Shane Long

[Stuttgart88]

TOWK and the Twittersphere must not have seen fit to comment on Long's misses against Arsenal.

[Park_Lane]

Longys on 'livin with lucy'.
His gaff is bigger than my road, and his Mrs is a sort.

[CraftyToePoke]

His difficult patch when confronted with very presentable chances continued unabated tonight Vs Palace in the cup, even after rounding the keeper he didn't get enough on the finish to prevent the chasing defender (Delaney I think) from clearing fairly comfortably off the line. Then later on he was too busy kicking the post in frustration to congratulate the young teammate who got a tap in after he failed to convert another 8 out of 10 opening. He did however earn the penalty which saw Austin score his fourth goal in a week. Swings and roundabouts indeed.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I love how there is an inquest every time Long misses any kind of chance - most of which he makes himself with his own endeavour anyway.

Doesn't happen with any other striker we have. Walters misses sitters every other week also *crickets*

Said it before. He needs to sacrifice the workrate a little and be a bit more selfish.

He would've reached double figures in the PL a lot earlier if he demanded to take penalties like Austin.

[Stuttgart88]

You're so one eyed it's ridiculous. You're as over-the-top in your protectiveness of Long as you are in your hurry to point out the flaws in Walters or whoever else doesn't fit your world view.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I agree with some of that. I don't agree with all of it.

There does seem to be a postmortem every time Long misses a chance.

There is no such thing whenever Walters does.

To the point where I have had to point it out personally several times, because noone else would.

I think Walters is similar to Kilbane in a way.

Fine player for us on his day and cult hero, but plays every game regardless of form or merit - and people seem reluctant to criticise him.

Now Kilbane was filling a hole at LB towards the end but Walters seems to be shoehorned into the team LW, RW, up front or off another striker whether it makes tactical sense or not.

And he is probably - in a way - the most important cog in a system that relies on chasing endless long balls and dogfights with defenders - that I would rather get away from.

[CraftyToePoke]

Where is the inquest ?
Or the postmortem ?

And his two misses last night were nothing to do with his work rate either, have you seen them ? If you haven't I would challenge you to watch them & then to put up a case for his work rate being the cause of either miss.

It's not a compare & contrast with John Walters at all, for me anyway. Its more, these chances, this type of chance is the very type Ireland might create one (two on a sunny day) of in the tight games which will decide our group campaign, and at the moment he is missing them. He will come through it, he has before but right now he needs one to go in. And if you see him kicking the goal post after his second miss last night, no one is more aware of this than himself.

So to bring that up, as comment on here, as observation, is an inquest ? A postmortem ?

Joke.

[Charlie Darwin]

To be fair, I think most of Long's misses go uncommented. When he's on a bad run, as he is now, they're pretty common so there's not much to say. When he's been on a good run then starts missing them, then it's usually commented on.

[tricky_colour]

Even the best players miss chance.

He is a lot better than Ronaldo at putting away chances that is for sure!!

Imagine Long missed these? And remember that is only part 1!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtBLTIXbHT8


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtBLTIXbHT8

[Stuttgart88]

Long comes on for Austin on 73 minutes with West Ham chasing a 2 goal deficit, quite gamely in the last few minutes. West Ham were leaving gaps at the back that a bit of pace could exploit.

Hard to argue with Martin Tyler's assessment when he came on: "This situation ought to really suit Shane Long. Such a tireless and industrious centre forward, maybe lacking Austin's emphatic touch in front of goal."

I don't think that's damning him with faint praise, in fact I think it's just a qualified compliment.

As it happens Austin's finish for the first goal was quite tidy but I think Adrian should have saved it. It was well placed and curling away but he had time to get down and across, the shot wasn't hit that crisply. Tadic's dummy to send Adrian down for the second was classy. Adrian did make a good save at 1 down.

[Stuttgart88]

Long would have had a tap in after great work by Steven Davis, but a defender just got a touch to intercept it and set up a tap in for Ward-Prowse instead. Unlucky for him in a way.

[tricky_colour]

West Ham have gone down hill a bit since last season!! Wonder is Long will remain on the bench? Don't think this was the game for him though against a poor West Ham.

[DeLorean]

They just showed a list of players with the most headed PL goals since 2012 on Friday Night Football. Benteke was the topic of conversation and is joint top with Giroud with 19, but interesting to note that our Shane made the list with 10. Think he might have been around 7th or 8th. He was amongst some serious company when it comes to aerial ability, the likes of Lukaku and Andy Carroll to name a couple more.

[CraftyToePoke]

Bentekes header today was a thing of real greatness.

[DeLorean]

Went off injured at the San Siro this evening (http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/1020/825673-inter-milan-1-southampton-0/)

[OwlsFan]

If it's a hamstring as I heard on RTE and if the tear isn't too bad, he should be available for Vienna otherwise our striking options (James McLean centre forward anyone?) are becoming very stretched.

[DeLorean]

Walters was far better when he moved into the centre in Moldova so I presume that's what O'Neill would do.

[Stuttgart88]

Walters the better lone forward option. Long is unlucky. The game O'Neill seems to play asks him to go everywhere fighting for scraps. If we could play a game that allowed him to run onto the ball rather than have to fight for it on behalf of others he'd be more productive. But would I drop Long to play Walters upfront by himself? No.

