Nigeria and Bulgaria Squad

[Drumcondra 69er]

Posted this on the Nigeria thread but thought it might be easier for people to see in it's own thread. Feel free to merge in necessary mods.

Doyle named, Best in for Noel Hunt and Lawrence included, decent squad for me.

Trapattoni names squad for forthcoming friendly and World Cup qualifier

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Date: Monday, 18 May 2009 Section: International

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Giovanni Trapattoni today (May 18) named 25 players for the forthcoming International friendly against Nigeria on May 29 in Craven Cottage (kick off 8pm). 22 of these players will be selected for the squad to play Bulgaria in the FIFA World Cup group 8 Qualifier in Sofia on June 6 (kick off 8.30pm local time).


Welcoming the announcement, Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni said:
“Preparations for the game against Nigeria on May 29 will allow us to see some new players who have distinguished themselves during the course of the last season and also to welcome back players like Caleb Folan and Kevin Foley.”

He added, “Nigeria is a powerhouse of African football, with many strong and fast players who are playing for top clubs in England and Europe. They will provide a challenging test before the very important World Cup Qualfier in Bulgaria on June 6.”


Republic of Ireland Squad:

Goalkeepers
Shay Given - Manchester City
Dean Kiely - West Brom
Keiren Westwood - Coventry City

Defenders
Eddie Nolan - Preston North End
Sean St. Ledger - Preston North End
John O'Shea - Manchester United
Kevin Foley - Wolves
Paul McShane - Sunderland
Richard Dunne - Manchester City
Stephen Kelly - Birmingham City
Kevin Kilbane - Hull City

Midfielders
Aiden McGeady - Glasgow Celtic
Damien Duff - Newcastle United
Darron Gibson - Manchester United
Glenn Whelan - Stoke City
Keith Andrews - Blackburn Rovers
Liam Miller - QPR
Stephen Hunt - Reading
Andy Keogh - Wolves
Liam Lawrence - Stoke City

Forwards
Caleb Folan - Hull City
Kevin Doyle - Reading
Robbie Keane - Tottenham Hotspur
Shane Long - Reading
Leon Best - Coventry City

[joema]

No Keith Fahey. Mistake IMO. Hardly surprising though.

[drummerboy]

Why on earth Liam Miller is included is a mystery to me. Delighted to see St Ledger and Lawrence included. Surprised to see Best there but its worth having a look as he still has potential. Would have prefered to see Fahy included at the expence of Miller. Delaney not included, injured or dropped, I know he spent a lot of time on bench recently.

[Wangball]

No Keith Fahey. Mistake IMO. Hardly surprising though.

Would rather see Fahey in there than Miller but to be fair there are players who have just as good a claim on a space as Fahey does

Garvan, McCann & McCarthy to name 3

[Razors left peg]

slightly surprised McCarthy wasnt called into the squad for the sake of experience but its a decent squad,although the continuing overlooking of Andy Reid still annoys me.... however in Trap we Trust:ball:

[Stuttgart88]

Refreshing to see Nolan, SLS and Lawrence in the squad, and Best's inclusion shows some imagination.

Not too fussed over the U21 midfilders not being included as I think the current CM's, bar Miller, deserve their places.

Generally pleased with this squad.

[paul_oshea]

its SLS now is it? What was wrong with Sledge?

[Junior]

Id prefer 'The Saint' as in Roger Moore circa mid 80's........

[tetsujin1979]

or "Greavsie's Mate"

[elroy]

Delighted to see Lawrence included contrary to earlier reports. Millers inclusion is baffling.
Presumably Doyle wont make either game, so maybe Fahey will be added to the squad then

[gwhite]

Clint Morrison must be disapppointed not to be called up with N Hunt out and Doyle doubtful and McShane should've been dropped but a decent squad. Has to start with Lawrence, Foley & SSL against Nigeria to see what they can do for us. Anyone know if Gibson and O'Shea are being considered for the Nigeria game?

[The Legend]

Miller should enjoy the trip, it will be his last.

