Starting Eleven

[tricky_colour]

Any idea on what it will be?

I am assuming

Finnan/Carr Cunningham, O Brien, O'Shea

Duff, Keane, Kilbane, Reid

Morrison, Keane.

Several other possibilites though.

[dr_peepee]

Have the courage of your convictions man... Commit to either Finnan or Carr???

[thejollyrodger]

----------------Given
Finnan--Cunningham--O Brien--Harte

Reid----- Keane------JOSH------Reid

-------Morrison---------Keane

[SeanieBoy]

So Duff is being kept out of the team by Reid??


----------------Given
Finnan--Cunningham--O Brien--Hearte

Reid----- Keane------JOSH------Reid

-------Morrison---------Keane

[loscherland]

----------------Given

Carr----Cunningham--O Brien--O'Shea

Finnan-- Keane----Kilbane-------Reid

-------Morrison---------Keane

[FarBeag]

So our best player(Duff) does not get a chance to play then?? :confused: and BTW who is Hearte??

[paul_oshea]

farbeag is the missus away??


lads what are ye on, why is duff in neither of yer selection, are ye numptys? :confused:

[zinedineontour]

given
finnan - kenny - ob -jos
reid - keane - kilbane -duff
keane - morrison ...


would bet my house on the above ...

[livehead1]

Colgan
Carr Doherty Dunne Maybury
S.Reid Miller Kilbane Harte
Elliot Morrison


...its all about strength in depth lads?! lol

[thejollyrodger]

nah I had andy Reid in twice ><

----------------Given
Finnan--Kenny.Cunningham--O Brien--Harte

A.Reid-----Roy.Keane------JOSH------Duffer

-------Clint---------Robbie

[Hibs4Ever]

------------given-----------

Finnan--Cunningham--O'Brien--Harte

A. Reid--Keane--Kilbane--Duff----


-----Robbie--Morrison-----------

[Peadar]

Any idea on what it will be?

Not what I think it should be, what I think it will be.

Given

Carr - Cunningham - O'Brien - O'Shea

Duff/A. Reid - Roy Keane - Kilbane - A. Reid/Duff

Morrison - Robbie Keane.

[SeanieBoy]

I think thats the best team, but I have a feeling Kerr will plump for O'Shea at LB.


------------given-----------

Finnan--Cunningham--O'Brien--Harte

A. Reid--Keane--Kilbane--Duff----


-----Robbie--Morrison-----------

[thejollyrodger]

Colgan
Carr Doherty Dunne Maybury
S.Reid Miller Kilbane Harte
Elliot Morrison





Just imagine kerr did send that team out :D :D

[loscherland]

----------------Given

Carr----Cunningham--O Brien--O'Shea

Finnan-- Keane----Kilbane-------Reid

-------Morrison---------Keane


Doh, copied the previous selection & changed a few names... MEANT to change Reid to DUFF on the left...

----------------Given

Carr----Cunningham--O Brien--O'Shea

Finnan-- Keane----Kilbane-------DUFF

-------Morrison---------Keane

[gufct]

----------------Given
Finnan--Kenny.Cunningham--O Brien--Harte

A.Reid-----Roy.Keane------Kilbane------Duffer

-------Clint---------Robbie

John O'Shea is to prone making mistakes.

[FarBeag]

[
paul_oshea.. farbeag is the missus away??


Nah..But she is giving me some hard earned time off to go and see the match.Heading over in the next two hours. :D

[tonycuna]

I'd put

Given

Finnan - O'Brien - Kenny captain - Harte

A Reid - Roy - Kilbane - Duff

Robbie - Morrison

I like very much Elliott too, but I think it's better to put Clinton at the start

[Dotsy]

----------------Given

Carr----Cunningham--O Brien--O'Shea

Finnan-- Keane----Kilbane-------DUFF

-------Morrison---------Keane

I think he will go with Finnan at RM instead of A Reid. Don't agree with it mind. Reid should definitely be playing from the start and Finnan in ahead of Carr at RFB

[wallis]

It wont be , but I had hoped for :


Given

Finan Cunningham O'Brien Harte

Reid Kilbane Keane O'Shea Duff

Robbie

(Please play Harte, his dead ball skills will cause the French so many problems)
(Please play three in the middle to close down the French, its them who need to find a win , not us. If we need a goal we can still bring Morrison/Elliot on and switch back to 4-4-2 and if we are 1-0 up then we already have the formation to defend it on the pitch. Thank you for listening Mr Kerr)

[tonycuna]

Reid Kilbane Keane O'Shea Duff



With 5 in the middle (not a bad idea) why not Mattie Holland instead JOS?

