticked most of the boxes and in doing so have given ourselves a chance going into the last game. We did the same in Germany, Italy, USA and Japan. Tournament football is all about building as you go and minimising casualties and there will be casualties.
Hendrick wouldn't have been high on anyone's list of potential hero's going into yesterday's encounter but it was an inspiring display. Well done to him. Come Belgium and Italy, our dressing room won't be short of lads hoping to emulate him. We can analyse this til the cows come home but we're Irish. We might not be the best in the world but when we get a taste of belief we do extraordinary things.
Fupp the begrudgers!
(My first post since Stade De France 18 Nov 2009 (or thereabouts) - The day the music died...until yesterday.)
Who is this guy, Trapper Tony?
Just watched the highlights and noticed Clark was in a horrible situation later, another ball low across the 6 yard line that had OG written all over it! He did well.
The damage had already been done, in fact Clark can count himself lucky he didn't score another two OGs as well.Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
And let's not forget the time at the Aviva went he tried to play the ball out, lost control and gave away a goal.
This England reject joker shouldn't be anywhere near the squad let alone the team.
Can't believe anyone who hold the OG against Clark. That's an impossible situation for a defender, and he has a split second to react. Give him a break.
Interesting reading the headlines this morning, seemed split 50/50 between positive and negative.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
We had a throw-in as well in the final seconds and could have gotten the ball quickly back into play for one more attack, but the players were faffing around with no urgency whatsoever. Couldn't fathom that.
Yup, you're right, sorry. Definitely Clark. Just re-watched it there. Thought it had been O'Shea as there were a lot of bodies in there.
How could we forget? You never fail to mention it. You sound bitter. You'd nearly think it was because a better player took your place or something...
Who would you have in the squad/team instead of him? St. Ledger?
Good header from Clark all things considered, not quite as good a finish as this though
We still love Sean St Ledger
Game was there for the taking if McClean was playing from the start instead of Walters, like he should have been.
We were on top of them for 45 minutes with a passenger up front.
And it's nothing about his ability. He just wasn't fit and the management had over a week to plan for someone to take his place but didn't do it.
Sad to see history repeat itself.
He won't become a scapegoat like Given et al. anyways.
And blaming Clark is absurd. It was a tactical failing, not an individual failing. We were an own goal waiting to happen for 20 minutes before the goal and nothing was done about it.
As good as we were in the first half, we were one note. We had Hendrick & Walters (again) supporting Long.
If McClean or McGeady were playing (again) we would have had more pace; could have had a different option and the ability to supply Long aerially and have Hendrick get on the end of loose balls, since the defenders had Long marked out of the game.
As it was, the ball was getting lumped up to Walters and every time he won it it just went straight back to a Sweden player.
But hindsight is 20/20 isn't it.
As absurd as some of the personnel and tactical decisions were, you ultimately have to give O'Neill credit though. He plays the right players, he is open to rotating (almost) every player, he is tactically flexible and he has restored a measure of respectability for the Irish team already after the washout in 2012.
Last edited by TheOneWhoKnocks; 14/06/2016 at 6:24 PM.
Swapping McClean for Walters straight out meant that we wouldn't have been on top. Walters was unfit but still found ways to contribute to the tactical game that we played in the first half.
You've got no fans.
He did okay in the build up to the goal actually. I can't remember him contributing anything else TBCH.
McClean wouldn't have had to be like for like either.
The way the game turned out in the second half didn't suit McClean at all.
Last edited by TheOneWhoKnocks; 14/06/2016 at 6:32 PM.
Is it though?
Cristiano Ronaldo was noticeably unfit for Real Madrid in the last two European Cup finals he's played in.
It's borderline to say it was worth playing him as it's Ronaldo.
I think the disparity in talent between Ronaldo and whoever would have replaced him is a lot greater than Walters and whoever would have come in for him.
I am just at a complete loss as to why he played. I think he would have been a fantastic option off the bench and we wouldn't have risked aggravating his injury and weakening our squad depth as a result.
Yea if Belgium are the weakest side we want our strongest, but that would be an ecumenical matter. (debatable)
Last edited by tricky_colour; 14/06/2016 at 7:04 PM.
logged on last night and today to see what people were saying. often read, rarely write.
i cannot believe the negativity here.we played well, played real football, scored a great goal and got a draw against a good team.
you'd swear none of you watched ireland over the last few years.
best i've seen ireland play since the last time we played in that stadium.
sure - we have to get a result against either Belgium or Italy - but who knows, we might actually do it. at least it looks like the players believe they can do it. having that mindset is so good to see in them. the fear of the trap era is gone. players were hungry for the ball. great to see.
what more can we ask of them other than to give it a lash?
Yes I though the very same thing after I had seen it a few time, almost a mirror image of it.
Maybe they have been practising that kind of move, Keane of course played his part in the original.
I believe we qualified on that occasion, might be a good omen!
Good post, feel free to contribute more!
I honestly don't think McCarthy was looking for the ball. Hendrick made himself available all the time and found space too, but Whelan never had the courage to play the pass. I think the Jack/Trap fear of losing possession is ingrained into our culture, and I suppose Turners Cross (Meyler, Belarus goal) shows that maybe it's the right approach, but it frustrated me a lot.
Not negativity, just picking at the bits where I think we can work on.
I've been saying this since Israel in 2005: we are a team that isn't really used to winning, we don't have that habit, so leads are always going to be hard to protect against good teams until we start doing it more often.
http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.fr/201...swede.html?m=1
Blog on Sweden game and trip so far for anyone interested.
Nice.
Similar experience to my own, without the travel problems.
Cheers Stutts. Down La Rochelle now, very nice. Where you based?
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