Ireland vs Columbia, bitter Brian Kerr tells Il Trap to tone it down.

estebancambias wrote: »

yone going to the game on Thursday?

I might be, but its costing more than expected.

Me

Was meant to be going but doesn't look likely now as I'm sick
Hopefully Scannell gets a run out, along with Garvan
From what I've seen of Scannell he looks very good, and I thought Garvan should've been in the squad last year for the tour to the US (and since then)

horseflesh wrote: »

Me too
Heading over on Thursday with my brother & two mates, then making a weekend of it.

Strange coincidence 7 of us going over and staying the weekend too..

Is it definitely on RTE? SkySports 1 are showing it. Strange if it was on 2 channels.

horseflesh wrote: »

Me too
Heading over on Thursday with my brother & two mates, then making a weekend of it.

Presume you can pay at the gate for the game? How much is it in?
I cant go as I'm flying from Birmingham next morn, but my mate is going from London(mix up of flights!) so he was interested in taking trip down Thurs and staying over.

O'Shea will line up at right-back in place of Stephen Kelly with Richard Dunne once against partnering Paul McShane in the middle.

Where is the sense in that? Surely the right-back spot is covered. Certainly if Finnan returns. I'm very disappointed to see they are persisting with Dunne and McShane. Are we really supposed to trust in McShane to see us through major games down the line?

estebancambias wrote: »

I was just being dramatic with the incompetant clown merely because I wanted to make the thread seem opinionated and brash.

Awesome. :rolleyes:

estebancambias wrote: »

He was never up to the job. His record with our youth teams was brilliant no doubt but he should hold his hands up and say ''I wasn't good enough'' rather than holding this personal grudge.

Facts:

- Took over first campaign after the side had lost two six pointers against the top seeds in the group;
- His second campaign pitted his squad against two teams with better top to bottom squads and a vastly superior qualification strike rate over the previous 10 years;
- The difference was ultimately Israel away (where we dropped two points to an indefensible long distance strike in injury time); Israel at home (where we battered them to a pulp and were very, very unlucky not to get a winner); France at home (where we played very well and surely deserved at least a point losing to an indefensible wonder strike from Henry which developed after Keane slipped and was thus absent for the only moment in the match);

Not good enough? Or unlucky to be on the wrong side of the inevitable variance that is produced by a 12 match league? And an easy target for journalists bitter that he refused to play their game?

To be honest, you should kop the **** on and be slightly embarrassed to fire such vitriol at a man who worked his balls off for Irish football (while achieving success!) and - despite his good efforts - was unfairly shafted by disloyal and incompetent committee men who have responsibilities and power that is hugely out of sync with their actual capabilities.

What is so wrong with the article anyway? It's an opinion piece. One should be smart enough to know that Brian Kerr will have difficulties putting pen to paper on the subject of the senior International team following what happened to him. I assume the players don't read it, and I would hope that people are smart enough to read it for what it is and cast it to one side it they don't agree with it. And what is so objectionable anyway? He attempts to reason his points. It is likely that he still retains contacts with some of the squad and that some of them have reservations at this stage (El Tel was the player's choice after all). At least he is the one section of the media that is willing to express some doubts at this stage. That is a refreshing departure from the time honored media cycle of sky high optimism when the guy has just started - inevitably followed by the ocean deep pessimism when things get rough.

It is perfectly reasonable to disagree with opinion pieces and to attack what you perceive as inaccuracy or dishonesty. But sticking the boot in for your own entertainment or on the sole basis that the guy isn't following the herd is petty and immature.

I suggest this is locked and a simple match thread be opened in it's stead.

estebancambias wrote: »

No. He still holds a grudge because he feels that he was harshly treated by the FAI.

The fact is that the manage the top job in Irish football must live and die by the decisions they make. Putting Graham Kavanagh on the pitch to replace Robbie Keane was an EPIC FAIL on the behalf of Brian Kerr. Whatever about Staunton and not a great quality squad, management decisions under Kerr cost us the chance of going to two major competitions.

Then in the final game against the Swiss, we needed only to score AT HOMEif my memory serves me correct. Kerr's ultra defensive mindset cost us.

Oh and the Swiss a better squad of players than us? Yeah come off it will ye. Their best player at the time was Hakin Yakin a player who struggled wherever he has gone.


I do agree however that failure to qualify for 2004, was unfairly remembered as part of Kerr's regime. Perhaps if he had been employed following 2004, he would still be in the job today.

Whats wrong with the article? Kerr being a hyprocit. He cried about the media treatment of him during his time as Irish manager and now he's trying to deliberately stir up ****. Its not his business.

I always lol when the Kavanagh substitution is mentioned. Perfectly reasonable change when you are 2 - 0 up imo. But saying that he was worse then Staunton in terms of tactical decisions is beyond lol. Finnan at left - back? McGeady started away at the Czech Republic? Are you really saying the squad wasn't good enough in terms of quality to take more than one point against Cyprus?

The Kavanagh substitution doesn't change the fact that we created numerous chances and came within a whisker of scoring on at least three occassions in that game. On another day those go in and no - one remembers that change. It isn't poor management that cost us that game - just bad luck. And it wasn't poor management that had Keane slip thus creating the space infront of the back four for Henry to get his shot off with time. Again, just bad luck.

Against the Swiss at home we had injuries to Keane and Duff. Didn't help and yes it was the only game where I would have questioned some of his decisions. But then the four points stick against Israel and it doesn't matter so they are therefore where the whole thing was decided.

Kerr cried about the media treatment because the media began speculating about his demise while we were still well in contention for qualification. And because much of what was written about the results he produced and his competence for doing the job was poisoned by certain journalist's irritation at his availabillity and demeanour during press conferences. The negative assessments and the calls for his head were all done too hastily and without a solid foundation.

There is no hypocracy here. Kerr isn't calling for his head or stirring up **** as you say (I mean, if you wanted to stir things in the football world a column in the Times is the last place to do it!). As a journalist employed to provide an opinion piece on the international football team it is definitely his business to voice it. Maybe I'm reading a different article to you but I don't see anything deliberately objectionable or sensationalist for it's own sake in the article.

But maybe in your world what is ok or not ok in terms of journalism is the boundries and the opinions that the vast majority are holding at any one time. After all, it's the space most football fans and pundits inhabit.

estebancambias wrote: »

I think McGeady is almost certain not to play but I really hope we can see him in action under Traps new system. Its obvious that McGeady will be the focal point of Trapattoni's Ireland so I would like to see how he plays after his terrific season.

OH RLY?

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2008/0528/keanerobbie.html

Keane can be our Totti - Trapattoni

Giovanni Trapattoni will ask Robbie Keane to reprise Francesco Totti's role in his Republic of Ireland masterplan.

The 27-year-old skipper was asked to play off central striker Kevin Doyle in the hole in front of Trapattoni's midfield quartet against Serbia on Saturday, and will do the same against Colombia at Craven Cottage tomorrow evening.

The Italian is hoping the Tottenham frontman can help provide the link as he attempts to replace a long-ball approach with a more dynamic style of play.

Trapattoni acknowledges Roma star Totti and Keane have different qualities, but is confident his man can do a similar job.

He said: 'I want him to play a little bit between the midfield and the forwards. I want him to play in a similar role to Francesco Totti - Totti is Totti and has other qualities to Robbie, but that's the sort of area I want him to play in.

'Robbie can play like that, and he can also score goals. He can do that.'

I think it's pretty clear that Trap sees the link man between midfield and striker as the key man in his lineup. There's no way an Italian coach is going to see a flair wide player as more important than the supporting striker, hence Keane keeping the captaincy and being compared to Totti.