Republic of Ireland General Discussion Thread 2026

RoryMac · 27-03-2026 01:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344412#Comment_124344412

A little better but why not just call it by its name, a penalty?

10000maniacs · 27-03-2026 01:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344425#Comment_124344425

Each one is a vacuum of their own actions? Total tripe. In fact it is the exact opposite.

A penalty shootout is about holding your nerve in an extreme fluid environment. Some people can do it but some people just bottle it.

gormdubhgorm · 27-03-2026 01:10AM

Has Coleman done his badges? He has a manager head on him.

~Rebel~ · 27-03-2026 01:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344430#Comment_124344430

Disagree. Your objective does not change at any point. You always need to score. That's all you have to do. That's all that's in your control. A player who is not good at penalties having a penalty saved does not equate to a team 'bottling' the match.

By your rationale it's impossible for a team to ever lose a penalty shootout without 'bottling' it. And maybe that's what you believe, in which case we just fundamentally disagree on what that particularly vastly overused silly buzzword means.

Anyway, extremely proud of the lads tonight, huge spirit, huge fight, did us proud.

crushproof · 27-03-2026 01:12AM

As always, repeated on here for decades now, it's simply down to squad depth and we simply do not have the quality we had 25 - 40 years ago (yes we're all getting old). HH has done a great job galvanising the squad that he has and he seems to have the right personality for an international manager. This is the level that we are at and many people still refuse to understand this.

Take a look at the U-21 squad and there really isn't much hope for the foreseeable future.

Elmer Blooker · 27-03-2026 01:16AM

on the subject of penalty shootouts, if England v Germany went to penalties you could bet your savings that England would ‘bottle’ it.
The Netherlands are also good at ‘bottling it’ in a shootout, if my memory serves me right they have lost quite a few semi finals on penalties.

BettySwollocks86 · 27-03-2026 01:19AM

Of course Ireland bottled it. Ever hear the chant "2-0 and you f**ked it up"?. I should know about bottling as I'm a Spurs fan. Then Ireland had the advantage in the penalty shoot out but crumbled again (although that bloody siren didn't help).

If I'm mistaken I'd be genuinely interested in what the definition of a "bottle job" is.

LambshankRedemption · 27-03-2026 01:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124342471#Comment_124342471

You are making my point.

LambshankRedemption · 27-03-2026 01:21AM

Its pretty strict

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124343001#Comment_124343001

Its pretty strict.

~Rebel~ · 27-03-2026 01:30AM

For me at least, if you're talking about a team 'bottling it', that to me means a spell of such nervous friction and fissure that the team collectively falls apart and can no longer function as a unit, destroying themselves in the process.

That's not what I saw tonight — the team collectively was very strong tonight and worked very hard for each other. Individual errors will happen here and there, but that's literally what makes up the broad context of a football match. But at no point did I see the mentality of the team collapse. We dropped back for a chunk of the second half, such was simply the natural momentum of the game as Czechia chased, but defended extremely well for the most part, working well as a unit. Goals happen. That's football. Losing (or rather, drawing) a football match does not inherently mean 'bottled'. I don't think any 'moment' can be seen as bottling… for me it has to be something bigger and more collectively endemic for that. Moments are mistakes. 'Bottling' is a broader collective collapse.

However, I guess there may be a more tabloid angry shouty interpretation that decrees literally any moment of individual failure or lapse in concentration as 'bottling', but that's always felt very silly to me.

Baseball72 · 27-03-2026 01:38AM

We played without fear tonight- a real positive. Well done to HH and his coaching staff. Seamus Coleman has a serious future in management.

johnnyryan89 · 27-03-2026 01:38AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344401#Comment_124344401

Yeah I've also wondered about Browne playing the role. His best game in an Irish shirt was likely at RWB in that 3-0 win over Scotland. He was tucking into midfield to make it 4v3 against Scotland who switched from 3421 to 352 in that game I believe. I thought we were on to a good thing for years to come with how Parrott and Obafemi played together.

Just options I assume. If you threw a very attacking player on at RWB to chase the game then Abankwah also gives you the RCB where you'd want your CB to be comfortable at FB.

Abankwah Vs Omobamidele likely doesn't make much difference and managers like versatile players especially if you set up in a way that can see you switching between 3atb and 4atb in game.

Rugbyf565 · 27-03-2026 01:44AM

Heimir picking Browne over Conor Coventry on the bench still makes no **** sense to me, we couldn’t string a pass together

Rugbyf565 · 27-03-2026 01:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344435#Comment_124344435

“we don’t have the players” yeah but that still doesn’t refute the fact that the czechs were there for the taking tonight

johnnyryan89 · 27-03-2026 01:51AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344435#Comment_124344435

Didn't even know the 21s were playing tonight. The only positive you can take from that squad named is a lot of the players especially in attack are young. It's a tournament for those born in 2004 (which funnily enough Ferguson still qualifies for it). There quite a few lads born in 06, 07, 08.

