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Ireland Fans Question Heimir's Cautious Picks ⚽️ England Hires Tuchel 🇬🇧 Man Utd Sacks Sir Alex!
26 Plays2 days ago
Is Heimir playing it too safe? ⚽️ Ireland fans are questioning his cautious team selections! 🇮🇪 Meanwhile, England shock the world by appointing Thomas Tuchel as their new manager 🔥 And let’s talk about Manchester United’s shocking sacking of Sir Alex…
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:17
killianginnity
Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the Nauta Pundit podcast. My name is Killeen Ginnity, and I'm delighted to be joined as ever by best sports podcast nominee, Nathan Byrne, and specialist podcast of the year nominee, Connor Glennon.
Celebrating Podcast Award Nominations
00:00:32
killianginnity
Gentlemen, how are we doing?
00:00:34
Conor Glennon
I'm on cloud nine after seeing those nominations coming out during the week. Boys, ah I think we need a collectible applause. Well done, lads.
00:00:41
killianginnity
They say self praise is no praise Nate, but we're going to take it for this week.
00:00:48
Nate
Oh yeah, for sure. now it's um It's a testament for to all the hard work most little boys have been doing. Everyone that's shooting and listening, thank you. and yeah i mean I know it means a lot to all of us, so yeah thanks. Have a good one.
00:01:04
killianginnity
I'm i'm frank fantastic and it absolutely does mean so much for everybody that does listen and engage with
Encouragement to Vote in Irish Pod Awards
00:01:10
killianginnity
us. And if you would like to support us, and this is nominations for the Irish Pod Awards. They're a new iteration of Irish Podcasting Awards.
00:01:20
killianginnity
And we are up against some of the best in the business, not just from the world of sports, but from all over, ranging from second captions, which is like a ah a dream tier for us, all the way to tech talk and from from news talk and everybody in between, including some friends of the of ah of ourselves and the show. so When you're going through, make sure to give them some love. And if you could consider us, we would really, really appreciate it. So give us a vote at irishpodawards.ie. That is irishpodawards.ie.
Breaking News: Tuchel as England Manager
00:01:53
killianginnity
Lads, just before we came on, there was some big breaking news corner.
00:01:58
Conor Glennon
Yeah, the biggest three words in football. Here we go. And it was related to none other than Thomas Tuchel taking the three lines job.
Analyzing Tuchel's Impact on England Team
00:02:05
Conor Glennon
it's ah I mean, and I think everyone knows that the FA's dream candidate was Pep. And I don't think they were getting much back from from his camp. But it's it's a massive appointment, boys.
00:02:17
killianginnity
Nate, how did you feel as like a United fan that was kind of eyeing up the possibility of Mr. Touchell flying into Manchester?
00:02:23
Nate
A bit good, to be honest, like he's he's definitely narrowed down the the managers that we can't go for, but yeah, like I think he's a perfect appointment for England. If anyone's going to get them over the homebook, semi-finals and finals, I think it's him.
Is Tuchel Right for International Football?
00:02:42
Nate
He's a tournament specialist and that's exactly what they need.
00:02:45
Conor Glennon
Well, that's what I think is the biggest thing with this one is it's it's almost crunch time for the FA now. If they can't kick on with him, there's bigger problems that they need to sort out. And I don't know who's the man because look, they've had some brilliant managers over the years. Obviously, he's only the third international manager. I i think we said on this pod, we'd never believe that a German but and manager would be at the top of the table. But what are you thinking, Killian?
00:03:10
killianginnity
I just can't wait to see his face when they start singing 12 German bombers. Like in in fairness, they have a German Royal family.
00:03:15
Nate
ah
00:03:17
killianginnity
They might as well have a German manager as well. Um, I was just really surprised. Like he, he doesn't strike me as an international manager. Like he kind of seems like one of them coaches that likes to be a little bit more hands on.
00:03:30
killianginnity
Um, like when you look at him coming into Chelsea, he was able to kind of bring that kind of like oomph and get them to the champions league and win it in a very, very short space of time. And ah kind of so far, I i would give him credit in the bank in the sense that the teams he did this with were all basket cases at Chelsea, PSG, where he's gone in, done a good job and a fizzled out by the end, even when results maybe happened but personality-wise had.
00:03:59
killianginnity
so it could go that could work really really well for him where that kind of like what i would normally fizzle out over the space of a year might take four years because you're going only going to have the same amount of interactions in that space of time or him just might not work where he's not able to actually get that kind of i don't know that we have a room out with him that he would kind of maybe expect um plus it'd be interesting to see kind of what kind of staffing he brings in. Like, is this going to be a lot more kind of dependent on ah other people going and doing the viewing forum or is he going to be the one that's sitting in the stadiums now?
00:04:35
Nate
um I think he will be. like He strikes me as that type of character. and I genuinely think he's a perfect fit in terms of his style of football. It's quite defensive. It's about getting the ball high up the pitch in the tree the three and action zones. I think he's a perfect fit to international football. As you said, the timing could be an issue, but isn't it's worth a try in my opinion.
00:05:01
Nate
and i think the interesting part is now we've seen pep or sorry we've seen poch and two chugo we've seen pep flirt with international football what's going on here lads is it clubs are getting a bit too frenzy with managers that's putting them a bit off club football or or or what
00:05:18
Conor Glennon
i think it's i think it's the I think it's the media side of things and look, Tuchel isn't going to have an easy job being the England manager. I think that's the most poison chalice job in world football that arguably has the most media attention. But outside of of England, like and ah an international job is much lighter. like you know For someone like Poch,
00:05:35
Conor Glennon
Yeah, he'll bring more eyes in the States and therefore more media, but it's it's it's much more of an easy trip for him. And I think, you know, we've seen Jurgen Klopp take on the head of football role across the the Red Bull family and obviously to the disappointment of Dortmund fans. But I wouldn't be surprised if he enters into the into the chat for international manager soon enough to.
00:05:54
Nate
could could we be Could we be seeing managers possibly burning out?
00:05:55
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:05:59
Nate
like Too many games?
00:06:00
Conor Glennon
I think so. Yeah.
00:06:03
Nate
I know players are complaining about it, but are we actually seeing like managers action it and move away? like It's looking good for a very competitive world cup, I'll say that. like
00:06:13
Conor Glennon
Well, I think as well, you look at twouleswa fifty one fifty two 52, like, I mean, you can, you could do two tournament cycles and still ah be able to go back to club football if he feels like it. Like it, I think it's the perfect time for him to do it. And, you know, as you said, he's to me, I do think he is the perfect fit for the job. I'm surprised the FA were able to do it and had the balls to do it. Um, and the speed at which they've done it has been relatively impressive based off kind of cars, these comments of, of whether he's coming or going. And I know we'll touch on that, but.
00:06:43
Conor Glennon
For me, I think he's definitely become more conservative in his football over the last, I suppose, year or two. So I think that frenzied style that we've seen, that's brought success, arguably everywhere he's been. I do think he's calmed down a bit. He's matured is probably the wrong word. If it can't say mature, I'm at 51. But he's, I think he's a bit more chill. And I also think he's charismatic enough that he'll be able to play with the media, but savvy enough that he'll be able to contain them.
