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The Irish Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
RTE explain ‘once-off' Luxembourg vs Ireland broadcast decision with Late Late Show partly to blame
RTE'S scaled back coverage of Ireland's friendly vs Luxembourg was "a once-off" according to a source within the national broadcaster. Viewers were struck by how there was no studio presence around 2 Troy Parrott did have the ball in the back of the net around the hour mark but it was ruled out for offside Credit: Sportsfile 2 The Late Late Show will be back on-air in the coming weeks Credit: RTE Press Office Issue An He/she told "Another studio was unavailable for Tuesday's soccer coverage as it is undergoing essential maintenance ahead of the return of the Late Late Show and the Women's European Championships kicking off in July." Tony O'Donoghue was present at the Stade de Luxembourg and did secure post-match interviews with manager Read More On Irish Football But that the rest of the broadcast was left to commentary pair Des Curran and Ronnie Whelan to shoulder. This included them narrating over highlights at half-time, which Among the tweets posted on X about the significant break from the norm, Indo Sport podcast host Joe Molloy posted: "No RTE studio panel for the match?" The replies to his post were broadly critical of the national broadcaster. Barry fumed: "Shameful drop in standards!! Most read in Football Niall Bergin posited: "Surely cost-cutting from RTE but Man Utd fans fume as new 2025-26 kit is released with 'nod to Old Trafford' Finally, someone else pondered: "This must be a first?" However, others didn't think it was that egregious of a decision given last night was about as close to a meaningless international game as you're ever going to see. Mick Finn argued: "A meaningless, nothing game…lucky to have it shown." Lastly, one fan used what a dreadfully poor spectacle it was to crack an amusing gag. He quipped: "Is it possible they had one and they just all fell asleep? Understandable enough." Hallgrimsson The birthday boy admitted: 'Let's be honest, we're not happy with this performance. 'It's good to keep a clean sheet but we all felt that in the first half we were sloppy, the game was boring in the first half. "All the good things we did against Senegal were missing, all the quick movement, the press, the ball speed - so sloppy."
The Irish Sun
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘This must be a first?' – Ireland fans puzzled by RTE's scaled back coverage for Luxembourg friendly
LUXEMBOURG vs Ireland was an instantly forgettable match with about the only standout aspect to it being RTE's scaled back coverage. There was no studio coverage before, during or after 2 In the second half Troy Parrott scored with a delicate chip but it was ruled out for offside 2 Some viewers also reported the sound was out of sync with the picture on their TVs Curran and Whelan were on commentary and also filled the half-time break by narrating 'highlights' of what chances were created by both sides. O'Donoghue was at least present in the stadium as he conducted interviews with Heimir Hallgrimsson, Player of the Match But the main talking point generated throughout the entire evening was that there were no pundits in studio talking things over. Among the tweets posted on X about the significant break from the norm, Indo Sport podcast host Joe Molloy posted: "No RTE studio panel for the match?" Read More On Irish Football The replies to his post were broadly critical of the national broadcaster. Barry fumed: "Shameful drop in standards!! Niall Bergin posited: "Surely cost-cutting from RTE but Most read in Football Finally, someone else pondered: "This must be a first?" However, others didn't think it was that egregious of a decision given last night was about as close to a meaningless international game as you're ever going to see. Inside Arsenal's Ibiza holiday as Katie McCabe and teammates pop champagne to celebrate Champions League win Mick Finn argued: "A meaningless, nothing game…lucky to have it shown." Lastly, one fan used what a dreadfully poor spectacle it was to crack an amusing gag. He quipped: "Is it possible they had one and they just all fell asleep? Understandable enough." HEIMIR HUFF Head coach Hallgrimsson The birthday boy admitted: 'Let's be honest, we're not happy with this performance. 'It's good to keep a clean sheet but we all felt that in the first half we were sloppy, the game was boring in the first half. "All the good things we did against Senegal were missing, all the quick movement, the press, the ball speed - so sloppy. 'We were so different from all the things we want to represent. We lost duels, we lost ball, our rotations were slow, our pressing was more individual than collective. 'It was not tactical, I think it was just focus. We were not doing the things we did four days ago. 'We changed in the second half, we had more tempo, and won more duels. 'But it was not good enough. We always like answers to questions and this one is a negative one, so we at least know that. His side will begin their World Cup qualification campaign with a similar double-header in September, hosting Hungary before travelling to Armenia.
