New Irish Management Team- Challenges

[dynamo kerry]

Greetings, been a while but let's pre-empt David Kelly in the Indo with a "challenges" thread..

Way I see it we have the folowing issues:

goals - no clear Shay successor. Who do they go for? O'Neill may well know Westwood- did he play him at Sunderland?

Defence - there's a back 4 there but will Mo'N pick it? Succession planning isn't really part of senior international play so we can possible forsee Josh been kept on. Is there a future for Richie Dunne?

Midfield - Let's have a good look at this over the friendlies - Any views on who is most likely? Will Whelan be given a chance?

Up front - robbie to impact sub status? Long ot lead the line?

in the hole - does this spot exist - probably.. will Andy Reid get a chance or will Hoolalan keep the spot warm until Brady or someone else grows into it?

WOrk to be done all over the pitch...

additional point - what does success look like here? Personally I think they have to win back the fans - what that looks like I don't know but perhaps as a minimum it's showing the fans a motivated, team playing in some fashion that the players enjoy...

[backstothewall]

In goal I think we actually have plenty of options. Westwood, Forde, and Randoph are all playing regularly at a decent level, and Shay remains a viable option if we're ever stuck.

For me the real challenge is to build a team around our best players. Coleman, Wilson, Gibson, McCarthy, McGeady & Brady will hopefully be the core of the team in the next number of years, so it will be a case of of working out a system to accommodate them and getting a couple more reliable options to make us a solid unit. Obviously he will have to do without Gibson for a while.

Glenn Whelan got a lot of stick when Trap gave him his chance. He was never any more than a journeyman pro, but regardless of what the naysayers would say he was very important to us during the Trap years. The challenge O'Neill will face will be finding guys like that to plug the gaps. The good news is that he has been brilliant at that down through the years.

Success is simple. Qualify for the Euros

[youngirish]

Unfortunately I think we are about 3 good players short of being a decent International outfit irrespective of who the management team is. We need a good central midfield player as I don't rate McCarthy and Gibson is no Roy Keane (he's not even a Matt Holland). Jeff Hendrick or Sean Murray may become viable alternatives to both over the course of the campaign but I don't see anyone ready to step into either's shoes at present so we are stuck with what we have. Possibly S Ireland could do a job here for us.

We could also do with a central defender. Mark O'Brien, Shane Duffy and Tommie Hoban are the main young Irish defenders with first team experience at the moment that but I can't see any of these being ready for at least a season or two and with O'Brien's injury record he may even struggle to get back in the Derby team once he regains his fitness. Possibly Ciaran Clark could improve and fill this position for us but I find that he often struggles against decent opposition.

Most worryingly, for the first time in a number of years we don't seem to have any promising young strikers at the moment whereas at one time we were overloaded with prospects in that position (Billy Clarke, Leon Best, Stokes and Long). Where are the goals going to come from now that Robbie is in the twilight of his career?

Against all this negativity I'm hoping that if anyone can get the best out of our limited pool of players it'll be O'Neill. Who knows, maybe a few gems could be unearthed before the end of the Euro qualifying campaign if we can manage to stay in touch until then (and with 3 teams in the qualification hunt there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to).

[Crosby87]

You dont rate McCarthy at all?

They should do something to spice things up. Maybe go back to those Oaange Tops from that one match in the 90s.

[Charlie Darwin]

Unfortunately I think we are about 3 good players short of being a decent International outfit irrespective of who the management team is.
What is a decent international outfit?


We need a good central midfield player as I don't rate McCarthy
My god, I wouldn't like to be a player under your management.

This idea that we have the talent pool of a minnow nation is just plain wrong. We have good players playing at a high level. We may lack the elite players that some other European nations have which can raise them above others and our players aren't as used to playing high-tempo possession football, but the Premier League and international football are full of managers who have got more limited players than ours to play confident, passing-based football. Keane has been banging the drum for years that England's players are as technically-able as any nation, and we should be similarly confident that we're not the worst in the world either.

[youngirish]

What is a decent international outfit?

A team that regularly qualifies for tournaments and is at least is competitive in them. Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, the Czechs and Croatia all spring to mind. Why, what would you consider to be a decent international outfit? A team that's qualified for one tournament out of the last 6 and got trounced in every game?