00:07:13
killianginnity
think ultimately the biggest thing about this is it's a big name like i think that's gonna placate england fans for a little while and i think that's what the fa needed and i think the fa deserves actually a lot of credit for being able to keep this on the wraps because like what it was only really in the last couple of days that his name kind of was in the conversation ah aside from the kind of like ah yeah if not pep who then who else is available oh well tutel's there he might
00:07:29
Conor Glennon
hundred percent
00:07:43
Conor Glennon
100%.
00:07:43
killianginnity
But apparently he was on the list and
00:07:43
Conor Glennon
But I think i think everyone would it would have been like, how about he's Germany won't do us. you know Why would they bother?
00:07:49
killianginnity
Yeah, it was in the same kind of way that like Poch has been in the conversation before. It's kind of going, oh, has anybody actually asked him? like there was none that It felt very much like media speculation.
00:07:56
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:08:00
killianginnity
And yeah, like well as as we're recording, it's only come out in the last little while. and Tomorrow for us, um which is probably today if you're listening, and there will be a price conference and where more will be revealed.
00:08:16
killianginnity
I'm sure he's going to be making and bank. um
00:08:18
Conor Glennon
Oh yeah.
00:08:19
killianginnity
like even if it was just per days of work he'll be on probably three or four times what he had was on previously per day of actual physical work even it might only be the same wage uh he does have a job on his hands though like there there is going to be a lot of media pressure just for who to select every time there's a lot of Okay players out there and for England not a lot of world-class ah Like that you would say it's gonna get into every single team
00:08:54
Conor Glennon
Yeah, I think you're right. And, you know, the they have, I think going back to Nate's point of why would he go into international management? I think if you look at any other international team, he probably wouldn't have done it, but the playing staff that he has at his disposal is on paper. One of the best that's available to him at this point. And, but even with those players, like, you know, you saw and in the in the last string against that defensively, they're not fantastic. They obviously had an upset by Greece where, uh,
00:09:21
Conor Glennon
Yeah, they kind of had a half a football where they really lost their own themselves. But you look at that team and you know, you look at what cars we did and I have to give him credit. He did what all England fans were asking him to do and in the way of finding all players that they wanted to play a position in the team.
00:09:39
Conor Glennon
But it just didn't work, you know, like the likes of playing Palmer on, on the wing. It didn't really work. You look at the transition of trend from left to right back or right to left back. It didn't really work. Yeah. He's one of the best passes of the ball and in world football, but I,
00:09:53
Conor Glennon
yeah ah He definitely has a job in his hands. And also, like I think in the same way that Ireland have had ah problems of over-reliance in certain players, like we saw at the World Cup, where Harry Kane was the main man. And then when he wasn't available, there wasn't too much cock in there. And yeah, Watkins can come in and do a job. But I think that number 10 position is really somewhere they need to strengthen as well as as that that back four.
00:10:18
killianginnity
Nate, do you think Carsey's experience with the England top job could be considered a failure? like There was a lot of press pressure.
00:10:31
killianginnity
There was ah obviously that but loss against Greece, which was fantastic to see as as as neutral. It's not just because it's England losing, but the fact of the story around it.
00:10:42
killianginnity
um
00:10:42
Nate
sir
00:10:43
killianginnity
does it kind of damage his reputation as as like being the main man in the future?
00:10:49
Nate
and
00:10:52
Nate
That's a difficult question because I think he might have found out a few truths about the job that he didn't know in terms of, as you said, the media pressure. From what I've seen, he wasn't very liked. like There was ah there's already a bit of an agenda out for him.
00:11:09
Nate
yeah his comments worried me a bit i think the comments that he made say um where he was like he's not a world-class coach yet and he wants to go to the under 21s i think he said that because he knew two shoulders coming in it was a bit of a freebie yeah and i think he did
00:11:24
Conor Glennon
That was going to be my question. Yeah, that was my question. With with that, did did did he was he just trying to prep himself and and and kind of almost parachute out there with a bit of bit of, I suppose, respect about him?
00:11:38
killianginnity
i I'm not so sure because like when he when he was coming through as a coach he was caretaker at Coventry where he also played and he was also caretaker at Birmingham where he also played but in the in between that he had a little interim spell as manager of Brentford and had quite a decent spell.
00:11:41
Nate
Ah, thank you.
00:11:58
killianginnity
But every time for he was caretaker or interim, he was always saying, no, I'm going to go back to being a coach. Like, I'm not sure if he particularly wants to be a ah manager manager. I think he likes being a head coach. And I think with the England job, it's just too politicky that you're going to be more of an old school manager regardless of what you want it to be. Whereas.
00:12:26
killianginnity
If he was to go back into club football, being a head coach with a director of football would suit him, or potentially an Ireland job where we see Heimer is complaining about the level of media scrutiny.
00:12:39
killianginnity
Well, is this one of the things that kind of put him off that? Like, is this more kind of cars he's really putting out there kind of going, don't expect me to be this thing that I'm not. It's not what I want to be.
00:12:48
Conor Glennon
Well, not, not, not, not every coach is meant to be a manager and there's absolutely no shame in that.
00:12:51
killianginnity
No.
00:12:52
Conor Glennon
Like, I mean, Carsley, you know, even in the early days when he was being talked about for the Ireland job that, you know, people were saying he was very much a, you know, boots on the grass manager, that's or or not manager coach.
00:13:04
Conor Glennon
Like that is his, that is his game. And, and I think, you know, he's seen success at that with the under 21s. And I do think he was. ill-prepared and poorly managed by the comms office of the FA.
00:13:18
Conor Glennon
I think they kind of threw him to the dogs a little bit.
00:13:19
Nate
Thank you.
00:13:20
Conor Glennon
Maybe was it a sink or swim test? I don't know. But I think he went into it a bit naive as to how intense the scrutiny would be in that position. And he was also poorly prepared to handle it.
00:13:33
Conor Glennon
So I you know i i think it was a hard one for him as well in the in the fact that from the public perception of, look, Southgate didn't leave with the best feeling around him and he was kind of coming from the exact same route into the job as Southgate did so I think there was probably a little bit of of ah ah scrutiny from the fans too.
00:13:55
Nate
lads i'm gonna be a bit mean here okay um me and nathan's coming out um stop faffing around with the under 21s then if you want to be a coach like if you're if you're not in it for the long run to be a manager go be a go be in a system manager go be a head a coach said at a club like i don't know what his play is in the under 21s if that's his play because to me that's how you develop managers that's how the fa should be development managers you shouldn't be you shouldn't be Catering around Carisley's desire to be a coach just because in my opinion, it's an easy way to go and win things at that level.
00:14:32
Nate
go
00:14:32
Conor Glennon
i I think you're right.
00:14:32
Nate
goes
00:14:33
Conor Glennon
and i But I do think there's a second train of thought with that in the fact that there's two reasons for that managerial position in my head. A, like you said, training ground to be the top dog at the top job down the road or fostering young talent and and and creating that system from a younger age.
00:14:51
Conor Glennon
Because bear in mind, they're coming from different club systems. And we're seeing now more than ever that national teams are expected to have a certain style of play. And if that can be implemented from an earlier age, it works. Maybe I'm being a bit too rosy on that, but I think there is two trains of thought on it.