[DeLorean]

I definitely wouldn't drop Long for this game either. Austria need to take the game to us and their defence looks pretty suspect. They're likely to leave space in behind and, for all his other qualities, Walters just wouldn't be able to expose this to the same extent (or at all really!). Maybe Walters up front alone might be a better bet for games similar to the Georgia one, where winning free kicks around the box seems to be the name of the game. Always nice to have Long in reserve too as there are few better impact players.

[TrapAPony]

Walters as the lone forward for me regardless of whether Long is fit or not. Long is better coming on as a sub for us just like against Poland and Germany.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Long up top. Murphy up top with Long replacing him. Murphy and Long up top together which worked so well in Euros and again in Serbia when Daryl put him clean through.

Only one of these is a potential option - though with Hendrick, Brady, Pilkington and McClean you have some good players to play either side and then the likes of Arter or Hoolahan to play behind.

But that would entail playing football the right way.

In which case, Walters up top may be the lesser of two evils if he's guaranteed a start no matter how bad his performances get. He doesn't have the legs to play wide right anymore.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Congratulations to Shane on the birth of his first son, Jax (yes, really).

[samhaydenjr]

Congratulations to Shane on the birth of his first son, Jax (yes, really).

Seriously? That's awful. You could call social services on him for that. You could forgive him if he was from another country and didn't know the double meaning but he's Irish born and raised and should really be thinking about the quality of life of his son will have growing up. Crikey, he can't even have a child without starting a whole debate about doing the hard build-up work well and then messing up the bread-and-butter finish.

[Kingdom]

I've no issue with unusual first names or what-have-you but sometimes you've to use a bit of cop on. I know a girl whose surname is Fonda, and married a chap whose family name is Cox. She choose to have a double-barrelled surname.

My eldest went to school with a boy who had the double barrelled surname Kenon Dicks.

That is 100% true.

[DeLorean]

Classics!

I know a guy called William Cumming who, inexplicably, goes by Willie.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Jackson Long has a decent ring to it but Jax?

I'm going to the jax.

[nigel-harps1954]

I once knew a man called William Dick. Naturally, he's known to his friends as Dick Dick.

[paul_oshea]

I worked with a guy called Ram Shagga. His email appeared as Shagga, Ram.

I've actually got a lot of these, Wanks is another one a german. Lotte Wanks or something was her name, i wrote them down at one point i came across so many. Bad joke not intended.

[ForzaHoop]

Dr Peter File was the worst name I heard in a while :)

[Stuttgart88]

http://wallstreetjackass.typepad.com/raptureready/2008/01/top-25-bloomber.html

There was also a guy called Anil Bangar

[BonnieShels]

I know of a fella called Aenghus Ryder...

And that ain't a hard 'g'...

[Eminence Grise]

A mate who worked in a call centre once took a call from Frau Fanny Stiftung.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I think I have logged on to YBIG by mistake.

[gastric]

I think I have logged on to YBIG by mistake.

Any chance that can occur on a permanent basis?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I can't promise anything.

[pineapple stu]

Just leave this one here.

http://hughjwardsolicitors.ie/

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I don't get it.

[OwlsFan]

I don't get it.

"Huge award"

[SkStu]

I'm just glad we have finally taken to recognizing/celebrating/discussing only the male offspring of our players on here.

[Stuttgart88]

Whatever happened Richie Partridge and Michael Owen's sister? I had high hopes for what that union might result in. I'm sure eirebhoy is keeping a keen eye out too from up above.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Only had 1 league goal at this stage last season and finished with 10, so there's hope yet.

At least Claude Puel seems to like him.

Made his return from injury midway through the second half this afternoon.

Scary to think he will be in his thirties the next time we have an Intl match.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Austin's out but Long remains rooted to the bench.

Not looking good is it?

Hopefully his career doesn't turn out the way Doyle's did post-30.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

It's an awful picture in fairness.

https://twitter.com/ShaneLong7/status/806184921853206528/photo/1

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

It hasn't been happening for Long so far this season, but it looks like he has avoided retrospective action for an elbow on Martins Indi midweek.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/14966891.Shane_Long_to_face_retrospective_FA_actio n_over_alleged_elbow_offence_/

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Watching the Bournemouth v Southampton game and I'm finding it difficult to see what it is Jay Rodriguez offers that Shane Long doesn't.

He hasn't done anything in the entire half so far.

Edit: I knew this would happen.

[Irish_Praha]

Watching the Bournemouth v Southampton game and I'm finding it difficult to see what it is Jay Rodriguez offers that Shane Long doesn't.

He hasn't done anything in the entire half so far.

Edit: I knew this would happen.

Hahha :)

[DeLorean]

And he's only gone and scored a cracker as well. ;)

[Stuttgart88]

Watching the Bournemouth v Southampton game and I'm finding it difficult to see what it is Jay Rodriguez offers that Shane Long doesn't.

He hasn't done anything in the entire half so far.

Edit: I knew this would happen.
...and that!

[DeLorean]

Man of the match to boot.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

That's probably why I said he hasn't done anything in the entire half so far.

Steven Davis, who probably made more of an impact in the opening 15 minutes of the second half than any any of Bournemouth's midfielders did in the entire match, setting it up on a plate for him.