Great win but those 2 suspensions leave a bad taste, if anybody deserved a yellow it was the goalie. 2 bizarre refereeing decisions, I hope that ref's international career is fcked for good.
The defending by the centre halves was a joy to watch. All round magnificent achievement to get into the semi final.
Great achievement. Played good sensible football went long when it was on like for the first goal and played through the lines really well. Hodge really can do it all . Those bookings very harsh. Gives regba a chance up top I guess and maybe a chance for ebosele s power and pace to make up for his 17s disappointment
Considering all the missing players to get to the semis alongside Spain, Portugal and France is an exceptional achievement. Afolabi and Hodge looked the stand outs again. Incredible that Hodge is only 16, if he can bulk up a little bit he could be a real star, hopefully for us and not England.
I was actually talking to a head of football operations at a British club during the week and I recommended Afolabi to him, I doubt anything will come of it though as I'd expect he'll have his pick of a few bigger clubs after this.
Obviously the big disappointment is the suspensions, turns a difficult task against Portugal into an almost impossible one, also there's no third place playoff so two of our best players are almost certainly out of the tournament now. Hopefully we can qualify again next year given so many of these lads will be underage again, a similar performance in next year's tournament would get us into the Under 20 World Cup.
That. Was. Fantastic! I only caught the last twenty minutes (I thought it was on at 1pm CET and had slept through it only to come on here and realise there were twenty minutes left and race to the UEFA site to watch the end!) But what a reaction! I thought when the Czechs scored it meant more heartbreak for us (commentator said we would have been out on disciplinary record) but not for this team! Walked right back up the park and scored a lovely team goal, with Hodge (still only 16!) ripping the Czechs apart with a beautiful pass - get him to bulk up a little and he really is going to be a star (just don't tell the English FA!).
And as for Afolabi... he's probably still our sixth or seventh most exciting teenage striking prospect... and he's awesome!!! And to think - after outpacing and outmuscling one Czech defender, he had no qualms about switching to his right foot and finishing clinically, even though that's his weaker foot! Surely somebody will snap him up in the next few weeks.
It is amazing to remember that two years ago we were staring down the barrel of a potential crisis up front - Keane had retired and Doyle, Murphy and Walters were very close to it, while Long was misfiring. And then some green shoots started to appear, which were noted by us here on foot.ie (probably ahead of the regular sports media) - first Ronan Hale, then Glen McAuley - and then Afolabi, Connolly, Obafemi, Idah, Cassidy, Parrott and Okoflex all appeared on the radar in quick succession. But our hope was tempered by the knowledge that goalscoring streaks at U18 level are still a long way away from being able to play at the top level and that the proportion of players who make it through is low. And while Hale has had to step down a couple of levels (for now, anyway) and McAuley is in limbo currently, all the others are on track for success at least, with Obafemi already having made the breakthrough, while Parrott, Idah, Okoflex and Connolly seem to be right on the verge of senior club football at a high level. Even Afolabi's free agent status shouldn't last long if any scouts are watching this tournament.
And remember... with all of the withdrawals from the squad, this is probably close to our reserve U19s... and they are now confirmed as one of the top four U19 teams in Europe! It's a great achievement and hopefully a sign (along with the U17s' recent achievements) that we may be on the verge of a new Golden Generation. So congratulations to all involved and all the best against Portugal - if the performance against France is anything to go by, we have every chance of going right to the final!
Sam, your positivity is as infectious as it is substantiated.
Agree with everything you say. But I feel Afolabi has worked his way into contention as being one of our bright striking prospects. After Parrott and Obafemi, I'd have him up there with Idah and maybe before. He has shown so much quality in these games that I don't think Idah has yet. Idah can get there but I think Idah has the finishing, Afolabi has all else.
Again, I hope Afolabi gets a right good move. I'm shocked Southampton released him.
I would be surprised if we hold onto Hodge. I know he went with us but he was always on the radar of underage sides above his own age for us, like Grealish was. He has only one Irish grandparent and I find that worrying. Rice had two. Grealish had three. Once bitten, twice as shy. Twice bitten?