00:15:09
killianginnity
And I think, to be honest, the trend of him being more interested in development is the the honest one, because it's what he's done everywhere.
00:15:17
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:15:19
killianginnity
When he went when he started off with Coventry coaching wise, it was started off with the under-18s. He had a spell and doing the under-18s, I think, for Man City. he did he had He was the head coach of the developmental squad at Brentford before taking the interim job. he like This has been his path the whole way through, and it's why he got into the England youth setup. And like even when he took on the like the interim job ah ah for the for the main team, ah he did say like this it makes sense whether they're going to approach recruit a new manager. It just makes sense as a process for him to take the reins in the meantime.
00:15:56
killianginnity
like I am.
00:15:58
Nate
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not buying it, like, I understand the coach could, I, I don't, I just think, if you, fair enough, if you want to be a coach and develop youth and whatever, but a lot of these players, the players he brought through, go up to, go up to age group with them.
00:16:02
Conor Glennon
yeah yeah Are you thinking he he kind of fumbled the bag a bit?
00:16:18
Nate
Like, do you know what I mean? That's, that's what traditional coaches do. They, they start, they start with the younger groups and they move up. It's like, I don't know what why he is currently and it's like if you just want to be an under 21 manager you do that but to me that was your perfect opportunity to go prove that you can step up with the players that you've brought through that have already stepped up.
00:16:40
Conor Glennon
i do I do think there's a stepping up into your first managerial role and there's being the England team manager. I think that that's an even, that's a seismic leap, even if you're in the FV system.
00:16:46
killianginnity
yeah
00:16:51
Conor Glennon
and And to me, I always looked at cars where he's run in these, what he's done two camps. Who knows if he'll get to do that final camp with with with the team. i I'd be surprised.
00:17:02
killianginnity
Yeah I doubt it, yeah
00:17:05
Conor Glennon
and But to me, I always looked at those three camps as Kieran McKenna has his first season in the Premier League.
00:17:06
Nate
Oh,
00:17:11
Conor Glennon
No matter how it goes, I don't think the the stock will have been lost in cars. I think he'll have the chance to get another big job. That is his final test though. If he fumbles back there, then I think it's gone.
00:17:20
Nate
cool
00:17:22
Nate
Why is he going on and then saying I want to go back to my old job because I'm not a world class manager? News check guys, you're not going to become a world class manager. but Like managing England under 21, this is not going to happen.
00:17:36
Conor Glennon
Yeah, and and was that...
00:17:37
Nate
Like if you want if you want to become a world class manager, you have got to transition into the men game.
00:17:41
Nate
Like it's in it just black and white.
00:17:43
killianginnity
on On a personal level, I know I have the same feeling as you. I want to see him kick on and become something great. And I think he has the ability and the skill to do it. Maybe he doesn't have the personality. like I would love to see him now take on a nice championship job. Sunderland don't need a manager, but that type of club. Young, forward-thinking will give you a bit of time. I think if he wants to go down that route,
00:18:09
killianginnity
I think, and and the show was chops, do it on a day-to-day basis with a team. like One of the things, it would kill me not to say it, is when you look at the pressure that was on that England job, don't forget that him representing Ireland made that a whole lot harder.
00:18:31
killianginnity
like Look at the thing around his anthem before he ever took the job.
00:18:35
Conor Glennon
And what was unfair about there is he didn't even he didn't sing the Irish anthem back in the day.
00:18:35
killianginnity
People wanted him taken out of the job.
00:18:39
Conor Glennon
He didn't sing the English anthem then. And I think that is exactly the type of thing that he wasn't prepared for. He knew it was coming, but his answers around it were...
00:18:48
killianginnity
yeah
00:18:52
Conor Glennon
He had his whole life to prepare for that question. and he yeah
00:18:55
Nate
I...
00:18:55
Conor Glennon
you know
00:18:56
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:18:57
Nate
I don't even think he's ready for a championship manager job. I think you should be looking at a Premier League or a championship assistant manager job.
00:19:02
killianginnity
Ooh.
00:19:05
Nate
I just do.
00:19:06
killianginnity
Yeah, like I think he would be a great like assistant.
00:19:07
Nate
i think I think he needs to go in. I think he needs to see the the boiling pit that is men's football because I think he's been too hidden away with the England under 21s where there's limited spotlight.
00:19:21
killianginnity
I think he'd be a great Arteta role at City.
00:19:24
Conor Glennon
yeah
00:19:25
killianginnity
like If he did that, it'd be ideal. i i I don't think any club would waste their time with that though. I think if they want him in, they'll just get him in. So I think that's kind of ruled them out of a Premier League position. I think the fact that Arteta was coming almost straight from playing is what afforded them the time to do that. I think when you have any kind of chops now, like, say look at the Sunland manager. Sunland manager had a time as manager with Lorient, but he was their head of youth development. Like it's... In this day and age, I think clubs, when they're bringing in a name, they see the media faffing around that and expect delivery on that. And you can't bring in an England interim manager to be an assistant manager.
00:20:15
Conor Glennon
a hundred percent but i i i do think it i i do wonder does to keep him on in some capacity in the fact that he might go back to being the twenty one gaffer any also might have uh...
00:20:16
Nate
Yeah.
00:20:25
Conor Glennon
there is also the possibility that he remains in in
00:20:28
killianginnity
That would make a lot of sense.
00:20:29
Conor Glennon
And I think that would, if England look at him as, let's face it, Tuchel's not going to be your manager for the next 10 years. If they put, if Tinkarsley was potentially the man this time round, wasn't ready, why not keep them in the company per se, put them on Tuchel's ticket, see what happens.
00:20:46
killianginnity
I think this period with them though has ruled them out of the job in the future.
00:20:51
Nate
So do I.
00:20:53
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:20:53
killianginnity
Yeah. And not and that's not results based.
00:20:53
Conor Glennon
ah Yeah.
00:20:55
killianginnity
That's not skill based. I think that's media based.
00:20:56
Conor Glennon
It's how we handled it. Yeah.
00:20:58
Nate
Personalize your base.
00:20:59
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:20:59
killianginnity
Yeah, I think how he handled the media, but also how the media media reacted to him.
00:21:00
Nate
yeah
00:21:06
killianginnity
Like, I don't care what anybody says that daily male audience is a large one in the UK.
00:21:09
Conor Glennon
Oh, yeah.
00:21:10
killianginnity
And they're going to feel the sweat on that, especially when it comes to people that are going to be sponsoring the team. It's very hard when it's like, Oh, well, you don't love your country.
00:21:21
killianginnity
What's he going to, like, what's he going to do if he was a manager in November? Is he going to wear the poppy?
00:21:25
Conor Glennon
Yeah. And he is all that James McLean type bullshit.
00:21:26
killianginnity
Like, but it's just too much for such a political job.
00:21:28
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:21:33
Conor Glennon
i do I do think you know as well, we said this in one of the many, many podcasts when we were waiting for Ireland to have a manager, but I do see him potentially long-term being a director of football or a kind of head of recruitment or something in the C-suite that involves fostering talent for future generations. I don't know about you, Nate.
