Republic of Ireland national football team
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Republic of Ireland national football team represents the Republic of Ireland at football. It is organised by the Football Association of Ireland. Between 1924 and 1936 it competed as the Irish Free State and between 1936 and 1953 it was referred to by the FAI as Ireland. It was given its current name in 1953. The team made their debut at 1924 Olympics, and reached the quarter finals. On September 21 1949, they defeated England 2–0 at Goodison Park and became the first non-UK team to beat England at home. They also reached the quarter finals of the 1964 European Nations' Cup. Under the guidance of Jack Charlton and his successor Mick McCarthy, the team enjoyed their most successful era, qualifying for Euro 88, reaching the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup and making the last sixteen at both the 1994 and 2002 World Cups.
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[edit] History
[edit] Irish Free State
Between 1882 and 1924 Ireland was represented by a single national football team organised by the Belfast - based Irish Football Association. Then in 1920 Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. In 1922, Southern Ireland became the Irish Free State, which in turn became the Republic of Ireland. Amid these political upheavals the Football Association of Ireland, emerged in Dublin in 1921 and began organising both it’s own league and it’s own national football team.
In 1923 the FAI was recognised by FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State [1] and at the 1924 Olympics, the Irish Free State made their international debut. On May 28 at the Stade Olympique, they beat Bulgaria 1-0, with Paddy Duncan scoring the teams first ever goal. As a result of this they qualified for the quarter-finals. [2] [3] On June 14 1924, the Irish Free State made their home debut against the United States, who had embarked on a brief European tour after competing in the same Olympics. Ed Brookes scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 home win at Dalymount Park. [4]
The Irish Free State did not play their next game until March 21 1926. This was an away game against Italy which they lost 3-0. In subsequent years the status of the Olympic Games football competition was downgraded and as a result this game is widely regarded as the Irish Free State's first official game. On February 25 1934 the Irish Free State made their World Cup debut, drawing 4-4 with Belgium at Dalymount Park in a qualifier. Paddy Moore scored all four of the Free State’s goals and became the first player ever to score four goals in a World Cup game.
[edit] Ireland
Between 1924 and 1936 the FAI had selected players mainly from the Free State. However after 1936 the FAI began to referr to their team as Ireland and began to select players born in Northern Ireland. During this era there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland - based IFA and the Irish Free State - based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. During this era at least thirty-eight dual internationals were selected to represent both teams [5]. FIFA eventually intervened when both teams entered the 1950 FIFA World Cup, the first time they had entered the same competition. Four players - Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh and Con Martin - actually played for the two different teams in the same FIFA World Cup tournament. [6]. FIFA subsequently restricted players' eligibility based on the political border and in 1953 ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the Republic of Ireland while the IFA team was to become Northern Ireland [7]. The FAI continued to refer to their team as Ireland until a game against Luxembourg on March 7 1954.
[edit] Competitive history
For many years, the Republic of Ireland had seen qualification for major tournaments elude them despite the availability of players of undoubted class.
A 2–0 win over England at Goodison Park on September 21, 1949, was the first time England suffered a home defeat by a team outside the Home Countries of Scotland, Wales and the Ireland team run by the Belfast based Irish FA.
The 1958 World Cup qualifiers saw the Republic of Ireland drawn with England. In their home game against England, Alf Ringstead put the hosts 1-0 up before John Atyeo equalised in the last minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for England. Under the rules of the day, a win for the Republic of Ireland would have meant a play-off with England for a place in the World Cup.
After reaching the quarter-finals of the 1964 European Nations' Cup, the Republic of Ireland were drawn to face Spain and Syria in the 1966 World Cup qualifiers. Despite Syria's withdrawal, this was still considered a qualifying group with the Irish winning 1-0 at home and losing 4-1 away. This meant a play-off in Paris, which Spain won 1-0 to take their place in the 1966 World Cup. The play-off was originally scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium in London, home to a large Irish diaspora, but the FAI agreed with the Spanish FA to have the match moved to Paris, where a large Spanish diaspora lived.[8]
A run of poor results in the late 1960s and early 1970s followed until Johnny Giles became player-manager in the 1970s. This was followed by the debut of a young Liam Brady and results improved markedly. The side missed out on the 1978 World Cup by only 2 points, having defeated France at home.
Eoin Hand took over as the 1982 World Cup qualifiers got under way, and once more the Republic of Ireland narrowly missed out on qualification, this time on goal difference behind France who they had defeated at home once more. However, disappointing qualifying campaigns for both the 1984 European Championship and 1986 World Cup followed, and cost Hand his job.
In the late 1980s the Republic of Ireland took on Jack Charlton, a top rated English manager and World Cup winner as a player. He had recently built Middlesbrough into a side which provided many stars to the successful Liverpool team of the time. He transformed the Republic of Ireland team which went on to produce the most successful spell of its history, qualifying for two World Cups and a European Championship.
