Ireland v Switzerland - Post-match discussion

**Peadar** · 13/10/2005, 8:37 AM

I'm glad that's over!
If we'd scraped through last night, many thousands of gullible fools like me would have shelled out to attend both legs of the play-off. The agony would simply have been prolonged because we simply aren't good enough. We would have been eliminated in the play-off.

A blind man could see last night that Andy Reid and Robbie Keane were simply not up to the job. This has been evident for some time and the fact that neither of them can get their game at an average mid table club like Spurs says it all. Steven Reid got more crosses in during his brief spell on the pitch than Andy Reid did in the entire game.
Stephen Elliot was more dangerous during his brief spell on the pitch than Robbie Keane was in the entire game.

For all the people who struggled to get tickets last night, you won’t have the same problem for a long time to come. There is very little in that squad to attract the masses.

Farewell Mr. Kerr, you gave it a shot but managing an International team with a limited squad of average players is never easy.

As I've said before, there are only 3 world class players available to Ireland. Only one of them was on the pitch last night.

John O'Shea, do us all a favour and get Alex Ferguson to keep you at Old Trafford for international games in future.

**mchurl** · 13/10/2005, 9:25 AM

Originally Posted by thejollyrodger

at the end of the day we were simply not good enough. We dont have enough world class players to compete at the highest level. We cant even beat ordinary sides like ISrael and Switzerland

Too True but normally a bit of fight from the platers goes long way. just don't know if there was any fight out there last night

**eirebhoy** · 13/10/2005, 9:53 AM

WTF was a German ref doing reffing a Swiss match? If it was a Derryman there'd be uproar.

**razor** · 13/10/2005, 10:22 AM

5 second half substitutions, at least 2 injury stoppages one for blood and one for when Steven Reid got yer man a dinger of an elbow in the chest.

The ref then calls 2 minutes and blows up 10 seconds early.

While we may not have scored til Christmas I would still have liked the chance to try.

**Feech** · 13/10/2005, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

WTF was a German ref doing reffing a Swiss match? If it was a Derryman there'd be uproar.

Absolute nonsense.

**Gerrit** · 13/10/2005, 2:40 PM

Liam, if Dudu Awat didn't get injured or perform an act (whatever if it was real or not) Ireland-Israel would be 2-2 as well. It's not like a penalty was not given or like a goal was disapproved without reason. The goalie won a few minutes, the chances that Ireland would have scored if they had 4 minutes more was hardly 10% or so.
Awat did keep Ireland out of the WC, not by his "antics" but with his superb save in the end of the game on that header.

**pineapple stu** · 13/10/2005, 2:46 PM

Originally Posted by Gerrit

Liam, if Dudu Awat didn't get injured or perform an act (whatever if it was real or not) Ireland-Israel would be 2-2 as well.

If Awat had've been sent off and a penalty given to us when he punched O'Brien in the nose (same with Barthez), we'd've gotten to the play-offs.

The Israel games screwed us over. But I blame us more than them.

**Gerrit** · 13/10/2005, 2:48 PM

You can debate about if Awat did comedy or not, agreed. But penalty?? Looks out of perspective.

Ireland lost it in Tel Aviv by not going for the 0-2 instead of defending the 0-1 (with the well-known result).