00:21:57
Nate
Possibly.
00:21:59
killianginnity
Kind of like a club with a global football thing with Red Bull.
00:21:59
Nate
The more I think...
00:22:01
killianginnity
You can see that with like a city group.
00:22:03
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:22:04
Nate
ah Possibly, but i I... The more I think about it, I think he messed up. I think he should have chose the Arden route. I think he didn't go first, which he obviously had his own reasons for.
00:22:17
Nate
But if you're then after that going to go and take the interim job and be under the exact same pressure, it's like you might as well just took the full-time gig and give her gave it a shot. Do you know what I mean?
00:22:27
Conor Glennon
The only thing is if you take that out on job, that england get that England gig, no matter how well you do is gone.
00:22:27
Nate
like
00:22:33
Nate
But I ain't getting gigs gone regardless now. Over four games.
00:22:35
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:22:36
Nate
Do you know what I mean? like So in my opinion he chose wrongly and he's going to pay the price for it.
00:22:37
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:22:42
Conor Glennon
I mean, you know, look, Heimer's on an 18 months deal. Before we touch on how the the the team played in the last kind of window, ah realistically, we're not going to qualify for that tournament. So there is a potential that that job is still on for Carsey down the road. Do we think Irish fans would, based off what they've seen with England, would want them, if Heimer was, to be removed?
00:23:06
killianginnity
I think Ireland fans realise we're in a Beggars can't be choosers position. Like no matter what, if somebody offers you Lee Carsey over Highmere Helgems and what's the name you can say first of all, but there is a little bit more kind of kudos to getting a Lee Carsey and especially in 18 months time we're still going to have a young squad.
00:23:29
killianginnity
ah we should actually have a younger squad that we do now like there should be a little bit more of ah ah a realistic turnover and there will always be that kind of thing of
00:23:35
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:23:40
killianginnity
Will Carsey actually bring in some of these granny rulers that I keep harping on about? Like, will we get a CJ Egan Riley in? Will we get a Liam Delappin? Will we get den a Dennis Serkon in? Because he has worked with them before. I think if he was to become available, we'd snap the hand off him. Unless Highmere comes good. And I hold a fate in it that he will.
00:24:05
Nate
I don't hold the same thing that you hold. um love um how do i say this i mean
00:24:13
killianginnity
Nobody does nice, nobody does.
00:24:14
Nate
yeah I'm a little bit more optimistic as in that international break. That's as far as I'm willing to go saying that now.
00:24:23
Conor Glennon
I think that's fair though, because there wasn't anything massive to say, you know?
00:24:23
Nate
born
00:24:26
Nate
Exactly. I think he spoke a bit more correctly in terms of what he was trying to get across. suddenly The result was good, but we also looked poor in that first half of my opinion. and yeah like He needs to nail down consistency in a team that's been inconsistent for years, there which is is God's job, you know what I mean? Like, I don't know how he's going to pull that off. But I do like the tone he's taken now. We've got to change the mentality. We've got to become hard to beat. These are things that I've been saying for a long time. so
00:25:08
Nate
and
00:25:09
killianginnity
but Well, that was one of the things with the game against Finland. Like, we won, we probably shouldn't, but we did. And when's the last time we could say that about Ireland, that we played badly and still got a result?
00:25:21
Conor Glennon
Well yeah, like but see what bothers me about this thing in those, we should be beating Finland. like I know with our current crop of players and our last run of games, we shouldn't have. That's what I mean.
00:25:21
killianginnity
Like, our level.
00:25:32
Conor Glennon
like They're the games that and we should at least be competing in. like The Greece game, Greece are so many levels of above where we are.
00:25:36
killianginnity
Hmm.
00:25:41
killianginnity
I wouldn't say so many levels, but they are much stronger than we are. Like, this is the same England, this is the same Greece squad at Bae England. But also, this is a Greece squad where most of their players are playing in the Greek top division.
00:25:53
killianginnity
Which is a strong division when you look at the number of European places alone that they get. Let's take it pure and ah analytical coefficient wise. Their league is pretty damn good.
00:26:04
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:26:04
killianginnity
It is what, European top 10?
00:26:06
killianginnity
Top 15 worst?
00:26:06
Conor Glennon
ah Top 15 for sure. Where it would land, I don't know.
00:26:10
killianginnity
Yeah, um but you have players that are, which is always helps playing in the same teams, like there'll be a lot of Panathenikos players this era, there might be a lot of Olympiacos players this era that tends to go like that, and they're playing at a stronger level than most of our players are, and they're doing it consistently for longer. Don't forget, it was only 20 years ago that these were European champions.
00:26:33
Conor Glennon
Well, that's the thing. like like Greece have been a top team, ah maybe not a top team, but like a higher level team, should we say, mid to mid to high team for decades now.
00:26:40
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:26:43
Conor Glennon
like We were never, ever on Greece's level.
00:26:43
killianginnity
ah
00:26:45
Conor Glennon
I know we we rose to the rankings to something stupid in the top 10 once, but you know what I mean.
00:26:50
killianginnity
But there's the other thing as well is like their league tracks a reasonable level of player.
00:26:53
Nate
Thank you.
00:26:54
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:26:55
killianginnity
Like, I know it is old cuts, but like, Rivaldo used to play out there. Dribbialcise used to play out there. like players like Samaras that was like constantly in Celtics at best team were in Man City before the takeover.
00:27:12
killianginnity
These were the players that they were playing against or playing with. It's been a while since we had players at that kind of a level. We never had that in our league.
00:27:21
Conor Glennon
No.
00:27:21
killianginnity
And then we don't normally have them kind of that level of player in our national team. We shouldn't have lost 2-0 in the way that we did. and like i think I think we have to take a little bit of hurt. Kelleher was very good for most of the Greece game, aside from his mistakes. When he was good, he was great. When he was bad, it was woeful. And that is Ireland in a nutshell.
00:27:46
Nate
Yeah, lads, I wish there was an answer. I wish there was an answer on how to fix Ireland, but I genuinely don't think it exists currently. like I don't know if it's just going to have to be where we go through about 10 international breaks where we just got to beat this mentality.
00:28:06
Nate
and everyone sounds where we're like where There's just something that clicks where like there'll be a 20-minute period where it's just a headshot. like That can't happen in international football.
00:28:17
Nate
like You need to be switched on the whole time. And if we keep doing that, we're we're just going to concede goals. I think there was about three goals in the last break that could have been avoided easily.
00:28:30
Conor Glennon
I completely agree with you and i it's it's been ah it's a been a problem for Irish teams for touching on 10 years now where the minimum I expect from Ireland is to compete in games against teams like Finland And regardless of ah whether it's Finland, England, Brazil, from zero minutes to 95, 96, whatever it is, clued in, working as hard as they can. Now, I'm not expecting the most cohesive team, I'm not expecting the most skilled team, but I'm expecting hard workers and I'm expecting them to be aware of their surroundings and conscious of what they're doing for the entirety of the game. I don't think that's much that as core.
