Euro 2016 Play-Offs - November 13th and 16th

[tetsujin1979]

Plenty of players have been made to look stupid by Lewandowski. Not to excuse Whelan, but he's waiting for the ball to come to him, Lewandowski gets in the way, wrong foots him, Whelan is caught off balance and Lewandowski is gone again.

[DeLorean]

It's Krychowiak, not Lewandowski. He's caught badly but these things happen, it's just one minor clip. Looks kind of funny though.

[Yard of Pace]

I went off Whelan when Trap called him something preposterous like Ireland's Michel Platini and in subsequent interviews it was clear he believed the hype.
Slow, wasteful, a coward, incapable of passing forward and passes out of play ALL the bloody time, as un-dynamic as a midfielder gets and with a horrible sense of self-entitlement (has anyone mentioned him being a leader this week as he played back in Paris? No, me neither).

I don't like what I know of the man and I think he is an utterly brutal footballer for Ireland.

If he does a job at Stoke, grand, I don't care and best of luck to him.

[geysir]

McCarthy/Hendrick is a few crucial degrees more functional than a McCarthy/Whelan pairing.

[DeLorean]

I went off Whelan when Trap called him something preposterous like Ireland's Michel Platini

Gattuso maybe? Definitely still an overstatement but considerably less preposterous :)

[Olé Olé]

I was thinking the same when i put that team together. I went with McGeady as that wildcard as I feel O'Neill will feel he is the safer option for the away leg, but I would imagine he will revert to the diamond for Dublin, and I could easily see Judge or even Arter playing off Long & Walters. It won't be like O'Neill to go with Hoolahan away from home but with so many injuries for the first leg, and an extra man in midfield as a result of only having 1 up front, i think he will want him in the team.

There are a lot of possible ways we could play though, and we are very badly short of pace. I also considered a 4-1-4-1 with Christie at RB and Coleman RM.

On Whelan. I know most will be expecting him to play, but he came off very early against Poland, and the contrast with McCarthy in that role against Germany was stark. I'd say he must be behind Hendrick and McCarthy at this stage, if not others

Agree on most of the above points, particularly re pace. If we're playing zero goal Murphy up front then we're somewhat shy a goal-threat and speed. We need to stack our midfield with players who can make a goal happen, within reason. That's why I'm wondering if Judge will get a look in. That's also why I'd like to see Brady playing further up the pitch as opposed to left back.

Someone has Brady in the hole and McClean on the left. That sounds like a runner to me. I really think he's just going to let Wes on the bench, mindful of the second Poland game and the fact that it's an away game.

Also, it looks like we'll have to drop the diamond because we're missing Walters and Long and so we haven't much options for a striking duo. There's always the possibility of Keane partnering Murphy.

[Olé Olé]

Oh please make that happen.

As Robbie's cousin once wrote: "I haven't had a dream in a long time, y'see the luck I've had can make a good man bad. So, for once in my life, let me get what I want, lord knows it would be the first time (in about 60 caps)"

Remember when it wasn't cool to like the Smiths? It being to cool to dislike Glenn Whelan should be consigned to history with that!

[DeLorean]

I think that is happening a bit. It has become 'cool' to understand Whelan and what he offers, stuff that was ignored or overlooked previously. I think there might even be a pretentious element to it with some people, a kind of 'you have to understand the game to see what he brings' sort of thing. I'm sure this stems from top manager after top manager picking him and it's been kind of difficult to fathom at times. I wouldn't be as harsh as YOP though, I think he's had a good 2015 overall for club and country but, yeah, I'd prefer if he was phased out as an automatic starter at least.

[Yard of Pace]

Gattuso maybe? Definitely still an overstatement but considerably less preposterous :)

Apologies, yes. But still quite preposterous. He compared James McCarthy to Platini.


http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mac+is+Platini+2%3B+KAZAKHSTAN+V+IRELAND,+SEPT+7%3 A+TRAPATTONI+PREPARES...-a0300112113

[Yard of Pace]

a kind of 'you have to understand the game to see what he brings' sort of thing. I'm .

Make up a compilation video of him attempting 5 yard passes to players on the wing and the ball going out of play.

I actually don't feel I need to say any more. Get him out and never have him back.

[MeathDrog]

It's Krychowiak, not Lewandowski. He's caught badly but these things happen, it's just one minor clip. Looks kind of funny though.
Is there a vine of Whelan being roasted by a 37 year old Anders Svensson?

[Charlie Darwin]

Oh please make that happen.

