Bulgaria V Ireland (Pre Match Thread)

[Wolfie]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/traps-inside-men-ready-for-battle-with-familiar-foes-1757790.html

"They've felt all along that if they can bring us to Bulgaria and beat us there, they can qualify," observed Given, "They've been winding me up, and I've been winding them up too, saying how easy it will be, but it's just a bit of team spirit, having a laugh.

"Since I got there, they've been talking about this game, saying, "wait til June, wait til June" so they're really fired up for it. They know how big it is for them."

[paul_oshea]

A món avis this is the biggest game in Traps career, to prove if we have turned a corner, and will be in the whole qualifying campaign. I honestly beleive that, if we win this game, then I cannot see us not qualifying for World cup 2010. However if we draw this I can see us struggling in a play-off or worse, losing on an away goal. I just hope we dont let in an early goal and are left chasing as I could see us conceding twice against their pace.

I'm going to go for a 1-1 draw as I don't think we have turned the corner yet in terms of away games. As always hope I'm wrong (in a positive way!) - I usually am but its generally some sort of a draw!

[Wolfie]

This was Dunne's view on St Ledger's debut:

"He was excellent, he talked all the way through the game," said Dunne, "He felt really comfortable to play alongside, like he'd been there for ages."

St Ledger could be worth the gamble alongside Dunne with O'Shea pushed out to Full-Back.

[richieos]

i think that the trap mentality of 'if you cant win, dont lose' will be very important over here. a draw would at least keep the distance between us and bulgaria, and a win would nearly put them out of contention, but if we lose, i can see us crumbling. although i can picture us finishing this campaign unbeaten because of the resilience trap has added to the team.

team prediction:
Given, Foley, Dunne, O'Shea, Kilbane, Mcgeady, Andrews, Whelan, Duff, Keane, Folan.

I have a feeling trap may finally have realised McShanes flaws and will look for an alternative.

Score prediction:
Bulgaria 2-2 Ireland

[paul_oshea]

This was Dunne's view on St Ledger's debut:

"He was excellent, he talked all the way through the game," said Dunne, "He felt really comfortable to play alongside, like he'd been there for ages."

St Ledger could be worth the gamble alongside Dunne with O'Shea pushed out to Full-Back.

thanks wolfie I couldn't see that line in the article you posted for some reason! ;) :D

[carloz]

This was Dunne's view on St Ledger's debut:

"He was excellent, he talked all the way through the game," said Dunne, "He felt really comfortable to play alongside, like he'd been there for ages."

St Ledger could be worth the gamble alongside Dunne with O'Shea pushed out to Full-Back.

Certainly a gamble thats worth taking IMO. I have no doubt that the Bulgarian staff have watched our game against Italy many times and know jus how vulnerable we are at right back with McShane. Martin Petrov will be the creative force o them so i think putting O'Shea on him would be a good idea. Plus, although not being the tallest, St Ledger is very dangerous when we have a set piece. Always vital in internationals.

[Wolfie]

i think that the trap mentality of 'if you cant win, dont lose' will be very important over here. a draw would at least keep the distance between us and bulgaria, and a win would nearly put them out of contention, but if we lose, i can see us crumbling. although i can picture us finishing this campaign unbeaten because of the resilience trap has added to the team.

team prediction:
Given, Foley, Dunne, O'Shea, Kilbane, Mcgeady, Andrews, Whelan, Duff, Keane, Folan.

I have a feeling trap may finally have realised McShanes flaws and will look for an alternative.

Score prediction:
Bulgaria 2-2 Ireland


I'd start with this team (for what its worth).

Given, Kilbane, Dunne, St Ledger, O'Shea, McGeady, Andrews, Whelan, Duff, Keane, Folan.

Stephen Hunt would figure later in the game also.

[paul_oshea]

deleted

[richieos]

http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/wa...l-1757416.html

Henderson being called into the squad
its good to hear about his dedication, going to the nigeria game as a fan and cancelling his holiday

[paul_oshea]

was henderson not in goals for the game against czech? did he not concede against koller? Or is the 4 out of 6 games that he was subbed but didnt let any in while he was on the pitch.

