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RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Rachel Graham: Ireland's vulnerability to opposition counter-attacks is 'worrying'
The Republic of Ireland's vulnerability to being picked off on the break is an area that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible, according to former international Rachel Graham. The Girls in Green will round off their UEFA Women's Nations League group campaign against Slovenia this evening at Páirc Uí Chaoimh (live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player) - the same side that thrashed Carla Ward's team 4-0 earlier in the pool phase - and with only a victory by four clear goals or more being enough to finish top and claim automatic promotion to League A. Ireland go into the game off the back of a 2-1 victory over Turkey but the overall performance on Friday left as many questions as answers with the Irish team starting slowly before needing a late rally to turn defeat into victory in Istanbul. Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, Shelbourne midfielder Graham felt Ireland's display highlighted areas of concern against a Turkish side ranked well below the Girls in Green. "Obviously the most important thing was the win and that's what they got so that's the main takeaway from the game but I feel it's kind of the same narrative after every time we win a game where we've got the win but it hasn't been the most convincing or most comfortable win," she said. "And I get these so-called weaker teams have gotten better in the last few years. But we've also got better the last few years and we have players playing at a good level, so I don't think we can keep saying that as an excuse because we are improving too. "Look, I don't think it was all doom and gloom. I think there were some passages of play where we were good and moved the ball really well. But it's always just in passages, it's never for the full 90 minutes or duration of the game, where we let sloppiness creep in and we give the ball away cheaply or we make the wrong decision in the final third. "Even the goals that we got were two pieces of luck. It's an own goal for the first one and then if the centre-half doesn't slip, we don't get the second." But it's the defensive aspect that is more concerning from Graham's point of view with a propensity for Ireland to leak chances particularly when the ball is turned over in attacking areas. "We are conceding a lot of chances to these so-called weaker nations which is a bit worrying," she said. "I think the biggest takeaway, if we don't beat Slovenia by four goals and do go into that play-off, it's how vulnerable we look when we are attacking. "You could see we were trying to win the ball high up the pitch and when it doesn't work out, it's a long ball and we do get caught out with it. "Even our back-line it's not the quickest, so if a ball gets in behind and we're high up, it's a real struggle for us to get back and you saw that in the Turkey game. That's where their goal comes from and when we played Slovenia the last time that seemed to be a problem as well. "Overall it's a win (over Turkey), it's a good win to come back from 1-0 down but I don't know if it's papering over cracks, but there's definitely issues that we need to get right, if not for Slovenia, then for the play-off."
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'Bleak' - Alan Cawley runs the rule over Sligo Rovers' season so far
At the halfway stage of the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division, things are looking rather "bleak" for Sligo Rovers, according to RTÉ soccer analyst Alan Cawley. The table says as much with the Bit o' Red bottom of the table and facing a tough task to scrape survival once the campaign resumes after the mid-season break. The one saving grace for John Russell's outfit is that Cork City are only a point above them in the relegation play-off spot. But Cork, who played well on Friday on the way to taking a point against Shelbourne at Turners Cross, will be hoping that new manager Gerard Nash and his incoming assistant, former Republic of Ireland midfielder David Meyler, can give them a bounce. As for Sligo, while goalscoring hasn't been an issue, other positives have been thin on the ground and the type of summer surge that helped them finish mid-table last season isn't showing much sign of being on the horizon. And former Shelbourne league winner Cawley is not seeing too much ground for optimism as he told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast. "I think it's fairly bleak when you look at it in terms of the stats and the points, everything is pointing towards relegation sadly for them," said the Sligo native who also spoke earlier in the episode about the experience of attending Saturday's Champions League final in Munich. "They've been poor, very poor. I've seen them in a lot of games recently and they have been poor. "Now, in fairness to John Russell, he lost the goalkeeper (Ed) McGinty, he lost Ellis Chapman who went to Shelbourne, he lost (Niall) Morahan, the spine of the team really, and when you're losing players as good as that and then you're not replacing them, I think it's been very, very difficult for John in that regard." The one "shining light" according to Cawley is young striker Owen Elding who he and former Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers midfielder Richie Towell both picked as their Young Player of the Season so far. "He's been outstanding, seven goals. But if you're relying on a young fella to basically grab you by the scruff of the neck and get you back into games and win you points, I don't think that speaks well of some of the other lads maybe in the squad as well. So it's been really tough for John, it's been really poor overall," he said. At the halfway point of the season, Sligo are the only team to not pick up a win after falling behind, picking up just two points in that scenario and Cawley feels they often leave themselves with too much to do in games. "I think that's been one of the biggest problems in all the games, they don't give themselves a chance in games because they're falling behind through sloppy needless goals and there have been games where they've been two down in a lot of cases after only 15-20 minutes and then they show great heart and desire to chase the game and get themselves back but it all comes a little bit too late," he said. "They've conceded 34 goals as well. Defensively they've been very poor. They've won only one game at home all season and that's really, really poor because whatever about going on the road and trying to pick up points, you need to be trying to make your home place a bit of a fortress and tough to beat and a difficult place for people to go but if you've only won one game all season as well, I don't think that's great. "So it's pretty bleak at the moment it really is. There are allowances in terms of budgets maybe and what (Russell) has lost from last year and not being able to replace that, but still that's probably no consolation to John Russell. He'll still feel they should be higher up in the table. "But the only hope I see is that Cork are in touching distance, only a point ahead of them."