This idea that we have the talent pool of a minnow nation is just plain wrong. We have good players playing at a high level. We may lack the elite players that some other European nations have which can raise them above others and our players aren't as used to playing high-tempo possession football, but the Premier League and international football are full of managers who have got more limited players than ours to play confident, passing-based football. Keane has been banging the drum for years that England's players are as technically-able as any nation, and we should be similarly confident that we're not the worst in the world either.
We have one really decent Premiership player at the moment - Coleman. McCarthy and Gibson are two of the poorer players in the Everton team who are hardly one of the best teams in the league anyway. I'd be surprised if they finished any higher than seventh. Other than that we have a few players playing regularly for teams who are likely to be involved in battles towards the bottom end of the table.

As for your other point England are in no way, shape or form anywhere near
as technically able as any nation and if you really believe that to be true I'd suggest you need to go back and watch them playing against one of the true technically gifted European teams over the past few years.

[Stuttgart88]

And are Sweden, who you so admire, that technically gifted? I think we're good enough to compete among second seeded European teams.

But anyway, I think Randolph is poor. He consistently fails to impress me.

We have a solid enough keeper in Forde and must hope that Henderson or maybe Lawlor at City up it a few notches. Westwood is on the cusp in my opinion.

Our defenders are OK for now. Coleman is great, Dunne and O'Shea have life left in them for a bit, Clark is on an upward curve, SSL is reliable....

I posted on another thread that it's anyone's guess how the new management will configure the decent defensive midfielders we have and the quite talented attacking payers we have. The number of decent options we have is quite plentiful, the problem being that not many are much more than decent.

But I do think that someone, maybe or maybe not MON, could do something good with our current defenders, our current deeper lying midfielders and then the likes of McGeady, Brady, Reid, Hoolahan, Long, McClean, Keane, Walters, Doyle and Stokes. It's not like there's a paucity if talent, under Trap it was more of a paucity of ambition.

[Charlie Darwin]

A team that regularly qualifies for tournaments and is at least is competitive in them. Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, the Czechs and Croatia all spring to mind. Why, what would you consider to be a decent international outfit? A team that's qualified for one tournament out of the last 6 and got trounced in every game?
So 2/3 of international sides are below decent? I'd say a decent international outfit is one that's usually there or thereabouts in the mix to qualify for elite tournaments.


We have one really decent Premiership player at the moment - Coleman. McCarthy and Gibson are two of the poorer players in the Everton team who are hardly one of the best teams in the league anyway.
They're a side who were a goal away from going second in the league on Sunday but I suppose if we're using your definition of decent then anybody outside the top 1 is up against it. And they're hardly two of the poorer players if they've both been virtually ever-present when fit.


I'd be surprised if they finished any higher than seventh. Other than that we have a few players playing regularly for teams who are likely to be involved in battles towards the bottom end of the table.
And sides like Sweden, Switzerland, the Czechs - all of their players are challenging for honours in the top leagues?


As for your other point England are in no way, shape or form anywhere near
as technically able as any nation and if you really believe that to be true I'd suggest you need to go back and watch them playing against one of the true technically gifted European teams over the past few years.
I've seen England play against the best teams in the world and they usually come up short. I've also see them beat some of those teams, as well as most of the teams ranked below them. Some of which you'd categorise as "decent". I'm not saying Roy was right to say they're as technically-gifted as anyone, but certainly they're up there.

[Stuttgart88]

It's easy to bash England. They're a mile off Spain and some others, but they're no mugs.

The reason they rarely make it beyond the last 8 is because they're not as good as the top 8. But they're better than a lot of the others. I think the players are technically good (not brilliant) but they're not conditioned to playing the type of patient, technical TEAM game that even lesser countries are able to pay.

I think they've got good defenders, good forwards but ordinary midfielders.

[youngirish]

So 2/3 of international sides are below decent? I'd say a decent international outfit is one that's usually there or thereabouts in the mix to qualify for elite tournaments.




