You know what I hate? Stupid, ill-informed, disrespectful comments about any team when it’s unfounded, especially a team who was one of five to go through their qualifying group unbeaten. Rant over.

This is the team of over-rated Premiership players who will face France in the play-offs on Saturday 14th November and Wednesday the 18th.

Shay Given (Manchester City)
Kieren Westwood (Coventry City)
Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe United)

John O’Shea (Manchester United)
Richard Dunne (Aston Villa)
Stephen Kelly (Fulham)
Kevin Kilbane (Hull City)
Eddie Nolan (Preston North End)
Sean St. Ledger (Middlesbrough, on loan from Preston North End)
Paul McShane (Hull City)
Darren O’Dea (Reading, on loan from Celtic)

Aiden McGeady (Celtic)
Damien Duff (Fulham)
Darren Gibson (Manchester United)
Glenn Whelan (Stoke City)
Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers)
Liam Miller (Hibernian)
Stephen Hunt (Hull City)
Andy Keogh (Wolves)
Liam Lawrence (Stoke City)

Kevin Doyle (Wolves)
Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Shane Long (Reading)
Leon Best (Coventry)
Anthony Stokes (Hibernian)

———-

There are problems. Damien Duff’s participation in the play-off is up in the air. However, there is a development since this morning when I knocked out a first edit of this post spreading doom and gloom. Duffer contacted the FAI last night and stated his hope that he will be fit for the matches, despite his Achilles injury ruling him out of Fulham’s 2-1 defeat in Rome last night and almost certainly meaning he won’t feature against Wigan on Sunday. Up until about an hour ago, the intimations from Roy Hodgson would have it that we were going to have to go in against the French without Duff, but this is good news. Wrap that man up in cotton wool until next Saturday at 7, have someone do his walking for him, just do what it takes to get him on the left side at Croker.

Undeniably bad news. Although it’s debatable how much influence Noel Hunt would have had upon the two legs, (89th minute substitute in the Stade, putting on 5 strikers chasing a goal, maybe) but that’s all fairly immaterial now. His season is as good as over, which is a shame, because the last thing he really needed was a long-term injury. Hunt’s had a track record of knee injuries stemming back to his days with Dunfermline in Scottish football, and he’s yet to truly convince Reading fans of why they paid Dundee United £600,000 for his services 18 months ago. From a selfish perspective, it’s a shame Hunt’s out of the picture, because we may need as many strikers as we can get come the back-end of the game in the Stade, but it’s not the biggest loss.

As far as the squad goes, it’s very much as you would expect, but the story is about Trap’s obstinance in refusing to select either Stephen or Andy Reid, despite the justification for leaving them out of the squad decreasing by the day. Stephen appears to be fighting fit after this chronic spate of injuries which have been plaguing him ever since our opening match of the Euro 2008 campaign. However, Trap thought otherwise, speculating somewhat prematurely that Reid’s career might be coming to an end. This raised the ire of Sam Allardyce, he of no away wins in the better part of 9 months as manager of Blackburn Rovers. This whole sorry tale has reached it’s current denoument with Stephen being omitted from the squad for the two legs, which I have to admit I’m not too impressed with.

Far be it for me to claim I know better than Trap, but leaving Stephen out of the squad smacks of pettiness on the part of the boss, a proverbial middle finger to Allardyce. Now, this would be all good and well if our two central midfielders were 1999 Roy Keane and 1979 Liam Brady, but they’re 2009 Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews. Simply put, if fit, Stephen Reid must be played in a central midfield slot. He epitomises the box-to-box midfielder player we’ve been crying out for ever since Keane abandoned his country in 2002 (I’m not counting that spell under Brian Kerr, sorry), and while Whelan is an option offensively, he’s not suitable for the role of dominating a midfield which will have at least three, probably four high quality players posing a threat every time the French go forward. Reid has this in his locker, and he should play. However, if Trap was told to pick a 23-man squad to go to South Africa today, I’d venture quite a bit of money Stephen wouldn’t make that list, which would be such a loss.

Andy Reid’s case is also far from convincing, less so now that Duffer is a doubt for the two games. Reid has revitalised himself under Steve Bruce at Sunderland. He’s shedded the better part of 10 kilos (For what it’s worth, the media jibes about his weight are irritating and redundant) and has rediscovered the form which made him probably the best player in the Football League towards the end of his spell at Nottingham Forest. A few cases for the defence include the pass for Darren Bent’s goal at Turf Moor and his free kick last weekend to spark the comeback against West Ham (I love Kenwyne Jones’ sending off in that video as well, hilarious).

Reid is one of the better performers in the Premiership thus far this season, and in normal circumstances he would probably be commanding a spot in the starting eleven for the national side, never mind inclusion in the squad. But there was a falling out there too between himself and Trap, with rumours about disputes stemming from Andy’s weight and a night on the tiles from way, way back.

The only thing that is keeping Andy out of the squad is the number of capable wide men we have within the squad at the moment. Duffer (when fit) and McGeady are the starters, but there’s options in Stephen Hunt on either side, as well as Andy Keogh to a lesser extent, along with Liam Lawrence making a promising start to his international career on the right side. The capabilities of at least four of those players is giving Trap some justificiation for leaving Reid out, but even he will admit it’s becoming thinner by the day. If Duff’s situation gets worse and he has to withdraw from the squad before next Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Reid called up. There’s no Martin Rowlands to fall back on, and anyone selected beyond that would be met with howls of derision from all sides, so I would expect to see Reid back in the fold before too long, certainly if we get to South Africa and he’s fit and in form, he will go.

Beyond that, the squad is mostly as you were. There are two new faces, with Darren O’Dea earning a call-up along with a return to the international fold for Anthony Stokes. O’Dea will provide back-up for Trap at centre-back, but he won’t feature unless there’s an injury pandemic or we’re 2-0 ahead on aggregate with 45 minutes left at the Stade. (The sheer thought alone!) Personally, there’s the fear he will tarred by association for his spell with a badly misfiring Reading side in Championship, where he is on loan from Celtic, but thus far has recieved largely negative press. O’Dea certainly has a role within the international side for the future though, he’s probably a more viable long-term option than Paul McShane, but he could do with getting away from Celtic, where I can’t see him getting playing time, while I don’t see Reading being the solution neither. Another Championship might do the trick, search me for an answer though…*shrugs*

Anthony Stokes is rewarded for a good start to the season with an improving Hibs side, (where I’ve heard Liam Miller is the standout player, excellent news) scoring 4 goals and helping his club to second spot in the league, however long that lasts for in the SPL is another matter however. Stokes is a decent player, but frankly the only reason he’s in the squad is because Noel Hunt can’t be in the squad, it’s not as if he’s setting the SPL alight with something akin to his 14 goals in 16 games with Falkirk back in 2006 which first brought him to prominence. Couple that with a few bad spells in England (Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United) along with a lack of conviction any of the three times he’s played for Ireland, and you can’t make a serious case for him. He’s an option, but I’ll have Leon Best over him if we need a substitute in either game.

Now…France…my plan to decomission all of their players is coming along okay. Gael Clichy has joined Franck Ribery on the sidelines for the two games, the Arsenal left-back is having some grief with a back injury which means he won’t play again for the better part of a month. It would be even better if Eric Abidal or Patrice Evra had incurred the same fate however, given that they are far more likely to start in any case. Nevertheless, throw that in with Henry not getting a world of time at Barcelona…ermm…ooh Patrick Vieira isn’t in the France, squad, so he can’t do this to Shay again…errr other than that…come on help me out here people!

