Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Northern Ireland go top: Stan to get reprieve?
Yep, heard the cheering from down below, now it’s all quiet because it’s all over... (till the pubs get out)… They just expect Healy to score and he does... Meanwhile, with a 1-0 against Slovakia, maybe some of the blatantly pernicious salami slicing of Stan will stop…
Mick Fealty @ 08:51 PM
macswiney
we’re not top of the group - we’re level on points with the country at the top, which is completely different. If that logic stood up we’d have half of the six nations trophy. NI are top of their group, and fair play to them. And all built on Johnny Giles mantras of ‘moral courage’ and ‘honesty of effort’, something that has been lacking on a consistent basis from the Republic since the 2002 qualifers.
If you insist on finding a straw to clutch at, the fact that both sides having played everyone in their groups have 13 points from 6 games is about as good as it gets.
And anyone willing to take either side to win their group at 14/1 is certifiable.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 01:47 PMWe may be top of the group but teams below us have games in hand.
Our problem is definently our away form and its disappointing that Lafferty has proved incapable of taking any of the goal scoring burden of Healy. Its not good Lafferty missing easy chances and then putting his hand over his mouth, I think Feeney is a better option up front.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 01:56 PMNot another of that we’ve now won 4 games in a row shite -ffs, 2 were against San Marino, 1 against Wales and last night’s oppo were the only half decent team amongst the lot.
Well done NI - a few decent teams beaten but I don’t think your ex-Sligo Rovers boss will be there come the World Cup Quals. Never mind, I know one current international manager who’ll be looking for a job.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 01:59 PM“And all built on Johnny Giles mantras of ‘moral courage’ and ‘honesty of effort’, something that has been lacking on a consistent basis from the Republic since the 2002 qualifers. “
A Keane fan I see ;P
We had both those things in the 2002 Finals too, we just missed a bit of class.Our best hope is for Germany to run away with it, and try to nick 2nd place I think. That would probably require at least draws against the Germans and the Czechs, and to win the remaining matches. Tough, but hopefully some players will come into form and Stan will have the wit to play them.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 02:03 PMSammy Morse
‘Altintop” who scored both Turkey’s goals against Norway last night has a surname that means “Golden Ball”. ‘
Thanks for the info. So the Norwegians must be ^&**#@ altogether . Imagine being defeated by a one balled Turk -the shame :)
Altintop had only one big ball
Called Golden which says it all
Norway had nothing similar
So fans in Oslo
They now have to bawl !With apologies to Spike Milligan not to mention sammy morse !
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 02:04 PMTochais Siorai,
The problem with yourself, Ringo and many other contributors on Slugger is that you spend your life listening to the likes of Dunphy, Giles and all the other “failed” entities who scrape an unjustified living as media pundits.
I am a block booking holder and travel to every Ireland game and i can tell you that Staunton’s name was being chanted by tens of thousands at Croker last night.
You need to get out more mate rather than living in a clasutrophic environment where what is really happening passes you buy…
To quote Mark McCadden in today’s Irish Daily Star “ By the end of it, ole, ole’s washed over the stands and poured onto a pitch packed with celebrating players, manager, coaches and of course Mick Byrne...”
If you want base your views on sport, life or anything else based on the insular and anal viewpoints of the Dunphy’s and Giles of this world then fair play to you, but the real world full of thousands of genuine celebrating irish fans was a wonderful place to be at Croker last night....
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 02:27 PMA Keane fan I see
ok I’ll begrudgingly stretch it to Japorea when Mad Stan and Quinny were still there to provide a bit of spine ;). Since then the so called top players have been the root of the problem. Duff is a big man for the small game. He has never produced a match winning performance against a top side, at either club or international level. The arselicking over his performance last night is typical. Carsley was far more important to last nights result than Duff. Robbie Keane is worse. His goalscoring record against top sides is absolutely shocking - not one goal against any side in the top 20 in almost 5 years in a competitive fixture. Contrasted with Healy’s record it is damning.But there’s hope - the attitude of the three Reading boys has been a breath of fresh air, as have McShane and Ireland. And Dunne is providing the leadership that Robbie is utterly incapable of providing. Hunt must start up front against the Czechs.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 02:31 PMStill in a state of extacy after that result. 2-1 to NI and top of the group.
