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Heimir humiliated, fantastic Festy and sensational San Marino
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Ireland’s unconvincing win over Finland 🇮🇪 Nations League humiliation against England 😱 Can Heimir steady the ship, or is it time to panic for Ireland’s future? 👀 Plus, Pep signs a new deal at City ✍️ This one’s packed with drama!!
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Transcript
Introduction and Greetings
00:00:39
Killian Ginnity
Well, the weather outside is frightful and the football is not delightful.
International Breaks Discussion
00:00:44
Killian Ginnity
Gentlemen, we are the Not Upon The Podcast and I'm delighted to be joined as ever by Nathan and Connor. We are going to be looking at the latest international break and thankfully the last of 2024. I think we're not going to have an international break until March of 2025, which feels like a lifetime away. Um, but we will be looking back on the Finland and England games. Gentlemen, how are we doing?
00:01:09
Conor Glennon
i amm I'm very well, my man. I think, like you said, the only positive out of this international break is probably that we don't have a fund for ah for
Finland Match Analysis
00:01:16
Conor Glennon
a good few months. But how are you doing, Nate?
00:01:18
Nate
I'm doing good. Was that why you were doing a press conference?
00:01:22
Killian Ginnity
It's strange.
00:01:22
Nate
I'm shocked.
00:01:22
Conor Glennon
hey
00:01:24
Nate
No, I am good.
00:01:27
Killian Ginnity
I am good. and The weather has taken a turn. It's negative one as I speak. and So yes, it is that time of year. But do you know what that means? that That means we're going to get mental football hopefully in snow. We'll get the bright orange and green balls. It'll be great cracking. It means that we're very, very close to the transfer window.
00:01:49
Killian Ginnity
what else it means we're getting towards the business end of this season. But before all that, before we can have all the fun, we do have to tackle into this international break. We all went into it saying we have to beat Finland and we have to come away with positives from England. Connor, we bet Finland it was not the most convincing victory though.
00:02:15
Conor Glennon
Yeah, it's it's one of those games that, look, you know it was great for Hymer to get a win. and It was good for the team to get a win. I think you know confidence has been talked about far too much over the last couple of weeks. And I'm getting sick of hearing about it. And I think it was a confidence boost that the team needed. um But it's one of those games, I think, on a different day that could have gone a very different way. Like when you look at the stats, shots on target are on three, fin and on four, shots off to target six, five.
Player Performances and Critique
00:02:44
Conor Glennon
We'd 45% possession. And then when you look at crosses, it was 25 for us versus 22. Very tight game. um Great to see Ferguson get a goal. I know we've been talking about but him and the Ireland team, but I don't know about you, Nate.
00:02:56
Killian Ginnity
I think it's his first competitive non Gibraltar goal for Ireland.
00:03:00
Conor Glennon
Which that says a lot in itself.
00:03:00
Killian Ginnity
so
00:03:02
Conor Glennon
and you know it did I don't know about you Nate, but like I said, there's a lot of chat about the confidence side of things.
00:03:07
Nate
and
00:03:08
Conor Glennon
There's confidence in getting a win there, but there's only so much confidence you can get in a 50-50 game with a team you should be beating.
00:03:15
Nate
and well Exactly. like I didn't come out of a full of confidence. I thought we were quite lucky, which is the opposite of the move that you want to be coming out of a game like that. where you know I wanted to go and see his poor performance. I'm sort of at the point where I'm sick of saying our midfield is atrocious. So bad. The the disconnect from from the defence to the attack is is is genuinely crazy. I don't know what they can do to to close that gap.
00:03:45
Nate
like our forwards are getting isolated and and then our defenders are left struggling to get back for stuff. It was a really poor performance in my opinion and not to go into the England game yet but you know to sum up the whole the whole of the international break it was quite it it wasn't great at all.
00:04:05
Conor Glennon
No, I don't know about you, Killian, the only positive that I have taken out of, I suppose, what what are we on now, three international breaks for Hymer? And he's brought up, he's he's had the guts of, I think I saw it in the papers during in the week, it was 36 players, he's he's played throughout those games. And I think that is possibly the only positive to take, at least kind of before we hit into the England game, from from that Finland game, is it's seen a bit more of a trial of a team.
Tactical Decisions and Confidence Issues
00:04:31
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, but like, in fairness, it's tree international breaks in a period where you would normally expect to. So it's, it's, ah I don't know if it's just me, it feels like it's been rapid fire here. I'm an international in international terms anyway, like it feels like it's just been very run and gone.
00:04:46
Conor Glennon
For sure.
00:04:46
Killian Ginnity
um Like we did say that there was three replacements. i am I wonder how much influence Highmere would have had over who them replacements were. They kind of seem to be very much, here's who we know.
00:05:03
Killian Ginnity
and we'll call them up. I didn't like that. um I think that already proved why he shouldn't even be in the team um and why he wasn't in for the second game, and which was good. ah I think a positive takeout to filling game was we played quite badly and we still got a result. That's the way we should be. like that's
00:05:22
Conor Glennon
We should, yeah, we should be hard to, but not hard to, it we should be hard to beat, but i know I know what you're saying.
