Line up vs. Brazil?

[Declan_Michael]

Any thoughts on the starting eleven for wednesday?

My choice

GK: Given
RB: Carr
CB: Dunne
CB: Cunningham (C)
LB: O'Shea
RW: Finnan
CM: Holland
CM: Delap
LW: Kilbane
CF: Duff
CF: Keane

Dunne deserves a chance at CB, still remember his performance against Holland 2001.

Carr is the best option at RB but Finnan is too good to be omitted.

Delap deserves a run out and is at least playing top flight football.

Kilbane is on fire at the moment and therefore would have to play Duff behind Keane. Not perfect but again both should start.

[pineapple stu]

Graham Kavanagh could well start in centre-mid after lasting only a few minutes of Canada - Kerr will still want to have a good look at him.

[Seanie]

Can't really argue with that line-up. However I reckon Kerr might give Kavanagh a starting role given what happened in the last friendly.

[only1kilbane]

team agreed except for maybe kavanagh for delap as mentioned above !

[Slash/ED]

How many more games of ineptness do we need before we finally give up on the unbelivebley stupid idea that Duff is a striker? We've had, what, 25, how many more do we need?

One thing should be certain for Irish sides, and that's if fit, Duff plays on the left. We rely on him too much to keep ****ing around with his position, it isn't fair on him and it's sheer madness to do it on account of someone like Kilbame, good form or not.

I think Kerr will want to win this one, so he'll probably pick a full strenght team, so we wont see people like Paddy Kenny, though I hope Andy Reid starts.

I'd go with...

Gk - Given
Dl - Finnan/O'Shea
Dr - Carr/Finnan
Dc - Cunningham
Dc - Any one from Dunne, O'Shea, O'Brien or Doherty
Ml - Duff, if he makes it.
Mr - Andy Reid, give him a more or less free role, like Arsenal play their wide men, and he could do a good job on a weak area for us. With Finnan or Carr at RB width isn't a problem.
Mc - Delap
Mc - Holland
Fc - Keane
Fc - Morrison

[NigeSausagepump]

After seeing what Mickey Owen did to Dunner last night, I shudder to think what Ronaldo could do on Wednesday. Dunne was variously described as appalling and shocking on Sky Sports in a review show this evening - not what we want to hear ahead of next week.

[Pogsly]

Is there any reason why Andy O'Brien couldn't be partnering Kenny Cunningham at Centre Half ? And who is to say that we will start with the a traditional 4-4-2 formation . I'd like to see Mr Kerr a 4-3-1-2 lineup .
With the Brazilian starting eleven not being picked along the most conventional lines playing a loose midfielder or satriker might not be a bad option . Everyone would like to see all of our best players playing in their best positions but sometimes this can't be the case . I'd like to see Alan Lee and Kav get a chance. Particularily Alan Lee up front . We all know what Clints can and cannot do . One thing he cannot do is stay onside . We he does give us is the heart and poaching instinct that we can lack up front . Keano is a good striker but he is not a six yard box man . Give ALan Lee a chance to see what he's about. Remember he had a good season last year with Rotherham (?) and was one of the highest scorers in Div 1 (so he knows where the goal is!)
After getting hoofed out of it against Canada , KAv deserves another chance in the centre . Mattie Holland seems to be palying with renewed vigour at Charlton . Alan Curbishley must be some man . He took MArk Kinsella and elevated him to a quality Prem player and that of a superb foil for Keano . Holland is reproducing the goods again after going stale at Ipswich . Kav and Holland could be the perfect foil for each other .
My team would be (Provided Duff doesn't make it) :

Given;
Finnan, O'Shea, O'Brien, Cunningham;
Holland, Kavanagh, Kilbane;
Reid ;
Keane , Lee .

[tiktok]

4312 (and assuming Duff is out)

Given
Carr Cunningham O'Brien O'Shea
Kavanagh DeLap Holland
Reid
Keane Morrison

Kenny for Given
Finnan for Carr
Dunne for O'Brien
Kinsella for Holland
Lee for Morrison

all at HT.

[Pogsly]

Is Kinsella in the Squad ? I thought he was dropped?

[Footie_Fan]

Starting a very inexperienced Alan Lee up front against the best team in the world. Laughable. 4-3-1-2 was tried in the qualifiers and failing spectacularly. We had no shape.

My team:

GK: Given
RB: Carr
CB: Cunningham
CB: Dunne/ O'Brien
LB: O'Shea
RW: A Reid (out of position but still can provide a spark)
CM: Holland
CM: Delap
LW: Duff
CF: Keane
CF: Morrison

[Pogsly]

Footie Fan ,
Without trying to sound smart arsed are you not contradicting yourself a bit ? You slat me for starting a striker (Inexperienced or not) in his actual position against the best team in the world , whereas you place Andy Reid (just as inexperienced) out of position on the right wing .

