A Mick McCarthy side.....

[fosterdollar]

Of course I agree that Duff isn't very good up front. Mourinho does it and he's the best manager in the world, Kerr does it and he deserves the sack.

If anyone does think this of Mourinho, it's not because he played Duff up front. I agree with the lads above about playing as striker. It's just not his position and while he is trying to be diplomatic about it in press conferences, etc. I would imagine Duff is probably pleading with Kerr not to do this to him again. He has far more to offer than he gets the chance to when played in this position.

[stojkovic]

I know, that's what I meant.
Sorry i thought you meant our debate.

[geysir]

Why not bring on Elliot - inexperience ?

Robbie Keane played in three friendlies before earning his fourth cap v Croatia in a qualifier in 1998 at the age of 18.

Before you shout abuse - YES Robbie was playing 'second tier' football at the time with Wolves, same as Elliot with Sunderland.

There is no difference, he should have come on.

I manage an amatuer team and if I put a midfielder up front while I had two strikers on the bench there would have been trouble.

There is a big difference, Robbie played the friendly against Argentina, electrifying at times, crowd booed when he was not awarded MOM. Elliot just has not shown anything near that yet. I certainly hope he does in future.

[stojkovic]

There is a big difference, Robbie played the friendly against Argentina, electrifying at times, crowd booed when he was not awarded MOM. Elliot just has not shown anything near that yet. I certainly hope he does in future.
Yes he did. Why? To give him experience, it was only his second cap i think. Ortega ran the show and we lost 2-0.
If Elliot came on last Saturday and we drew 2-2 no-one would have blamed him or Kerr for that as he's a striker.
I agree that Elliot may not prove to be as good as Robbie but he has to be given a chance when a striker gets injured. Expecially when we are 2-0 up at home against a poor side who were rattled.

[Slash/ED]

I think O'Shea is the only weak link in our defense. Our defense is good enough and has an excellent record. The Swiss goal was down to Kilbane giving the ball away (Carr didn't play well there but Finnan has overtaken him now). The Israel home goal was a shot from outside the box that every defence concedes once in a while. The Israel home goal was a crazy header from a free kick. We are usually very good at defending set pieces. They are the only goals we conceded with the exception of the peno.

In all fairness, O'Brien is in and out of the Newcastle team, Harte is poor and Cunningham is getting older. We don't just have one weak link there. Their record is good but they are not capable of sitting back and soaking pressure, that has been proven many many times under Kerr. Look at the Swiss match, kept from being an embarassment by Shay Given alone.

We are not Chelsea, we have not got a defense capable of sitting back, soaking up pressure and killing a game off. We've given away leads in nearly every big match Kerr has played as proof of this.

[eirebhoy]

In all fairness, O'Brien is in and out of the Newcastle team, Harte is poor and Cunningham is getting older. We don't just have one weak link there. Their record is good but they are not capable of sitting back and soaking pressure, that has been proven many many times under Kerr. Look at the Swiss match, kept from being an embarassment by Shay Given alone.

We are not Chelsea, we have not got a defense capable of sitting back, soaking up pressure and killing a game off. We've given away leads in nearly every big match Kerr has played as proof of this.
Whatever about individual attributes, the Cunningham-O'Brien partnership has been world class under Kerr. Harte isn't a first teamer so O'Shea is the only weak link.

[Slash/ED]

Whatever about individual attributes, the Cunningham-O'Brien partnership has been world class under Kerr. Harte isn't a first teamer so O'Shea is the only weak link.

For the most part yes, but they have also proved they are no good at sitting back and defending leads. We've conceded nearly every time we've done that. They aren't on the level of the Chelsea/Porto defense, which are capable of doing that. It's more than just the defense that's at fault there though, when we sit back the whole team should defend as a unit better, but we aren't capable of it therefor shouldn't be doing it. That's been proven.

[eirebhoy]

For the most part yes, but they have also proved they are no good at sitting back and defending leads. We've conceded nearly every time we've done that. They aren't on the level of the Chelsea/Porto defense, which are capable of doing that. It's more than just the defense that's at fault there though, when we sit back the whole team should defend as a unit better, but we aren't capable of it therefor shouldn't be doing it. That's been proven.
Its more a team thing though as the centre defence has been fine all throughout the campaign. I watched Cunningham when we were 2-0 up and he was pushing the line up to the half way line. If only we could replace O'Shea at LB.

[Slash/ED]

Its more a team thing though as the centre defence has been fine all throughout the campaign. I watched Cunningham when we were 2-0 up and he was pushing the line up to the half way line. If only we could replace O'Shea at LB.

Yeah it's the whole teams problem, they have to defend as a unit if that's how we're going to play, but they aren't able to do it and we keep concedeing goals when we try it so playing more negatively is simply not playing to our strenghts. When Mourinho does it with Chelsea and did it with Porto it was playing to his strenghts, espically at Porto, and they won many a game by doing it. Our whole team defending as a unit is simply not on that level.

[Stuttgart88]

Finnan & Carr ought to be our full backs from this point on, despite Carr not putting in the performances he used to.

Despite what people said after the Jackie McNamara game, I though S. Reid was poor even in a low-key match at RB.

Kilbane, Kennedy & Clarke should have been looked at more as LB options, though I accept Kerr has probably looked at Kennedy playing there for Wolves and wasn't impressed.

[stojkovic]

though I accept Kerr has probably looked at Kennedy playing there for Wolves and wasn't impressed.
Is this 'Starsky' you are talking about.
Is he playing LB now ?

[Stuttgart88]

Is this 'Starsky' you are talking about.
Is he playing LB now ?

That's him :)

I think he's played LB since before Christmas but can't confirm. I haven't seen any Wolves games apart from the one where Stephen Elliott scored an absolute beauty, left footed from outside the box. Wolves scored a scrappy goal from a left wing cross - Kennedy's maybe.

[Macy]

Finnan & Carr ought to be our full backs from this point on, despite Carr not putting in the performances he used to.
Well Carr would want to come back better after the summer. Christ, he made Harte look like Maldini last night :eek:

[Stuttgart88]

Well Carr would want to come back better after the summer. Christ, he made Harte look like Maldini last night :eek:

He needs a right kick up the **** alright.

[fosterdollar]

He stood around like he'd never played a competitive game in his life before last night. Keane was ripping at him the whole way through the game - the only way he could get the fCuker to do something. A fiar few of them were woeful last night.