Shane Long

[tetsujin1979]

of course he does, I dropped him from my fantasy football team yesterday

[Carrigaline]

Iain Dowie has said Long has changed the game from the Baggies.

[seanfhear]

Dropped to Page 5, but back with a bang.
Scores a penalty with his second touch.Nice penalty from long with the stuttered approach. I believe the penalty taker shoule be given every advantage so I have no problem with this style of penalty.

[Predator]

He looks like he's brimming with confidence these days, which can only be good for Ireland.

[Charlie Darwin]

Didn't make the squad today for West Brom. Suffering from a stomach bug the past 10 days according to Mr Hodgson.

http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/west-bromwich-albion-fc-news/2012/02/01/west-brom-zoltan-gera-targets-return-to-action-97319-30240243/

[theworm2345]

Goal for Long. Just on at half time as a sub, long ball in over the top causes a muddle in the Newcastle defence, no one deals with the ball and it falls to Long about 12 yards out who has only to hit the wide open target to pull one back for West Brom.

[theworm2345]

Goal Long. Long was sent clean through (right down the middle of the park) by Morrison, one on one with that Polish Arsenal keeper (can't spell Sczczney), nice finish in to keeper's right hand corner.

[Olé Olé]

Positive stuff from the two of Trap's 5 strikers for the Euro's. Doyler and Cox to score before 5 this evening!

[tetsujin1979]

Long finishes on 8 goals for the season, 4 of them against 4 of the top 6 sides - United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle

[paul_oshea]

8 goals is that premier league goals, saw the same stat this morning but wasn't sure if they were PL games.

Good return either way considering he was injured quite a bit and sick as well. Hopefully next year whoever WBA get in like him as much as hodgson and they perform as well as under hodgson.

[AlaskaFox]

Yes, 8 league goals.

[paul_oshea]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/long-eager-to-earn-starting-berth-after-euros-bench-frustration-3178952.html

Long eyes starting berth.

[gastric]

This would be interesting, not sure if it would be a good move or not!


http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/336003/Reading-mull-over-new-offer-for-West-Brom-striker-Shane-Long

[tricky_colour]

Interesting, I just had to check to that Reading were in fact promoted which they were, I see they have four Irish on their
books, Harte, N Hunt, J Tabb and a Karl Sheppard (21, Don't recall a thread on him).

I look forward to seeing them on TV in the new season, and also Shane, although I think he will be staying out, but who knows what
might happen?

[Murfinator]

West Brom have signed both Rosenberg and Lukaku on loan this transfer window, can't see Long having any future there given that he was struggling to get starts as it was with only Fortune and Odemwinge in his way.

[theworm2345]

Horrible penalty there by Long, run up directly behind the ball and just rolled it right at Reina right down the middle. He did win the penalty as well.

[SkStu]

He did win it though... :(

[back of the net]

Horrible penalty there by Long, run up directly behind the ball and just rolled it right at Reina right down the middle.

To Quote Jeff Stelling ,the worst penalty of the season so far

[Charlie Darwin]

A fit Long would have scored that :)

[theworm2345]

Just won another off Skrtel, won't take it though.

[SkStu]

The bbc updates are hinting that both penalties were a bit soft...??

[back of the net]

The bbc updates are hinting that both penalties were a bit soft...??

2nd peno was soft alright

1st one , there was a little push on long , fair peno

[theworm2345]

2nd peno was soft alright

1st one , there was a little push on long , fair peno
2nd was a soft one to give away, for sure, but I definitely thought it was the right call, Skrtel definitely caught him.

[Noelys Guitar]

Gave Skrtel and Agger the runaround today. Barton and Melchiot raving about his performance after the game. Here we have an Irish player playing well against the type and quality of defenders we are going to face in the qualifiers and either Cox or Keane will start ahead of him.

[tricky_colour]

was looking for his penno and found this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjUPmf8ICqw

A batman fan so something in common with James Holmes.

[DannyInvincible]

The peno: http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/pepe-reina-saves-shane-longs-penalty-west-brom-v-liverpool/

Very poorly hit. I'm a bit ambivalent about even the "good" penalties down the centre.

[tricky_colour]

http://videa.hu/videok/sport/wba-vs-liverpool-30-full-highlights-match-H1yzar393nwyQXcR

WBA vs Liverpool 3:0 FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

[Murfinator]

Gave Skrtel and Agger the runaround today. Barton and Melchiot raving about his performance after the game. Here we have an Irish player playing well against the type and quality of defenders we are going to face in the qualifiers and either Cox or Keane will start ahead of him.



Hopefully the mysterious Irish medical team allows him to play if he does turn up.


I'll speculate why he deliberately made the call on Long and it has all to do with Robbie Keane.

Tinfoil hat on too tight today?

