QuoteWhether Delaney was out due to a fitness concern or not, Hangeland has just gone and justified his presence with a debut goal to put Palace 1-0 up.Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
according to the preview of the Arsenal game on Palace's site - http://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/article/p...e-1830330.aspx - Delaney was a doubt for this game
Adrian Mariappa and Damien Delaney are both doubtful after missing the Eagles’ final pre-season friendly of the summer at FC Augsburg last weekend, while Jonny Williams is definitely ruled out with a thigh injury.
Whether Delaney was out due to a fitness concern or not, Hangeland has just gone and justified his presence with a debut goal to put Palace 1-0 up.
Was Hangeland at fault for the equaliser?
Completely, thankfully. He allowed Koscielny to easily get in front of him and into space where the Arsenal player was left free to head into the net. Hangeland was trailing behind marking nobody. Palace have defended quite well otherwise though.
Delaney replaces the injured Scott Dann for the final 15 minutes.
The impression I got was Delaney was just back from injury so being on the bench shouldn't have been seen as some sort of snub.
Another look at the goal with the offside view paused, I am getting the hang of this twitter lark now!
https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/115...4yMo06KBVUgG.f
Can anyone shed any light on why Delaney might have been excluded for the Gibraltar and Germany games? He clearly should still be in the squad based on current form, if not in the starting line-up. Is there bad blood between himself and Roy? They've had a few run-ins in the past when Roy was managing him, but you'd like to think such petty matters would be cast aside for the greater good and that they could have a professional working relationship. Does Roy doubt his mettle?
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 05/10/2014 at 3:17 AM.
I doubt Roy has much control over selections. More likely the manager just isn't that sold on him.
How come Roy is the nr 1 suspect when searching for possible issues of discord in the camp?
Even if Delaney and Keane had their moments, he still was a regular first team player. It was Jewell who didn't have use for him.
Given O'Neill's club track record I'd have thought DD was edactyl the type of CB he likes. When did he last start - Turkey? Was he "excused" for the summer tour? Maybe he lost favour for missing the US tour for perceived flimsy reasons?
His ability to deputise at LB makes his omission especially strange.
When Richard Keogh was selected despite that performance against Portugal and generally looking shaky in his other performances - when he's not overdoing bringing the ball out of defence and playing simple passes, and Damien Delaney is absent despite not only being one of half a dozen players playing regularly in the PL but generally impressing whenever he has deputised for us - then questions have to be asked.
I know there were reports that Keogh was one of O'Neill's pet projects in the spring time. Perhaps that explains why O'Neill has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to selecting him ahead of Delaney and playing him ahead of players like Clark and Pearce.
It was very concerning seeing him warm up when one of the CB's went down for a few moments against Georgia. That's how close he is to the team.
People say that the spat with Roy Keane isn't a factor because Walters is still lingering around but Walters - for some inexplicable reason - is far more ingrained in the setup than Delaney.
It's puzzling that DD is absent despite being one of only a few EPL regulars yet it's inexplicable why Walters is a mainstay despite being one of the other EPL regulars - which he pretty much was until this season?
I think your points would be better made if you didn't introduce some of your other prejudices into the picture when not really relevant. Fwiw, I wouldn't start Walters in any game but I do think he's worth a squad place.
I think everyone here prefers DD to Keogh, but it is what it is.
I also think its a bit harsh to say Keogh overdoes the bringing the ball out of defence. It's one of his strengths and something to be admired in a CB, and it's not something any of our other ones do much of.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 05/10/2014 at 12:34 PM.
Fair enough. I would have Walters in the squad too but he has been keeping out better players for too long and performances and results have not merited it.
I don't think there is any nous to what Keogh is doing. He is not the starting point for launching attacks and he's not lasering intricate passes across the pitch like John Terry.
I would be more concerned about the fact that - as a defender - he looks shaky at corners, set pieces, in the air and whenever he is being ran at - and God knows this is going to happen a lot in this campaign.
I'd have Delaney in the squad but I'm not particularly bothered that he's not. I'd have him ahead of Pearce but on a par with Clark and Keogh.
My worry about Keogh is more from open play and when the ball is in front of him. He's fine in a typical blood and thunder Championship game with the ball in the air a lot. Unfortunately there aren't many of those games in international football!
Mind you I'd say the same about DD too probably.
The Championship isn't all about kick and rush. The leading teams Forest, Norwich, Derby etc try and play on the deck as do many of the sides. Whether they are any good at it is another issue.
I supported Trap on his selections, no matter how apparently bizarre, so I will also support MO'N on this one as I assume he knows more about the players than we do. I doubt any lingering difficulty the assistant manager may have with a player would not affect the Manager's selection. I've always liked DD as a player but I am amused by TOWK's suggestion that because he plays regularly in the Premiership he should be in when, on the other hand, he doesn't give Whelan a moment's peace, despite being one of our few other EPL regulars.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I would have had McCarthy, Gibson, Meyler and Hoolahan ahead of Whelan at one point or other when they were playing regularly in the PL. Hendrick has a future at a higher level so him too.
In fact I would have Whelan in or around the Ireland team if his Intl. form was similar to his club form but take things on their merits, he hasn't turned up for Ireland since the 2010 Qualifying campaign. Look at St Ledger. I wouldn't have him anywhere near the first 11 on club form but he always turned up for Ireland.
In any event, Delaney would be the deputy defender when O'Shea or Wilson get injured - so he wouldn't necessarily be a starter in TOWK's ideal world - although he would certainly be very close to my 11. His PL form is every bit as good as Whelan's. Palace had one of the best defences in the league last season.
I think the point is if you're going to point to performing well in the Premier League as a plus point, you can't just selectively ignore it with regard to other players.
After 7 games. They had a similar record at this stage last season so it's not a good barometer. And it's only 2 more goals conceded than Liverpool and Man Utd.
And if Delaney consistently played as bad for Ireland as Whelan has then I would disregard his club form. Both players are playing at a high level in the PL; in an ideal world both would be bench options for Ireland.
I think it would be a godsend for all concerned if Whelan was, even temporarily, taken out of the firing line for Ireland.
His performances against Russia, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Euros have been frankly embarrassing. I'm sick of the sight of Paul Green but even I can admit that he has a shown himself to have a bit more bite at this level after he adjusted somewhat to Intl. football.
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