Immaterial of our worries about Duffer and their raft of players fighting fit and in form, I’m still hopeful, if perhaps not as confident as some others. If there’s any update to be made before next Friday, I’ll try to let you all know, but that seems like about it for now.

Have a good weekend all.

A few brief points. We drew 0-0 with Montenegro in our final game, about two weeks ago now. It was played at a testimonial pace, and there were three moments of any note. Richard Dunne hit the crossbar before half time, Paul McShane pulled off a brilliant save to deny one of the Montenegran lads in the second half, a save Shay would have been proud to have made on his 100th appearance, and he didn’t give a penalty away, what a hero! That and Martin Rowlands caught his studs in the turf during the first half, ruling himself out of the play-offs, which sucks a little bit. The experience of the game would have helped him no end, but he was going to be a peripheral figure in the two legs barring injury or suspension, so it’s not a massive loss, merely disappointing.

Game was awful, we were uninspired, Gilardino saved Italy B’s blushes against the Cypriots, meaning we finished 6 points behind the world champions. The chasm wasn’t that big, but we got what we realisically set out to get last September. And then we drew France…which I predicted, but that doesn’t make me feel too much better about it.

What to make of the draw? The worst one we could get, in all truth. Words had been thrown around about Portugal being a more dangerous outfit, but they’ll be without a fully operational Ronaldo at best, which takes an awful lot of their potency away. It would have been tight, would have come down to the away leg for us. They’ll see off Bosnia, but not before getting a bloody nose.

Russia? Bugger going over to Moscow in November, but I’d have fancied us to win at home, they have a sprinkling of decent players (and one very good player) but they’re hardly world beaters. We could have taken them. I’m not sure how they’ll get on with Slovenia, they have a habit of pulling out results when they most need them…

Greece? Given the varied and many disparaging comments everyone made about them, it was probably best to give them the swerve, because our pundits had more or less provided King Otto with all the motivational material he needed for the two legs. That and a night in the bear pit which could have been the Karaiskakis (In those situations, you can’t put a price on hostility, so maybe the Olympic Stadium would have been sacrificed…maybe) could have spelt disaster for us…they’ll beat Ukraine, hold me to that.

Which leaves us with the best side in the draw, although you wouldn’t have known it from the way they staggered through Group 7 in qualifying, especially in the early stages. Defeat in Austria was the disastrous start, but a 2-1 win against the Serbians in the Stade de France four days later put them back on track. A 2-2 draw in Romania a month later was another serious blip for Les Blues, a result which probably put Raymond Domenech on the brink of the P45, failure to win in Lithuania probably spelling the end for the much-maligned boss.

Two successive 1-0 wins against the Lithuanians kept Domenech in a job however, with a scrappy 1-0 win in the Faroe Islands allowing France to at least stay on the coat-tails of the Serbians. But another draw with the Romanians, 1-1 in the Stade, allowed the leaders to go to the brink of qualification before hosting the French in Belgrade on the 9th September. A 1-1 draw, with the French coming from behind, only delayed the inevitable, and Serbia sealed qualification a month later with a 5-0 win at home to the surprisingly off-colour Romanians. For the record, France saw off the Faroes 5-0 in Guingamp on the same night, before recording a relatively impressive 3-1 win against Austria at home on the final night of the group stage, to finish seven points clear of the third-placed Austrians, trailing the Serbians by a point when it was all said and done. And now here we are…

What to make of this French side? What to say of any French side of the last….50 years. They’re hopelessley talented, but like a lot of French sides throughout the years, they’ve flattered to decieve, this time around being no exception, unfortunately. If we’re dealing with a straight comparison, the only players from this Ireland side who would get into the French side who drew in Serbia (I’m not counting those games against the Faroes and Austria, they’re not truly representative examples) would be Shay Given over Hugo Lloris, and Richard Dunne ahead of William Gallas. And that’s not to say that Lloris or Gallas are bad players, it’s more to say that Shay is arguably the world’s best goalkeeper, and that I have a serious dislike of William Gallas (That and from a serious point of view, I worry about his temper in big situations).

Beyond that, you’re talking about Bacari Sagna, Patrice Evra, Lassana Diarra, Franck Ribery (although he will probably not feature in the play-offs due to injury), Karim Benzema, Nicolas Anelka and more so than anyone else, that bastard Thierry Henry. That arrogant, irritating, stuck-up, outspoken yet utterly brilliant Thierry Henry. That’s just six…Domenech discovered Andre-Pierre Gignac in the latter stages of qualifying, and you can also make a case for any from Eric Abidal, Florent Malouda, Yoann Gourcuff and Bafetimbi Gomis. Formidable? Oui.

By all accounts the weak link lies in the management, but I’m not having that, personally. Domenech’s track record shows one serious blip in twenty years, being eliminated in the group stages of Euro 2008, when they were caught in the storm created by a Dutch side who peaked two weeks too early. Admittedly, that fails to excuse their performances against Romania and Italy.

If we ignore that, then you’re talking about a manager with two promotions to Ligue 1, the first with FC Mulhouse in 1989, who then dropped back down into Ligue 2, and swiftly got Lyon up into Ligue 1, following that with finishing 8th and 5th and securing a place in the UEFA Cup. After that, he spent 11 years as manager of the French Under-21 team, reaching the Under-21 European Championship final once and making the semis on two more occasions. There’s also six finals in the Toulon championship to consider, with two victories in 1997 and 2004.

Then his ascension to the big seat after Euro 2004. And France’s second final after wins against Spain, Brazil and Portugal, being undone by penalties and arguably by a momentary loss of control by their best player. So you have two promotions, two decent league finishes in a time when Lyon were trailing in the wake of the talented yet flawed Marseille side, along with a reasonable level of achievement at youth level, thrown in with an appearance at a World Cup final as a coach, something only 32 other men have on their CV’s in the history of football…we’re not talking about a coach with a track record of failure here.

Point to his distrust of Scorpios if you want, point to his very public love life, point to the strange situation with Claude Makelele’s selection back in November 2007, I’ll just worry about the results he’s achieved over the last two decades, alright with you? It’s this habit of pulling out results when required which is a cause for concern on my part, it’s something we’ve been on the wrong end of back in 2005, and a trick Domenech has repeated against the likes of Spain, Brazil and Italy in recent times. Eccentric he may be, incompetent he is not…

But then neither are we…scepticism about our chances is obviously the over-riding feeling amongst the masses, but I’ve heard a few optimistic shouts and a few believing we’ll make the finals. God, I hope they’re right, but I can’t share their faith if I’m using my head. We’re going to give France two very tough games, and if they make the finals, they’ll know they will have had to work for it. The first match at Croke is crucial for us.

Realistically, we need to win and keep a clean sheet. An away goal for France and we’re in massive trouble. If we go to Paris 1-0 up however, it will be an intriguing night. 0-0 wouldn’t be a disaster for us at home, but anything like 2-1 to us or 1-1, essentially anything which involves France scoring in Dublin spells trouble. A win for France in Croke and you can write it off, I’m sorry to say. There is however heart to be taken from our last trip to Paris, a 0-0 draw in qualifying for the last World Cup, in which 70,000 Irish (70,000!) saw John O’Shea miss a great chance to win it for us. That was with a side of similar talents, but less resilliency. If we go to the Stade with something to play with, we could be going to the World Cup, it makes the first leg so, so crucial.

