Today's Irish Independent

[BigmanCas]

The guys reporting on the game last night for the paper were clueless in their opinion pieces. Vincent Hogan, Daniel Mc Donnell and your man David Kelly are in my opinion utterly inadequate in their analysis. I thought that I should flag this for other site visitors so as to obtain thoughts on the matter? Your man who rated the players?? He has a hard on for Mc Geady or what? he can't give a rational mark as he seems blinded by his blatent subjectivity (5 out of 10 - Robbie 7?). what a jurno!! It's amazing he is even employed - as for the other two numbskulls?? Give me your opinion :mad:

Have a look at Sky Sports analysis and ratings David Kelly ya Idiot!!!!!!! Joe Callaghan of the Irish Daily Mail isn't far behind, I might add.

[viagogo]

Read paper this morning and thought it was very harsh. Sure Ireland were poor at times but they showed great spirit to get the win. Would agree with you about Robbie Keane. I know he got the goals but he was poor overall last night compared to Kevin Doyle who ran his socks off. Very harsh for McGeady to get a rating of 5. Whelan and Andrews got 4. Thought they were better than this. They gave Shay 7 despite him having very little to do in game.

[jbyrne]

Would agree with you about Robbie Keane. I know he got the goals but he was poor overall last night compared to Kevin Doyle who ran his socks off.

never a game goes by that our captain doesnt get this kind of tripe thrown at him. keane also ran his socks off and did what he's there to do and scored two goals. decent performance and at least as good as doyle

[Eirambler]

Looking at his comments, I'd say he did the ratings at half time and then couldn't be bothered changing them all when Ireland caused him the inconvenience of coming back to win the game. Apart from Keanes which he had to change because he scored two goals so he gave him a 7.

Shoddy lazy journalism if Ive ever seen it...

[FarBeag]

Robbie Keane may not have played a blinder last night but he ran his socks off, as he always does for the cause.

The excitement on his face when he scored those goals shows what it means to him.

I don’t know what some people want from Keane but he scores goals and that is good enough for me.

With regard to the ratings I thought Mcgeady and Andrews were the best players on the pitch after Doyle.

[backstothewall]

Almost choked on the train going into Belfast this morning when i opened it. I have no idea what game they were watching. Given and Keane were the only ratings i could see the merit of.

Giving Kelly 3 was plain insulting. He made a mistake on the goal but he wasn't the only one to blame. dunne or O'Shea should have dealt with it long before it got as far as him.

Same for Andrews and Whelan getting 4. They were worth 7 and 6 respectively imho. McGeady was the best player on the park and gets a 5.

Is the David Kelly that writes for them the same David Kelly that played for Wolves and scored against England to spark the riot at LR?

[Eirambler]

No, diferent bloke, no ex-footballer of any note would have seen the game the way he reported it.

[tricky_colour]

Almost choked on the train going into Belfast this morning when i opened it. I have no idea what game they were watching. Given and Keane were the only ratings i could see the merit of.

Giving Kelly 3 was plain insulting. He made a mistake on the goal but he wasn't the only one to blame. dunne or O'Shea should have dealt with it long before it got as far as him.

Same for Andrews and Whelan getting 4. They were worth 7 and 6 respectively imho. McGeady was the best player on the park and gets a 5.

Is the David Kelly that writes for them the same David Kelly that played for Wolves and scored against England to spark the riot at LR?

Yes I agee with you about Kelly laying the blame entirely at his door seems rather unfair.

[Superhoops]

Almost choked on the train going into Belfast this morning when i opened it. I have no idea what game they were watching. Given and Keane were the only ratings i could see the merit of.

Giving Kelly 3 was plain insulting. He made a mistake on the goal but he wasn't the only one to blame. dunne or O'Shea should have dealt with it long before it got as far as him.

Same for Andrews and Whelan getting 4. They were worth 7 and 6 respectively imho. McGeady was the best player on the park and gets a 5.

Is the David Kelly that writes for them the same David Kelly that played for Wolves and scored against England to spark the riot at LR?
He certainly was in the second half, but in the first half he was dreadful only marignally better than Stephen Kelly. But how he got MOTM in front of Kevin Doyle is unbelieveable.