They're a side who were a goal away from going second in the league on Sunday but I suppose if we're using your definition of decent then anybody outside the top 1 is up against it. And they're hardly two of the poorer players if they've both been virtually ever-present when fit.

The season has only started and they are 7th. Let's see where they end up next May before getting carried away. As for Gibson and McCarthy, both won't be virtually ever present when they are fit. Gibson hasn't been fit for any length of time since McCarthy arrived at the club .



And sides like Sweden, Switzerland, the Czechs - all of their players are challenging for honours in the top leagues?

Why would a team I consider being decent have all of their players challenging for honours in the top leagues? This would obviously be the criteria for a top team not a decent team. Sweden have one of the best players in the world lining out for them, Switzerland have a large number of players playing in the Champions League (we have 1) as have the Czechs though the current Czech team is admittedly have a considerably poorer group of players than they have had in recent years.



I've seen England play against the best teams in the world and they usually come up short. I've also see them beat some of those teams, as well as most of the teams ranked below them. Some of which you'd categorise as "decent". I'm not saying Roy was right to say they're as technically-gifted as anyone, but certainly they're up there.

When have England beaten a top team in the world in recent years in a competitive game? It's a fallacy to state they are almost as technically gifted as any of the top European or South American teams. They have a few good players but even their most technically gifted players are way of the top European players in a technical sense.

[Charlie Darwin]

The season has only started and they are 7th. Let's see where they end up next May before getting carried away. As for Gibson and McCarthy, both won't be virtually ever present when they are fit. Gibson hasn't been fit for any length of time since McCarthy arrived at the club.
I'm not the one getting carried away.


Why would a team I consider being decent have all of their players challenging for honours in the top leagues? This would obviously be the criteria for a top team not a decent team. Sweden have one of the best players in the world lining out for them, Switzerland have a large number of players playing in the Champions League (we have 1) as have the Czechs though the current Czech team is admittedly have a considerably poorer group of players than they have had in recent years.
Well you're saying we're not a decent team because a lot of our players are battling towards the lower end of the table in a top league. I had assumed then that a decent team would need players who were playing at a level above.


When have England beaten a top team in the world in recent years in a competitive game? It's a fallacy to state they are almost as technically gifted as any of the top European or South American teams. They have a few good players but even their most technically gifted players are way of the top European players in a technical sense.
You didn't say competitive game. They haven't lost to a top team in a competitive game since 2010. As a top-ranked team they tend to play teams ranked below them so the sample size is small. In friendlies, they've beaten the likes of Spain and Brazil, which is an impressive feat. I never said their players are of the same technical standard as the top European players - not even Roy said that. He said they can mix it with the top nations, which they can bar the top 4 or so.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Who cares about 'Ingerland' FFS?

The main challenge is to create a viable team playing a viable system, which has been lacking for the best part of the last four years.
And to embrace some of the most mediocre talent available in the last 30...

Not as straightforward or easy as it looks.

[Charlie Darwin]

Ingerland is relevant to the matter because our national team's assistant coach has spoken about the technical ability of that nation's players, the same pool from which we draw many of our own and among whom many other Irish players learn and ply their trade. The technical ability or lack thereof of English players and the way our coaches view them is totally relevant to our team's fortunes over the coming years.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Except that's hardly news. And I meant in a generic way regarding the usual predictable drivel.

[Charlie Darwin]

ArdeeBhoy, if you tell me one more time that something isn't news I'm going to turn this car around and there'll be no Martin O'Neill-Roy Keane dream team for anybody.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Ok, as long as you admit that's very old news, dating back to long before we were all born...

[Charlie Darwin]

I also have lots of interesting things to say about archaeology.

[CraftyToePoke]

We could also do with a central defender. Mark O'Brien, Shane Duffy and Tommie Hoban are the main young Irish defenders with first team experience at the moment that but I can't see any of these being ready for at least a season or two and with O'Brien's injury record he may even struggle to get back in the Derby team once he regains his fitness. Possibly Ciaran Clark could improve and fill this position for us but I find that he often struggles against decent opposition.