[Brendan 82]

I'm hoping Trap goes for this team:

Given, O'Shea, Dunne, St. Ledger, Kilbane, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Hunt, Folan, Keane

I think Josh is our best defender right now and his best position is right back. Because the other replacements at right back are so dodgy I think we have to break up the Dunne-O'Shea partnership, regrettably. But Petrov against McShane or Kelly scares the crap out of me. Dunne and the Saint looked comfortable together against Nigeria. It is a risk throwing a young centre half into such a crucial international fixture but I believe the threat posed by Petrov could be thwarted by O'Shea, thus easing the pressure on Dunne and the Saint. If Whelan and Andrews do their job, we could be alright defensively.

I'd go for Hunt on the left not because he is necessarily a better or more skillful player than Duff, I go for him because of the impact he has on an international match. He is a bit mad and really tears into them right from the whistle. It unsettlets the opposition, you see international defenders backtracking with a look on their face that says: "Who the F**K! is this crazy *******?!!" . He also defends well enough when needed.

If we can get service to Keane and Folan I believe we will score goals. I've always liked Robbie with a target man, someone who can hold it up and play little dinks for Robbie to run on to. Robbie is just sic and you'd nearly always fancy him to score.

Overall I expect a very tough game as Bulgaria know that it is now or never. Fingers crossed, its gonna be a wild ride, c'mon Ireland!

[Den Perry]

I'm hoping Trap goes for this team:

Given, O'Shea, Dunne, St. Ledger, Kilbane, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Hunt, Folan, Keane

I think Josh is our best defender right now and his best position is right back. Because the other replacements at right back are so dodgy I think we have to break up the Dunne-O'Shea partnership, regrettably. But Petrov against McShane or Kelly scares the crap out of me. Dunne and the Saint looked comfortable together against Nigeria. It is a risk throwing a young centre half into such a crucial international fixture but I believe the threat posed by Petrov could be thwarted by O'Shea, thus easing the pressure on Dunne and the Saint. If Whelan and Andrews do their job, we could be alright defensively.

I'd go for Hunt on the left not because he is necessarily a better or more skillful player than Duff, I go for him because of the impact he has on an international match. He is a bit mad and really tears into them right from the whistle. It unsettlets the opposition, you see international defenders backtracking with a look on their face that says: "Who the F**K! is this crazy *******?!!" . He also defends well enough when needed.

If we can get service to Keane and Folan I believe we will score goals. I've always liked Robbie with a target man, someone who can hold it up and play little dinks for Robbie to run on to. Robbie is just sic and you'd nearly always fancy him to score.

Overall I expect a very tough game as Bulgaria know that it is now or never. Fingers crossed, its gonna be a wild ride, c'mon Ireland!

Hunt is also crazy enough to get sent off stupidly in the first ten mins, so no way would I start him. He's an impact sub and that's all he'll ever be

[Duggie]

Hunt - no way were trying to win the game. he gives the ball away almost every time. we need duffer doing a bit of magic to open up the bulgies. dont think id start st ledger either. id go with the trusted dunne and o'shea for now.

[Stuttgart88]

was henderson not in goals for the game against czech? did he not concede against koller? Yes and yes. What's your point though? :)

Anyway, for me:

Given
O'Shea-Dunne-St. Ledger-Kilbane
Lawrence-Andrews-Whelan-Duff
Keane - Folan

SSL was impressive enough to break up the good JOS/ Dunne partnership. JOS will be needed on that side and is also better at developing play at the back.

Dunne's comments about SSL speak volumes in my opinion.

Duff wins out over Hunt for me, by quite a bit. Despite people querying his contribution, he was actually instrumental in beginning the move from which we scored on Friday.

Everyone else bar Lawrence vs McGeady is a shoe-in for me. I'd be inclined to pick Lawrence over McGeady just for the solidity he'd give down that side. Tough call though as McGeady has a lot going for him.

Because of the heat I'd say we could see whichever wide guys we choose being replaced after 60 minutes anyway.

I see this game a bit like Israel away a few years ago: a win would mark a monumental step forward that could set us back if we don't take it. We can't seriously expect to compete in these groups without a win away against a decent team somewhere along the line. I'm hoping that Trap has this situation sussed out.

I'm cautiously optimistic. If we had any kind of track record of winning this winnable but tricky away game I'd be far more confident but the reality is that bar John O'Shea (and Trap himself) nobody in the team has much experience of winning abroad at either club or country level.

Anyone know who the referee is?