Up to this point, the lads have stayed fit and healthy, of course sans Rowlands. This needs to stay the same until the 14th November. Shay ideally needs to be placed under house arrest, Richard Dunne needs to avoid any further troubles with his knees, Duffer needs to protect his calf and Robbie has to keep his excellent form with injury up. Beyond that, the lads have been playing well for clubs. Glenn Whelan has a winning goal at White Hart Lane to his name, Aiden McGeady is looking good in a very bad Celtic team, and Kevin Doyle seems to be ticking along nicely at Wolves, although I’m sure he and the Molineaux fans would rather see some of the effort he puts in replaced by a few more goals. All things told, no-one is in terrible form for club or country, and with any luck, this will hold for 3 more weeks.

A lot of ifs, but if we keep them scoreless at Croker, if everyone stays fit, healthy and in form and if someone takes a sledgehammer to various kneecaps, then of course we stand a chance. It’s two matches, for a place in the World Cup finals, that’s pure motivation, that along should lead our lads through the two legs. What we lack in ability compared with the French, we more than make up for in desire, it’s arguably the key element to this side. I maintain faith in Trap and his methods, and I believe the players can defeat France, but I’m also realistic as to what will happen if the French decide to turn up. It’s going to be interesting anyways.

Now, I know I have a LOT of things to pass judgment on. Paddy Kenny’s international career, although barely a non-starter in the first place, is dead in the water after his nine-month ban for cough medicine abuse was upheld. Sam Allardyce, he of many irritating views and no away win in 7 months with Blackburn, has decided to take a dig at Trap over the strange case of Steven Reid. And there’s still the topic of Shay and Kevin’s 100 caps to contend with….I shall try my best. Right now, I should be doing an essay on Danish and Norweigan minority governments and their viability as part of a European democracy….but we all know how that one is going to end. Hopefully I’ll have something to put up on these points in the forthcoming weeks, but I’ll see how things pan out. If not, you’ll hear from me when Trap announces the squad for the two games, probably in a fortnight’s time.

Until then everyone, all the best.

We’re playing Montenegro tomorrow night at Croke Park, in our final Group 8 qualifier, and in terms of the result, at least for us, it mean absolutely nothing. If the game against Italy was two and a half minutes shorter on Wednesday, then this could be a must-win, along with praying that Cyprus summoned the spirit of North Korea in 1966. Alas…it’s only the unbeaten record on the line for us, which would be nice to hold onto, but not imperative. Montenegro could finish 4th in the group if they beat us tomorrow night, which could potentially help their seeding for the Euro 2012 draw in Febraury of next year, but beyond that they’re merely going through the motions as well.

The team? Forget what I said at the back-end of my last post, it would appear that there are going to be a number of changes for the match, given the precarious situation for some individuals who are one booking away from a suspension in the first leg of the play-off against France (a hunch, not a conspiracy). Using information gleamed from the BBC and RTE, expect something like this. Assume a 4-4-2.

GK: Given
DL: Kilbane
DC: Dunne
DC: St. Ledger
DR: O’Shea
ML: Hunt
MC: Rowlands
MC: Miller
MR: Duff
FC: Keane
FC: Doyle

Martin Rowlands, Liam Miller and Stephen Hunt are all in because Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews and Aiden McGeady are all sitting on yellow cards. Liam Lawrence appears to be the only unenforced sacrifice from the team on Saturday night, making away for Duffer, who has recovered from his calf injury. A bit unfair on Lawrence, but expect to see him feature at some point, he will be an asset to this side for a while to come I feel. Also pleased to see Martin Rowlands getting a chance to prove he’s something other than the smoking gun in the Andy Reid feud.

The return of Liam Miller is something else to keep an eye on. A few weeks ago I questioned what Miller was doing in the squad, when he was at the time without a club. Since then, Miller has joined Hibernian and started well for his new club, who find themselves on the coat-tails of the Old Firm, at least for a few more weeks. I hope it continues for Miller, he was a player with enormous potential when he started off at Celtic under Martin O’Neill, before making the (understandable) mistake of joining Manchester United before he was an established player on the European stage. His career has stagnated ever since that move, but certainly given the dearth of quality in our central midfield at the moment, Miller can stake a claim for a place. If a few of his performances for Celtic in the Champions’ League way back when are anything to go by, he’s more than qualified to take one of the two spots in the central midfield. The rest of the side? Standard issue, unless Trap decides to throw a few curveballs in when he does actually announce his side, probably an hour or so before kick-off tomorrow night.

Montenegro? Not bad for a first qualifying campaign, they being the lesser of the two nations formed out of the split of Serbia and Montenegro after the last World Cup. (Congratulations are due to the Serbians by the way, even if it could potentially spell disaster for us…) They drew 0-0 with us at home, were beating Bulgaria at home 2-1 until the 92nd minute (I’ve seen that before!) and also kept Italy honest in Lecce, going down to a 2-1 defeat after pegging them back early in the game. Couple those results with an undefeated record against their genuine competitors in the group (Two draws with Cyprus, four points off Georgia) and it has been a decent campaign for the Montengrans, steady if not spectacular. Their side is compromised of a few familiar names. Simon Vukcevic seemed set for big things early in his career, before Sporting Lisbon snapped him up, where is carving out a decent niche for himself.

More familiar however will be the duo of Stevan Jovetic, the Fiorentina youngster with a hammer of a right-foot shot, and a trade in humbling massive European teams (Ooh, ABBA!) Mirko Vucinic should also stick out in the memory for a few people. For the Serie A watches amongst us, he’s an important if perhaps not integral part of Roma’s squad with a knack for scoring ridiculous goals. For those amongst us whose European knowledge only goes as far as the Champions’ League, he’s the fella who let Arsenal off the hook. (I shudder to think what that text could possibly mean at the start, my Italian is shamefully bad) He also happens to be Montenegro’s top scorer, with 7 goals in 14 games. So no more jibes from me.

Truth be told, I remember scarce little from our goalless draw with them more than a year ago, beyond Given’s lucky save to preserve us a point at the death, so I can’t tell you much about their style of play, sorry. Montenegro’s record however would have them down as a side going through the learning curve. Three defeats from nine qualifiers would suggest a team that is difficult to break down, but one win from 9 also suggests they have a bit to learn about how to get it right in the qualifying process. They’re a decent side, and a hard nut to crack at home. Whoever gets them in qualifying for 2012 should expect two difficult, if winnable matches.

All things told, it should be a fairly even contest. Don’t expect us to be too expansive, just try and keep it tight as against Italy the other night. This isn’t an opportunity to let off some steam, rather a trial run for November, so it should still be of some interest to see who’s going to be in and out of the squad and the starting line-up for the two-legged play-off. Chances are Trap has almost all of his side pencilled in for that first leg, so it will be up to anyone who’s place isn’t assured to give him a selection heache, or an option should someone else succumb to injury or suspension. Beyond that, there’s little to say really…if you want a prediction, go for 0-0. It might suffer for the lack of edge in terms of entertainment, loathe though I am to say it.

Despite the lack of a genuine competitive edge to tomorrow night, the match will bear some resonance for Irish fans. Tomorrow night marks the 100th cap for Shay Given, who has been given the armband for the night, as well as Kevin Kilbane. I’m hoping to provide a write-up for both men in the next few days, unfortunayely University work forbids me from doing so this evening, but this is a landmark which should not go without mention. Expect to see something in the next few days.

For now, I can only refer you to Daryl’s piece on the pair of them on the front of the blog and extend my own gratitude to both men for their service in the national shirt. I may have knocked Kilbane more times than I can remember, I will argue that there are more viable options at left-back than himself these days. I wonder were it not for his own goal in the home match and his mistake in the away game to gift Bulgaria equalisiers in our two matches with them, how much more important tomorrow night’s game would be, and I still can’t fully forgive him for his shinned rebound to Ian Harte’s missed penalty against the Spaniards in 2002…but despite all that, 100 caps for a country playing to our standard is no mean achievement. Thanks are due from all Irish supporters, whether we like him or not. He may not be the best defender we ever had, but it’s not for his lack of effort. Thank you Kevin.

