Missing the bigger picture - is Kerr to blame?

[Fergie's Son]

It's not even six am but the jetlag has me up. What I witness last night was an utter disgrace and I place the blame squarely at Kerr's feet. Forget about the ref or the Israeli 'keeper. They just deflect from the deeper cancer within that team. Here's an email I sent on the 28th minute from the North Touchline:

....we're doing well though. Concerned that Kerr has brought on Kavanagh for an injured Keane. Very defensive, are we going to sit back and let them attack now after 27 mins? I'm worried.


I'm not posting this to show how I predicted something because that's nonsense but to highlight Kerr's lack of tactical nous.

He takes of a small, quick striker and replaces him with a defensive midfielder. What sort of message do you think that sends? Instead of continuing to harass the large Israeli centre backs with a quick player he decides to concede the momentum. He then puts one of the worlds best wingers with his back to the goal. So instead of running at the Israeli's our best player has to come for the ball and then turn and run.

Kerr then removes Andy Reid and goes for direct, route-one football.

The Israeli's are a weak team who will not qualify so they really aren't the issue. Kerr gave up the momentum and then played a defender who can't get a game for his relegated team instead of a speedy striker in Elliot.

I was all for Kerr in the beginning but now I want him out. This result was his fault and nothing should deflect from that.

[Saint Tom]

excellent post. I am a pats fans so I will always respect Brian. BUT, he is out of his depth.

his tactical inability cost us dearly last night and in Tel aviv, and in Basel. He simply can not defend a lead. Last night was a gut wrenching disgrace. John O shea should be lined against a wall and shot.

[tonycuna]

I listened to the match on radio RTE, so I don't know how O'Shea played yesterday

I can say that I was really surprised by the change -Kavanagh for Keane-, it's a type of change that you can do at the half time, if you really want to do it, but surely not in the middle of the first time..

But I believe that BK can bring us to Germany

I'm really happy for Ian Harte's goal! This is the best thing I took from yesterday, apart from the very good performance of the team..

Good job Ian! You showed you deserve a place in this team!

[Plastic Paddy]

This is what I wrote last night and I'm sticking to it:

PP

---

Denied by a combination of blatant cheating, refereeing bias and tactical incompetence. We should at the very least:

i) appeal to UEFA to have Andy O'Brien's red card overturned. It should be upheld, no question.
ii) petition UEFA to have that clown transferred forthwith to JP Barnum's circus in the expectation that he'd be much better with the other clowns, and;
iii) look very, very seriously at the position of manager should we fail to qualify from what is, with France's very ordinary form, in essence a very ordinary group.

I expect pelters for point iii) especially from some quarters of the eL brigade. I don't care. Kerr's tactics seem muddled at the best of times. Damien Duff played in three different set positions at different times ffs! Where's the continuity? It's all panic stuff, no fluidity. No wonder they found it so easy to undermine us. Lads and lasses, I see a silk purse being made into a sow's ear, and it's just not good enough. The bar was raised a generation ago when we beat England in Euro 88 and then got to the World Cup quarter-finals. These players need to be made to deliver, and at the moment it just doesn't seem to be there when it's really necessary. Like I said, it's just not good enough.

[liam88]

Denied by a combination of blatant cheating, refereeing bias

That's enough-I think Kerr did well-the fact of the matter is if the referee had been consistant in his penalties we would have won that match 2-1 or 5-2.....end of.......we'reoff to Germany

[Plastic Paddy]

Liam, take off the blinkers. Kerr's "tactics" were wholly inappropriate. He made a defensive switch when we were 2-0 up at home against a team we had hitherto played off the park. He moved our best player around into different positions not once, but twice. He has hardly been a model of consistency in his approach to the game, has he? And - if he doesn't get us to the World Cup (and I hate to tell you this, but no amount of praying and "faith" will help) - he should go and make way for a manager that can.

