That is the big question in the aftermath of Ireland’s 4-0 drubbing to Slovenia in League B of the Nations League.
Was it just a calamitous half of football? Write it off as a night to forget?
Or should we be surprised, as deeper issues begin to manifest?
That has often been asked following men’s national team shockers in recent years, linking the side’s downfall to how poorly the game has been managed here.
But this was an uncharacteristic, alarming result for the women’s team, against opposition ranked 14 places inferior.
It was their worst defeat since 2019, and heaviest competitive loss in over 12 years.
Extenuating circumstances must be noted: new management, new system, limited time together, player changes, conditions, a potential hangover from Euro 2025 qualification heartbreak, and the fallout continuing from the end of the previous regime.
Selection and tactical decisions backfired in Carla Ward’s second game — and first loss — at the helm. Fundamental errors and mistakes were glaring as Slovenia sauntered to a landmark win in Koper; the Irish players’ desire and passion has since been questioned, and apologies issued.
Advertisement
A ‘wake-up call’ and ‘reality check’ is how Ward and some of her squad have assessed it.
This column is not to be reactionary. Yes, it was a horrendous result and another poor performance, but it’s early days in a new era, and perhaps just a blip overall. It’s not exactly a long-standing pattern. That said, there are more questions than answers after Ireland’s first international window of 2025 — along with plenty to consider when you scratch past the surface.
Courtney Brosnan dejected after the game. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
At first glance at the world rankings, this is a shocking defeat. 39 trumps 25. And comprehensively so.
But Slovenia’s positioning may be unjustified. They are a nation on the rise, having invested heavily into their women’s programme. That Uefa President Aleksander Čeferin hails from the Balkan country must help, but their federation has gotten their house in order and they appear to be reaping the benefits at all levels as women’s football booms worldwide.
As Ward warned: “Slovenia are a very good side, they’re progressing in all the age groups as well as the first team. In [League C] qualification last time around, six out of six, didn’t concede a goal. They’re a very, very good side.”
They’re a young outfit too, with players at Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris FC, Roma and Fiorentina, gaining invaluable Champions League experience.
Their manager Saša Kolman is an impressive operator, who cites Jim McGuinness as an influence following their encounter at the Celtic Academy. Kolman has had previous dealings with the FAI, calling Head of Coach Education Niall O’Regan a good friend and learning from what he perceives to be one of the best coach education models in Europe.
Carla Ward with Slovenia Manager Saša Kolman before the game. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
While Ward took full ownership for the horror show in her post-match TV interview, she shared some interesting thoughts with reporters at Bonifika Stadium.
“Yes it is a reality check,” she said. “We have to be realistic about where we are at as a nation. There’s no harm in saying I believe it was an overachievement to get to the last World Cup.
“They did fantastically well to get there. We have to recognise where we’re at and move that expectation. And really understand we are in a transition period and building with a younger squad.”
Starting with the last point: Are they? That may be the direction Ward wants to take, but there was no such evidence in the opening two games against Türkiye and Slovenia.
Heather Payne was the youngest player in both XIs, the 25-year-old winning her 50th and 51st senior international caps. Eight of the starters used are 29 and over. The average ages of the starting teams were 29.1 and 27.9, and that’s following the retirements of Niamh Fahey, Diane Caldwell and Julie-Ann Russell.
Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan are 29 and 31 respectively. Ireland’s world-class duo have much more to offer — but have clocked up the mileage, and can’t spearhead this team forever.
Abbie Larkin was the only player under the age of 20 used in this window, with concerns growing around the lack of those coming through.
Indeed, there are some talented underage stars, and others sidelined with injury, but developmental and grassroots issues have been well documented.
The widening gap from U19 to senior international level has been a hot topic in recent months, along with a perceived disconnect with the Women’s League of Ireland. A development group convened last week following the discontinuation of home-based training sessions, but it’s unclear whether this is a permanent measure. An U23 international team is needed, but financial constraints are unlikely to allow for its introduction.
Among the many grievances away from the senior spotlight is the removal of regional development centres amid the disbandment of the Emerging Talent Programme, leaving elite youngsters lacking top-level contact and a clear pathway in their early teens.
FAI Head of Women and Girls’ Football Hannah Dingley is due to unveil a plan, but hasn’t spoken publicly since her appointment last April.
Fears are growing about the direction of Irish women’s football, the risk of 2023 World Cup qualification being a one-off becoming more and more real.
Related Reads
Chastening night for Ireland as Carla Ward's side stunned in Slovenia
Regret, pain, hope: One chapter closes, but this generation have inspired the next
Denise O'Sullivan and Katie McCabe after Ireland's failure to qualify for the Euros. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Whatever you think of Ward’s “overachievement” statement — whether blunt honesty in the heat of the moment or a ploy to temper expectations — the focus is very much on the present for this wounded Irish team.
Forget reaching the 2027 World Cup or instead building for the next Euros, Nations League promotion is now front and centre.
The new head coach insists she won’t change her system or style, but short-term pragmatism may be required as opposed to long-term idealism. The more defensive, direct approach used by her predecessors wasn’t pretty, but it was effective.
With a double-header against Greece a little over a month away, some will think Ireland might be better off setting up to get results, and parking possession-based plans. Or will it be a case of temporary pain for long-term gain?
One remembers Ruesha Littlejohn’s passionate call for a complete overhaul on RTÉ after the Wales play-off defeat; Eileen Gleeson’s vow that Irish women’s football would “not stand still” as the sport grows exponentially worldwide.
The FAI must show us that, not just tell. Action, and reaction, is needed.
Interest levels are higher than ever. Participation numbers continue to rise at grassroots, with 45,000 women and girls registered as playing regular competitive football in Ireland. There’s talent there, which needs to be harnessed in the correct way.
