Id rather see hoofing into the channels than Matt Doherty trotting in the channels passing it backwards.
There's definitely been a hostility towards him from a lot of people who've been around the Irish team before. O'Neill and plenty of ex players didnt seem like fans either.
Keith Tracy was on Virgin the other day and he said as much. He argued the new manager should change tactics and aim to "eke out results", "it won't be pretty" and "no pressing all over". Sounds no better than Kennys tenure.
The ex players and managers won't admit it but they're happy with us playing sh!te football and resented Kenny for wanting to try something more. Kenny's tenure was a failure, fine but that doesn't mean we should aim to be an Italia 90 tribute act.
The worst managerial appointment Ireland ever made was choosing Jack Charlton, that hoofball blueprint will be remembered not for the football but for the excitement of getting to tournaments. The football was ugly as hell but for some reason it still seems to be what people have lodged in their subconscious as the best way for Ireland to play.
I'm not saying there's only one way to play, obviously against bigger teams sitting in and playing more direct is fine, but you tailor your approach to the opposition. Play when you can and dig in and go more direct when you have to.
But all this guff about just eaking out results is nonsense, Trappatoni and Martin O'Neill did it, all the pundits moaned and said they'd want to see more attempts to play football and that we needed to see more progressive football, that people would rather see Ireland try to play football and lose than watch long ball football ans sneak a 1-0 win.
Now they are saying the opposite.
Typical Irish, never fecking happy.