Republic of Ireland General Discussion Thread 2026

When your on so much money a week and your a professional training every day those pathetic efforts by Browne and Azas are hard to understand.

The squad is still abysmal in basically every area of the pitch. Even Troy Parrott (who supplied the goals when needed) isn’t really all that good and he’s the best Ireland has to offer at the moment. At best with this level of squad it’s a toss up whether or not they qualify, though given that much better sides didn’t qualify automatically, they probably “shouldn’t” be anywhere close based on the current level of squad

They were already beaten. We were the far better team at that point. We were in control. To do something like that is so mind bendingly stupid. Like you I kind of knew it would do us in. I said it here that's the moment that's going to cost us even with a goal to the good. Totally changed the game. They were gifted hope and momentum.

Hard one to take. I'm not as forgiving as others about it.

Exactly this, when you've practiced something 1000 times muscle memory helps get you through moments of pressure to execute. When under pressure more doubts will creep in if haven't taken many penalties recently.

You have to be good enough to do that boring possession. So we can't "give you" some because this team can't do it.

It's not like they can and are just to stupid to know they should.

We have won a few games over the years. What happened there?

Azaz has taken one or perhaps two penalties in his entire career.

Browne looked like he never has (probably hasn't).

I'm still not convinced with Azaz and what he offers the team. He doesn't hold the ball, link up play well and just disappears too much at this level. One important assist aside, he seems to be a solution looking for a problem.

I think that very poor loss to Armenia is what killed our hopes in the end. We would have topped the pool only for that

We got our penalty from an O'Brien long throw.

Nonsense. Im not talking about Barcelona in their prime levels of possession. In the first 20 mins we held the ball enough to create controlled openings with little surrender of possession. We mixed passing with well judged crosses and passing. They struggled to deal with that. After the first goal was conceded we panicked and sat back and invited them on to us like the old days.

Putting low percentage long throws into the box when leading is stupid. Thats what you do when you're behind hoping for a break around the box.

Browne will have been desperate to make up for the miss against Slovakia but his technique was very poor.

The best penalty takers are the ones who walk up slowly and wait for the keeper to move. Let's call this the John Aldridge technique. It's a very hard skill to achieve because you are looking at the goalie as much as the ball. If the goalkeeper suddenly moves to the side you were planning to hit it, you've got to be able to switch last second to the other side. Only something that should be attempted by regular penalty takers. Probability of scoring 90%+ if you know how to do it (Aldridge scored 52 and missed 3 in his career apparently).

All other penalty takers should use the James Milner technique. You smash it low and hard into the corner with the ball never travelling more than an inch above the grass. It's the highest probability of scoring for 90%+ of players. Every so often, you'll drag it too far and hit the post or the keeper will make a brilliant finger tip save, but most of the time it goes in. This is something that you absolutely can improve on with practice! Odds of scoring ~80% at the professional level.

Azaz and Browne both chipped the ball a nice height off the grass, about two-thirds the way between the centre of the goal and the post. Browne's was especially nervy. If the keeper goes the right way, they are saving those penalties every time. Probability of scoring 50%-60% (allowing for the keeper maybe standing still occasionally).

Practicing regularly can move your players up from pot 3 to pot 2. Most teams don't bother though because penalty shootouts are so rare.

Yes spot on - "After the first goal was conceded we panicked and sat back and invited them on to us like the old days"

And not alone did we sit back, we kept hoofing thoughtless balls back to them so they could attack and attack.

It seems to be psychological with these Irish teams .. issues with belief in themselves. As you said and in the match up until they conceded they were believing in themselves, you could see it in there play, confidence and passing. Up until then i was saying to myself WOW, this team have really turned a corner and could start to compete at a far higher level.

But then when they conceded the penalty it was like a switch, they reverted to the old sink back deep, defend defend defend, hoof the ball anywhere up the pitch giving away possession. Im really not sure how you deal with a teams confidence in this regard. So I dont think its as much skill of players, its as a unit, they lose confidence and with that they become headless chickens.

This seems to run through irish soccer teams for last two decades and has never been addressed?

Do the players, does the team have sports psychologists and the like I wonder?? this is part of many modern sports now. How to deal with the headspace

Maybe look at the Irish Rugby teams - I think they do all this kind of thing?

I'd say last 32 at best haha!