[magnumpi]

Anyone know who the referee is?


let's hope he's german!! and not portuguese...

[Duggie]

personally i rate mcgeady really highly - defo starter IMO. creative, good shot on him, crossing has to improve but we need all the creativity we can get in the team. has to start for me. hopefully big folan can get a few knock downs to robbie and unsettle the bulgies defence.

[magnumpi]

re: Referee.

googled it and came up with this:


Claus Bo Larsen, Henrik Sønderby, Anders Nørrestrand, Lars Christoffersen (DEN)

[magnumpi]

Claus Bo Larsen (born October 28, 1965 in Odense (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odense)). Is a football referee from Denmark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark). He is known for having officiated the football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Summer_Olympics) in Athens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens), Greece (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece). He has also officiated 7 UEFA Cup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Cup) matches and 17 Champions League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champions_League) matches in his career.
He was appointed to referee the 2008 UEFA Super Cup Final (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_UEFA_Super_Cup) - contested by Zenit St Petersburg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenit_St_Petersburg) and Manchester United (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_United) - and played in Monaco on Friday, 29 August 2008. He was assisted by Henrik Sonderby (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henrik_Sonderby&action=edit&redlink=1) and Anders Norrestrand (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anders_Norrestrand&action=edit&redlink=1), with Nicolai Vollquartz (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicolai_Vollquartz&action=edit&redlink=1) acting as Fourth Official (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fourth_Official&action=edit&redlink=1)
He was not a part of the initial squad of referees to go the 2010 FIFA World Cup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup), even though he refereed both the 2009 Champions League quarter-final (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League_2008-09_knockout_stage) between Liverpool FC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_FC) and Chelsea FC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_FC) and the 2009 Champions League semifinal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League_2008-09_knockout_stage) between Manchester United (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_United) and Arsenal FC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_FC), besides the before mentioned UEFA Super Cup.


sorry lads, am really bored at work / excited about the trip.

[tetsujin1979]

Some high profile games there, not a rookie by any stretch of the imagination
John O'Shea came off the bench in that Super Cup Final, and played the whole game in the semi final against Arsenal.

[Stuttgart88]

personally i rate mcgeady really highly - defo starter IMO. creative, good shot on him, crossing has to improve but we need all the creativity we can get in the team. has to start for me. hopefully big folan can get a few knock downs to robbie and unsettle the bulgies defence.
Yeah, I think he and Duff have suffered from the lack of a big man in the middle to attack their crosses, good and all as Doyle is in the air. Folan may make things easier for them.

[Stuttgart88]

Whatever about criticising Kiely's exclusion, I think given the big doubts over Gibson's fitness it was important to have given Miller a run out on Friday. He actually impressed me too.

[geysir]

Yeah, I think Trap covered quite a few angles with that friendly, not all obvious from first glance.
There would appear to be a growing swell of approval in the media for a Dunne St Ledger CM.

[tetsujin1979]

Yeah, I think Trap covered quite a few angles with that friendly, not all obvious from first glance.I'm not sure how comfortable I am with a manager who knows more than the fans, it somehow feels...unnatural ;)

[boovidge]

I'm in two minds about the defence. The O'Shea/Dunne partnership has been great this campaign so I'd be reluctant to disrupt it. However, RB is our main liability and with Dunne apparently enjoying the partnership with SSL it's very tempting to switch it around. It's one of those situations where I'm glad I can just criticise Trap's decision if we lose :) Foley didn't do enough to impress against Nigeria imo.

The McGeady vs Lawrence is also quite interesting. Except the second half v Georgia, McGeady has never produced his best for Ireland. Lawrence has been injured but was very impressive for Stoke (scoring a couple of belters iirc) However, I presume Trap will stick with the tried and tested.

[irishfan86]

My lineup would be:

----------------Given-----------
O'Shea--Dunne--St. Ledger---Killer
McGeady--Andrews--Whelan---Duff
--------------Keane-------------
---------------Folan-------------

And I think this is what the lineup will be as well.

If we're down a goal with 30 minutes to go, I never thought I'd say this, but I'd take off Whelan for Miller. Maybe I'll get slaughtered for this but I thought he was instrumental in everything we did going forward on Friday.

I feel really bad about dropping Hunt after his performance in Bari, but as this is an away game, and Bulgaria are probably going to have the lion's share of possession, I think it's important that Duff plays to retain as much of the ball as possible.

