Republic of Ireland enjot some luck of the draw in Euro 2020 qualifiers
SOCCER fans in general are pleased with the appointment of Mick McCarthy as Republic of Ireland manager to take the side through the Euro Qualifiers.
They are third seeds in a group they have a good chance of coming out of.
Gibraltar are the weak link in the group and it will be a tough struggle between the four other teams to get the two qualification spots that are up for grabs.
If they can win their home games they will have a good chance of qualifying but that is a big ask without a decent goalscorer.
McCarthy has a lot to do to get Ireland qualifying for big competitions again and will have to introduce some new young players to his squad.
Ireland urgently need a striker that will score goals and a couple of strong midfielders.
The type of game play by Martin O’Neill was boring to say the very least and they have to focus on producing an appealing brand of football that will satisfy Ireland supporters.
This passing the ball backwards most of the time will have to be eliminated and the team need to keep the ball on the ground and create scoring chances.
Soccer fans eagerly await Ireland’s first match under McCarthy and lets hope he can get the side playing decent football again.
He will begin his job as new manager with an away tie against Gibraltar at 5pm on March 23, with a venue yet to be confirmed.
That will be followed by a home tie against Georgia three days later on March 26 at 7.45pm.
A summer double-header sees Ireland travel to Denmark on June 7 before hosting Gibraltar on June 10, before a standalone home fixture against Switzerland on September 5.
A trip to Tbilisi beckons on October 12 before Ireland play the return game against Switzerland on October 15.
McCarthy’s side will then round out their qualification campaign at home to Denmark on November 18.