As a ROI fan now for about 15 years, I would now have to say yes, because our defence was crap for that czech player to score in the first half and we should have scored about 2 more goals and I hate the tac-tics he uses. We ain't got a hope now to qualify for Euro 2008, now do us Ireland fans a favour now Staunton and go!
Hunt (despite his laughable red card) was really the bright spot the Irish squad needed from the start. The fact that Reid and McGeady got the nod ahead of him should be enough to sack Staunton alone.
Premiership = best football league in the world 15 Premiership Players in the Republic's squad. Not qualifying for major tourneys is unacceptble Staunton should go, but it's not gonna happen untill at least two matches into World Cup qualifying.
Keane, Paul Jewell is available, I think Glenn Roeder is (the funny thing is all of the above have managed my favorite Irish player at one point...I think if I don't mention the name we can avoid the arguement...though Glenn Roeder wouldn't be good news for him). Maybe Stuart Pearce would quit England u21s and come to Ireland, though I doubt it. Twattles may be available, but I pray we don't get him. Did anyone else hear the Brazil are pencilled in for February?
Getting Sunderland to the Premiership from where they had fallen was a massive achievement; Keane's next great test will be to keep them there after this year. Given some of their early injury woes, it will be a test indeed, but I have great confidence in the man. Turning around Ireland's fortunes will also be no mean feat. Roy is no dummy, and I would hope that he would give himself (and that others will give him) the benefit of the additional experience so that he can last in the role. Nothing (IMHO) would be worse than to rush things and trash an opportunity for a potentially long-term run of success for both Keano and Ireland (that's assuming, of course, that he's not at the helm of Man U in 3-5 years).
Keane is not a realistic option - or at least no more so than Mourihno or Benitez or Ferguson. Martin O'Neill is equally unrealistic at this point. I wouldn't be keen on a continental manager unless it's one with a very good track record. What about Roy Hodgson? Has lots of international experience and I'm sure we could poach him from Finland assuming they don't qualify.
Staunton should never have been appointed from the start. He had next to no managerial experience. But the FAI took the cheap way out instead of hiring a legit manager. I have never been happy with him in charge. You look at the level our players are playing at and 4 wins in 9 games is all we can manage. Unacceptable. No question Staunton is not the man for the job.
Whatever about anything else, the FAI did not take the cheap way out. Staunton is being paid more than any previous manager.
No chance of Staunton getting the sack. Delaney loves him. Plus we're making progress if we are to believe the FAI. Yes, losing to Cyprus and squeeking out an injury time victory against San Marino is progress folks. But it is all in Delaney's plans as his show of support mentions we're following France's pattern of not qualifying for major championships finals and then becoming a world power and winning the World Cup. So now we're certain to win the 2010 World Cup.
Mourinhio is available, and with his 25 million pay-out from Chelsea the FAI could probably get him on the cheap
Having returned recently from the games in Slovakia and the Czech Republic I can say unequivocally that Staunton has lost the respect of the fans , we were being torn apart in the Slovakia game down the left , Kelly was having a nightmare and yet no change was made and the subs he introduced !! We played much better against the Czech's blighted really by the sending off but the improvement was really caused by changes forced on Staunton,tactically he seems clueless
Well if that is the case then that makes the FAI even bigger idiots then I thought. Giving a bigger salary then to any other previous Irish manager to a man who has next to no managerial experience and has zero maagerial track record. Unbelievable. What a bloody joke. Bloody insulting to by Delaney to also claim we are making progress. Right yeah a 90th minute winner against San Marino and getting hammered by the mighty Cyprus is real progress.
Worth putting this here probably. Austrian fans, even though they're co-hosting Euro '08 are very disillusioned with the team's performances. So much so that they've started a petition to withdraw from the tournament (not the hosting). 4000+ have signed so far!
Worth mentioning Samarkand, since FIFA rankings are used for determining seeding for the 2010 WC Qs. I;m not sure if this a complete departure from the coefficient system or has become part of it, but as that stands - sometime next week the pools are determined - we are in pot 3. Which, in spite of the loss to mighty Cyprus and the 2-1 win over SM is, at least in theory, progress over Brian Kerr's reign, since we started this campaign in the 4th pot.
Yeah, that crossed my mind; draw is sometime in November for WC '10. After the Euro '08 places have been determined. 'Bout time we drew England again in a group stage.