The Republic of Ireland's longest competitive winning streak was achieved in 1989 during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Five games against Spain, Northern Ireland, Hungary and Malta twice, were all wins for the Irish. Subsequently the side made it to Italia '90, and reached the quarter finals. During the tournament the team had an audience with Pope John Paul II, and were the only team to do so.[citation needed]
Despite missing out on the 1992 European Championships, the Republic of Ireland qualified for USA '94, beating their conquerors from the last World Cup, Italy, in their opening game. The side made it to the second round, eventually going down 2-0 the Holland. After the Republic of Ireland narrowly missed out on Euro '96, Jack Charlton was replaced by Mick McCarthy but still missed out on the next two major tournaments, but did make it to Japan and Korea in 2002, once again going out in the second round, this time to Spain on penalties.
After a poor start to qualifying for Euro 2004, McCarthy was replaced by Brian Kerr but he also struggled to guide the side to the tournament or the following World Cup in Germany. Kerr was then replaced by Steve Staunton in early 2006.
Under Staunton, results varied widely but the team still failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and Staunton was sacked in late 2007.
[edit] Stadium
[edit] Lansdowne Road
Since the 1980s, most home matches have been played at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, the national rugby stadium owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). This ground is currently closed for redevelopment in the period 2007-2009. The first football international played there was a friendly against Italy in 1971; a 5-0 victory over San Marino in a Euro 2008 qualifying match on 15 November 2006 was the last game there before the reconstruction. The all-seater capacity of Lansdowne Road prior to the renovation was 36,000, although higher attendances, using the standing only areas, were permitted for friendly matches. The all seater new stadium will increase capacity for competitive games to 50,000.
[edit] Croke Park
With the announcement of the rebuilding of Lansdowne Road, a new venue was required to stage the Republic of Ireland's home internationals. The only stadium in Ireland deemed suitable to stage international football was 82,300 capacity Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association. To accommodate this, the GAA temporarily relaxed its rule governing the playing of foreign games on its property. Initially, four Euro 2008 qualifiers were played at Croke Park in 2007 resulting in two wins and two draws. The GAA has agreed to allow the FAI use Croke Park until the end of 2008, although any fixtures for this period have yet to be arranged. The Hill 16 end of Croke Park is a terracing, which means like Lansdowne Road before it, the capacity of the stadium is reduced to around 73,500[citation needed] for competitive matches as temporary seating must be used.
[edit] Other venues
Prior to the 1980s, the Republic of Ireland played most home games at Dalymount Park, home of Bohemian FC, but progressively more games were played at Lansdowne following a safety review which reduced Dalymount's capacity. The last international match played there was against Morocco in 1990. The Republic of Ireland has also played home matches in Tolka Park (twice) and the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin as well at the Mardyke and Flower Lodge grounds in Cork.
[edit] Kit
Traditionally, the team plays in a home strip of green shirt, white shorts and green socks. The second strip is usually the reverse of these colours, although there have been exceptions, such as an orange shirt in the 1990s.
Currently, the kit is supplied by Umbro, and has been since 1995. Previously Adidas made the team's kit. Replica shirts carry the logo of Irish telecommunications company Eircom across the chest as per terms of a sponsorship agreement, but shirts worn by the players do not.
Squad numbers are either white with an orange trim, as is the case with the home shirts, or green with an orange trim. At the bottom of the numbering there is a logo of the FAI.
There is also a limited edition navy shirt available. The team have only ever used it once and that was a 2-2 draw with Wales on 17 November 2007.
[edit] Results and Fixtures
[edit] Season 2007-08
| Opponents | Result | Venue | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | W 4-0 | Parken Stadion, Aarhus | 22 August, 2007 | International Friendly |
| Image:Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia | D 2-2 | Bratislava | 8 September, 2007 | Euro 2008 Qualifier |
| Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Rep | L 1-0 | Prague | 12 September, 2007 | Euro 2008 Qualifier |
| Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | D 0-0 | Croke Park, Dublin | 13 October, 2007 | Euro 2008 Qualifier |
| Image:Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus | D 1-1 | Croke Park, Dublin | 17 October, 2007 | Euro 2008 Qualifier |
| Image:Flag of Wales 2.svg Wales | D 2-2 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | 17 November, 2007 | Euro 2008 Qualifier |
| Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Croke Park, Dublin | 6 February 2008 | International Friendly | |
| Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia | Croke Park, Dublin | 24 May 2008 | International Friendly |
Brazil match is live on Sky Sports 1.
