Predict starting XI and score?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/john-giles-id-drop-robbie-keane-and-play-walters-and-long-up-front-30744128.html

[Closed Account]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/john-giles-id-drop-robbie-keane-and-play-walters-and-long-up-front-30744128.html
Liam Brady has a similar opinion.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/time-to-bench-robbie-297838.html

[swinfordfc]

Forde

Coleman O'Shea Keogh Ward

McGready Gibson Meyler McClean

Walters

Keane but would prefer Long to start and then bring on Keane

Well i got this bit right :)

[geysir]

Pity you didn't predict a draw. but would prefer a win.

[tricky_colour]

Scotland

01 Marshall
02 Whittaker
04 Martin
05 Hanley
15 Robertson
03 Mulgrew
08 Brown
06 Maloney
10 Naismith
11 Anya
09 Fletcher

Substitutes

12 Gordon
13 Martin
14 Berra
16 Dorrans
17 Bannan
18 Greer
19 Fletcher
20 Burke
21 Gilks
22 Russell
23 May


Republic of Ireland

01 Forde
02 Coleman
04 O'Shea
22 Keogh
03 Ward
14 Gibson
08 Hendrick
19 Walters
07 McGeady
11 McClean
09 Long

Substitutes

05 Clark
06 Christie
10 Keane
12 Meyler
13 Pilkington
15 McGoldrick
16 Randolph
17 Brady
18 Quinn
20 Pearce
21 Murphy
23 Given

[tricky_colour]

01 Forde

02 Coleman 04 O'Shea 22 Keogh 03 Ward

07 McGeady 14 Gibson 08 Hendrick 11 McClean

19 Walters 09 Long

[tricky_colour]

would not of let mcclean take it

[OwlsFan]

I honestly can't see at all in any of the scenarios that I have in my head how we are gonna lose this game.


I wasn't aware of McCarthy holding his hammy. Martinez orders!

I think it's a game we can definitely win but I just think we'll approach the game too conservatively.

I think I'll follow any tips Stutts makes over BonnieShels.

At least 80% of the vote said we wouldn't lose.

[paul_oshea]

hold on owlsfan i was closer than both.


we kept going to the end in both games and therefore deserved what we got both times. also, we were the better team in georgia. Scotland have been lucky also with a deflected goal against georgia at home and poland should have scored twice in the last ten mins to win in warsaw. 1-1 draw for me



Scotland v Late lucky Irish --> late Irish equaliser
Luck laden Scots v Ireland --> Long misses a sitter to win the game in the last minute

Scotland v Ireland --> Magnificent away draw for us against the super scots

Luck laden Scots v Late lucky Irish --> It all evens out at the end of the day.




Had Ireland grabbed that late equaliser, it would have certainly confirmed O’Neill’s emerging status as a lucky manager, having got out of jail in Tbilisi with a late winner before pilfering a point at the home of the world champions.

[geysir]

Somehow, Paul's forecast of a draw, always a draw, is now been revised into a magnificent, farsighted and deep prophesy. We were not suppose to take his forecast of a draw. literally. It wasn't as straight forward as all that. Yes on the surface (to a shallow mind) it reads as a forecast of a draw, but underneath and between the lines he did not believe it would happen himself, unless 625 Gods decided to bless O'Neill on that auspicious day in Paradise :)

[paul_oshea]

It's exactly what I believed and for as little as I'm right I'm still more right than you and more often.

I always feel against a broad spectrum of teams in or around us as 2nd 3rd and some 4th seeds that we will draw, it's based purely on experience I'm not trying to foretell the future.

So what did you predict for last Friday?

[geysir]

;)
I went for a draw, same as you did.

[Charlie Darwin]

I think we will get a draw here or could be one of those last minute winners for Scotland even though we have had most of the possession.
Another A1 prediction.

[geysir]

is that one better than this one?


Mccarthy was never going to be the difference between winning by 2 and not conceding any goals.


A draw was always likely, its still likely but slight chance our shabby CD pairing are exposed more often than usual without him there or Whelan there. But they werent going to be the ones making the difference with us scoring 2 goals, conceding 2 possibly.


Its a bit of an over reaction of an overswing in 2 goals because of one person.

[Charlie Darwin]

Paul's reading of the game is so incisive that sometimes I'm convinced he's from the future.

[Stuttgart88]

I think I predicted a Scotland win myself. But probably for the wrong reason or in the wrong way rendering paul's prediction more accurate despite being more wrong.

[DannyInvincible]

What scoreline had Paul predicted for tonight's game?

[Charlie Darwin]

What scoreline had Paul predicted for tonight's game?
I don't know but whatever it was I'm sure it was more accurate than anybody else's.

[paul_oshea]

Stutts you said we would beat them stop trying to backtrack, at worst a draw. YOu were uber confident.

[Stuttgart88]

Ok, assuming Wilson is out:

I think O'Neill will pick

Forde
Coleman
O'Shea
Keogh
Ward
McCarthy
Gibson
Quinn
McGeady
McClean
Keane

I think he might opt straight for Hendrick instead of Gibson though. In fact I think he might gor for a straight 442 with Walters or Long beside Keane and pick McCarthy and Quinn together.

Actually I don't know enough of O'Neill's thinking in competitive games yet except early signs are he is conservative, goes with safe rather than adventure and goes with established rather than potential.

Score? 2-1 Scotland.I wasn't über confident. I was adamant it was a game we could win and I was rallying against some uber pessimism. I thought there were plenty of reasons why we could have won the game. I think there are plenty of reasons why we can win our next two home games, but, as I said, I wouldn't bet any money on it.