What is wrong with Ireland?

carney has to play, at least come on at some stage

ironingbored wrote:

You cannot mean this. Dempsey at 13? Duffy? Forwards okay but that is a terrible back line selection. You have to go hickey - darcy - bod - horgan - murphy

Yeah, sorry, Dempsey and Duffy switched.

Hickie and D'arcy have been atrocious, and Horgan just isn't fit. There was a while when BO'D and D'arcy swithced the centre positions, giving BO'd a different angle from which to work.

GDM wrote:

Here's a thought. If New Zealand do choke might Graham Henry be looking for a job and would Ireland want him?

No way, *shudders at the thought*

Best out.

http://rte.ie/sport/rugby/worldcup2007/2007/0916/bestr.html

O'Sullivan has vowed not to change the expansive game he blames for his side's catalogue of mistakes since the World Cup began.

How can he blame it for their mistakes and not change it? That defies logic.

"It's much easier to sit back in the pocket and kick the ball up into the air or whack it into the corners and wait for the opposition to make mistakes.

Would that not be a good idea then?:rolleyes: Muppet

But we're trying to play a style of rugby which, when it works, is very successful and has served us well.

Not so far. Christ on a bike. Am I the only one who thinks he's lost his mind. It's bad enough playing the way Ireland have been but to say that that's a good thing and that it won't change is moronic.

I really hope I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that this team with EOS at the helm has shot its bolt. No one genuinely seems to know what's wrong, and aside from rumblings about ROG's personal troubles affecting him I have a source that says there is no major turbulence in the squad.

EOS, for all his qualities (and he has many), isn't a creative or risk-taking coach capable of sparking great things. His refusal to countenance changes for games, when every other side has done so, is his most distinguishing characteristic as a coach. Go away with all this "we haven't got the depth" bollocks. There is no compelling reason Alan Quinlan and Brian Carney could not have featured in at least one of those two opening games. None. We'll never know if they would have made a difference, because EOS wouldn't take the chance.

EOS is a percentages coach. He's happy to win more than he loses, happy to beat the teams we 'should' beat, and never too disappointed when we lose to those 'better' than us. He's distrustful of change, the arch-conservative. He's always at least a game (and often more) behind when it comes to recognising players who need to be swapped.

Because of the type of coach we have, our team is stale. They're struggling to hit form, and struggling with trying too hard as some of the players panic and attempt to shake the team single-handedly from the malaise. I noted during the Namibia game that aside from the knock-ons, our back play was horrible stilted. Every move had an awful semi-coordinated stutter to it. Reverse passes were a yard behind the target. When it works (Trimble's try in the Autumn) it can look impressive. When it doesn't, it means you don't cross the gain-line.

There is no off-the-cuff brilliance. Do we not have the best centres in the world? One of the best backlines?

We have 4 more years of his reign to come. Regardless of what you think of the man, you need to admit that sometimes a coach has taken a team as far as they can go. There is a natural life to a regime. It shouldn't be artificially prolonged if the results and performances aren't there? Is his time up?

If you put your logical hat on, do you really think Ireland can get out of this group? And is that enough? Will a meek surrender to the ABs count as a success?

Time for Irish rugby to consider what it should be aiming for. Is this it?

Heard very good summation, from a friend that works for one of the provinces, of the Irish setup under Eddie O'Sullivan:
"Form is temporary, selection is permanent"

The first team guys are assured of being picked no matter how cr** they play. Maybe the second string guys are not as good on paper or on the pitch, but why do we continue with the same setup even though it is not working.
What did Jordan Murphy do to EOS ?
Could Reddan form a partnership with Tesco boy, or is he out of the equation because they didn't go to school together?

There is absolutely no fire in the bellies, there is no one throwing their bodies around and it looks like they are just going through the motions.

Also the amount of spin & PR speak coming from Eddie and now the players is appalling. Stringer was talking "total sh**e" like a politican the other night.
EOS definetly hung around with Alastair Campbell too much while in NZ.
Maybe that is his future career.

First of all Eddie O'Sullivan is not up to the job, never was. He got lucky with a very good crop of players hungry for success. Now those players are older and less hungry, they need the coach to step in and get them back to winning ways. He is incapable of this. The fact that the IRFU renewed his contract shows just how clueless they are.

Players that just aren't performing:
Best, Horan, O'Connell, Leamy, Wallace, Stringer, D'Arcy, Hickie, Horgan.

Obviously all of those players can't be replaced at once, it would destroy the team. But, Flannery in, Best/Quinlan in for Leamy, Boss/Reddan in, Carney and Murphy in for Hickie and Horgan.
Possibly move B'OD to 12 and bring in Trimble.

Change is needed, fringe players with hunger need to freshen up the attitude.

Also, Eddie needs to realise that expansive rugby isn't our forte. We play kick the corners boring rugby with occasional flashes of brilliance to make the difference, the current plan of give it to D'Arcy and see what happens isn't really good enough return for a professional coach's wages.

Easterby can play 8. A back row of Best, Quinlan and Easterby would certainly be aggressive enough to take on anybody. Might be the kick up the arse the lads need.
There is the possibility of them blowing up, but that's not much of a risk compared to the form of the incumbants.

Flannery for Best at 2
Best for Easterby at 6
Boss for Stringer at 9
Trimble for Hickie at 11
Murphy for Horgan at 14

Bench
Best
Sheehan
Quinlan
Ferris
Stringer
Wallace
Horgan

boss is not the right scrum half for the french game,too slow in his pass and its obvious to his opposite number he makes a half break every time.Reddan would be much better but wont be brought it.despite what everyone is saying eos will not make unenforced changes

Bobby Thoughtless Tarp wrote:

Murphy for Dempsey.

Have to disagree here. There are so many poorly performing Irish players that it makes no sense to drop one of the few that are putting in a decent performance. Hickey or Horgan could both be replaced by Murphy