We do not have the players !!!!!

golden tiger 2013 wrote: Just read Eamon Dunphy's column on the star. According to Dunphy Ireland will qualify for Euro 2016 and Ireland can beat any team in the world outside of Spain. Does anyone agree with Mr Dunphy?.

He didn't say that at all to be fair.

general squad is pretty good. if we had someone like alaba wed be sorted. he dragged a much sh*ttier team to a better finish than us :P

Kerrzy I dont want to offend you in case you travelled over to Poznan this week, but that match was a nothing game; it was a nothing game when it was announced and nothing that happened in the 90 mins changed that fact. MON put out a second string 11 pretty much.

sh*te match, sh*te performance, no big deal.

Roll on 2014. Havent felt this positive about the Irish team since the McCarthy reign.

Kerrzy you sound like my granda does when he's yapping about the non alcoholic beer my ma buys him.

horsebox wrote: It's not club football. You can't get rid of the dead wood. You can only work with the players that are available to you. There's not a lot of players that are not in the squad that would improve the squad. Anyway the dead wood that you would get rid of will probably end up being first choice for MON\RK.

Maybe so. If they do we'll be struggling to qualify for the Euros and there wont be any contract extension. We badly need our core group of players fit. The likes of Brady, O Brien, Reid, Clark could all be starting and hopefully will be the case. There are 4 players that can replace Sledge, Ward, Walters and Stokes. The latter 2 should never be considered for a start on the wing or be switched there as in stokes' case. If so you may as well drop them..

Edited by Kerrzy - 20 Nov 2013 at 6:09pm

It's not club football.

You can't get rid of the dead wood. You can only work with the players that are available to you. There's not a lot of players that are not in the squad that would improve the squad.

Anyway the dead wood that you would get rid of will probably end up being first choice for MON\RK.

Quite a lot of cross channel movement this summer for some of the LOIs younger talents. Think they could do better than league one and two, but will be interesting to see if these boys can play their way into contention for the senior side over the next couple of years. I suppose this kind of annual exodus is a big problem when it comes to development at home.

Blue Man wrote: I agree to a certain extent Baldy but you have to look at where all our players play their club football in their breakthrough years. Everyone comes through the British school of football which we all know is completely flawed.  Every year there's an Irish schoolboy side in the latter stages of the Milk Cup at both age groups beating world renowned names on the way. I've seen unbelievable players go across the channel after these tournaments and their talent is completely stifled and therefore conform to the British game. Most are then cast on the scrapheap at 18 and then comeback and drag their heels through the League of Ireland. We have had no shortage of talented players in years gone by but "making it in England" shouldn't be the barometer.

I agree but I do not think that conflicts with my point.

I think its quite possible for someone like ruud dokter to see issues with our system and structure and try to improve it and at the same time the manager to make the most of what he has and not throw is hands up to the sky and say we don't have the players.

Acknowledging your flaws and weaknesses in your structures does not have to lead to defeatism in the short term. We can long term plan and try to improve our structures and systems and still try to be competitive in qualifying groups.

I agree to a certain extent Baldy but you have to look at where all our players play their club football in their breakthrough years. Everyone comes through the British school of football which we all know is completely flawed.