Fans losing heart with the players??

[GavinZac]

Fair point...

and murphy...

[Kingdom]

[QUOTE=bwagner;815387]

I will sum all this up for you in 3 words:

DO THEY CARE?????

Do they **** - maybe 2 -3 players but look at even some of Finnan displays (cyprus for a start)

A small country does not wash one bit with me anymore - 20 + players in the premiership with a descent support cast.

Its not as simple as them "not cariing" and I don't believe we'd be happy if our team gave 100% and still took a tonking. Most of the problems we have is down to the direction management has been giving and in this respect Givens has to be included in the blame game. Some footballers are smart, some are dumb. The most successful manager we had was successful purely because he wouldn't tolerate any dissention from his footballing plan. He marginalised one of our (at the time) greatest defenders over what he perceived as a lack of enthusiasm and in my opinion the next manager is going to have to do something similar, albeit maybe not so drastically.

Are the fans disillusioned? As the man from delmonte would say "Yes!" But I think it has more to do with the whole set-up, i.e. the performances, the manager, the strange selections, the press utterings by the management team, the appointment procedure, everything.
That has definitely been compounded by the stupid ill-advised recent comments by the players. Nobody expects a player to come out and say "well Stan wasn't up to much, I'm glad he's gone to be honest" but there's no reason to be saying what Reid and Hunt have been saying the past few days.
Particularily Hunt; he's barely got his foot in the door, and for all the gusto and bluster of his few sub appearances, he's actually done pretty little apart from his performance against Slovakia in Croker.

In saying all that, I don't believe it would take much to change the fans attitude. A couple of decent performances would raise spirits and obviously a new appointment should induce some sort of a feel-good aura back to the National team.

It seems we are down to 2 managers: Jewell or Houllier.
In terms of the National team, I think this is the most important selection of my time following the National team. Get it right and there is enought of a core group of young players to kick and develop. Get it wrong and it would be hard to maintain our current status (which isn't great anyway)

[Kingdom]

You have to try and differentiate between playing badly and lacking effort.

Exactly Eirebhoy. So many players played badly that night, but I don't believe that any of it was down to lack of effort. Did anyone else find the way O'Brien and Kenny were treated subsequently pretty shabby? I know I did, Andy O'Brien has played very well for Ireland, he's had one poor performance (v Cyprus) when he shouldn't have been picked due to his club situation, and once performance (v Israel) where he played well but was vilified for being sent off, when in reality he did what everyone in the ground would have done - deck Dudu!
In relation to Kenny, I was disappointed the way Staunton dragged his private life into public glare when the media hadn't done so (they would have done) but I felt it was a cheap shot on behalf of the manager.

[RogerMilla]

[QUOTE=Kingdom;815502]

Its not as simple as them "not cariing" and I don't believe we'd be happy if our team gave 100% and still took a tonking.


It seems we are down to 2 managers: Jewell or Houllier.

we wouldnt get any tonkings from anyone of our players gave 100% but more importantly we woulnt under perform against the poorer teams.

where is this houllier and jewell info coming from ? any links ? both good candidates anyway.

[Ireland4ever]

We need more players who are willing to die for the team, not cry to Pat Kenny (im looking at you Captain Keane) when things are tough...

I dont know if anyone read hunts article in the indo during the week...He is a refreshingly honest professional when he speaks, no bull****, and to boot you know he tries his hardest every time he plays for Ireland. Even this week he was saying how this Wales match is important to him. he wants to put in a good performance so he can oust duff out of the team or onto the other wing. Thats what we look for in every player who pulls on the green jersey, unfortunately the hunts/dunnes/givens/kilbanes are in the minority of late.

[fergalr]

What we need is a no nonsense manager to come in and give those wasters a good kick up the ar$e.

Somebody like this for example.

[Kingdom]

[QUOTE=RogerMilla;815510]

we wouldnt get any tonkings from anyone of our players gave 100% but more importantly we woulnt under perform against the poorer teams.

where is this houllier and jewell info coming from ? any links ? both good candidates anyway.

I disagree. Of course you can get a hiding while giving 100% ! You are on the nose about underperforming against the poorer nations. When we've been successful, it was done by winning (however marginal) our games against the weak countries whilst taking points off our rivals away from home and nicking the odd win agaisnt same at home.
Just look at the away records in the 94 and 02 qualifying campaigns. Beat the minnows with conviction away and took priceless points off our rivals too.

[youngirish]

Kingdom why are you quoting and arguing with yourself? Are you Norman Bates?

[RogerMilla]

Kingdom why are you quoting and arguing with yourself? Are you Norman Bates?

nah he has goosed up the quote , i actually said that.

alright kingdom we can still take a tonking while at 100% but it would take some team to do it , kind of like spain in the 3-1 game in landsdowne many years ago.

anyway bottom line is we are underperforming and its not the fans who need to change as we as fans punch far above our weight than most other countries fans ( france you fickle bastids!!!). Our players need to sort themselves out , Big time.

[carloz]

Well I think everyone is being a tab bit unfair on O'Brien. Yes he pulled out of Stauntons last game but i agree with him 100% on this. If it were me i would have told Staunton to **** off. He was made a scape goat 100% against Cyprus and the comments after the match from Staunton that Robson talked him into starting him ahead of McShane were a slap in the face to a guy who has always done well for us. I would give him the benefit of the doubt this time in the belief that he may actually be injured. Im sure Foley from Wolves would love to get a chance to play and show what he is worth so i would be fairly sure he is injured. For me the only player that i would really rely on to do his level best to be ready and able to play for Ireland is Given. he seems the only player that is willing to come back early from injury to helo us out.