Starting 11 v San Marino

[irishfan86]

-------Henderson------

Finnan---Dunne---McShane---O'Shea

Duff---Carsley----A. Reid---Kilbane

---------Doyle-----Keane----

McGeady to come on early in the second half if we're not looking lively on the wings.

Douglas to come on if we need more bite in the center.

[antrimgreen]

No way would i personally play A Reid in the middle, does he have the engine considering his lack of games. He played well behind keane last day out and again if you went with your formation and selection irishfan86, you would be changing a formation that worked against the Czechs.

[irishfan86]

No way would i personally play A Reid in the middle, does he have the engine considering his lack of games. He played well behind keane last day out and again if you went with your formation and selection irishfan86, you would be changing a formation that worked against the Czechs.

Perhaps I'm alone in my philosophy and tactics, but I choose a team based on a number of factors:

-Current form
-Past success
-The opponents

The fact is, we're not playing the Czechs, we're playing San Marino.

Having two ball winners in Douglas and Carsley in the centre is a bit redundant in a game where any analyst would predict we will have the lions share of possession.

With that in mind, we should have players who are more apt with the ball, rather than having a team with players who can win the ball but do little with it.

Andy Reid is a perfect playmaker to rip the San Marinos apart, in a diamond 4-4-2 with Carsley providing cover for the odd counter attack.

In addition, having Kilbane on the left adds a bit of size and physicality to the team in the midfield area, to make up for any perceived "lack of an engine" on Andy Reid's part.

That said, if Douglas, Miller, Quinn, or God forbid Kilbane move into the centre I still predict a victory, just not one as comprehensive as is possible.

[DotTV]

Antrim, Do we really need a 5 man midfield against a team like San Marino though?

[galwayhoop]

No.

we need players who have a bit of creativity to break down what you would expect will be a backs-to-the-wall set up by the marinonians (or what ever their plural is).

5 in the middle would be lunacy. horses for courses. i'm all for continunity but you need to be able to alter tactics according to the game.

IMO the reason we struggled to beat so called inferior opposition under charlton espically was our inability to alter our formation and tactics. the long ball/put em under pressure tactics used against ball playing sides worked but against lowly opponents it played into their hands

[eirebhoy]

No way would i personally play A Reid in the middle, does he have the engine considering his lack of games. He played well behind keane last day out and again if you went with your formation and selection irishfan86, you would be changing a formation that worked against the Czechs.
I think Reid is made for central midfield. I posted a link to an interview with Reid in a thread a few days ago and it says Dowie wants him to play in the middle. I'd let him play a good few games there for Charlton before playing him there in a competitive for Ireland but the San Marino game should be fine for him as long as Carsley's playing. He's an excellent passer, decent tackler, always willing to track back, intelligient and good positionally. How many times have I said this but Emre mark II! :)

[Stuttgart88]

I think Reid is made for central midfield. Me too. Antrim Green, there's a thread "Andy Reid" running just below this. On Monday I posted all the UK papers' reviews of Reid's performance. Pleasant reading!

[antrimgreen]

Dowie, though, decided on 4-4-1-1, with Darren Bent the lone frontman and Andy Reid given responsibility to shape the game behind him. In the first half this paid off, and Reid was the most influential player, his positioning and distribution a puzzle the visitors failed to solve.

This was my point stuggart, i would play him in front of the midfield and behind the frontman.

[Stuttgart88]

OK, understood.

I suppose the point I was making is that we shouldn't just think of him as a wide man. Personally I think he has everthing a good central midfielder has in terms of touch, vision. awraeness, range of passing etc. Whether he's able to continuously go from box to box as is required these days is debatable and it's certain that he'd need a solid player alongside him if he was to play CM. Carsley & Reid would work on paper in my opinion.

[ciano]

What about Joe Murphy, playing great stuff for Scunny at the moment getting man of the match performances, he surely deserves a call up at least. There was a time he was the next best thing when he was at Tranmere, pity he took the move to West Brom over Liverpool.

[theworm2345]

When is the squad going to be released?

[Kingdom]

goal threat.

Sterve Claridge had an interesting comment on bbc website today on what made O'Neill a great manager too. Organisation & inspiration, and picking square pegs for square holes.

Always liked him. Quite articulate, sensible and not afraid to criticise in a non-aggressive way. It seems to me that more 'journeymen' turn out to be brilliant managers than brilliant players do.

[Kingdom]

I hate these threads, as I never know whether we are asked to predict what the team should be (our choice) or what it will be (Stan's choice).
I'm not sure what my starting team would be. Would I change a winning team? Perhaps not, but we didn't beat the Czech's and we're playing San Marino, so I think a change or two could be order of the day.

This was the starting xi the last day
Henderson
Finnan
O'Shea
McShane
Kelly
Duff
Carsley
Douglas
Kilbane
Reid
Keane

I've taken my eye of the Premiership the last while so I couldn't say who is playing well. My opinion would be that McShane shouldn't be dropped, nor should Reid considering he has played well for Charlton since he has resumed fitness. I think both Douglas and Kelly will lose out to be honest. I reckon both O'Shea :mad: and KK will retain their places. I think HEnderson should start again. It is San Marino after all so the chances of him being under constant pressure is unlikely. Another chance for him to build up the minutes. Of those returning I'd be surprised if O'Brien is recalled to the team. Nothing has changed at his club situation and after the last debacle he really cannot be started.
Dunne will get his place back I'm sure of it, with O'Shea moving to left back. McGeady to start - unlikely. Not that I believe he shouldn;'t start. IN fact I think his trickery would be ideal against a team like Serie C1. But I think Staunton will keep the changes to a minimum. I believe it will be a toss up between Doyle and McGeady to start. If he goes for the straightforward 4-4-2, then Doyle should start. But, if he's going to do the central 3 with 3 further forward then he'll go with McGeady. Actually just thinking about it, either could work really.
So the team I think he will pick:

Henderson
-- Finnan -- Dunne -- McShane -- O'Shea
Carsley -- Kilbane
McGeady -- Reid -- Duff
Keane

[dr_peepee]

Dunno about playing Reid in a central role in a straight 4 4 2 though. I don't think he has the legs for it, and I worry about how astute he is defensively. He's at his best as a progressive thinker and can only be afforded that kind of freedom on the flank or as part of a five man midfield.

I can't see Stan dropping Kilbane, but I'd like to see it in this case. Sure he played well against the checks on the left but simple fact is he shuld be seen purely as a left winger and consider himself unfortunate that he's in competition with Damian Duff. Hopefully though Stan doesn't see Kilbane as an option in the middle long term and should see the next two games as a chance to blood a new central pairing before the the welsh game, so Douglas should keep his place in the middle along side Carsley. A.Reid, Douglas, Carsley, Duff, Doyle, Keane as our midfield and attack. And if the unthinkable happens there's McGeady and Kilbane on the bench to reall put them on the back foot.

There was a level of comfort between McShane and Henderson due to their season at Brighton last year, that think I noticed in the czech game (Might've been hyper analyising though). McShane should be given the next game, but come next year if he's not in the WBA side it shuld be re-assessed. I think Stan will go for Carr and Finnan on the flanks again.