As Robbie's cousin once wrote: "I haven't had a dream in a long time, y'see the luck I've had can make a good man bad. So, for once in my life, let me get what I want, lord knows it would be the first time (in about 60 caps)"
Johnser Keane wrote that?

[geysir]

Gattuso maybe? Definitely still an overstatement but considerably less preposterous :)
Green is Gattuso.

[jbyrne]

meyler out for 2 months. real pity as he has done well when called upon and seemed to be in great form over the last while for Hull...

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2015/1112/741463-david-meyler-out-for-up-to-two-months/

[Straightstory]

[QUOTEIf we sit in for a draw like we usually do in Eastern Europe, we're inviting trouble.[/QUOTE]
We'll be sitting in for a draw and inviting trouble.

[DeLorean]

meyler out for 2 months.

Feck, that's a bit of a blow. I agree with CD that he could have been important in some capacity over the two games. Brucie won't be happy either.

[Olé Olé]

Very disappointed for Meyler and midfield options shorten again.

[MeathDrog]

Very disappointed for Meyler and midfield options shorten again.
Time to deploy the joker. Enter Alan Judge.

[SwanVsDalton]

I think that is happening a bit. It has become 'cool' to understand Whelan and what he offers, stuff that was ignored or overlooked previously. I think there might even be a pretentious element to it with some people, a kind of 'you have to understand the game to see what he brings' sort of thing. I'm sure this stems from top manager after top manager picking him and it's been kind of difficult to fathom at times. I wouldn't be as harsh as YOP though, I think he's had a good 2015 overall for club and country but, yeah, I'd prefer if he was phased out as an automatic starter at least.

I kind of understand what you're saying here DeL but, at the same time, Glenn Whelan and 'coolness'? Unfortunately, not even Glenn has come within a sniff of crossover hipster appeal. He ain't propping up many Sagres-fuelled footy arguments in Shoreditch is what I'm saying.

The main problem with the Whelan argument is it gets real emotive, real quick. Hysterical and hyperbolic. Like this...


Make up a compilation video of him attempting 5 yard passes to players on the wing and the ball going out of play.

I actually don't feel I need to say any more. Get him out and never have him back.

Whelan's had a decent year for Ireland, after a bad run. Wasn't great in Poland but I think he's got a good bit to offer in Bosnia not least as an organiser and a leader in a team shorn of most of them.

I wouldn't have him as an automatic starter, but with the players missing I'd shoe him in for the away leg and have him give way to McCarthy at home.

[SwanVsDalton]

I don't think it's going to be a scrap at all - I think it'll be one of the most open games of football that we'll have been involved in for years.
I said when the draw was made, the best way to nullify Bosnia would be to attack them. Either a Bosnian journalist, or their manager said this week that they're weak at the back, and the only way they can play is full-on attack, hence why they leak goals. If we sit in for a draw like we usually do in Eastern Europe, we're inviting trouble.

Bould aul' prediction there Kingdom. If I wasn't skint, I'd offer a wager. ;)

It's not necessarily about sitting back looking for a draw, it's about 22 players already accustomed to the nip and tuck of international football playing in a two-legged cup final with a highly emotive prize in line for whoever can hold their nerve.

I'd love it to be open, stretched and end-to-end - can't see it though.

[DeLorean]

I kind of understand what you're saying here DeL but, at the same time, Glenn Whelan and 'coolness'? Unfortunately, not even Glenn has come within a sniff of crossover hipster appeal. He ain't propping up many Sagres-fuelled footy arguments in Shoreditch is what I'm saying.

Sure, I wouldn't have used the word cool only for the way the conversation fell. Still, I think he's getting a lot of plaudits for remaining in the Stoke side despite the influx of more glamorous names. He's starting to be embraced as the vital cog that allows the others to express themselves. He got high praise from the Soccer Saturday crew on Sky recently which can carry a lot of weight amongst the watching public. I'm not begrudging him this sort of publicity and a part of me is even a little proud of him when I hear the Sky lads signalling him out for special praise, one of our own and all that. However, I have to draw the line at getting sucked in to thinking he's actually better than he is, even within the restraints of his specialised role. I think it's been proven, in my mind at least, that we don't miss him when he's absent and midfield generally functions better e.g. Sweden (a), Italy friendly and Germany (h).


I wouldn't have him as an automatic starter, but with the players missing I'd shoe him in for the away leg and have him give way to McCarthy at home.

Surely McCarthy will start both games either way?

