Squad named for double header

[FootballsKing]

stop the **** taking and call in stokes i say. **** the attitude he is obviously irelands 3rd best option up front after keane and doyle. the type of impact player we need if things arent going to plan and we need an injection of something different, is capeable of anything(both brilliant and awful)

[geysir]

Why Keogh is the king of assists
By Chris Bevan
The link to that article was already posted in the Andy Keogh dedicated thread.

[Billsthoughts]

stop the **** taking and call in stokes i say. **** the attitude he is obviously irelands 3rd best option up front after keane and doyle. the type of impact player we need if things arent going to plan and we need an injection of something different, is capeable of anything(both brilliant and awful)

yeah like the impact he made on saturday at old trafford....much of a muchness in all our striking options all unproven apart from keane who doesnt stay upfront anyway.

[Ordinary Fan]

Morrison has scored away from home for Irleand. He may be a lazey git but is proven at this level and is far more likley to score than Keogh or Murphy. But he will never be picked by Stan because he is not one of the YOUNG lads.

What a load of sh...

[co. down green]

Stan still seems upbeat about Finnan & McShane

The right-back was unable to train on Tuesday, but Ireland coach Staunton is staying upbeat about having Finnan available.

"With Steve Finnan we're taking him day by day," said Staunton. "He opened up the joint, but he's had it before. "We are hopeful for the weekend."

Paul McShane is another injury concern for Ireland, but Staunton expects the Sunderland defender to overcome a shoulder problem.

Staunton added: "Paul has had a problem for a week or so.

"He has done his fitness work and that is all he has to do."

[Dallasirish]

Stans Squad choice with two defenders doubtful looks a little questionable.
Six defenders and four keepers?????????

Maybe this might be another lesson on Stans sharp learning curve in International Management.

Lets Hope they are both available come Saturday.

Nicky Colgan may be a better defender than Steven Carr and John O shea and hence the call up....... Stan may have seen something we missed!

[kingdom hoop]

"He opened up the joint, but he's had it before."


The week leading up to an international is surely no time to be investigating whether there is enough weed in a joint, regardless of how experienced a smoker Finnan is.

Nor, I appreciate, is this a time to be making jokes but given the clear-cut opportunity afforded to me I just couldn't resist, apologies to all those without a sense of humour.;)

[antrimgreen]

Quality post Kingdom!!

Hopefully Keane can put in a performance like the one he put in on Saturday, he run that game and when Jol took him off then Spurs lost the points. I know he didn't hit the net but he was involved in almost everything that was good about Spurs.

[tetsujin1979]

Aiden McGeady's diary on the upcoming double header: http://www.icons.com/mcgeady/diary.html?04.09.07

[kingdom hoop]

God McGeady is one boring guy! Here (http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2371) is a brief interview with McShane regarding his fitness, what a legend, if/when I go on a South Pole expedition He'll be on my team. Forgive the misspelling of Jan Koller as Jan Kohler in the article, I didn't write it, messengers should not be shot.

[geysir]

Maybe McGeady is a shy young lad.
He certainly doesn't like it when Ireland get beat and it burnt a deep wound in him when Ireland got trashed. He is not satisfied with Ireland's winning performance against Slovakia. He know we can play better.

That's all I need to hear.

[kingdom hoop]

Maybe McGeady is a shy young lad.
He certainly doesn't like it when Ireland get beat and it burnt a deep wound in him when Ireland got trashed. He is not satisfied with Ireland's winning performance against Slovakia. He know we can play better.

That's all I need to hear.

Good post, McGeady seems like a smart honest individual if maybe lacking that bit of confidence you would expect of a player like him. I'll go to The Onion and such for my entertainment in future though I think!

[Bottle of Tonic]

God McGeady is one boring guy!.

Good.

Would rather he spent his free time filling an internet diary with boring football cliches than fannying his career away like a certain Master Stokes who was all the rage in the same league as Aiden a year ago.
Who is ahead of who now?