[the doc]

its SLS now is it? What was wrong with Sledge?

All the best to Sean from all at PNE. :)

Preston fans call him, SSL, The Saint, Ledge, and Sledge.

Good to see him get a chance!

http://www.pnefc.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10362~1661138,00.html

[bwagner]

Kiely
Foley Dunne Mc Shane St ledger
Duff Andrews Whelan Gibson Lawerence
Folan

[Closed Account]

Kiely
Foley Dunne Mc Shane St ledger
Duff Andrews Whelan Gibson Lawerence
Folan
Hmmmm.... why st ledger left back? Its not too far fetched but i can't see Trap experimenting too much.
Kiely(westwood half time)
Foley Dunne McShane Kilbane
Lawrence Andrews Whelan Duff
Folan Long

[the doc]

Kiely
Foley Dunne Mc Shane St ledger
Duff Andrews Whelan Gibson Lawerence
Folan

Think Trapp has to play St Ledger alongside Dunne, pointless playing McShane there as he has already seen and used that CB pairing.

Nolan at LB too would be a good option, did well there for PNE.

[geysir]

its SLS now is it? What was wrong with Sledge?
What's right with SLS?

[irishfan86]

Very happy with this squad announcement. Very little to be upset with, apart from Miller's inclusion, but there's always a few players in any squad that people will raise eyebrows about.

Best is a bit surprising, but he is at a similar level compared to other potential options.

Especially happy about Sledge and Lawrence's inclusions.

[Colbert Report]

It is safe to say that Andy Reid is done in an Ireland top until Trap is gone.

[back of the net]

Miller should enjoy the trip, it will be his last.

God i hope your right!!!

What makes you think it will be?

He is absolute muck and is not good enough.

Would prefer to see fahey get a bit more club time under his belt before been called up to intl squad - but would gladly have him in that squad ahead of miller


would have liked to seen garvan and mccarthy given a trial run - but understand why trap doesnt wanna experiment to much with bulgaria match so close


Great to see st ledger , foley and lawrence called up

[elroy]

I see Setanta are showing both games, does that mean the Bulgaria game is not on rte??

[NeilMcD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0DB1Ay8Xg

The moment that spelled the end of Andy Reids international career. Trap hates Damien Rice.

[Colbert Report]

Can someone please explain to me why Kevin Doyle is in the squad?

[richieos]

Can someone please explain to me why Kevin Doyle is in the squad?

trapattoni wants the irish medical team to asses him, the same thing capello does with england players

[Crosby87]

Any chance whatsoever Doyle can play?

[richieos]

Any chance whatsoever Doyle can play?

i doubt trapattoni would call him at all if there wasnt even a slight chance. it shows how important he is to trapattonis plans too

[seanfhear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0DB1Ay8Xg

The moment that spelled the end of Andy Reids international career. Trap hates Damien Rice.
Andy should bring the guitar on to the football field with one of those straps on his back.

Then when he really wants to mesmerise the opposition he can slide it around front and give them a tune.

Sure it would not make him any slower;)

[Drumcondra 69er]

I see Setanta are showing both games, does that mean the Bulgaria game is not on rte??

No, the Nigeria game is only on Steanta but as far as I know RTE will be showing all the qualifiers.

[Stuttgart88]

What time is Bulgaria game, our time? My wife is away and kids are invited to an afternoon birthday party.

[tetsujin1979]

What time is Bulgaria game, our time? My wife is away and kids are invited to an afternoon birthday party.
according to this - http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/teams/team=43953/fixturesresults.html - it's 8:30
doesn't say if it's local time or GMT, or whatever though.
I can only find TV listings only up until the end of the month

[Stuttgart88]

Thanks. FAI website says 8.30 local time, 6.30 Irish time.

[Wolfie]

The inclusion of Nolan, St Ledger, Lawrence and Foley is encouraging.

I'd have like to have seen Delap rewarded with a call up also. I still think he could do a job for us in the short term.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Thanks. FAI website says 8.30 local time, 6.30 Irish time.

