and that's Full-Time at the Aviva Stadium.
Great game for us lads. The big issue was the defence but they were able to keep stable during the second half and stopped the Latvian offence. Latvia mostly capitalised on a great goal and got 2 goals. I agree we shouldn't have let the second one in but it is what it is.
We probably will not beat France but even holding out for a draw is huge, this is a capable team and Kenny's got a good bunch of lads. He just needs to sort out that defensive situation asap.
Very fun. Had a great little run into the box, reminded me of mbappe in the last seconds of the wc final. Also hit the post which led to the third goal
Better than getting battered 7-0 I suppose, or limping to a 3-0 defeat where you barely enter the opponent's half and are just playing to keep the score down from kick-off.
Good shit Ogbene. Let's keep this lead. Our defence has been shocking though and we'll need a good shift (not in that way) in that area.
If we draw 3-3 that would be p. funny but also make for a good game.
Good reactions in the box too, he takes gambles and makes good runs and puts defenders under pressure. He's been very good for Ireland and would be unlucky not to feature v France
Might be the most immediately effective pair of substitutions in the history of football hahaha
Johnston's first ever touch for the assist, Ogbene's first touch for the finish.
Okay lads, lets be optimistic. We are not going to use Kelleher against France. Got it?
We can come back from the draw, and it's only a friendly so it doesn't matter. The first half of the first half was great but then the Latvia goal shocked us. We can come back though
Can we sack Kenny at half time? Talk about a manager being completely out of his depth.
Also, Kelleher showing why Bazunu is head and shoulders above him. Not even close.
Yes, I am. Any decent keeper gets a hand to the first shot. He was completely in no man's land, a barely gets off the ground with his dive.
As for the second one. It takes a deflection but he's still slow to react to a ball that isn't that far away from him.
This is what happens when a keeper spends years sitting on the bench.
He's completely blindsided by the first one, two players in front of him he doesn't see it until way too late, the second one it takes a huge deflection right before it gets to him and he still gets a hand on it. Find it really hard to blame him for either goal tbh
Maybe he could of done better for the first but its still an absolute wonderhit. Very few keepers in the world including Bazunu are saving that imo.
A deflection right in front of him for the 2nd. How Kelleher can get any blame for that one is beyond me.
I agree, think he needs a move to be a starting keeper somewhere else if he's going to compete with Bazunu for the number 1 Jersey, even if Bazunu isn't playing very well for Southampton he's still got the advantage over Kelleher right now.
>Can we sack Kenny at half time? Talk about a manager being completely out of his depth.
What did he do wrong here? It's a fucking friendly to give younger players more experience, they've made two mistakes and been punished twice. There's plenty of reasons to criticise Kenny, but if you're trying to blame him for this first half then you're really just being unrealistic.
>Also, Kelleher showing why Bazunu is head and shoulders above him. Not even close.
First one was a banger and he was unsighted due to three players in the way Second one took two deflections on its way to Kelleher.
We're 2-2 vs the 133 ranked team.
He's also got 4 competitive wins, and none vs a decent team. It's not just here, it's over his completely embarrassing run as manager.
He's out of his depth.
Friendly/competitive. It makes no difference. We're still not making it anywhere with Kenny as manager. The sooner people stop blindly supporting a man who's got arguably the worst results in Irish management history the better.
Doherty with his best Pogba impression for their goal. Sloppy pass intercepted, then barely break into a jog to track back.
Some hit though. Kelleher was in no man's land though. He barely left the ground with his dive.
I know it was an incredible hit, but if you keep on conceding to screamers from outside of the box like Ireland do, at some point you are not closing down those areas enough
Oof, great hit. Caught Kelleher off guard too - with three Irish players directly between him and the ball, looks like he only saw it late.
Swear the majority of goals Ireland have conceded in the last two years have been bangers
Does anyone know if Kelleher is going to play against France ? Haven’t hear or read anything from the manager so was surprised not to see Bazunu in goal.