Irish women’s football has had great days. The hope is they will come again.
But last Tuesday night in Koper must be a wake-up call, for more than just this team.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Slovenia shocker a wake-up call for Irish women's football
HOW DID THIS happen?
That is the big question in the aftermath of Ireland’s 4-0 drubbing to Slovenia in League B of the Nations League.
Was it just a calamitous half of football? Write it off as a night to forget?
Or should we be surprised, as deeper issues begin to manifest?
That has often been asked following men’s national team shockers in recent years, linking the side’s downfall to how poorly the game has been managed here.
But this was an uncharacteristic, alarming result for the women’s team, against opposition ranked 14 places inferior.
It was their worst defeat since 2019, and heaviest competitive loss in over 12 years.
Extenuating circumstances must be noted: new management, new system, limited time together, player changes, conditions, a potential hangover from Euro 2025 qualification heartbreak, and the fallout continuing from the end of the previous regime.
Selection and tactical decisions backfired in Carla Ward’s second game — and first loss — at the helm. Fundamental errors and mistakes were glaring as Slovenia sauntered to a landmark win in Koper; the Irish players’ desire and passion has since been questioned, and apologies issued.
A ‘wake-up call’ and ‘reality check’ is how Ward and some of her squad have assessed it.
This column is not to be reactionary. Yes, it was a horrendous result and another poor performance, but it’s early days in a new era, and perhaps just a blip overall. It’s not exactly a long-standing pattern. That said, there are more questions than answers after Ireland’s first international window of 2025 — along with plenty to consider when you scratch past the surface.
At first glance at the world rankings, this is a shocking defeat. 39 trumps 25. And comprehensively so.
But Slovenia’s positioning may be unjustified. They are a nation on the rise, having invested heavily into their women’s programme. That Uefa President Aleksander Čeferin hails from the Balkan country must help, but their federation has gotten their house in order and they appear to be reaping the benefits at all levels as women’s football booms worldwide.
As Ward warned: “Slovenia are a very good side, they’re progressing in all the age groups as well as the first team. In [League C] qualification last time around, six out of six, didn’t concede a goal. They’re a very, very good side.”
They’re a young outfit too, with players at Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris FC, Roma and Fiorentina, gaining invaluable Champions League experience.
Their manager Saša Kolman is an impressive operator, who cites Jim McGuinness as an influence following their encounter at the Celtic Academy. Kolman has had previous dealings with the FAI, calling Head of Coach Education Niall O’Regan a good friend and learning from what he perceives to be one of the best coach education models in Europe.
While Ward took full ownership for the horror show in her post-match TV interview, she shared some interesting thoughts with reporters at Bonifika Stadium.
“Yes it is a reality check,” she said. “We have to be realistic about where we are at as a nation. There’s no harm in saying I believe it was an overachievement to get to the last World Cup.
“They did fantastically well to get there. We have to recognise where we’re at and move that expectation. And really understand we are in a transition period and building with a younger squad.”
Starting with the last point: Are they? That may be the direction Ward wants to take, but there was no such evidence in the opening two games against Türkiye and Slovenia.
Heather Payne was the youngest player in both XIs, the 25-year-old winning her 50th and 51st senior international caps. Eight of the starters used are 29 and over. The average ages of the starting teams were 29.1 and 27.9, and that’s following the retirements of Niamh Fahey, Diane Caldwell and Julie-Ann Russell.
Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan are 29 and 31 respectively. Ireland’s world-class duo have much more to offer — but have clocked up the mileage, and can’t spearhead this team forever.
Abbie Larkin was the only player under the age of 20 used in this window, with concerns growing around the lack of those coming through.
Indeed, there are some talented underage stars, and others sidelined with injury, but developmental and grassroots issues have been well documented.
The widening gap from U19 to senior international level has been a hot topic in recent months, along with a perceived disconnect with the Women’s League of Ireland. A development group convened last week following the discontinuation of home-based training sessions, but it’s unclear whether this is a permanent measure. An U23 international team is needed, but financial constraints are unlikely to allow for its introduction.
Among the many grievances away from the senior spotlight is the removal of regional development centres amid the disbandment of the Emerging Talent Programme, leaving elite youngsters lacking top-level contact and a clear pathway in their early teens.
FAI Head of Women and Girls’ Football Hannah Dingley is due to unveil a plan, but hasn’t spoken publicly since her appointment last April.
Fears are growing about the direction of Irish women’s football, the risk of 2023 World Cup qualification being a one-off becoming more and more real.
Whatever you think of Ward’s “overachievement” statement — whether blunt honesty in the heat of the moment or a ploy to temper expectations — the focus is very much on the present for this wounded Irish team.
Forget reaching the 2027 World Cup or instead building for the next Euros, Nations League promotion is now front and centre.
The new head coach insists she won’t change her system or style, but short-term pragmatism may be required as opposed to long-term idealism. The more defensive, direct approach used by her predecessors wasn’t pretty, but it was effective.
With a double-header against Greece a little over a month away, some will think Ireland might be better off setting up to get results, and parking possession-based plans. Or will it be a case of temporary pain for long-term gain?
One remembers Ruesha Littlejohn’s passionate call for a complete overhaul on RTÉ after the Wales play-off defeat; Eileen Gleeson’s vow that Irish women’s football would “not stand still” as the sport grows exponentially worldwide.
The FAI must show us that, not just tell. Action, and reaction, is needed.
Interest levels are higher than ever. Participation numbers continue to rise at grassroots, with 45,000 women and girls registered as playing regular competitive football in Ireland. There’s talent there, which needs to be harnessed in the correct way.
Irish women’s football has had great days. The hope is they will come again.
But last Tuesday night in Koper must be a wake-up call, for more than just this team.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
column Ireland WNT