If you were to switch delap and andy reid perhaps ...

IMHO anyway .
;)

[John83]

Originally posted by Footie_Fan
My team:

GK: Given
RB: Carr
CB: Cunningham
CB: Dunne/ O'Brien
LB: O'Shea
RW: A Reid (out of position but still can provide a spark)
CM: Holland
CM: Delap
LW: Duff
CF: Keane
CF: Morrison

I'd go with something like that tpo. Maybe start Kavanagh instead of Delap, or maybe not.

Pogsley, we're not exactly overrun with right-wing options right now, and I don't think Reid can be played in the middle against a team like Brazil. Holland would be swamped.

[Footie_Fan]

Pogsly. Reid is clearly in a different class to Lee. As John says we haven't got many options on the right and as he says Holland needs an experienced physical player alongside him.

[carnstien]

If everyone was fit, which they are not, I would go for:

Given

Carr (right back)
O'Shea
Cunningham or O'Brien
Finnan (LB)

Andy Ried (right mid)
Delap\Holland (Healy when he comes back)
Miller
Duff (LM)

Keane
Morrison


What must happen no matter what is that Duff MUST play on the left cause thats where he does most damage. Finnan must also be accomidated in the team, either at right mid or left back because he is class. O'Shea should play centre back and Miller and Andy Ried must be given their chance.

I think O'Brien deserves a chance too because he has been decent for Newcastle this season and why not try Stephen Elliot out up front?

[Slash/ED]

Elliots been on the City bench recently, another step closer for him, but is still some way off.

If anything, Hunts form since returning from injury (3 starts 3 goals) might just warrent a chance if he keeps it up come the next friendly.

[tiktok]

O'Shea was in good form for United today and McAteer was outstanding against Birmingham today, on that performance he could well get a run on the right wing from Kerr.

Cunningham and Morrison were good for Birmingham, but Clinton doesn't look that sharp in front of goal at the moment. Held the ball up well though, deserves a start.

Alan Lee scored for Cardiff too, from a Kavanagh dead ball.

[Slash/ED]

Morrison got taken off with an injury, shouldn't keep him out of the match though.

O'Shea was good today but he has to work on being more commanding in the air, it's his major weakness. Either way, I think he'll probably end up playing central mid field in the future, I'd love to see Fergusson really try him in there.

[fromthenorthffs]

Surely after all he has given to the shirt, Jayo deserves to play RM in a glamour friendly like this.

Its not about trying to learn anything this time, we can do that against the Czech's and Romanians. Bit of loyalty required to the likes of Holland, Kinsella, McAteer.

[Slash/ED]

Are you McCarthy in disguise?

[Declan_Michael]

Mc Ateer had a great performance yesterday.

He should partner Holland in the centre of midfield.

[carnstien]

Originally posted by fromthenorthffs
Surely after all he has given to the shirt, Jayo deserves to play RM in a glamour friendly like this.

Its not about trying to learn anything this time, we can do that against the Czech's and Romanians. Bit of loyalty required to the likes of Holland, Kinsella, McAteer.

You must be having a laugh.

Players like Breen, Kilbane, Holland, McAteer, Kinsella and Harte were the reason we did not qualify for Euro 2004. They are simply not good enough. They need to be removed from the squad PERMINANTLY and fresh blood deserves a chance.

You simply cannot argue with this statement because if the players mentioned above were good enough we would all be buying plane tickets to Portugal this summer!

[Slash/ED]

I wouldn't include Breen in that list to be honest, otherwise I agree.

And if Kerr thinks McAteer is a better option in central mid field then Delap, or even Kavanagh, he's as bad as McCarthy himself.

[Declan_Michael]

You can't blame a handful of players for Ireland's failure to qualify for Euro 2004.

No doubt our squad was exhausted after WC02 and had a tough fixture away to underachieving Russia. Mc Carthy would have been struggling since 'the bring back Roy' brigade was in full swing.

This followed the infamous night at Lansdowne against the Swiss when some supporters were more concerned with jeering the manager.

Bottom line is players like Holland, Breen, Mc Ateer still have life in them yet. Our squad is so small we simply don't have enough alternatives to dismiss them entirley.

Seems alot of naviety around regarding new players. Granted we need the young lads long term. However, if Kerr is picking first division players and guys who are not regulars at club level how can you justify playing them at international level? This applies to players like Andy Reid, Colin Healy, Liam Miller. Deserve a chance but need Premiership clubs (granted Miller now has) and regular first team football.