There’s plenty more to come on Shay…for now, all I can say is…if there are any budding scientists out there who have unlocked the secret to cryogenically freezing individuals, could you please inform the FAI, because the longer we can keep Shay Given in between the posts, the better it is for us. The greatest goalkeeper in the history of the national side, and arguably the greatest servant to the Irish national side in it’s near 90 year history…thank you doesn’t even come close to recognising Shay’s contribution to Irish football, so there’s more where that came from. I hope both lads mark the occasion suitably tomorrow night.

For now, I’ll leave it at that, analysis and hopefully a few more bits and pieces in the days to come. Until then, all the best everybody.

First things first, highlights. There’s a few on my jingoistic piece last night, but to round it off, Sean St. Ledger’s goal. He came of age last night, and there’s no doubt as to who is our first choice centre-backs now. What a performance.

What a performance by almost everyone in a green shirt last night. I would love to say that everyone contributed and they all gave the performance of a lifetime…but…there are some occasions when I can take the green-tinted glasses off. Sorry, Keith Andrews, but you’re not international standard…he had another anyonymous game in the centre of the park last night. A willing runner, yes, but there needs to be some quality to go with it, and it was sorely lacking last night.

It’s time to give someone else a go in the centre of midfield, although I feel Trappatoni won’t be changing things around in the last three games of the qualifying campaign, for the sake of familiarity. However, when (if!) Stephen Reid gets fit, don’t expect to see Andrews starting on a regular basis. I hope he improves and he has something else to give to the cause, because you can tell there is some modcum of quality there, but a poor start to the season with Blackburn and some slack showings for us in such a key area of the pitch means changes need to be made, otherwise we could suffer in the last few crunch matches.

As for the rest of them, where to start? Richard Dunne hasn’t played as well in a green shirt for so long, while St. Ledger capped a fine showing with a smart run to get the goal. Hell, even Kevin Kilbane was solid at left-back, although one of Italy’s failings was their lack of penetration down the right hand side, if they had tested him a few more times, then who knows?

John O’Shea was another one who had a fine performance at right-back, twice he made vital interceptions to deny the Italians a goal, the second a glancing header which was top class. However, there is one thing that would stop me joining in the clamour to make him man of the match…why is he over the halfway line, with us leading, and less than three minutes to play? Why was Iaquinta allowed a signifanct headstart over him? Why were we not back in numbers, as Tap alluded to post-match, wasting time and protecting the most precious of leads? Italy broke down the left side, Iaquinta exploited the space and Gilardino was left with a fairly simple finish. O’Shea knew it as well. It’s not to take away from all that he did right in the first 90 minutes, but I’d venture that if he hadn’t pushed forward, then we could be talking about one of our greatest ever wins. The thin line between success and failure…

Aiden McGeady gets my nod for man of the match. Clearly the Italians hadn’t learnt their lessons from a few seasons ago when Paolo Maldini applauded him on-pitch for his play against Milan in the San Siro. McGeady ran at Zambrotta and anyone else who came near him all night, and it left the away side with plenty of problems. If there’s a point to be made, then it could be that his delivery from the wing left something to be desired, but considering that he was deputising on the left-hand side for the injured Duffer, you can take nothing away from his performance, especially in the first half. He was a bit quieter in the second 45, but by that point the Italians had two men around him whenever he had the ball, and he still beat them on occasions. He tired, and was eventually substituted for Hunt, but it was an excellent performance. Certainly he appeared to be our most likely source of opening up the defence, even if ultimately both goals came from set pieces…

I’ve already touched on Andrews, but critical though I’ve tended to be of Glenn Whelan in the last few matches, he put in a very solid showing last night, even when you take away his brilliant goal from Lawrence’s cut-back. He was a prescence in the middle, was confident on the ball and alert to any second ball that came his way. Sometimes the Italians over-ran the midfield with their four, at times five men pinging the ball around the middle, but Whelan kept them honest at least. His goal should see him in credit for a while to come, certainly after last night he deserves to see out the campaign in the middle of the park, if perhaps with someone else to partner him.

Liam Lawrence also turned in a good show on the right side in his first competitive appearance for us. He wasn’t as tricky or direct as McGeady, but he knows and we know he doesn’t possess the ability to run at opponents that the likes of McGeady does. He did a sound job on the right-hand side, acting as a first line of defence for the Italians to break down the left side, then pushing forward and putting pressure on the Italians defence where possible. His cut-back for the goal was smart play, and otherwise his delivery was decent, so certainly he’s another one who deserves another crack, arugably in the centre of midfield with Whelan, with Duffer back on the left and McGeady on his preferred right side.

Up front, both of the lads were keen runners, but the Italians had their bases covered well, and neither of them got much room throughout the game, although whenever Keane got the ball, there was a sense of anticipation that something could happen, where you just didn’t feel the same way about Doyle. Truth be told, Leon Best opened up the game far more when he came on, even if he struggled to create opportunities. It would have been a far more intriguing contest if Caleb Folan had been fit and challenging the defenders in the air, because then it may have freed Keane up to do what he does best rather than chasing around up top to claim possession.

I can’t be too critical of any of the lads up front, it was more a case of very solid defending rather than an inability to create chances on the part of any of the three who played up front. Our style of play didn’t really suit either of the starting two as well, with balls fed down the channels for players to chase. Play the ball through the middle and into the feet of Keane and Doyle, and who knows? However, ultimately the former option was probably the safer, as Italy had the midfield flooded, and with good players who could counter-attack clinically, as we sadly found out at the death.

The subsitutes all contributed, Best I’ve already touched on, while Hunt added that extra bit of energy down the left which had been lost after McGeady ran out of steam. His ball for the second goal was fantastic as well, although maybe questions need to be asked of the Italians’ for allowing a cross from the wing to go all the way across the penalty area. Martin Rowlands seemed like a peculiar choice at the time, but considering that Whelan was already on a yellow card and probably one tackle away from an early bath, Trap was probably preventing against any potential disasters before they came to pass. Doubtless it also had something to do with the general bemusement which accompanied Rowlands’ selection in the squad ahead of Andy Reid earler in the week, a bit of one-upmanship on the part of Trap perhaps. As it was, we didn’t lose anything in midfield for the arrival of Rowlands, he ran for the cause and seemed fairly comfortable on the ball, if perhaps not adding anything going forward.

No complaints from me with Trap’s selection of subsitutions last night, in fact his whole game plan was executed well. The lads knew they had to keep it tight and restrict the Italians to a premium of chances, something which they did well. The two goals were sloppy bits of play, with Camoranesi the first in a long queue of Italian players lining up to equalise after Whelan didn’t connect with a clearing header from the corner, and the second an inexplicable rush of blood to the head by a few lads who should have been back behind the ball, but in the end, the draw was what either side deserved from the game. We pressed the Italians more than we’ve gone at any other side thus far in the group, perhaps motivated by the sense of occasion and also the chance to give the Italians a hairy night on Wednesday, but ultimately it just wasn’t enough. You can’t fault the lads though, a horrendous bit of naivety cost them a famous win, but it doesn’t overshadow an excellent performance.