The FAI need to finally move Crawford on. I'm not much of a fan of his and wouldn't be sticking the boot in as much as others have for other campaigns but I think everyone saw how this campaign was going to pan out. They needed a fresh slate with a new manager coming in to build towards the 2029 tournament

happyoutscan · 27-03-2026 01:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344278#Comment_124344278

Denmark would wipe the floor with us.

Saying that, I'm disappointed but can appreciate what that team under have shown us the last few months.

Kermit.de.frog · 27-03-2026 01:59AM

I assume Coleman will be retiring after this.

~Rebel~ · 27-03-2026 02:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344478#Comment_124344478

Any chance John O'Shea could double job? He really needs to do some management somewhere sooner or later, even at underage level, if he wants to be a senior manager at some point.

Paddy McCarthy for instance managed the Palace reserve and development sides to some decent success. And if (as it kinda seems is the case) O'Shea is being grommed to take over after HH, he really needs to start trying to build a body of experience as the main man on the touchline, getting that sense of making changes and turning games on a regular basis — so when he does step into a senior job it's not his first time facing each challenge, but his 20th, or 50th, or 100th.

As it stands, I think McCarthy would actually be the better shout, but it seems the playing profile has kept O'Shea in with the biggest chance of it.

In any case, very glad HH's extension pushes those sorts of senior-management conversations well off into the future!

HalloweenJack · 27-03-2026 02:09AM

I didn't get to see the shootout but they did very well to make it this far. To think we'd be going out like that in the run-up to the Portugal game would be madness.

They started with great spirit, something I haven't seen for a while. Just looking at Ogbene early on, he was well up for it.

They did a lot of the hard work in the beginning. They probably couldn't believe that they were 2-0 up so early on. Just two moments of madness (Manning and three lads standing around for the header) that undid us, sadly.

The Czechs had a lot of the ball but I don't remember them hammering us with chances in the second half. They did drop back and let the Czechs come at them but the goal when it came was a set piece.

Someone always has to lose at penos; its hard to fault the players for that.

Boooourns · 27-03-2026 02:22AM

Christ If I hear the word bottle job I'll come round your house swinging.

They were under huge pressure second half but defended brilliantly, they didnt give away a chance up until the goal which was a once off freak header. Calling that a bottle job is completely childish and it shows what kind of support you're dealing with.

It was a huge effort tonight, some fantastic performances, a lack of quality in crucial moments particularly our counterattacks in the second half but to call those players all-sorts is a disgrace tbh and anyone who does shouldn't set foot in the Aviva.

kowloonkev · 27-03-2026 05:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344487#Comment_124344487

Maybe that's how they'll try to sell the Macedonia game - Coleman's goodbye

AndyBoBandy · 27-03-2026 07:00AM

We were 2-0 up and we bottled it.

They were there for the taking.

Mentality Minnows.

ctrl-alt-delete · 27-03-2026 07:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344231#Comment_124344231

I believe they mainly came to Ireland from Norway.

I switched the TV off as soon as the deciding kick hit the back of the net.

I am not going to have a go at any players, some seem to be blaming Manning - yes it changed the game but we had ample opportunity to change it again in our favour after that.

There is a huge sense of disappointment, and there should be. That Czech team were bang average last night.

Huge shout out to Ogbene. People talk about International level players, but you also get players who are not that level, but consistently turn up and excel through sheer effort for the cause.

MattressRick · 27-03-2026 07:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344535#Comment_124344535

He was pissed off at being asked by Tony O'Donoghue if that was his last match.

TOD also fishing for Coleman to comment on the shirt pull by Manning. Did the same for the HH interview. He's always trolling.

pjohnson · 27-03-2026 07:55AM

TOD was being hailed as one of the best journalists on the island when he was doing the same to MON.

Unearthly · 27-03-2026 07:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344432#Comment_124344432

Yeah apparently he has his Uefa B license already. Can see him calling it a day end of season

JM2300 · 27-03-2026 08:00AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344434#Comment_124344434

Not practicing penalities and dismissing it as a "coin toss" is bottling it.

Mantis Toboggan · 27-03-2026 08:01AM

Get Coleman in with the under 21's

kingshankly · 27-03-2026 08:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124344441#Comment_124344441

are the Irish a nation of bottlers Lowry and mc ilroy both struggle to get the job done the Irish rugby team are complete bottlers and now the soccer team

fran38 · 27-03-2026 08:12AM

I genuinely feel very sorry for the players as they wake up this morning. Losing in a frustrating fashion is such a **** feeling & it'll hit hard in the cold light of day for these lads. Manning will be fighting his demons, Browne & Azaz will be tearing their hair out as to how they missed etc.

These lads don't intentionally go out to **** it all up but to give it their absolute best. Some excel in pressure situations, others **** themselves. Collectively though, they'll all feel rough as **** this morning.

Republic of Ireland General Discussion Thread 2026

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