We seem so desperate for fresh player Lee Trundle has been mentioned (not declared and playing in division three!!).

[fromthenorthffs]

Kilbane, Holland, Kinsella and McAteer have never let ireland down. Its a shame we didn't get to Portugal, but we lost out on that in the first 2 games, a horrible display in Moscow, and against the Swiss in Dublin, when the fans shouting for Keane were as much to blame as the players.

After next week i would advise several of them to call it a day, particularly Breen, but i would also let them go out on a high

[Slash/ED]

Why exactly should we play a bunch of inept players in a match we want to win against world class opposition? It's not the Irish managers responsibility to make players 'go out on a high' and feel all warm and fuzzy, it's upto the players to earn the right to wear the shirt. The best ones get picked, the rest don't, end of story.

[1MickCollins]

I think what this team needs more than young new faces is a leader, Keane is missed most for his leadership and character, he raises the performance of those around him.

There is no one on this team with the force of character to lift the mediocre players around him, there is no Keane, Moran, McCarthy, Houghton or a Townsend or any sign of one coming through any time soon.

Delap, Holland, Kilbane, Carsley, Kavanagh, McAteer are all journeymen and none are leaders. Healy is probably another one as well. Miller just threw his career away buy moving to ManU and hasn't done enough at club level yet.

It's a pity we don't even have a target man so we could by-pass this lot.

[tiktok]

Originally posted by 1MickCollins
It's a pity we don't even have a target man so we could by-pass this lot.

:rolleyes:....and to think you had a point when you started. We may not have a Keano at the moment, but it's unfair to Cunningham to suggest we have no leaders. It's daft to write off Healy and Miller before we've had a decent look at them.

Players like Andy Reid and John O'Shea could both mature into great leaders if their level headed responses to the pressures thrust on them so early in their careers is anything to go by.

[gustavo]

Goalkeepers: Dida (AC Milan), Marcos (Palmeiras).
Defenders: Belletti (Villarreal), Cafu (AC Milan), Edmilson (Olympique Lyon), Juan (Bayer Leverkusen), Junior (Siena), Lucio (Bayer Leverkusen), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid), Roque Junior (Siena)
Midfielders: Emerson (AS Roma), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Kaka (AC Milan), Kleberson (Manchester United), Julio Baptista (Sevilla), Juninho Paulista (Middlesbrough), Juninho Pernambucano (Olympique Lyon), Ze Roberto (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Adriano (Inter Milan), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Luis Fabiano (Sao Paulo).



based on that squad id say the brazil team will be

dida
lucio juan edmilson
cafu roberto carlos
emerson gilberto juninho p
ronaldinho
ronaldo




which is pretty damn impressive!

[eirebhoy]

My lineup for the Brazil game would be as follows:

Before I start I will tell you the reason i am using no wingers. ATM our problem area is up front and there we have no forward that can head a ball and compliment Keane's style of play at the same time (like Quinn for Ireland or Kanoute for Spurs). Therefore, if we played Kilbane and Reid out on the wings their crosses (Reid has double the amount of crosses then any other Irish player) will be going nowhere as there will be nobody in the box to head it into the back of the net. With teams that play with wingers a very high percentage of goals are scored with the head as probably all of Duff's crosses for Chelsea end up. The wings won't be left empty as the two fullbacks can get a bit more forward and the central midfielders can move out wide when needed. I'm blabbering on a bit now but i hope you get my point. :o

GK: Given - No justification needed

RB: Carr - Someone said we don't have a leader in the squad? a few decent performances and the captains armband and Carr is the man to replace Roy.

LB: Finnan - Finnan played at left full on a regular basis when he was at Fulham and is just as good with his left foot as he is with his right. I also don't think O'Shea deserves a place in the starting eleven especially if we have someone like Finnan left on the bench.

CB: Cunningham - again no justification needed, what a season he is having. It wasn't so long ago he was beeing slagged by a lot of Irish fans.

CB: Dunne - ATM he is Man City's number one/two CB and is having one hell of a season. He has everything you need in a centre half. Despite his size he is probably the fastest CB we have (with the exception of O'Shea) which will come as a suprise to most.

MC: Holland

MC: Delap } Those three in midfield could do a lot of damage.

MC: Kavanagh

AMC: A.Reid - Give Reid more or less a free role and I can see him causing a few problems with his spot on through balls.:)

FC: Morrison - I'm not his best fan but he'll have to do for the time being.

FC: Keane - It was a tough choice between him and Lee but I decided to go with Keane as he has a little bit more experience.;) :D

I also think McAteer could do a job for us and should be given a chance in the second half. O'Brein or Doc on at h/t too as well as Lee. I also think Connolly should come on for the last 20 minutes in place of Keane to see how he does.