We could indeed so with options beginning to poke their heads up in this position and the three you mention remain the most likely even if progress has stalled to varying degrees and for various reasons for them all. There is also John Egan who despite the injury was given a year extension at Sunderland in March but he has very little first team experience thus far. Cian Bolger is on loan from Bolton to Colchester at present and while collecting yellows is in the side. Rob Kiernan is similarly getting experience at Southend from Wigan and is generally in the side there. Anthony O'Connor is in the side at Torquay on his loan from Blackburn too and had it extended recently. So while they may yet become lost to the lower leagues, you never know, one or more may become options in this position too in the coming campaign, it can happen. I read with interest that Andros Townsend had as many as nine loan spells away from Spurs, several of which were in lower league settings before his recent breakthrough in club and international terms.

[Charlie Darwin]

I think Townsend's figures are exaggerated a bit by the short-term nature of their loans, but he is an example of a player at a club who maximise their use of the loan system by getting players out young and to teams at an appropriate level. Aston Villa seem to be adopting a similar model, which hopefully will benefit the likes of Grealish, Burke and Carruthers in the long run.

[CraftyToePoke]

I think Townsend's figures are exaggerated a bit by the short-term nature of their loans

Well nonetheless there were nine loans CD. Regardless of their duration. In fact it could be that some were brief due to not going brilliantly perhaps, (not sure without searching them all) as is sometimes the case in such loans, but he seems to have had it in him in any event as he is now demonstrating. As will some of our lads also in time hopefully, would you not agree ?

[Charlie Darwin]

Oh, I'm not arguing with you, I'm backing you up in the sense that a player going on a few loans isn't necessarily being groomed for a career at a lower level. I'm not sure how Townsend's loans went either but his appearance stats look pretty good, with a couple of dips when he stepped up to Championship level. Going back to the Aston Villa comparison, Samir Carruthers and Jack Grealish have been more or less ever-present at League One level, while Graham Burke struggled to make the Shrewsbury line-up, which suggests Lambert might have to ease Burke in more steadily while the other pair could be ready for a jump sooner.

[CraftyToePoke]

Oh, I'm not arguing with you, I'm backing you up in the sense that a player going on a few loans isn't necessarily being groomed for a career at a lower level. I'm not sure how Townsend's loans went either but his appearance stats look pretty good, with a couple of dips when he stepped up to Championship level. Going back to the Aston Villa comparison, Samir Carruthers and Jack Grealish have been more or less ever-present at League One level, while Graham Burke struggled to make the Shrewsbury line-up, which suggests Lambert might have to ease Burke in more steadily while the other pair could be ready for a jump sooner.

Fair enough.

Do you agree with a talent like Grealish being sent to a place like Notts County, club in turmoil at the a*se end of L1 surrounded by absolute brutes in footballing terms ? I wonder if a move similar to what Man U used to do and send players to Antwerp would maybe benefit him more?


Bamford is the one to really watch at MK Dons, he has way too much for the level by the looks of it and King said we were speaking to him I'm sure about coming back into the Ireland fold again.

[Charlie Darwin]

Fair enough.

Do you agree with a talent like Grealish being sent to a place like Notts County, club in turmoil at the a*se end of L1 surrounded by absolute brutes in footballing terms ? I wonder if a move similar to what Man U used to do and send players to Antwerp would maybe benefit him more?


Bamford is the one to really watch at MK Dons, he has way too much for the level by the looks of it and King said we were speaking to him I'm sure about coming back into the Ireland fold again.
How well did United's link with Antwerp work out? O'Shea, Evans and Gibson came through, which I suppose is a decent haul from 30+ players, but it's still a low percentage. I'd be in favour of more players being sent outside of England but that doesn't seem to be the done thing. Arguably, going to League One and playing a bit of football on the ground is preferable to being sent to the dogfight of the Championship.

Bamford probably fancies his chances with England now. Grand if he decides to throw his lot in with us but he's a hot property now.

[ArdeeBhoy]

I also have lots of interesting things to say about archaeology.

Just as long as it's better than your 'comedy'...
;)

[Stuttgart88]

Very encouragingly, the Examiner says the duo will be getting involved in coach education, working with the Dokter and the underage teams and keeping a close eye on the League of Ireland.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/irelands-dream-team-becomes-a-reality-248673.html

Exactly what I was hoping for.