Midway through last season hodge is first choice for England under 17s and obviously first choice for us. England have a fantastic chance to win the euro 17s in Ireland and obviously we are qualified as hosts. Why would hodge choose us and not England if he did not want to commit to us? The simple thing to do would have been to stay with England go to the euros and have a better chance of winning it that with Ireland and obviously still have a chance to switch back to us in the future.Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Grealish was never involved with England at an age such as under 17 where you could be capped competitively.
Stephen Kenny will hopefully put the plan he outlined for rice into action now and involve hodge with the 21s this season and cap him in the nations league next season when he is 18 and likely playing in Holland on loan from city like that Smith lad who dominated us for Wales was this season
Thanks Olé - I saw some celebrity getting interviewed a few years ago and they quoted their father when asked about whether you should see the glass as half-full or half-empty as saying "it depends whether you're drinking or pouring". Right now we're definitely pouring
It's great that there is such a tight gap between all these young lads - it's sometimes seemed over the past two years that they're trying to one-up each other. And Afolabi has been terrific. Just before he did that trial period at Millwall, he was scoring at a similar rate for Southampton's U23s as Obafemi was just before his promotion. I think I heard that he had an option to stay but has made the brave choice to seek first-team football. For now I would still consider Idah to be ahead of Afolabi, as he is scoring in pre-season for a Premier league club who have given him a long-term deal. But, yes, that could change in the next six weeks if Afolabi gets a good deal and starts playing and scoring at a high level
Yeah, I definitely wouldn't be planning our 2026 campaign around Hodge for now - a lot can happen between now and the time he is 20. On the upside, England can only use so many Irish-qualified players and Grealish's experience might actually work in our favour, as he is still waiting for his first cap four years later. Meanwhile Callum O'Dowda, a player around the same age and ability, already has 15 caps. So hopefully this will give the likes of Connell and Hodge pause for thought. Plus Hodge's size might make England reluctant to use him as they may seek bigger, more athletic midfielders - this may not be an issue for us as we are constantly on the look-out for a technical, ball-playing midfielder.
The 42 are covering this well. Another interview. This with goalscoring hero, Barry Coffey.
‘Mam, Dad, they put a lot of work into me. It’s nice to repay them with moments like last night’ https://the42.ie/4734216
Some great talent coming through!
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist thinks it will change; the realist adjusts the sails.
4pm kick off local time Yerevan, 38c the hottest part of the day. The Sahara desert is an icebox in comparison.
6pm local time I think, so we should be grand.
Still 38c, but a cooler 38c no doubt.
Yes, but it's a dry Hell
https://twitter.com/KennysKids/statu...955656704?s=19
Missing some stars but still a solid side. Reghba will really need to step up in the 9 spot.
Same starting 11 as before, except for Coffey and Brennan coming in for the two suspended boys. Don't remember seeing Brennan play but thought he was a defender, so no idea how that's gonna work. Regbha up top. Hopefully not Ledwidge out wide again.
Very poor second goal given away should really kill it as a contest now. Couple of big chances to score as well, really needed to be taking one. Big second half, will tell a lot about the character of these young lads.
Afaics there are no questions of character to answer. This asembled squad have shown exceptional character in this tournament and 2 best players suspended for no good reason in this game.
Last edited by geysir; 24/07/2019 at 3:47 PM.
Successful tournament on the whole. Not too bothered by result, it’s all about player development for senior team. 3 main takeaways for me
1. Mohan is natural successor to Kenny at under 21 level
2. Afolabi much better than I expected, pace, skill, dribbling, finishing, passing were all on point. He should get some good offers in the coming days. He looks to be a fantastic signing on a free for most teams
3. Hodge is a prospect, needs physical maturation. We should continue to promote him up the levels (too small for more advanced levels with England), hopefully he will stay with us and we can secure him at senior level if he continues to improve in the next year or two
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