New to the Green Machíne writing team, James gives his thoughts and expectations following an eventful 2022 in Irish football. 2022 was a year of ups and downs for the men’s national team. From a scintillating win against Scotland at a raucous Aviva Stadium in June, to two highly creditable…

The usual football withdrawals that occur after a World Cup have been quickly quashed with the swift return of the club game but the itch for Ireland lingered throughout. As an Irish fan, the finals are usually a lonely time and have been for the last 20 years. They tend…

If something has become evidential in Irish football in recent years, it’s that the depth in the player pool has become thread bare. Various ‘Granny Rule’ players are often linked with Ireland to mixed reaction following the antics of two certain England internationals. The reality is that if Ireland want…

As the dust settles on the 2022 World Cup and one of the most memorable international games of all-time, attention in Europe shifts to the upcoming qualifiers for Euro 2024 in Germany. Qualification begins in just over 3 months’ time, as Slovenia travels to Kazakhstan on March 23rd 2023. For…

Vera Pauw has revealed in an interview with the Green Machíne Podcast that Manchester United defender Aoife Mannion is could potentially be involved in Ireland’s 2023 World Cup adventure. Both of the 27 year olds parents were born in Ireland and the former England underage international looks set to come…

A few days ago I woke up in a cold sweat at about 4am. I had had a nightmare but this one was different from my usual stream of sleep traumas. In this terrifying episode, England had won the World Cup. I have covered every single game at this year’s…

As Ireland slumped to a limp and late defeat at the hands of a Norwegian second string, there was a glaring issue that was additional to the laboured performance. Stephen Kenny’s side set up with what has become a predictable 5–3–2 formation and safe lineup. Ireland passed away and kept…

Judging by the fan reaction, Stephen Kenny’s latest squad announcement is a bit of a flop. Dave and Martin discussed it on our latest episode (available here https://linktr.ee/TheGreenMachinePodcast) …

The manager can be held accountable for some of that, with strange omissions and unrewarded loyalty to certain players. However, most of it can be attributed to what was inherited, on and off the pitch. A young and tidy team has been built during his time, playing good football for…