[SeanieBoy]

No way, we tried that against the Italians & they ran circles around us in the 1st half an hour. Stick to 4-4-2, it's what we know best.


With 5 in the middle (not a bad idea) why not Mattie Holland instead JOS?

[wallis]

With 5 in the middle (not a bad idea) why not Mattie Holland instead JOS?


JOS plays the system all the time at Man U and has played a number of games with RK so he knows how to play it.

It went wrong against the Italians for a few reasons - firstly Roy wasnt there to command it. Second , JOS didnt start there either. He moved into the centre during the Italian game when Holland came off and we settled down a lot better and started to pressure the opposition. I still think its a formation that you can change easily whether you need a goal or need to defend a lead. Play 3 in the midfield , close out the french , force them to go wide with the ball and I will take Reid and Duffs skills over their widemen any day. Dont give ZZ space on the pitch which I think he will get with only two in there.

If you play three in the centre it means Reid of Duff can support up front and not worry about having to track back. I think the french may play 4-5-1 and I would be concerned that they would have 3 against 2 in the middle of the pitch.

Sounds easy in principle...

[Peadar]

I think the french may play 4-5-1 and I would be concerned that they would have 3 against 2 in the middle of the pitch.

The French will almost certainly start with Cisse and Henry up front.
We need to cut off the supply to them.
Andy Reid isn't great at defensive play, from what I've seen of him.

It's hard to leave Morrison out after his performances in this campaign and particularly his play against France, in Paris, before he got injured.
Is there any reason why Robbie Keane should start ahead of him?

[Peadar]

The real question is, is there any reason why Keane should be dropped and Morrison be played?

Keane's lack of first team action?
Morrisons performances in this campaign to date?
He was a real handful for the French defenders in Paris.
I think Robbie is better when he plays off another forward player and being isolated on his own up front doesn't suit him.

[zinedineontour]

It wont be , but I had hoped for :


Given

Finan Cunningham O'Brien Harte

Reid Kilbane Keane O'Shea Duff

Robbie

(Please play Harte, his dead ball skills will cause the French so many problems)
(Please play three in the middle to close down the French, its them who need to find a win , not us. If we need a goal we can still bring Morrison/Elliot on and switch back to 4-4-2 and if we are 1-0 up then we already have the formation to defend it on the pitch. Thank you for listening Mr Kerr)

one up front ? I hope not and dont think so .... Hartes dead ball skills ? What about this shocking defence ...

[Peadar]

You've got to be joking.

I'm simply posing the question.
Morisson will be revitalised by his move to Palace.


Keane is also recognised by Spurs fans to have had an excellent pre-season and to be on-form.

Spurs played Reading in the pre-season and Keane didn't even make the bench. He hasn't really featured for Spurs because Mido is somehow getting his game.

[geysir]

L'equipe, the French sports paper, have plenty of print on the match (including one page entirely on the topic of when is the best time the manager should name his 11).
Despite all the French talk about how Irl play positive football,
the L'equipe expert says
"the last ball is highly likely to be long and in the air, a field in which the Irishmen put everyone in difficulty." "From this point of view, the possible absence of Thuram, a defender without equal, would be a heavy handicap"
He calls for more wing play, one attacker -Henry and 5 midfield
Malouda on the left, Wiltord? on the right.
"I do not believe a second that there will be an individual marking on Zidane, perhaps the Irishmen will reorganize only the midfield".

My selection is for the fittest players,
Therefore O Shea at LB should be a cert
Dunne or O'Brien, Carr or Finnan depends upon fitness.
Roy, Duff are certs. A. Reid a near cert .
Kilbane or Kavanagh, would depend on the game plan.
Do you wanted someone to cover ZZ, a reducer? or no one special assigned to keep an eye on ZZ ? as the French expert predicts.

[tonycuna]

My selection is for the fittest players,
Therefore O Shea at LB should be a cert
Dunne or O'Brien, Carr or Finnan depends upon fitness.
Roy, Duff are certs. A. Reid a near cert .
Kilbane or Kavanagh, would depend on the game plan.
Do you wanted someone to cover ZZ, a reducer? or no one special assigned to keep an eye on ZZ ? as the French expert predicts.

