Republic of Ireland V Serbia - Wednesday, 5th March 2014 - Friendly

[tricky_colour]

Andy Reid is not even in the Forest squad today, rumour has it he is injured, no
other reason suggested on the Forest forum at least. No suggestion of what the injury might
be either, I find the lack of any explanation slightly ominous.

[Fixer82]

Apparently he was sent home for playing guitar late into the night in a hotel lobby

[tricky_colour]

Well Forest lost 3-1 without him which kind of works in his favour, that
is not to say they would not have lost if he played. Put a big dint in
Forest's chances of automatic promotion.
Wigan moving to a point off the playoffs with a game in hand.

[bennocelt]

Robbie is far more articulate than people give him credit for. I think people just hear the accent and dismiss him. There's no real scope for ambiguity in what he said except for that which people try to apply.

You keep saying that CD, but its not obvious from his interviews, sorry! And its nothing got to do with his accent, this is a football forum not a rugby love in!:p

[SkStu]

You keep saying that CD, but its not obvious from his interviews, sorry! And its nothing got to do with his accent, this is a football forum not a rugby love in!:p

I have to say, I thought the same as this when I read your post Charlie! :D

[geysir]

Imo, there is a big difference in reading what Robbie says and listening to him say it.

It's just far too easy for those of us who grew up in a more elevated educational environment (i.e. outside Dublin), to dismiss out of hand anyone speaking in the typical inarticulate dumb Dublin accent, an accent so linguistically retarded that the person can't possibly be saying anything of interest.
Robbie is an exception to this.

[Charlie Darwin]

Dunne call up short lived?
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/richard-dunne-s-return-looks-set-to-be-short-lived-for-ireland-1.1699183
I love how the sub-heading suggests Daryl Murphy's form for Ipswich is going to keep Dunne out of the team.

[Charlie Darwin]

You keep saying that CD, but its not obvious from his interviews, sorry! And its nothing got to do with his accent, this is a football forum not a rugby love in!:p
Well what is it then? He deals in the same sort of vague non-committal statements most footballers do to avoid controversy, but when he does come out and express his own opinions I think he does it quite well.


Imo, there is a big difference in reading what Robbie says and listening to him say it.

It's just far too easy for those of us who grew up in a more elevated educational environment (i.e. outside Dublin), to dismiss out of hand anyone speaking in the typical inarticulate dumb Dublin accent, an accent so linguistically retarded that the person can't possibly be saying anything of interest.
Robbie is an exception to this.
Remind me not to phone you up then :p

[bennocelt]

Well what is it then? He deals in the same sort of vague non-committal statements most footballers do to avoid controversy, but when he does come out and express his own opinions I think he does it quite well.


Remind me not to phone you up then :p

Yeah that's it, most footballers are a bit dim, nothing against him personally, met him and he is a top bloke.

[DeLorean]

I'm with Charlie on this one. Keane is smart enough to say the right things at the right times. He'll throw out the clichés for the most part but, when the moment demands, he's not afraid to speak with conviction. He's being asked fairly routine football questions, not really much of a platform to show your NASA credentials. Of course, it is a platform to show yourself up if you're particularly thick and he certainly doesn't fall into that category. Frank Lampard, for example, is supposed to be exceptionally intelligent and I don't think we'd know this from his football interviews, which are fairly routine.

[Crosby87]

Ha! I went to a college that is intertwined with NASA and the dumbest idiot I knew went to work for them. Needed a spatula to scrape him off the floor every sunday morning, with vomit.

[DeLorean]

Sounds like a flawed genius to me.

[Charlie Darwin]

Ha! I went to a college that is intertwined with NASA and the dumbest idiot I knew went to work for them. Needed a spatula to scrape him off the floor every sunday morning, with vomit.
I can understand the spatula but why would you need to use vomit?

[Stuttgart88]

Given the group we have it'd be great if we can have a home win over Serbia with some convincing individual performances. It'd be great to arrive in September with no players still needing to look like international footballers. Time for a few to grow up and seize their moment. If I could have a further wish it'd be that we play 433 and it looks like it suits us and brings the best out of us.

[tetsujin1979]

I checked out the records of the players who were omitted, and it looks like the squad for Serbia is about as good as it gets right now. Findings blogged here: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/
Chris McCann is the only one you can really say should be involved, there's very little from the rest that would be an improvement

[geysir]

Serbia's caretaker coach has struck a welcome blow against a lingering intolerant legacy from fascist former coach Mihajlovic, that was hanging over the international team set up.