[BigmanCas]

He certainly was in the second half, but in the first half he was dreadful only marignally better than Stephen Kelly. But how he got MOTM in front of Kevin Doyle is unbelieveable.
Superhoop - did you watch the game. Mc Geady insisted from the getgo to attack his man he was eager, willing and showed a hunger that aside from Doyle, nobody else on the team sustained for the full 90 minutes. I am sick, sore and tired of people who seem to have an inability to spot this quality in him. The naysayers and there are many in this little land of ours that have wrote Mc Geady off in the past are reluctant to change their minds on this performance. They are blinded by intransigence. These include you my friend. Stephan Kelly is substandard and the fact that you brought him into your argument reinforces my point. Open up man - give in - you are wrong.

[The Fly]

BigmanCas - I'm in complete agreement with your above post.

I have been saying for ages that McGeady is our best talent. Last nights match justifies this. He was by far our most potent threat. Hopefully last nights performance will be translated into a solid consistency from here on in!

[Noelys Guitar]

I always get the impression that Hogan, Kelly and a little less so McDonell are writing for the non=football public. A bit like when RTE used to ask Pat Spillane for his views on Irish soccer. I just find their stuff unreadable. After watching the game I spoke with with a few Italian fans and they picked out Doyle and McGeady as our two best players. They warned me about playing Cyprus away. I declined to mention the 5-2 game.

[Razors left peg]

Superhoop - did you watch the game. Mc Geady insisted from the getgo to attack his man he was eager, willing and showed a hunger that aside from Doyle, nobody else on the team sustained for the full 90 minutes. I am sick, sore and tired of people who seem to have an inability to spot this quality in him. The naysayers and there are many in this little land of ours that have wrote Mc Geady off in the past are reluctant to change their minds on this performance. They are blinded by intransigence. These include you my friend. Stephan Kelly is substandard and the fact that you brought him into your argument reinforces my point. Open up man - give in - you are wrong.

Fair play, well said

[Stuttgart88]

I like McDonnell, I think his heart is very much in the right place but is probably a bit on the young side to entrust your opinion on.

I've been a very vocal critic of Ireland's central midfield here for a long long time and thought that Andrews last night did a very good job at what a central midfilder should do, especially under Trap's system. What did I read this morning? David Kelly saying central midfield was "obliterated" and that the first goal - a long cross ball over everyone's head - was a fault of our midfield.

Moan off you miserable cnuts.

We have our BEST EVER WC qualification start and this is what you think? I give up on Ireland sometimes. What's wrong with enjoying the moment, enjoying the day? We won a game we deserved to win but could easily have lost. Fcuking great. If you want to be miserable then fcuk off and cover England, like you do 80% of the time anyway.

[Superhoops]

Superhoop - did you watch the game. Mc Geady insisted from the getgo to attack his man he was eager, willing and showed a hunger that aside from Doyle, nobody else on the team sustained for the full 90 minutes. I am sick, sore and tired of people who seem to have an inability to spot this quality in him. The naysayers and there are many in this little land of ours that have wrote Mc Geady off in the past are reluctant to change their minds on this performance. They are blinded by intransigence. These include you my friend. Stephan Kelly is substandard and the fact that you brought him into your argument reinforces my point. Open up man - give in - you are wrong.

Yes, I was at the game and am not alone with my take on McGeady's performance.


McGeady's delivery is diabolical

better ball in from mcgeady? it was terrible

does mcgeady ever practice his crossing as he is a winger. jesus he is sooo over rated, no wonder he stayed at celtic.
trap is going to have to make a sub or two, wonder if he knows how!

Thanks Christ. Whelen at fault. Take off Duff, he's been as bad as McGeady but slower.

....McGeadys delivery although better in the first half is still not good enough....

.....I thought McGeady was quite poor for the best part of an hour ....

....... I was in the lower Hogan and didn't think McGeady or indeed anyone else got much abuse. There were groans and frustration in the first half when his final ball was poor after excellent approach work. He had a great second half.......

...I know I'm not in line with the concensus view here but I didn't think McGeady was particularly excellent overall last night. In fact, I thought he had a relatively poor first half overall - despite some flashes of brilliance. That said, he jolted to life during the 2nd half and was a prominant contributor to us clawing back the game.....

