Keogh: We will raise game for Germany

So Keogh's going to raise his game.

He can now make the subs bench for Mervue United.

Jayzus lads. Calm down. He said "WE will raise our game." He means the whole team.
Dont have a go at Keogh! He is doing his best and getting called up for it. Of course he is going to accept a call-up for the country he loves!

And as for Trap; you have every right to criticize his squads and tactics, but it hasnt done us too bad in the past. So, lets reserve judgement until we see a few more group games.

Dublondain

"you have every right to criticize his squads and tactics, but it hasnt done us too bad in the past"

What about the Euros? It was grand getting us there but to have the whole of Europe laughing at us and then say that he will revamp the squad only to keep calling up McShane and Keogh ahead of the likes of Coleman and playing Cox out of position ahead of McClean is a joke. Id rather us not qualify for the WC and get rid of Trapp than get to the world cup and have the whole world laughing at our inability to pass the ball 5 yards.

Hmmmm. Strange set of priorities there.
You'd rather not qualify for a world cup just to get rid of a manager?........Thats strange.

If we get to the world cup and got knocked out at the group stages, I wouldnt mind too much.....in 50 years time, the fact would still stand the we got there, while others did not.

Dublondain

How old are you? (not abusing you). My memories of world cups are of not only getting there but the team doing the country proud and shocking other teams and the whole country coming to a standstill. Do you really want to get there and have a performance like at the Euros? It was a shambles and embarrassing and Trapp promised changes but bar the retirees what other changes have we seen? Getting to a world cup is only a good thing if your not the whipping boys(which we were at the Euros)

I'll answer that , if i may Arsene.As a fully paid up member of the middle aged brigade, qualifying is the objective, and a great one.I understand from your perspective, given your vintage , it isn't.But having watched from the terraces the dissappointments/ near misses under John Giles/ Eoin Hand, both home and away, coming close to matching the giants of world football never enters my expectations.
That said, i'm also frustrated at Trapp's selections/ tactics.

Trap has to go.

I know he got us to the Euros, but if you think about it we played one decent team and that was the Russians and we got one point against them, albeit that was an excellent performance.

His team selection is baffling and his reluctance to play younger players in favour of duds like McShane really annoys me!

I'll be happy when Trap's gone simply because we can move on, it's nothing personal against him, but he's just not right for the job. Delaney is poisonous and has to be sacked- who would he appoint next? Another one of his mates, or will he lack the balls to appoint someone so that if said person fails he has no accountability again?

(U11421)

I don't mean we will ever be a world class team but since 88 we have always caused a few shocks (when we did qualify) and we have the basics of a decent squad if Trapp picks players on ability and not just on who can understand his terrible English. Getting to the finals is great but once there unless the team gives us something to cheer it gets depressing pretty quickly. The Euros were a disaster and unless things change pretty quickly so will the world cup(if we get there).

A few shocks? Lets say a couple of shocks: England 88', Italy 2002. Draws against quality teams for a team like Ireland are not shocks.

Italia 90' was great, but dont forget we didnt even win one match out there: 0 wins, 4 draws, 1 defeat. And we had quite a good squad back then with decent players playing at some top clubs.

Anyway, I will look back fondly on getting to the Euros in 2012. As said above, qualifying is the objective. And history (or wikipedia as its referred to nowadays) will say that we qualified when many others didnt.

I am not too enamoured with Traps decisions, but if he gets us to Brazil, I wont care. He's so old now anyway that he definitely wont have another qualifying campaign left in him.

And, even though its neither here nor there, I am in my thirties......my early thirties.

I agree about 90 (although the excitement of winning that shoot out was brilliant) but 94 beating Italy or 2000 and that last gasp goal against Germany(only a draw but the whole country went bananas after it). There was always something for us to cheer on but not at the euros.
As pointed out above we were blessed with the draw for the euros and got a few lucky results.