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Richie Towell: Stephen Bradley's criticism of Josh Honohan's display against Galway United would have been better kept in-house
Richie Towell believes Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley should have kept his post-match critique of Josh Honohan's performance against Galway United in-house rather than commenting publicly. The 0-0 draw at Tallaght Stadium was the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division league leaders' final fixture before the mid-season break, ending what had been a five-game winning run, with Honohan now linking up with the Republic of Ireland senior squad after earning his maiden international call-up. Honohan was hauled off after an hour with his manager Bradley later criticising the defender's performance levels in the game as well as that of the team at large. "He was awful. That's the worst I've seen Josh. That's the worst I've ever seen him," Bradley told the newspapers afterwards. "He was extremely poor. It's not nice (to be taken off) but he's been brilliant for us. He's obviously got his call-up, deserved it. He's doing great, well done, but tonight he was a million miles off what he has been in every aspect. It's not good enough. "It's not good enough for us, it's not good enough for Ireland, I'm sure. It's not good enough for anyone. He's been playing at an incredibly high level, but you can't come off as much as… and it wasn't just him, it was the whole team in the first half, but Josh was really poor. I'm quick enough to give him credit and you have to call it straight, it wasn't good enough." Bradley has generally been generous in his praise of his players and the criticism after the Galway game could be interpreted as a means for the Hoops manager to remind his squad to keep standards up. However, former Rovers midfielder Towell, who played alongside Honohan, told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast that while a manager has every right to let his players know when he's not happy with them, criticism of players being made publicly beyond the confines of the dressing room and training ground isn't always necessary - especially with a player of Honohan's commitment levels. "Normally, I'm sure all the lads found out even before it got to a newspaper or a journalist or anything like that because I'm sure when Stephen came in, straight after the game or maybe even at half-time - he probably earmarked it at half-time - (to the players, telling them) 'get your finger out here, you're not doing good enough'. But I don't really like the public side of it, coming out and doing it, for me," the former Dundalk and Rovers' title winner said. "Listen, I understand doing that if you have a type of player who is a Big Time Charlie, who doesn't come into training on time, doesn't work hard and is kind of going through the motions. But Josh is anything but that. "He's always one of the first ones into training, anything he gets asked to do in the gym he does it. On the pitch, he works tirelessly hard and his performances have been really good. "For a young lad like Josh after getting his first international call-up, I'm sure this last ten days have been a bit of a whirlwind, his emotions are probably all over the place. "So for him to have a little bit of a dip in performance, that can be natural as well. So for Stephen to come out, and he hammered him to be fair, I don't really like that. "You can do that in-house, tell (Honohan) what you think but for me, you have a player who gives you absolutely everything, who works really hard and who's not this Big Time Charlie who thinks he's bigger and better than the team. I don't think you need to do that with a player like him. "So it's a little bit disappointing to see that because Josh has been incredible for him and he will be going forward as well." Also speaking on the podcast, former Shelbourne league winner Alan Cawley gave his take on Bradley's decision to air his criticism publicly. "I often think when managers do that, it's not just sending the message to Josh, it's almost sending the message to all the other players in the squad as well, that you're not allowing anybody to get too big for their boots and I think that was probably the reason behind it also," he said. "Even though he did that, I'm sure Stephen Bradley is over the moon with certainly the recent run of form that they've had in terms of picking up the amount of wins they have and also sitting pretty at the halfway stage."
