2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

[SkStu]

Finished 2-3 to our boys. Emakhu got the third.

[elatedscum]

Finished 2-3 to our boys. Emakhu got the third.

i thought the penalty against Healy was harsh. So probably anything other than a win, would have been harsh. Moments where we dominated possession well towards the end of the first half. Lawal's pass for the third goal was excellent, shows what he can bring to that position. Plenty of good midfielders in that squad with Hodge, Adeeko, Healy and Phillips having all played really well in the group so far. Still, great to see him finally get minutes in that position. Equally, plenty of decent centre-halves available: Anselmo, Grehan, O'Riordan, Abankwah, Murphy and Roughan can all play there at the very least. Good option for a manager to have...

Also, Sinclair and Aido adding to their tallies at 21s is nice to see...

[tetsujin1979]

Goals added to the the FAI's YouTube

Penalty does look harsh from that angle

[JR89]

i thought the penalty against Healy was harsh. So probably anything other than a win, would have been harsh. Moments where we dominated possession well towards the end of the first half. Lawal's pass for the third goal was excellent, shows what he can bring to that position. Plenty of good midfielders in that squad with Hodge, Adeeko, Healy and Phillips having all played really well in the group so far. Still, great to see him finally get minutes in that position. Equally, plenty of decent centre-halves available: Anselmo, Grehan, O'Riordan, Abankwah, Murphy and Roughan can all play there at the very least. Good option for a manager to have...

Also, Sinclair and Aido adding to their tallies at 21s is nice to see...

Really hope Sinclair and Aido can bring their U21 form into senior level because the lads are developing a good partnership. Those two in a front two can cause defences problems like we saw against Norway especially.

Think once it comes back to the qualifiers we'll see Lawal dropping back to CB for someone like Adeeko. It's a pity we never seem to get athletic FBs coming through and it's something maybe the FAI need to look at.

[elatedscum]

It is weird on one hand that we were basically the best at producing fullbacks, if I remember correctly, Kelly, Carr and Finnan were all in the premier league team of the year, 3 years in a row. Then you also had Dennis Irwin and Jeff Kenna, both premier league winners and Ian Harte, champions league semi finalist and free kick extraordinaire. And as recently as around 2020 (when Matt Doherty signed for Spurs), you’d have said our two best players were both right backs…

Nowadays, England seem to produce a great full back every few months, all of Reece James, Trent Alexander Arnold, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker are natural right backs and essentially vying for 1 place. Lamptey decided to play for Ghana cause he knew he had no chance and since the class of 1992, we basically haven’t produced a premier league calibre full back… despite producing everything else. Keepers, centre halves, centre midfielders, wingers and strikers…

[tetsujin1979]

Seamus Coleman?

[Olé Olé]

Seamus Coleman?

I assume that is the other of our two best players in 2020 next to Doherty unless ES is a big Cyrus Christie fan...

[Eirambler]

There is a reason for that I think. Full backs are different today from the hard working lads we used to produce who could get up and down the side of the pitch and get crosses in, but sometimes weren't the most gifted technically. Today's full backs are basically carrying a lot of the same skills as today's central midfielders, but maybe a bit faster too. But they're extremely comfortable on the ball and are trained to play through the thirds, which our lads can't really do.

What we're seeing is that countries that have strong academy structures and facilities in place are producing loads of technically strong centre mids and full backs. But they're often light on keepers, centre backs and centre forwards because the academies focus so much on the technical skills that develop midfielders and full backs. A prime example of this would be Scotland, who are overloaded with midfielders and full backs but severely lacking in other areas.

Then there's Ireland, who are very good at producing big, strong athletes but not so much when it comes to technical footballers. In that context maybe not a huge surprise that we're well stocked with keepers, centre backs and centre forwards, but seriously lacking in the technical players needed to link it all together. The contrast between Ireland and Scotland isn't a coincidence, it's a result of the different structures in place in the two countries (and also the reality that the average Irish man is about three inches taller than the average Scot!). Our structures, or lack of them, are the reason we're not producing full backs that suit the modern game.

[tetsujin1979]

Interview with Andrew Moran ahead of the fixture against England's U20s tomorrow
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...746938993.html

[CSAD]

There is a reason for that I think. Full backs are different today from the hard working lads we used to produce who could get up and down the side of the pitch and get crosses in, but sometimes weren't the most gifted technically. Today's full backs are basically carrying a lot of the same skills as today's central midfielders, but maybe a bit faster too. But they're extremely comfortable on the ball and are trained to play through the thirds, which our lads can't really do.