[edit] History in major tournaments
- For more detail, see Republic of Ireland national football team - record in major tournaments
[edit] World Cup record
- 1930 Did not enter
- 1934-1986 Did not qualify
- 1990 - Quarter-finals
- 1994 - Second Round (Last 16)
- 1998 - Did not qualify
- 2002 - Second Round (Last 16)
- 2006 - Did not qualify
[edit] European Championships record
- 1960-1984 - Did not qualify
- 1988 - First Round
- 1992-2008 - Did not qualify
[edit] Notable former players
see also Cat:Republic of Ireland international footballers
[edit] Current squad
The squad is for the game against Wales on November 17, 2007.
- Goalkeepers
| Name | Age | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shay Given | 31 | Image:Flag of England.svg Newcastle United | 84 (0) | v Russia, 27 March 1996 |
| Wayne Henderson | 24 | Image:Flag of England.svg Preston | 6 (0) | v Sweden, 1 March 2006 |
| Joe Murphy | 26 | Image:Flag of England.svg Scunthorpe United | 1 (0) | v Turkey, 9 September 2003 |
- Defenders
| Name | Age | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Dunne | 28 | Image:Flag of England.svg Manchester City | 39 (5) | v Greece, 26 April 2000 |
| Steve Finnan | 31 | Image:Flag of England.svg Liverpool | 49 (2) | v Greece, 26 April 2000 |
| Stephen Kelly | 24 | Image:Flag of England.svg Birmingham City | 9 (0) | v Czech Republic, 11 October 2006 |
| Andy O'Brien | 28 | Image:Flag of England.svg Bolton Wanderers | 26 (1) | v Estonia, 6 June 2001 |
| John O'Shea | 26 | Image:Flag of England.svg Manchester United | 42 (1) | v Croatia, 15 August 2001 |
| Paul McShane | 21 | Image:Flag of England.svg Sunderland | 8 (0) | v Czech Republic, 11 October 2006 |
- Midfielders
| Name | Age | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Douglas | 25 | Image:Flag of England.svg Leeds United | 8 (0) | v Poland, 28 April 2004 |
| Damien Duff | 28 | Image:Flag of England.svg Newcastle | 66 (7) | v Croatia, 15 August 2001 |
| Stephen Hunt | 26 | Image:Flag of England.svg Reading | 8 (0) | v San Marino, 7 February 2007 |
| Stephen Ireland | 21 | Image:Flag of England.svg Man City | 6 (4) | v Sweden, 1 March 2006 |
| Kevin Kilbane | 30 | Image:Flag of England.svg Wigan Athletic | 85 (7) | v Iceland, 6 September 1997 |
| Aiden McGeady | 21 | Image:Flag of Scotland.svg Celtic | 15 (0) | v Jamaica, 2 June 2004 |
| Joey O'Brien | 21 | Image:Flag of England.svg Bolton Wanderers | 3 (0) | v Sweden, 1 March 2006 |
| Andy Reid | 25 | Image:Flag of England.svg Charlton Athletic | 26 (4) | v Canada, 18 November 2003 |
| Steven Reid | 26 | Image:Flag of England.svg Blackburn Rovers | 20 (2) | v Croatia, 15 August 2001 |
- Strikers
| Name | Age | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Doyle | 24 | Image:Flag of England.svg Reading | 14 (4) | v Sweden, 1 March 2006 |
| Robbie Keane | 27 | Image:Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur | 78 (32) | v Czech Republic, 25 March 1998 |
| Shane Long | 20 | Image:Flag of England.svg Reading | 7 (3) | v Bolivia, 26 May 2007 |
| Anthony Stokes | 19 | Image:Flag of England.svg Sunderland | 3 (0) | v San Marino, 7 February 2007 |
[edit] Key historical games
Image:Flag of England.svg England 0–2 Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland
September 21, 1949. Goodison Park; Friendly;
England's first defeat at home to a non-Home Nation side
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 1 - 2 Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy
May 11, 1971:Lansdowne Road; European Championship qualifier;
Republic of Ireland's first game at Lansdowne Road
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 2 - 0 Image:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria
October 14, 1987: Lansdowne Road; European Championship qualifier;
Enabled qualification to first ever major tournament (Euro 88) when on November 11, 1987, Bulgaria lost their last home qualifying game to Scotland 0-1.
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Image:Flag of England.svg England
June 12, 1988: Neckarstadion, Stuttgart; European Championship first round
Upset victory in the Republic of Ireland's first ever match in a major tournament
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 1 - 1 Image:Flag of England.svg England
June 11, 1990: Stadio Sant'Elia, Cagliari; World Cup first round
The Republic of Ireland's first ever match in a World Cup Finals tournament
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 0 - 0 Image:Flag of Romania.svg Romania; 5 - 4 penalties
June 25, 1990:Stadio Luigi FerrarisGenoa; World Cup second round;
David O'Leary's famous penalty brought Ireland into last eight
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy
June 18, 1994: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford; World Cup first round;
Unexpected victory over the side who later lost the final on penalties, it was also the Republic of Ireland's first World Cup win
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Image:Flag of England.svg England
February 15, 1995: Lansdowne Road; Friendly;
Stadium rioting by English hooligans causes match to be abandoned.
