Robbie Brady (M Preston b.1992)

[Charlie Darwin]

Sterling is a terrific player but he's not invincible. People seem to be shocked any time he doesn't score twice and set up another three goals.

[tricky_colour]

He seems too have received more plaudits playing at wing back though.
There is nothing wrong with playing wing back, never done Coleman any harm, certainly not
with Everton, maybe it's a bit different with Ireland though we don't play the same sort of game.

[DeLorean]

Did Coleman actually play wing back for Everton? I only remember him playing right midfield.


Sterling is a terrific player but he's not invincible. People seem to be shocked any time he doesn't score twice and set up another three goals.

I think he's overhyped to be honest. He's quick and tricky but, like most quick English youngsters, is a bit brainless when it comes to the final decision, more often than not. Probably less one dimensional than Walcott and Aaron Lennon, but I still find it hard to take rumours such as Real Madrid's interest seriously, as persistent as it is.

[Stuttgart88]

I'm pretty sure Coleman has never played wing back.

[tricky_colour]

The wing-back is a modern variation on the full-back with heavier emphasis on attack. Today, this position is considered a half-back. Yes, the player focus' heavier on attack and less on defending. Yet, the player still has to get back and mark up on the opposing team to make the player less of a threat. Some formations have half-back players that mainly focus on defending, and some that focus more on attack.
In the evolution of the modern game, wing-backs are the combination of wingers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midfielder#Winger) and full-backs. As such, it is one of the most physically demanding positions in modern football. Wing-backs are often more adventurous than full-backs and are expected to provide width, especially in teams without wingers. A wing-back needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down the flanks, a good example of this is the Western Sydney Wanderers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Sydney_Wanderers) player Shannon Cole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Cole). A defensive midfielder is usually fielded to cover the advances of wing-backs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defender_%28association_football%29#Wing-back

[DeLorean]

The wing-back is a modern variation on the full-back with heavier emphasis on attack.

But Coleman wasn't playing as a modern variation of a full back, he was playing as a right midfielder. There would have still been a full back playing behind him, presumably Hibbert or even Phil Neville at the time. That's my memory of it anyway but I couldn't say for sure he never played as a wing back. Moyes wasn't exactly known for experimentation so I'd say it's unlikely.

[paul_oshea]

A good example is Shannon Cole?! WTF?

[tricky_colour]

A good example is Shannon Cole?! WTF?

Yes Australia have already capped him so it seems another one may have slipped through the net.

Gotta be Irish with Shannon in his name.

Mind you he would struggle to push Coleman out of the wing back position :)

[Charlie Darwin]

A good example is Shannon Cole?! WTF?
I think this is an example of "spot the Aussie wikipedia editor". I'd have gone with Didier Agathe myself.

[tricky_colour]

Anyhow it is Steve Naismith who currently plays the right wing for Everton



Naismith’s confidence and level of performance only benefited from the combination of his new-found position as fan favourite and him being played in his right position; behind the striker.

[tricky_colour]

Seems to me Coleman is the every epitome of a wing back, he plays in the right back position but also regularly gets up the right wing to attack to great effect.
Where as a more conventional full back would mainly consign himself to defensive duties on the right.

Anyhow once the game is started the player goes where ever the play dictates, the actual name of the position is just a vague description of where he stands before kick-off.

[Charlie Darwin]

You could say Coleman is the very epitome of a wing back in every sense except ever having actually played there.

[Stuttgart88]

Attacking full back anyone?

[BonnieShels]

I prefer the term holding midfielder Stutts.

Not in relation to Seamie, I just prefer it.

[Olé Olé]

Very nice to see the Hull line-up today. Bruce has departed from 3-5-2 and has managed to accomodated all of his attacking talents in a 4-2-3-1; the 3 comprising of Ben Arfa, Ramirez and Robbie Brady. The more games Brady can get there, the better for Ireland. Injuries and selection issues have halted the progress he made when exploding into the PL over 12 months ago. Prodigiously gifted footballer and one we need to be accomodating in our own line-up.

They're 1-0 up already.

[Stuttgart88]

Brady nearly scores with a good right footed effort, well saved by Lloris.

[tricky_colour]

Caught a bit if it where Robbie somehow beat his man on the wing and put in a super ball.
Looked pretty impressive, maybe it will be on the highlights on MOTD.
Shame went down to 10 men, for fighting apparently, not necessary. they were 1-0
up then and lost 1-2

[Stuttgart88]

It was a Beckham-esque back heel into vertongen. Utterly pointless, lost the head a bit. The ,ines an wanted to feel important I think. It wasn't violent, more of a narky gesture but every footballer should no that it usually comes with a red card even if it shouldn't warrant one.

