Euro 2012 C'mon Ireland

[tackle-bag]

I don't profess to be any great authority on soccer, but even having regard to the limitations of the current crop, it still seems that we're capable of fielding a young team with some imagination and plenty of Premiership experience.

It might go along the lines of:- Westwood; Kelly, Dunne, St. Ledger, Wilson; Coleman, McCarthy, Gibson, McClean; Best, Walters.

All of those players have seen fairly regular football at Premiership level over the past season. None of them are world class, but they're all match-fit, young and ambitious. I appreciate that there isn't a chance in hell of Trap selecting such a line-up, but to some extent at least it disproves the suggestion that we just don't have any players.

[Dexter]

I don't profess to be any great authority on soccer, but even having regard to the limitations of the current crop, it still seems that we're capable of fielding a young team with some imagination and plenty of Premiership experience.

It might go along the lines of:- Westwood; Kelly, Dunne, St. Ledger, Wilson; Coleman, McCarthy, Gibson, McClean; Best, Walters.

All of those players have seen fairly regular football at Premiership level over the past season. None of them are world class, but they're all match-fit, young and ambitious. I appreciate that there isn't a chance in hell of Trap selecting such a line-up, but to some extent at least it disproves the suggestion that we just don't have any players.

After the game Dunphy did a good overview of young Irish players in the PL who weren't in the team or even the squad, including some of the guys above plus a couple of others like Houlihan and some other chap at Norwich I'd never heard of. I thought he made some good points about "average" players combining as a good team and being encouraged to retain possession and play creative football, orchestrated by an inventive manager/coach. He used Swansea as an example.

[jezzer]

Whelan should never again be capped for Ireland. His contribution was disgraceful.

How much of this is the system though? Whilst Stoke wouldn't be reknowned for the tiki-taka, they play a lot more football than people give them credit for, and Whelan is the pivot that it functions through and around.

Definitely some of it, Dave. But, even if you are overrun and/or playing in a system you don't believe in, you can't just jog around like a sub warming up. I watched him specifically from about halfway through the Spanish game, all the way to the end of the game last night and he BARELY touched the ball and BARELY challenged anybody. Some pivot.

[OTT]

I don't profess to be any great authority on soccer, but even having regard to the limitations of the current crop, it still seems that we're capable of fielding a young team with some imagination and plenty of Premiership experience.

It might go along the lines of:- Westwood; Kelly, Dunne, St. Ledger, Wilson; Coleman, McCarthy, Gibson, McClean; Best, Walters.

All of those players have seen fairly regular football at Premiership level over the past season. None of them are world class, but they're all match-fit, young and ambitious. I appreciate that there isn't a chance in hell of Trap selecting such a line-up, but to some extent at least it disproves the suggestion that we just don't have any players.

After the game Dunphy did a good overview of young Irish players in the PL who weren't in the team or even the squad, including some of the guys above plus a couple of others like Houlihan and some other chap at Norwich I'd never heard of. I thought he made some good points about "average" players combining as a good team and being encouraged to retain possession and play creative football, orchestrated by an inventive manager/coach. He used Swansea as an example.

From the fellas in those clips. Hoolahan is a 30 year old who was knocking around scotland for a few years then Blackpool in First division and then championship and he has just played his first season of premiership footbal of which he was in and out (mostly in) of the Norwich team, Fahy is a 29 year old playing in the championship who was in traps original squad, McCarthy was in traps original squad as well, Ciaran Clarke hasnt got his game for Villa in months, Seamus Coleman has been out of the Everton side for the majority of game since Xmas. The other norwich lad Pilkington came through the Man Utd youth teams and played for ireland at underage but Im not sure if he has actually declared for Ireland, I believe he is currently keeping his options open with regard to playing for England (id say he will be waiting for that call!!)

Im not saying these guys cant add anything but the clips suited Dunphys agenda, he could have as easily shown Robbie Keane banging in goals, Duffer beating men, Dunne winning collisions etc etc they have been doing it for years there are enough clips of it but then that wouldnt have suited his point would it.

We are not very good but over the last week and a bit we struggled at the basics which we usually do right which is hugely dissapointing.

