My thoughts: 1. Given was injured and should not have played. It was clear he was not at his normal level. 2. We played WAY too deep. England played deep and defensive, we played stupid. England laid back but had serious pressure on any player within 5-10 yards of their 18 yard box. We should have done the same, instead we just kept moving further and further back. I literally don't understand this at all. It was completely stupid. I was screaming at the TV for someone to go to the ball. 3. Look at the 2nd goal. Modric has the ball about 30 yards from goal and we have 9 players standing INSIDE our 18 yard box. 4. Third Goal: Player with no pressure 5 yards from our 18 is allowed to fire a cross into our box. WTF!?!?! 5. Why is Stephen Ward playing when we have Stephen Kelly on the bench? Move O'Shea to LB if you have to. How did Marc Wilson not make this team? 6. I think McGeady and Duff need to play on their correct wings. Too often both (especially Duff) had to cut inside instead of play crosses or run down the wings. 7. It was unquestionably a penalty and at around the 60th min it would have given us great belief and oomph to go forward for the equalizer. Terrible decision by the referee. 8. I may be wrong about this, but I think Keane should be replaced. In the system we're playing it's better if we have two mobile and quick forwards. Two of Doyle, Long, and Walters may give us an advantage of physical ability that will cause problems for the opposing defense.
I think Walters could come in for Doyle but that might be it. I personally would bring in Kelly and move O'Shea to LD dropping Ward. I would also play Walters on his own up front, drop Keane and bring in Gibson. Or else I would play Walters and Long together.
Regardless of our result tomorrow, Trappatoni has got to go. He gave this interview to Uefa on the eve of the biggest game our national team has played in the past 10 years. http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/news/newsid=1817274.html Lets list the players who play, week in week out, in the Premier league (or their respective reserve squads) alone. He could of chose from any of these, I'm sure they would've been adaptable!! Ciaran Clarke Wes Hoolahan Stephen Ireland Anthony Pilkington Seamus Coleman Rory Delap Conor Clifford (would've been a stretch, but he's a Chelsea man with potential) Steven Reid Robbie Brady (another stretch, but he's on Man uniteds roster) James McCarthy (okay he pulled out, but not only because his father is sick, but also because he knew Trappatoni wouldn't give him a chance and he'd be only wasting his time going) Leon Best Joey O Brien (okay the was just promoted with West Ham) but instead he chose players (who he admits to in his interview), don't play often!! and sticks them into a Euro Championship squad. Screw his system, Screw his ideas...let's have him out, and get someone in who cares!!! I'm sick of him referencing Chelsea's champions league win or Greece's 2008 run. He'll be at least 75 before the next world cup rolls around..let's give him his pension, put him in a nice home and move on!! That been said #COYBIG tomorrow...Fingers crossed!!! LOL!!!
No need to resort to insults. I'm just wondering how such a poor side managed to qualify for a tournament of this magnitude?
American here but 1/2 Irish (Catholic) by ancestry. Irish credential established, I'm rooting for a draw, realizing a win is pretty much an impossibility. A draw would leave Ireland with a real chance of qualifying going into the final group match. The only requirements being, 1) beat Italy, and 2) hope Croatia and Spain don't both exceed 4 points (or have Croatia get in on a tiebreaker with Ireland at 4 points each). #2 would happen if Italy beats Croatia today or if Croatia beats or draws both Italy and Spain.
Painful stuff to watch against Spain, but it was always going to be that way. They are just a different class.
Well it was fun while it lasted...3 minutes of game 1. Totally outclassed. I hope they took lots of pictures on their vacation.
Magnificent fans. Was there in '88, '90, '94 and '02. Just couldn't make it this time. But sounds and looks very like the last games of the previous 4 tournaments. Truth is we were just not good enough. No shame in that. You can only play with what you have. Great fans.
Agreed, no contest really. Now there'll be talk of getting rid of Trap. I'm in two minds about it. He got us here but then again he has no plan B tactically and brings on Paul Green. Fans were brilliant at the end, we're the world champions at fandom. Pity we can't play footie...
Not certain that there's ever a Plan B with that squad. You can make the argument about a few players here and there, but it's not like we left a Marcos Senna or Andrea Pirlo sitting at home. Essentially Ireland has a population of about 5M from which to pick (emigrants included) and this is what you get. The achievement was getting there. Once the groups were announced, it was always going to be a huge ask. Give us England's group and maybe. But 3 teams ranked in the FIFA top 10? Yeah, not so much.
Yeah, it was asking a lot to be competitive in this group. But Croatia also has the same population so I'm not sure if that's a legit reason to be so outclassed.
I think he's got to go. While Ireland doesn't have a great amount of players to choose from there are a whole host of players playing in the Prem and Championship that were never given a chance. Darron Gibson was brilliant with Everton in the second half of the season. Players like Wes Hoolahan shouldn't be left at home. I know we're not Spain or Brazil, and that is especially why player selection is so important.
Spain were amazing and there's no shame in trying 100% and simply not having the ability. But, Bringing on Paul Green when 3-0 down is inexplicable. Robbie Keane shouldn't have been on that pitch, he just doesn't have it anymore. And Darron Gibson should have been on. At least there's alaways a chance of him getting a goal out of nowhere. Also, I hope that either Wilson or Clarke will now permanently replace Ward who has franky been embarassing.
I've been to Croatia twice and basketball certainly competes with football as their number one sport. Also, you have handball, waterpolo and athletics which are all very popular. Croatia is a great sporting country both in terms of achievement and your average person in the street getting involved.
It was an acheivment getting there with that squad. I also felt he just brought on McClean at 3-0 down to say, 'there I told you so'.
It has already been called the moment of the Euros. Yes, we know Ireland got whumped 4-0 by Spain last night (and it could have been more), but the Irish fans in the stadium sang for the last 6-7 minutes of the game and for about 10 minutes after continuously. Anyway, it's often said that football commentators often ruin great emotional moments with inane chatter, [cough]Clive Tyldesley [/cough], but here's one German commentator who gets it. Other than to say 'final whistle' (I think), he shut up for the last 6 minutes, telling his audience he was going to let the Irish fans speak for themselves.