In my opinion football's zero tolerance approach to any act of aggression is counterproductive. It invites the opponent to milk it and it all just makes the game look weak.

[DeLorean]

In my opinion football's zero tolerance approach to any act of aggression is counterproductive. It invites the opponent to milk it and it all just makes the game look weak.

Stephen Quinn agrees (http://thescore.thejournal.ie/robbie-brady-stephen-quinn-1795656-Nov2014/?utm_source=facebook_short)

[Stuttgart88]

Was that Brady / Quinn thing actually in the match, or was it messing about st half time?

[DeLorean]

I didn't see the game, but this implies it was during it...


There were a lot of incidents during the game (http://www.thescore.ie/tottenham-hull-1795605-Nov2014/) but one of the lighter moments came when Stephen Quinn reckoned Robbie Brady was staying down a little too long after a challenge.

[jbyrne]

Was that Brady / Quinn thing actually in the match, or was it messing about st half time?

during it. brady rolling around injured near the touchline. quinn was warming up on the sideline and kicked the ball towards brady hitting him in the face. part of me would like to think it was on purpose given brady was play acting!

[jbyrne]

It was a Beckham-esque back heel into vertongen. Utterly pointless, lost the head a bit. The ,ines an wanted to feel important I think. It wasn't violent, more of a narky gesture but every footballer should no that it usually comes with a red card even if it shouldn't warrant one.

In my opinion football's zero tolerance approach to any act of aggression is counterproductive. It invites the opponent to milk it and it all just makes the game look weak.

wasnt a red card. vertongen could have made a better effort to stay clear of the hull player and the reaction was less than 50% beckhams in the wc. poor reffing

[tricky_colour]

It was quite an amusing incident, I genuinely though Robbie was injured, maybe he was, just because he smiled doesn't mean wasn't.
He is pretty good actor if he was not injured, none of the 3rd rate stuff you see from a lot of players. Indeed there should
be a specific sending off offence of bad acting.
Maybe he could follow Cantona into the movie industry.

[Fixer82]

I remember him diving pretty badly at the start of last season.
I remember thinking 'jaysus get up will ya, you're embarrassing us Robbie'

[DeLorean]

What stage of the game was it at? Were they up 1-0? Just wondering because I think there's a difference between buying your team a little time and actually staying down to try to get somebody in trouble. His dive last season was terrible though.

[zero]

brady has always seemed to be a 'form player'. he's hit a good patch just now but if he can't be consistent he'll be back on the sidelines again before long.

however, he's at an age where he might find consistency - or at least, how to play at a consistently effective level (if that makes sense) - so fingers crossed.

[geysir]

brady has always seemed to be a 'form player'. he's hit a good patch just now but if he can't be consistent he'll be back on the sidelines again before long.

however, he's at an age where he might find consistency - or at least, how to play at a consistently effective level (if that makes sense) - so fingers crossed.
He'll be back on the sidelines if he actually gets injured in a game.
He's made steady and positive progress since his last surgery and setbacks. Any crossing of fingers should be to do with his continued fitness levels. He has what it takes at this current level, it's just a question of how far he can explore.

[SwanVsDalton]

Brady falls into a hole and could be out for the season (http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2015/0302/683946-hull-hole-hell-for-robbie-brady/).

This is an almost beyond parody Irish international footballer injury. Ridiculous.

[tricky_colour]

Unbelievable!!

"Unfortunately Brady has fallen down a hole in the training ground and it looks an awful injury, I have to say," Bruce said.

Why the hell are there "holes" in the training ground? Bruce says it as if holes in training grounds are common place.

I have never see a hole in training ground you could fall into anywhere.

[OwlsFan]

We're in a bit of a hole now with all these injuries.

[DeLorean]

Bizarre... I feel like we're not being told the hole story.

[OwlsFan]

So, you're hoping they'll fill you in?

[tricky_colour]

Apparently Steve Bruce told he he wanted him to play in the hole ;)

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/robbie-brady-desperate-to-feature-against-poland-despite-injury-1.2136802

Brady "desperate to feature" against Poland.

[DeLorean]

Damien Delaney misses out on the squad having apparently decided that he would be better concentrating on his club career at Crystal Palace while the international manager does not see him as central to his plans

Hmmm... so which is it?