[Noelys Guitar]

LOL. Hates the fact that Long not only started but had a stormer. You made up a story about an Irish team Doctor/Physio and got called on it. What a prat. I admitted I'm speculating. Could be wrong could be right.

[Murfinator]

LOL. Hates the fact that Long not only started but had a stormer. You made up a story about an Irish team Doctor/Physio and got called on it. What a prat. I admitted I'm speculating. Could be wrong could be right.

ha ha ha ha. Long went for a scan you goon, it's not even a discussion its literally factual and in every report that he was sent for a scan before the game. You're starting to get paranoid now that everyone else hates Long or something too it seems? At least its not just Trap but the world is out to get him. ;)

[Junior]

His penalty wasnt as bad as Silvas yesterday - so thats another positive.

[Charlie Darwin]

There was a great quote from the Match of the Day commentator on Long's penalty: "The only way Reina wasn't going to save that was if he fell asleep."

[Charlie Darwin]

Scored to put WBA 2-1 up at Yeovil.


A mistake by the Yeovil keeper Marek Stech allows Shane Long to nip and put the Baggies in front. From a goal down to goal up in a flash. WBA showing the League Cup form that has seen them miss out on an appearance in the third round only once in the last seven seasons.

[SkStu]

scored again to put them 4-2 up.


West Brom are out of sight at Yeovil courtesy of Shane Long's driven finish. The Baggies have now missed out on an appearance in the third round only once in eight seasons.


A goal is scored by Shane Long from just outside the area to the top left corner of the goal. Yeovil 2-4 West Brom.

[Charlie Darwin]

Long's goals here. Brunt's goal is some strike too.


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xt4kgb_yeovil-2-1-west-brom_sport

[Charlie Darwin]

Almost broke the crossbar there with a thunderous header, but it was a free header and he should have scored.

[EastTerracer]

Goal for Long - neat left-footed finish close in.

[theworm2345]

Goal Long, hard, low cross comes in from the left, Long steers it in to the far corner. 1-0.

[EastTerracer]

Substituted after 75 minutes - looks like a purely tactical move so no injury worry about Shane ahead of Kazakhstan.

[DannyInvincible]

Shane Long's goal against Everton: http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/shane-long-west-brom-1-0-v-everton/

[tetsujin1979]

Nice finish, Louis Saha (I think?) had an interview on Off The Ball around April when he talked about making those kinds of runs hundreds of times over the course of a season, and maybe making a connection with the ball only a handful of times, and some of those going over/going wide/being saved

[tetsujin1979]

Seems the incident in Serbia is forgotten: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/theatrics-entering-the-realm-of-tragic-comedy-3217204.html

"He gave me a text and it was just crossed wires," said Long. "It is all forgotten about by me and I think it was the same with him."

[DannyInvincible]

A mere text? Trap should be pulling out all the stops to regain the lost dressing room!

[Stuttgart88]

Yes, he should send a group text.

[tetsujin1979]

the more I think about it, the more I think that Trapattoni does text more than call players, and for the vast majority of the squad it's no problem. It's only the ones that don't reply or are out of the squad that get reported.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't have any issue with texting, to be honest. Trap is prepared to engage in a phone conversation if needs be - he spoke with both Duff and Gibson over the phone of late - and didn't he travel to Birmingham the other week to meet with Richard Dunne? Whilst his English may be suspect and can leave things open to being lost in translation, I think the whole "communication issue" is being overplayed by the media and fans who want a stick with which to beat Trap. The Foley thing was more an unfortunate decision that had to be made for the greater good of the squad than some error of communication on the part of Trap. In the end, Trap made a difficult call but it was the correct one. Foley was informed of that decision as soon as he needed to be.

[ifk101]

Did he speak with Duff over the phone? Got the impression communication between the two after the Euros was through text(s).

[DannyInvincible]

They spoke over the phone, according to Dion Fanning: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/dayo-to-duffer-and-back-again-3216899.html


A week before, [Duff had] announced he was retiring from international football and, for a couple of days, he was flat. He thought back over all that he'd done and then he started to dream a little dream. He thought of Rio and of playing his part in getting the team there. He hesitated over his decision, especially with Trap on the phone, one of only two men he said who had the persuasive powers to change his mind.

[Acornvilla]

Sure over the phone can still mean texts.

Duff: ''I'm retiring''

Trap: ''Plz dnt, I no want play gibson''

Etc, etc etc, and they all lived happily ever after.

[DannyInvincible]

Sure over the phone can still mean texts.

Duff: ''I'm retiring''

Trap: ''Plz dnt, I no want play gibson''

Etc, etc etc, and they all lived happily ever after.

OK; exhibit #2:


It would have made no difference, Duff insists, if Trap had come to see him. They had "great conversations" on the phone but the final call was made, he says, with a tear in his eye. He played and scored at Old Trafford last Saturday, 24 hours after the official announcement.

:)