this week’s internationals

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

play Two up front. Jesus and and Serf. Rhat will surprise them a little and we won't have to carry Ilkay.

[iwasthere2012]

O'Neill and Keane leaving the Irish national team by mutual consent. (ahem, cough, sacked, cough, cough, fired)
We failed to have even one shot on target against Denmark. I wonder will Mourinho be available soon? He'd be well qualified for our job.

[johnny crossan]

O'Neill and Keane leaving the Irish national team by mutual consent. (ahem, cough, sacked, cough, cough, fired)
We failed to have even one shot on target against Denmark. I wonder will Mourinho be available soon? He'd be well qualified for our job.

You Irish lads on here must be pleased about that

[Douglas Higginbottom]

play Two up front. Jesus and and Serf. Rhat will surprise them a little and we won't have to carry Ilkay.

Wont have to carry Gundo anyway, more likely he will be the matchwinner! If he plays of course

[johnny crossan]

play Two up front. Jesus and and Serf. Rhat will surprise them a little and we won't have to carry Ilkay.

Wont have to carry Gundo anyway, more likely he will be the matchwinner! If he plays of course

are you boys in the right thread?

[nottsblue]

O'Neill and Keane leaving the Irish national team by mutual consent. (ahem, cough, sacked, cough, cough, fired)
We failed to have even one shot on target against Denmark. I wonder will Mourinho be available soon? He'd be well qualified for our job.

You Irish lads on here must be pleased about that

Be interesting to see who will take over. Must be noted they won’t have much to work with sadly

[Foreverinbluedreams]

O'Neill and Keane leaving the Irish national team by mutual consent. (ahem, cough, sacked, cough, cough, fired)
We failed to have even one shot on target against Denmark. I wonder will Mourinho be available soon? He'd be well qualified for our job.

You Irish lads on here must be pleased about that

Be interesting to see who will take over. Must be noted they won’t have much to work with sadly

True, I'd like to see Dundalk's current manager Stephen Kenny given the job, he has a proven track record and knows Irish football inside out. We've had plenty of managers down the years that have no idea of the talent pool in Ireland until a lad makes it at a high profile English club and then all of a sudden they're worthy of a call up, it's bullshit.

[iwasthere2012]

O'Neill and Keane leaving the Irish national team by mutual consent. (ahem, cough, sacked, cough, cough, fired)
We failed to have even one shot on target against Denmark. I wonder will Mourinho be available soon? He'd be well qualified for our job.

You Irish lads on here must be pleased about that

Be interesting to see who will take over. Must be noted they won’t have much to work with sadly

True, I'd like to see Dundalk's current manager Stephen Kenny given the job, he has a proven track record and knows Irish football inside out. We've had plenty of managers down the years that have no idea of the talent pool in Ireland until a lad makes it at a high profile English club and then all of a sudden they're worthy of a call up, it's bullshit.

Irish football needs a complete overhaul in the vain of what Belgian football did over a decade ago.
Start by getting rid of Delaney and his mates. His salary alone could be well used at grass roots level.
Coach kids from an early age into playing a recognisable brand of technically competent football, that should be played throughout the underage leagues and carried into the league of Ireland.
Reform the leagues and try to encourage the best of our players to stay within the new system, incentivise the clubs to retain them.
Make Irish youngsters aspire to something better than playing Championship football or lower in England and Scotland and think they've made it.

Delaney has been there as chief executive since 2005 and was only supposed to be an interim appointment to oversee the implementation of the Genesis report which had recommendations for an overhaul of the organisation. He has himself nicely ensconced there though on a reported salary of €360,000 a year plus what he gets for being on the UEFA executive commitee.
What's he done in that time? Irish football is going backwards at an alarming rate.
We are not producing footballers.
Agreed we went through a period whereby we were punching above our weight, but that golden era was squandered as an opportunity.
We should at least aspire to field a team that try to play football.
Kids stiil love to play soccer in this country, despite the obvious competition with Gaelic Football. But look at the difference in facilities and structures between the two organisations. Our kids now are no better off than we were 40 years ago. Still getting dressed at the side of the pitch.
The GAA is an amateur sport run professionally. Football is a professional sport run amateurishly in Ireland.

Just take a look at the way rugby is progressing and it is very much a minority sport still at schools level. Everything from nutrition and core body work regimes at 14-16year olds ages. Proper coaching and a sense of purpose.

The FAI sicken me and I don't think Stephen Kenny would stand a chance at this point in time. He'd be hung out to dry when things go bad, the same as Staunton and poor old Bobby Robson were and Delaney and the boys would remain.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Can't argue with that Eamonn but how long have we been saying it? Near twenty years now, pissing against the wind!

[Mase]

You need the midfield due of Kinsella and Matty Holland back.

[nottsblue]

Looks like Mick McCarthy will return as Ireland manager.

A good appointment?

[iwasthere2012]

Looks like Mick McCarthy will return as Ireland manager.

A good appointment?

I liked Mick. But he shouldn’t return.
It’s a poisoned chalice.

Reform the FAI.
Only answer.

[nottsblue]

Looks like Mick McCarthy will return as Ireland manager.

A good appointment?

I liked Mick. But he shouldn’t return.
It’s a poisoned chalice.

Reform the FAI.
Only answer.

I like Mccarthy myself as well. Proper old school and makes no secret of who he is and what he is about.

Which regards to the FAI, you can't have failure without having FAI

[johnny crossan]

If Big Mick needs a dog walker for the occasional week-end he knows who's available

[johnny crossan]

List of Manchester City International Call-Ups
NATIONS WITH * REPRESENTS UEFA EURO QUALIFYING FIXTURE
..................................................................................
ENGLAND (March 22 & 25 vs. Czech Republic* & Montenegro*)
Kyle Walker
John Stones
Raheem Sterling
Fabian Delph
..................................................................................
GERMANY (March 20 & 24 vs. Serbia & Netherlands*)
Ilkay Gündogan
Leroy Sané
..................................................................................
UKRAINE (March 22 & 25 vs. Portugal* & Luxembourg*)
Oleksandr Zinchenko
..................................................................................
PORTUGAL (March 22 & 25 vs. Ukraine* & Serbia*)
Bernardo Silva
..................................................................................
KOSOVO (March 21 & 25 vs. Denmark & Bulgaria*)
Arijanet Muric
..................................................................................
BRAZIL (March 23 & 26 vs. Panama & Czech Republic)
Ederson
Danilo
Gabriel Jesus
..................................................................................
ARGENTINA (March 22 & 26 vs. Venezuela & Morocco)
Nicolás Otamendi
..................................................................................
ALGERIA (March 22 & 26 vs. Gambia & Tunisia)
Riyad Mahrez (I haven't seen a source that confirms Algeria's official squad for these games but one can expect for Mahrez to be called up)
..................................................................................
ENGLAND U-21 (March 21 & 26 vs. Poland & Germany)
Phil Foden
..................................................................................

Kompany, Laporte, Mendy, De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho, & Agüero will receive a FULL 13 day rest before their Premier League game against Fulham on March 30.

[everyonehatesus]

good to see a couple of the top lads getting a rest, fernandinho cant be far off coming back into the team too surely

[john@staustell]

Another complete fuckin waste of a week

[sheblue]

Another complete fuckin waste of a week

In one sense yes it is. Bright side a good few of ours not away and will get a break.

[Sideshow Bob]

That stupid cunt called up stones anyway??

[Nigels Tackle]

Kompany, Laporte, Mendy, De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho, & Agüero will receive a FULL 13 day rest before their Premier League game against Fulham on March 30.

13 days rest? nailed on that kun will be photographed leaving a club in la over the next 10 days....