00:05:26
Killian Ginnity
Yeah.
00:05:27
Conor Glennon
We should be able to win games dirty if we need to.
00:05:29
Killian Ginnity
yeah like we were able to we ground out that result and on another day it could have gone and a different way but the fact is it didn't and we just need to take that. um So like that's a positive.
00:05:41
Killian Ginnity
The confidence thing I think
00:05:43
Conor Glennon
It's bugging me, man. It's so bugging me.
00:05:44
Killian Ginnity
No, I think it's becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like I'm a Sunderland fan. I've been watching teams struggle about relegation for most of my footballing life. And when people start talking about confidence being an issue, then it becomes an issue because then it's suddenly players start down and kind of going, oh, ah are we not that good? Like I knew Sunderland was going to go down to the championship for the first time in nearly a decade.
00:06:13
Killian Ginnity
um when David Moyes in his first or second press conference says, yeah, we will probably go down. It's going to be a fight. That was giving up beforehand. So when you're talking about not having confidence, are you instilling a lack of confidence in the team? And I think that could be kind of part of some of the issues right now. um And I think it's a dangerous road to go down there.
00:06:38
Killian Ginnity
like I understand why you're not happy with the Finland game, but I think we have to look at it for what it was, was it was a bad performance so on which we got a result.
00:06:50
Nate
Yeah, I agree with that. But I also think personally, and listen, I was, I think I i was chairman of become hard to beat, you know what I mean? But I don't think we were hard to beat.
00:07:01
Killian Ginnity
per
00:07:04
Nate
I think we got extremely lucky and we got saved by Gwen McAller. and
00:07:09
Killian Ginnity
What a performance by the way.
00:07:10
Nate
Yeah, 100%.
00:07:10
Conor Glennon
100%, yeah.
00:07:13
Nate
Ferguson and Keller produced two class moments that won us that game. If it wasn't for a two split second moments, we'd probably lose that game.
00:07:24
Nate
So I think a big thing is is focusing on, really, really focusing in on where we go next and cutting out this sort of like, this rhetoric that's like,
00:07:39
Nate
sipped in that it's like, oh, there's confidence issues here, confidence issues there.
England Match Analysis
00:07:44
Nate
like i did I agree with you. And I think they're making them. I think it's becoming that through themselves.
00:07:52
Nate
So um they need a huge ah huge upturn in in performance. But I don't i don't think we're going to get it.
00:07:59
Conor Glennon
Do you think, do you thinkheimer's going for the kind of old army mentality of break him down to build him back up in the way that you want him to play? Or do you think he can even do that?
00:08:10
Killian Ginnity
I think he's probably telling the truth, but it's not one of the things you should acknowledge. Like, you know, it's like' that kind of fake until you Did you ever watch um Last Gold Wins by American Samoa?
00:08:16
Conor Glennon
Yeah. Yeah.
00:08:24
Conor Glennon
Oh yeah, with fast bender.
00:08:26
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, and there' was like when when he first went in and he said there were crap, there was no confidence at all.
00:08:27
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:08:31
Killian Ginnity
But then when he was like, you know what, no, we're here. We're going to have fun. We're going to do this. We can do this. We're going to be winners. And then they started believing it and then they started to achieve it. And I think it's that's the difference between leader of men and.
00:08:45
Killian Ginnity
coaches. um I think that's where some of these ah like we've said it a hundred times where there's some coaches that can go in and just get that extra 10% of people.
00:08:56
Killian Ginnity
Whether they have it in in their locker or not they will get it like Neil Warnock. You go out there and die for three points and when you have that kind of mentality it drags people along whether they like it or not or if they don't well then you don't call them up again.
00:09:09
Conor Glennon
Well, there are so many examples of that.
00:09:09
Killian Ginnity
Whereas
00:09:11
Conor Glennon
Like you look at, you know, big Sam up but when he was at Bolton, you look at Paul Jewell at Wigan, you know, very ah average teams that way you punched above their weight.
00:09:22
Killian Ginnity
open coil up Burnley, like that Burnley team never should have been in the Premier League, Philip Brown as at Hull, like this can be done and I don't know if Heimer is that kind of a manager, but I don't think you need to put yourself in a position where that's necessary, like I think he's nearly forcing it into where like he's gonna need a movie style, like big speech to rally the troops.
00:09:23
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:09:47
Killian Ginnity
um Yeah, I don't know. like it it That's where I would kind of potentially have an issue. But I have to say, in the England game, they reacted very, very well. That first 50 minutes was old school, hard to beat Ireland. And despite the result, we should praise that for what it was, Nate. That was a very good performance up until a team that is 70 positions ahead of us bet us 5-0.
00:10:14
Nate
Yeah.
00:10:19
Nate
I'm struggling here in terms of giving that bit of praise just because of how bad it got after that. I thought we showed some good things in the beginning of the game.