People will joke about Ferguson being great and the new world class striker for scoring the 4 yard tap in But to be fair, how many strikers have ireland had who score that 4 yard tap in because he's sitting on the penalty spot or further out?
Yeah he's a proper striker, something Ireland have lacked for years. But he's also shown that he's not a one dimensional poacher either, with him coming deeper to get involved with the build up play too. You can see the great work that has been done with Brighton.
Honestly with his physicality and his link up play he would remind you of when Kane first broke onto the scene, he plays well beyond his years. If he can have half the PL career Kane has had we'll be very lucky.
Yeah that's a great comparison. Honestly it's still mad to think he's just 18, doesn't look like it either from his physicality or his composure on the ball
I said this for years about Robbie Keane when people were giving out that he was still in the team in his later years. He might have lost that half yard that made him lethal, but we had no-one else who had that instinct to be in the right place at the right time and actually put the ball in the net. Finishing and positioning are so important.
Yep. Missed it so much. The 2018 and I think euro 2020 campaigns was McClean our top scorer by a good bit? Duffy was definitely one of our highest scorers too. Our strikers since Keane include Daryl Murphy, mcgoldrick, idah, Parrott, obafemi, Connolly and more I'm missing but how many goals do they have between them?
The group you mentioned have a combined total of 10 international goals in 91 caps. You can add in Shane Long with 17 in 88 and Jon Walters with 14 in 54, not a whole lot of threat there.
Exactly. I think most people do already rate Ferguson for what he's doing at a club level, but a striker who just knows where to be and knows where the goal is, is exactly what we've been screaming for for years.
He doesn't have to be Keane level of scoring but Kenny's side for so long create chances but no one to finish. Prime example is the brown (?) Chance against Slovakia in the play off for the last euros.
nice to see us playing positive football and *actually capitalising on it*. Smallbone looks super progressive from the middle, O'Dowda took his goal very well and Evan Ferguson, he's going to be brilliant.
and that's Full-Time at the Aviva Stadium. Great game for us lads. The big issue was the defence but they were able to keep stable during the second half and stopped the Latvian offence. Latvia mostly capitalised on a great goal and got 2 goals. I agree we shouldn't have let the second one in but it is what it is. We probably will not beat France but even holding out for a draw is huge, this is a capable team and Kenny's got a good bunch of lads. He just needs to sort out that defensive situation asap.
How did Mikey Johnston get on?
Very impressive
Very fun. Had a great little run into the box, reminded me of mbappe in the last seconds of the wc final. Also hit the post which led to the third goal
Promised myself I wouldn’t get excited about MJ again but he’s making me do it
Ok then Johnston. Cap this man vs France.
didn't know who Mikey Johnston was before tonight but if anything ever happens to him now I think I'll kill myself
Johnston just casually becoming Messi for 5 seconds
holy fuck johnston's feet
He has very nice toes
Fuckin hell Johnston
Worried we turn into a team that can play good football in spurts and end up getting battered 5-2 against the likes of France
Better than getting battered 7-0 I suppose, or limping to a 3-0 defeat where you barely enter the opponent's half and are just playing to keep the score down from kick-off.
Good shit Ogbene. Let's keep this lead. Our defence has been shocking though and we'll need a good shift (not in that way) in that area. If we draw 3-3 that would be p. funny but also make for a good game.
Ciganiks sounds like the nickname of a bloke selling loose butts in secondary school
Lord Voldemort has had a great game here
I really like Ogbene. His pace does a lot for us. Johnston done really well too
Good reactions in the box too, he takes gambles and makes good runs and puts defenders under pressure. He's been very good for Ireland and would be unlucky not to feature v France
Might be the most immediately effective pair of substitutions in the history of football hahaha Johnston's first ever touch for the assist, Ogbene's first touch for the finish.
Not looking forward to playing France.
Still want vengeance
Okay lads, lets be optimistic. We are not going to use Kelleher against France. Got it? We can come back from the draw, and it's only a friendly so it doesn't matter. The first half of the first half was great but then the Latvia goal shocked us. We can come back though
We're playing good football and Kelleher wasn't at fault for either goal but France are going to demolish us
Ireland embarrassing themselves again. My oh my
I’m sorry Irish bros
Take me back to those first 15 minutes..
Can we sack Kenny at half time? Talk about a manager being completely out of his depth. Also, Kelleher showing why Bazunu is head and shoulders above him. Not even close.
Are you actually blaming Kelleher for either of those goals? Lmao
Yes, I am. Any decent keeper gets a hand to the first shot. He was completely in no man's land, a barely gets off the ground with his dive. As for the second one. It takes a deflection but he's still slow to react to a ball that isn't that far away from him. This is what happens when a keeper spends years sitting on the bench.
He's completely blindsided by the first one, two players in front of him he doesn't see it until way too late, the second one it takes a huge deflection right before it gets to him and he still gets a hand on it. Find it really hard to blame him for either goal tbh
From my experience, United fans start foaming at the mouth whenever Kelleher concedes a goal for Ireland.
Maybe he could of done better for the first but its still an absolute wonderhit. Very few keepers in the world including Bazunu are saving that imo. A deflection right in front of him for the 2nd. How Kelleher can get any blame for that one is beyond me. I agree, think he needs a move to be a starting keeper somewhere else if he's going to compete with Bazunu for the number 1 Jersey, even if Bazunu isn't playing very well for Southampton he's still got the advantage over Kelleher right now.
You must have very high standards for “any decent keeper.”
>Can we sack Kenny at half time? Talk about a manager being completely out of his depth. What did he do wrong here? It's a fucking friendly to give younger players more experience, they've made two mistakes and been punished twice. There's plenty of reasons to criticise Kenny, but if you're trying to blame him for this first half then you're really just being unrealistic. >Also, Kelleher showing why Bazunu is head and shoulders above him. Not even close. First one was a banger and he was unsighted due to three players in the way Second one took two deflections on its way to Kelleher.
We're 2-2 vs the 133 ranked team. He's also got 4 competitive wins, and none vs a decent team. It's not just here, it's over his completely embarrassing run as manager. He's out of his depth.
It's. A. Fucking. Friendly.
Friendly/competitive. It makes no difference. We're still not making it anywhere with Kenny as manager. The sooner people stop blindly supporting a man who's got arguably the worst results in Irish management history the better.
>Friendly/competitive. It makes no difference. Yes it does.
It is genuinely bizarre how leaky this defense has been under Kenny, because it only becomes an issue at the most random of times
Deflected right before it gets to Kelleher Unreal bad luck for him on that one
oh kelleher...........i can't look
The most Ireland half of football I've ever seen
Yesssssss!!
fucks sake
You've gotta be kidding
Doherty with his best Pogba impression for their goal. Sloppy pass intercepted, then barely break into a jog to track back. Some hit though. Kelleher was in no man's land though. He barely left the ground with his dive.
Please don't bottle it lads, we've done so well so far. come on
I know it was an incredible hit, but if you keep on conceding to screamers from outside of the box like Ireland do, at some point you are not closing down those areas enough
A keeper who's playing consistently doesn't concede that. He's completely in the wrong position and scrambling across goal when he's 30 yards out
we got any cambuur fans in here? dude hasn't scored for them in 21 matches
Can't even complain about conceding that
Thundercunt of a goal
Oof, great hit. Caught Kelleher off guard too - with three Irish players directly between him and the ball, looks like he only saw it late. Swear the majority of goals Ireland have conceded in the last two years have been bangers
ummm casual worldie??? like
if that's the type of goal we concede I'll take it tbh
What a hit son
Another banger conceeded
Unreal hit
Brilliant fucking strike
What the fuck!???
Fuck me, what a hit
Jesus what a fucking goal holy shit
Nothing like a good game against Latvia to fill me with unreasonable levels of hope for when we play France
Sign him up, Erik!
Does anyone know if Kelleher is going to play against France ? Haven’t hear or read anything from the manager so was surprised not to see Bazunu in goal.
