Ireland v Cyprus/Switzerland - Pre-match thread (R)

I would like to say that I think we will win both games and get the playoff spot but when was the last time we won a big game against decent opposition? The recent performances of the team do not inspire confidence in me.

The best team beaten under Kerr has been Albania; even when everything was on the line against Switzerland and Russia during the Euro '04 qualifiers, Albania was as good as it got.

I can see a victory over Cyprus. I have no reason to expect anything other than a draw (or even a loss, though unlikely) against the Swiss, given the results against France, Israel in particular, and Switzerland. Also with Kerr's ultra-conservative style, playing 115 men behind the ball at all possible opportunities, it does not lead one to believe that he knows how to win the big games at senior international level.

Shay Given
Paddy Kenny
Nicky Colgan

Kenny Cunningham
Gary Breen
Andy O’Brien
Richard Dunne
John O’Shea
Stephen Carr
Ian Harte
Steve Finnan

Andy Reid
Steven Reid
Liam Miller
Matt Holland
Graham Kavanagh
Kevin Kilbane
Damien Duff

David Connolly
Gary Doherty
Stephen Elliott
Kevin Doyle
Robbie Keane
Clinton Morrison

A lot of class players for Kerr to choose from.

Think positive guys, you never know. Lets keep our fingers crossed that we can keep our hope alive.

C'mon Ireland!

Kevin Doyle and David Connolly. Start 'em I'd say.

opps forgot my

I would focus on simply winning our next game. Everything may be different after we see all the group results. The Swiss had a scare out there but with the right attitude we can surely get the points no matter who plays.
A couple of things I read after the France game perhaps worthy of a mention... Brian Kerr could not bring himself to shake hands with Domenech at the whistle. He must have been in bits as I do not see him as the spiteful type. Also, his preparations for the match included commanding that the field be narrowed to better contain the opposition which is interesting. Too bad he couldn't move the goalposts as well.
Three times now we have faced the Swiss in crucial matches and are second best. Maybe just the law of averages will see us do 'em this once.
David Connolly is back I see. Remember Belgium?

Gotta admit Im happy to see Connolly and Doyle called up. Hve seen very little of Doyle, but it is nice to think that should we need a goal, we actually have a STRIKER on the bench we could call upon-- altho I doubt Doyle will make the bench and Im sure Doherty (who altho I doubt I need to express my opinion on him- has been very effective against the Cypriots in the past!) will be sent on before Connolly.

Good to see Morrison playing full games and scoring for Palace by the way- should we win against Cyprus- which I think we will unconvincingly he will be as ever vitally important to us. And as Kerr never seems to want to take him off tho he always recently seems to have been (in his own classic words) "breathing out of his ass" after 60 minutes of play and has from then on been ineffectual- it is good to know that we should see a fitter Clinto in Dublin next week!!!

If Given got injured, Kerr would still consider Doherty as a possible replacement.

In fairness he has an uncanny knack of getting in the way of everything- whether it be an Irish shot or a ball that would have run for a corner- maybe you're onto something......

Glad to see the additions of Connolly and Doyle, we've really looked like we needed something new up top lately. The Cyprus game may be a good one to give Doyle his first cap, probably off the bench with Connolly getting the start.

I'm a bit worried about the Swiss though, like other's have said they have had our number in the past. I expect to see Connolly in this game at some point and hopefully he's got a point to prove after losing his place in the team against them in 2003.

Doyle is fast, he has got 3 for Reading so far & about 10 when he was with Cork City. He is like Duff good ball control & crosses started at Cork City flying down the wing, has a good eye for goals.

So he's an outright clone of Gary Doherty then?

Ireland vs. Switzerland [R]

http://www.elevenaside.com/worldcup2006/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=19353

Hakin Yakin out.

Re: Ireland vs. Switzerland [R]

Hasnt Yakin been the one who has scored in each of our games against the Swiss over the last few years?

Re: Ireland vs. Switzerland [R]

Yes.

He destroyed us in Euro qualifying.

Did anyone read the article in today's Independent about Kerr? It's a pretty fair piece, but makes it clear that unless Ireland qualify, Kerr's on his bike. Interesting read about the back room politics and makes no bones about the two Israeli debacles and his innate conservatism which has served him so poorly in this campaign. It also makes the point, made on these boards aswell, that given his lack of experience at the club level, he does not have the full backing of the dressing room.

The premise appears to be that if Kerr goes, he's primarily the architect of his own doom. About right, I would think.

Free registration required for the Indo. In two parts - here and here.

Read it, but would never say it's a fair piece.


When a reporter uses the term "a player said" and does not give the players name, I would question the credibility of the writer and also question the credibility of the player who gave the quote.

Other questionable points from the article.

I watched Chris Hughton go over detailed written instructions to a Spurs sub in the Charlton game this weekend, is Jol also not too good on that side of things?





Mike McCarthy is god now?

Funny thing about football, Mike McCarthy's Sunderland walked all over West Ham on Saturday and a player from Israel, Benayoun, stole two points and got the Hammers a draw.

the hurlers on the ditch know it all.




In an article in the NSCAA Journal this month Arsene Wenger was asked

"If you could change something in today's football, what would it be"?

His reply was..

"I am disturbed by the number of managers who lose their jobs despite putting their heart and soul into the game. I would ask the authority to show more patience. Maybe there should be a transfer window for coaches, and not just for players."

I thought it was an excellent article. In fairness the part about Hughton giving advise being bizarre is **************** and is a weak attack on Kerr.

However I have no problem with the writer not naming the quoted players, as many of these probably have played for or still play for Kerr and would like to express thier views without commiting international football suicide. Off the record statements play a huge part in all journalism.

In fairness to the writer you only gave half of what he said about man- management. He went on to say that other players feel that Kerr is excellent and you could go to him with any problem and that "his aversion to confrontation allows a more considered approach"!- This indeed is the view of friends of mine who played under Kerr at youth levels and will rave about his man-management.
Aslo the unquoted player is said to have workeD under him, implying I guess that he no longer does and thus his opinion is to be looked at in that context!
It seems tho that the important players in the squad have always been behind Kerr- Given, Duff and both Keanes regularly talk out in support of him.

On the McCarthy issue- it was never a secret that McCarthy instilled a great loyalty in his players and that many were sad to see him go. It was this loyalty that inspired our WC performances. So he has not become God all of a sudden but in fact was always IMO a good manager.

There is by the way another interesting article on Robbie Keane in the indepenent today. Although unfortunatly I disagree with the main point of the article- that Doyle and Elliot will soon put the serious pressure on Robbie (which he has never had in his 6 years in the squad) for his starting place.
I think Robbie is better then them both and although he has been poor and somewhat uninterested for us recently is too good to be dropped.

However what I found interesting were the figures given wiht the article. Robbie on these boards has been regularly criticised for his goalscoring returns- well the Article states that Robbie gas scored 15 goals in 33 competitive internationals. Which is a good return, but more interesting was that only 8 of these goals have come against minnows. He has therefore scored 7 times in big games against 'big teams' (tho some may argue that Iran and Saudi Arabia aren't big teams, i think the importance of the game counts)