A brilliantly informative clip has surfaced on Twitter, showing a 1991 game at Wembley between Ireland and England, with the famous pressing and long ball tactics of Jack Charlton's side seen in all their glory.
In the two minutes of footage, England struggle desperately to clear their lines, with scuffed clearances and hard tackles from Ireland keep them pinned back in the final third of the pitch.
The responses to the clip highlight one of the great arguments in Irish football; did Charlton, Ireland's most successful ever manager, get the most out of team, or could we have played nicer footy and achieved the same or more?
While it is hard to argue against Charlton's tactics, given the joy he brought to the country from 1988-1994, it is sad seeing the likes of Paul McGrath and Denis Irwin playing hoof-ball.
Did Charlton's Ireland Employ The Right Tactics
Many were not feeling the love for the two minutes of Charlton-ball:
'What a dire side Ireland were. Jettisoned a proper player in Liam Brady to play like that.'
'"In the mixer ball" fuck me Mad how people are like "Ireland used to be class and get to world cups" and not "FIFA fixed the qualifying for world cups after 1994"'
'Gas how absolutely terrible this is.'
'By footballers who could have played England off the park if it wasn’t for his prehistoric tactics'
'Sorry but that is fucking dire ‘football’. Hardly ever touched the bloody grass. Win nothing like that, did you notice that they never even got a shot away, never mind on target?'
The Old-School Tactics Of Jack Charlton
From this day in 1991, England vs Ireland at Wembley, and a period of play which perfectly sums up Jack Charlton’s mantra.
With the home side penned in their own box, here’s two relentless minutes of long ball, pressing, direct football at its very best.
Put ‘em under pressure. pic.twitter.com/jbajDHx2ys— Stu’s Football Flashbacks (@stusfootyflash) March 27, 2023
READ HERE: Liam Brady Reveals Touching Note He Got From Jack Charlton After Being Frozen Out Of Ireland Squad
There were a fair few, however, who professed their love for Charlton's old-school tactics:
'Simply glorious.....a high and relentless press indeed...the energy & bravery is awesome...and we had some brilliant players who could play in the right end of the field...'
'You can keep your tiki taka, high press BS. How glorious is this and how much is the crowd loving it? Football how it should be played'
'Up and at ‘em.. you can keep you’re total footballing and silky skills.. this is proper football'
'Beautiful in it's own sense. Proof that the high press and low block or whatever the cool kid's call it these days was long invented before hand. Big Jack the trendsetter'
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