Ireland 1 Slovakia 0 (Doyle)

Absolutely brilliant! What a massive result at the end of a hard week.

Stan and the team responded in the best way possible to the criticism and you never know where this might lead further down the line...

Isnt it funny how things predicted in the press and by sensationalist fans don't happen in the end.....

Just because we lost 5-2 to Cyprus, doesnt mean we'll lose 10-2 to Czech Republic.

Just because we only beat San Marino, doesnt mean Wales will beat us...(a friend of mine predicted 4-0 to Wales last Friday before the game.)

Just because we only beat Wales (how crap are they...?!) doesnt mean Slovakia will destroy us.

Each game is a new game. That's why I always feel that positive is better than negative. Maybe it'll turn around I kept thinking... Maybe the Croke Park effect will work... Maybe Stan will settle into it...maybe the young players will click...
but all the time the media and fans were about the business of destruction...

Well last night I felt just a little bit vindicated. Those young players are great new players. Stan has brought them in, and he's maintained a good team spirit through bad days. Is there any praise too high, given the pressure they were under?

Fair play to him. Tough games ahead in the Autumn, but a really positive way to go into the break now. He could be lucky you know...

PS.
O'Hurlihy: What's your prediction for tonight then?
Giles: I dont know
Brady: I think its likely to be a draw
Dunphy: Slovakia, if they are half decent and if the absence of two players doesnt hurt them, I'd fancy them to win...

...you'd kinda expect atleast one of them to get it right really wouldnt you?

Ireland 1 Wales 0 (Ireland)

I know it wasnt pretty, but this was a huge win. We could easily have drawn the game which would have been a disaster in the group. I put the win primarily down to the sheer quality of the goal. Robbie Keane played the ball through, and Ireland finished brilliantly. In fairness I mention Keane because of the unfair abuse he's getting. He also did well putting Duff through for his chance, and flicked on a beauty of a header for Doyle's crossbar shot. He runs for the team and does more than simply seeking to score goals. He deserves better from the fans.

Staunton is bringing young players through and they are doing well. McShane, Doyle, Ireland, Hunt especially. Others like Stokes, Douglas, McGeady are great prospects. It is amazing how many he's bringing through. Give him credit.

He is also learning from mistakes. Dropping Carsley was a mistake - he corrected it. Ireland at right midfield was a mistake - he corrected it even before half time. Not criticising the team after San Marino was a mistake - he corrected that by being more honest after this game.

In terms of atmosphere, I was there, and it was good. Not wonderful, but throughout the game the fans supported the team. Flick through the video and you'll hear the crowd if you're honest. I've been to Anfield and this compared very well even despite the pressure on the team.

Finally, look at England, Scotland, France and Italy - just for starters... international football is rarely a walk in the park...

A win at this moment is priceless. I sincerely look forward to Wednesday and want the boys to get another win. That would be a massive result and would help with confidence. The abuse in the media is disgraceful and doesnt help. I believe if you want the best from the team (sincerely) then anger and insults will never work.

Big day ahead...

"He has his own opinions, and that's his opinion. I'm here to deal with Ireland. The boys are here, training away. Roy has done a wonderful job at Sunderland. That's his job - he picks his team. I've my team here, and I'll pick mine. That's the end of it. It's not about Roy Keane; it's about Ireland playing a qualifying game on Saturday. I've nothing more to say. That's it. End of story."


I know Staunton's under pressure and the team really do need to perform against Wales later today, but personally I'm longing for a good result. It really is a crucial game to win....no matter how it comes.

Support the boys in green...

What’s this country coming to with the abuse Staunton and the Irish team have got from the media since San Marino? You’d think it was unusual for football teams to struggle against smaller teams sometimes. Even the worst of teams...

It reminded me of another bad day for the Irish team 20 years ago in 1987 when we struggled to defeat Luxembourg 2-1 at home. At 1-1, in the second half, the Irish fans even started cheering Luxembourg. When Stapleton scored the winner to make it 2-1 the reaction was very muted. In hindsight few will remember that game, but we managed to scrape through that group courtesy of Scotland beating Bulgaria and ended up in Euro 88. Stapleton’s goal was crucial, and that was early days in Charlton’s era. Fortunes can change on incidents like last minute goals…The abuse of the team has been horrendous and vicious. In the case of McCarthy and Kerr, once the team started to struggle under the criticism, it was only a matter of time before the managers were sacked. I just find it very wrong.

To me Staunton has actually done very little wrong, given that he has faced such personal abuse since only his second match (Chile 0-1). Performances haven’t been good enough, but again, what’s so unusual about that? On the positive side, he has introduced a lot of young players which is the hallmark of good management in the early days of a job. He learnt from his mistake in omitting Lee Carsley, which was unusual. Managers are normally very stubborn bunch with their decisions. There is an accusation going round that he isn’t straight enough in interviews after games, but I disagree. He handles himself well in the circumstances. Obviously he's awkward like Dalglish was, but I feel its justified given the questioning is clearly loaded, cynical and over the top. He's just standing up for himself. As Shay Given said this week, the criticism is coming even though the team actually beat San Marino. The bad performance justifies the criticism, but only to a point.

I have confidence in the fans who attend the games. Croke Park will be special and the atmosphere will be like the Czech Republic game. We proved the media wrong that night, and it was powerful. It was an atmosphere of honesty, born of frustration, and truly a call for better from the team, but at least it was expressed in support and encouragement the way it should be.

They’ve said we don’t love the team anymore. They’ve said we won’t even turn up at Croke Park in the end. They've said a lot of things that arent true...