Sure we could play more football and pass the ball better we did under Kerr and Staunton but we never qualified for a major tournament and under Staunton we got turned over regularly by inferior compettion I guess its what you want to see.

We also never got to a major tournament when the messiah Johnny Giles managed us great an all a player as he was. Its just not that easy.

[Lar]

Trap went on for a long time about how unlucky he was as an international manager:

- Italy being shafted by a 2-2 draw between Sweden and Denmark (might have the teams wrong) at a previous Euros
- Italy being knocked out by Sth Korea in 2002 World Cup after some pretty dodgy refereeing decisions
- the hand of Thierry Henry in Paris 2009

Well his luck was in during the current qualifying campaign. We were blessed in the away game v Russia to come away with 0-0 despite some heroic defensive performances. We were the ones on the right side of a refereeing decision in the last group game v Armenia when their keeper was sent off in an incident when an Irish handball could just as easily have been given. We were fortunate to get into the play offs and then blessed to draw Estonia.

There was an inevitability about the way that we performed in Poland and it was an achievement for this group of players to even qualify for Euro2012. Credit to the players and to Trap for getting there but they had some fair slices of luck along the way.

[Lar]

Oh and Roy - fans are criticised for only singing when they are winning. The Irish in Poland can't be criticised for supporting the team irrespective of whether they are winning or losing. Also loved their "We'll sing when we want..." song against Italy in the last game.

Its not about accepting poor performances. It is about supporting your team.

[Dexter]

From the fellas in those clips. Hoolahan is a 30 year old who was knocking around scotland for a few years then Blackpool in First division and then championship and he has just played his first season of premiership footbal of which he was in and out (mostly in) of the Norwich team, Fahy is a 29 year old playing in the championship who was in traps original squad, McCarthy was in traps original squad as well, Ciaran Clarke hasnt got his game for Villa in months, Seamus Coleman has been out of the Everton side for the majority of game since Xmas. The other norwich lad Pilkington came through the Man Utd youth teams and played for ireland at underage but Im not sure if he has actually declared for Ireland, I believe he is currently keeping his options open with regard to playing for England (id say he will be waiting for that call!!)

Im not saying these guys cant add anything but the clips suited Dunphys agenda, he could have as easily shown Robbie Keane banging in goals, Duffer beating men, Dunne winning collisions etc etc they have been doing it for years there are enough clips of it but then that wouldnt have suited his point would it.

We are not very good but over the last week and a bit we struggled at the basics which we usually do right which is hugely dissapointing.

Sure we could play more football and pass the ball better we did under Kerr and Staunton but we never qualified for a major tournament and under Staunton we got turned over regularly by inferior compettion I guess its what you want to see.

We also never got to a major tournament when the messiah Johnny Giles managed us great an all a player as he was. Its just not that easy.

Damn you Dunphy and your agenda.. you had me fooled! There I was thinking there might be a bright future for the team
Kind of hard to see where the required improvement is going to come from.. back to basics with coaching the kids I guess, see where we are in 15 years or so.

[OTT]

From the fellas in those clips. Hoolahan is a 30 year old who was knocking around scotland for a few years then Blackpool in First division and then championship and he has just played his first season of premiership footbal of which he was in and out (mostly in) of the Norwich team, Fahy is a 29 year old playing in the championship who was in traps original squad, McCarthy was in traps original squad as well, Ciaran Clarke hasnt got his game for Villa in months, Seamus Coleman has been out of the Everton side for the majority of game since Xmas. The other norwich lad Pilkington came through the Man Utd youth teams and played for ireland at underage but Im not sure if he has actually declared for Ireland, I believe he is currently keeping his options open with regard to playing for England (id say he will be waiting for that call!!)

Im not saying these guys cant add anything but the clips suited Dunphys agenda, he could have as easily shown Robbie Keane banging in goals, Duffer beating men, Dunne winning collisions etc etc they have been doing it for years there are enough clips of it but then that wouldnt have suited his point would it.

We are not very good but over the last week and a bit we struggled at the basics which we usually do right which is hugely dissapointing.

Sure we could play more football and pass the ball better we did under Kerr and Staunton but we never qualified for a major tournament and under Staunton we got turned over regularly by inferior compettion I guess its what you want to see.