Wait, no, I STILL can’t believe it!!!!!
The result of the week. Everyone phoning in to 5-live saying that they’re going to support NI from now on.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 03:00 PMI think Staunton pretty much picked his best available side last night.
The young lads, Doyle, McShane, Long, McGeady & Hunt are making a real difference within the team.
The defence looks rock solid and the addition of McGeady & Hunt on the flanks adds far more depth to the team.
Staunton called the substitutions right last night with the introduction of Long & Hunt easing the pressure.
With O’Dea, Stephen Quinn, Gibson etc.. coming through the future looks very promising for the future.
One the most striking things about the last week, is the total support for Staunton from the players.
Great atmosphere at the game last night, by the way. Over 70k supporters - superb.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 03:06 PMmacswiney
the real world full of thousands of genuine celebrating irish fansDid all these inhabitants of the ‘real world’ think we are ‘top of the group’ or just yourself?
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 03:11 PMJesus Ringo,
Get a life man… My point was that they are level on points at the top and I made an analogy with Northern ireland re the respective opposition sides having games in hand.
Yourself and the Dunphys of this world are the type of people who probably complained even when we dumped England in Stuttgart 98, when we got to the WC quarter final in 1990 and also when we stuffed Italy in New York in 94. ( A game which i was at and will never forget...).
We are a small nation. We were then and we are now… Lower your expectations man…
Dunphy crucifies Staunton in todays Irish Star without producing one single piece of evidence to support his assertions. Reactionary, insular journalism at its worst which reveals more about his own dubious character than it does his accused…
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 03:23 PMI’m not a fan of Dunphy and find him a bit predictable.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 04:04 PMDunphy did a very readable biography of Sir Matt Busby, his first book he did as a journeyman at Millwall is also worth a read, but he seems incapable of providing a really intelligent analysis on the tele, he is good entertainment though.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 04:11 PMmacswiney
I don’t take Dunphy seriously, and I don’t read the Star (the Busby book is a good read all the same). Staunton is a novice who shouldn’t have been given the job and he’s being crucified for it (unfairly in my opinion), but he’s not the main problem, no more than McClaren is. Its the players who are responsible. Staunton made a balls of things up to this point, but he deserves credit for picking the right side last night.
It has nothing to do with being a big or small nation, its all about attitude. (McGrath on Baggio probably sticks in your mind from Giants stadium, Pakie Bonner in the last 10 minutes in Stuttgart, Keane flattening Overmars in 2001 etc..). NI have a fraction of the talent at the disposal of England, but they expect to have to go out and earn their results in a way that is alien to ‘Lamps’ and co. We had that attitude for years, then the lads won the u16 and u18 European championships and a 3rd place in an u20 WC and grew up to become the most spineless side in memory, (Dunne excepted). Thankfully it looks like they will be bailed out by the next generation.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 04:15 PMRingo,
I agree with a lot of what you say but there’s also bit of hypocrisy there surely? Most Irish fans would agree that the players were primarily responsible for the mayhem in Cyprus. The defence was truly shocking and Keane has been virtually anonymous in the past 5 games in which he has played. How o’Shea manages to play for Man United remains nothing short of a mystery bearing his inept performances in the green jersey.
Bearing all this in mind the savaging of Staunton was surely disproportionate? That he was deserving of criticism is beyond question but he must be given a chance. His introduction of McShane in central defence has been a revelation. He has not been afraid to throw in the young talents of Doyle, Hunt and Long. A policy which will surely reap divends in the future. A fair crack of the whip is all he is asking for. Kerr failed to win 4 games in a row in his entire tenure, so surely Stan must be given a chance...?
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 04:33 PMI’m sure everyone vividly recalls Ireland’s fantastic Italia song, “Put ‘em under pressure”? Remember, the one with Jack Charlton spelling out his team’s manifesto over the riff from Dearg Doom?
Watching the NI game last night reminded me of the Charlton philosophy. Go and compete. Inflict your game on the opposition. I remembered how, though Ireland were by no means the best collection of footballers in the world, they were the team that scared the shite out of the big boys.