PP

[liam88]

I hate to tell you this, but no amount of praying and "faith" will help

We're two different people and we believe to very different things.......and that's fine; just glad a lot of people shre my view

[Plastic Paddy]

We're two different people and we believe to very different things.......

Not so. We may well believe very similar things, but my advanced years grant me a perspective that you may not yet have. Still, that's life

and that's fine; just glad a lot of people shre my view

Good. A lot of people don't though. And some couldn't care less either way. Life isn't all black-and-white absolutism. But we can have this discussion the next time you "buy" me a pint...

and that would be?

If he has to be Irish, what about David O'Leary? He may be a gob****e, but his teams are noted for their attacking football and he has experience of managing in one of the world's top leagues and all that goes with it. Tactical variations and nous. Top-level man-management skills. And an ego to match that of any he'll come across in the dressing room. All essential to manage at the highest level.

If the coach's origins don't matter so much, then it's all down to the FAI's ambitions, isn't it? What about Guus Hiddink? Paul le Guen? Both available right now and probably for not much more than Kerr's getting.

Either way, on the evidence currently, Kerr just doesn't seem up to the task. Nice guy and all that, but not an international manager. Still, twelver points between now and October and I'll happily change my tune. I'll not hold my breath in anticipation though.

PP

[thejollyrodger]

i agree.. its about time the FAI started to look for a new manager !!!


Kerr out !! Im sick of these WCQ battles.. why cant we qualify like other top teams

[Plastic Paddy]

O'Leary didn't want the job the last time that it was available, and that was two years ago. In the time frame I'm talking about, it'll be at least another twelve months before we look to any changes. And I'm sure you'll agree that three years is time enough for anyone to change their mind.

On your second point, don't make presumptions on my behalf. We don't agree as it happens. I've seen enough to know that "Brian Kerr" and "attacking football" are mutually exclusive constructs. Look, I'm Irish and I'd love to manage my country, but that in itself doesn't mean I should have the job. And I can also accept that, if none of our own are available or up to the task, then we should look for the best alternative available globally. It's got nothing to do with confidence and everything to do with being objective (a most un-Irish trait) and wanting the best for my team. And if the best happens to be from a land "beyond the wave", then I'll take him.

PP

[brine3]

come on lads, not long ago we were playing for draws and getting beaten, now wea are playing for wins and getting draws

this is a massive paradigm shift in the irish football psyche and it will take time (possibly a generation) to adapt

[sonofstan]

come on lads, not long ago we were playing for draws and getting beaten, now wea are playing for wins and getting draws

this is a massive paradigm shift in the irish football psyche and it will take time (possibly a generation) to adapt

what? ? ... 4 or 5 of the best players to ever play in an ireland shirt are in Kerr's first XI - Duff, Roy Keane, Given, Kilbane and maybe Robbie - all in all a much better cohort than Jack had at his disposal. Put it this way, at least 2 of those would walk into any european club team; yet we continue to run out of ideas. chase games against minnows ..... Jack's teams pulled off some great results against the odds, but the talent base was much less impressive; this team is capable of beating anyone, and too frequently we give away games by pretending to be St. Pats in mid winter in Ballybofey sometime in the 90s

[jimbob117]

i agree.. its about time the FAI started to look for a new manager !!!


Kerr out !! Im sick of these WCQ battles.. why cant we qualify like other top teams

Have a day off will ya. We still have our future in our own hands, give kerr until the 12th of october before you start saying that.If we are top then, im sure people like yourself will be saying what a great coach he is.

[jimbob117]

what? ? ... 4 or 5 of the best players to ever play in an ireland shirt are in Kerr's first XI - Duff, Roy Keane, Given, Kilbane and maybe Robbie - all in all a much better cohort than Jack had at his disposal. Put it this way, at least 2 of those would walk into any european club team;

mcgrath, brady, moran, stapleton,irwin and aldridge would be as good as the above named if not better, and roy was there for jack aswell.