I would agree re: mcgeady, very poor first half didnt do a great deal in the second, HOWEVER he kept us attacking, kept up the momentum and had he not done this he woudln't have inspired the others to up their tempo and get about the pitch and look for ball. It was this that was his major contribution, when ireland were doing very he little he offered hope and kept things going. Very important in the overall scheme of things.

[Stuttgart88]

watch the second half again in cold light of day, without the nerves we all felt watching it live, and tell me again he was poor.

[Razors left peg]

Im in total disbelief that anyone thinks McGeady was poor last night. Dont know what more the lad has to do to silence his critics.Himself and Doyle were absolutely outstanding last night

[The Fly]

stuttgart - do you have any link to a recording of the match?

[backstothewall]

Much better than Doyle in my opinion. I know i'm in minority on this but i didn't think Doyle was terrific last night. Pushed off the all very easily on a number of occasions, which surprised me as he must come across equally as physical marking in the Championship.

[Stuttgart88]

No, sorry. Other than my SKY Sports subscription...

[endabob1]

Superhoops is bang on the money here. yes McGeady was very good in the 2nd half but in the first he was brutal, I lost count of the number of crosses that sailed out of play, straight into the keepers hands or sailed over the Keane & Doyle. I appreciate that he was on the wrong side for the first half hour or so but even so from a supposedly top-class player his distrobution in the first half was Very poor but like the man says he was much better in the second half.
Whoever said the ratings were problably done at half time with Keanes changed because of the goals may not be too far wide of the mark.

[elroy]

You just gotta laugh at the newspapers:
Back page of Indo: No way back for (Stephen) Ireland

Irish Times: GT insists the door is still open for Stephen Ireland.

The real story behind the headlines is that Trap has said that if Ireland qualify for the WC without SI then he will (and rightly not) not allow SI to play any part in the finals.

Separately, the game drew a peak audience of 1.077m with an average of 768k - fantastic numbers and i think judging by prior years that figure is already likely to be the highest viewing figures for Ireland for any sport event this year.

[lionelhutz]

never a game goes by that our captain doesnt get this kind of tripe thrown at him. keane also ran his socks off and did what he's there to do and scored two goals. decent performance and at least as good as doyle

Keane truly was dire. I'd love to say he played well and has done consistently but the fact is he hasn't had an effective or influential 90 mins for Ireland for a long time now.

On Wed night he barely got a touch of the ball, although Irelands long ball tactic didn't really help him. But I felt he could have read Doyles flick ons much better. And there were a couple of through balls that he should have been alot sharper to.

I felt he should have been taken off after an hour. Try the Hunt Doyle combination from Reading. Then he scored twice but his overall performance was very poor IMO.

With regards the Indo, I find David Kelly's writing constantly cringe worthy - whether it's rugby or soccer. His writing is more in tune with the sun or mirror. However, I like Vincent Hogans pieces in general but he got it wrong about Keane yesterday.

[Pike B]

Keane truly was dire. I'd love to say he played well and has done consistently but the fact is he hasn't had an effective or influential 90 mins for Ireland for a long time now.

On Wed night he barely got a touch of the ball, although Irelands long ball tactic didn't really help him. But I felt he could have read Doyles flick ons much better. And there were a couple of through balls to him that he should have been alot sharper.

I felt he should have been taken off after an hour. Try the Hunt Doyle combination from Reading. Then he scored twice but his overall performance was very poor IMO.

With regards the Indo, I find David Kelly's writing constantly cringe worthy - whether it's rugby or soccer. His writing is more in tune with the sun or mirror. However, I like Vincent Hogans pieces in general but he got it wrong about Keane yesterdya.
I am a centre forward myself,(although at a junior level) and as such understand that it is without question the hardest position on the pitch. You are a victim of whats behind you and if they are rubbish, well, you can be a spectator. But in the case of a great striker, you never ever take them off. Because as Keane showed, they're dangerous for the entire 90mins.

I agree with your assesment but I wouldn't have taken him off. Trapp knew he was capable of what he did. And next time he's having a mare, he'll still stay on.

[jbyrne]

Keane truly was dire. I'd love to say he played well and has done consistently but the fact is he hasn't had an effective or influential 90 mins for Ireland for a long time now.


is two goals not considered influential? my god, what nonsense

[endabob1]

Sorry unless I'm mistaken isn't Scoring goals the whole point of the game??