Italy? I’ve got to be honest, I’m struggling to see where this river of criticism for Lippi and the players is coming from, and what the justification for it is. Hold me to this, the Italians will be right in the mix at the business end of those finals next June and July, because they have the mentality of not being beaten, and also the ability within the side to get what they need. Last night, they came to Croker looking for a point, and for the period of time when it was 1-1, they stroked the ball around with midfield with the most effortless ease, creating space for themselves like second nature. We chased and chased the ball all night, and on some occasions we didn’t see the ball for a minute, a minute and a half. It might not have been going anywhere, but it was controlled and calm, something I’d love to see off our boys, something that is actually slowly creeping into our play.

The class was evident to see in their control of possession when the game was level, and their ability when behind to force the equalise twice. The first goal was inevitable for about 5 minutes before Camoranesi scored, such was their territorial dominance and our retreat too deep. The second goal was particularly impressive (he says through gritted teeth). It was almost certainly going to be the one chance they would get to equalise before the end, and what happens? I’ve barely seen Italy play since that rotten Euro 2008 campaign, but they’re a markedly better side under Lippi than the one I saw with Donadoni in charge.

Not to say that there’s not issues within the side. I’ve got to be honest, when I saw that Di Natale was coming off, I wasn’t actually aware that he had been playing, such was his anonymity, and they were a bit sloppy when it came to opening up the defence, too many balls were in the wrong areas and Given mopped them up easily enough. There are probably some issues with perssonel, and I agree with the comments about Antonio Cassano made by a few fellas, but the hub of a good side is clearly in there. Grosso and Palombo particularly impressed me last night. You’re through to the finals, you have a solid outfit who play smart football, and you’re not in the play-offs, you want our position? We’ll trade! Joking aside, good luck to the Italians next summer, I take pride in being able to say that we played them twice and were undefeated over both games, because I don’t doubt that they’ll be in the mix come next summer, even if they may struggle to hold onto their title.

So, where does this leave us? Well, we’re in the play-offs, no matter what happens Wednesday night, thanks to a combination of our point last night and Bulgaria’s mind-boggling collapse in Cyprus. (Ooh, an operatic version of the Unforgiven, thank you!) Heads need to and will roll over that defeat, especially in the defence, because the first three goals were laughably bad from Bulgaria’s point of view. Not that I’m going to complain too loudly. As far as the play-offs and the seedings are concerned, we will be in the unseeded pot, unless the following happens…

Malta win against Portugal in Guimares
Sweden win against Albania in Solna
Luxembourg win against Greece in Athens
Israel fail to beat Switzerland in Basel
Latvia beat Moldova in Riga 9-0, or 10-1, or 11-2, or…ah, forget it.

Take it as read that we’ll be playing one of four from France, Portugal, Russia or Greece in the play-offs. I have my money on France, not for the sake of a conspiracy, just a hunch. The draw for the play-offs is a week tomorrow.

As for the Montenegro game, I’ll do my best to throw up a more detailed preview before the match on Wednesday night, but it’s lost any spark it may have had with the draw last night, and Bulgaria’s brain fart in Nicosia. Don’t expect Trap to experiment to any significant degree, Duffer will probably come back in, and maybe Keane, Dunne and Given might get rested, but beyond that, changes will be scarce.

Montenegro might be a bit more up for it than us, considering that they can stop our unbeaten streak in competitive matches, and a win coupled with a Cypriot defeat in Parma will see them finish 4th in the group, which may help their seeding for the Euro 2012 qualifying draw next February, but beyond that, there’s not much to play for. It would be nice to finish the campaign unbeaten, it would be nicer to be building this up as a must-win, with Cyprus battering Italy, sealing our glorious return to the finals after an 8-year hiatus…such is life, I suppose.

Mac, I’ll tackle the Stephen Ireland question in another post before too long. It’s equally as messy as the play-off circumstances FIFA devised for this round of qualifiers, unfortunately.

Until next time, everyone, all the best.

Here’s your highlights. Enjoy them while NetResult/UEFA/Lord of the Interwebs allows you to.

Highlights of the first half, including Whelan’s belter, and then Camoranesi’s header. Also includes a few Italian moments from the second half. Italian man on YouTube took down Saint Sean St. Ledger’s headed goal in the 87th minute, I’ll try and find a video of that tomorrow, but Italian man decided to keep his video of Alberto Gilardino’s late equaliser.

I’m gonna give this until tomorrow night before I give anything approaching a balanced and fair appraisal of the match, the adrenaline is still coursing through the veins. I’m so proud though, I know that for sure.

What did you lot make of it. Ireland fans, Italy fans, I want opinions, I want a bit of debate, something to talk about in my write-up. Who’s your man of the match? How did you think we played? Do you honestly think Italy are that bad? What about our chances in the play-offs? What about your chances in the finals? What the hell happened in Nicosia? Give us something to write about.

I’ll catch up with you lot tomorrow. For now, I think bed. Emotionally drained…some night.

Forza Irlanda. Enjoy the game all.

Plenty has happened since the South African victory, what with the end of the transfer window, the progression through the domestic season, a couple of injuries here and there and whatnot. Leading us to tomorrow night, and the world champions, Italy. It’s probably our biggest match since the 1-0 defeat to France back in September 2005, because that night a win would have probably taken us to the finals in Germany.

Unfortunately, the situation tomorrow night isn’t the same, but a win will at least take it down to the final round of fixtures. Look, no huge build-up, no unnecessary banging the drum, Italy will qualify, because they’ll beat a very bad Cyprus team in Parma. So tomorrow night, realistically, is about ensuring second place, and also it’s a test of where we stand in the pecking order. Not since that heady day in September 2001 (Jason McAteer will want to be watching that tonight, I feel) have we beaten a top class team in a competitive match. Draws in the Stade De France and the San Nicola and a 0-0 with Germany at home are as good as it’s got in the last eight years, so we’re overdue a big performance to topple one of the big sides.

Ramifications? Win, and we guarantee our place in the play-offs (I have PLENTY to say about that if I get a chance), draw, and it will guarantee Italy’s place in the finals as group winner, while we will need to get something against Montenegro on Wednesday night to be assured of our place in the play-offs. Lose? Perish the thought, Italy get their spot in the finals, and it makes Wednesday night crap. We’ll almost certainly have to win to make the play-offs, given Bulgaria’s likely six-point haul over the next few days and superior goal difference after their two games, assuming they do win their matches and we lose against Italy….a bit complicated at the end, I agree, so all the more reason for us to win tomorrow night and secure our place as one of the eight best runners-up.

The team? As follows, 4-4-2…

GK: Given
DL: Kilbane
DR: O’Shea
DC: Dunne
DC: St. Ledger
ML: McGeady
MR: Lawrence
MC: Andrews
MC: Whelan
FC: Keane
FC: Doyle

Injury to Damien Duff and Trap’s sudden love for Liam Lawrence has seen everything change out wide in midfield. McGeady will slot in for Duffer on the left, while Lawrence makes his first competitive start for us on the right-side, preferred ahead of Stephen Hunt. Myself, I would have preferred to see Lawrence add something extra to a midfield once again shorn of Stephen Reid (Achilles grumble), but Andrews and Whelan it is, which concerns me, because they failed to control the midfield against Cyprus…and whoever Italy put out in the centre will be eminently better. Uh-oh. Lawrence and whoever you wanted (Ronnie Whelan!) would be better, play Stephen Hunt on the left and McGeady on his preferred right side and we could be onto something. Beyond the midfield, everything is as you would expect and as it probably should be, maybe with the exception of that damn Kilbane at left-back. Dunne and Doyle need big performances, while Sean St. Ledger can cement his position as starting centre-back with an impressive showing.

