Former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr said fans were "swizzed out of an international match" after the 1-0 defeat to Iceland at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night.
Hordur Magnusson’s 22nd-minute free-kick earned the visitors victory against a much-changed Irish line-up that included just two players - Jeff Hendrick and James McClean - who started Friday's draw with Wales.
Kerr was hugely disappointed with the fare served up, and compared Martin O'Neill's side to "a mongrel dog with no nice patches on it".
"It wasn't very good at all," Kerr told RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland.
"We're neither a direct a long ball team nor are we a passing team that does some nice things."
"The 37,000 people, if there was that there, if they paid in they'd be within their rights to go to the consumer association and look for their money back. They were swizzed out of an international match.
"We had only two players that you'd consider regulars: Robbie Brady and James McClean. Iceland had three.
"The match was pitched as an international between a team that had got to the [quarter-finals] of the Euros in the summer and the Republic of Ireland, but really it was the Ireland second string, and in some cases third string, against Iceland with most of their best players not present.
"The game itself was poor. It was low tempo. There was very little pattern to it on our side. We're a bit like a mongrel dog with no nice patches on it.
"We're neither a direct long-ball team nor are we a passing team that does some nice things."
Ireland are second in Group D behind Serbia only on goal difference and nicely poised to make a real fist of qualifying for the World Cup in Russia next year.
O'Neill gave fringe players the chance to shine in green on home soil, but Kerr feels the same problems are recurring, no matter who lines up for Ireland.
"We looked like a team that was thrown together at the last minute without any work being done or practice being done on the old 4-4-2 system, whereas Iceland had a clear style about them," he said.
"We've now had three home games recently - Georgia, Wales and last night - and we've hardly created a clear-cut chance in those three games.
"We were poor in the middle of the field again. Jeff Hendrick has to be the main culprit last night because he's the experienced player at this stage.
"We didn't get on the ball, didn't create anything. It appears that if Wesley Hoolahan doesn't play, we don't create any chances."