00:10:31
Nate
and and we were firm but I don't think England were particularly good in the first half. and I don't think they stay they tested us much. I think we probably should have had a penalty.
00:10:43
Nate
I don't know which one that would have been but we
00:10:45
Killian Ginnity
We definitely should have had a penalty.
00:10:47
Conor Glennon
Well, I said the same in the group to you boys.
00:10:47
Killian Ginnity
yeah
00:10:49
Conor Glennon
I was like, we deserved one. I don't know which one it was. like i you know and and and And that sounds petty and try hard to get a penalty, but there was definitely one in there.
00:10:57
Killian Ginnity
I just want to say it before we move on, when you mentioned the WhatsApp, Connor, when they was it 1-0, maybe 2-0?
00:11:04
Conor Glennon
and When the first goal went in, yeah.
00:11:06
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, Connor goes all 5-0 incoming. He jinxed it.
00:11:09
Nate
Okay.
00:11:09
Killian Ginnity
It's all his fault. He called them out on the socials if you have enough following what to do. It's not upon the podcast or not upon the pod, but it's all Connor's fault.
00:11:20
Killian Ginnity
Hymer is completely washed clean of the sin of 5-0 to England.
00:11:25
Conor Glennon
ah like ah ah I mean, I'll take that warning for the bad juju that it is. It was probably for the halloween next year's Halloween episode. We'll chuck it in. But you know I think Nate's right with that. England didn't play too well. um you know There was positives I will give you in that kind of first 45 anyway. I think when we came out after break in that five minutes even, it was it was poor. but You know, in good shape, there was, I think, Art impressed quite well. yeah We held our line fairly strong. I do think you have to remember that that wasn't even as much as of an England B team as almost their C team, um which I know sounds harsh on on some of the players there. But I mean, with the but the volume of players that pulled out outside of, you know, Bellingham, Kane,
00:12:11
Conor Glennon
gay he kind of the rest of them were filler players really and I think if they were full strength that could have been a lot more than five
00:12:20
Killian Ginnity
their filler players are starting the Premier League though, one where our starting goalkeeper is a backup for our Premier League team. So like Nate, I think some of this needs to be put in the context. Like that's why I said 70 places above where we are or 65 or whatever it is.
00:12:35
Nate
yeah bo okay Yeah, I agree with that, I do. I do um i think a big thing though was the mentality drop after we could see that first goal. It was like you know such a decline that it's all good doing 70 minutes and were at the work and putting in a shift but if you can't stop the bleeding after one goal what's the point like and I think the concede five after that England side was was poor in my opinion in the first half was it was just a lack of trying after that point it was it was a lack of belief and the the score line just drifted away
00:13:12
Killian Ginnity
I have to say like the first half for as much as I will praise Ireland for it and I think they frustrated England and I think that I got I got real buzzed off that I was kind of going ho ho this is old school Ireland this is getting yellow cards on English players they they they riled them up in just the right way and I was like hmm I did take a lot of heart for that going forward. I think if we can bottle up that and do it and against teams that are lesser than England, I think we could actually grind out results against teams that are bigger than us because there'll be some nations that just will i allow their emotions to kind of cloud their judgment. And I think that's where we we have a lot of
00:13:58
Killian Ginnity
potential to jump up a few rank ranking places and without the merit of kind of earning them. ah But England in that game were quite dirty. They allowed themselves to be aggravated and they didn't seem, they didn't seem in control. Even when they were like, by the time they got three or four nil up, then they kind of started to cruise Connor.
00:14:28
Killian Ginnity
But before then, it kind of seemed like the players had lost their heads and had to regain them.
00:14:34
Conor Glennon
I think it was a little bit of The team knew it's Carson's last game. They've nothing to prove to him. Too cool to make his own decisions, not based off that game. I think they knew themselves as a very ragtag ah excuse me ragtag england gang or England team. And ah I think there was just a lack of cohesion because a lot of those players hadn't really played together that much. And and and I think, they like you said, Ireland pushed them, and they were pushing the right buttons for the first 45.
00:15:04
Conor Glennon
I think it's one of those where they didn't expect it. They didn't know how to react. But then I also think it was a ah team that was just kind of going, look, we'll go out here and see what happens. There was no there was, a I suppose, a ah grand plan, the cars you wanted to implement. But I think there was there was a little bit of free flowing football. And when you have that without a point in the same direction, like you can have lots of play together week in, week out and they can play free ball on it and it'll work. But when you have a load of blokes that meet each other, you know, a handful of times a year,
00:15:34
Conor Glennon
it's just not going to work but I think I i think that is the big take-out from this that if Arden can play like that and and learn the weaknesses of other teams and apply pressure to them make them ratty pull the yellow cards yeah look we said this a million times is it the ideal style no do Arden even need a style no as long as we're winning games and I think that's where look we're relegated into into league c now which OK, not great optically, but I do think it's one of those ones that let's just get a couple of wins under a belt, get used to beating teams and and that famous word confidence
Heimer's Comments and Player Mentality
00:16:12
Conor Glennon
again. What are you saying?