Italy? They’ve plodded along somewhat, but they’re still unbeaten, and they will either secure their spot on Saturday or Wednesday. Their likely side is as follows, 4-2-3-1.

GK: Buffon
DL: Grosso
DR: Zambrotta
DC: Legrottaglie
DC: Chiellini
MC: De Rossi
MC: Palombo
AMC: Pirlo
AMC: Camoranesi
AMC: Iaquinta
FC: Gilardino

All fairly familiar, although I must say, to my shame, I’m at a loss when it comes to Palombo (First name Angelo, captain of Sampdoria, central midfielder, as good as Gennaro Gattuso, thank you partisan Wikipedia author). Buffon is up with Casillas (and Shay Given) as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, I haven’t seen much of Grosso since that classy finish against the Germans in 2006, and the even classier penalty, I’ve seen even less of Legrottalie, so forgive me for my lack of knowledge. Zambrotta is a class act in any case, and Chiellini is arguably the most improved player at the top level in the last few years.

De Rossi is another classy individual, with more ability in his right foot than our combined central midfield (Sorry, it had to be said). Camoranesi never struck me as a world-class player, but that’s made up for with the prescence of Pirlo in that attacking trio, who could open us up if we’re not careful, accompanied by Iaquinta, who I think will wind up working as a strikeforce with Gilardino. It might make for a lack of width, but that could play into the Italians’ hands, given our weak central midfield. Play it through the centre and they could punish us, but I get the impression I’m being a bit too negative.

Look, no matter how Italy line up, and what style they adopt, they’ll be more than a handful, but I just get the feeling we’re due a really serious performance at home. It’s certainly been a long time since I was so excited for a match involving our lot, because there’s still an awful lot to play for. It’s almost certainly not going to stop Italy finishing top, but win, and we give ourselves a genuine shot at qualification via the play-offs, and it means we can relax to some degree on Wednesday night. A massive game for all involved on our side, and the Italians will do well not to underestimate us as well, because our home record stands up with a lot of other sides (No competitive defeat at home since that France game, three this decade).

Opinions on a result? I’ve seen 3-0 on the Italian blog (Not happening, sorry Julian), mac on the last blog post went for a 2-0 win for our lads (Sorry mac, same thing as Julian), while Giuseppe may have got closest with a 2-1 Italian win, certainly it seems the most likely result of the three. Myself? 0-0. It’s got a draw written all over it for me, unless Italy score early, in which case it could be nasty…a win for us looks unlikely if we’re being honest, but then again, no-one fancied us before Holland…so all things considered…I have no clue how it’s going to wind up. Helpful!

Let’s hope by this time tomorrow night the party’s just started. If it has, don’t expect to see any (level-headed) reaction on here before Tuesday, to go along with a preview of the Montenegro game. Analysis will be up in the next few days hopefully all. Until then…Forza Irlanda!

All the best everyone

The World Champions did us a favour tonight, in my opinion. Italy’s 2-0 win in Turin against Bulgaria all but confirmed their place in South Africa, whilst also more or less condemning Bulgaria to missing out, which leaves us as piggy in the middle, heading towards a play-off place.

Here’s the highlights that matter, with Fabio Grosso losing Stanislav Manolev (who, if we are to judge by the two goals, looked miles out of his depth) to bag the first. Vicenzo Iaquinta made it two with some even better interchange between himself and his team-mates, again getting the better of Manolev to get free and slot home. I’m not really in the position to offer anything about how either side played, but the two goals were classy and clinical, what you would expect from an Italian side. They may have been iffy up to this point in the group, but they remain undefeated, and at points, especially tonight, they’ve shown why they’re the champions. Good luck to them in South Africa, but we’ll be looking to give them a bloody nose to take with them to the finals, whilst also aiming to secure our own path to the competition.

As things stand, this is Group 8, or at least, the part which now matters.

Italy: Played 8, 20 points
Ireland: Played 8, 16 points
Bulgaria: Played 8, 11 points

Each side has two games remaining. Italy play us next in Croker, then are at home to Cyprus for their final match. We have Montenegro at home after Italy, while Bulgaria still need to go away to Cyprus and finish off at home to Georgia.

Permutations? Italy get a point from either of their last two games, they win the group. Expect them to be in South Africa by the end of our match with them, if not, they’ll seal it against Cyprus a few days later. If, however, the Italians decide to field their cricket team for shits and giggles in the last two, and still fail to pick up a point, and we win our last two, we will win the group and qualify. You can forget about that one right away, incidentally.

Bulgaria have it stacked against them. While their last two games aren’t the most taxing they will have had in the group, we should (nay, must) pick up two points somewhere within our last two games, more than likely with a win against Montenegro. Two Bulgarian wins and one point for us will, however, almost certainly see them into the play-offs though, given the fact that their goal difference is only inferior to ours by one. Essentially, we can put the issue to bed with a win in our last game, but it’s a situation to at least keep an eye on. For the Bulgarians, it’s a case of winning and hoping for other results to come in, but it’s not mathmatical improbabilities yet. Oh, the life of a pessimist!

Assuming we do get over the line, focus then shifts to this nonsense play-off system in place. As much as I love the World Cup, and find great enjoyment in the whole qualification process, this is a rubbish system which benefits no-one, and the side who misses out, who frankly at this point should not be us, I feel massively sympathetic for. Finished second in your group? Here, have the summer off without even having a chance to contend the issue! While you’re at it, maybe have a look at all those sides who did the exact same as you try and make it to the finals! What a load of bollocks.

Nevertheless, here are the current standings. Now, I know we’re currently 8th, but that’s not a particular reason to panic. Fact is, two more points guarantee us a play-off spot, because Bulgaria would then be unable to catch us, and Norway, having concluded their group tonight, will be on 10 points compared to our 12.

Bear with me on this one, but Georgia could even put us out of the woods with finishing bottom of that follow-on table by winning against Montenegro in their next match, because then they would move up to 5th, and the 6 points we won against them, compared with the at best 4 we can pick up against Montenegro would translate into 15 points overall against the other sides in the Top 5 of our group, actually leaving us looking fairly handsome in that table. Essentially, two draws = a play-off, and if you’d offered me that two years ago, I’d have bitten your arm off and been institutionalised for cannibalism.

I’ll worry about the matches with Italy and Montenegro closer to the time. Frankly, there’s little point winding up towards either of them now, because there’s still a month to go. Top is unrealistic, second doesn’t appear to be a serious problem, and we just need to now get the lads through their next few club matches with no scares and then we can get going on finishing the job and focusing on the play-offs. Pondering who we’re going to face over two legs for a place in the finals is also premature and pointless at the moment. The only sides who currently find themselves guaranteed of a play-off spot are one of Germany and Russia in Group 4 and Norway, who are probably going to be the victims of this shite system devised. When all is said and done, we can start worrying about avoiding France…

Beyond that, there’s little to report on the national front. There is, however, plenty to discuss beyond the national realm, which I’ve been meaning to get around to. So, expect a few articles discussing a few other points which relate to Irish football over the next few weeks before we get going on qualification once again. Transfers, St. Pats’ in Europe, Paddy Kenny, there’s a few issues to tackle. I can’t promise anything too quickly, because as of Sunday, I’m back in the Motherland to spend my 20th birthday with family, but when I get back (19th September), expect something to chew on.

Until then all, take care.

There’s no detailed review to offer about the match. Scant highlights too, but Liam Lawrence’s winner just after the half hour was indeed impressive, shades of Denis Irwin and Ian Harte….except that Lawrence is a midfielder….and right-footed…and he’s never played in the Champions’ League…and…oh, never mind then…

How did we play? Pretty badly to start with, but we weren’t helped by being reduced to 10 men for a little while after Caleb Folan was cynically bodychecked by centre-back Morgan Gould, a collison that left Folan requiring 4 stitches to the side of his head and left Darcy Tucker a distant second.