Maybe it could be an option, but if yes, I'd pick Roy to cover zz, and I don't want to see Roy plays just to run near the french. So for me, no cover on zz, at least at the start. Then during the match it'll depends on the way of playing

[wallis]

ZOT - yep , I know Harte can be questionable in the defence department but I would gladly sacrifice it for some decent delivery into the area. A free-kick 20 yards out and who else do you want standing over the ball. Duff will win us a lot of free-kicks out in wide areas and I would want Ian to be there.

Lets be honest , with Henry up front who will keep up with him anyway ? Also , JOS hardly shone at the back against Israel - midfield is his position imo.

I think we are wasting an opportunity not playing IH - even the French are worried about the crosses and high balls.

Keane plays ahead of Morrison no arguments. Nothing against CM but RK is a much better finisher and big game player. RKs goalscoring ratio is up there with the best in world football. Him and Reid playing together at club level is a plus.

Is Cisse fit Peader ?

[paul_oshea]

how does peadar know wallis?

but according to domenech he isnt.

[Peadar]

Is Cisse fit Peader ?

He'll be fit at 19.55 tomorrow evening.
He hurt his ankle and that is probably better already.


but according to domenech he isnt.

Are you really that naive, Paul? :rolleyes:

[paul_oshea]

no but i was merely making a point.

it may or may not be mind games.

[wallis]

I thought that maybe he had been declared fit Paul

[eirebhoy]

Andy Reid isn't great at defensive play, from what I've seen of him.

I've been really impressed with his defensive game this season. He joked that he didn't know if Gallas was on the pitch a couple of weeks ago as he spent most of the time chasing SWP. The stats are really impressive:
http://skysports.planetfootball.com/optastats.asp?clid=6&clubname=Tottenham+Hotspur&cpid=8

The only Irish player with more tackles is Cunningham.

Domenech is currently at the press conference so we'll know soon enough if he has named his team the day before (as he has done for every match so far).

[dr_peepee]

I think Finnan will keep his place ahead of Carr at Right full. Andy Reid will start on the wing, as his form for club and country demands it. He really has come on in the last year and is better than the Andy Reid that didn't start in Paris. He doesn't rely enitrely on getting past the player to cause damage, so won't be exposing the middle as much as some people anticipate. His passing vision, paticularly for the runs made by Keane and crossfeild balls with Duff, are gonna be a big asset..

For me it will be a HUGE and FATAL mistake on Brian Kerrs part if Reid is dropped to make way for a Carr/Finnan pairing on the Right side. And will set in stone Kerrs amitions for the result. The French will have pinpointed Damian Duff as our principal danger so I think the stage is set for Andy Reid to really shine in this game.

[paul_oshea]

well said dr peepee. well said.

reids performance against chelsea alone justifies it, he was tracking back just like duff does for chelsea, tackling at every opportunity and holding up the ball very well. I think with a good defensive display against france tomorrow he will make that his own.

[Condex]

well said dr peepee. well said.

reids performance against chelsea alone justifies it, he was tracking back just like duff does for chelsea, tackling at every opportunity and holding up the ball very well. I think with a good defensive display against france tomorrow he will make that his own.

I was at the Chelsea match and I think Andy Reid is a bit of a luxury, didn't notice all that tackling your on about...

[eirebhoy]

I was at the Chelsea match and I think Andy Reid is a bit of a luxury, didn't notice all that tackling your on about...
Reid was tracking back whenever they hadn't got the ball and never let a player by him. We may be biased so just look at the praises he's getting from the Spurs fans after the Chelsea game:

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=15348&highlight=reid+chelsea

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=15347&highlight=reid+chelsea

Since he joined Spurs he has started every premiership game.

[tricky_colour]

I was at the Chelsea match and I think Andy Reid is a bit of a luxury, didn't notice all that tackling your on about...

I only say a few highlights but I did see him putting in a good tackle
on SWP who I thought should easily have got to the ball before Reid.

The stats show he is a good tackler and I would go along with that.
The Chelsea game might not have been one of his best though,
probably saving his energy for the big one :D
Hope he has has a good game as he certaintly has the ability.

[geysir]

He is playing regularly for a decent club side. I have not seen a lot of him for Tottenham. Spurs supporter opinion of him is very mixed,Link (http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=15996&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) more appear to rate him as very average to some rating him very intelligent. What is of relevance to us is how he has settled comfortably into the national team in a relatively short time. The French game ( if he is selected) may be just the type of stage he will revel in.

[tricky_colour]

He certaintly has ability, his perfect 30 yard 'chip' right onto the boot of Robbie Keane for the second goal against Israel is testament to that, it is that kind of ability which
could unlock the game for us, I believe its called 'vision'. I hope he has a good game, if he does he might win it for us.