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
RTÉ Soccer Podcast: LOI at HT, PSG in-person, Cork revenge mission and Delap (not) for Ireland?
Former league winning midfielders Alan Cawley and Richie Towell, Shelbourne and ex-Republic of Ireland international's Rachel Graham and RTÉ Sport's Anthony Pyne join Raf Diallo on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast. TIMESTAMPS 01:00 Alan talks about the experience of attending Saturday's Champions League final as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich, before he and Richie analyse the Parisians' victory and what it means for the European game at large. 21:00 Rachel and Anthony reflect on the Republic of Ireland's late win over Turkey in the Women's Nations League and the task to come on Tuesday (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player) as Carla Ward's side prepare to take on an impressive Slovenia in Cork. 40:30 Richie and Alan talk League of Ireland as the season reaches the halfway mark. They pick their Players and Young Players of the campaign so far, while Richie has his say on his former Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley's public criticism of Josh Honohan's performance against Galway United, and Alan gives his take on Sligo Rovers' issues and Cork City appointing David Meyler as assistant manager. 1:20.30 Building up to Ireland's friendly against Senegal (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player this Friday), Alan and Richie react to Heimir Hallgrimsson's comments about Liam Delap's willingness or not to switch to the Boys in Green, while also touching on Caoimhin Kelleher's imminent move from Liverpool to Brentford and a potential club v country impasse for Ireland U17s at the World Cup later this year.
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
More Mason Melia magic but how will Spurs pathway impact him?
From the way Mason Melia took his goals on Friday night, it's easy to forget that he's still only 17. The St Patrick's Athletic striker took his brace against Waterford with aplomb, with similarly composed right-footed finishes although his efforts did not prove enough for Stephen Kenny's side who conceded a late equaliser at Richmond Park. Melia is now up to six goals for the season in what, incredibly, is already his third campaign within Pat's first-team. But Saints supporters will know they won't have too many more opportunities to watch the talented youngster in action given he will be at Tottenham Hotspur in January after his big-money move was announced earlier this year. While the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has thrived playing men's football at such a tender age where results are paramount, how a switch to a Premier League giant affects him will be intriguing given that he will almost certainly play Under-23s football initially where it's not as competitive nor as intense as what he's been used to. It was a topic former Ireland Under-17, Drogheda United and Longford Town defender Graham Gartland pondered on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast as he and ex-Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk midfielder Richie Towell discussed Melia and more matters from the League of Ireland weekend. "It's an interesting one because he'll go probably 23s' and then (Spurs) will look at maybe a loan and trying to up the level he's playing at, seeing how he adapts," said Gartland, who first saw Melia in action when he was around 14 and later coached against him with Shamrock Rovers' youth teams. "I think where he's got better is with his back to goal. But I also think there's massive improvements when I'm watching him and I'm watching him from a centre-back (perspective)," Gartland added, pointing to how Melia can build on his natural ability to eat up yards of space by fashioning those opportunities for himself more regularly in the first place. "I think all them things he'll add to his game as he goes. He's not going to be the finished article. "He's been playing senior football since he was 16, so I think where his development might go is he might go into a 23s environment and it's not as hostile and it's not as win-at-all-costs as it obviously is at the moment where he's playing at Pat's. "But it might just allow him to work and develop his movement and really hone in on the cleverness of it and the consistency of it, of the, 'I need to be here at certain times, I need to make this run and I need to make a run all the time' and no matter how many times you don't get the ball, you still need to do it. "So I think maybe coming out of that environment where it's win-at-all-costs and he has to perform every week to a learning environment where he can develop these other things might help him a little bit. "But he will stand out for the fact that he has been in a competitive environment (before) he goes over there to the 23s." Ireland Under-21 head coach Jim Crawford discussed Melia's development after again naming him in his squad for a pair of June friendlies: The reason Melia will stand out in an Under-23s Premier League environment at Tottenham is due to how comparatively lacking in aggression and ultra-competitiveness aspects of the academy systems can seem to be in the UK, from Gartland's own experience. "I'm not saying one way is right over the other but I think Mason's going from this ultra-competitive environment to going into 23s where it will be about his development. But he has to keep that edge that he has and that's what got him over there in the first place."