[geysir]

If anybody picked Doyle as motm, no problem imo.

Watching the game a second time yesterday I changed from a few first impressions.
Dunne was very culpable for the goal, it was his ball to deal with and the very dangerous flick on should not have been allowed. He dealt with everything after that.

On McGeady, he did alright in the first half.
3 poor crosses out of about 8 or 9,
about 95% of his passes completed successfully,
won a few corners
and a very confident run on the break with a good shot.
Credit to him for holding his head up and turning in a great performance in the second half. He deserves all the plaudits for an overall very good performance.

[lionelhutz]

is two goals not considered influential? my god, what nonsense

Look, I think Robbie Keane is a great talent and Irelands best striker in my lifetime. I just feel he could do more in games for us. He could link up play more and hold it up better.

Yes he scored the 2 goals that won us the game (1 a penalty and the other shouldered into the net) but he could have made more of an impression on the game IMO.

Doyle and McGeady carried the fight to Georgia in a way I felt our captain should have been doing.

I always support every Irish player to the full and I pray that he performs brilliantly in the upcoming big games - which he is capable of doing.

[Superhoops]

watch the second half again in cold light of day, without the nerves we all felt watching it live, and tell me again he was poor.

Not sure if you intended this towards me but I did agree in my response to backtowalsall that McGeady played well in the second half.


He certainly was (the best player on the park) in the second half, but in the first half he was dreadful only marignally better than Stephen Kelly. But how he got MOTM in front of Kevin Doyle is unbelieveable.

[jmurphyc]

Yes he scored the 2 goals that won us the game (1 a penalty and the other shouldered into the net) but he could have made more of an impression on the game IMO.

I thought he was relatively poor up until the goals. Attacking wise he wasd quite poor IMO; he was struggling to utilise the ball and moves were breaking down due to him. But defensively he was quite good. He was constantly harrying the defenders and managed to snatch the ball off a defender on a couple of occasions, if I recall correctly. He'll certainly be useful to us in that regard for the rest of the campaign.

[eirebhoy]

Separately, the game drew a peak audience of 1.077m with an average of 768k - fantastic numbers and i think judging by prior years that figure is already likely to be the highest viewing figures for Ireland for any sport event this year.
All the Late Late show heads tuning in to watch Dunphy. :)

[Stuttgart88]

Not sure if you intended this towards me but I did agree in my response to backtowalsall that McGeady played well in the second half.Not directed at you at all, just a general quip at anyone who was moaning about the performance. I cited the second half because that's all I've seen again since the game and what stood out for me in the second half was how well McGeady did.

His final ball isn't as good as Duff's but he has added a directness & willingness to shoot which is a threat.

Funny thing is that Doyle and Keane are probably best served from a central position but our 2 most creative players are wide guys. That's an issue that needs to be addressed somehow. I did like Andrews' willingness to make himself available, not unlike Lampard or Gerrard, around the box to give them an extra option.

[geysir]

Yes he scored the 2 goals that won us the game (1 a penalty and the other shouldered into the net) but he could have made more of an impression on the game IMO.
Whilst the penalty decision was dubious, Robbie grabbed the ball without hesitation, it was his responsibility to take this high pressure, he dispatched it masterly and with supreme confidence. The diving "header" was a well taken goal.

Not referring to you LH, but it is incredible that this player does not get due credit for coming up with the essential goods in a game where he at least busted his gut to get involved and to get up to his pace.
Part of it is that we take a converted penalty as granted.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Keane truly was dire. I'd love to say he played well and has done consistently but the fact is he hasn't had an effective or influential 90 mins for Ireland for a long time now.

On Wed night he barely got a touch of the ball, although Irelands long ball tactic didn't really help him. But I felt he could have read Doyles flick ons much better. And there were a couple of through balls that he should have been alot sharper to.

I felt he should have been taken off after an hour. Try the Hunt Doyle combination from Reading. Then he scored twice but his overall performance was very poor IMO.

With regards the Indo, I find David Kelly's writing constantly cringe worthy - whether it's rugby or soccer. His writing is more in tune with the sun or mirror. However, I like Vincent Hogans pieces in general but he got it wrong about Keane yesterday.

