2012 v 2016 Euro Preparations

I have heard criticisms of the Euro 2012 build up. Namely being isolated away from their family for too long, training too hard, the boredom, no nights out, the accommodation in Sopot.

I have heard some players say 'the Irish are different' and need a night out.  Sure even your bog standard GAA club players dont touch drink for weeks on end before a match.

Why is this 'night out' so important for the national team??

Duff reckons O'Neill will allow the players have ''a few drinks'' (we know that means about 7 or 8).  I wonder how Roy Keane will react given the last time he was involved and the Irish team were going out on the piss in Saipan.

Personally I can't understand this need for a piss up.

26 years ago since Italy 90, different era, There should be no beer whatsoever once they arrive in France, just to stay rehydrated with the heat will be hard enough for God sake.

I'd see no issue with the players having a glass of wine or a bottle of beer with their dinner a few days before a game but this whole allowing them nights out is silly. As you pointed out TJ, gaa players go weeks on end without beer. My own club a few years back went between 7 to 9 weeks off it. Typical Irish attitude to even bring alcohol into it 😩 I'm sure there are cinemas, nice restaurants, ps4s and Xboxs etc all available near by.

In 2012 Trap had the guts of the squad together for a month before the euros. It was a ridiculous. You can imagine how boring it was, a lot of players were tired too after a long season.

- Week long training sessions in Dublin.

- A friendly v Bosnia at home.

- Pre training camps in Italy, for his and Marcos convenience.

- An away friendly v Hungary 5 days before the Croatia game.

- The tournament itself.

It was all a bit of a shambles too, as pointed out.. the base/hotels in Sopot and that.

I think O'Neill is going about it the right way. A friendly in Dublin, then a quick training camp in Cork where the players can go home to their families and relax a bit in between. Then having the base in a quite town like Versailles.

As for nights out, mad stuff. Its 2 weeks of their lives. A beer or wine with dinner is grand but a night out is out of order.

Because we come from a different culture.

What works for Germany may not work for Italy or France. It's about finding that balance, and that in itself is a difficult task.

As I said you are not going to please everyone.

You just need to listen to Duff the other day about the Euro's.

valo88 wrote: In 2012 Trap had the guts of the squad together for a month before the euros. It was a ridiculous. You can imagine how boring it was, a lot of players were tired too after a long season. - Week long training sessions in Dublin. - A friendly v Bosnia at home. - Pre training camps in Italy, for his and Marcos convenience. - An away friendly v Hungary 5 days before the Croatia game. - The tournament itself. It was all a bit of a shambles too, as pointed out.. the base/hotels in Sopot and that. I think O'Neill is going about it the right way. A friendly in Dublin, then a quick training camp in Cork where the players can go home to their families and relax a bit in between. Then having the base in a quite town like Versailles. As for nights out, mad stuff. Its 2 weeks of their lives. A beer or wine with dinner is grand but a night out is out of order.

Can you point out what was wrong with that approach?  These are pro footballers trying to peak physically and mentally for a major finals. You would actually think they would want to be disciplined. The Irish players seem to have an attitude whereby they are like a group of schoolkids going on an foreign school trip and looking for every opportunity to break the rules and get up to mischief.
You would seriously have to question players mindsets if they cant go a month without beer and hanging out with the wife and kids.

They were trained hard. Sure isn't that what being a pro athlete is about????

The only criticism that is justified is the hotel in Sopot. They didn't foresee the amount of fans that would be swamped around the town which was an oversight.

This time around the players will still be together for a month.  They don't need alcohol to stave off boredom. Some of these lads are very unprofessional. There are amateur sportsmen who are more disciplined.

Wasn't it in 2002 where the whole country was criticising the approach of having a piss up and BBQ's in Saipan and treating it like a holiday?  Wasn't it Roy Keane who answered ''it's the world cup finals, of course you're here to train hard'' when the goalkeepers said they were tired?


Why have we swung back the other way again?  What is wrong with these players?

Brian Kerr used to take a very professional approach and do dvd's for the players on the opposition and the players didnt bother watching them and found it all a bit fussy. They said he sapped the craic out of the team.

Some of these lads would want to cop on to themselves.

If they need to go for a few drinks during the tournament as a release from the pressure then they will absolutely crumble under the pressure when the Semi's or Finals come along.

Football has a crazed hypochondriatic fear of "Pressure".

I think it's quite clear to see what the differences are between Traps preparations and the way the team are now. 

I see a greater sense of camaraderie with the current bunch as you saw with the celebrations after we qualified and the friendships which have developed within the team. I think when the team are at home in Ireland together, it would be fine for them to have a bit of a night out with 3-5 pints each as a team building excercise. It would be long gone from their systems upon landing in France and if it helps the team unity, so be it. I disagree with letting them run riot and having a holiday in France but you can let them have a certain amount of freedom without going overboard.

Apparantley Trap didn't even vary his training sessions from day today. It sounded like a prison team, I feel positive about how MON will handle the preparations for these and the team spirit going into the tournament.

horsebox wrote: richie_os wrote: I think it's quite clear to see what the differences are between Traps preparations and the way the team are now.  I see a greater sense of camaraderie with the current bunch as you saw with the celebrations after we qualified and the friendships which have developed within the team. I think when the team are at home in Ireland together, it would be fine for them to have a bit of a night out with 3-5 pints each as a team building excercise. It would be long gone from their systems upon landing in France and if it helps the team unity, so be it. I disagree with letting them run riot and having a holiday in France but you can let them have a certain amount of freedom without going overboard. Apparantley Trap didn't even vary his training sessions from day today. It sounded like a prison team, I feel positive about how MON will handle the preparations for these and the team spirit going into the tournament. Did you go to different training sessions under MON and Trap to come to that conclusion? If so, how many training sessions of each did you see.

Im basing it on first hand accounts of their experience from the likes of Stephen Hunt and then Kevin Kilbane who had previously played under him and had many friends within the squad.