Huge match on Friday! If we lose in Stockholm, I think our interest in Brazil 2014 is effectively over. Big (surprising?) call by Trap to drop Kevin Doyle from the squad altogether. Thoughts?
Dont have a chance, if we get 3 points vs Austria we will be doing well, not expecting to Qualify at all but just hoping we can keep our ranking up and get a good seeding for future competitions i will be happy. Finishing third in our group is a realistic ambition. just cant be falling behind Austria. Im happy to see so many former League of Ireland players but i don't trap is great as is too long bringing in new players. we don't have a huge pool of players and need all the top players. Like taking soo long to bring in James McClean, etc
Paul Green to partner Glen Whelan in midfield. Same old story. Nothing changing. Nice to see Seamus Coleman getting the start, he was superb against Man City. This will be the defining moment of the campaign, and should be Traps last match in charge if we don't get a result.
Full XI: Forde, Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson, Brady (or Keogh), Green, Whelan, McClean, Long, Keane. A lot of pressure on Brady if he starts. That team is spectacularly uncreative. They say Whelan picked up a knock, though, and will face a fitness test.
BREAKING NEWS It would appear that young Robbie Brady failed to convince the manager in training that he was up for the match and now Jon Walters will start on the right side of midfield. Bizarre move by the manager. McCarthy confirmed as replacement for Whelan.
0-0 in Sweden was a good result, and probably the best we've played in a couple years. At no point did they look a better side than us. Point will be meaningless unless we can beat Austria tomorrow, though, and that is a huge ask. With players like Alaba, Fuchs and Hosiner, they will be a very strong side. Starting XI: Forde, Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson, Walters, Whelan, McCarthy, McClean, Long, Sammon. Wilson faces a fitness test because of a slight groin strain. Bringing in Sammon is a strange one, and it sounds like we will be relying on a long-ball, physical approach. I don't expect this to amount to much, so I hope that we can keep it to 0-0 until 65 minutes, then bring in Wes Hoolahan to carve open a tired Austrian defence. If we go a goal down, we'll really see what the team is made of. Hoping for a 2-1 win, but under Trapattoni our home record is suspect.
Yeah dunno how this one is going to work out. But I hope he brings on Hoolahan early in 2nd if we havent scored.
Last 20 minutes reminded me of how we played the entire match against the Spanish in the Euro's. Negative tactics, sitting back, crowding the midfield, trying to suffocate their play. We had them on the ropes, a third goal would of killed them off, but instead we get to the 70th minute and the manager decides that's it. Takes off Shane Long, puts Paul Green in and tries to hold on. We should of continued to take the game to them. Kept it open. And played how we did for the first 65 minutes. Where do Ireland go from here? Stick with Trappatoni, see this qualifying out. We're not out of it at all yet. The young players are up for it, McCarthy, McClean, Coleman, Long were all motivated. Looks like he has them playing well when allowed to. Can we trust him to make the right decisions for the last five matches. Or Is his time done. Do you say goodbye, bring in a new manager, with new philosophies and ideas. Hope that it works out and isn't a complete disaster. Hope that they can motivate the youngsters to play like they have in the past two qualifiers, when they've been allowed to. If so, who? Tough questions. I know where I stand.
This is disgusting to me. I really don't understand why we were coached the way we were against Austria. No sense.
Whether we like it or not, this manager isn't going anywhere until the end of the campaign, but no matter what happens over the coming months, it's almost certain this will be Trapattoni's last campaign. Even if we changed the management now, I think the World Cup is gone on us. We absolutely need six points from those two big matches in September (Sweden in Dublin and Austria in Vienna), and, even if properly coached, I think two wins is beyond us. We'll get 4 points max, more likely 2 again. I'm still gutted and furious with how last night's match ended, but if I try to take one positive it is this: When allowed to play over the last two matches, we have looked like a decent football team, which has not been the case for several years now. The likes of Coleman, McClean, McCarthy, Wilson and Long have looked very good, and as they continue to develop and gain experience at international level, I believe we have an excellent chance of qualifying for a 24-team Euro 2016, and that experience could be vital in making a run at WC2018, by which time Trap's reign will be a distant memory. Although the last week has been ultimately disappointing, it has given me much more hope for the medium-term future than I previously held.
What a change a year makes, eh? We are still waiting for traps head on a plate. He is staying btw, he isnt going to leave halfway through a campaign. Anyone notice how much our team has changed in this qualifying campaign. Team at Euro 2012: Given, O'Shea, Dunne, St.Ledger, Ward, McGeady, Whealen, Andrews, Duff, Keane, Walters Team vs Austria: Forde, Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson, Walters, McCarthy, Whealen, McClean, Long, Sammon There are only 3 surivors from the championship, give 1 or 2 injured to come back. He has changed the personnel but this defensive system stays the same, and has become our downfall. It just shows that a change in tactics is more important than a change in team.
What is frustrating is we have the players to qualify. We have a team full of premiership quality players but its just the coaching that is missing. I think the last group bought into Trap's method and it worked. Then it stopped working (Euro2012) and I think that the belief is gone.
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