Angry Fans
goes to Declan O’Donovan for comments on Steve Staunton. Send us your address Declan and we’ll send out your prize as quick as you can say Jack Charlton.
I CAN’T help but notice the rising tide of tedium seeping into the game which I have loved since I was introduced to a football. This mysterious round thing that gave enormous pleasure when I kicked it has affected millions if not billions of people in roughly the same way. It pains me to watch it being abused by overpaid, over rated, under skilled “langers” week in week out. Maybe the game has changed. The emphasis on cautious rubbish rather than playing the game with imagination and flair. But who wants to pay £30-£50 to watch paint dry. Surely a tin of paint would be cheaper?
LISTENED to Ronnie Whelan on Sky yesterday morning making the point that if Ireland continue in this vein they will slip down the international rankings and find it increasingly difficult to qualify out of World Cups because they will always bedrawn against tough seeds. As this Euro 2008 qualifying campaign peters towards its inevitable anti-climax, leaving us with no one to cheer next summer (except perhaps the Scots) I really do wonder what the future holds for Irish football. Sure, the likes of McShane and Doyle hold some promise . . . but you can’t actually say there has been anything rousing about this series ofmatches. It’s not been a great summer for Irish sport, and will the future be any better?
SINCE when was it a good idea toplay a striker on the right side of midfield? I know that Andy Keogh is versatile but when he has been pushed into midfield at club level it has generally been on the left side. Maybe this is a piece of tactical genius, but I can’t see it meself.
AT LEAST one bright spot emerged fromour failure to get the win we needed against what was —let’s be straight — a pretty lacklustreGerman side. Joey O’Brien looked very polished and he, McShane and RichardDunne at least form the core of a half-decent defence. But we desperately need some inspiration in midfield and sadly I don’t think this can ever come from Damien Duff. The Ballyboden Boy is just too injury prone to be reliable and this has beenevident at all three of the Premier League clubs he has played with.
THERE is a lot of muttering about Steve Staunton and whether he has the tactical ability to take a group of pretty ordinary players and forge them into an effective unit — something that Alex McLeish has done with conspicuous success for the Scots. But, really, what alternative is there? Ireland are not going to attract a really top-notch manager because there simply isn’t thepoolof players to work with. Add to that the fact that GAA is so strong in the loyalties of a major part of the country and that the rugby team — this summer excepted — has had its fair share of success. Just look at the last eight managers — Staunton; Kerr; Givens; McCarthy; Jack Charlton; Eoin Hand; Alan Kelly Sr; Johnny Giles. Not one of them really achieved anything outstanding at club level. Why should it be different now and why would Ireland expect to attract afully-formed successful tactician? No, there’s only one choice and that’s to stick withStaunton and give him as much support as we can. I didn’t think we played too badly against the Germans. Even Brazil—Kaka, Ronaldinho and all — only managed a nil-nil this weekend.
INTERESTING contrast between Croke Park and Wembley onSaturday.Wehadnearly 68,000 turn out for a game which had no real meaning while half the English fans prefer to boo their own players, and not turn out for the second half (that middle tier looked empty . . . presumably they were warming up for the rugby instead of watching thematch.) Are they the worst supporters in the world?
Your host has plenty of space in this paper in which to air his views on “the national question” so I won’t repeat myself here but it does say something about the air of overcertainty hanging over the Staunton reign that this week’s visit of Cyprus, for what is in effect a meaningless game, could still, if it all went pear-shaped, have massive repercussions in the short term. But it couldn’t go horribly wrong again—could it?Meantime, Declan O’ Donovan wins our Letter of theWeek prize for his thought-provoking (as opposed to just provocative) missive.
WHAT A terrible weekend. Paris full of red and white face-painted goons celebrating another passage to a World Cup Final and a mediocre English soccer team getting all above themselves. Come on the Russians and the Boks.
I SAW this comment posted on an Internet blog yesterday andit’s worth repeating:Having seen video of some of the people booing Lampard, it immediately reminded me of the memorable line in the prototypical American gross out move, Animal House: “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life.” Thosefans who werebooing Lampard before he had even touched a ball are no doubt the sameones whochampionGerrard who is now playing as poorly for his country as he has for his club in recent weeks. How I will laugh if Lampard scores the goal that beats Russia.
IF Gareth Barry is the answer, then God knows what the question is for England.
Totally agree with the sentiments for Cork Blue but still have to award him a red card.After all, consistency is what we need at all levels of the grand old game.
JUST A few more days to go, and then we can get back to proper football again. What’s your shout for theDrogs v Cork match next weekend Liam?
I fancy Cork to win this one — even if victory for the visitors will only postpone the inevitable title win which Drogheda fully deserve.
I DON’T know why Chelsea players and fans are moaning that Avram Grant only originally selected10 players for the Manchester United game in a 4-4-1 formation. Sure wasn’t that what they ended up with anyway?
EVERTON against Liverpool this weekend and if the result goes for the Toffees then I predict the knives will be out for Rafael Benitez big time. With Torres potentially injured and if he persists in picking Pennant ahead of Babel I think this is potentially one of the season’s defining games, particularly with Arsenal and United facing relatively easy fixtures. Then the Premier League will be able to return to the pattern we have seen over the past decade with the exception of the Chelsea blip — Wenger and Ferguson dominating.
Ah, but will Babel wake up in time for kick-off?
WHYdon’t Unitedbuy Drogba? He is the one missing ingredient from their team, and a more complete player than Berbatov who they are also meant to be tracking for January.
And Chelsea would be only too happy to get rid of him, of course.
ANOTHER week goes by and the much maligned Martin Jol is still in a job.He’s set the team up for this season and at the end of it, and only then, should he be judged. If he hasn’t delivered then will be the time to make a judgement and get someone better in.
Always nice to hear from you Herr Klinsmann. Wie geht es einen?
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