Republic Of Ireland Football Thread

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Wayne's World

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One thing that hasn’t been mentioned so much is how, at the start of Kenny’s reign, people were talking about how Shane Duffy wouldn’t fit with what he was trying to do and would end up out of favour, despite being our most influential player for years. Not only did he find a way to get him in the side, he brought him along with him and Duffy is now doing things he hasn’t really done before and is, at times, trying to use the ball in a way he hasn’t done before for us. Fair play to both.
I think massive credit has to go to Potter for Duffy's resurgence. He's got him playing like this at club level and he's playing a similar role with us. His Celtic stint was a disaster but he's took it on his stride and from the belief of the Potter of getting him to play this way, he's excelled brilliantly
 

Brophs

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It's an astonishing turn around. My brother in law is a season ticket holder at Celtic and said he was one of the worst players they'd ever seen there. He was a goner. I'm delighted for him. He's shown incredible character.
Unless, by chance, we know the same Celtic fan, I think that was a fairly widely held view in Glasgow. I remember someone I know posting a video of a load of dreadful things he’d done and it was all in the first month or two.
I think massive credit has to go to Potter for Duffy's resurgence. He's got him playing like this at club level and he's playing a similar role with us. His Celtic stint was a disaster but he's took it on his stride and from the belief of the Potter of getting him to play this way, he's excelled brilliantly
Fair point. I suppose my point was more that he wouldn’t have been the first player to think “feck this. I’ll keep doing what made me successful for Ireland and take no chances. After all, they cheered my name for doing this shit not so long ago.” But he took the harder road. Have to admire that.
 

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It's an astonishing turn around. My brother in law is a season ticket holder at Celtic and said he was one of the worst players they'd ever seen there. He was a goner. I'm delighted for him. He's shown incredible character.
Apparently he had a load of issues in his personal life.
 

Nick7

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I know that.

He just went all out to draw both games, beat Ireland and then Serbia have to come out harder to try and win, it changes the complexion of the game from the start.




I agree he is a shite manager, still dining out on the Euros.

It was great for Ireland to get a draw, but the team he sent out was a mess. If he put out a decent team and sent them out to try and win that game they probably would have done.

He's got what he deserved tonight for those decisons, what he should really be getting after that is sacked.
Yeah that’s all fair.
 

Hound Dog

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He just went all out to draw both games, beat Ireland and then Serbia have to come out harder to try and win, it changes the complexion of the game from the start.
We would have not needeed a win at Portugal only if they had lost to Ireland.
 

Still ill

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Apparently he had a load of issues in his personal life.
Ah yeah, I'm aware of that but it was such a trough of form he was in and Glasgow is such a fishbowl, some people wouldn't recover at all from that. I thought he might be finished as a top level player. Serious respect for him for bouncing back so spectacularly and so quickly.
 

The Irish Connection

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Huge positives after this week. Kenny has done a fantastic job after a rocky start and we are starting to see the benefits.

So many talented youngsters playing in the first team, under 21's, 18's playing across Europe with fantastic clubs. Future is massively bright for us.

Great to see Irish football back on the up again after years of wilderness
Absolutely. Was depressing there for ages. We need to keep this going, but big positives there.
 

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I didn't even know this was happening but Ireland got Ukraine and Scotland in the Nations league draw:

Group B-1:Ukraine, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Armenia

Group B-2 Iceland, Russia, Israel, Albania

Group B-3 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Romania, Montenegro

Group B-4 Sweden, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia

Kenny wants to win the group which should be the target to be fair.

 

Still ill

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I didn't even know this was happening but Ireland got Ukraine and Scotland in the Nations league draw:

Group B-1:Ukraine, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Armenia

Group B-2 Iceland, Russia, Israel, Albania

Group B-3 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Romania, Montenegro

Group B-4 Sweden, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia

Kenny wants to win the group which should be the target to be fair.

Yeah, should give us a good idea of where we're at. Time to start judging. I think Kenny would accept that.
 

Still ill

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The Scots are in a good place at the moment but they're still a fair target to aim at. Che Adams has been a big addition for them. What I wouldn't give for a Che Adams lining out for us. I can't see Connolly or Idah coming through for us. I had big hopes for Idah but the more I see of him, the less hopeful I am. It'll still be Robinson we're relying on with the likes of Ogbene, Knight, McGrath etc hopefully chipping in.
 

Deery

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Looks an alright group but don’t see us winning it Ukraine and Scotland are still much stronger than us..
 

BerryBerryShrew

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The Scots are in a good place at the moment but they're still a fair target to aim at. Che Adams has been a big addition for them. What I wouldn't give for a Che Adams lining out for us. I can't see Connolly or Idah coming through for us. I had big hopes for Idah but the more I see of him, the less hopeful I am. It'll still be Robinson we're relying on with the likes of Ogbene, Knight, McGrath etc hopefully chipping in.
Troy Parrott also seems to be going the Terry Dixon route. Obafemi is probably not going to make it either.

In midfield matters, Smallbone was back playing for Southampton recently. Has he declared for us? I liked the cut of his jib before his long term injury.
 

lsd

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Doesn't look like Connor Bradley the young Liverpool right back is going to switch to the Republic. From speaking to family members he has had a lot of pressure applied by Jim Magilton to stay with Northern Ireland.

Shame as he looks a very good talent.
 

Still ill

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Troy Parrott also seems to be going the Terry Dixon route. Obafemi is probably not going to make it either.