00:16:15
Nate
You just got me thinking then in terms of like, what Hamer had to say after the game then. It's like, if you start making excuses for the players, do you sort of give them excuses going on then? Because I think it's a dangerous line between going, we're hard to beat and then conceding to go, to concede on five. It's like, and then you come out at that and go, oh, is this a mental issue? Is this something the team have to get over?
00:16:40
Nate
But is that going to be the line they get to use now after every game that we lose? Oh, it's a mental issue. They can't get over this home. But I just think i think we need to be careful that we we can't that they they stop the criticism because it becomes a quote unquote mental issue and a home to date the team have to get over.
00:17:01
Conor Glennon
I think the two soundbites that have really haunted Hymer a little bit is that initial one where he said the jersey was too heavy ah for some players. I think that was not say that in the dressing room, absolutely. Barry players, if you want, internally, publicly, that is an absolute pee or disaster. And I think the second one coming off the back of this international break where he said six minutes of madness.
00:17:24
Conor Glennon
like let's face it once that first go went in Ireland absolutely mentally capitulated completely and totally there there was that's why I fired it into the group saying it's five nil coming you could just see that we've been here before like we're like but the only way the Ireland in its current form gets a result against England as if we go 1-0 up in 80 minutes and they score an 88 to level it. like ah So I just ah think he's right in the fact that the players don't seem to mentally either want it enough, believe in him or and and Ireland enough or what, but I think those two soundbites are really going to haunt them. and And to me, if I'm a player underneath that, I'm like, like can we keep some things in house, please? you know
00:18:09
Killian Ginnity
Just on the point of players not wanting it enough, I don't think you can cast that as a version across the whole squad, because there is some players that came out of this international break with a lot of credit. Festy has arrived.
00:18:21
Killian Ginnity
I thought he was brilliant.
00:18:21
Conor Glennon
yeah Oh yeah.
00:18:22
Killian Ginnity
The whole way through, against England, when we were doing well, he was incredible. And when we were doing not great, he was still fine. like For a player that is so raw, and i like I don't think any of us can really uh doubt that kind of thing that's kind of thrown at him often um i thought oh doubt it was actually okay um as a left wing back i think he makes more sense after the england game for why he was getting called up i still wouldn't call him up it makes more sense from a defensive point of view it does question marks
00:18:52
Conor Glennon
he the He has the ability from a delivery point of view and he... Yeah. A lot. and And that's the, and you know, if, if we can find him a position in the team that is roadless to just cross balls in, he has a good, he has a good kind of cross on him. Um, he's got good range of the ball. Okay. Fine. What I call him up. No, Festy. Absolutely. And he like, look, he wasn't perfect. I don't think we could say that about anyone in, in the iron team at the moment, but he, he's definitely is one that can't be saying that he's not trying hard enough. if He's, he's as energetic as you'll find.
00:19:25
Killian Ginnity
And not just that, he kind of he's looking like a player that will be in the Premier League in a two year's time, at worst case.
00:19:29
Nate
Yeah.
00:19:33
Killian Ginnity
Or sarah ah if he if he decides that that's where he wants to be. like he He is a really, really kind of top player now.
00:19:40
Nate
Yeah, 100%. Like, I think he had, I think the biggest compliment we can give him is he has the qualities of, of like top class rollbacks. And I think that's something that this Ireland team's lacked is players that you can go like, you might not have it yet, but you have, you have the hallmarks for it. And I think that's something that we can definitely say from. And so I was going to have to depend on his development going forward and how that plans out.
Player Development and Transfers
00:20:05
Nate
But I think,
00:20:06
Nate
as a base you've got a really good player and I think he's a player that the top clubs are going to be looking at now because
00:20:13
Conor Glennon
And it's it's like what we said with Alan Cauley, you know, like Ireland's really struggled for those wing backs, you know, and in both left and right flank. It's a position we just haven't been able to figure out. And, you know, I know now you were you were kind of trying to figure out how ah how we could get there. And he's definitely having players like him is exciting because I think it it fosters that position. Like if if people are looking at if young kids are looking at that Ireland team going fast, he's one of the main players, they're going to want to be in his position. And that only serves us going forward.
00:20:42
Nate
100%, I think, I think in football as a whole, it's like, you need to see these players that come out and excel in these positions and the fancy, the sexy positions in football.
00:20:55
Nate
It really then inspires other people to go on and down. and I think that's something that we need in Ireland is like, I don't know who, like me, where's who? I had to come back and do some FAI camps or something, like, trying to get us something to feel as gone.
00:21:05
Conor Glennon
thank
00:21:08
Conor Glennon
Some Samba soccer, yeah.
00:21:10
Nate
But yeah, he's definitely not going to hurt hurt the perception of like left backs going forward. I'll tell you now, I'd take him at your United because I think he'd fit in the hammering system in a year or so, not a bother. He's is that type of fallback. Yeah, I don't think we'll get him, but I think the top club will.
