A lot of fair points made there. I will say that Bradley is incredibly positive in person. I'd have reservations about a few things he's done or said but he's a gent in the flesh, and very different to how he sometimes comes across in interviews. Of course the interviews are part of the job and how he will be seen generally so it's understandable if people have their own opinions.Originally Posted by Acornvilla
I'd agree with your HH assessment so far. A lot is going to hinge on a couple of key players finding form at the right time.
I'm really confused by some of the responses to what I said but I don't see how criticising Bradley is any reflection on this forum, which has been a fantastic place to share thoughts on Irish soccer for 15 or so years (for me)
I'm also a Cork City supporter so maybe living in a perpetual state of disappointment has an effect on my outlook on managers of Dublin sides
😂😂😂 I wasn't really responding to you tbf rebelmusic. I don't agree that Bradleys comments were hypocritical though fwiw. He wants his players to play at the highest level they can. If you listen to him regularly that is obvious and he never stands in the way of them moving up. The issue was the national manager coming out and suggesting that they should leave Ireland in order to get a call up. At that point in time, with all things considered, it was a clumsy statement. I don't think he meant it that way and his apology showed that he understood why it was an issue. He comes across as a smart man who understands how important the domestic league is and will be. He made a mistake and he owned it. Have to respect that.I'm really confused by some of the responses to what I said but I don't see how criticising Bradley is any reflection on this forum, which has been a fantastic place to share thoughts on Irish soccer for 15 or so years (for me)
I'm also a Cork City supporter so maybe living in a perpetual state of disappointment has an effect on my outlook on managers of Dublin sides
Bradley saying he wants to manage at the highest level is fairly irrelevant to the discussion imop. He's said many times that Josh can go on and play at higher levels. Of course, a senior call up will help Rovers earn a bigger fee when that inevitably happens. Which is why I say Bradley got what he wanted.
For some added context: Neil Farrugia was knocking on the door of a call up while with Rovers. He left and stated that the primary reason was to get a senior cap. That hurt Rovers, particularly in Europe, and that was clearly fresh in Bradleys mind. Farrugia looks further away from a call up now than before. Probably would have been in a squad had he stayed and helped us beat Molde, fitness permitting. Kenny is another who might have been in the frame for at least this June window had he kept playing and scoring goals in Europe. It's not always as simple as the magic airplane.
That sentiment I completely agree with. Ever since watching Simon Cox get called up game after game I do believe that the LOI has been unnecessarily shunned by Irish managers. There's many occasions where an experienced LOI player would have been a far better choice then what was called up. Hopefully that's changing and I do hope that Josh's callup wasn't just a box tick from HH to silence the noise.
I did think that HHs idea of having a camp in May would have been a great idea and maybe an LOI only camp at end of season would be something worth investigating. US or Norway being examples who could benefit from this. Getting the FAI onboard is another story.
Careful. They'll think you're suggesting Cathal O'Sullivan will solve all of Ireland problems and score a peno v Spain in 2002 while he's at it.
Just once can we call up Git Forrester? He looked so so so good from when Kenny came in last season. I kinda think without the personal heartbreak and awful stuff that happened in his life, that we’d be talking about a mainstay in the irish setup
I'll expand on this.
That the jibe of hypocrite could be levelled at Bradley is ludicrous. I don't like Bradley but I don't particularly dislike him either. I wouldn't have on the level of idiot as Damien Duff for example. I don't think he's a particularly brilliant manager, but he's earned respect with his achievements with a very good group of players.
"HH had Bradley on toast."
The MNT manager had his press conferences dominated in the early stages of his tenure over stupid comments he made about local players. I don't see how 'dig up, stupid' in at attempt to extract oneself from a farcical situation earns one brownie points.
I don't know is it the inbred nature of Irish society that brings out the worst in people, or whether our 'national' media is really just that petty that it makes rational people perform down to base levels, but it's reflective here.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
100%.
I'm only somewhat aware of the difficulties Git has faced, but there's no shadow of a doubt that the guy's career has been impacted by it. There's parallels to a degree with Keith Fahey, another incredibly gifted footballer.
I think of players like Diesler who simply couldn't reach the standards they were capable of due to difficulties off the pitch, very sad.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
He's lovely to watch on his day but probably hasn't had enough consecutive days. 3 or maybe 4 seasons ago when he was scoring for fun might have been a time to have a look? Think he's well capable of playing up a level, particularly if surrounded by better players. He's head and shoulders above almost everyone when he's at it and often looks like he's let down by the movement around him. As of now though, I think Honohan is the most likely candidate given the options we have. Josh will be across the water soon enough so I'm sure he'll get more chances. Hes showed he can standout against big clubs in Europe. Remarkable upwards trajectory considering he wasn't rated much by a lot of Cork supporters. Has more improving to do to be a serious option obviously.
If things were different you might have the likes of Git, Burke or Byrne around the edges of the squad. We don't have many players like them. They've all had their struggles though and those doors are probably closed. It was hard enough for Hoolahan to get a look in. The LoI themed friendlies would have been interesting but I think you'd really want the top players here to be included alongside the ones playing at a higher level if we were seriously considering them and we won't need to unless we are hit with a serious injury crisis.
But look, it's a conversation that rarely goes anywhere good online. Great one for a few pints after a game although tonights conversation will probably be dominated more by Drogs European situation.
Premier League Winning Managers:
People who I think were definitely nice people: Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, Claudio Ranieri
People who are probably nice: Carlo Ancelotti, Kenny Dalglish, Manuel Pellegrini,
Complicated Individuals: Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola,
Complicated Individuals = = Nice One !
I think I would prefer my soccer managers to have a bit of an edge. If you really want some-one nice ~ Get yourself a nice dog !
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