BTW not saying Stokes has fannied his career away, but it's about time he screwed the nut. McGeady was big news when he broke into the celtic team at 17, but has kept the head cool and is making steady progress.

[Supreme feet]

Was just looking at the current Slovakia squad. Looking back, we made heavy work of beating them in Croker. They don't have any players who would get close to our team. Their most high profile young player plays for Napoli, and they have a few less-than-prolific Bundesliga strikers, plus the left-back Gresko, who was a flop at Blackburn.

I'm studying in Bulgaria at the moment, and the regard they have in Eastern Europe for Premiership football is amazing. It is regarded as the highest level for any aspiring footballer. We have a squad full of players who have proved themselves at that level.

If we keep playing with the confidence, hunger and belief that we saw against Denmark, we should be expecting to beat Slovakia and at least be competitive against the Czechs. I think we've turned a corner now, the squad is more settled, some of the dead wood has been cleared out, and the players should be more used to each other.

However, I would fear for us if Kilbane starts in the centre. The sight of Gibson and Potter controlling the midfield in the second half in Aarhus, then Kilbane coming on and kicking the ball straight out of play from a simple throw-in... says it all.

[eirebhoy]

Irish players on a booking:
S.Reid
S.Given
R.Dunne*
J.O'Shea
K.Kilbane
J.Douglas
L.Carsley
P.McShane

*I'm not sure about Dunne. He was booked against Germany, then got 2 yellows against Cyprus and was suspended for the Czech match. Does he still have any yellows?

[tetsujin1979]

more from McGeady: http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_2709954,00.html
Some of the comments about Artmedia Bratislava are taken from an interview he gave to Ken Earlie on NewsTalk, you can hear it on the podcast from last night's Off The Ball: http://83.138.170.50/podcasts/library/soccer/0409otb.mp3

[Lionel Ritchie]

Was just looking at the current Slovakia squad. Looking back, we made heavy work of beating them in Croker. Agree. ...so far


If we keep playing with the confidence, hunger and belief that we saw against Denmark, we should be expecting to beat Slovakia and at least be competitive against the Czechs. I think we've turned a corner now, the squad is more settled, some of the dead wood has been cleared out, and the players should be more used to each other.

However, I would fear for us if Kilbane starts in the centre. The sight of Gibson and Potter controlling the midfield in the second half in Aarhus, then Kilbane coming on and kicking the ball straight out of play from a simple throw-in... says it all. ...and an almost lost voice whistled on the wind ...'Denmark were hopeless ...and still should've scored twice'. I'd like to believe we've turned a corner. I really would. But I've grave doubts ...not sure who this 'Dead wood' you refer to might be either.:confused:

[Paddy Garcia]

However, I would fear for us if Kilbane starts in the centre. The sight of Gibson and Potter controlling the midfield in the second half in Aarhus, then Kilbane coming on and kicking the ball straight out of play from a simple throw-in... says it all.

Have you seen Potter this year , or even last ? Or is this on the basis of a few runouts against inferior opposition in the States. Even his manager admits he is fortunate to be in the squad. He is way way off international class at present.

Still we will take Kevs goal against the Czechs before we dispose of him. Kilbane is not a CM, I agree, but frankly he has been one of our best players in this campaign so far, not to difficult I concede.

Anyway I came on to see who Stan had called up in defence !!! I can't find the bloody post with the info.

[geysir]

Stan hasn't called anybody up to the squad for Saturday. AFAIU, if needed he will call up some after the u21 game on Friday. I guess that's O'Dea and O'Halloran as possibles.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Stan hasn't called anybody up to the squad for Saturday. AFAIU, if needed he will call up some after the u21 game on Friday. I guess that's O'Dea and O'Halloran as possibles.

But surely both those lads are going to figure on friday? Is he going to ask either of them to play a second game 24 hours later?

