It's taken myself, Mark, and Philip this long to calm down enough after the two qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia to be able to record our thoughts on the games. After taking one point from the opening fixtures of the qualifying campaign, is it already over? Did any players come out of the games well? And what affect will our next fixture, the hardest fixture of the qualifiers away against Portugal in Lisbon, have on the home crowd for the return game against Armenia three days later?
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Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Episode 90 - The Road to USA/Canada/Mexico
I'm joined again by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick to discuss the squad selected by Heimir Hallgrímsson to face Hungary and Armenia in the opening two fixtures of the qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. How do we think the team is going to line out in Aviva stadium, and what players in the Hungarian side will Irish fans have to watch out for? Jim Crawford has selected the U21 squad to face Moldova and Andorra. Does opening the campaign for the 2027 UEFA U21 Championship against two minnows give the manager some scope for experimentation in the squad? With senior experience and fresh faces at this level, how do we think the team will do over their opening two fixtures, ahead of their first real challenge against Slovakia in October?