Republic of Ireland General Discussion Thread 2026

Where did i say the goal was empty?

They know how to kick a ball. Thats their job.

They cant replicate the pressure of a real penalty. So practice them all you like but when your legs are jelly with the weight of a nation it wont make a bit of difference.

Now if your job wasnt professional football im sure practice would make a difference but thats a different conversation.

How many are going,32?

He got us a lot closer to a world cup than previous coaches have though to be fair

Wow.Rose coloured specs there.😁

You miss it that way and you're slated big time then for just putting your foot through it hoping for the best.

I thought the same but I assume if even one of comes off they see it as worth it compared to taking it short and trying to work a crossing situation. I think the Parrott header which the keeper pulled off a great save for came from a long throw.

Said it before long throws became fashionable again we should get Rory Delap in to help teach with long throw techniques. I don't know how you go about developing the skill or why certain players have it. There was one kid at Limerick FC, Will Fitzgerald, who was built like a pull through for a rifle and when he broke into the first team at 18 he had a wicked long throw. Could throw them flat with pace into the box.

Yeah Idah is used to taking them. Has taken 18 penalties which doesn't include shootouts and only missed 1 if transfermarkt is accurate. Still think Jamie McGrath should have been called up even to just have him on the bench to throw on with a few minutes to go for a penalty. Though I've always thought he's been solid when playing for Ireland and has a decent set piece delivery. More consistent than what Brady's delivery is even.

I remember when Milan lost to Liverpool in Istanbul and all I could think afterwards was they would have won if Pirlo and Shevchenko had only practiced penalties.

No we are hoping to qualify but have that fall back. We are as likely to qualify and gift them the "pity places"

Two things can be true.

Ireland are not a good enough football team to be making this tournament. The regression of the game to one where so much of it is a bunch of running big men playing for set pieces suits them. But we're still not good enough.

AND

Czechia got away with absolute nonsense last night that would not have been tolerated by a semi-competent set of officials. It just is what it is. They shouldered guys in the back constantly, and a yellow never came. Their striker had half a dozen petty fouls, nothing. They flew into tackles recklessly, nothing. It wasn't normal.

I'm not so sure Denmark will have it all their own way. International football is a funny thing and their results in November were a loss to Scotland and a draw v Moldova or Belarus or somebody. Denmark are no world beaters.

Czechia have 4 days to recover, are at home.

But the biggest success for the last 6 months since the Armenia game was I think (myself included) a lot of people fell back in love with Irish football. Now we need the FAI to get their sh1t together, structure the game properly, get bullet proof governance structures in place for the government to back them and the game financially once they have.

I won't hold my breath given Patrick O'Donovan seems to have plenty to say about football and football fans which you can be absolutely sure he wouldn't say about a GAA club in Limerick. He seems to have a massive chip on his shoulder about Irish football albeit the FAI haven't helped themselves either.

we renewed his contract before this game fr some unbeknownst reason