Off The Ball regular John Giles often emphasizes the need for teams to play constructive football. A few loose passes aside, Ireland appeared to be trying to do just that against Kazakhstan last night in the 3 - 1 win.
But played in a stadium pockmarked with empty seats and in a fixture that was generally meaningless - other than the need to improve our seeding for the Euro 2016 qualifiers - the game was a little "flat" according to former Ireland midfielder Steven Reid who joined former team-mate Stephen Hunt on Off The Ball post-match.
"It was a little bit of a flat performance but the job was well done," said Reid. "In the circumstances it was a good performance and hopefully whoever comes in can build on some positives. It's nice to see Andy Reid back in there. He had a decent game and created one or two chances. His set plays were first class and he was real highlight. Seamus Coleman again impressed me, up and down that right hand side. But I think we lacked those natural wide men. When Aidan [McGeady] came on in the last 15 minutes, we saw what he could do by creating the third goal with pace we hadn't seen in much of the game."
James McCarthy and Valeriy Korobkin of Kazakhstan ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan
Reid also pointed that fellow Reid (Andy) would not have even had a look in if Giovanni Trapattoni was still in charge, despite the Nottingham Forest man's recent good form.
However, the level of the opposition makes Ireland's performance hard to judge. Hunt was not impressed by Kazakstan.
He said: "Obviously the goal gave them a lift but we kept possession and they ran out of legs. In the end they looked disjointed. We controlled the game and they looked like a bang average team. The keeper looked like a bit of a clown - he was flapping at everything. It was one of those nights where the boys could have scored more goals. But job done."
But there is a worry over Darron Gibson after he suffered what looked like a bad knee injury and Reid feels it is an even bigger blow given the partnership that was just starting to develop between himself and James McCarthy.
"It would have been nice to see that partnership develop for club and country. I think those two started the game really well and it's shame that he could be spending a lengthy time on the sidelines," said Reid.
Aiden McGeady and Kevin Doyle celebrate Ireland's third goal ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
Hunt knows what it takes to be a winger and Joe Molloy asked him to assess the idea of strikers Kevin Doyle and Anthony Stokes playing on the wings instead of James McClean and McGeady.
"Kevin likes roaming and he's well able to play. He got the ball a few times in the centre of the field. If we were rigid, we'd be moaning so if we're flexible we should go with it. I know Reidy (Steven) was saying he'd prefer a wide man but it can work both ways. If you have a wide man he can be stuck out there and if the ball doesn't come, he is a waste. With Doyler, he comes into little pockets and can be effective," said Hunt.
The lads also touched on their preferences when it comes to the identity of the new manager.
Listen to the full post-match analysis below or download the Off The Ball Football Show podcast on iTunes.
Main image: Ireland's Andy Reid and Valeriy Korobkin of Kazakhstan ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan
