Roddy

[harry crumb]

Roddy was at the same ****e during some of the coverage of Shels run last season. There's nothing wrong with some constructive criticism but he rarely has anything good to say about the EL, except when he failed in England and was desperate for an Irish club. His media appearances are all to do with self-promotion, if he was as good at promoting the EL as he is at promoting himself we would be getting 20,000 bodies at every game every week!

Good point.

He goes to town when City lose and when they win he says that Pat Dolan is the main man.

[geysir]

For an away team I thought Cork did okay. In that game if they scored one it would not have been undeserved. I did not hear Roddy's comments. From what I have seen of the EL from a long distance on satelitte over the last few years, Cork City now are playing the best football of the lot and on a consistant basis. They are better than the Shels and Bohes teams of a few years ago. I have no club affiliation at all. I did not see anything to be pessimistic about last night. I know Cork can play better than that. If all the talk is to be believed, they want to strenghten their team. To overhaul a 0-2 at home, I dont know its steep but you know they will give it everything and with trying to play skillfull intelligent football.

[mypost]

You can't afford to give away possession in Europe. Prague's first goal against Cork, came from a free-kick, which itself came about after Cork had given the ball away in the Prague half. We were all told that Cork were good at keeping possession...

But the lads from the South Pole can cheer themselves up when they come home, by watching a re-run of a comedy video, "Everton in Europe".

[hoopy]

[QUOTE=ShelsTim] I'ld love to put Pat Dolan beside him and let him get eaten alive.

QUOTE]

Dolan's Roddy's best buddy in the EL so I doubt that would happen. Anyway is this the same Dolan who criticises people for watching Premiership football yet is a studio guest on Setanta's coverage?

[rerun]

I think Roddy may have had a point, but it was incredibly badly made. As someone above mentioned, what chance is there in attracting more people to the eL when Roddy basically tells them the standards crap. I could almost hear the barstoolers saying "see? I told you so".
The standard in the league may have plateaued at the moment but it takes times to break through to a higher level. The progress that Cork have made in Europe over the past year or so will stand to them in the future, it will definately benefit them in the second leg. Some folks here seem to think that Cork are getting ideas above their station. What do you think they should do? Not turn up for the second leg? Roll over and lose because the outcome is inevitable? Do you want Rico to say "Well done lads, but ye's are just not as good as them"? It's the job of a manager to raise the morale of the players, he and they have to think it's possible. I don't think Cork would have been beaten 5 - 1 by Dynamo Bucharest, but it happened to Everton, a team with infinitely more resources.

As for Roddys point about the eL players not needing to improve upper body strength because they have loads of heart, what a load of sh1te. I can't believe I just agreed with something Fenlon said.

Come on Cork! You've lulled them into a false sense of security, now just give them a hiding at the 'cross.

[kdjaC]

Roddy was right and not getting to emotiional in it. Nutsy looked like he was about to cry. The EL is living off failures in the English league. Until we start growing our own like the cheques do were going to have no joy

That would explain why every EL fans best player has never played in England, do you have an opinion box that you just pick out an opinion on a daily basis, seriously your like a yoyo.

Roddy is a muppet.


kdjac

[liamon]

I think Roddy may have had a point, but it was incredibly badly made. As someone above mentioned, what chance is there in attracting more people to the eL when Roddy basically tells them the standards crap. .....

I think that's the key point. He may think these things, but he should know better than to say this stuff on one of the main promotional pieces we have for the league.
We've been crying out for more tv coverage of our teams for years. What's the point in having the exposure if Roddy then uses the opportunity to ridicule the league. People believe what the "experts" tell them. Do you really think that Sky Sports would want someone on their football programmes to say "The Premier league is cr@p and not a patch on the Italian/Spanish league"?
He should have known better.

[thejollyrodger]

Kdjac. Yes Roddy is a muppet. Cork were never going to lose 9-2 and should have got an away goal for all their effort. On balance, 2-1 would have been a fair result.

But I think Roddy was making a fair point about the league. Until we start properly developing underage level to the same level as the continental sides do, we are always going to find it hard to compete, it will be virtually impossible to take it to the next level unless we do something.

I think Roddy was saying last night that we have kind of reached a glass ceiling. Eircom League sides can regularly get into the first round proper of the UEFA Cup and depending on the draw, the 3rd round of the Champions League. We can continue getting these results for the next 3 years and jump 10 places in the Co-Efficient table. But for us to get to the next level, the group stages, its going to take another major improvement in the league.

Summer football's advantage runs out at the 3rd round of the Champions League and 1st round proper of the UEFA Cup. Teams that you meet there are too good to lose on a matter of fitness.

Professional football is a major advantage if its used properly. But at the end of the day, we get players at the wrong age for more technical development. There wont be that big of technical improvement in players over 20.

Unless a Roman Ambrovic comes to Ireland and invests millions the only way the league is going to take it to the next level is getting the players a lot younger and keeping them and develop their technical ability, knowledge of the game, physical attributes etc.

That will be a tall order for players who all head off for England.

[Cosmo]

I think that's the key point. He may think these things, but he should know better than to say this stuff on one of the main promotional pieces we have for the league.
We've been crying out for more tv coverage of our teams for years. What's the point in having the exposure if Roddy then uses the opportunity to ridicule the league. People believe what the "experts" tell them. Do you really think that Sky Sports would want someone on their football programmes to say "The Premier league is cr@p and not a patch on the Italian/Spanish league"?
He should have known better.