The present NI team has taken on that mantle. It’s great to see at least one team from these shores playing in the Irish tradition and getting success. I love it.
Fair play to the north. Hope they qualify - might go myself if they do.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 04:48 PMNorthern Ireland have done something they haven’t done in a long time; they are still in with a serious chance of qualification for a major tournament with the group stage half over. I still think a couple of injuries or suspensions could mean they fall short but at least they still have chips on the table.
Wednesday was a big improvement on Saturday for the Republic. They are also in with a chance but I still have serious doubts. Their ball possession against the Slovaks was terrible (still better than against Wales) and when the Slovaks started applying the pressure in the second half the ball was just hoofed back to them and another attack started up.
Everything went through Vittek and he was let run the show. If we give the same space to the Germans, Czechs and Slovaks in Slovakia, then I can see zero points from 3 games.
Billy Pilgrim,
The Spanish manager at the time called them “11 wolves in green shirts”.Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 04:58 PMIs Dave Healy a catholic? Does that mean then that there are 12,000 ‘prods’ cheering on a ‘papist’ everytime he scores?
More Catholics should support the team, and in due time they will. I remember everyone down south supported NI back in the 1980’s World Cup campaign in Spain.
Well done Northern Ireland, great football display on the pitch!
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 05:39 PMIs it just me or does anyone else think the “IRISH NEWS” let itself down badly today.
The headlines and front page were about some house prices in North Belfast and the NI match was relegated to the bottom left hand corner of the back page.
I know they think their market is a nationalist one but they are still a BELFAST BASED newspaper ffs.
If the News Letter was a Dublin based unionist paper and I was a regular reader I would expect them to follow everyone else’s lead and plaster any ROI team exceptional achievement across the front page.It was news that has even made it onto the official UEFA sites.They really missed a trick - especially in a week when their editorials have been lecturing everyone on the significance and benefits of the Paisley Adams meeting.
This was an opportunity for them to provide some leadership and help build bridges between unionism and nationalism.
Shame on them.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 05:58 PMAnd a big Ole, Ole to you too, macswiney. If we beat the Mother Superiors xi it’ll be 5 in a row. Listen, buck, you have no idea what I think of Mr Dunphy, Giles & Brady, I never mentioned them, I may even have opinions of my own. I, for my sins, am also a block ticket holder who attended his first ROI match in 1978 so I don’t see D, G & B that often cos I’m at the games.
However, I certainly don’t need a third rate hack from the Daily Star to analyse football for me.
For future reference macswiney, criticising other people’s viewpoint is perfectly valid but try & read what they say rather than what you think they think before responding. Oh and less of the man, not ball as they call it around these parts.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 06:03 PMJohn EB, don’t shoot the messenger. If their target audience cared it’d be on the front page. Whether you like it or not, that’s the blunt truth of it.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 06:07 PMHealy has been approached by a few prem. clubs.
Wigan, Sheffield, CHarlton. Rangers are lloking at him now with Prso not coming back next season.
And with Healy being a life long Rangers supporter..who knows?
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 06:53 PM“Is Dave Healy a catholic? Does that mean then that there are 12,000 ‘prods’ cheering on a ‘papist’ everytime he scores?”
Does it really matter?
What a stupid question.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 06:55 PMThis was an opportunity for them to provide some leadership and help build bridges between unionism and nationalism.
JEB
I would suggest that it is you- as opposed to the Irish News- that has to do the serious thinking about bridge building.Why is it so difficult for unionists like yourself to accept that the national team/ country of northern nationalists play out of Dublin?
Your comments reflect an arrogance which is rightly rejected by nationalists who, whilst wishing the north well, have no intention of abandoning support for the national team just ‘cause some narrow-minded unionist can’t accept that.
Get used to it JEB.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 07:06 PM“Your comments reflect an arrogance which is rightly rejected by nationalists who, whilst wishing the north well, have no intention of abandoning support for the national team just ‘cause some narrow-minded unionist can’t accept that.”
Break-away splitters, the “national” team? Think and feel what you want, but that it aint.
Too funny.
Posted by on Mar 29, 2007 @ 07:47 PM