I would think about playing Hunt ahead of McGeady if it was a choice between the two of them on the left, but I see McGeady as much better than Hunt on the right wing.

Personally, I'm worried about the two Petrov's, especially if we have anybody other than O'Shea at right-full.

But I'm excited to see Keane and Folan hopefully play 90 minutes together for the first time.

[NeilMcD]

Looks like that is going to be the team with McGeady out and Hunt in instead. According to TOD at training its looking like the team above.

[zenokelly]

Tony O Donoghue just gave an update from London.

Keane (more so) and Given are doubts after sitting out traning.

Whelan pulled up with a knock at the end of training.

Foley has left the squad as his wife is giving birth(didn't indicate whether he'll be back)

Team news: Trap said that Hunt is 90% likely to start, and Duff is the likely other winger.
St Ledger played in the centre with dunne, with O Shea out on the right.

So the team looks like it will be, barring injuries:
Given
O Shea Sledge Dunne Killer
Duff Andrews Whelan Hunt
Keane
Folan

[irishfan86]

Imagine if we're playing our most crucial away game with Wayne Henderson in the goals and without Robbie up front.

Jesus Christ.

[sligofan4ever]

Gibson's out of this one, call-up for Keith Fahey as his replacement ? I'd expect Liam Miller to be on the bench anyways.

[elroy]

Considering how we played against them at home, I think we have got to be happy if we come away with a draw on sat. It keeps things in our own hands, yes it wouldnt be ideal in in our aims to top the group but that will all come down to the Italian game at home. If we lose to Bulgaria, our whole campaign could fall apart.

I fancy us to get a draw, I have faith in Trap and I believe he will get this spot on. I have always felt that with the way Traps set out this team that we could actually get better results and performances away from home. We got the required result in Italy although it wasnt in the manner I wouldve expected but that game and the change of tactics to adapt to the conditions has only strengthed my confidence and belief in Trap.

I think starting McShane anywhere and in particular on the right would be extremely foolish and I would hope Trap will give St ledger the chance that many on this site feel he deserves. He seems to have got Dunnes vote of confidence at least.

Shay and Robbie sat out todays training, keane with a swollen foot and Shay with his hip injury, but both are expected to be fit.

[Stuttgart88]

We can't afford to lose Given or Robbie, but Trap's comments on RTE seem to indicate Robbie should be fine.

Gibson & Foley we can live without but I'd still like Whelan to start despite Miller's good showing at the Cottage, I hope Whelan's ankle injury isn't serious.

[shakermaker1982]

If he's going to play Hunt AND Duff then I'd prefer to see Duff on the left. He's one of our real danger men and needs to be played in his proper position.

Anyway I'd start with this:

Given

O'Shea St Ledger Dunne Kilbane

Hunt Andrews Whelan Duffer

Keane Folan

Bring on McGeady and Best when the sun starts to sap the strength from both teams. I told Karl Spain outside the Cottage on Friday it would be 1-1 but I hope I'm wrong.......if we win this then we can top the group.

[richieos]

my views on the proposed starting 11:

Given: Best goalkeeper in the premier league.
O'Shea: First choice fullback for the premier league champions, never lets his team down, has become mr.reliable.
Dunne: Our unoffical second captain on the pitch, never lets his country down, highly dependable.
St Ledger: This one im unsure of, hes clearly a talented footballer, but has only had 1 cap, and this is a game of huge pressure, pressure which he probably hasnt experienced before.
Kilbane: I personally think he has done very well at left back for us and has recieved unfair criticism while in this position, has been generally reliable.
Duff: Up and down season for newcastle, ending poorly playing at left back, but never lets his country down and should be our main midfield threat.
Andrews: Definatley our most underrated player. Always puts in a great shift and works his socks off, driving the midfield. Peoples views have been clouded by his lower league past.
Whelan: Fantastic form for stoke since he broke back into the team, hoping he can re-create it for Ireland
Hunt: This is a potentially dodgy choice, he could either be brilliant or useless but probably deserves his place because of bari.
Keane: Best irish striker in history.
Folan: has looked composed and effective when playing for us, lets just hope his fitness is up to standard.


Overall i think our lineup looks solid enough, and certain players have grown into the unit that trap has created and performed better as the qualifiers have went on (andrews, o'shea) and i think this team is more than good enough to get at least a draw

[irishultra]

That is a poor team imo on paper, especially the midfield.