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 5 - 0 Image:Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino
November 15, 2006: Lansdowne Road; European Championship qualifier;
The last Republic of Ireland match at Lansdowne Road before redevelopment.
Image:Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Image:Flag of Wales 2.svg Wales
March 24, 2007: Croke Park; European Championship qualifier;
The Republic of Ireland play in Croke Park in a competitive fixture for the first time.
[edit] Managers
- Between 1921 and 1969 a committee of selectors chose the team. However on occasions a coach or team manager was appointed. Mick Meagan was the first manager to actually select the team.
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[edit] Players with 50 or more caps
As of 2 June, 2007, the players with the most caps for the Republic of Ireland are:
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Staunton | 1989 - 2002 | 102 | 7 |
| 2 | Niall Quinn | 1986 - 2002 | 91 | 21 |
| 3 | Tony Cascarino | 1986 - 2000 | 88 | 19 |
| 4 | Kevin Kilbane | 1997 - present | 86 | 7 |
| 5 | Shay Given | 1996 - present | 85 | 0 |
| 6 | Paul McGrath | 1985 - 1997 | 83 | 8 |
| 7 | Packie Bonner | 1981 - 1996 | 80 | 0 |
| 8 | Robbie Keane | 1998 - present | 78 | 32 |
| 9 | Ray Houghton | 1986 - 1998 | 73 | 6 |
| 10= | Kenny Cunningham | 1996 - 2005 | 72 | 0 |
| 10= | Liam Brady | 1975 - 1990 | 72 | 9 |
| 12= | Kevin Moran | 1980 - 1994 | 71 | 6 |
| 12= | Frank Stapleton | 1977 - 1990 | 71 | 20 |
| 14 | Andy Townsend | 1989 – 1997 | 70 | 7 |
| 15 | John Aldridge | 1986 - 1997 | 69 | 19 |
| 16 | David O'Leary | 1977 - 1993 | 68 | 1 |
| 17 | Roy Keane | 1991 - 2005 | 67 | 9 |
| 18 | Damien Duff | 1998 - present | 66 | 7 |
| 19 | Ian Harte | 1996 - present | 64 | 11 |
| 20 | Gary Breen | 1996 - 2006 | 63 | 6 |
| 21 | Johnny Giles | 1960 - 1979 | 59 | 5 |
| 22 | Mick McCarthy | 1984 - 1992 | 57 | 2 |
| 23= | Don Givens | 1969 - 1982 | 56 | 19 |
| 23= | Denis Irwin | 1991 - 2000 | 56 | 4 |
| 25= | Chris Hughton | 1980 - 1992 | 53 | 1 |
| 25= | Ronnie Whelan | 1981 - 1995 | 53 | 3 |
| 27= | Gary Kelly | 1994 - 2002 | 52 | 2 |
| 27= | Mick Martin | 1972 - 1983 | 52 | 4 |
| 27= | Jason McAteer | 1994 - 2004 | 52 | 3 |
| 30 | Paddy Mulligan | 1969 - 1980 | 50 | 1 |
[edit] Record goal scorers
| Rank | Name | Goals (Caps) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robbie Keane | 32 (78) |
| 2 | Niall Quinn | 21 (91) |
| 3 | Frank Stapleton | 20 (71) |
| 4 | Don Givens | 19 (56) |
| Tony Cascarino | 19 (88) | |
| John Aldridge | 19 (69) | |
| 7 | Noel Cantwell | 14 (36) |
| 8 | Gerry Daly | 13 (48) |
| Jimmy Dunne | 13 (15) | |
| 10 | Ian Harte | 11 (64) |
See here for top goal scorers per country.
[edit] See also
- Republic of Ireland B national football team
- Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team
- Category:Republic of Ireland national football team results
[edit] References
- ^ Byrne, Peter (1996). Football Asssociation of Ireland: 75 years. Dublin: Sportsworld, 22. ISBN 1-900110-06-7.
- ^ 1924 Olympic Games at Rsssf
- ^ History of Irish Football
- ^ United States results at Rsssf
- ^ List of Dual Internationalists
- ^ Ryan, op. cit. pg 59.
- ^ Byrne, op. cit., pg 68
- ^ Michael Nugent (2007-9-20). FAI-Total Official Looniness Abroad. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
[edit] External links
- Rep. of Ireland national team 1926-2000(with line-up)
- From RSSSF:
- Ireland - International Results
- Ireland - Record International Players covers Appearances and Goalscoring
- IRISH NATIONAL TEAM COACHES (since 1969) (Only covers matches up to June 1999)
International football
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