Irish_Praha
27/05/2012, 2:05 PM
I know I should probably wait until after the Euros before starting this thread as I would have much more information to form an opinion on some of the players after 6 mone competitive games :p
However I still have a good feeling after yesterday's game and would like to sum up where I feel the team is at and what to expect in the near future.
I really feel like the future is looking bright for the team and the main reason for this is that the players I am expecting to contribute to this success are mostly already playing regularly at a high level.
Normally we are talking about the potential of teenagers playing well for league 1 or struggeling championship teams. Players like Garvan, Keogh, O'Brien (when he was at Shef Wed) who for one reason or another didn't develop like expected. However now we have a crop of players either new to the squad or struggeling to get into the squad even though they have more or less proven themselves at good championship or Premiership teams. Add to that the players currently in the squad that are now starting to enter a phase of their development where we should know by the end of the next qualifying campaign if they are the real deal or not. I'm am much more confident of these players making a signifficant contribution to improving the quality of the team than a teenager that has had half a good season in the reserves for Arsenal (Stokes at the time).
I'll start with CMF which apart from LB is our weakest position but it's more important to have a functioning CFM partnership than a world class LB. Finally Gibson is starting to develop his game and after he gets a full season with Everton we will see if it was really just the lack of game time that was holding him back. We also have McCarthy who has just had a very good second half of a season for Wigan; it's such a shame that he is not on the plane to Poland instead of Green. Then we have Andrews and Whelan who can still do a job but hopefully we have better things to come.
Wilson, Clarke, McCann are also possibilities for this position and they are all important players for their clubs, still under 25 but didn't make it to Poland. It will become clear over the next season or two if they have what is required. It also looks like Connor Henderson will start getting some first team games with Arsenal this season and hopefully Meyler can overcome his injury problems and hold down a starting place with Sunderland. All these players except for Andrews will be around for a minimum of the next 5 years. I'm sure a very good CMF partnership can be developed with two of these players with decent cover.
On the wings we are well covered too and luckily we have a ready-made replacement for Duff in McClean. Not a like for like replacement but it is great that we have a decent prospect for this position because it is a problem area for a lot of international teams. Also long may McGeady's develop continue and we still have Hunt to call on if needed. Foley still has to convice me at international level. Robbie Brady is developing well too but he's probably not far enough to be mentioned in the context of this thread.
At the back hopefully O'Shea and Dunne will hang around for one more campagin. Clarke, Wilson, Duffy are all players with Premiership experience in this position and Pearce just got player of the season for Reading. Coleman has been running hot and cold but hopefully he can respond with a good 2012-2013 Kelly and Foley can cover at RB and hopfully O'Brien will perform for West ham this year. All we need to do is find a better option for LB. Cunningham is till too raw but maybe he can develop enough to displace Ward because we haven't had a natural left back since the days of Harte.
Up front we have never had somany options, probably not the best partnership ever but the most strength in depth.
We have never had 5 strikers all playing at the top level at the same time, well Keane is proven at the top level :p
Only 5 years ago if Stokes had just had the season he has had at Celtic he would probably automatically make it into the starting line up but now he can't even get into the squad.
We will really miss Keane when he eventually retires or his level of performance starts to drop off.
However at least we have some decent options to replace him. There are some other strikers coming though but I feel over the next two years we will probably stick with this core of 5 or 6 players.
Finally the 'keepers - it looks like Given will be hanging around for another campaign but Westwood seems like a more than capable replacement and we have a few others knocking around at a decent level, so no major worries there either.
My point is that we have good alternatives all over the pitch. With players no getting into the squad even though they are playing regularly at a very high level and a lot of these players are under 25 with the posibility to improve. Whereas normally there was very little quality outside the squad. As a result of this I have more confidence than ever that there are more good times just around the corner and we have a good chance of getting out of our difficult WC qualification group and the following campaign too.
However I still have a good feeling after yesterday's game and would like to sum up where I feel the team is at and what to expect in the near future.
I really feel like the future is looking bright for the team and the main reason for this is that the players I am expecting to contribute to this success are mostly already playing regularly at a high level.
Normally we are talking about the potential of teenagers playing well for league 1 or struggeling championship teams. Players like Garvan, Keogh, O'Brien (when he was at Shef Wed) who for one reason or another didn't develop like expected. However now we have a crop of players either new to the squad or struggeling to get into the squad even though they have more or less proven themselves at good championship or Premiership teams. Add to that the players currently in the squad that are now starting to enter a phase of their development where we should know by the end of the next qualifying campaign if they are the real deal or not. I'm am much more confident of these players making a signifficant contribution to improving the quality of the team than a teenager that has had half a good season in the reserves for Arsenal (Stokes at the time).
I'll start with CMF which apart from LB is our weakest position but it's more important to have a functioning CFM partnership than a world class LB. Finally Gibson is starting to develop his game and after he gets a full season with Everton we will see if it was really just the lack of game time that was holding him back. We also have McCarthy who has just had a very good second half of a season for Wigan; it's such a shame that he is not on the plane to Poland instead of Green. Then we have Andrews and Whelan who can still do a job but hopefully we have better things to come.
Wilson, Clarke, McCann are also possibilities for this position and they are all important players for their clubs, still under 25 but didn't make it to Poland. It will become clear over the next season or two if they have what is required. It also looks like Connor Henderson will start getting some first team games with Arsenal this season and hopefully Meyler can overcome his injury problems and hold down a starting place with Sunderland. All these players except for Andrews will be around for a minimum of the next 5 years. I'm sure a very good CMF partnership can be developed with two of these players with decent cover.
On the wings we are well covered too and luckily we have a ready-made replacement for Duff in McClean. Not a like for like replacement but it is great that we have a decent prospect for this position because it is a problem area for a lot of international teams. Also long may McGeady's develop continue and we still have Hunt to call on if needed. Foley still has to convice me at international level. Robbie Brady is developing well too but he's probably not far enough to be mentioned in the context of this thread.
At the back hopefully O'Shea and Dunne will hang around for one more campagin. Clarke, Wilson, Duffy are all players with Premiership experience in this position and Pearce just got player of the season for Reading. Coleman has been running hot and cold but hopefully he can respond with a good 2012-2013 Kelly and Foley can cover at RB and hopfully O'Brien will perform for West ham this year. All we need to do is find a better option for LB. Cunningham is till too raw but maybe he can develop enough to displace Ward because we haven't had a natural left back since the days of Harte.
Up front we have never had somany options, probably not the best partnership ever but the most strength in depth.
We have never had 5 strikers all playing at the top level at the same time, well Keane is proven at the top level :p
Only 5 years ago if Stokes had just had the season he has had at Celtic he would probably automatically make it into the starting line up but now he can't even get into the squad.
We will really miss Keane when he eventually retires or his level of performance starts to drop off.
However at least we have some decent options to replace him. There are some other strikers coming though but I feel over the next two years we will probably stick with this core of 5 or 6 players.
Finally the 'keepers - it looks like Given will be hanging around for another campaign but Westwood seems like a more than capable replacement and we have a few others knocking around at a decent level, so no major worries there either.
My point is that we have good alternatives all over the pitch. With players no getting into the squad even though they are playing regularly at a very high level and a lot of these players are under 25 with the posibility to improve. Whereas normally there was very little quality outside the squad. As a result of this I have more confidence than ever that there are more good times just around the corner and we have a good chance of getting out of our difficult WC qualification group and the following campaign too.