QuoteIt's on the same thread. In fairness, many are putting their hands up, and there's plenty of talk of humble pie.Originally Posted by tricky_colour
Was an odd game for him. I've never seen him make so many mistakes but his 2 goals were sublime. The second will go down as one of the best of his career. His passing was horrendous throughout.
Foley and Ward were solid enough without being spectacular. Clarke was much better than last week. Dunne and Given were their usual brilliance. Doyle gone further down the pecking order it looks like. Might be a good idea for him to get a move to the likes of Everton.
It's on the same thread. In fairness, many are putting their hands up, and there's plenty of talk of humble pie.
Yea just been wading through the 50+ page thread, I think this comment, one of the first after the result sums it up.
"Egg all over my face, and every one else's."
dunno if he will be getting a Christmas card from Mick McCarthy though, that was a game they would have otherwise probably won.
Last edited by tricky_colour; 21/01/2012 at 7:38 PM.
I am delighted for Robbie. He really is one of the most under-rated strikers that Ireland has ever produced. Sure, he does miss a couple of sitters, but what people ignore is his build up play and ability to get himself into scoring chances. Don't get me wrong. I love Kevin Doyle, and I love his commitment and workrate for the Irish team; but how often do you see him score, or miss great chances? He is a workhorse, and I recognise his contribution, but we have several players in his mould (Walters, Cox, etc.). How many Robbie Keane's do we have? How many players in our international setup do you think can score 53 international goals?
I can actually see us in the Euros playing Spain, Robbie missing a complete sitter and playing muck for 89 minutes of the game, but still popping up to grab an equalizer and gain us a point. Despite getting one of the most incredible results in our international history, people will still complain. "we should have played Clinton Morrison, or Frank Stapleton and we would have won the match" is what they will say. "Pooh to you, with knobs on" is what I say.
Nothing like a bit of Blackadder to ram home a point!
I think this is a massive understatement. He's the best striker we've ever produced by far and still he can't do anything right in some fans' eyes.
Something I noticed in the few minutes he played against Everton and was highlighted by Kenny Cunningham today was how deep he's playing for Villa, almost in the quarterback role. It's where he played for us in Bari after Italy went down to 10 men, but otherwise he's always played further forward for us. Given the Irish team's general inability to hang onto the ball in midfield, I'd have thought it'd be the perfect place for him to play. Might be more suited to Long's game than Doyle though.
I don't know about under-rated, as I think many people do recognize his ability, but certainly under appreciated. He really wasn't great today and I wouldn't have known he was on had I not checked but that will all be forgotten. Was the same against Estonia as well but again got two goals. Even if he contributes nothing besides two goals a game for a striker that's still an excellent match.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Good first goal.
But that second is something else. The first touch was sublime and the flight of the ball thereafter was amazing.
Delighted for him.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Take a bow son!
Always look on the bright side of life
Hopefully long can get fit again and rob plays deep with long up top to stretch teams with proper pace with gibson and mccarthy making us solid and decent on the ball in midfield
A Gibson and Mccarthy midfield is far too lightweight, jury is out if either of them can play in a 2. Both of them is surely suicide.
I wouldn't call them lightweight - they've both got a bit of pudge on. Gibson is very sound defensively but the pair of them might not satisfy Trap's lust for harrying.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. We need more postst likes this. Robbie in midfield - somebody finally recognises the fact that we need him there to hold the ball and do something constructive with it. If Trap ever sees sense and puts Robbie in the middle of the park we would be twice the attacking force that we are.
Absolutely. Can never understand the stick he gets from some Irish fans. We will never produce another forward like him, that's for sure.
"We lost because we didn't win"- Ronaldo
There have been games - even going back to Kerr's time - where the strikers have been isolated, and Keane could have dropped deeper, making it a 4-4-1-1, instead of having both front-men hanging on the last defender's shoulder. But then, he's scored 13 goals in the last two years (our next top scorers being on 3) so he's certainly providing enough value further up the pitch. Keane could work as the free man in a 4-3-1-2, like we played in Bari - but only against weaker (or weakened) sides.
The idea of Keane in CM in a 4-4-2 instead of Whelan/Andrews, as I suspect you're suggesting, is suicide. The roles Whelan and Andrews play might look easy or pointless to you, but they're getting in blocks and tackles, denying space to opposition playmakers, and making sure that the opposition are playing in front of us, rather than in behind. It's about protecting the back four when we don't have the ball, which is an essential job in midfield at this level. An ideal replacement for either GW or KA, one which would genuinely improve the team, should be able to do all the above when we don't have the ball, but with above-average passing, movement and vision when we are in possession. A 2008 Steven Reid is the most recent Irish example for this kind of midfielder, and the likes of McCarthy, Meyler, maybe even Gibson, could fit that bill in the near future, should they continue to develop. Keane has never been that kind of player, and putting him there would not enhance our attacking ability, given the goals we would lose from his absence up top. It would also weaken us defensively in a big way.
Would add Clark to that list and suggest that even at this stage he is the best equiped to break into the reckoning for a CM slot. Playing really well for Villa and appears to be the complete player (mobile, technically adept, good defensive instincts), but Trapp reckons he's not a midfield player apparently....
Clark plays a few games in CM for Villa and lo and behold already "appears to be the complete player". Despite breaking into the Villa team in mid-Dec and the last Irish game was in November, Trapattoni gets stick for not picking him.
After watching the villa match the idea of Robbie in midfield does have his merits, I mean he had 3 shots from similar distance,
the sort of distance a midfielder gets to shoot from, and he put 2 in the back of the net!! In the words of the great USA midfielder
Meatloaf, two out of three ain't bad!
A bit like a Lampard or a Scholes perhaps?
Anyhow he does seem to be good at shooting from distance, sometimes that is easier than close up when the angles are narrow.
But obviously there is more to midfield than taking pot shots on goal so the defensive side would be a concern particularly to
the likes of Trap.
My God - I'm able to post again after a week's enforced absence. The relief!
By all accts Robbie was sloppy in possession on Saturday.
He drops very deep for Ireland anyway, but that's not to say he's a midfielder. The red card in Estonia came from Robbie starting a run just around the centre circle. His opener in Macedonia came from distance. That doesn't mean he should restrict himself to a withdrawn role. He more regularly scores for us by being cute in the box. That's where defenders all say he's at his most difficult. By all means let him drop deep to muck in when required - as he does - but he's not an orthodox midfielder and never will be.
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