Known better my hole, I didnt know he was suddenly appointed as the guardian angel of the eircom league - he's there as an analyst and has every right to say what he thinks.

Don't get we wrong, he annoys the f**k out of me at times, and he talks alot of crap but the fact of the matter is that the league needs characters like Roddy and Dolan (and he for once had a point last night) - they can be very entertaining for the neutral !

For me I thought the whole prematch and post match coverage was very well done and gave me a chukle just like dunphy, gilesy, etc do when theyre on

[EnDai]

Perhaps his wording wasn't great, and as much as I think he's a ****, he did have a point. I think it was like he was trying to put pressure on the FAI for more funding/advertising etc, but got himself in a twist.

But for the most part, he is right. We are at a glass ceiling so to speak, the final stages before group stages is quite a nice ceiling to be at though. All we need is to maintain this standard, and then one day someone will shatter that ceiling, and as we have seen time and time again, the rest of the teams will pick themselves up to that pioneering level.

[Passive]

Roddy's logic is: if I really criticise something, outsiders with money will step in and sort it all out.

As we are finding out at Rovers, it's very frustrating dealing with this logic.

[CuanaD]

get over it langers. if it wasnt for mick devine you would have been hammerd.

Lucky that the game is 11 against 11 then isn't it? The keeper is still a part of the team - Cork are in the enviable position of having a top-class shot stopper - worth a couple of goals a game & he showed that again last night. Corks bigger problem may prove to be at the other end of the pitch - if they could have scored 1 goal it would have set them up FAR better for the return. I still expect them to win at home in 2 weeks, tho probably not by enough to win the tie

[derm]

Roddy's "point" was that last night was as good as eL teams could ever be.

What I saw was a young team in its second season in european competition play poorly, deservedly lost yet still hit the woodwork three times and forced the opposition's keeper into two fine saves. Against a team that was knocked out of the Champions league.

There are many problems with the league but to say that we've gone as far as we can is laughable.

[CuanaD]

I just took the time to count back the shots on target for each team & it shows that Roddy was wrong - Slavia had 9 on target alright (including off the post) but Cork had 7! (2 in 1st half, 5 in second). So the 9:2 that roddy said is way off. 9:7 more like!
Slavia's problem was with their miss rate - they misset the target 11 times - not including a few ballons which were too far away to count (wheras cork only missed twice).

[Vitruvian Man]

I thought Cork were unlucky not to score but they were definately not unlucky to lose.

3-1 would have been a fair reflection on the game.

Fair play to Cork as well for sticking to their football principles and not going into their shell looking for a draw but I think they had a lot of problems with Slavia's high tempo pressure game. I don't think they are going to make it through the round but that's no shame.

When Slavia got that free kick was the only time you could hear the Salvia fans in the whole match. They were just chanting this guys name over and over like some crappy martial arts film where the crowd are chanting "Captain Death, Captain Death, Captain Death" while some ten-foot-tall bloke walks up to the ring.

I knew then that this guy is some kind of free-kick expert and sure enough...

Roddy, as I have said before, is a gobsh*te. Even if he is making a fair point he comes across as a total gobsh*te. I was just waiting for him to start talking about himself and bring up the only time in his football life that he achieved anything and, there it was at the end, "when I was at Bohs... blah blah blah."

[harry crumb]

Talk like that could back to haunt you on Sunday

[superfrank]

I didn't hear Roddy's interview but going on what I saw, Cork just need to get more accuracy on their shots and they'll score.

And training helps with that so it snowballs into more funding for facilities.

I rarely listen to Roddy's rants/comments. I think RTÉ recognised that it was a big ratings scalp cos they called up Bill instead of Daragh and the whole programme was done a bit more professionally then the earlier rounds and the CL.

In response to people saying noone criticised the players, Pat Morley certainly had a go at alot of the players throughout the match.

[higgins]

Roddy is a tool...

The point he was trying to make is a good one but the way he put it just looks very very bad.

In fact Fenlon was first to make that point earlier on in the seasona nd did it well. Rico too has mentioned it but what Roddy started to do last night was well out of order. Fenlon I think had to disagree with him just for the sake of the EL when I really think he agrees with Roddy.

Fair point Roddy but your timing was well off......

As for the 'we have not made progress' !! who is he kidding?? 24 games was it that fenlon said?... like that always happened Roddy.

[sullanefc]

I'd have to agree with Vitruvian Man, 3-1 would have been a fair reflection of the game and IMO 3-1 would have been a much better result than 2-0 cos you have an away goal and a 2-0 win at the Cross would see Cork through rather than level the tie. I'm afraid, I can see Slavia scoring at the cross which would mean Cork would need to score 4.

But, stranger things have happened and I'll be in the cross that night supporting the boys to cause yet another European upset!!

[pete]

Roody is a fool who is only back in the eL as couldn't get any other job. Rememebr his comments belittling the league when he left?

The eL has made huge strides in Europe recently. In the past we would have left in few goals in the last 10 minutes. Last night City had 4 glorious chances.

People need to rmember that Slavia come from a country ranking 12th in club terms! Slavia would have killed the swedes too. We are a country ranked in low 30s but IMo playing at upper 30's level. FFS Roddy it takes time to adapt to europe & we can't expect to beat teams in top 20 overnight.