00:29:12
killianginnity
actually just on that we before the break we did kind of question a lot of the squad and the call-ups and all that and we said this on our social media after the Finland game but I think it's it's worth reiterating here on the podcast we doubted Robbie Brady but in fairness to him he stepped up this this this international in the last two games like he
00:29:37
Nate
but would kill him Did you see him in the Greece game then? Do you know what I mean?
00:29:43
killianginnity
It wasn't good. hey
00:29:45
Nate
I get he came in clutch in the Finland game but let's not let's not grab on to like 20 minutes of like good, good clutch moments for what I sound like in Eastgate.
00:29:56
killianginnity
I think, I think considering the way that we had very recently said Robbie Brady in 2024, are you for real versus how he overall performed in this international break, it is better than we had given him credit for.
00:30:10
Conor Glennon
ah hundred A hundred percent. I mean, the one thing I want to say on the Robbie Brady thing, this isn't a personal attack on Robbie Brady. I quite like him as a servant.
00:30:17
killianginnity
He's been a fantastic servant.
00:30:19
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:30:19
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:30:20
Conor Glennon
I think it's it's more we're coming out from the frame of how is he still in the team? Like it's it's not a, I don't even mean from a skill level. It's just like, do we not have anyone else who can compete for that position?
00:30:31
Conor Glennon
And we do.
00:30:32
killianginnity
Well, when you have Heimer saying, oh, well, this is a squad that's, why didn't Matt Daugherty get called up? Oh, well, I want to try new things. And you have the guy that was coming in clutch in 2016 still playing.
00:30:43
killianginnity
It's just not a good look.
00:30:44
Conor Glennon
And for it for for me as well, one thing that that troubles me with this Ireland team is looking at those players, how they play for their club versus how they play internationally.
00:30:44
killianginnity
Um,
00:30:53
Conor Glennon
you know And you look at arguably one of our best players right now is Nathan Collins. like that he is the Even though he has he hasn't played amazing for Ireland, like he is possibly a player with the most potential playing at the highest level right now.
00:31:08
Conor Glennon
and he's just Maybe it's it's it's it's he's not cooking with the Ireland team, but it's not he's not where he is when you see him play in the Premier League.
00:31:10
Nate
Oh, it was so bad.
00:31:19
Nate
so bad it's like such a like the mistakes are so basic like that's the working thing is it's such basic mistakes that that he's getting wrong and yeah it could be a communist issue and stuff like that could the captain see me effecting it i don't know like no
00:31:36
Conor Glennon
But do you do you do you think it's a case of he's just used to better players in the Brantford team, so he's kind of having to readjust the system, or do you think it's it's on him?
00:31:41
Nate
i i think that's i think that's a cry like I think if we were exactly clear it would not be a big cop out. It's just defensive errors.
00:31:50
killianginnity
It's because he's a midfielder. He's a midfielder. He's a defensive midfielder. If you had two defenders behind him, but none of them issues would have been of an issue. It would have been fine. Get him in midfield.
00:32:01
Conor Glennon
I mean, I don't think we have the luxury to do that, but one one person that I will allow do whatever they want in the next international window is none other than Festy. Festy absolutely had an amazing game.
00:32:01
Nate
Yeah, maybe.
00:32:17
killianginnity
He has mistakes in him. And at that age, hey that's you're not going to hold that against him. We shouldn't be pinning all of our hopes on him. I think he he has a great future.
00:32:25
Conor Glennon
Oh God, no.
00:32:27
killianginnity
um I think he will be fantastic for Ireland. He will be good for us now. um I actually suggested that Man United should be looking for a player like him, because like if he's want to play with like an actual kind of a wingback, well, then there you go.
00:32:41
killianginnity
That's a bad little bust of gut.
00:32:43
Conor Glennon
Well, this is, that's, and that's my key thing.
00:32:44
killianginnity
and
00:32:45
Conor Glennon
And it goes back to my point on that's all I want. I want players like him. I know we don't have much to base it on. He hasn't had much time in the, in a green Jersey, but like. That is the type of attitude I want from every single one of our players.
00:32:59
killianginnity
Yeah. no no And when you're representing your country, it should be the minimum expectation.
00:33:04
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:33:05
killianginnity
One thing that I was kind of, I wasn't delighted about was the lack of ah game time and impact for Casey McInteer. Like getting him over kind of looked like, yeah, great.
00:33:20
killianginnity
We have a good player. He's not getting much game time for Leicester either in the Premier League. And maybe he's just a championship player, but
00:33:30
killianginnity
It may not be what we expected him to be when when we found out that he was going to be declaring for us.
00:33:36
Conor Glennon
ah ah I think it's hard. I think it's a minutes thing. I think let's that's circle back in six months for a year and and and see where he's at. Because I do think there's a player in him. But like let's face it, lads, like that Ireland team plays anyone in the championship.
00:33:50
Conor Glennon
Ireland lose. Absolutely. In my opinion, they lose.
00:33:54
Nate
I use them the same way that I am. If you're realistically not playing for your club, I don't think you should be standing for your nation.
00:34:03
Conor Glennon
I think there's unique circumstances like, say, if you're Kelleher and you're getting sat on the bench because you're behind an Allyson or something like that, he is the best goalkeeper we have.
00:34:04
Nate
like
00:34:13
Conor Glennon
you know But for the most part, I think if you're comparable in the talent in a team and you're not getting minutes and someone is, there's a reason for the most part.
00:34:13
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:34:23
Nate
like I'm only at eight for this, but lads, we control Evan Ferguson on the at the walls as many times as we want, but if he's not getting minutes week in, week out, like how impactful is he going to be for Ireland? Do you know what I mean? I feel bad for him because he's not getting minutes in his club, but then I also feel bad on the other side that we're going, like yeah, let's go and every few months throw you out and expect to see things when when you're not getting minutes.
00:34:51
killianginnity
yeah especially when you consider like he's after he's coming back from a reasonably long layoff like I know it was a little while ago but like at that age Like that's a significant percentage of your career that you've kind of been injured for now.
00:35:06
killianginnity
And it's unfair more so than anything else that ed to kind of put them in the Robbie Keene role of expectations for us. um Like what we had said a long time ago about Bizounu, sometimes it's just better to take them out of the team for their own sake.
00:35:22
killianginnity
Don't get this complex about yourself having to perform every single time you're playing for Ireland.
00:35:28
Conor Glennon
I don't, I think this crop of young players now aren't able to process that rejection of getting left out for even an international break. I think they come back and go, and you know, I'm not a fan of this Heimer lad, he left me out and he just, the trust is gone, which is, which is bullshit really, because the manager should be able to pick and choose who he wants at any point based on any circumstance.
00:35:38
Nate
um
00:35:49
Conor Glennon
But Ferguson,
00:35:50
Nate
Honestly, I'd leave him out for today's back pain for Byron. or yeah no I know the FAI won't because he's the tickets either and that's the sad reality of it but for his own sake I'm focusing on getting minutes week in week out I just think you sort of just have to take players out when it's like that like
00:36:01
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:36:14
killianginnity
As long as he's getting some appearances I have no problem him being in the squad. I do have a problem with him leading the line. Like there is no
00:36:20
Conor Glennon
Nate said this before though, and and and and we've we've kind of agreed on this ah before. He is the bums and seats guy. And that is an issue.
