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02 Jul 12
12:03
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Date Joined:
05 Jan 10
Most offsides goes to Republic of Ireland's Robbie Keane at seven. Too slow now Robbie auld son to get back onside and you want to lead Ireland in the next World Cup .. A great servant of Ireland but your time is up, put your feet up and watch it with the rest of us there is nothing more you can do.
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Miguel Delaney, Irish Examiner
Republic of Ireland
Our best player Keith Andrews. The only Irish player that didn't appear either outmanoeuvred or just completely exposed by the level. That was because, unlike the rest of an underperforming team, he applied his ability to the absolute maximum. A classic example came in the first game against Croatia. As Ireland were being unravelled, Andrews successfully hounded Luka Modric in one moment only to try and drive the team forward with the ball in the next. It was all too rare.
Most disappointing player A toss-up between the two most experienced: Shay Given and Robbie Keane. But, whereas Keane arguably only showed his age and lack of fitness, Given was more disappointing in that, on the big stage with his country, he made the kind of errors that were completely absent from the majority of his career.
Our best moment Even during the weekend of the final in Kiev, people were still talking about the fans. It's easy to be cynical. It's genuinely hard to make an impression like that.
Worst moment Cesc Fábregas being the only Spanish player in the Irish box at a corner yet still scoring.
Overall performance and a look ahead: 2/10. A disaster. The sheer difficulty of Ireland's group meant that a whitewash was always a possibility but the most disappointing aspect was the manner of it. A side that prides itself on its ferocity, for example, gave Spain their easiest tournament game in the last six years. That's lamentable.
Here, whatever about the quality of the squad, Giovanni Trapattoni has to take at least some blame. Despite having repeatedly talked about the dangers of only playing two central midfielders in modern international football, he still persisted with against the ultimate exponents of passing football. It was asking for trouble.
It was also the most telling illustration of Trapattoni's biggest flaw since taking over Ireland: his refusal to adapt or evolve in any way. Some capable young players have been sidelined or ignored, with that reflected in the fact Ireland had the second oldest squad in the tournament.
The first thing Trapattoni has to do is at least start to work with an alternative system and freshen up personnel.
Player of the tournament Andrea Pirlo
Republic of Ireland
Our best player Keith Andrews. The only Irish player that didn't appear either outmanoeuvred or just completely exposed by the level. That was because, unlike the rest of an underperforming team, he applied his ability to the absolute maximum. A classic example came in the first game against Croatia. As Ireland were being unravelled, Andrews successfully hounded Luka Modric in one moment only to try and drive the team forward with the ball in the next. It was all too rare.
Most disappointing player A toss-up between the two most experienced: Shay Given and Robbie Keane. But, whereas Keane arguably only showed his age and lack of fitness, Given was more disappointing in that, on the big stage with his country, he made the kind of errors that were completely absent from the majority of his career.
Our best moment Even during the weekend of the final in Kiev, people were still talking about the fans. It's easy to be cynical. It's genuinely hard to make an impression like that.
Worst moment Cesc Fábregas being the only Spanish player in the Irish box at a corner yet still scoring.
Overall performance and a look ahead: 2/10. A disaster. The sheer difficulty of Ireland's group meant that a whitewash was always a possibility but the most disappointing aspect was the manner of it. A side that prides itself on its ferocity, for example, gave Spain their easiest tournament game in the last six years. That's lamentable.
Here, whatever about the quality of the squad, Giovanni Trapattoni has to take at least some blame. Despite having repeatedly talked about the dangers of only playing two central midfielders in modern international football, he still persisted with against the ultimate exponents of passing football. It was asking for trouble.
It was also the most telling illustration of Trapattoni's biggest flaw since taking over Ireland: his refusal to adapt or evolve in any way. Some capable young players have been sidelined or ignored, with that reflected in the fact Ireland had the second oldest squad in the tournament.
The first thing Trapattoni has to do is at least start to work with an alternative system and freshen up personnel.
Player of the tournament Andrea Pirlo
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