00:21:26
Conor Glennon
I don't think he'll go straight to Premier League.
00:21:27
Killian Ginnity
like compli but
00:21:28
Conor Glennon
I think he'll play a smarter game. I don't know about you guys, but I think he'll go somewhere, get some first team reps, just like for a sustained period, and then probably come into the Premier League.
00:21:39
Killian Ginnity
I think it will depend on whether you ising need money.
00:21:42
Conor Glennon
Yeah.
00:21:43
Killian Ginnity
real Realistically, like the way Italian football is at the minute. I think the decision to be taken out of his hands, I don't think he'd be afforded the opportunity to be smart. But I also took a lot of heart from the Finland game with the combination of Ferguson and Smodak's up front. Like Ferguson in that game kind of reminded me of Harry Kane, that kind of big guy dropping deep, collecting the ball. And that's where you would assume that Smodak's having coming through as an attacking midfielder would have been the one doing that. But he played great off the shoulder, like
00:22:18
Killian Ginnity
Being that kind of poacher advance forward and just let ah ah Evan drop drop deep and be more of a creator and I thought the big guy little guy thing really worked.
00:22:29
Conor Glennon
I think it worked well. I think my my only concern with Smodex is I think he's so desperate for a goal on the international stage. he's He's taken on a lot of shots where there there could have been passes. And look, like I get that. But no, I think I was curious as to how well they'd work together. And could we pull off that big man, little man kind of thing? And all oh signs are are looking positive. and Like I said, I was really happy to see folks and get a goal back. I know we can kind of rinse them on.
00:22:58
Conor Glennon
on this pod for a while, but a confident Evan Ferguson is only a good thing for for Ireland. And if he can form a partnership with Smodak's bringing us forward, amazing. Because I mean, look, I really think we're punching above our weight in that position for the level where I'm currently at, at what, 60 odd in the world to have an Evan Ferguson, a Sammy Smodak's up top. I'll take that.
00:23:22
Killian Ginnity
It's ah yeah it's it's pause positive and like the fact that we're so stacked in that position, um it's it's great to have two that are working and then plant plenty of guys that are putting pressure on them between Tom Cannon and Parris and ah any of the other kind of potential guys coming through like Zephie and um Uh, even noon and on the, on the longer, a longer scale, who I would like to see or miss Amelia kind of come true in some way, shape or form in in the squads, just to kind of start bleeding them in.
00:23:56
Killian Ginnity
Um, it did no harm
00:23:56
Conor Glennon
I think they will.
Midfield Challenges and Nathan Collins
00:23:57
Killian Ginnity
to heaven.
00:23:57
Conor Glennon
It's just a matter of time, you know?
00:23:59
Killian Ginnity
Um, but Nate, you touched on it earlier, the midfield being a bit of an issue. Uh, what did we think of Nathan Collins being that little bit more of an ah an advanced defender, really deep like midfielder.
00:24:10
Conor Glennon
I think certain people, Shoutout Aiman Dunphy for this one, have a fairly rinsed them kind of, Haimer trying to make him into a Rodger character. And I think that's an unfair comparison. Rodger is the top player in that position in the world and in a system ah amongst pep that fosters that. i was I think Nathan Collins did really well, to be honest. that For the most part, I think he controlled what He controlled the controllables if that makes sense um and I think he was very consistent and look he is probably the best chance of a leader if we have in that team at the moment um and he's got a lot of weight in his shoulders and I think he performed as good as we could have expected against the opponents that we were against that I might unite.
00:24:55
Nate
Yeah. What do they call that? Football manager like Barrow or something?
00:24:59
Conor Glennon
and
00:24:59
Nate
He's a little like Barrow. Listen, do I think it's going to be viable in the long term? No. Do I think it's worth trying? Yes.
00:25:10
Nate
have
00:25:11
Conor Glennon
When you say the long-term note, do you think Collins or just Collins in that row?
00:25:17
Nate
Collins and that were all like I think either either commit to being like I'm not I'm not against using Collins as a centre defence with Midfield or like I'd probably like I think it's better than what we have and to be honest with you and like I'd be interested to see it but I don't think playing it where it's like you're half in you're half out is going to work in the long term I think you don't need to commit to a middle midfield or defence have me thinking it about now, I'd probably probably like to see him in the field.
00:25:48
Nate
or i sorry you probably like the amendment
00:25:51
Conor Glennon
What are you saying, Killian? Would you think the experiment worked? ah One thing I should say before you for you you you kind of ah come in on it is is I was glad to see Hamer even tried it.
00:26:02
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, that that was kind of my big positive. ever i am like I was one that was pushing for it. um And I'm glad to see that it ah wasn't a terrible failure. um More to the point. But I think in in that current in the current system, I don't think it particularly works to anybody's benefit, um just because he ends up being an advanced defender, really. like he He's more a defender than he is playing in in midfield, I thought.
