Stan and FAI board must go now

**gspain** · 22/10/2007, 2:45 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

I've requoted you as you've added two new countries since my previous response.

Sweden have been nothing like a consistently high-flying performer in world football - that's why you can't give them as an example. They've only qualified for 2 World cups, and it took them even longer than the Republic to make their first (1994). Their recent results against NI also show their inconsistency. The Czechs haven't been around for that long in all fairness. Even if they did inherit much of the mantle of the previous Czechoslovakia team, it still took them 12 years to make their first World Cup (last year) - where they went out in the First Round.

World football did not begin in the last decade....

Far from qualifying in 1994 for the first time

Sweden's WC record includes

1934 quarter finals
1938 4th place
1950 3rd place
1958 runners up
1970 group stages
1974 2nd phase
1978 group stages
1990 Group stages

I may have missed something but I think that is pretty impressive.

They were also 3rd in 1994 so a runners up spot, 2 3rds isn't bad.

**Calcio Jack** · 22/10/2007, 2:56 PM

Originally Posted by gspain

Far from qualifying in 1994 for the first time

Sweden's WC record includes

1934 quarter finals
1938 4th place
1950 3rd place
1958 runners up
1970 group stages
1974 2nd phase
1978 group stages
1990 Group stages

I may have missed something but I think that is pretty impressive.

They were also 3rd in 1994 so a runners up spot, 2 3rds isn't bad.

To complete the stats, they also qualified for both the 2002 and 2006 finals

dcfcsteve you're right World football didn't just begin in the last decade !!

**dcfcsteve** · 22/10/2007, 3:24 PM

Originally Posted by gspain

Far from qualifying in 1994 for the first time

Sweden's WC record includes

1934 quarter finals
1938 4th place
1950 3rd place
1958 runners up
1970 group stages
1974 2nd phase
1978 group stages
1990 Group stages

I may have missed something but I think that is pretty impressive.

They were also 3rd in 1994 so a runners up spot, 2 3rds isn't bad.

Well corrected Gary. Not sure how I got that so badly wrong - considering I know they hosted it in 1958, as that's when Norn Iron got to the quarter-finals !!

That'll teach me not to quickly type crafty posts in a client's office whilst looking over me shoulder to make sure no one sees me.....

So recent woeful results against NI aside - we have one country in the world with a population of less than 15m who are consistent(ish) performers globally. Yet every dog and its mother thinks that Ireland has a god-given right to also be a consistently high performer in world football - despite our very small population and the fact that no other country with a population close to ours is able to do it (our population is only 44% of Sweden's). See where I'm coming from...?

**DmanDmythDledge** · 22/10/2007, 3:38 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

So recent woeful results against NI aside - we have one country in the world with a population of less than 15m who are consistent(ish) performers globally. Yet every dog and its mother thinks that Ireland has a god-given right to also be a consistently high performer in world football - despite our very small population and the fact that no other country with a population close to ours is able to do it (our population is only 44% of Sweden's). See where I'm coming from...?

I don't see why it should have anything to do with population. At the moment we have a very good squad of players and would have qualified with a decent manager, even the previous incumbent who wasn't deemed good enough by the world class talent spotter Delaney (our best manager since Jack too <if not better>).

Also just look at the amount of youngsters going over to academies in Britain each year. Many talented players are competing with the young players that Britain produce to try to be a success, with very long odds of being a success. If the FAI introduced a proper underage structure in this country in conjunction with eL clubs more youngsters would make it as professional footballers, with the benefit of improving the standard of the national league and producing more footballers that can play at the highest level.

**Jerry The Saint** · 22/10/2007, 3:45 PM

Derry has a smaller population than other areas and I'm sure you'll agree that they do have a God-given right to be a consistently high performer. They should be an inspiration to the national team of what can be achieved if you have the necessary access routes to expand your stadium.

**Erstwhile B�z** · 22/10/2007, 6:03 PM

Originally Posted by londonred

Can we rejoin the IFA?

Love it. Might actually give a flying feck if it was actually an "Ireland" team.

**dcfcsteve** · 23/10/2007, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by Jerry The Saint

Derry has a smaller population than other areas and I'm sure you'll agree that they do have a God-given right to be a consistently high performer. They should be an inspiration to the national team of what can be achieved if you have the necessary access routes to expand your stadium.

Poor attempt at sarcasm aside (

), if we were restricted to only playing players from Derry, then you might actually have a point. An example of this would be Atletico Bilbao, who only sign Basque players. Which may help to explain why they haven't won anything in over 20 years...

It is patently obvious that a country with a small population will have a much smaller pool of players to draw from, and is therefore much less likely to have consistent success than nations with a much larger pool of potential players to draw from.