It's definitely 6.30. Have a pre wedding course that day finishing at 5.30 so will be straight out the door and to the pub! Made sure to check the kick off time before telling herself I was free that day for it!

[back of the net]

No, the Nigeria game is only on Steanta but as far as I know RTE will be showing all the qualifiers.

according to this setanta are showing the bulgaria game as well

http://www.wheresthematch.com/channels/Setanta.asp?sportid=1


i am pretty sure that i saw them advsertising on the tv during ad breaks that they were showing both the nigeria and bulgaria games

[Drumcondra 69er]

according to this setanta are showing the bulgaria game as well

http://www.wheresthematch.com/channels/Setanta.asp?sportid=1


i am pretty sure that i saw them advsertising on the tv during ad breaks that they were showing both the nigeria and bulgaria games

They are, RTE and Setanta both have the Bulgaria game, Nigeria is Setanta only.

[back of the net]

Can someone please explain to me why Kevin Doyle is in the squad?

trap and doyle have said there is a small chance that he may be fit to play. A player of doyles quality has to be included in the squad no matter how small the chances are of him being fit for bulgaria


trap has said he wont play doyle unless he is 100% fit --- so the chances are very small - but still should be in the squad to prove his fitness..

[back of the net]

They are, RTE and Setanta both have the Bulgaria game, Nigeria is Setanta only.

Sorry drumcondra - crossed wires

[paul_oshea]

What time is Bulgaria game, our time? My wife is away and kids are invited to an afternoon birthday party.

And, you are not taking them?!

[alltogethernow]

the continuing overlooking of Andy Reid still annoys me.... however in Trap we Trust:ball:

Why? he is muck and there are better options in that position including Fahey and Garvan to name 2.

[Razors left peg]

Why? he is muck and there are better options in that position including Fahey and Garvan to name 2.

He is far from muck and has put in alot of excellent performances in an Irish shirt.Im not going to start running down players like Fahy or Garvan because I believe that they will eventually be in Irish squads as they are quality players but Andy Reid has proven to be a good Premiership player which those lads havent and when Reid was in the Championship he proved every bit as good as those lads if not better. He has also shown in the past that he is a much better option on the right wing than Andy Keogh ever will be and he is head and shoulders above Liam Miller.
He deserves alot more respect than people saying he is muck

[Drumcondra 69er]

He is far from muck and has put in alot of excellent performances in an Irish shirt.Im not going to start running down players like Fahy or Garvan because I believe that they will eventually be in Irish squads as they are quality players but Andy Reid has proven to be a good Premiership player which those lads havent and when Reid was in the Championship he proved every bit as good as those lads if not better. He has also shown in the past that he is a much better option on the right wing than Andy Keogh ever will be and he is head and shoulders above Liam Miller.
He deserves alot more respect than people saying he is muck

He has had a poor season though, never really laid down any markers.

That said, he should be in ahead of Miller without question.

[Razors left peg]

He has had a poor season though, never really laid down any markers.

That said, he should be in ahead of Miller without question.

Im in danger of boring myself by saying the same thing all the time,but the Miller one is obvious... the one that really bugs me is that Keogh is considered ahead of Reid on the wing.Im not trying to say that Reid is world class by any means but he is definately worth a place in the squad as back up for the wings or to bring on in a tight game where his passing abitity is needed to split a defence.
Some people seem to have short memories and totally forget that he has proven himself to be a very capable player at international level.I accept that it hasnt been his greatest ever season but I still think that he is one of our best 25 players at the moment

[geysir]

Reid is a different player than Miller.
Trap sees a reason to have Miller around and pointless to have Reid.

Mick eulogises about the value of Keogh to his squad, I assume Trap also sees the same.

[paul_oshea]

geysir, in fairness Trap can get things wrong, not every decision he does might have a rational reasoning behind it that you always give. Sometimes managers do get things wrong, there isn't always a need to make sense of it!