00:26:32
Killian Ginnity
And I think doing that against a more level opposition would be a lot more interesting where he can kind of take a little bit more control. And I think that's where we could get a real benefit is by freeing up the, the, uh, Malumbians, Colin, if that's going to be the that midfield to, to go forward and having big man Collins in the center. Um, I think that's where we can get the real benefit of. And I don't think he got that in the England game.
00:27:01
Killian Ginnity
But I know we're stacked at center back, and even Alan Collie touched on that. Like of all positions, it's one that we don't necessarily need to be trying to keep a load of players in.
00:27:14
Killian Ginnity
and I think we gain more more with him at center back at the minute um with the way that they're playing anyway. and Yeah.
00:27:24
Conor Glennon
I totally agree with that. Because like look, if if we're trying to turn him into Declan Rice or Jude Bellingham, that's not happening. like you know Nathan Collins is a brilliant player. He is not that level right now, at least. Look, who knows where his ceiling is. I don't think it's ever going to be near Jude Bellingham. It could be closer to Declan Rice. But yeah, I think you're right. like I think I wouldn't shut off the idea of doing it again. But I'd rather him be a top class center back than a better than average six.
00:27:54
Killian Ginnity
Like I think if we had kept him ah as a center back for that England game and just had a back five, we may it may have had a bit more solidity that maybe might have made the five gold harder to get.
00:28:08
Killian Ginnity
But I think I would like i just like to see it like against a ah Bosnia, um that kind of level of team that's like, yeah, yes like um someone that's quite a bit above us,
00:28:18
Conor Glennon
Even a Poland. I'd take a Poland, you know.
00:28:24
Killian Ginnity
but that we can get a result against. um Because doing it against England, I don't think is a fair comparison. What about you, Nate?
00:28:35
Nate
and Yeah, no, I agree. I'd like to see him do it against a Greece or something. I think that would be a good level. But I think, like, the way I say it is, do you think he's better than the midfield as we have in midfield?
00:28:45
Killian Ginnity
Yeah.
00:28:53
Conor Glennon
I'd say he's just as good.
00:28:56
Killian Ginnity
I think he's more disciplined.
00:28:57
Nate
Do you think the ceiling's higher?
00:28:57
Killian Ginnity
I think you can tell him what to do.
00:28:59
Nate
Do you think the ceiling's higher? Because I personally do. m Like, listen, guys, we're not trying to turn them into Next Year Belling. We don't have one. Trust me, we don't have a year belling with the pipeline.
00:29:11
Killian Ginnity
Might have Job!
00:29:13
Conor Glennon
ah Job is, there's no world in which that kid's playing for for a green jersey, not a hope.
00:29:14
Nate
Could you imagine the media? and
00:29:20
Conor Glennon
yeah
00:29:21
Killian Ginnity
Class, it'd be like Kevin Prince Boating and Jerome Boating at the World Cup.
00:29:25
Conor Glennon
Or the Musialo brothers.
00:29:28
Nate
like I just don't see ah don't see the downside to trying to at least trying to integrate them into the midfield in this Ireland squad. and I think we're we need to use the benefit that we have so many decent centre backs and we need to build on that and if we can transfer one of them away, I know he's our captain.
Tactical Changes and Future Benefits
00:29:48
Nate
and i think I think it's positive. I think it's something that we should look at.
00:29:53
Conor Glennon
I don't know about you guys, but like as good as that first 45 was or even call it 50, I don't think we could have maintained that for 90. I know the sending off really just flipped the game in its head and opened up the floodgates, but we weren't going to win that game anyway. do I still think that was going to end up 2-3 now.
00:30:12
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, probably. But actually, just when you mentioned the red card, I thought Liam Scales was very good up until his sending off.
00:30:17
Conor Glennon
Yeah, he was.
00:30:17
Killian Ginnity
like He kept a lid on Harry Kane for a long time. And I think that should should be noted because i but I was one that was speaking not ill, but not a lovingly of.
00:30:30
Killian Ginnity
hope um
00:30:30
Conor Glennon
I think you giving Scales credit is like Graham Soon has given Pogba credit. ah So he must have done something right. um I do think, like we said at the top of the show, I think there was a slight element of Kane was having a bit of an off day. and But for, as we've said before, Ireland can only beat his in front of them. A player can only take the kind of the player who's in front of him and Scales definitely had Kane. I won't say in his pocket, but he he definitely had him controlled for for a short period.
00:30:59
Killian Ginnity
Well, you say Cain was on an off day, Nate. Was Cain on an off day, or it was it more um symptomatic of a dressing room that it was kind of a little bit in turmoil? Because a few of the players, anyway, seemed to have really be enjoying playing under cars they after apparently not enjoying under Southgate.
00:31:22
Nate
Yeah, it's so funny when we got that and social media post from Greenish and Bangum today which eluded to the preference of Kaisley over Southgate.
00:31:36
Nate
and now do I think Southgate or do I think cars is better managed than Southgate? Maybe.
00:31:45
Conor Glennon
What you just said sounds great.