[tetsujin1979]

The42.ie published this earlier - What does Glenn Whelan do for Ireland: www.the42.ie/analysis-what-does-glenn-whelan-actually-do-for-ireland-2437941-Nov2015/

[DannyInvincible]

Hmmm. First I have heard of a "pre-existing ankle injury". Slightly worried that Westwood is fed up playing second fiddle to inferior keepers when he is in the form of his life (well, last season at least). The return of Given was a real slap in the face and the selection of Randolph ahead of him he wouldn't have enjoyed either. Will be interested to see does he tog out against Huddersfield next weekend.

Why would he bother coming over though in the first place without a guarantee if that was really what was up? Are you suggesting he might have come over, realised he wasn't set for a start and buggered off again in a huff, with the injury claim now being used as cover to safeguard his reputation and the notion of squad harmony? He was photographed sitting out of training next to O'Neill; of course, it's possible that your conspiracy theory might be true, but it'd be a very elaborate act. I'm not sure it's plausible. Do we even know that he was going to be playing second-fiddle in the first place?


I don't think it's going to be a scrap at all - I think it'll be one of the most open games of football that we'll have been involved in for years.
I said when the draw was made, the best way to nullify Bosnia would be to attack them. Either a Bosnian journalist, or their manager said this week that they're weak at the back, and the only way they can play is full-on attack, hence why they leak goals. If we sit in for a draw like we usually do in Eastern Europe, we're inviting trouble.

All the more important that we take advantage then, considering away goals are up for grabs (although I think the chances of us going on the attack in the first-leg of a play-off away from home are slim).

[the doc]

Right Lads and Lassies, time to put aside our bias and dislikes of team selection and players and get behind the Boys in Green.

We have a play off to win....

Come on Ireland!

[Closed Account]

Right Lads and Lassies, time to put aside our bias and dislikes of team selection and players and get behind the Boys in Green.

We have a play off to win....

Come on Ireland!
Ah, there's at least another 24 hours of speculating yet! No harm in it. I'd go with
Randolph;
Christie, Keogh, Clark, Ward;
McCarthy, Whelan;
Coleman, Hendrick, Brady;
Murphy

4-2-3-1

Bench: Forde, Henderson; Duffy, Pearce, Wilson; McClean, Hoolahan, Arter, Gibson, Judge, McGeady; Keane, Doyle

[tetsujin1979]

Live stream of the press conference on RTE player: http://www.rte.ie/live/

[SwanVsDalton]

Sure, I wouldn't have used the word cool only for the way the conversation fell. Still, I think he's getting a lot of plaudits for remaining in the Stoke side despite the influx of more glamorous names. He's starting to be embraced as the vital cog that allows the others to express themselves. He got high praise from the Soccer Saturday crew on Sky recently which can carry a lot of weight amongst the watching public. I'm not begrudging him this sort of publicity and a part of me is even a little proud of him when I hear the Sky lads signalling him out for special praise, one of our own and all that. However, I have to draw the line at getting sucked in to thinking he's actually better than he is, even within the restraints of his specialised role. I think it's been proven, in my mind at least, that we don't miss him when he's absent and midfield generally functions better e.g. Sweden (a), Italy friendly and Germany (h).

I know what you mean, but I personally see that as just due for a guy who's a pretty decent player when he plays well but has gotten absolute dogs abuse for us. It's ok, people who praise him arn't trying to set a dirty trap to trick you into thinking he's an unheralded genius. :)


Surely McCarthy will start both games either way?

Definitely, I mean they'll play together away with McCarthy moving into the deep-lying midfielder role for the home leg. I think he can play a good role for us - he's got an awful slagging for what, to me, was more an issue of bad form than being a bad player. But at home, I'd stick with McCarthy.

[RobbieOR]

It's the anniversary since we played Iran too. Mad some of the players we had then! https://beanbagsports.com/blog/2015/11/12/irelands-2002-world-cup-play-off-team-where-are-they-now/

[shakermaker1982]

Randolph

Coleman Clark Keogh Ward
McCarthy
Hendricks Arter Brady
Hoolahan
Murphy

Bad luck with the injuries and the suspensions. I'd be tempted to play Keane but I know he doesn't suit the lone man role and unless we can guarantee him some action in the box we've got to go with Murphy. He's surely due an international goal....

[TrapAPony]

Randolph

Coleman Keogh Clark Wilson

Hendrick Whelan. McCarthy

Hoolahan. Brady

Keane


Picked Keane as Murphy is never going to score for us. 14 caps & no goals at 32 years of age is not what we need from a striker. Anyway Keane will be up against at 35 year old defender in Spahic. I'm sure he can still out pace him. Picked Meyler as he is playing well & flying high with Hull & I feel we need to be quite defensive in Bosnia. Think Brady offers far more as an attacking player than a left back which is why Wilson comes in for me.