Big nations have the population to continually deliver a conveyor belt of quality players. Nations with tiny populations like Ireland only occassionally deliver world class players, and tend to face success in waves - dependent upon the quality of their small crop of potential players at any one point in time.

**dcfcsteve** · 23/10/2007, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by Jerry The Saint

Derry has a smaller population than other areas and I'm sure you'll agree that they do have a God-given right to be a consistently high performer. They should be an inspiration to the national team of what can be achieved if you have the necessary access routes to expand your stadium.

P.S. I'm reliably informed that there are actually numerous exit points form Richmond Park in existence.

It's just that Dolan had them blocked up during his 'Supersaints' era, to keep the fans in.....

**soccerc** · 23/10/2007, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

P.S. I'm reliably informed that there are actually numerous exit points form Richmond Park in existence.

It's just that Dolan had them blocked up during his 'Supersaints' era, to keep the fans in.....

..at least we understood that exit gates opened outwards. Now tell me why DCFC failed the first round of licensing in 2004

**CollegeTillIDie** · 23/10/2007, 7:02 AM

When the Czech Republic and Slovakia were Czechoslovakia they had a population of around 15 million. They made 2 World Cup Finals , one before the war in the 1930's , one after the war, in 1962. They also won the European Championships in 1976 beating Germany in a penalty shoot out and a few Olympic Gold medals at football.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 23/10/2007, 7:07 AM

Text Yes or No to 53305 to answer the question Should John Delaney Resign in a TV 3 poll .

**ifk101** · 23/10/2007, 7:10 AM

Sweden doesn't have a better squad than what we have. Let's look at the facts;
Goalkeeper - Isaksson versus Given, Given is twice the goalie Isaksson is.
Right-full - Nilsson versus Finnan, Nilsson couldn't get his game at Southampton, Finnan is a much better player,
Centre-half - Mellberg + Hansson versus Dunne + McShane, Dunne is better than Mellberg whilst there's isn't that much between Hansson and McShane.
Left-back - Edman versus ???, Sweden better in this position as we don't have a left back,
Right-midfield, Wilhemsson versus ????, Sweden better here because I don't know who our first choice player in this position is,
Centre-midfield, Anders Svennson + Tobias Linderoth versus Carsley and whoever, Sweden's players in this position are failures in the British game. I personally think we can pick up to five players that are better than Anders Svennson.
Left-midfield, Ljungberg versus Duff, I think Duff is a class players when he wants to be but Ljungberg has shown the greater consistency down through the years,
Striker, Zlatan + Elmander versus Keane + Doyle. Not much too choose here between both sets of strikers.

The difference between Sweden and Ireland is that they collectively as one unit are better than us but individually we have a better squad. They know their best side in each position, they know what formation they are going to play, they all know their role in their team, they are organised both on and off the pitch. Do we know our best side in each position, know what formation we are going to play, do the players know their role in the team, are we organised both on and off the pitch??? Simple questions with simple questions. That's the difference - it's got nothing to do with population, it's about coaching the best out of the players available which we have failed miserably at under Stan.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 23/10/2007, 7:18 AM

All very well but Damien Duff hasn't played for six months or more.
It is possible that he may not play again.

**ifk101** · 23/10/2007, 7:25 AM

Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

All very well but Damien Duff hasn't played for six months or more.
It is possible that he may not play again.

Irrelevant. Ljungberg is injured all the time.

The point is that Sweden has a professional level of organisation. The play a 4-1-3-2 in every competitive match and with all players available, the team picks itself. Compare this with Ireland - if that's possible?

**Sheridan** · 23/10/2007, 7:29 AM

Ifk101, I'm not really interested in this debate but I'd have to take issue with some of your evaluations above. Zlatan and Elmander are orders of magnitude better than Keane and Doyle; granted Zlatan doesn't often perform at international level, but then neither does Keane.

I can't see Ljunberg being around the national team much longer, but Kallstrom is certainly better than Duff.

**ifk101** · 23/10/2007, 7:37 AM

Originally Posted by Sheridan

Ifk101, I'm not really interested in this debate but I'd have to take issue with some of your evaluations above. Zlatan and Elmander are orders of magnitude better than Keane and Doyle; granted Zlatan doesn't often perform at international level, but then neither does Keane.

I can't see Ljunberg being around the national team much longer, but Kallstrom is certainly better than Duff.

Well Zlatan is IMO one of the best strikers around. I think Keane and Doyle though are better players than Elmander but that's a matter of opinion.

K�llstr�m plays in the middle so he's not a similar player to Duff. He's a better player than Anders Svensson but the Swedish coach prefers Svensson to K�llstr�m and consequently K�llstr�m only plays when somebody is injured or in friendlies when they try something different.

But again, the point is that we have as good if not better pick of players than what Sweden has. The problem is with aren't seeing this for reasons I've already pointed out.