00:31:45
Nate
and and But I didn't get the alludes to like turmoil in there. I think greenish is one is probably be valid for not going to the Euros.
00:31:56
Killian Ginnity
just Just for context, the post was a photo of Carsley looking at Grealish.
00:31:56
Nate
and
00:32:02
Killian Ginnity
What a guy and manager, absolute legend, and thank you for bringing back the enjoyment in an England shirt.
00:32:09
Conor Glennon
And I think from the Bellingham point of view, whatever about Greedish, I think Nate's right. It's probably just he's happy to be back in an England jersey he post not being selected. But Bellingham came out. Huge thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in these last few camps.
00:32:21
Conor Glennon
That's something you'd normally hear from from someone like you, Bellingham, very controlled from a PR perspective. But the next line is what really made me go, ooh, bit of spice in there.
00:32:27
Killian Ginnity
yeah
00:32:31
Conor Glennon
Got my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful. that is That's drop and bombs.
00:32:37
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, that that says that. um I wonder how much of a decision leaving England was actually Southgate now in retrospect, or is it kind of like, oh, I have no choice because these players are not going to play for me again.
00:32:51
Conor Glennon
I do think it was... I think he knew if he didn't jump. there wasn't much runway left for him. You know, he he got so good, it got to two finals, which is great. He hadn't won any. That's the problem. And, you know, they've brought Tougal in now with the mandate of winning a World Cup, which just it sounds so easy. um But, yeah, no, I'm very, very surprised that Bellingham, who's one of the most kind of PR aware players out there right now, did that. So it was definitely calculated that that kid doesn't make mistakes.
00:33:28
Killian Ginnity
Nate, what did you make of Carsey's reign for England? and Will this push on for him getting another big job?
00:33:38
Nate
No, I don't think it will. I think he's sort of shot himself in the foot not taking the island job. That's what I was taking out of it. I think he's gone and done all right. I think the media have taken a stance on him. I think that's important to know is they've made their feelings very clear on some of the stuff he he stands for, what he does. and I think that's going to help him in the future.
00:34:06
Nate
this and lads i'm this might this might be another innate statement or whatever but i think i could go in and do what he'd on like i'm never alive
00:34:14
Conor Glennon
I mean, look, five wins out of six and the only loss is against a Greece team who had a tragedy, you know, day over day before the
Guardiola's Contract and City Speculation
00:34:21
Conor Glennon
game. So, I mean, I think he showed out well for himself on the pitch, but like you said, from a press perspective, he the faltered, I think.
00:34:33
Killian Ginnity
and but One thing it does show that with the ah the player's messages is that Ireland was right to pursue him for as long because obviously he's doing something right over there. But a manager who ah is not going to be going anywhere um as we just have seen messages come true as we record is Pep Guardiola, Connor.
00:34:57
Conor Glennon
Sound the sa the the claxons. um Yeah, no, it's it's not completely 100%. There's no statement from the club, but you know there's enough sources out there saying that.
00:35:09
Killian Ginnity
Well, the Atlantic have reported it, so it's reasonably legit.
00:35:09
Conor Glennon
Guardiola's a... Yeah, and they're they're saying a new one-year contract extension with the option of an additional year. ah ah I'm not surprised at the contract itself. I think we we said in a recent episode that if he was to stay stay on it would be that one year with the the option for it. I'd be very surprised if he takes that second year option. um I think what this suggests to me, though, in a wider piece, is City think they're safe in the charges. Because I don't think Guardiola would have stuck around if that controversy is going to hang over them. um I don't know about you guys, or is he kind of like, I was in, I made this bet, I'll sleep in it some more.
00:35:52
Nate
we We get to see, hopefully we get to see Guadiolo go down with the ship, that'd be great.
00:35:59
Nate
Yeah, ah two hours I don't know what to think about it. Could he be could you be trying to rally the players from a morale perspective for the season, possibly?
00:36:10
Conor Glennon
and still leave, like...
00:36:10
Nate
ah Possibly. like yeah Is this just a PR thing to get the players onside and be like, I'm not going anywhere? anyway so
00:36:17
Conor Glennon
Well, I mean, post-Clop where he came out and basically killed Liverpool's title chances because of it, ah if he did do that, it'd be quite four to each house. Like, they're only five points off Liverpool.
00:36:29
Nate
like I could see that, so personally, but I guess there's another way to wait and see. like If he continues this form, I'm happy for him to stay.
00:36:42
Killian Ginnity
I think it's more about Hugo Viana arriving more than it is anything else. I think it's probably more like we don't want to lose both heads of our club structure all at once.
00:36:53
Killian Ginnity
So we'll make it a ridiculous offer. Just stay for the year, then you can take. If you want to leave after that, we'll we'll let you and we won't fight you on it.
00:37:03
Conor Glennon
I think that's a good point because I think they want to avoid a Fergie David Gill situation.