Ljajic recalled (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/serbia-recall-ostracised-muslim-midfielder-for-ireland-game-1.1703055)
Serbia’s interim management team have recalled Roma’s Adem Ljajic for the friendly against the Ireland in Dublin on March 5th.The midfielder (a muslin) was kicked out of the squad nearly two years ago by former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic after he refused to sing the national anthem.

[BonnieShels]

Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt are lucky fellows.

[Stuttgart88]

The midfielder (a muslin) was kicked out of the squad nearly two years ago by former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic after he refused to sing the national anthem.

Gives new meaning to the term "towel head".

[BonnieShels]

Tarpaulin behaviour from Mihajlovic.

[Stuttgart88]

Are you from Turban-barry?

[paul_oshea]

Very good stutts.

[geysir]

Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt are lucky fellows.
To name but a few of those whose heads hang low during GSTQ. I thought it was the northern brethren just didn't know how to react to them openly disrespecting the glorious anthem and that lack of reaction got mistook for a (very rare) exhibition of ethnic tolerance and somehow it stuck. But probably the lack of reaction has more to do with them rugby players openly not singing AnbF since forever.

[tricky_colour]

Tarpaulin behaviour from Mihajlovic.

Yes he made a right burka of himself :)

[Fixer82]

Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt are lucky fellows.

They're cut from the same cloth those lads

[Stuttgart88]

Yes he made a right burka of himself :)As long as he doesn't make a habit of it...

[Fixer82]

I reckon Neil Linen could do a job there!

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/3942/ireland/2014/03/01/4654871/reid-elliot-and-doyle-withdraw-from-ireland-squad?ICID=HP_BN_1

Kevin Doyle and Rob Elliot are the latest players ruled out with injury.

[tetsujin1979]

Doyle and Elliott as well as Andy Reid according to the FAI's twitter: https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/439816848511885312

Andy Reid, Rob Elliot and Kevin Doyle have been ruled out of Martin O'Neill's squad to face Serbia on Weds, March 5 through injury. #IrlSer
No word on call ups, imagine Elliot will be the only one replaced

[BonnieShels]

Gonna be bored off my tits when I land at 11pm Irish time in thingy ma yoke.

If any of ye can find a highlight stream etc I would be most grateful.

[DeLorean]

What will the team be:


--------------Forde--------------

Coleman - O'Shea - Dunne - Wilson

-------Whelan - McCarthy--------

--Walters - Hoolahan - McGeady--

-------------Long----------------


Maybe Clark to start instead of Dunne/O'Shea?

[Stuttgart88]

Dunne has been allowed to stay with QPR. Paper talk seems to suggest Wilson will be at CB.

My guess is MON will go with this and it'd also be my team:

---------Forde---------

Coleman--JOS--Wilson--Ward

----Meyler ----McCarthy

McGeady--Hoolahan--McClean

-----------Long-----------


I hope there is none of this "Walters out wide" nonsense. The papers this morning suggest Murphy is likely to feature at some stage to take a look at Plan B (I assume in a 442) and I think that MON has a tough call to make between Meyler and Whelan to partner McCarthy. The press was suggesting Meyler would start. Pilkington and Randolph are also likely to feature as MON is expected to use all 6 subs.

[Closed Account]

Richard Keogh is in line to start ahead of JOSH according the the medjia. Glen Whelan likely to take captains armband.
Forde

Coleman
Keogh
Wilson
Ward

McGeady
Whelan(c)
McCarthy
McClean

Walters
Long

would be my predicted lineup.
What I'd like to see however would be
Forde

Coleman
O'Shea
Delaney
Wilson

McCarthy
Meyler

Walters(Reid/Pilkington if they were fit, basically anyone clever enough to make space for Coleman outside him)
Hoolahan
McGeady

Long

[DeLorean]

I thought that about Dunne alright so I checked back on the original squad and he was in it, so I presumed I was getting mixed up with the previous squad. Makes sense though.

I saw a bit of the press conference where O'Neill and John O'Shea were having a laugh about O'Shea's age... O'Neill then jokingly asked does anybody know what age Richard Keogh is?

