Stantastic
Myself and Padraig went along to see Ireland versus Sweden last night. It was fortunate that it was one of the more entertaining friendlies in recent years at Lansdowne as otherwise I think our brains would have frozen solid 'twixt one lughole and t'other.
Personally, I was unhappy with Kerr being sacked, and highly sceptical about the new managerial set-up. Can anyone point me to any situation where a dual coach, or a manager and a 'man-upstairs' set-up has worked in the long term? They always fall apart having not worked out to my knowledge.
Unfortunately Sweden didn't put up too much resistance last night, if it had been anyone else I would have said the cold didn't suit them. Maybe it was the pitch though, a few of the Swedish lads shipped knocks on the rugby-ploughed turf.
To Ireland's credit, Dunne, Joey O'Brien and Reid all looked very good. You can't really complain when you come away from a friendly having seen three decent goals. However, Duff's performance dominated the spectacle last night. He is quite breathtaking to watch on this form. His reputation so far precedes him now that on occasion he can face three international defenders in his path and not one of them is prepared to commit to a tackle for fear of being made look like a fool. I think Alan Hansen has written an entry in the Idiots Guide to Defending with a picture of Duff and the instruction "Try to stand him up, but for heaven's sake don't commit". Duff's performance last night was worth the ticket price alone. The only tangible negative I could take away from the game is that Andy O'Brien looks like he needs a pat on the back and a ride to the glue factory.
The most encouraging thing about last night, and comments made by players in the build up to the game, was that the players seem to have a real affection for Staunton and will play for him. This is promising, however the real test of the new governor (which one?) will be when the players return to the dressing room after a dissapointing performance/result or even a string of them.
As an aside, it was wonderful to see Larsson in the flesh once more, for probably the last time. What a player of pure class, and he received a fitting reception and goodbye.
Published by Paul.
Personally, I was unhappy with Kerr being sacked, and highly sceptical about the new managerial set-up. Can anyone point me to any situation where a dual coach, or a manager and a 'man-upstairs' set-up has worked in the long term? They always fall apart having not worked out to my knowledge.
Unfortunately Sweden didn't put up too much resistance last night, if it had been anyone else I would have said the cold didn't suit them. Maybe it was the pitch though, a few of the Swedish lads shipped knocks on the rugby-ploughed turf.
To Ireland's credit, Dunne, Joey O'Brien and Reid all looked very good. You can't really complain when you come away from a friendly having seen three decent goals. However, Duff's performance dominated the spectacle last night. He is quite breathtaking to watch on this form. His reputation so far precedes him now that on occasion he can face three international defenders in his path and not one of them is prepared to commit to a tackle for fear of being made look like a fool. I think Alan Hansen has written an entry in the Idiots Guide to Defending with a picture of Duff and the instruction "Try to stand him up, but for heaven's sake don't commit". Duff's performance last night was worth the ticket price alone. The only tangible negative I could take away from the game is that Andy O'Brien looks like he needs a pat on the back and a ride to the glue factory.
The most encouraging thing about last night, and comments made by players in the build up to the game, was that the players seem to have a real affection for Staunton and will play for him. This is promising, however the real test of the new governor (which one?) will be when the players return to the dressing room after a dissapointing performance/result or even a string of them.
As an aside, it was wonderful to see Larsson in the flesh once more, for probably the last time. What a player of pure class, and he received a fitting reception and goodbye.
Published by Paul.
|