[monutdfc]

I've just watched the highlights on Sky Sports, and my considered response is that it was not Kerr's fault. The result last night was not down to tactics, it was down to Israel scoring from 2 set pieces (the only way they were going to score) as a result of individual errors. The first was a freak header from 18 yards - Cunningham and O'Brian could have done better, but teams score those goals once every couple of seasons. Kerr cannot be blamed for Andy O'Brien not heading a nothing ball ball back to Shay Given, Shay Given slicing it, John O'Shea trapping it further than I could kick it and then manhandling his man in the box.
Kerr cannot be blamed for us losing our star striker through injury.

We shot into a 2 goal lead. Robbie Keane was injured in an incident that was an absolutely definite penalty - no question, having seen the replay. The only decision of Kerr's I would question was not bringing on Elliot instead. He presumably felt Elliot wasn't ready for it, or - admittedly more likely - thought bringing on Kavanagh would consolidate our lead. But we stuck with 4-4-2 and did not hand the initiative back to the Israeli's - they scored one freak (in its rarity) goal and a penalty that was 100% the fault of our defenders. Apart from that, I can recall one other shot they had, on 30 minutes that went well over.

The second half we pummelled them. Kerr cannot be blamed for us not scoring. It was just one of those nights that happen in football from time to time. We at least had more inventiveness than in Charlton's day, against Egypt for example. Or versus Andorra in McCarthy's era. I questioned the decision to bring Doherty on, but he was magnificent.

Charlton had Brady, Lawrenson, McGrath, Stapleton, Sheedy, Houghton and Whelan, and more available to him. No more or less top class players on the scene today. (BTW, while I'm not in the Kilbane knockers camp, he's not in the top 20 Ireland players ever, never mind the top 4)

My opinion. Kerr was rightly criticised after Tel Aviv, but I wouldn't blame last night on him. Some people will want to do so anyway - and they are entitled to their opinion. Some, I think, are just looking for the opportunity to have a go at Kerr.

[jimbob117]

well said monutd fc, agree with everything ya said

[brine3]

what? ? ... 4 or 5 of the best players to ever play in an ireland shirt are in Kerr's first XI - Duff, Roy Keane, Given, Kilbane and maybe Robbie - all in all a much better cohort than Jack had at his disposal. Put it this way, at least 2 of those would walk into any european club team; yet we continue to run out of ideas. chase games against minnows ..... Jack's teams pulled off some great results against the odds, but the talent base was much less impressive; this team is capable of beating anyone, and too frequently we give away games by pretending to be St. Pats in mid winter in Ballybofey sometime in the 90

Is this a wind up?

Jack had Ronnie Whelan, Liam Brady, Paul McGrath, Liam Brady, Ray Houghton, Frank Stapleton, Niall Quinn, Kevin Moran, Packie Bonner, Roy Keane, Denis Irwin and John Aldrige at his disposable at one time or another.

As for chasing games against minnows, don't forget that Jack's Ireland once failed to score against the ultimate European minnow.

[niamh]

The thing that disappoints me most about Kerr is the fact he made his name in the eircom League and bringing on young players...now he ignores both because he is so afraid of messing up.
Stephen Elliott was an option yesterday or even Doherty instead of Kavanagh. I think Graham is a very solid player for Ireland but Kerr was wrong to switch Duff. He was killing Israel from out wide but will always find it difficult against centre halves...he is a small fella after all.

[thejollyrodger]

i agree.. its about time the FAI started to look for a new manager !!!


Kerr out !! Im sick of these WCQ battles.. why cant we qualify like other top teams

I dont think Kerr should be out.. but im seriously fustrated with the man

[pete]

I think the only bad decision Kerr made was bringing Reid off. At the time i assumed Reid was injured as seem to be running out of pace.

There was no chance Kerr was going to play Elliot instead of Kavanagh.

I think he should have substituted Holland for Doherty.

I have never seen such a lucky team as Israel at Lansdowne.