What we're seeing is that countries that have strong academy structures and facilities in place are producing loads of technically strong centre mids and full backs. But they're often light on keepers, centre backs and centre forwards because the academies focus so much on the technical skills that develop midfielders and full backs. A prime example of this would be Scotland, who are overloaded with midfielders and full backs but severely lacking in other areas.

Then there's Ireland, who are very good at producing big, strong athletes but not so much when it comes to technical footballers. In that context maybe not a huge surprise that we're well stocked with keepers, centre backs and centre forwards, but seriously lacking in the technical players needed to link it all together. The contrast between Ireland and Scotland isn't a coincidence, it's a result of the different structures in place in the two countries (and also the reality that the average Irish man is about three inches taller than the average Scot!). Our structures, or lack of them, are the reason we're not producing full backs that suit the modern game.

I think you are starting to fall into the same narrative setting/overthinking category a lot of Irish pundits have fallen into. I think the points you are using as a justification for your argument as to why Ireland dont produce midfielders/FB's while in some area's has some valid points is for the post part quite lazy and isnt backed up by much real evidence (the "evidence" you've given is circumstantial at best). If you watch any of Ireland's underage sides over the years I don't know how you can look at them and come to the conclusion they are struggling because of a lack of technical ability, even more so when you use Scotland as an example when Ireland consistently get the better of Scotland at pretty much every underage level they play eachother (not just because of the results but because of Ireland just being a better all round side, particularly at the last 2 victory shield tournaments). Even when you look at our CBs/GKs/CFs that are coming through while it's continuing a trend of Ireland producing mostly players in these positions I think the players we speak of sort of damage the argument of it being due to favour size over technique as the likes of Collins, Omobamidele, Ferguson and even in goal with the likes of Kelleher & Bazunu while all big players are all very good on the ball and I'd consider them much better technically than their Scottish equivalents for example. I think the reason we have struggled to produce FB's since the 1992 born group is the same reason we struggled to develop players in most positions, we had a black hole when it comes to player development of players born between 1993-1997 and while we've recovered in most positions we've struggled in others but I suspect the FB situation at least will change when you consider the likes of Ebosele, Curtis and Murphy look to have potential to make it at a high level going forward.

[Razors left peg]

There is a reason for that I think. Full backs are different today from the hard working lads we used to produce who could get up and down the side of the pitch and get crosses in, but sometimes weren't the most gifted technically. Today's full backs are basically carrying a lot of the same skills as today's central midfielders, but maybe a bit faster too. But they're extremely comfortable on the ball and are trained to play through the thirds, which our lads can't really do.

Denis Irwin was far from a fit hardworking lad who could get up and down the pitch. Equally good right or left side, never lost the ball passing, had a brilliant free kick in his locker. He'd walk into any team even today... and he must be nearly 60!!

Steven Finnan was another who had a bit more to his game than just getting down the wing.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Denis Irwin was far from a fit hardworking lad who could get up and down the pitch. Equally good right or left side, never lost the ball passing, had a brilliant free kick in his locker. He'd walk into any team even today... and he must be nearly 60!!

Steven Finnan was another who had a bit more to his game than just getting down the wing.

Tony Dunne was an exceptional full-back

Johnny Giles talking about Tony Dunne

[Jolly Red Giant]

[JR89]

Crawford changing things for this game.

..................Cahill
O'Brien Lawal Murphy Roughan
...........Hodge Adeeko
...Springett Vata O'Neill
..............O'Mahony

[pateen]

What time is the game on?

[elatedscum]

1-0 to us, Joe Hodge scored... Any sign of a stream?

[Razors left peg]

1-0 to us, Joe Hodge scored... Any sign of a stream?

Havent been able to find one. Wouldnt have taken much for FAI TV to stream it on youtube would it? Unless they blew all their budget on the big Marc Canham interview back in April!

[SkStu]

2-1 to England.

[SkStu]

2-2..

[elatedscum]

Worth noting, even though it was an u20s team vs an u21s team. In reality, both team were virtually the same age. Rounding each player to the nearest month, you get Ireland's average age being 20.636 and England's 20.629. If you just use the player's age by year (less accurate), Ireland end up with the younger squad...