00:37:04
Killian Ginnity
Or or
00:37:08
Conor Glennon
ah
00:37:08
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, like, don't forget they lost Barada last year. Like, they've had a lot of change at the top, so I don't think they can necessarily afford for a cloth-esque kind of leaving um very this this early into Vayana. It was rain because it'd be pep out at Orm Vayana on the same day. But it's interesting to see um how the city will react to this from a performance point of view. Will they bounce back or will this just be, as Nitz alluded to, continuity of of the the season's form?
San Marino's Historic Promotion
00:37:46
Conor Glennon
i I do think that Wobble, that's I'd be shocked if that lasts.
00:37:46
Killian Ginnity
um
00:37:50
Conor Glennon
i don't look It's not like there's going to be, so it's not a new manager, so it's not going to be a new manager bump. I think, look, they'll be delighted he's staying. I think part of them, I'd say in that dressing room, 50-50 thought they were staying he was staying, he was going.
00:38:01
Conor Glennon
But City are a far better team than they've been playing recently. And I'd be absolutely amazed if that Wobble turns into a full on issue.
00:38:11
Nate
Please guard.
00:38:14
Killian Ginnity
um Before we go, ah we're going to talk about a team that's having the opposite of of a wobble, um and that is the one and only, the behemoth that is San Marino lads.
00:38:29
Conor Glennon
You'd love to see it.
00:38:29
Killian Ginnity
They got they got promoted from ah Nations League D to C.
00:38:37
Killian Ginnity
They're 210th in the world.
00:38:40
Conor Glennon
I'm now in the same pot as us. Ah, look, it's it's i I think my favorite thing about San Marino is their social media admin. and That man, when they get a win, just pops off, and it is absolutely brilliant.
00:38:56
Conor Glennon
it It's something I've long been a laughed at team that still will be for a lot of years. And I think if you're a hurricane, you look at those teams and go, that's how I'm going to keep this England goal scoring record. um But look fair play to them. We'll see how they cope. I can't imagine it will go too well though.
00:39:15
Killian Ginnity
ah I don't know like ah I think they're just riding the wave that it is um like they've beaten Lichtenstein twice now and but this is a nation that is ah has a population less than Navan just to put things in context.
00:39:32
Conor Glennon
They're like the international villareo.
00:39:32
Killian Ginnity
and
00:39:35
Killian Ginnity
Yeah, like it's it's it's just it's class to see. it's it's it One thing it does, though, is um like we may winch about the Nations League and the constant kind of international breaks and stuff. This proves that there's merit to it, Nate. like The smaller team is getting a better chance.
00:39:54
Nate
yeah but i'd also throw back at you like what's the probabilities that they were like they'd come on i'd say after win at this point like you know it's just the world like probabilities working in it's an actual way like um all i've got to say is what's happened to Lichtenstein like and
00:40:12
Killian Ginnity
they're falling off
00:40:12
Nate
and dare i They need to have a big look at themselves. like to To be honest, I don't know what the crack is. What was the start? Did this the first time they scored over one goal in a game or something?
00:40:25
Killian Ginnity
It's the first time San Marino scored more than two golds in a match since their first official international match in 1987.
00:40:31
Conor Glennon
okay
00:40:32
Nate
Like, lads, shout out to my San Marino brothers out there, but I'm just going to have to say, lads, if he's going that long without those scoring over two goals, what's the level for revoking a football license?
Closing Remarks and Reflections
00:40:46
Nate
Jay, we have to have a chat here now, but fair play to them and I wish them the best going forward.
00:40:52
Conor Glennon
It's the most backhanded compliment from a podcast I think I've ever heard. We're like, yeah, well done lads, but you're still crap.
00:41:00
Killian Ginnity
football is about inclusion Nate, we're not trying to revoke any licenses here, we want more. um I still want a micro world cup of all the small nations. and Anybody 150 and below, get them all playing together, it'll be class.
00:41:14
Conor Glennon
Five aside and I'm in.
00:41:18
Killian Ginnity
ah Do it like the like the old legends.
00:41:20
Conor Glennon
Yeah, that i I'd a hundred percent watch that.
00:41:21
Killian Ginnity
and
00:41:23
Killian Ginnity
Um, not like it, it, this, this is, this is part of the reason why we watch football is to see these kinds of stories come come true. And, uh, who knows? We might see a Michael Fassbender movie about this in in the future.
00:41:35
Killian Ginnity
Um, a la, last goal wins. Um, but gentlemen, uh, that kind of brings us to the end of this international break.
00:41:43
Conor Glennon
Woo!
00:41:43
Killian Ginnity
Um, He is only just delighted. No, it's been good. and It's been a telling international year for Ireland. We've gone, changed managers, got the new manager. We did the wait. We've got to see him. And here's to a better 2025 for Ireland.
00:42:03
Nate
Oh
00:42:04
Conor Glennon
Please, God.
00:42:07
Killian Ginnity
My thanks as always to Connor Glennon, Nathan Byrneon, and to you, the listener. And we'll be back next week in a very special episode.
00:42:15
Conor Glennon
ah Bye-bye.