[DannyInvincible]

Randolph

Coleman Keogh Clark Wilson

Meyler Whelan. McCarthy

Hoolahan. Brady

Keane


Picked Keane as Murphy is never going to score for us. 14 caps & no goals at 32 years of age is not what we need from a striker. Anyway Keane will be up against at 35 year old defender in Spahic. I'm sure he can still out pace him. Picked Meyler as he is playing well & flying high with Hull & I feel we need to be quite defensive in Bosnia. Think Brady offers far more as an attacking player than a left back which is why Wilson comes in for me.

Meyler's out for two months. He was injured during a collision with Wilson in training today.

[Charlie Darwin]

Meyler's out for two months. He was injured during a collision with Wilson in training today.
MON said a couple of weeks earlier, but he might have misspoke.

[DannyInvincible]

MON said a couple of weeks earlier, but he might have misspoke.

BBC reporting the following: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34786666


Meyler is expected to be out of action for up to eight weeks after an MRI scan revealed that he had suffered a grade 2 tear of his right knee medial ligament.

RTÉ saying the same: http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2015/1112/741463-david-meyler-out-for-up-to-two-months/


David Meyler is out of Ireland's crunch play-off encounters with Bosnia-Herzegovina and could miss up to two months after sustaining a knee injury in training on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old has suffered a tear to his medial ligament after colliding with Stoke defender Marc Wilson during a training session ahead of the first leg of the Euro 2016 play-off in Zenica on Friday night.

His club, Hull, posted the injury update on their official website, with their doctors predicting Meyler will be out for up to eight weeks.

Martin O'Neill was unsure of the seriousness of the injury at the time, commenting: "Sometimes when you want to be as careful as possible things like that can happen. He had to come out of things so we'll see how he is in the morning."

[DannyInvincible]

Jonathan Wilson on our chances: http://www.the42.ie/bosnia-republic-of-ireland-play-off-jonathan-wilson-2438208-Nov2015/

Suggests that high balls are a Bosnian weakness, although he says we should be worried otherwise as Bosnia are back in form after a shaky start to the group, which he puts down to a combination of injuries and a drop in morale/belief after the poor World Cup.

[geysir]

As if we needed a tactical encouragement to pump in the high balls :)

[davidatrb]

If all goes well in our tie. Hungary winning is a bad idea. Just in case someone wants to shout for someone. Give us a better seeding if Slovenia and Norway are in the draw.

[Charlie Darwin]

I wouldn't get my hopes up. Norway having all the possession but look completely clueless with it.

[davidatrb]

I wouldn't get my hopes up. Norway having all the possession but look completely clueless with it.

Extremely unlikely given Slovenia have Ukraine. But it gives us someone to shout for as a warm up for tomorrow night! Gets us used to disappointment!

[DeLorean]

I'd have a bit of a soft spot for Hungary. I used love watching the old footage of the Magic Magyars when I was growing up. It was such a shame they didn't win the WC in 1954 and I've always found it kind of sad that they've been so uncompetitive in more recent decades. Norway, on the other hand, I just associate with bland, dreary football so this is an easy one for me.

[Fixer82]

I'm not confident about tomorrow at all. I think they'll outpace us with one touch football.
Time for Murphy, Hendrick and Brady to stand up and be counted.
Not sure if he'll go for Robbie or Wes but I reckon it'll be one or the other

What I imagine will be the team:

Randolph

Coleman Wilson Keogh Ward

Hendrick Whelan McCarthy Brady

Hoolahan/Keane

Murphy

[MeathDrog]

Norway were fairly toothless but were denied a stone waller.


Hoping Hungary go through.

[tricky_colour]

I went off Whelan when Trap called him something preposterous like Ireland's Michel Platini and in subsequent interviews it was clear he believed the hype.
Slow, wasteful, a coward, incapable of passing forward and passes out of play ALL the bloody time, as un-dynamic as a midfielder gets and with a horrible sense of self-entitlement (has anyone mentioned him being a leader this week as he played back in Paris? No, me neither).

I don't like what I know of the man and I think he is an utterly brutal footballer for Ireland.

If he does a job at Stoke, grand, I don't care and best of luck to him.

But apart from that, not at all bad. :)

[tricky_colour]

Time to deploy the joker. Enter Alan Judge.

every cloud has a silver lining :)

[Stuttgart88]

I don't think I've ever been so uncertain about what team will be selected. I'm not even going to try and guess.