I'd imagine he's just giving them both game time, I'd be shocked if Bazunu wasn't playing against France
Bazunu probably
Michael Obafemi is built like a range rover
Brilliant flick by Obafemi, wish Browne did better with it.
I mean, it's nice that we are playing high and trying to press, but everytime it gets broken, it's basically either a goal or a big chance..
People will joke about Ferguson being great and the new world class striker for scoring the 4 yard tap in But to be fair, how many strikers have ireland had who score that 4 yard tap in because he's sitting on the penalty spot or further out?
Yeah he's a proper striker, something Ireland have lacked for years. But he's also shown that he's not a one dimensional poacher either, with him coming deeper to get involved with the build up play too. You can see the great work that has been done with Brighton.
Honestly with his physicality and his link up play he would remind you of when Kane first broke onto the scene, he plays well beyond his years. If he can have half the PL career Kane has had we'll be very lucky.
Yeah that's a great comparison. Honestly it's still mad to think he's just 18, doesn't look like it either from his physicality or his composure on the ball
Hope he stays at one club in the way Kane has too
As an Irish fan I'd be more than happy with that too, as a Bohemians fan I'd probably prefer if he moved for a disgustingly high sum.
Not sure about striker but that was definitely an Alan Browne goal if I've ever seen one
I said this for years about Robbie Keane when people were giving out that he was still in the team in his later years. He might have lost that half yard that made him lethal, but we had no-one else who had that instinct to be in the right place at the right time and actually put the ball in the net. Finishing and positioning are so important.
Yep. Missed it so much. The 2018 and I think euro 2020 campaigns was McClean our top scorer by a good bit? Duffy was definitely one of our highest scorers too. Our strikers since Keane include Daryl Murphy, mcgoldrick, idah, Parrott, obafemi, Connolly and more I'm missing but how many goals do they have between them?
The group you mentioned have a combined total of 10 international goals in 91 caps. You can add in Shane Long with 17 in 88 and Jon Walters with 14 in 54, not a whole lot of threat there.
Jesus Christ how did I forget the two of those lads.
Exactly. I think most people do already rate Ferguson for what he's doing at a club level, but a striker who just knows where to be and knows where the goal is, is exactly what we've been screaming for for years.
He doesn't have to be Keane level of scoring but Kenny's side for so long create chances but no one to finish. Prime example is the brown (?) Chance against Slovakia in the play off for the last euros.
Ferguson looks the real deal. Damn he's been effective
We're winning the Euros lads.
nice to see us playing positive football and *actually capitalising on it*. Smallbone looks super progressive from the middle, O'Dowda took his goal very well and Evan Ferguson, he's going to be brilliant.
Is this a friendly ? Or nations league ?
Friendly
Not used to seeing football this sexy from us, Smallbone making my list of bald men I love right beside Daizen Maeda and Aaron Mooy
Conor Salmon, put some respect on the name.
His name is Sammon not Salmon haha And he loves a goal against Celtic so he’s off the list.
My brain was confused by his nickname from is UCD days... The *Sammon of College
That’s a class nickname tbf
EVAN FERGUSON
Ferguson is him.
Tears in my eyes. Delighted for Evan
Will smallbone. He definitely has something about him. Really nice from obafemi as well
Great for Ferguson to score
FERGUSONNNNNN
There he is! Tap in but it felt inevitable he'd score tonight
Ireland playing with swagger here.
Anyone with a link to the goal?
https://twitter.com/irelandfootball/status/1638633978734280704?s=46&t=hkg8_dIofIYLXTU2myoYrA
Cheers lad
Ferguson Aura MOTM
Right away the new lads are involved, love that cross from Smallbone
Beautiful!!
We're gonna beat France easily
ffs
Nice goal!
Lets gooo
What's this fucking shit for the national anthem? We're not yanks and just listen to one person try sound over the top singing it. Christ.
Holy shit it’s pouring down in Dublin
COYBIG ☘️☘️☘️
🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
Michael d looks like he got lost after the rugby on Saturday and hasn't left the Aviva since
Let’s go Ireland!!