[Jicked]

geysir, in fairness Trap can get things wrong, not every decision he does might have a rational reasoning behind it that you always give. Sometimes managers do get things wrong, there isn't always a need to make sense of it!

But it's not like Trap is saying Miller is a better technical football player than Reid. He's not. But Reid would not be able to do the role Trap needs from either his central midfielder or his winger. Miller and Keogh can both play the style he wants, (though neither can do it particularly well), that's why they're in the squad.

[Razors left peg]

I think at this stage if Reid wants to change Traps mind he will have to go away this summer and do what Steven Ireland did last year and do some intensive training and try get rid of some of the weight. If he wants to have have any hope of playing in the world cup,should we get there,he is going to have to do some thing pretty dramatic it seems.

I see today that Trap has started dropping hints about staying on beyond the current campaign.Id be very happy with that,but I do hope that after the Italy game he now trusts his players to play more attacking football now

[eirebhoy]

He has had a poor season though, never really laid down any markers.
Reid hasn't played central midfield all season as far as I'm aware. Almost every game he played last season was in the centre and he was absolutely brilliant.

[geysir]

geysir, in fairness Trap can get things wrong, not every decision he does might have a rational reasoning behind it that you always give. Sometimes managers do get things wrong, there isn't always a need to make sense of it!
There is a rationale, Trap's rationale. It would astonish me if Trap did not have a rationale for excluding Reid and including others.
It remains to be seen if it's the right rationale. That will be seen at the end of the qual games. Keep the faith.
It's funny how discussions can get overly focussed on who should be the 25th squad member.
For our game against Bulgaria, there are much bigger issues:)

[Stuttgart88]

the one that really bugs me is that Keogh is considered ahead of Reid on the wingI'm not so sure Trap believes that after Bari. He took him off after 20 minutes.

Now Lawrence is in the squad I think we have the right side of midfield sorted, it'll either be McGeady or Lawrence.

I buy into Neil McD's theory that Reid was left out after the first few squads because his attitude was affecting others. He's obviously unhappy at not starting or even coming on and if his demaenour is having a negative effect, then maybe Trap's right to leave him out.

There was an interesting snippet about S. Ireland in one of today's papers. Trap is supposed to have hinted in the press conference that if Ireland returned he'd have to consider changing the system and playing him in a Totti-like role. I reckon he thinks that Reid is best suited to that role too but doesn't think changing the system would be worth it for him.

Also, whereas players like Lawrence and St. Ledger have clearly played their way into the squad with consistently good club performances, the same can't be said of Reid. Roy Keane says Reid hasn't done enough for his club and I'd agree.

I think with Whelan doing really well in the latter part of the season and with the performances of Whelan, Andrews and then Gibson in Bari I think Reid's absence is less critical.

That said, I'd 100% have him in the squad myself.

Miller doesn't deserve it at all but tbh that's the only real complaint I have about this squad.

We have 3 good keepers including an exciting newcomer, 3 really good CBs, 2 good RBs (double-counting JOS), an interesting rookie that can play across the back 4 including LB, 2-3 decent LHM options, 2 decent RHM options, variety upfront and 3 decent enough CMs, each of whom is a better player than 6 months ago. That's the positive way to look at it I suppose. I'm being unfair on McShane but he's not a bad player to have as back-up and I think he can improve given time.

[eirebhoy]

I actually think if McShane and Dunne are solid enough against Nigeria Trap will stick with that pairing in Bulgaria. Reasons being that after McShane's mistake against Serbia he kept his place at centre half against Colombia with O'Shea playing right back. He was terrific. It was only when he got injured that Trap put O'Shea at centre half and has stuck with that since. He felt strongly enough against Italy to switch McShane and O'Shea around at half time and now Dunne and McShane will start together against Nigeria.

If there's one player I'd want to see McShane mark it's Berbatov so I hope they do well against Nigeria. Do we risk Foley's confidence by playing him against Petrov? It took O'Shea about 30 games to gain a bit of confidence in a green shirt.