I note today that he's getting flak from the usual tabloids/malcontents for not taking part in Remembrance Day-related things. I guess James McClean is too low in the leagues to be on their radar anymore?
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
I would like to see the Irish players who are made uncomfortable by this and would prefer not to wear it, to stand together, make a reasoned public statement as to why & leave it there. I am sure there are plenty of them and plenty ex player pundits also. I run a business in a forces heavy area of England, five bases within twenty minutes of the town, these people have never had anything bad to say to me over my not wearing one, not once in fifteen years of dealing with them daily. They get it, they are fine with it, we get along. Seeing the odd one out Irish player targeted down the years while the rest keep their head down is something I would like to see change.Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
Anyway, probably for another thread.
Stephen Kenny Saviour, Leader, Winner, An Autobiography - In All Good Bookstores Now
Will they never learn ~ ~ This is a bad look for the Poppy Pushers ~ ~ They would be better off to, just get on with, what they get on with !
There would have been little said about it only for clickbait social media sites pointing out him standing to the side during the minutes silence, most of them Irish sites too. Stupidity for a few clicks.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Goal for him today. Nice one! He’ll be getting an earful from the Bradford fans after that.
Another goal for him today. I make that his second of the season for Wycombe.
Seems to have been a fan favourite at Wycombe recently, but it looks like he's going to Aberdeen for the second half of the season. That will be a fair change of climate for him to adjust to, Pittodrie is absolutely freezing this time of year.
Keane O'Shea Given Best Smallbone
Loan transfer to Aberdeen confirmed. (Aberdeen Live, 28 Jan). Perhaps there is a thermal vest allowance in the contract :-)
Born in San Diego according to Wikipedia. That's a slightly different climate.
That could be a good move if he can force his way in there. Aberdeen might be long past the days of beating Real Madrid in European finals, but it still has to be a step up from League One. Jamie McGrath and Johnny Hayes have both been called up to the senior squad playing there in recent years.
I don't remember having seen him play (I'll change that) but according to TransferMarkt he's 1.9m (6'3").
There's a version of the future out there where we have the tallest squad in Europe.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Made his debut at the weekend coming on for 15mins. Though he'll have a new manager soon as Aberdeen decided to sack Barry Robson after their 1-1 draw with Dundee.
They play Celtic tomorrow. I'll make a point of watching that.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Don't think we'll be far off it in a few years alright. Certainly at centre back and centre forward anyway. Though, other than Phillips, we haven't been producing particularly tall midfielders. Maybe him and Lawal can break through on behalf of the big lads.
Keane O'Shea Given Best Smallbone
So I didn't do this. But I did watch the hightlights on Sportscene and watch his 20 minutes off the bench against Rangers at Ibrox tonight.
So. Based on that VERY small sample, this is what i think of him so far.
He's something unlike anyone else we have at present. And based on what little i was my impression was that Aberdeen are playing him too far forward. He's was usually the closest player to their strike Miovski tonight. He might only be 21 but he's a big, broad, powerful man. And he plays with his socks round his ankles which only makes him look taller and more physically imposing. There's a touch of Carlton Palmer about him for those of you old enough to remember him.
Strengths:
He's got a decent touch for a big man. At one point he was surrounded by 2 or 3 rangers players and looked like he was about to lose it when he played a lovely pass off the outside of his foot to Duk (i think) on the left wing.
Running on the ball: Dribbling isn't the word for this. But when he gets running with the ball at his feet it takes a perfectly timed tackle or a foul to stop him. a bit like what Stephen Reid used to do for Blackburn before his injury robbed him of that.
Weaknesses:
Work Rate: I thought this was lacking. No problem at all when the ball was in front of him, but once it got past him he had a tendency to drop his shoulders and trot back. Under other circumstances I'd say that might have been a managerial instruction given the position he was playing, but there's no way in the world that was an instruction from Neil Warnock.
Positioning: At times I thought he was just in the wrong place, but he's young and that will come with time.
Heading: Odd thing to say for a guy that size. He's huge, but his timing was out on a couple of jumps. Obviously it's a small sample but it is what it is. If it's a problem I imagine that's much harder to coach than the positioning issue.
Overall I think a more defensive role would make more of his strengths. He would get more chance to get on the ball and driver forward from a deeper position. And I can think of no better coach to improve his weaknesses, particularly that work rate issue.
I'm not sure if he will ever be good enough, but I couldn't rule it out. If he was playing deeper and starts to work back as hard as he works forward, he could be a great foil for someone like Glenn Whelan. They could sit in front of the back 4, make interceptions and play those simple passes, while he bombs up and down the pitch doing what he looks to be good at.
But that's all based on a VERY small sample.
Last edited by backstothewall; 06/02/2024 at 11:47 PM.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
I saw the Celtic game. He didn't do a huge amount with the ball that stood out but he really imposed himself and put himself about and drew a few fouls. Celtic's midfield hard to work hard to get time on the ball and had to be quick to win any second balls.
Will leave palace in the summer, according to reports today
Bit of a step backwards for him this season with two poorish loans. Hopefully he can find a permanent club around League 1 level or maybe in the bottom half in Scotland that he can settle at and maybe develop a bit.
Keane O'Shea Given Best Smallbone
How has he done at Aberdeen ? Maybe Aberdeen might sign him ?
Aberdeen fans don't rate him much. Most fans don't rate Aberdeen in general though. A mid table League One move would probably be a better move than signing permanently for Aberdeen.
Rated well below McGrath (granted they play different roles) and most supporters will be happy enough if he doesn't come back after the summer. That would apply to most of their squad though, they've had a bad season.
Keane O'Shea Given Best Smallbone
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