Hunt-Championship player

Duff-not deemed good enough to play in his favoured position for a relegated team

Andrews-Playing at right back for his average club and most likely to leave for a lower league team in the summer.

Whelan-Good, however divides the fans at Stoke City.


Dunne probably won't start for Man City next season, O'Shea is a good player but a squad player at club level, Kilbane, don't think he starts for his club, Best is a nobody and Keane and Given are obviously quality, although Keane has played kinda bad in the last 2 months and didn't have a good season overall.

Given is our only proper quality player.

[Colbert Report]

That is a poor team imo on paper, especially the midfield.

Hunt-Championship player

Duff-not deemed good enough to play in his favoured position for a relegated team

Andrews-Playing at right back for his average club and most likely to leave for a lower league team in the summer.

Whelan-Good, however divides the fans at Stoke City.


Dunne probably won't start for Man City next season, O'Shea is a good player but a squad player at club level, Kilbane, don't think he starts for his club, Best is a nobody and Keane and Given are obviously quality, although Keane has played kinda bad in the last 2 months and didn't have a good season overall.

Given is our only proper quality player.

O'Shea a squad player? He started more matches this season for Manchester United than anyone else! He played ninety minutes in the Champions League final! He scored in the Champions League semi-final! What more do you want? What makes you think Richard Dunne won't be starting for Man City next season?

[tetsujin1979]

Dunne probably won't start for Man City next seasonWhy? He's started every game he's been available for, and is club captain


O'Shea is a good player but a squad player at club level
O'Shea a squad player? He started more matches this season for Manchester United than anyone else! He played ninety minutes in the Champions League final! He scored in the Champions League semi-final! What more do you want?what he said


Kilbane, don't think he starts for his clubStarted the last 6 games in a row for Hull


Best is a nobodyQuite possibly, but ask the Nigerian defence, they know who he is after last friday's game


Keane has played kinda bad in the last 2 months and didn't have a good season overallKeane's scored 5 goals in the last 2 months, including one against the World Champions

[geysir]

That is a poor team imo on paper, especially the midfield.
Whelan-Good, however divides the fans at Stoke City.
True enough.
Divides the idiots from those who can appreciate a damn good player.

[EastTerracer]

Duff-not deemed good enough to play in his favoured position for a relegated team


This is a complete misrepresentation of Duff's selection at Newcastle. If there had been a left full-back at the club Duff would have been first choice at left-midfield but when Jose Enrique got injured Duff was one of the few left-footed players at the club who could slot into the position.

When fit this season Duff started almost every game at left midfield - none of the many managers at the club this season deemed him "not good enough".

I won't even comment on the rest of your post.

[Noelys Guitar]

Good to see Nigeria beating France tonight 1-0. I hope Whelan is fit for Saturday's game. Although Miller played well against Nigeria he still gave away a stupid free kick early in the game just outside our box. I would start Hunt instead of McGeady in this one. I would rather take a chance with St Ledger at CH and move O'shea to full back than play McShane. It will be interesting to see how Bulgaria start this game. If they don't score early then I really fancy our chances of winnng this one.

[SkStu]

Keane's scored 5 goals in the last 2 months, including one against the World Champions

he scored against Man Utd?? Dont remember that!! ;)

on topic, im feeling pretty confident for this one...

[tetsujin1979]

Good to see Nigeria beating France tonight 1-0.
Similar enough lineups too


VS Ireland VS France
Austin Ejide Vincent Enyeama
Sam Sodje* Sam Sodje*
Olubayo Adefemi Olubayo Adefemi
Seyi Olofinjana Elderson Echiejile
Sone Aluko** Dickson Etuhu
Yusuf Mohammed Seyi Olofinjana
John Utaka Kanu**
Michael Eneramo Ikechukwu Uche
Kalu Uche Peter Odemwingie***
Dele Adeleye Kalu Uche****
Akpala*** Akpala*****

Substitutes Substitutes
Vincent Enyeama Austin Ejide
Dickson Etuhu Danny Shi*tu
Kanu Atanda Yussuf (46)**
Peter Odemwingie (61)* Apam Onyekachi
Victor Obinna (61)** Sani Kaita
Obinna Nwaneri (78)* Yusuf Mohammed
Victor Obinna (74)*****
Michael Eneramo (89)***
Obinna Nwaneri (59)*
Dele Adeleye (72)****

Akpala scored against France, the scorer from Friday night (Eneramo) came on as a last minute sub

[irishultra]

This is a complete misrepresentation of Duff's selection at Newcastle. If there had been a left full-back at the club Duff would have been first choice at left-midfield but when Jose Enrique got injured Duff was one of the few left-footed players at the club who could slot into the position.