Now, forgive my anger, but this tit at the back for South Africa…the damage he could have done to Folan, considering it was a bloody friendly, was mind-boggling, and a for a while, it didn’t look good for Caleb. Second cap or no second cap, this idiot should have seen red for such an utterly stupid, crass, blatant challenge. Ultimately, the referee saw fit to award a free-kick, perhaps swayed by the injuries Gould sustained whilst imitating Tendai Mtawarira (I love the beard and the cheesy grin), necessitating a swathe of bandages strapped across his forehead for the rest of the game. In the end, Caleb had him looking rather daft for the rest of the match, so I suppose there was revenge of sorts. That was unnecessary and infurating however, and it should have recieved the punishment which fit the crime.

Now, calm again. How did the rest of them do? Well, once they settled, the back four looked fairly comfortable, Eddie Nolan in particular doing a good job in helping to dislodge Kilbane. Their distribution was bad at the best of times, but they kept Keiren Westwood out of the firing line, which he will be grateful for, so it’s job done.

Concerns still abound about the central midfield, with praise of sorts coming in for Keith Andrews and Darron Gibson. But frankly, they were anonymous for most of the night and did little to influence the midfield, so the pining for Stephen Reid and someone else remains. Andy Keogh also failed to take his chance, on occasions showing his talents, but the end product was poor and he failed to penetrate the South African defence, so that’s another opportunity which has passed him by, and he looks set to remain a bit-part player behind Duffer and McGeady for at least another qualifying campaign (Duffer is 30, it’s likely he’ll finish up after Euro 2012 for us).

Massive credit to Liam Lawrence though, who was the brightest light on an otherwise fairly dull night. Aside from the free kick, which showed excellent technique to go along with his combative qualities, he was the most creative aspect of the midfield quarter, looking for early ball into the areas where it mattered with dangerous crosses and forays forward. He knew how dangerous Folan is as an aerial prescence, and he looked to exploit this as much as possible. It was smart football, playing to strengths, systematic of a Stoke City player, and I like it a lot. While McGeady is a better player on the right when on form, Lawrence’s enthusiasm and influence should at least afford him a place in the centre of midfield for the match against Italy. I know I’ve voiced some concerns, but Lord knows we need a creative spark in the centre of midfield, otherwise we will not be competitive with the best of them, and that includes Italy next month. Give him his head and see what he can do there next month. Hell, throw Stephen Hunt in the centre for his industry as well, perhaps in a drifting role, give the Italians something to think about. Frankly, it can be no worse than the options available to us otherwise. Decent players though Whelan, Andrews and Gibson are, international players they are not.

Again, Kevin Doyle failed to impress. A big night for him as captain, and he had one half-chance which was well blocked, but otherwise he was again high on effort, low on productivity. Sorry Kevin, but we need someone up front who can contribute, and right now that’s Folan. The man is so good at creating havoc, panic, you name it amongst opposition defences, and he did the same last night after coming back on. Setting up chances rather than taking him, his selfless play allowed Leon Best a few opportunities after he came on, with the Coventry man impressing to a degree, although he will remain a back-up option. If I was picking two players to start up top against Italy, it’s Folan and Robbie. Maybe Traps fancies Caleb as a substitute who can come on and exploit tired defences, but against a fresh set of defenders yesterday, he caused blind panic. Give him a stretch in the game, see what he can do. With someone as able as Keane as the foil, perhaps we can give the Italians a right scare. All things told, it was a night of mixed feelings, with promise from the likes of Lawrence, Nolan and Best, but missed opportunities for Gibson, Keogh and Doyle.

South Africa? Started brightly, had me wondering between that, and their Confederations Cup showing, why everyone was knocking them down. But then, I only actually saw them play Iraq, and it turns out the pundits still know more than I do about the Bafana. Once Steven Pienaar decided he didn’t fancy it anymore, more particularly after he was booked for encroachment at the first attempt at an Irish free kick (second was Lawrence’s goal), South Africa looked truly dreadful. Katlego Mphela and Bernard Parker looked miles off the pace. Kagisho Dikgacoi showed why we saw hardly anything of him at Fulham, and Blackburn fans shouldn’t get too excited about Elio van Heerden. More Maceo Rigters than Benni McCarthy in terms in impact. The defence looked helpless to prevent against Folan and were fortunate we didn’t create that many chances. Any bright points? Steven Pienaar looked top class for a brief while and if he’s fully committed, he will be a handful for whoever South Africa face next season. The goalkeeper, Rowen Fernandez and the full-back, Tsepo Masilela also did their reputations no harm with their performances. Three out of 11 ain’t good enough though, and unless South Africa improve drastically before next June, they’re not getting out of their group, doesn’t matter where they play or who they draw….

Questions about the side? A few, yep.

Delighted with the result? And then some.

In some ways, this helps to put to bed the open wound that was the bloody 5-2 defeat in the same stadium, 3 years ago. I’m downright sick of mentioning it, you’re almost certainly ill of seeing it slapped all over my posts, so now I can put that one to bed. It remains in the history books, and there’s always a place in the head for it, but not right now. Not after Saturday.

You’ll have to forgive me for the rubbish highlights video. Right now it’s the best I can find on the interweb. If it’s any help, I’ll break down the 26 seconds into chunks for all of you. In all truth, the four little snippets are about as much as you’d want to see from that game again.

0:01: Glenn Whelan’s half-volley from Robbie Keane’s headed lay-off is brilliantly saved by Sofrounis Avgousti with the sides’ level early in the second half.

0:04: Andrews’ tries to run through a wall of three Cypriot defenders in the penalty box, with the ball breaking to Kevin Doyle, who turns and finishes low into the bottom corner on his left foot, giving us the lead after 5 minutes. An excellent finish, taking advantage of defensive errors. (One of the lads the camera films celebrating was wearing a Mayo jersey as well, representing the county \o/)

0:12: The ball breaks to Marios Elia on the right-hand side of the penalty area after some bad defending on our part. He capitalises on a lack of closing down to hammer an effort beyond Shay Given into the bottom corner. Another excellent finish, but even worse defending this time. 1-1 midway through the first half.

0:18: Damien Duff’s cross (second after I screamed at the TV that the ball was once again going nowhere) floats into the centre, where Robbie Keane loses his marker, getting to the ball ahead of Soufrounis and nodding the ball into an open goal with 8 minutes left. More rotten defending, but it’s not as if we cared at that point. Cue jubilant celebrations, followed by reflection on my pathological need for the ball to be in the penalty area a few second after we win possession….

In all truth, it was far from a good performance. Mark Lawrenson usually manages to raise my ire when talking about football, but once I got beyond the predictable negativity of the title of his Irish Times piece, it’s clear he does have some points. I’m not so concerned about the tactics, Traps either employed the same tactics at the start of all out away games in the group, or he reverted to it towards the end of the game. The fact that we went unbeaten away from home through 5 games after such an awful record in the last qualifying campaign should be the point of reference, tactics can wait for another day.