00:36:29
killianginnity
Yeah, but if you're going to treat it like a circus, you're only going to get monkey's results. like Do not expect success if you're not going to build for it.
00:36:34
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:36:37
killianginnity
um
00:36:38
Nate
But he he needs someone around him then.
00:36:38
killianginnity
when you have
00:36:40
Nate
He needs someone around him going like, like, lad, even just take yourself out of an international break. Because I do think, and I know it would be hard for him to do that because I don't think footballers have that type of perspective currently.
00:36:53
Nate
And that's me saying it, but it's like, I think you need someone like his dad or something to just go, i just take yourself out of an international break. and And don't let this thing that FAI is, use you to get bombs and seats.
00:37:09
killianginnity
I think he'd be very worried about the optics of that more so than I think.
00:37:12
Conor Glennon
and losing his spot. What if someone has an absolute masterclass for a window and he's out of the team?
00:37:19
killianginnity
I want me worried about the spot because like like everybody's so streaky.
00:37:20
Nate
Yeah, I wouldn't be worried about Spadroski.
00:37:24
killianginnity
like These things come and go. But I think what would be the perfect situation for him is if Brighton turned around and said, actually, no, Ireland, we're not going to release him for this international break. We don't think he's match fit already.
00:37:36
Conor Glennon
That'd be the ideal.
00:37:37
killianginnity
ah or That'd be perfect.
00:37:38
Conor Glennon
That's the ideal. Yeah.
00:37:39
killianginnity
And even if that was just Evan or his agent or his dad turning to Brighton saying, here, lads, we'll use this take the hit on this, just for this once.
00:37:46
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:37:48
killianginnity
Because then.
00:37:48
Conor Glennon
Next time, Rand, we'll take the hit if needs be, but just do us a solid here.
00:37:51
killianginnity
Yeah. um Just say, oh, well, sure isn't there another international break coming up soon? if it Even if it was that one, just kind of go, yeah, listen, as yeah these aren't that crucial for you.
00:38:02
killianginnity
There's international chances. and We're coming into Christmas. We don't get an international break. We don't get a break, a winter break.
00:38:09
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:38:10
killianginnity
We're going to need these extra bodies. We need Evan. And we need we need him getting minutes in our way.
00:38:15
Nate
Because think about it from his point of view.
00:38:15
killianginnity
It'd be perfect.
00:38:18
Nate
yeah like He's gone from in the mindset that he needs to get into a Brighton team every week to get... I imagine he's quite worried with the the game time he's getting, do you know what I mean?
00:38:28
Nate
like He's been built up, and I imagine he is worried that he's not getting the game time that he wants. To them, every couple of months, or like yeah every couple of months for take for a week, you're like the main guy.
00:38:40
Nate
like like he yeah He has no stability there. like He needs to focus on
00:38:45
Conor Glennon
where where where i got worried for um Where I got worried from was when there was rumors when Tony was going Saudi that he'd go on loan to Brentford. And when Brighton were thinking of loaning out a talent like Ferguson, you start going, oh, but why are they doing that? What do they think? Are they trying to just give him minutes somewhere else? But then if there're if he's if he's able to get minutes for a Premier League team, why is he not getting minutes at Brighton? That's the only part of me that made me think, are Brighton starting to doubt him.
00:39:13
Nate
like I just think he needs to focus on getting back to that level and I think the Ireland thing is just such a taxing thing that for his own sake I think he needs be to do it.
00:39:26
killianginnity
Yeah, i i see that's why I wouldn't be too worried about like going out on loan.
00:39:32
killianginnity
Brighton now don't rely on him. And I think a team like a Brentford, if they were to say, you are we're going to bring you in to be our main man, I think they're doing the world a good.
00:39:44
killianginnity
um Some teams are built made to be built around one player. And obviously, we saw they were Brentford and Tony.
00:39:50
Conor Glennon
Mm.
00:39:50
killianginnity
Now, they did fine without Tony and moved away from that kind of a mentality. but like I would like to see an Evan Ferguson in that type of a position because I think he would do really, really well. I think Brighton are too clever to ever rely on one player too much. Like when you're able to replace a flea pick, I say it over that easily. Like the club is just so, so well run. So.
00:40:14
Conor Glennon
He's limited in where he can go, though, if that's the case, because like realistically, he's not going to drop down a league. I don't see him going abroad.
00:40:21
killianginnity
No, and you just need to.
00:40:22
Conor Glennon
you know it's it's It's a Brentford-ish, Everton-type move for a season. like There's not too many opportunities.
00:40:29
killianginnity
I'd love to see him in the bonus league. ah
00:40:31
Conor Glennon
I just don't think it would happen. Who would want them?
00:40:33
killianginnity
i
00:40:33
Conor Glennon
and I don't mean that he's crap, but like I just don't see it.
00:40:37
Nate
Oh, I think loads of clubs would want them.
00:40:39
killianginnity
Yeah, what who who would give him what he needs?
00:40:40
Nate
I think it's just getting away from Brighton. I think Brighton was a great club for them, but calm ah bad quote from in terms of I think I think there's too many Utahans at Brighton there.
00:40:54
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:40:55
Nate
I think unless you're the main guy, which currently is not, I think the rest of them are going to struggle to get noticed. Like, that's why I'd be like, come on, i get out of there quick because there is
00:41:06
Conor Glennon
He's on a long deal though, unless he's out unless he's getting a a couple of long moves. He's there for a while.
00:41:13
killianginnity
Like you don't want to happen to him or happen to Aaron Connolly where like he was Ferguson before Ferguson and then kind of fell out of the team and then fell out of contention and then fell out of thought and then ended up at a hole.
00:41:27
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:41:27
killianginnity
You know what I mean? Where you just kind of end up going on these random little loans and all that. So like, you kind of had to be very proactive before your stock falls down. But like this, like loaning out players and trying to get the best out of them is something that Brighton do.
00:41:42
killianginnity
And they're doing with Andrew Morin, much to his benefit. Like him getting 35 games for Blackburn in the championship last year peace ah beside and behind Sammy's modics.
00:41:48
Conor Glennon
Huge.
00:41:52
killianginnity
Like that's great. That's exactly what we as Ireland fans want.
00:41:56
Nate
But Dan doesn't even get called to pretty hard with teeth. Like, teeth?
00:41:59
killianginnity
ah that's That's the other thing I want to get on to, which was from that international break, I think results wise, we can kind of go, meh, that's grand.
00:42:01
Nate
Oh, it doesn't make sense. We're calm though.
00:42:10
killianginnity
nothing Nothing to write home about.
00:42:11
Conor Glennon
but Whatever the level up from there is, that's where I am on the Richter scale.
00:42:16
killianginnity
Yeah, yeah, you're 52%. You're not happy, but you're reasonably contented. and You weren't embarrassed this week, but I think there was question marks over this in inverted commas, experimental squad.
00:42:33
killianginnity
Cause that was how I'm here said about not calling up James Coleman or Matt Hardy. If that's your experimenting, I'd hate to see what you do in the bedroom.
00:42:43
Conor Glennon
oh jesus christ
00:42:43
killianginnity
Is it exciting?