When fit this season Duff started almost every game at left midfield - none of the many managers at the club this season deemed him "not good enough".

I won't even comment on the rest of your post.

No, most of what I wrote is correct, however as colbert report said, O'Shea is a european cup finalist starter so he is a proper player. But look at the rest of the team its shocking how dull it is. Neither Andrews or Whelan would ever come close to playing in European cup finals or achieving really anything and in no way are they players of any prestige. I'm not saying they won't go out and give it their all in the green jersey in the 6 international matches(max) that take place every year and with them we could well get results but at club level these two are journeymen.

Compare Irelands starting 11 and without a player like Stephen Ireland there we are a poor level European team, I'd put teams like Belgium, Scotland and the likes ahead of us individually(at least based on Traps squads)

[irishfan86]

No, most of what I wrote is correct, however as colbert report said, O'Shea is a european cup finalist starter so he is a proper player. But look at the rest of the team its shocking how dull it is. Neither Andrews or Whelan would ever come close to playing in European cup finals or achieving really anything and in no way are they players of any prestige. I'm not saying they won't go out and give it their all in the green jersey in the 6 international matches(max) that take place every year and with them we could well get results but at club level these two are journeymen.

Compare Irelands starting 11 and without a player like Stephen Ireland there we are a poor level European team, I'd put teams like Belgium, Scotland and the likes ahead of us individually(at least based on Traps squads)

I would take our lads over the Scots and the Belgians any day.

We've got one of the best keepers in the world in my view, and a top-class striker in Robbie Keane. We've got two very solid defenders in Dunne and O'Shea (three if you count Finnan).

Our midfield is fairly average, but Duff adds a bit of magic that either of those countries would kill to have in their side.

[Stuttgart88]

Compare Irelands starting 11 and without a player like Stephen Ireland there we are a poor level European team, I'd put teams like Belgium, Scotland and the likes ahead of us individually(at least based on Traps squads)OK, so how many players is Trap leaving out that'd jump us ahead of Belgium and Scotland in your opinion?

[shakermaker1982]

I'd love to know which Scottish players are better than Given, Duff, McGeady, Keane and Dunne?

[Scram]

I'd love to know which Scottish players are better than Given, Duff, McGeady, Keane and Dunne?

McGeady.

Keane's Injury Not Serious

http://breakingnews.ie/sport/keane-injury-nothing-serious-says-trap-413322.html

[elroy]

Compare Irelands starting 11 and without a player like Stephen Ireland there we are a poor level European team

Please can we not start going on about SI in this thread as well please, we have had enough debate about him on other threads. Hes a good player, not available not relevant to this. The way some people go on, you'd swear, he was xavi, iniesta and messi all in one!

Anyways, on the radio this morning, they said Trap is set to hand St Ledger his first competitive start and that Trap also said that Hunt is 90% likely to start, presumably ahead of McGeady. Not sure where they got this info but very interesting.

[Duggie]

cant believe hunt is going to start :mad::mad:

[Stuttgart88]

Depends which Stephen Hunt turns up. The careless one with no awareness that played at home to Bulgaria or the man possessed who constantly asked questions of Italy in Bari. Hopefully not the twit who got sent off in Prague.

[ifk101]

Depends which Stephen Hunt turns up. The careless one with no awareness that played at home to Bulgaria or the man possessed who constantly asked questions of Italy in Bari. Hopefully not the twit who got sent off in Prague.

All the more reason to start McGeady ahead of Hunt. I know that McGeady isn't on form at the moment but starting Hunt is too much of a risk in an important game like this. Whilst McGeady is prone to dribbling the ball too much, this is also a criticism you can say about Hunt. Hunt is likely to put his head down and try dribble the ball out of our own box - an absolute no-no. He's also someone that is likely to throw himself around in a game like this and I'd fear the Bulgarians will take advantage of that.