Speaking of the LoI, what a Cup Final. I was watching the highlights on YouTube and thought it looked and sounded fantastic.

[OMTY]

How well did United's link with Antwerp work out? O'Shea, Evans and Gibson came through, which I suppose is a decent haul from 30+ players, but it's still a low percentage. I'd be in favour of more players being sent outside of England but that doesn't seem to be the done thing. Arguably, going to League One and playing a bit of football on the ground is preferable to being sent to the dogfight of the Championship.

Bamford probably fancies his chances with England now. Grand if he decides to throw his lot in with us but he's a hot property now.

Article here on that, out of date now but interesting nonetheless.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/644111-manchester-uniteds-royal-antwerp-loanees

O'Shea, Gibson, Evans, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Danny Simpson, Frazier Campbell, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, Craig Cathcart the more notable ones. All went on to have average to good careers in Championship or Premiership.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Well, they're hardly going to take the Trap stance re.the domestic game.
They can look as hard as they want;the cupboard is still relatively bare.

Hopefully they stick around long enough to have a positive effect on the youth, 5-10 years from now, though have my doubts they'll do much good.

[dynamo kerry]

Well, they're hardly going to take the Trap stance re.the domestic game.
They can look as hard as they want;the cupboard is still relatively bare.

Hopefully they stick around long enough to have a positive effect on the youth, 5-10 years from now, though have my doubts they'll do much good.



that's intresting. I'm more out of touch with the domestic game than I have been for 5 or 6 years. Around the time the Euro games were going well and doyle/dillon/hawkins/fahey etc moved back across. i can't believe there are no further talented players in Ireland right now. Appreciate the problems are probably still as wide ranging and more complex that simply promoting a couple of young guys to the squad on occaision isn't going to do it.

but it couldn't hurt and in my view the role should have some impact on the state of the domestic game- future planning if you will. Especially as MoN and RK should have the interest/clout/knowledge to make some interesting suggestions. Or at worst take good suggestions from those who know better and give them the publicity they need.

As for the team I'm getting the impression folk are less worried about defence and goals but more curious as to what the front 6 will be and the formation... In my view its a rotating front 6 taken from about 8/9 players depending on the opposition. A big ask perhaps but 4 of those will be the same mostly(mccarthy, mcgeady, An other CM, brady) and then 2 from hoolahan, long, an other striker
- thus limiting the variation in the foundation but being flexible in application..

[Stuttgart88]

As for the team I'm getting the impression folk are less worried about defence and goals but more curious as to what the front 6 will be and the formation... In my view its a rotating front 6 taken from about 8/9 players depending on the opposition. A big ask perhaps but 4 of those will be the same mostly(mccarthy, mcgeady, An other CM, brady) and then 2 from hoolahan, long, an other striker
- thus limiting the variation in the foundation but being flexible in application..That'd be a fair assessment I think.

[backstothewall]

I can see a 433 with brady, Walters/Long and Mcgeady as the forward players. Perhaps with Gibson, McCarthy and O'Brien in the middle

[DannyInvincible]

Article here on that, out of date now but interesting nonetheless.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/644111-manchester-uniteds-royal-antwerp-loanees

O'Shea, Gibson, Evans, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Danny Simpson, Frazier Campbell, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, Craig Cathcart the more notable ones. All went on to have average to good careers in Championship or Premiership.

And isn't Higginbotham soon to become a fully-fledged (very) senior international? :p

[paul_oshea]

A team that regularly qualifies for tournaments and is at least is competitive in them. Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, the Czechs and Croatia all spring to mind. Why, what would you consider to be a decent international outfit? A team that's qualified for one tournament out of the last 6 and got trounced in every game?


We have one really decent Premiership player at the moment - Coleman. McCarthy and Gibson are two of the poorer players in the Everton team who are hardly one of the best teams in the league anyway. I'd be surprised if they finished any higher than seventh. Other than that we have a few players playing regularly for teams who are likely to be involved in battles towards the bottom end of the table.

As for your other point England are in no way, shape or form anywhere near
as technically able as any nation and if you really believe that to be true I'd suggest you need to go back and watch them playing against one of the true technically gifted European teams over the past few years.

