It's a sickening feeling and I hate it..
It really does feel hollow to hear the Irish fans singing after the match. We lost, and we shouldnt have lost that match. We're as good as dead in the group, and its just so long till the next campaign...
Dunphy and the boys want a new manager in immediately. At this moment it sounds attractive. We can all dream of a Dalglish or Ferguson riding in on their horse to save us from the pain of not qualifying, but we wouldnt get them... You just need to hope that the team grows in the next campaign.
I disagree that the main problem is team selection, although I agree with some of it. Hunt and Reid should have played not Kelly and McEady, but it wouldnt have made a winning difference. It's much of a muchness.
The key problem for me is that we have a fundamental inability to be composed on the ball and to play a passing game. We're like Celtic in the Champions league - old style. The only thing we know how to do well is attact at pace, and we're in danger when we arent doing that. So players either run with the ball, head down, with tricky feet, or else they kick the ball long hoping for the best. All night it happened, like on Saturday against Slovakia. Why cant we just keep the ball and play it across the back? Why cant we probe and hold onto the thing? No composure.
It hurts bad. I've supported Staunton all the way because the media agenda stinks from start to finish. They get it wrong about him all the time in my opinion. However, results are everything, and losing tonight was a bad result. I could accept a draw - you could live with that, but not a defeat. It combines with the Germany and Cyprus results to make 3 defeats, none of which should have happened. Also look at Wales beating Cyprus 5-2 and Scotland beating France 1-0.
It does put Stan under pressure.
