Next Ireland Manager - Criteria

A starting point is getting organised at he back and becoming difficult to beat and building the team from there. 

We are too easy to beat, Kenny on record said he's not concerned with the fact that we have conceded sloppy goals from outside the box, I think we conceded 5. Which ended up with Ireland losing those games.

I also don't think Kenny is able to communicate his game plan effectively to the players either. Just a hunch.

Terzino and Bundy's posts are spot on.

You're picking Real Madrid rather than Ipswich or Sheffield Wednesday for a reason though. Its reductive. "Don't even bother trying, we're just inferior" is the message. 

Everyone is technical these days. There is not going to be a successful return to the style of Irish teams gone by. 

Our players are going to return to their clubs where, mostly, they will knock the ball about pretty well.

This isn't an argument in favour of keeping Kenny. But this was always my fear when he was appointed. He wouldnt be successful and the fans and administration would abandon any progressive notions we had. 

If Kenny isnt the right man and theres a better attainable alternative then grand, lets appoint him. But we can't go back to packing our defence with no intent to commit bodies forward except for set pieces. 

I think people massively overestimate the importance of a link between the domestic league and the national team. The top end of the League of Ireland is the equivalent of League 2 in England. Mid table would be equivalent to the National League and, in all honesty, the bottom of the league is probably equivalent to the National League North/South.

The Ireland senior team almost never calls up players from League 2 in England, never mind non-league, and I have no idea when was the last time a League 2 player actually played for us in a competitive game. So there really doesn't need to and shouldn't be any direct link between the LoI and the national senior team.

The domestic league is what it is, it provides opportunities for players to play as full time professionals in Ireland and regularly contributes to underage squads. The better players outgrow it and move on, and always will. There is/was also an under 23 team where domestic based players could stay in the national setup to some extent after Under 21s. Better facilities for spectators are absolutely needed, but the product on the pitch isn't going to change much from what is there now. What it does well in particular is it offers senior football opportunities to developing players at a reasonable standard at a young age, which is a very good thing.

Every now and then a player will emerge from the league and go on and be good enough to play for the senior team - like Fahey, Hoolihan and McGrath. But realistically they'll have to prove themselves at a higher level before they get the chance. Just as John Egan had to move up the divisions in England before he got into the Ireland team.

What we have at the moment is a senior team of mostly Championship level players, with a few Premier League players thrown in. But they're managed by a League 2/National League standard manager. It makes no sense and we probably shouldn't be surprised that it hasn't worked. I think once people accept that the domestic league and the senior team are two completely separate entities that don't need to have any direct relationship with each other it will be better for both the team and the League.

For all his nice football with Dundalk in the 2016 Europa League they were not gettin results.  Kennys teams just dont seem to get the job done even after good performances.

And lads dont be voming back quoting Azerbaijan and Malta at me. They are the worst teams in Europe.

Which adds more credence to the theory that the coaches (Barry especially) were key.
Maybe he'll have a key new coach for March and we'll be far better?

The stick Hughton gets is flabbergasting

Hughton

Wilder

Even Bruce. The Kennian cult will deride all of the above.

All available. Careers at a point where we are attractive option. We can't actually get worse. Plus, they like have a free hit at euro play offs thru NL.

Roadie Collins or Pat Fenton would be regressive. 

They Kennys contemporaries.