Thank Christ you're not the manager so. Keane stood up when it counted. He got more into the game as it went on, how anyone can criticse him after scoring twice is beyond me. Strikers are there to score goals, would you sooner his link up play had been superb and we'd lost one nil? Dire???!!! Beggars belief.

Kelly's piece in the Indo was a disgrace though, I'll give you that.

[BigmanCas]

If anybody picked Doyle as motm, no problem imo.

Watching the game a second time yesterday I changed from a few first impressions.
Dunne was very culpable for the goal, it was his ball to deal with and the very dangerous flick on should not have been allowed. He dealt with everything after that.

On McGeady, he did alright in the first half.
3 poor crosses out of about 8 or 9,
about 95% of his passes completed successfully,
won a few corners
and a very confident run on the break with a good shot.
Credit to him for holding his head up and turning in a great performance in the second half. He deserves all the plaudits for an overall very good performance.

Stephan Kelly was 100% at fault - he was sleeping.

On Mc Geady - exactly - your stats say it all. Hands down Man of the Match. It's official as well.

[geysir]

I don´t doubt that Kelly was snoozing on the job.
Next time you see it have a look at Dunne, no concentration or snoozing himself, his man rose unchallenged to flick on. That would not have happened to Dunne anytime later on in the game.

[back of the net]

Superhoop - did you watch the game. Mc Geady insisted from the getgo to attack his man he was eager, willing and showed a hunger that aside from Doyle, nobody else on the team sustained for the full 90 minutes. I am sick, sore and tired of people who seem to have an inability to spot this quality in him. The naysayers and there are many in this little land of ours that have wrote Mc Geady off in the past are reluctant to change their minds on this performance. They are blinded by intransigence. These include you my friend. Stephan Kelly is substandard and the fact that you brought him into your argument reinforces my point. Open up man - give in - you are wrong.

Bigman Cas - i am in complete agreement with Superhoops on mcgeady - i was at the game also and i thought mcgeady was bloody diabolical in the first half...absolutely awful. Big improvement in the 2nd - but first half he was terrible.

nothing against the lad...he was just poor in the first half of the game

[boovidge]

Hopefully the good second half performance will give McGeady confidence in the Irish shirt. You could visibly see him grow in confidence after he went on that first run.

As far as Keane's concerned I think people are being a little harsh. It wasn't a vintage performance overall but all a striker can do is score goals. Alot of people on here say he doesn't produce the goods in big games. With 20 minutes left and Ireland going out the World Cup he got 2.

Doyle played well, worked hard and got his head on a few balls but in the end failed to penetrate the Georgian defence which is ultimately the most important thing.

[irishultra]

yep i watched the game, keane was out of the game but he wasn't so bad. I think trap is trying to fool himself into thinking keane is some irish totti, but he really isn't that is why we need ireland to link these up between midfield and attack.

at no point during traps games that i can remember have we threatened to get behind the defence with a nice through ball.

[Stuttgart88]

McGeady's chance in Montenegro?

Keane's goal in Norway, and his goal at Craven Cottage?

I accept the broad point though. I think I said on this thread that Doyle & Keane are best served by central midfield than by wingers and this is an issue we need to address.

[Superhoops]

.......Funny thing is that Doyle and Keane are probably best served from a central position but our 2 most creative players are wide guys. That's an issue that needs to be addressed somehow. I did like Andrews' willingness to make himself available, not unlike Lampard or Gerrard, around the box to give them an extra option.

Great shout. Its a point I made to a few mates on Wednesday.

Although Doyle has the ability to attack a high ball from wide or deep (like the one he nearly scored from the other night) like Robbie he is better running onto balls played through from or just forward of central midfield.

However, you need players who can deliver that type of ball consistently.
Whelan for all his efforts is not up to it, I'm not convinced by Andrews but the man who certainly can do it is Andy Reid, its his natural game.

[irishultra]

or Keith Fahey.

[gspain]

Hopefully the good second half performance will give McGeady confidence in the Irish shirt. You could visibly see him grow in confidence after he went on that first run.

