Andorra V Republic of Ireland - Thursday, 3rd June 2021 - Friendly

**ontheotherhand** · 28/05/2021, 6:50 PM

Look, it's not great but it's also a little bit exciting to see so many players with potential out there. We are a long way away from being able to field 11 players who are really at international level but there's only one road to get there.......a desperate last ditch Duffy goal on 93 mins v Andorra and we are on our way!

Hopefully having the players for some real training time will help us play the passing game a bit more effectively. It would be better to have the full squad but maybe a few will step up.

**pineapple stu** · 28/05/2021, 6:59 PM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

a desperate last ditch Duffy goal on 93 mins v Andorra and we are on our way!

Jesus I hope not! I'd likely have some sort of stroke watching us scoreless against Andorra for that long...

**paul_oshea** · 28/05/2021, 7:07 PM

Looking at the squad and the potential players/team, I'm wondering what the point of this exercise is, especially given Kenny is saying he wants time with the players to get his message across and his system/style . When September Comes it'll be back to the same 11, in or around , that we all know and started the last couple of qualifiers. All these call ups from left field won't be around.

**Fixer82** · 28/05/2021, 7:12 PM

Who the hell is Sam Szmodics?

**Diggs246** · 28/05/2021, 7:16 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Jesus I hope not! I'd likely have some sort of stroke watching us scoreless against Andorra for that long...

I've seen nothing to indicate a comfortable night. I dont want to be a negative Nelly. But we're in deep sh*t lads. The players are really poor and the manager is just awful.

**pineapple stu** · 28/05/2021, 7:25 PM

Oh yeah. I'm not looking forward to this one at all. And that's without thinking about Hungary match straight after.

**paul_oshea** · 28/05/2021, 7:31 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Cyrus Christie was a player that nobody knew was eligible when he was called up

Funny thing that, a friend of mine the night he was called up txt me saying his cousin was called up, obviously I thought he was taking the ****. This is a Dublin born lad, so they'd known but didn't ever think he was going to get called up, but knew the Fai were aware.

**CraftyToePoke** · 28/05/2021, 7:38 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Looking at the squad and the potential players/team, I'm wondering what the point of this exercise is, especially given Kenny is saying he wants time with the players to get his message across and his system/style . When September Comes it'll be back to the same 11, in or around , that we all know and started the last couple of qualifiers. All these call ups from left field won't be around.

But what should he do instead ? The man has to look busy.

**ontheotherhand** · 28/05/2021, 8:42 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Looking at the squad and the potential players/team, I'm wondering what the point of this exercise is, especially given Kenny is saying he wants time with the players to get his message across and his system/style . When September Comes it'll be back to the same 11, in or around , that we all know and started the last couple of qualifiers. All these call ups from left field won't be around.

We all agree that it's thin squad that's been badly exposed for a lack of quality. So why wouldn't use the time available to either try out new players or try to get players more comfortable with the system?

If the team is:

Kelleher

Doherty, Coleman, Egan, O'Shea, Manning

Cullen, Molumby, Hourihane, McGrath

Idah

then I'd be thinking at least 4 of them are solid bets to be first choice when the games start to matter again - Coleman, Egan, Doherty, O'Shea, Hourihane, Idah, Cullen and Molumby are all either first choice or knocking on the door.

5 of them played against Serbia fwiw. And you have others in there who are in or close to the full strength squad as well - Horgan, Manning, Curtis, Arter etc.

Hardly pointless.

**Snapshot** · 29/05/2021, 5:31 AM

Originally Posted by jbyrne

its only a training camp with a couple of end of international season friendlies thrown in. lots of players missing, a few new ones getting a try out.
a discussion like this about the worst player to appear in a squad for us is hugely insulting to the player(s) concerned. more worthy of another fans forum i can think of.....

More interesting would be a discussion on who's our second-worst ever international manager.

**dr_peepee** · 29/05/2021, 8:24 AM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Cyrus Christie was a player that nobody knew was eligible when he was called up

I hadn’t heard of Paul Greens eligibility when he was called up.

**Paddy Garcia** · 29/05/2021, 8:28 AM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

We all agree that it's thin squad that's been badly exposed for a lack of quality. So why wouldn't use the time available to either try out new players or try to get players more comfortable with the system?

If the team is:

Kelleher

Doherty, Coleman, Egan, O'Shea, Manning

Cullen, Molumby, Hourihane, McGrath

Idah

then I'd be thinking at least 4 of them are solid bets to be first choice when the games start to matter again - Coleman, Egan, Doherty, O'Shea, Hourihane, Idah, Cullen and Molumby are all either first choice or knocking on the door.

5 of them played against Serbia fwiw. And you have others in there who are in or close to the full strength squad as well - Horgan, Manning, Curtis, Arter etc.

Hardly pointless.

Molumby can't get regular game time even out on loan - so not sure he is anywhere near yet.

**paul_oshea** · 29/05/2021, 9:55 AM

Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

But what should he do instead ? The man has to look busy.

Normally I'd say ya play them and get going, build a rapport and get a couple of good results. But I'm not sure with the lads available who mainly will be coming in fresh to his system there's much to gain, if he loses and draws he's in an even worse position than he is now. I just feel the exercise is futile. I don't see him "winning" out of this.

**paul_oshea** · 29/05/2021, 9:59 AM

Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

But what should he do instead ? The man has to look busy.

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

We all agree that it's thin squad that's been badly exposed for a lack of quality. So why wouldn't use the time available to either try out new players or try to get players more comfortable with the system?

If the team is:

Kelleher

Doherty, Coleman, Egan, O'Shea, Manning

Cullen, Molumby, Hourihane, McGrath

Idah

then I'd be thinking at least 4 of them are solid bets to be first choice when the games start to matter again - Coleman, Egan, Doherty, O'Shea, Hourihane, Idah, Cullen and Molumby are all either first choice or knocking on the door.

5 of them played against Serbia fwiw. And you have others in there who are in or close to the full strength squad as well - Horgan, Manning, Curtis, Arter etc.

Hardly pointless.

I just feel he has more to lose than gain, because the results could be very bad(Hungary might not be bothered and win a reprieve) and then has he learned anything from the peripheral peripheral players. I mean he's called up players that some of is barely or didn't know at all!

Agreed on molumby I haven't seen enough of him, both in terms of playing time and when he's played to suggest he's going to be anything special.. same goes for knight or parrot etc. Connollys a has been at this stage :P. Cullen too inconsistent. I mean none of that is kennys fault, apart from he got it wrong that this would seamlessly shift through from underage to snr.

**Diggs246** · 29/05/2021, 2:22 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

I just feel he has more to lose than gain, because the results could be very bad(Hungary might not be bothered and win a reprieve) and then has he learned anything from the peripheral peripheral players. I mean he's called up players that some of is barely or didn't know at all!

Agreed on molumby I haven't seen enough of him, both in terms of playing time and when he's played to suggest he's going to be anything special.. same goes for knight or parrot etc. Connollys a has been at this stage :P. Cullen too inconsistent. I mean none of that is kennys fault, apart from he got it wrong that this would seamlessly shift through from underage to snr.

Cullen made one mistake v Serbia, barr that he has been good. Molumby looks like a lunatic to me.

**Charlie Darwin** · 30/05/2021, 4:25 AM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Looking at the squad and the potential players/team, I'm wondering what the point of this exercise is, especially given Kenny is saying he wants time with the players to get his message across and his system/style . When September Comes it'll be back to the same 11, in or around , that we all know and started the last couple of qualifiers. All these call ups from left field won't be around.

14 different players started the last two games though.