SQUAD - LATVIA/FRANCE 22nd/27th MARCH 2023

In fairness, this is just absolute nonsense. Blaming him (which we have heard before) for the goals against Portugal with 9 of our players in the box is really disingenuous to say the least. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCKuFJ9r4YU&t=633s&ab_channel=FAITV

9:58 - no doubt he should have got his block on - but it's a 9v4 in Ireland's favour.

Why, out of 9 Irish players in the box, nobody marking Ronaldo!

Not sure why he was blamed for the second goal either.

Two goals? Have you these eye things that you talk about? 

For the 1st, he gets beating to easy but he's not alone in taking blame. Ronaldo is standing in the box on his own.

Laughable comment  Curious as to what you expected from him for the second goal? Doesn’t cover himself in glory for the first one but ‘at fault’ is a serious reach 

Why I would be harsher on McClean then Duffy for the slack defending losing Ronaldo is he wasn’t long on the field and was fresh as a daisy. Duffy shouldn’t be losing Ronaldo in that scenario but had played the full game and we were out on our feet at that point. 

You might disagree. He should have done better and overall I don’t think he made a positive contribution in that game.

McClean was fresh legs onto the pitch when others had spent the entire game backs against the wall defending. Out on their feet, physically and mentally exhausted.

What they needed from a substitute was to come on and take over some of that physical responsibility and not shirk his defensive responsibilities. Close down players, make it hard for Portugal, run around for the few minutes he was on.

He allows two piss easy crosses in from that side when he was barely on the pitch, he should have been full of running and well able to close down.

His contribution was awful, and in the context of the game he was at fault, undoubtedly so. If you find facts laughable you must get a hernia watching the news everyday 

You seem to be the only one claiming he ‘at fault’?? Therefore I would say it’s not really ‘undoubtedly so’ as many others doubt that he was at fault. Maybe it’s a deeper lying issue and you just don’t like him?

I respectfully disagree, he didnt even want the Latvia game. He will have a fair idea of his starting XI for the French game at this stage and I dont think a strong perfromance by the likes of Manning or Smallbone vs Latvia would change that (it might influence who gets a chance off the bench). He will use the Latvia game to give minutes to lads who he wants to start vs France but who are struggling for game time - Doherty, Collins, maybe Ferguson and Obafemi, but hopefully the rest of the selection will allow for a bit of experimentation e.g. I see no point starting Cullen vs Latvia, so why not take the opportunity to have a look at Coventry, ditto Knight and Smallbone. Kelleher and Duffy will likely need a game also. There are others too who will hopefully get minutes e.g. Sykes, Manning, Azaz, Omobamidele, but I dont expect any of them to start vs France.