In midfield matters, Smallbone was back playing for Southampton recently. Has he declared for us? I liked the cut of his jib before his long term injury.
Yeah, I think Smallbone is well on board. He has a few 21s appearances under his belt and I don't feel our neighbours will be in his ear the way they were with the likes of Grealish and Rice. I agree, he looks a nice player. Maybe we're destined to never find a forward again. Evan Ferguson (?), young lad at Brighton, seems to be getting rave reviews. Only 16 I think and we have, of course, been there before. We live in hope.
 

Pogue Mahone

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The Scots are in a good place at the moment but they're still a fair target to aim at. Che Adams has been a big addition for them. What I wouldn't give for a Che Adams lining out for us. I can't see Connolly or Idah coming through for us. I had big hopes for Idah but the more I see of him, the less hopeful I am. It'll still be Robinson we're relying on with the likes of Ogbene, Knight, McGrath etc hopefully chipping in.
Dunno if you listen to the Second Captains podcast but Ken Early loves his fbref stats. Apparently Connolly is in the bottom 1% for pretty much every metric relevant to his position. I think he’s more likely to be playing for a LoI club than establishing himself as our regular number 9.
 

Still ill

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Dunno if you listen to the Second Captains podcast but Ken Early loves his fbref stats. Apparently Connolly is in the bottom 1% for pretty much every metric relevant to his position. I think he’s more likely to be playing for a LoI club than establishing himself as our regular number 9.
Tragically, I occasionally trawl through opposition fan sites for their views on Irish players. A week where 3 Irish strikers get proper minutes in the Prem should be a good one, right? Good luck trying to find a Brighton, Norwich or Southampton fan who has anything good to say about Connolly, Idah or poor old Shane Long. Match day threads don't bring out the best and brightest, I know but still. On the plus side, the Celtic fans seem to have taken a shine to Liam Scales. So that's something, right?
 

Brophs

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Irish players doing the business across the water.
 

NoPace

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Troy Parrott also seems to be going the Terry Dixon route. Obafemi is probably not going to make it either.

In midfield matters, Smallbone was back playing for Southampton recently. Has he declared for us? I liked the cut of his jib before his long term injury.
That's a shame for Ireland. He used his body to turn and shield so cleverly for Spurs in that pre-season friendly against United a few years back he looked like the kind of decent striker Serie A used to produce who got by on guile and skill more than pace or power.
 

NoPace

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Dunno if you listen to the Second Captains podcast but Ken Early loves his fbref stats. Apparently Connolly is in the bottom 1% for pretty much every metric relevant to his position. I think he’s more likely to be playing for a LoI club than establishing himself as our regular number 9.
He looked terrible most of the time I watched him for Brighton. Even with their lack of options I think Potter picking him so much was odd. Does fall down and demand at least one penalty a game but never gets it, so maybe in the Championship he can be a poor man's Andrew Johnson.
 

Pogue Mahone

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That's a shame for Ireland. He used his body to turn and shield so cleverly for Spurs in that pre-season friendly against United a few years back he looked like the kind of decent striker Serie A used to produce who got by on guile and skill more than pace or power.
You could have gone a bit closer to home with Berbatov or Sheringham.

I still think he might come good.
 

NoPace

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You could have gone a bit closer to home with Berbatov or Sheringham.

I still think he might come good.
Those guys were creative geniuses though. You have to see fantastic vision and playmaking to compare someone to them. Was thinking of like Gilardino.
 

Champ

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Idah has had another good game tonight.
 

Ole'sgunnarwin

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Idah has had another good game tonight.
He's been very good, was excellent in the last match. Great to see an Irish striker at least starting in the Premier League. Norwich's results have improved since he's come in, Pukki has been coming off before him too. He's big, strong, quick, holds the ball up well. Hopefully he keeps this form up.
 

Champ

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He's been very good, was excellent in the last match. Great to see an Irish striker at least starting in the Premier League. Norwich's results have improved since he's come in, Pukki has been coming off before him too. He's big, strong, quick, holds the ball up well. Hopefully he keeps this form up.
Yeah, He definitely has improved with increased game time.

If he can keep this consistency up then he will be a real asset going forward.
 

limerickcitykid

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That's a shame for Ireland. He used his body to turn and shield so cleverly for Spurs in that pre-season friendly against United a few years back he looked like the kind of decent striker Serie A used to produce who got by on guile and skill more than pace or power.
Thankfully it’s not that big of a shame because it’s complete bollocks. Terry Dixon never scored a goal in the football league even, Parrott has already achieved miles more.

He had a really good start to the season and is getting a goal or assist every 178 minutes playing largely as a number 10. He’s been in and out with covid and some injuries which he’s struggled with recently but the first few months showed he’s a clearly capable League One player at only 19.

He’s also a lot better as a 10 than striker.
 

Brophs

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Even with the upturn in results and performances, Stephen Kenny doesn’t seem to get many breaks.
 

lsd

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Festy Ebosele scored for Derby tonight and is getting rave reviews.

Michael Obafemi scoring for Swansea as well and looking happier with his hand now

Dare we hope they can be the answer to our striking woes?


 
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GDaly95

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Anyone eagerly anticipating the return of League of Ireland?

Not sure if there's a thread for it or if this one will do.

I'm all set for Bray Wanderers in the first division anyway, season ticket at the ready. Looking forward to it!
 

golden_blunder

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Anyone eagerly anticipating the return of League of Ireland?

Not sure if there's a thread for it or if this one will do.

I'm all set for Bray Wanderers in the first division anyway, season ticket at the ready. Looking forward to it!
When does it restart?

incidentally ill be in bray on Saturday
 
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