As far as Keane's concerned I think people are being a little harsh. It wasn't a vintage performance overall but all a striker can do is score goals. Alot of people on here say he doesn't produce the goods in big games. With 20 minutes left and Ireland going out the World Cup he got 2.

Doyle played well, worked hard and got his head on a few balls but in the end failed to penetrate the Georgian defence which is ultimately the most important thing.

Both McGeady and Keane are confidence players. Aiden will benefit greatly from Wednesday. Robbie will hopefully have a good few weeks at Tottenham with a manager who wants him. He will be much sharper for Bulgaria. His goals are still priceless. The cool head for the penalty and then a real striker's goal.

I thought Doyle's movement and laying off of the ball was superb.

[frog-gufc]

i would have given
given 6-nothing to do really
kelly 4-shocker
kilbane 7- good game supported left wingers all night
dunne 6- easy night
o shea 6- see dunne
duff 8-
mcgeady 8-
whelan 6-
andrews 7-
keane 7-
doyle 8-

[BigmanCas]

Bigman Cas - i am in complete agreement with Superhoops on mcgeady - i was at the game also and i thought mcgeady was bloody diabolical in the first half...absolutely awful. Big improvement in the 2nd - but first half he was terrible.

nothing against the lad...he was just poor in the first half of the game
"Mc Geady was diabolical in the 1st half"???? I was at the game myself. I am simply saying and agree that Ireland were very poor in the 1st half but Mc Geady was always trying to take the game to them. Now if you guys are making your judgements on a misplaced pass here, or a bad cross there in the first half then I am dissappointed (and I think most of you are). At least he was trying!!!, which is a lot more than I can say for a few of the lads in the first half. Mc Geadys mistakes were only conspicious because he was the only one trying them. Get off his back!

[Docboy]

I thought that McGeady was more than willing in the first half, taking on his man and trying to get crosses in. Far enough they weren't landing where they should but this Irish side doesn't exactly flood the box with people attacking the ball.

Second half he was our best player on the pitch, bringing the game to the Georgians at every opportunity and winning plenty of corners and free-kicks. Hopefully this performance will help him kick on and produce the goods on a regular basis. Some of the criticism of him is way over the top, perhaps due to who he plays for?

[elroy]

Bring back Gary Doherty, give us a presence up front :p

We continually play high balls to Keane when its clears that he is at his ball with through balls or balls played to feet. Admittedly the other night Keane's touch wasnt near good enough but he still came good. Ya he didnt play great but he got the goals that mattered and considering his confidence must've been very low he took that pressure peno very well.
For example, if Michael Owen was quiet for 90 mins and popped up with two goals, people would be singing his praises.......yet Keane still gets stick when he does the same.

On the other hand I dont think we play enough good balls into Doyle to make the best use of his aerial ability. He got one decent ball from Hunt late on the other night, from which he tested the keeper, but that was it.

[donalmcdonagh]

Im in total disbelief that anyone thinks McGeady was poor last night. Dont know what more the lad has to do to silence his critics.Himself and Doyle were absolutely outstanding last night

I agree...why are the views of the aforementioned journo's mirrored by so many people...It baffles me. The majority of Irish soccer watching public are so negative. We need to encourage, remember ronaldo when he started at Man U, he was the step over king but Zero end product, now look at him. Im not saying mcgeady will be that good but he will get a lot better with the right people around him. As for Doyle, he won every single header with AC Milan's best centre half, a world class defender, he was excellant. If the team can learn to feed of this in the right way we will get a lot of success. We are a work in progress.

Finally, I would love to hear some opinions on the sunday world journo R Curtis...I believe his writing skills and knowledge are absolute rubbish (i would like to use stronger language). Do people share this opnion. I bought the Sunday world for the first time in a long while and had to stop reading....terrible article. I reckon this guy got a job based on his A in honours english and his fondness for stupid comparison's (cant remember the literary term for this, sorry I got a B in pass English)

[Stuttgart88]

this Irish side doesn't exactly flood the box with people attacking the ball.Important point.

Question: Robbie could/should have scored in 1st half with a flicked header to the middle of the goal where a header to the near post would have scored. Who fed him / how did the ball get there? I can't recall.

[razor]

keane also ran his socks off and did what he's there to do and scored two goals. decent performance and at least as good as doyleKeane put in nowhere near the shift that Doyler did.