[DeLorean]

Randolph, Coleman, Keogh, Brady, Hendrick, McCarthy, Whelan and Murphy are all nailed on I think, two from Clark/Wilson/Ward makes ten, so really it's only a case of who'll support Murphy up front.

I heard Stephen Hunt on Newstalk on the way to work. From his comments he seems to think Ward will start left back, to add a bit of height back there. He's very concerned about O'Shea being out, saying that Keogh and Clark have played plenty games but not at this level, so he obviously thinks it will be Clark over Wilson. He said Coleman and Ward are both good players but not good talkers, hence the major concern over JOSH's absence. It was put to him about Hoolahan starting to support Murphy and he seemed unsure, sighting the two game factor. He didn't suggest an alternative though. He didn't make a prediction either a such, even though he was asked for one, but he said 1-1 would be brilliant and suggested he'd be relatively satisfied with a 2-1 defeat.

Edit- Olé Olé's selection of Keane reminded me of another thing Hunt said, that I found interesting. When talking about Dzeko's impressive goal tally he mentioned that we could say the same about Robbie Keane but added "although obviously he's not going to be playing tonight, er... or maybe he will I don't know". Something to that effect.

[Olé Olé]

I don't think I've ever been so uncertain about what team will be selected. I'm not even going to try and guess.

Same. I wouldn't feel comfortable not getting it pathetically wrong and giving myself a feeling of outrage before the match.

EDIT: I typed out a team and I doubted myself so much, I'm not going to stand by it but I'll still leave it here: Randolph; Coleman, Keogh, Clark, Wilson; Hendrick, McCarthy, Whelan, Brady; Keane, Murphy.

[DeLorean]

It's ok, people who praise him arn't trying to set a dirty trap to trick you into thinking he's an unheralded genius.

They might be trying to trick themselves though :)

[DannyInvincible]

Randolph, Coleman, Keogh, Brady, Hendrick, McCarthy, Whelan and Murphy are all nailed on I think, two from Clark/Wilson/Ward makes ten, so really it's only a case of who'll support Murphy up front.

I heard Stephen Ward on Newstalk on the way to work. From his comments he seems to think Ward will start left back, to add a bit of height back there. He's very concerned about O'Shea being out, saying that Keogh and Clark have played plenty games but not at this level, so he obviously thinks it will be Clark over Wilson. He said Coleman and Ward are both good players but not good talkers, hence the major concern over JOSH's absence. It was put to him about Hoolahan starting to support Murphy and he seemed unsure, sighting the two game factor. He didn't suggest an alternative though. He didn't make a prediction either a such, even though he was asked for one, but he said 1-1 would be brilliant and suggested he'd be relatively satisfied with a 2-1 defeat.

Edit- Olé Olé's selection of Keane reminded me of another thing Hunt said, that I found interesting. When talking about Dzeko's impressive goal tally he mentioned that we could say the same about Robbie Keane but added "although obviously he's not going to be playing tonight, er... or maybe he will I don't know". Something to that effect.

I was gonna ask if you'd meant "Stephen Ward on Newstalk" or someone else, as I thought Ward was providing some inside info for a sec (whilst referring to himself in third person!), but you've clarified it was actually Stephen Hunt in the edit, ha.

Who'll be given the captaincy (assuming there's no Robbie)? We're lacking vocal leadership. Keogh? Whelan?

[DeLorean]

Ha oops.... it would explain why he was picked as well :)

Good question regarding the captaincy, who's normally third in command? Almost has to be Whelan if you go by caps/experience and apparently communication levels. I'd be hopeful that James McCarthy will be our captain in the not so distant future but probably a needless distraction for him at this point.

[Yard of Pace]

The main problem with the Whelan argument is it gets real emotive, real quick. Hysterical and hyperbolic. Like this...

.

No, that's my considered opinion after watching pretty much every game he's played for us. Those are my conclusions. And I go to the home games so I don't miss some off the ball importance he engages in.

Now, I feel sorry for him a bit because the system was him and Steven Reid, so majestic in Montenegro. But that ended after two games and we had the willing but limited Keith Andrews instead. So for Ireland, I just don't think he's ever been good enough. If Reid had stayed fit or if he'd been playing alongside Roy Keane I think he'd have been decent but come on, bloomin' 'eck, HOW many games does it take where we say "we've no midfield" blah blah blah and the craving for Hoolahan. Whelan is SO limited it hurts.

It's not hyperbole but he's just not good enough, in my opinion.