My team was a mixture of what I would like and what I would expect. I would like that sort of a formation but I expect Walters and Whelan to be involved. They wouldn't necessarily make my preferred starting XI.

JD - That is such a Trap team in every way, hope you're wrong but you could well be right.

[Stuttgart88]

JD - That is such a Trap team in every way, hope you're wrong but you could well be right.I agree. I really hope to see a departure from the old 442 and I also want to see round pegs in round holes.

[Crosby87]

Gonna be bored off my tits
If any of ye can find a highlight stream

This worked last time Bon Bon. http://www.stream2u.eu/watch/36462/1/International-Football-Republic-of-Ireland-vs-Serbia.html


Hearing the Serbs will go with somethng like this barring injury.

Stojkovic
Kolarov Vanovic Biserac Basta
Tosic Matic
Ljajic Petrovic Tadic
Dordevic

[DeLorean]

Didn't realise Vidic is back playing with Serbia... is this correct?

Nemanja Vidic to join Inter Milan (http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9196982/transfer-news-manchester-united-captain-nemanja-vidic-to-join-inter-milan)


The Serbia defender - who will be in action against the Republic of Ireland on Sky Sports tonight - was linked with a number of major European clubs - among them Juventus, Monaco and Galatasaray, but has opted for a move to San Siro.

[Charlie Darwin]

No, he hasn't played for them for years. Just bad reporting.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

If everyone in original squad was fit

Forde
Coleman, O'Shea, Wilson, Dunne, McClean
McCarthy, Reid, Whelan
Long, Doyle

:p

Walters should never play on the wing ever again and he should be behind Keane, Long, Doyle and Stokes as options up front.

[DeLorean]

No, he hasn't played for them for years. Just bad reporting.

Thought so. He retired after missing that penalty that nobody else wanted to take if I remember right? Took a lot of stick for missing it.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Didn't realise Vidic is back playing with Serbia... is this correct?

Nemanja Vidic to join Inter Milan (http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9196982/transfer-news-manchester-united-captain-nemanja-vidic-to-join-inter-milan)

Sums up the decline of Serie A. Vidic is 33 early next season and he is very susceptible to injuries.

They need youth to replace people like Samuel and Zanetti.

Don't get me started on AC Milan's transfer policy.

Juve and Roma getting it right with players like Llorente, Vidal, Strootman and Nainggolan coming in.

[DeLorean]

Taarabt and Gervinho walking straight into the Milan and Roma teams fairly successfully speaks volumes. I wouldn't mind Vidic so much, he looks a shadow of his former self right now but is only really starting to get a proper run of games together, for the first time in ages. 33 isn't all that old for a world class centre back. Time will tell on that one but worth a punt I think.

[DannyInvincible]

Just realising that Scotland are playing Poland tonight in Warsaw. Might be worth keeping an eye on as well.

[Charlie Darwin]

Just realising that Scotland are playing Poland tonight in Warsaw. Might be worth keeping an eye on as well.
Germany playing Chile too, could be interesting.

[Charlie Darwin]

That's the strongest team we could have put out in my opinion and exactly the one I would have picked.

Ireland Starting XI: Forde, Coleman, Keogh, Wilson, Ward, McGeady, McCarthy,Whelan,Hoolahan,McClean,Long

[CraftyToePoke]

Early shout out for a likely decent stream lads, man stuck at work here. Please.

[Closed Account]

It's on SS3 so I usually use
http://www.nutjob.eu/ss3tv.html

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

That's the strongest team we could have put out in my opinion and exactly the one I would have picked.

Ireland Starting XI: Forde, Coleman, Keogh, Wilson, Ward, McGeady, McCarthy,Whelan,Hoolahan,McClean,Long

Not a fan of O'Shea, Charlie?

[Charlie Darwin]

Not a fan of O'Shea, Charlie?
Haha, sorry. I would pick O'Shea but O'Neill had already suggested he wouldn't learn anything by playing him, which I'd agree with. Same as I don't think there was any point dragging Robbie, Given or Dunne over.

[DannyInvincible]

Early shout out for a likely decent stream lads, man stuck at work here. Please.

Usually plenty of links here: http://www.lshunter.net/ or http://www.footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links/index.html

[Stuttgart88]

So, the prediction I made to Tets at Tolka back when we saw Glenn Whelan play for our U21s against Switzerland has come true: future Ireland captain. Doesn't make up for the ones I got wrong though!