I've missed YIs smacks of realism round here, good to have good, rational and co-ordinated posts from you again.

[tetsujin1979]

Everton finished sixth last season. Finishing seventh doesn't make them one of the worst teams in the league.

[paul_oshea]

I think if Everton finished 6th or 7th this season they would have to be pretty happy with that. And whilst I agree with YI on McCarthy and/or Gibson, if Everton finished the season with 3 Irish Internationals playing for a team at that level we would have to be happy as well. It would also force home the point about pretty decent players making up the foundations of our first 11. The PL this year is probably the most competitive its been, and bar the top two in Germany and Spain, they have shown to have the best average(number of teams competing at the highest level) of all the Leagues.

I don't see Gibson and McCarthy as both consistently starting and finishing for Everton throughout the season, regardless of any injuries.

[tetsujin1979]

I think if Everton finished 6th or 7th this season they would have to be pretty happy with that. And whilst I agree with YI on McCarthy and/or Gibson, if Everton finished the season with 3 Irish Internationals playing for a team at that level we would have to be happy as well. It would also force home the point about pretty decent players making up the foundations of our first 11. The PL this year is probably the most competitive its been, and bar the top two in Germany and Spain, they have shown to have the best average(number of teams competing at the highest level) of all the Leagues.

I don't see Gibson and McCarthy as both consistently starting and finishing for Everton throughout the season, regardless of any injuries.
McCarthy's completed 90 minutes for Everton for the last five games in a row, and has already played more minutes than Pienaar, despite only moving to Goodison Park at the end of August. Since breaking into the first team, he's played only two minutes less than current cause celebre Ross Barkley, 20 minutes less than Gareth Barry and 30 minutes less than Kevin Mirallas. Last season, under the same manager, he was only substituted twice.

So, I'm damn sure he's going to be consistently starting and finishing for Everton, injuries or suspensions excepted.

[paul_oshea]

Both. As in together, as in concurrently.

[geysir]

That's a theory which won't be tested for a good while and pointless, considering Gibson has just had acl surgery.
If they were both fit, would they not be both starting for us, in our dream team?

Young Irish's point is that we are crap and don't expect too much. Crap as we were, we are 2nd seeds in the draw. Seeing as the team lost faith and lost that connection with Trap in his 3rd campaign and didn't meet standards set in the first 2 campaigns, there's not that much needed to improve upon to qualify for the Euros.
Noel King would get us qualified for the 2016 Euros. The task for the management team is to get us competitive against the first seed ranked teams.

[paul_oshea]

We arent 2nd seeds yet.

I think you are over-estimating our ability to dispense of 3rd seeds and a tricky 4th seed.

Its not pointless, its related to the points made previously.

[geysir]

We arent 2nd seeds yet.

I think you are over-estimating our ability to dispense of 3rd seeds and a tricky 4th seed.

Its not pointless, its related to the points made previously.
True, we aren't 2nd seeds yet, the official announcement won't be made until after the play offs.

I thought you would be optimistic about qualifying for the 2016 Euros. Was it not you who made the point that we have many players playing in one of the top leagues in Europe and should be performing better than we did under Trap? Taking that a little - teeny weeny- step forward, if we perform similar as Traps's 1st 2 campaigns and a little better than the 3rd campaign, combined with the qualification criteria crucially easing, then it should be a cinch to qualify for the Euro 2016?
Or do you expect MON to have the squad performing worse that we did under Trap's first 2 campaigns?

[paul_oshea]

No I agree with you in principle but I don't like the arrogance that it should be a cinch.

You of all people should know that nothing is straightforward as you think it should be with this Irish team.

Btw I have seen enough of Samaras to know that he is a donkey with a half decent touch 20% of the time.

[geysir]

No I agree with you in principle but I don't like the arrogance that it should be a cinch.

You of all people should know that nothing is straightforward as you think it should be with this Irish team.