We also never got to a major tournament when the messiah Johnny Giles managed us great an all a player as he was. Its just not that easy.

Damn you Dunphy and your agenda.. you had me fooled! There I was thinking there might be a bright future for the team
Kind of hard to see where the required improvement is going to come from.. back to basics with coaching the kids I guess, see where we are in 15 years or so.

Ha. Im not saying none of them will add to a squad and maybe some might to the team, McCarthy looks better then anything we have to offer. Its just that Dunphy went on about Andy Reid for long enough being a world class player, never mind that he has struggled to get into any team he has been at and certainly wouldnt put in the work required by this Irish team, can he occasionally spray a ball around and score a good goal? Sure he can and Dunphy can back this up with a clip no doubt but realistically if he was in the Irish team the last 4 years we would have struggled more then we have done. Anyway it seems Dunphy et all have gone cold on him not even a mention but you dont hear them saying Trap was right in that instance do you?

That panel (Mainly messrs. Dunphy, Giles and O'Herlihy)appear on every other RTE show giving themselves a clap on the back for honesty and how they tell the truth much like the RTE rugby lads. Are they serious? They have gone against every Irish manager since Giles, how is that the truth surely its just easy picking on a weak team who sometimes over achieve. And when we do over achieve they lay into them even more for their style blah blah blah.

[Peg Leg]

After watching Ukraine Vs "Them Across the Water" last night, I think we should be hosting display matches for foreign scouts to take our youngest and most talented away from Ireland/them across the water and teach them how to play football.
So many of the teams this year look so much more comfortable in tight space with the ball than either of us!!

[Lar]

On the subject of youngsters coming into the squad, the word I have from Poland is that our fans did sterling work engaging in reproductive activity with their Polish counterparts. Big plusses in that the males will leave a wealth of Irish qualified youngsters to be taught the game and trained according to top Polish standards and the females will bring back a wider gene pool of male Polish talent that we can bring on as they grow up.

Major downside is that its likely to be another 20-24 years before any of this work qualifies us for another Euro Championship.

[fourthirtythree]

Damn you Dunphy and your agenda.. you had me fooled! There I was thinking there might be a bright future for the team
Kind of hard to see where the required improvement is going to come from.. back to basics with coaching the kids I guess, see where we are in 15 years or so.

I imagine you can overstress it being his agenda. He did point out that the piece was put together by a researcher to whom he probably gave a vague suggestion to. You may have noticed that he also knew what was happening in each clip; he was reading from a script/cheat sheet also provided by the researcher. I think he even put his glasses on for the occasion.

It's why George Hook never sounds like he has a clue what he's talking about: Newstalk are even cheaper than RTÉ and he has nothing prepared for him (and he never prepares for himself).

[Ulster's Best]

Haven't been here much for few months or had time to read through the discussions this evening but did anyone see Roy Curtis's piece in last weekend's Sunday World? I know the ROI team had a disappointing campaign but anyone else feel he showed a disgraceful lack of respect to players who have served their country well - and qualified for the finals? Cheap pot shots and certainly this reader felt much more contempt for him by the end of it than the guys he was slagging off.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Haven't been here much for few months or had time to read through the discussions this evening but did anyone see Roy Curtis's piece in last weekend's Sunday World? I know the ROI team had a disappointing campaign but anyone else feel he showed a disgraceful lack of respect to players who have served their country well - and qualified for the finals? Cheap pot shots and certainly this reader felt much more contempt for him by the end of it than the guys he was slagging off.

A truly awful cliché ridden hack. Came accross him a few times, a brutal journo. As for the Sunday World....

[Schumi]

Roy Curtis still has a job? Dear god. He's comfortably the worst writer in the country.

[Dave Cahill]

He started out writing about Basketball, and when I was a kid I used to think his name was a pen name because the big invitational tournament in Ireland was the Roy Curtis tournament. I think hes a grandson of the guy the tournament is named after though, which never occured to me back then

[Ulster's Best]

I only occasionally see the Sunday World but this Curtis clown seems to write about rugby too in a tortuous, cliched way.