Lawrenson does strike a chord with his criticism of some of the players on the night. Particularly the midfield and Kevin Kilbane. Trapattoni’s interview with Tony O’Donoghue after the game specifically refers to how we “lost the midfield” 15 minutes into the first half. It again goes back to the concerns about the ability of Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews. While I may be something of an advocate for Andrews, I’m in the minority, and Saturday night did nothing to assuage the fears of others. He was quiet, he lacked creativity and for almost all of the game he offered nothing going forward or for that matter in defence. The same applies for Whelan. The technique on his half-volley was excellent, and frankly it merited a goal. However, that was it for him on the night. Beyond that he was merely a person in a white shirt on the pitch, with no influence whatsoever on proceedings. Alarm bells are ringing, we need Stephen Reid back as quickly as possible, and we also need a second player in the centre who can actually create something out of nothing, to add an extra dimension. Liam Lawrence should be the next to try his luck, but I fear he falls into the same category as the two who turned out in Nicosia.

And then you get to Kevin Kilbane, who will soon pass Steve Staunton as the most-capped outfield player for the national side (Staunton won 102 caps, Kilbane is currently on 98). How insulting to Staunton, who was a player genuinely deserving of such an honour. The fact that Kilbane will soon assume this position makes me somewhat embarrassed. Not for the first time in an Irish shirt, he was awful, and the source of our problems for the better part of an hour. It was his rubbish closing down which allowed Elia to latch onto the loose ball and rifle the shot past Given. It was his rubbish marking for the rest of the game which allowed Elia time and again to make a nuisance of himself down the right hand side, a problem which on a couple of occasions was negated by Damien Duff. I mean, Damien Duff!

It’s funny, as a precocious youngster following the Irish side, I always had a black mark against Kilbane’s name after that horror miss of his when Ian Harte’s penalty was saved in the match against Spain at the World Cup. But, as time went on, he went some of the way to healing that open wound with a handful of good performances in the shirt. Now, however, it’s quickly reverting back to the original position. He was bad against Bulgaria, worse against Cyprus, and it’s time for him to be shipped out. Bugger sentiment and 100 caps, he’s been floating around in the defence like a bad smell for ages. Time for change, even if that means blooding an inexperienced youngster, even Michael Liddle of Sunderland. Otherwise, Kilbane will just stick around for ages, and if that means lining up in South Africa, there’s a weak link within the defence…

Otherwise, it’s hard to be critical of individuals. Lawrenson makes a point of mentioning John O’Shea’s performance but personally I felt he was solid enough. There were difficulties against the tricky Aloneftis (who I said in my preview was of no concern, go me!) in the first half, but beyond that he did fine, so I’m not going to lead the charge against O’Shea. No-one covered themselves in glory on either side in what was a poor match, but uiltimately we just did enough to get the result, and right now that’s all that matters.

If there’s anything to add to that, then perhaps it would be nice to see a few more shots at goal during the match, even it’s from unconventional positions, just to test the opponents a bit more. From what I remember on Saturday night, we had four attempts at goal, the two goals, Whelan’s effort and a shot from Stephen Hunt shortly after the opener which went wide. Beyond that, I’m struggling to remember anything of note. A few more won’t hurt, and a few more will be required in upcoming games, so either we need to revert to some other-worldly style of slick, passing, attacking football, or we just start firing efforts in whenever we can. It won’t hurt, and it should help to keep the opposition on the backfoot somewhat. On the subject of going forward, more of Caleb Folan please Traps. The man might just typify Lawrenson’s ‘Neanderthal’ tactics more than most in the side, but he ultimately proved to be far more dangerous to the Cypriot defence in the 15 or so minutes he was on, than Doyle was for the remainder of the match when he scored. If it worked for us in the past with Big Niall, it can damn sure work with Big Caleb. Get him on earlier, get him making a nuisance of himself, because no-one seems to fancy it. Beyond that, there’s little to say positive or negative at the moment, it’s all a case of treading water somewhat, at least until we know what the situation is on Thursday morning.

Unfortunately, the others who needed to win in the group did. Italy were the beneficiaries of Kakha Kaladze’s single handed crusade to con us out of a place at the World Cup (clearly), securing a 2-0 win in Tblisi thanks to the centre-back scoring two own goals (I must admit, I kinda like the first one). Bulgaria also kept pace with us and the Italians, coming from behind to win 4-1 at home against Montenegro, highlights worth watching just marvel at Montenegro’s goal, and how bad their goalkeeper was for Berbatov’s penalty. Italy are getting the job done at the moment, and Bulgaria are beginning to look like the classy outfit they can be, so Wednesday night should be fascinating, with the pair playing each other in Turin.

A draw there would do us a world of good, although to be honest I’m not averse to an Italian win, because all I’ve ever geared myself up for in this group was a play-off spot. If Bulgaria fancy doing us a favour, then I won’t stop them, but an away win would probably be detrimental, because then it necessitates us getting a result at home to the Italians, and beating Montenegro. Four points at that stage may not even be enough, because of Bulgaria’s superior goal difference, so we need to be careful what we wish for. In this case, an Italian win may be something akin to better the devil we know. The game is on RTE for those of you back in the Motherland, but for us English based souls, it’ll be through a dodgy feed off t’Internet. If I manage to watch the match, I’ll report back at some point later in the week.

Oh, and as a side-note, we’re playing South Africa tonight. Yeah, I know, talk about neglect, although in truth this really does have the feel of something after the Lord Mayor’s show, or whatever the saying is. We will be experimenting on the night, with RTE taking the opportunity to use an awful headline to announce Traps’ intentions. I think it’s the right approach to the match, buggered if any one of Given, Robbie or Dunne gets injured on the night and is out for the two qualifiers next month. That and it’s time a few players started challenging the established order for places within the starting XI. We should line up as follows:

GK: Westwood (Coventry)
DL: Stephen Kelly (Fulham)
DR: Nolan (Birmingham)
DC: St. Ledger (Preston North End)
DC: McShane (Hull)
ML: Keogh (Wolves)
MR: Lawrence (Stoke)
MC: Gibson (Manchester United)
MC: Andrews (Blackburn Rovers)
FC: Folan (Hull)
FC: Doyle (Wolves)

It will be something new to see Stephen Kelly at left-back, but right now I’ll take whoever other than Kilbane fancies a go in that slot. It’ll be a good test for Westwood to see if there is some sort of replacement for Given on that dark day when he calls it quits from the national team. Nolan will be keen to prove himself after a bad match against the Nigerians back in May. Concerns abound about the centre of midfield again, with Gibson having a nightmare against the Australians last time we were at Thomond Park. Keogh has been on the frgines of the side for a while now, so it’s time for him to shape up and prove his worth, with this a better opportunity to show off his talents. Lawrence on the right side is a bit of an odd one, as he doesn’t strike me as a natural winger, but good luck to him. The link-up between Folan and Doyle should also be interesting, as they appear to be the next two in line after Robbie. Doyle seems to flounder when asked to chase the ball and make chances, but if Caleb puts them on a plate for him tonight with his aerial prowess, then there really is no excuses for someone of the known finishing ability which Doyle possesses. The Wolves man is also captain for the night, so congratulations are due for that at least.

What to say about the South Africans? They’re coming with a couple of familiar names, probably the most notable being Everton’s winger Steven Pienaar. Aaron Mokoena is always famous in my head for making a mess of Arjen Robben’s ankle one February night many moons ago, but he’s also the Bafana’s skipper, so he deserves respect. Elio van Heerden may be of some interest to Blackburn Rovers fans, but I’m afraid I can’t offer an opinion on him, having failed to see him in action thus far.

I’ll try and get around to watching the match, but it’s a bit up in the air at the moment. If I do manage to see it live o on the highlights, I’ll offer up some opinions later in the week. For now though, I’m off to bask in the glory of not having to think about humiliating defeats to miniscule European nations, at least until San Marino pop up in our Euro 2012 group.

For now, all the best everyone.