[tetsujin1979]

But surely both those lads are going to figure on friday? Is he going to ask either of them to play a second game 24 hours later?
He can hardly ask them to fly to Bratislava, after having trained with the U-21s all week, and not with the senior team, to play two games in 24 hours??
The last time something even remotely close to that happened, Mick McCarthy brought on Thomas Butler against the Swiss at home, the day after he had played for the U-21s

[Lionel Ritchie]

He can hardly ask them to fly to Bratislava, after having trained with the U-21s all week, and not with the senior team, to play two games in 24 hours??
The last time something even remotely close to that happened, Mick McCarthy brought on Thomas Butler against the Swiss at home, the day after he had played for the U-21s

Exactly. So we're back to the question of cover and or options for Saturday. If someone is to be phoned surely they should be getting that call 72 hours ago.

[geysir]

I understood that we are okay for Saturday, trimmed at the back but just enough. Then the u21 lads would be called up on Sunday if needed before the Wed game.

[Stuttgart88]

From those making the trip:

RB options: O’Shea, Kelly, Foley, McShane
LB options: O’Shea, Kelly, Kilbane, Daryl Murphy (yikes!)
CB options: Dunne, McShane, O'Shea, Kelly (please no - soccerc's description of his U21 performance there against Norn Iron U21s still gives me nightmares), Kilbane (emergency)
RHM options: McGeady, Reid, Keogh, Ireland, Douglas
CM options: Carsley, Reid, Ireland, Douglas, Gibson
LHM options: Hunt, Kilbane, McGeady, Murphy
Forward options: any of the 5 in the squad.

So there is plenty of conceivable cover albeit from relatively few players, but a few are either raw or not quite right for the role. OK, some just aren't very good either, but are the U21s to come in any better?

If anyone is called up from the U21s it's most likely to be O'Dea or O'Halloran. Neither has match experience yet this season. It's probably better they pay a full game on Friday before being added as serious cover for Wednesday.

As a psychological comfort I'd like to have both in Bratislava but I think Stan & Givens have just about got it right for Saturday.

[Supreme feet]

Have you seen Potter this year , or even last ? Or is this on the basis of a few runouts against inferior opposition in the States. Even his manager admits he is fortunate to be in the squad. He is way way off international class at present.

When did McCarthy say that?

I'm a fan of Potter, having seen him play at various underage levels. He was one of our best players in the World Youth Cup in 2003, in a squad that included Kevin Doyle, Elliott, Henderson, Stephen Kelly, Paddy McCarthy and Glenn Whelan. Whenever I've seen him play for Wolves he's been impressive, and he hasn't put a foot wrong for Ireland (yet). He can pass the ball, make space and read the game - basic qualities for a midfielder that Kilbane simply doesn't possess. Potter still has room for improvement, (and I think Gibson will eventually overtake him as Carsley's successor) but I wouldn't write him off. The next Mark Kinsella?

[citizenerased]

Joey o'brien played 90 mins for bolton reserves last week due to come back into the first team next week, dont be suprised if he is called up sunday to join the squad..it would defo be an option.

[tetsujin1979]

When did McCarthy say that?

I'm a fan of Potter, having seen him play at various underage levels. He was one of our best players in the World Youth Cup in 2003, in a squad that included Kevin Doyle, Elliott, Henderson, Stephen Kelly, Paddy McCarthy and Glenn Whelan. Whenever I've seen him play for Wolves he's been impressive, and he hasn't put a foot wrong for Ireland (yet). He can pass the ball, make space and read the game - basic qualities for a midfielder that Kilbane simply doesn't possess. Potter still has room for improvement, (and I think Gibson will eventually overtake him as Carsley's successor) but I wouldn't write him off. The next Mark Kinsella?

I haven't seen a direct quote from Mick, but in this article from the Independent - http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/henderson-ruled-out--of-qualifiers-1070282.html - there's this admission:

However, Wolves boss Mick McCarthy admitted that Potter's poor early season club form would have cost him his place against Stoke anyway.