The 42
10-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
A game soon forgotten but it does pose the question: just what do we want from Ireland?
ON AN EVENING like this, for a friendly like this, when summer beckons and we all just want the League of Ireland to return on Friday and dream of potential European adventures to come, a fair question to ask is this: just what do we want from Ireland? Long before Troy Parrott's disallowed goal – a shame as the dinked finish was sublime – on 66 minutes it was a question to be considered, with thoughts splintering in different directions. Heimir Hallgrímsson has made it clear to his coaching staff and the players exactly what it is that he demands. We detailed as much during the 1-1 draw with Senegal, and then Dara O'Shea spoke afterwards offering just a little bit more insight ahead of this trip to Luxembourg. 'The manager is big on someone making a decision and then everyone else going with that,' the defender, who started once again alongside captain Nathan Collins, explained. 'That's the way he wants us to be. He's drilled that into us in the sessions and I think everyone buys into that. As soon as someone sets the press off you need to go with them or else it's not going to work.' On the eve of this friendly with Luxembourg, with Collins sitting alongside him, Hallgrímsson emphasised once more that he wanted to see consistency in the performance and stability with the team shape. He made five changes to his starting XI and was forced into another within 20 minutes when Ryan Manning replaced the injured Robbie Brady. But the message would have been the same. Ireland were content for Luxembourg to enjoy harmless possession – 61% over the opening half hour, dropping to 56% towards the end – with players scuttling from side to side and ensuring the distances between them didn't become too vast so as to allow passing lanes opening up in behind. And some of this brings us back to what it is we want from an Ireland team. For the 300 or so travelling fans they didn't get a goal to celebrate, substitute Jack Taylor smashing the crossbar on 87 minutes. Advertisement Watching on TV, as so often can be the case when attention spans drift, there was a chance for a kind of introspection. Some of the banners being held up in one section of the ground were a catalyst. 'Red card for violence against women,' was the English translation of one. In the corner of the screen, where an Irish tricolour with Ballybrack was emblazoned across the front, a few more messages stood out from the locals. 'Let's break the silence.' 'Football is political.' 'Red card to the football federation.' Indeed, midway through the first half, pockets of supporters then stood up with red cards. Luxembourg striker Gerson Rodrigues was the reason for the second such protest in as many games. He was given an 18-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, and last April he lost his appeal against the charges and subsequent fines. His inclusion in the squad and place in the starting XI was the source of severe criticism. As half-time came and went, with O'Shea and Collins combining from a Will Smallbone free kick just before the break and the skipper heading off the post, it wasn't simply judgement of the Rodrigues situation that lingered. If you wanted to really look deep into it, when the Ireland team plays it is also a chance to see a reflection of the country it should represent. Four days ago, for example, more than 700 members of the Muslim community celebrated Eid al-Adha in a section of Croke Park. It is one of the holiest festivals – the feast of the sacrifice – yet it still resulted in protestors outside. The day before that, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan, posted the following message on social media just before 8.30am. 'Another deportation flight left Dublin last night and landed safely this morning in Lagos, Nigeria. There were 35 people on board who had received but had not complied with Deportation Orders.' As was then detailed by The Journal, two of those children who were deported attended St James Primary school in Dublin 8 for the last three years. They had 'become an integral part of the community there' and the principal explained how staff and pupils were 'devastated' as the children were 'part of our football team, part of our school fabric, part of our school lives.' Those children would have been keen to watch this Ireland team play tonight. They should have been able to talk about it with classmates on Wednesday morning. By the time Evan Ferguson was shown a yellow card for stopping a counter attack 10 minutes into the second half, a broader examination of self, and the beliefs we hold, was underway. Yes, there did seem to be more of an edge to the action on the pitch, Parrott following Ferguson into the book for accosting Danel Sinani after he was yellow carded for a cynical foul on Kasey McAteer, but part of the reason for thoughts drifting was down to reading extracts of a speech made by Pep Guardiola that emerged on the day of the game. The Manchester City manager was receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester and made good use of the platform. 'It's so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts my whole body. Let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour.' This 0-0 draw will be forgotten instantly, but if it can go some way to Ireland team building towards World Cup qualification then what a joy that will be. Ireland needs it.