[Volcán Masaya]

----------Given-----------

Carr---Dunne---KC---Harte

------RoyK----JO'S-------

Finnan-----AReid-----Duff

--------Robbie-----------

[thejollyrodger]

That spurs thread seems to be all about why there is more than 1 thread for Ried and his game about Chelski. He had a good game, no doubts about that. Plus he has improved a lot since he went to spurs and the only thing letting him down is his atheltic ability. Hofefully he can improve on this (and improve consistency) because if he does he will be a top player

[speedking]

----------Given-----------

Carr---Dunne---KC---Harte

------RoyK----JO'S-------

Finnan-----AReid-----Duff

--------Robbie-----------
I like that team, it has a good balance to it. I'm not too sure if Robbie could do the business up front on his own though. He'd need some good support from Duff and Reid.

[thejollyrodger]

----------Given-----------

Carr---Dunne---KC---Harte

------RoyK----JO'S-------

AReid------Robbie-----Duff

----------Clinton---------

What about that ? Finnan out for Clinton basically

[eirebhoy]

He is playing regularly for a decent club side. I have not seen a lot of him for Tottenham. Spurs supporter opinion of him is very mixed,Link (http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=15996&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) more appear to rate him as very average to some rating him very intelligent. What is of relevance to us is how he has settled comfortably into the national team in a relatively short time. The French game ( if he is selected) may be just the type of stage he will revel in.
That's more down to the fact that he didn't really set the world alight last season. This season he has been impressive.

[thejollyrodger]

Kerr drops Dunne hint

September 7, 2005

Manchester City defender Richard Dunne is set to make his first appearance in a competitive international in exactly four years against France at Lansdowne Road tonight - but there remains considerable doubt about the make-up of the Irish team for the most eagerly awaited international in three years.

Dunne was a fixture during the qualification campaign for the 2002 World Cup finals, starting all four games against chief rivals Holland and Portugal.

His last competitive game was against the Dutch at Lansdowne in September 2001, after which his form dipped and he came within a whisker of being sacked by City three years ago.

Since then, however, he has come back from the brink to establish himself as one of the most dependable central defenders in the Premiership, and with Andy O’Brien missing Irish training over the weekend with a virus, Dunne is in pole position for the starting role alongside skipper Kenny Cunningham at the heart of the defence.

Kerr said: “A couple of decisions need to be made because of the illness and injuries earlier in the week, and centre half is one of the positions that has to be decided upon.

“Richard hadn’t played a game [this season] before the Italy game. He missed the first game of the Premiership for Manchester City and I understood, going into that game, that he may be a bit short of sharpness.

“But I’ve seen him a couple of times since. His performances in the past would also come into the equation, because he has the experience of playing in the big games and playing well.

“It’s a factor that must be taken into account, as is his form with Manchester City over the past two or three seasons.”

Other decisions to be made this evening concern the system the team will play, with Kerr hinting that he may use the 4-3-3 he deployed against Italy at some point in order to counteract the packer French midfield where Zidane, Vieira and Makelele will hold court.

Both full back spots remain in doubt, with Stephen Carr and Steve Finnan vying for a start on the right and Ian Harte and John O’Shea in contention on the left.

Alternatively, all four could conceivably play, with Finnan on the right of midfield and O’Shea partnering Roy Keane in midfield, while Steven Reid – who played the full 90 minutes against Italy last month – will also hope to play some part after a good start to the season with Blackburn Rovers.

All in all, opinions have never been so varied on the make-up of an Ireland team, and Irish supporters everywhere will wait Kerr’s announcement with more eagerness than usual.


Its a sign of a team that has developed when we have options at different positions like the full backs who can come in and do a job as well as the first choice.

Another sign is the fact we have the players to play something else apart from 4-4-2. 4-3-3 might be a better option IMO. Duffer and Reidy can score goals and it would throw the French off

[Baker]

Given
Carr
Kenny C
O'Brien
O'Shea
Finnan
Roy K
Kilbane
Duffer
Robbie
Clinton

Same team as Paris playing in a 4-4-2.

I think Finnan will start on right midfield to help keep an eye on Henry when he starts to drift out left.

Andy Reid will come on but I dont think he will start.

[VinnyL]

what times the team announced at??


----------Given-----------

Carr---Dunne---KC---Harte

------RoyK----JO'S-------

Finnan-----AReid-----Duff

--------Robbie-----------


wouldnt like to see this at all, WAY too experimental for a game as big as this!

stick with good aul 4-4-2 all the way!