00:42:44
Nate
i
00:42:44
killianginnity
It's an exciting night at home missionary with a tree in one. Like that is just, that was exactly a Stephen Kenny kind of a squad that I would have expected to see. I was hoping for something a little bit more exciting.
00:42:56
Conor Glennon
so he My one fear with him, he's so safe.
00:42:58
killianginnity
or John O'Shea Squad.
00:42:58
Nate
Thank you.
00:43:01
Conor Glennon
like he he's John O'Shea, yeah, like you said, he kind of picked his mates, picked who he knew, picked what he was used to. And I'm not expecting Hymer to start going out and picking a starting 11 of you know everyone we've desired to play. But like you've got to make more moves than that.
00:43:22
Conor Glennon
it just it's It's too samezy and I do think if we're in two windows down the line and he's playing the same kind of tactics with the same team and we're not winning games, I don't see him lasting long. I'd like him too, I like the guy, I just don't see it.
00:43:41
killianginnity
like it's one of the kind of things you just kind of need to have something to hang your hat on and if you're bringing true talent that wasn't getting the chance beforehand at least you can hang your hand hang your hat on that. Medium scales I doubted before and the tournament It does turn with the international break.
00:43:57
killianginnity
And yes, it's it's good to see him bed into the squad further. Cool. Dara O'Shea wasn't going to get left out. Josh Cullen probably wasn't going to get left out, but we know what he does. Smodix needs to be ingrained more in the culture.
00:44:10
killianginnity
Perfect. Evan Ferguson needs games. Robby Brady, as we said, was there to learn.
00:44:14
Conor Glennon
he's ah He's around for for for a short time, not a lot. like a good Or around for a good time, not a long time, you know?
00:44:19
killianginnity
but down Yeah. Um, but Ogg Benne, like he's not performing well enough to justify that he has to be in the squad, but isn't anything that we need to learn about.
00:44:30
killianginnity
What do we not, what have we learned about him from this turn, from this break that we didn't know beforehand? Uh, only about a Bama Delhi, like, why isn't he playing? I like a genuine question there.
00:44:42
killianginnity
I would much rather see, uh, Collins play in midfield and put him into the central defense as well.
00:44:48
Conor Glennon
i don't I don't think Heimer is brave enough to try that, even though I think it could work. I don't think he's got it in him. Right now anyway.
00:44:55
killianginnity
No, no, but like, it was good to see Taylor get a game. ah Jamie McGraw, it's great to see me, the guy, get a game. But what have we learned? What did we need to find out about him?
00:45:06
Conor Glennon
But this this this is the thing and the common thread along all those players, like we're not. finding out what we need to find out. We're not trialing enough, we're not, and like from what I've been seeing in the press, like Hamer does more meetings than he does training in sessions. It's like these lads need time on the pitch together, kicking a ball. They do not need to be sat in a classroom discussing it. They have done that. They have been around football their entire lives since the time they could walk. They need time to together.
00:45:06
killianginnity
Nothing.
00:45:34
Nate
But like lads, what are we trying to learn? like
00:45:37
Conor Glennon
how to play together, how to cohesively work as a unit and win.
00:45:43
Nate
But okay, okay, half our players aren't even playing week in week out. I think there's only so much I can say in terms of, you cannot expect so much from players that don't play for the club week in week out. I do think there's a huge, and it goes back to what Katie said about Casey, is
00:46:04
Nate
you're just not going to get in the team. Like, if you're not playing, like, you're you're just not up to speed. did What, you get maybe four training sessions at best during the week, like, two games over over the international break, and then how long does it take you to get up to speed in them two games?
00:46:22
Nate
It's like, it's just, like, I'd rather go and go tour under 21s and go, who's actually playing for the club at a high level and go, Andrew, you're getting called up.
00:46:31
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:46:32
Nate
Like, Andrew Morn,
00:46:32
killianginnity
but see See that's kind of what I'm saying like even even look at a like Andrew Warren a great example But Jacob Ryan like where he say he's saying he's a he's a very good player now Maybe not getting in the games at everything, but he could be a very good player for Ireland, but we need to give him the minutes Mm
00:46:38
Nate
Jacob Brown. Yeah.
00:46:46
Nate
c Sinclair Armstrong, playing for Bristol City.
00:46:49
Nate
He's played 10 games this season, 554 minutes. Why isn't he in the iron squad?
00:46:49
killianginnity
-hmm Yeah
00:46:54
Conor Glennon
That doesn't make sense to me, yeah.
00:46:56
Nate
He's playing more than half our squad. like
00:46:58
killianginnity
Plus, there is another thing that Highmere could be doing, which I think would really give him a lot of credit in the banquet, Ireland fans, whilst also showing ah the FAI that he's kind of willing to take a longer term on it.
00:47:15
killianginnity
And it's something that kind of Stephen Kenny tried to do, which was bring bringing in some of the League of Ireland players. But when I'm saying the League of Ireland players, I mean, Mason Melia. I mean, Sam Curtis before he went to England.
00:47:25
Nate
No.
00:47:26
killianginnity
i I don't mean call them up, have them in and around the squad.
00:47:28
Conor Glennon
I think that's just pure optics and vibes.
00:47:30
Nate
I, exactly. Like, kidding, there's, I i have the list of pair of, I don't know, 21. There's three, there's four, maybe five pairs that could get legit, get called up for the level that they're playing at, of the minutes that they're playing at. Like, Sinclair, I'm sorry, 550 minutes. Rocco Vattas played 350 minutes for Wafford this season.
00:47:52
Conor Glennon
And he's done really well.
00:47:53
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:47:54
Nate
Like, why, where is he? Andrew Morn, self-explanatory, played 35 games in the championship last season. Why is he not in the Ireland squad?
00:48:04
killianginnity
yeah the he he's used to He's the one that really irks me.
00:48:04
Nate
Doesn't make sense.
00:48:07
Conor Glennon
Battles,
00:48:08
killianginnity
Because like he is another kind of smodex in the fact that he can play so many positions in midfield.
00:48:12
Nate
Yeah, and Manku at Millwall, he's paid 250 minutes this season.
00:48:15
Conor Glennon
yeah.
00:48:17
Nate
It's 250 minutes, more than six players in our squad.
00:48:18
killianginnity
Yeah.
00:48:21
Nate
Like, it's genuinely mental.
00:48:21
Conor Glennon
When you say it like that, and you when when you run through those names, it it just goes back to what we're saying and the fact that Hymir is just so bloody safe.
00:48:32
Nate
like I'm not asking for them all to be um' not asking for them all to be called up, but like give us one or two.
00:48:32
killianginnity
Is it high mirror or is it this enough?
00:48:39
Conor Glennon
But at least give us more and come on, like.
00:48:42
Nate
i like you I don't understand. like I think it's an FAI thing. I think that they've selfishly gone, we have a chance to make it to the Euros and do the 21, so we're not pulling anyone up.
00:48:56
Nate
That's my personal opinion.
00:48:57
killianginnity
See, I wouldn't mind that if they were honest about it.
00:48:58
Nate
and I know, I do mind that.
00:49:00
killianginnity
If they had to run around and... Oh, I don't.
