One of the few!!Originally Posted by seanfhear
I think we need to be careful about claims like this. Lawal has done nothing to deserve a call-up if we're honest. He's in there by default because of how bad we are.
It could absolutely be worse if we start random players just because. The inherent bias in "x player is young and eligible" has probably blinded us to a bit to just how crap we are (as Kingdom pointed out earlier)
I don't think we should be that bad that we're getting creamed by Armenia, but we're bad.
I don't agree with this - though I agree with most of your post
Contact hours is a big issue for us. We're easy behind most, if not all, other European countries in that regard.
You're right that that doesn't impact Collins (say) because he's a Premier League player by rights now (who left Ireland at 15 - another factor). But it must impact our options. With proper academics we would be producing more players. We wouldn't have to bring on a guy at St Mirren for example.
So it's definitely a factor for me in how bad we are the last few years - but equally it doesn't excuse the guys out there tonight that performance
So what do we do Pineapple, just keep playing the same lads knowing 100% that they are not good enough and never will be?
Its really not that complicated!!!
Its a moot point and not trying to labour the LoI rose coloured specs, but a mini straw poll - do people think that say Shamrock Rovers would have been as poor against Armenia tonight? Pretend our international squad went on strike,We have somthing of a guage due to European football. I ask trying to reconcile overall ability with simply a team.
Honestly (and melodramatically), i'd turf all the c*nts who played tonight out - make them run laps til they puke - and start the next game with a fresh batch who might want to fight for the jersey and play they way they can play. Honohan, Lawal, whoever, get them on there. It surely couldn't have been any worse?
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
People need to stop thinking that the solution to our midfield problem is replacing them with other midfielders. There are no other better midfielders - Smallbone and Molumby are probably close to being on a par with Cullen and Knight, everyone else is far worse. That's not a compliment of those two, just a statement of the reality of the other options. Jack Taylor isn't any better, neither is Alan Browne. Finn doesn't get his game in Ligue 2, Lawal might be an option for a future campaign, but not yet. There's also little sign of anyone else coming through, which is even more concerning.
I was really disappointed with the way we set up tonight, because I thought the team named had potential. But then he played Taylor much to far forward instead of in a proper midfield three and Azaz got pushed out to the side. It might not have made a difference anyway, but it was the wrong setup of those players for me.
But yeah, Cullen and Knight are there simply because there's nobody better available.
They would have likely also lost. After all they recently lost to a club side from Kosovo away from home. What makes you think they'd beat the Armenia national team in Yerevan?
We play the best team we have and don't delude ourselves that someone who's senior experience pretty much amounts to relegation to the fourth tier with Fleetwood is going to improve things.
I don't like it either. I get there's always a glimmer of hope with a new player (before he's dumped on the scrapheap for the next option).
But to answer SkStu's question "It surely couldn't have been any worse?" - yes. Yes it could.
And again, I don't like that any more than you do.
In slightly better news, the U21s are holding out against Andorra.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
For the record Lawal has started the season well for Stoke
Its really not that complicated!!!
But, will clubs ( English clubs ) let players put in that sort of effort for international teams like the Republic of Ireland these days ?
Maybe that is why Michael O' Neill plays ( for the Six Counties ) so many young players that are still trying to make their way in the professional game ?
He's playing centre back. And he's playing for Stoke.
Average rating of 6.5 over six games - https://www.whoscored.com/players/45...ow/bosun-lawal
Whoopdy woo
Again, this is the (very natural) bias that we all have here - new player coming through who's eligible - start him for the senior team now and it'll change things!
But it won't
Look all Im saying is we've seen Cullen Knight for years and its crap. If ye are happy to see it continue thats up to you.
Its really not that complicated!!!
I'm not happy to see it continue
But if you want to see it get worse, that's up to you
Agreed in general... results wise, it's all pretty marginal but after tonight I am sick to the back teeth of some of these players. There is something to be said, psychologically if nothing else, about freshening things up and having some of these underperformers realize that nothing is guaranteed. If they're not strong enough mentally for a tough game in Yerevan then they dont belong out there. I'd be fine looking at others who might. At this point who gives a fck? We cant drop much further in terms of humiliation. Tonight was a shambles and a disgrace. As Crosby said, there wasnt even any fight in them. Thats table stakes for any Irish team of any vintage. These losers just completely capitulated. As i said before, Armenia ended up taking the p*ss out of us out there in the 2nd half. How can that be explained rationally and reasonably?
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
How the fcuk could it get worse than that today. Our keeper stopped it being 5 or 6 against a team who are 105th in the world! They walked through the middle of the pitch at will. Tell me what would have been worse.
Fcukin hell, as SkStu said, every one of them bar Ferguson and Kelleher should be worried about their places in the squad again
Its really not that complicated!!!
We both know Rovers would have won that game for 3 specific reasons.
Rovers are well coached
Rovers players would not have taken the game for granted
Rovers have better midfielders than Cullen and Knight.
International panels are only together for a few weeks at a time so coaching has to be specific and easily digested. The Irish players tonight,and on Saturday ( keeper & striker exempt) looked like they would struggle to get the alphabet explained to them. Cretins.
Thankfully Michael Noonan scored for the U21's- these are the lads that need our attention,not the overpaid, money grabbing, english league domestiques that wear the green
Shamrock Rovers- Where trophies are won and envy is scarce
Completely agree with that. I don't know what the issue is - they're better than what went on tonight
But equally they were all for the most part players we were clamouring on to start 3/4 years ago. And now we want to dump them en masse - but we'll likely just want to dump Lawal etc al en masse in 3/4 years' time too
No.
No they don't
We done with that? Good
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