Btw I have seen enough of Samaras to know that he is a donkey with a half decent touch 20% of the time.
Are you sore Paul? ;)

I thought it would be a straightforward concept, a logical connected thinking, that you would be optimistic about qualifying considering all we have to do is be as good as Trap was in his first 2 campaigns. At worst we get a tricky 3rd seed, like Austria or Sweden and end up going through via the play offs.
You don't have to arrogant about it, just confident. You can leave the arrogance to me.
I really do believe that a bit of optimism and less apprehension would be good for your soul :)

[paul_oshea]

Not at all geysir.

I just felt the need to point out that Samaras is not that good at all.

Its not pessimism or apprehension, its experienced realism. :P

[squareball]

The two lads have to build a competitive balanced team that can take control of more games against the smaller opposition and be disciplined enough to compete against the top teams in our groups much like McCarthy's teams of the late 90's/early 00's. I do think we have the players capable of being in the top 20 in the world. It will take time but if we get the best players in the squad we will be making progress.

If I was asked to pick our best squad at the moment regardless of injuries I would pick:

Goalkeepers:
Westwood, Forde, Rob Elliot

Defenders:
Coleman, Kelly, O' Brien, Dunne, O'Shea, St.Ledger, Clark, Wilson

Midfielders:
Whelan, Gibson, McCarthy, Meyler, Brady, McClean, McGeady, Pilkington, Reid, Hoolahan

Forwards:
Long, Doyle, Walters, Keane, Stokes

There are 26 players in that squad but I wasn't sure who to trim out of it. That is arguably our best squad at the moment. Hopefully a few of the younger players can push on over the next 2 or 3 years and make this a strong side.

[youngirish]

That's a theory which won't be tested for a good while and pointless, considering Gibson has just had acl surgery.
If they were both fit, would they not be both starting for us, in our dream team?

Young Irish's point is that we are crap and don't expect too much. Crap as we were, we are 2nd seeds in the draw. Seeing as the team lost faith and lost that connection with Trap in his 3rd campaign and didn't meet standards set in the first 2 campaigns, there's not that much needed to improve upon to qualify for the Euros.
Noel King would get us qualified for the 2016 Euros. The task for the management team is to get us competitive against the first seed ranked teams.

I think we will qualify for the Euros but after the traumatic experience of last years finals I don't think I can cope if we show up just to be hammered by everyone again. We will always struggle to compete against the top European nations such as the Germans, Spanish, Italians, Dutch, French and Portuguese but to take points of the second tier of European nations I think we still need at least a couple of new really decent Premiership players and not just Premiership journeymen who spend their careers in and out of teams who are continually battling to avoid relegation.

[geysir]

I think we will qualify for the Euros but after the traumatic experience of last years finals I don't think I can cope if we show up just to be hammered by everyone again. We will always struggle to compete against the top European nations such as the Germans, Spanish, Italians, Dutch, French and Portuguese but to take points of the second tier of European nations I think we still need at least a couple of new really decent Premiership players and not just Premiership journeymen who spend their careers in and out of teams who are continually battling to avoid relegation.
It would be very strange if someone who thinks we can play better and compete with degrees more quality than we did under Trap, had doubts now about our ability to get at least similar qualification campaign results as what Trap obtained. There would have to be some unfathomable chronic trepidation going on, or something similar.

Qualification for Eur 2016 is not the challenge, it just would be a disaster not qualifying, the challenge is to compete and give a game to the top teams and go toe to toe with the 2nd level teams.
We can't grow players on trees and we can't just slap a good championship player on the wrist and tell him to do better, to up his game for us and if he isn't good enough - just tell him where to jump off. We'd be left with 6 players, on a good day.

Most teams in our position have one or two class players, we don't and the best of what we had, are retired or getting on. We'll have to wait and see what transpires from O'Neill over the next year, to develop a good team. We are a team in a big transition phase.
I don't know what Mon and junior will do, even if they have the ability to bring us to a level better than what Trap did. Mon for all the qualities he's supposed to have, couldn't effect a minimum amount on an ailing Sunderland. Personality/character/inspiration etc etc had no impact. Maybe he's identified what he needs (other than himself) to make this work.

[paul_oshea]

Its easier to do that geysir on a one-off or irregular basis though geysir, not week in week out.

[Stuttgart88]

O'Neill's initial impact in every role has been positive I think - even at Sunderland?