00:49:02
Nate
I do mind that.
00:49:04
killianginnity
I could be great if we can have a chance at that.
00:49:05
Nate
Oh, come on.
00:49:08
Nate
When you've gone to the Euros under 21, it's like, cheer them on.
00:49:11
Conor Glennon
He bloody would knowing him.
00:49:13
Nate
I don't mean that in a nasty way, but like, come on, we're hereed to try and get we're here to try and and push forward.
00:49:15
killianginnity
ah Nap on tour.
00:49:22
Nate
I've seen it in like, these these are players we need now, like literally legit.
00:49:26
killianginnity
i know I know what you mean, but like if they were being honest about the under-21s, and kind of going, we want them to get to their Euro 21 championship, so there will be players going and playing for them instead of coming to the Ireland squad, but we're doing that to give art the Ireland squad the best chance by giving these the best experiences that they can.
00:49:45
Conor Glennon
Let's not forget.
00:49:46
killianginnity
like
00:49:46
Nate
but they won't eat date they won't even be at the tournament.
00:49:46
Conor Glennon
like Let's not forget Kenny got it in the neck though, for the, for, for doing this kind of thing where Kenny plucked a player from the 21s to put in the top team 21s loss. And it got blamed on that kid. I can't remember who it was, but I'm not Kenny's biggest fan by any margins, but he got, he got the bullet for that.
00:50:04
Conor Glennon
And I think that happens if, if we start plucking those 21 players, I think it might've been, I can't remember who it was.
00:50:07
killianginnity
Was that on Sinclair Armstrong?
00:50:10
Nate
No, it was Andrew Morin, was it? mean It was, I think it was.
00:50:13
killianginnity
It was all and around the same time anyway, but yeah.
00:50:16
Nate
pause
00:50:16
killianginnity
like
00:50:17
Nate
You go 12 shares, the 121s are there to develop the senior team. If I take a player out of a team and they're not good enough to then qualify, rather you're not good enough. like like the player was like I know.
00:50:33
killianginnity
Robbie Keenan Cole. doing so well in the under 19s championship under Brian Kerr gave us a generation of winners. I would like to see that happen again and I would take
00:50:43
Conor Glennon
I do think that was a bit of a fluke of a team though. I don't think we'll see a team that good again.
00:50:48
killianginnity
either way but having that winning mentality in it like what would be better to have a slightly improved Ireland team for some nations league games that will come up or to have an under 21 team going and having some tournament experience against some of the best young players in the world
00:51:05
Conor Glennon
And potentially winning things or competing to win things.
00:51:09
killianginnity
Like, if if we're going if we're going for big picture here, we actually have to start thinking big picture. And that's a very easy way to start.
00:51:18
Nate
No, the big picture is you put the players in to get up the coefficient ranks or to get better results in the nation leagues to then have a better time to get to a World Cup. Like, that's the end goal, isn't it?
00:51:31
Conor Glennon
It is the angle, but I think it's just there's there's there's differing views on how we get there, you know?
00:51:33
Nate
but
00:51:35
killianginnity
There's different ways, yeah, yeah, I would be very much, plus there's the other thing as well, it's like, we have so many players that have multi-national team ah options.
00:51:49
killianginnity
Like Rocovata could play for Scotland if he wanted, or where's his dad from? and Is it Romania or somewhere like that?
00:51:57
Conor Glennon
Not too sure.
00:51:57
Nate
We're all made out of this.
00:51:57
killianginnity
and ah So like, he has options ah of what team he can go to.
00:52:02
Nate
So capital.
00:52:04
killianginnity
No, but not not even that, book but by having like a really intelligent under 21s approach that's kind of going, oh, wow, this is not only a progression, but I might actually do something here in the long term will actually help us and make us a very, very strong team.
00:52:06
Nate
and
00:52:19
killianginnity
And because I'm hosting, I'm going to end the point on that. Nate.
00:52:22
Nate
Agree to disagree.
00:52:24
killianginnity
for Before we finish up, there was some news out of Manchester. Sir Alex Ferguson's ah time with United has come to an end. Very quick reaction.
00:52:36
Nate
Very sad. I'm very sad. It didn't have to happen. To me, when you do that, you're a lifelong guardian of the club in my opinion for what he's done. I think it's just, it's a little chapter in a sad book of Manchester United's post-work. Yeah, like that's how, that's every United fans dad right there. Do you know what I mean?
00:53:04
Nate
by So I'm personally very sad about it and and I know a lot of other people are as well.
00:53:09
killianginnity
Is this going to optically hurt any of us going forward? And is this going to be like a ah the proverbial swinging axe above their head over, and like when next time they make a bad decision or decision the fans don't like, is this going to be held against them?
00:53:20
Nate
i did I think so. like and ah It wasn't a decision that needed to be made and now all I really have to say is good luck making a decision about the stadium now because you' You're going to caught in, the people are going to start roaring about taking the club identity away. That's how I do it.
00:53:40
Conor Glennon
my My one question with this, I think it's deplorable what they did. And you know for the cost of it, yes, look, 2 million a year is an incredible amount of money to the average human being.
00:53:50
Conor Glennon
But for a club like Man United, it's 0.3% of their annual revenue works out less than 40 grand a week.
Speculation on Manchester United's Cost-Saving Measures
00:53:57
Conor Glennon
yeah i Are they doing this because they're making 250 people redundant and they're trying to show, oh, we're getting big hitters out too.
00:54:06
Conor Glennon
We're trying to be the good guys here.
00:54:07
Nate
Yes. Yes. buts That's 100% what it is. and
00:54:12
Conor Glennon
But it's so short sighted. At least even PR wise and, you know, like let's face it, Fergie's not a young man anymore. He's 85, 86. Why do it? Like surely there's another way to find 2 million quid. Even bring on a new sponsor just to pay for him.
00:54:31
killianginnity
if If a Premier League club can't find 2 million quid, they have much bigger problems than
00:54:35
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
Critique of Alex Ferguson's Departure
00:54:37
killianginnity
having a club legend.
00:54:37
Nate
That's why I don't think it's money related.
00:54:40
Conor Glennon
It's optics for the... Oh, Zinn, you think it's a personal thing.
00:54:42
killianginnity
Or influence.
00:54:44
Nate
No, I think it's optics and then regarding the redundancy and re regarding... Yeah, regarding the redundancies in my opinion, but like the optics are reversed exactly around on the mic.
00:54:57
Nate
So...
00:54:57
killianginnity
Either way, it's the end of an era at Old Trafford and the start of a new era of scrutiny for Jim Radcliffe and INEOS because There's not too many i feelings of goodwill that can be left with them. Gentlemen, that brings us to the end of
Conclusion and Final Call to Vote
00:55:18
killianginnity
another week. Thank you so much. and My thanks to Nathan Byrne and to Conor Glennon and to you for listening. And if you do get a chance, we would really, really appreciate if you do vote for us at the Irish Pot Awards.
00:55:30
killianginnity
And that's for best sports podcasts and specialist podcasts of the year at irishpodawards.ie. That is the irishpodawards.ie and we'll chat to you next week.
00:55:41
Nate
Bye.
00:55:41
Conor Glennon
Bye-bye.