[DannyInvincible]

Does it mean Delaney was offered a call-up but refused it on the basis that he would be fourth or fifth-choice centre-back?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.the42.ie/robbie-brady-poland-2005073-Mar2015/

Bruce expects Brady to be available for Poland match; should be in match day squad tomorrow against Chelsea.

[Stuttgart88]

It mustn't have been that big a hole.

[TrapAPony]

Fit enough to make the bench v Chelsea:D

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/off-the-ball/wes-hoolahan-is-now-a-philosophy-he-is-a-lifestyle-choice-31109879.html

"A laminate white sheet was eventually sourced, there was an exchange between the pair, positions on the sheet were pointed out and Robbie took his place at left-back. This was happening less than a minute before kick-off in a huge qualifier and one has to wonder why.

Martin O'Neill's tendency to name the team 90 minutes before kick-off is odd. A player, particularly in Brady's situation, should know early on where he's playing, who is in front of him and who is beside him. Brady and Aiden McGeady took a good 20 minutes to figure things out on that left-hand side".

Pretty sure that McGeady didn't have a clue where he was supposed to be playing or what he was supposed to be doing after the Scotland game had already kicked off.

Slightly perturbing..

[Charlie Darwin]

Hahahahaha such horse****

[paul_oshea]

I heard this a few days ago my mates were on about it, I didn't notice it, but its odd to say the least.

[Stuttgart88]

I read that this morning and thought it sounded like nonsense, or like The Indo preempting an oneill out campaign in anticipation of worse results. And just because oneill doesn't announce his team until late doesn't mean the players only get told at the same time.

What is difficult to understand about "Robbie, you're playing left back"? Some people are such professional miserabilists. Who the f knows what Brady was asking? The Indo probably doesn't.

[DannyInvincible]

Generally-speaking, naming a team late on can ensure the whole squad remains motivated in training throughout the week, whilst it also denies your opposition a needless advantage. I know he loved organisation, but Trap's policy of publicising his starting eleven so early always baffled me, even it was extremely predictable anyway. Why would you give the opposition information like that unless you were obliged to?

But as if Brady wouldn't have trained at left-back at some point during the week anyway or as if the first inkling he had of what he'd be doing if he was to start was when Martin drew it out for him on a page whilst the rest of the team were being photographed before kick-off... That's simply not plausible. The story isn't an April Fools, is it?!

[Stuttgart88]

Yet another example of how football and rugby are treated in the media, methinks. Schmidt tactical genius and God-like figure despite this campaign being Trap reincarnated as a rugby coach (pragmatism versus flair for the first few games) but with better players, O'Neill an uncertain numpty who can't even explain basic positions to his players who are as thick as ten planks anyway. Or more subtly, look for the good in the rugby, emphasise the bad in the football.

Still, at least we're not Gaelic football which by all accounts is about six weeks away from becoming extinct.

[Charlie Darwin]

Sadlier, Niall Quinn and Eoin Kelly talking about just that on Second Captains Live now.

[Stuttgart88]

What? Rugby versus football, or O'Neill being utterly clueless?

[Charlie Darwin]

Rugby v football, they've moved on now but basically talking about how soccer players always have their salary mentioned and rugby players never. It's easy to put in a tackle and make yourself look like you're trying really hard in rugby, not so in soccer, etc.

[Stuttgart88]

Good, about time people started raising this issue. I've just been watching BBC news and they made big fuss over Raheem Sterling and what his peers earn. Sterling says he's only interested in trying to win things. Either way, so what if footballers get well paid? They are the actors in the world's most popular TV drama. Nobody gives a hoot if Brian Whathisname in Breaking Bad makes a fortune, but footballers are no different.

How many actually make a lot of money around the world anyway? 2,000? 3,000? I'd bet Barclays pays more people over a million a year than the whole global football industry. I wouldn't bet much mind you! But I'd say you could come up with a neat statistic showing just how few footballers earn a packet versus better performers in media, finance or whatever. I'd say maybe 500 million people worldwide know who Robbie Keane is. Over a billion people are said to have watched the Man U v Chelsea CL final. Do the players not deserve a penny each?

Anyway, I loved Mary Hannigan on Monday: "thanks to the rugby guys for filling the gap between November and now". Ken Early had a good piece that could have gone further (Zebo and Murray allegedly bedding a girl together) and Declan Lynch ran a piece saying that rugby being the sport of "Official Ireland" leaves him disconnected.