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
No shortage of effort, but Ireland fail to find the net against Luxembourg
Luxembourg 0 Ireland 0 Progress report. Stephen Kenny predicted that the fast-tracking of the Republic of Ireland under-21s from 2019 would lead to an established team of 20-somethings with 30-plus caps come the 2026 World Cup. In November 2021, Ireland appeared to be ahead of schedule after a 3-0 win at Stade de Luxembourg to conclude their dismal Qatar 2022 qualification campaign on a high. That result stretched their unbeaten run under Kenny to six matches since the disastrous 1-0 loss to Luxembourg the previous March. Gerson Rodrigues's winner at an empty Aviva Stadium was the start of an alarming concession of long-range goals on Kenny's watch. READ MORE Only two players in the current squad, Adam Idah and Matt Doherty, started in Luxembourg four years ago. Caoimhín Kelleher and Nathan Collins were unused subs. Now, in 2025, the Brentford duo are the leaders. Troy Parrott and Jason Knight both came off the bench in 2021. It was Knight's ninth cap. The 24-year-old made his 38th appearance last night, while Parrott and Idah have compiled 60 caps and 10 goals between them since the last trip to the Grand Duchy. There is still plenty of room for Ireland to improve against Hungary in the opening World Cup qualifier on September 6th, mainly by reintegrating Josh Cullen, Finn Azaz, Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene into the team. Cullen and Azaz were rested for this international window while Szmodics and Ogbene are inching back from surgeries. The problem with being rested or injured is it has invited Knight, Will Smallbone, Kasey McAteer and the rangy Killian Phillips to play their way into contention. McAteer has earned his place wide on the right, unless Ogbene or Festy Ebosele can hit form for their clubs in August. Daniel Sinani could not handle the Leicester City winger's pace, swallowing a yellow card from referee Stefan Ebner. The benefit of this low-key summer camp is Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson has unearthed alternative options. Jake O'Brien or Matt Doherty at right back? Power or panache? Take your pick. More importantly, everyone clearly understands the Icelander's fluid system. The 4-4-2 defensive shape springs into 3-2-3-1 as soon as Ireland win the ball back. Hallgrímsson is not afraid to tinker with his personnel. On 30 minutes, he instructed Will Smallbone to drop into midfield and release Phillips to the inside left slot, which encouraged Ryan Manning to overlap down the wing. Manning started warming up in the 18th minute after Robbie Brady's calf tightened. Brady was gone three minutes later. Opportunity knocked. Manning built on his performance in last Friday's 1-1 draw with Senegal. At 28, the versatile Southampton player has made more progress than anyone on Hallgrímsson's watch. Max O'Leary, another 28-year-old who has bided his time, was given his debut ahead of Caoimhín Kelleher and Tottenham Hotspur's young goalkeeper Josh Keeley. 'I am really pleased for Max,' said Hallgrímsson before kick-off. 'He has travelled with the team since 2019, that was his first time with us, always supporting, always positive, always keeping up the standard for all this time without having a cap – he is getting his chance to show himself and shine for our fans.' O'Leary picked off a dangerous cross from Tomas Moreira in the early going and when Sinai unleashed the first shot from distance, the Bristol City 'keeper pushed the ball for a corner. The expected red card protest happened in the 18th minute after several banners were unfurled: 'Rout kaart eir gewalt geint fraen' (Red card for violence against women), 'fussball ass politesch' (football is political) and 'brissons le silence' (let's break the silence) – the latter being the name of a campaign to raise awareness about violence against women in Luxembourg. Ireland's Kasey McAteer has a shot at the Luxembourg goal early in the second half. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Unlike Friday's 1-0 defeat to Slovenia at Stade de Luxembourg, the stewards did not remove the banners or the people who brought them. The aim was to bring attention to the Luxembourg football federation's determination to continue selecting Rodrigues, after the country's record goal scorer lost an appeal in April of an 18-month suspended sentence for three violent offences, including the assault of his former girlfriend, the 2020 Miss Luxembourg, Emilie Boland. Rodrigues was roundly booed by the 365 Irish fans behind the goal. At least another 100 travelling supporters were seated among the home crowd. In total, there were 6,312 inside this postmodern stadium on the edge of town. The loudest cheer of the first half came when Rodrigues spun and shot wide of O'Leary's far post. Soon after, the protesters and Irish visitors produced large red cards. This lasted about two minutes before everyone's focus returned to the game. Ireland looked comfortable in possession, but they lacked urgency until a Nathan Collins header hit the post before the break. Parrott put the ball in Tiago Pereira's net on 66 minutes, but the linesman was quick to flag for offside. That seemed to spark something in Ireland as Evan Ferguson and McAteer went unrewarded for lung-busting runs into the Luxembourg box. The urgency came from the alternative options – Festy Ebosele and Idah energised the Irish attack in the final minutes of a very long season, although the gift of a goal to celebrate Hallgrímsson's 58th birthday never happened. It was not for a lack of effort as Jack Taylor's piledriver belted the crossbar with three minutes to play. Luxembourg: Pereira; Dzogovic, Jans (Thill 62), Korac, Carlson (Gerson 89), Bohnert (Pinto 62); Moreira, Barreiro, Sinani; Dardari (Curci 76), Rodrigues (Veiga 82). Ireland: O'Leary; O'Brien, Collins, O'Shea, Brady (Manning 21); McAteer (Doherty 76), Phillips (Ebosele 57), Knight (Patrick 90), Smallbone (Taylor 67); Ferguson (Idah 76); Parrott. Referee: Stefan Ebner (Austria).
Irish Independent
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘Let's be honest, we're not happy with this performance' – Heimir Hallgrimsson calls part of Luxembourg match ‘boring'
The Boys in Green, who were off the pace in the first half, were denied by the upright and the crossbar, while Troy Parrott had a goal ruled out for offside, meaning the international break ended with a second successive draw. This June double-header provided the last chance to experiment ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which begin at home to Hungary on September 6. 'Let's be honest, we're not happy with this performance,' said Hallgrimsson, who turned 58 today. "It's good to keep a clean sheet, the first one since I came here, but we all felt in the first half we were sloppy and the game was boring. 'All the good things we did against Senegal were missing – the quick movements, the press, the ball speed. 'It changed in the second half with more tempo, we won more duels etc but it was not good enough. We always like answers to questions and this one is a negative one, so we at least know that. 'We had some chances, but even if we had won the game we wouldn't have been happy with the performance. We must look at that first. 'Max O'Leary comes in and keeps a clean sheet so we can always find something positive, and we'll do that, but first and foremost the effort we put into this game was so much less than against Senegal.' 'We go in September and play the higher-ranked team first at home [Hungary], like we did now, and then the lower-ranked team away [Armenia] so this is at least something we can learn from,' he added. "We must play the same way against everyone, whether it's a friendly at the end of the season or a group stage game. We need to play the same way all the time. ADVERTISEMENT 'This game will teach us a lesson. It is understandable players are thinking after this game that we have a break for some time. 'Many of these players have been playing a lot of matches, but credit to them, and you saw a few injuries from fatigue as well.'