[youngirish]

Don't rate Potter and can't see him being an important player for Ireland in the future. At present J O'Brien, Garvan, Gibson and Stephen Ireland are all younger and can all play in his position (albeit Ireland in a slightly different role) and all are far more talanted.

Alternatively Chris McCann and Glen Whelan are similar in terms of ability but McCann is a couple of years younger.

I would eat my own arms if he turned out to be anything more than an occasional squad member for Ireland in the long term.

[Supreme feet]

Fair enough. I'm not going to champion a player who has only impressed me against nonsense opposition.

Yet... I have to say, there's something about him. In that World Youth Cup, he was sent off for trying to choke a Mexican. I liked his 'f*ck off' attitude. It was something that was lacking from the Irish midfield at the time. And still is. He seemed to have a competitive streak. And being Liverpool-educated, he has a better background than any of his contenders, Gibson apart. Give him a few years.

[Supreme feet]

Anyway, international football (outside of the top seven European nations) seems to be a bit of a lottery. I can't see our squad as being inferior to the Czech Rep, Slovakia, Sweden (who we thrashed not so long ago), Denmark (ditto), Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Russia, Switzerland, Romania, or any of these middle-of-the-road teams who we constantly see ourselves as being inferior to. We have every right to be competitive.

For F**k's sake, all of my friends, and half the people on this forum, seem to think that following the Irish football team is nothing more than a chore, a fruitless, pessimistic obligation. F**k that. I'm never going to forget the joy I felt when McLoughlin's shot went past Tommy Wright, when Houghton's lob hit the net, when Vitor Baia palmed the ball into our net, when Croatia and Yugoslavia (Mark Kennedy!!) shat themselves in Landsdowne Road. Or when we matched Portugal and Holland over four unforgettable games. Or when we outplayed France in the Stade de France. Or when I sat in a Spanish pub in March and my home-town hero Kevin Doyle saved our face against a resilient Slovakian team...

I refuse to believe that Ireland can not play like that again, and that the heartbreaks of Anfield '95, Brussels '97, Skopje and Bursa '99, Basle '03 and Landsdowne '05 will be repeated ad infinitum until I die. F*ck that. We all want the team to do well. Lets have some positive vibes!!!

[Supreme feet]

[QUOTE=Supreme feet;765579]...that is what being a 'fan' is about - following your team through the good times and bad. There is one word that sustains us, and that word is hope.

We can speculate about the terrible things that may befall us, and rain down our shower of vitriol to whoever we choose to blame when it all goes wrong; but we choose to follow our team, because we care about them. And nobody would be wasting their time posting messages here, (instead of downloading porn), if we didn't have this inexplicable attachment. I love this team, and the heartbreak and frustration it causes me! It's almost a masochistic addiction.

I consider myself an educated and open-minded individual. My peers expect me to pore over the works of Noam Chomsky and Chinua Achebe, rather than bothering myself about football. Yet the trivialities of Darron Gibson's eligibility and the relative merits of Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid engage me more than the most engaging of world-political disputes. Come on Ireland! I refuse to believe that we'll take anything less than six points from our Danubian adventure.

[Stuttgart88]

Somebody get Stan a transcript of Supreme Feet's post to read out before the game.

Good man.

[Wolfie]

[QUOTE=Supreme feet;765579]...that is what being a 'fan' is about - following your team through the good times and bad. There is one word that sustains us, and that word is hope.

We can speculate about the terrible things that may befall us, and rain down our shower of vitriol to whoever we choose to blame when it all goes wrong; but we choose to follow our team, because we care about them. And nobody would be wasting their time posting messages here, (instead of downloading porn), if we didn't have this inexplicable attachment. I love this team, and the heartbreak and frustration it causes me! It's almost a masochistic addiction.

I consider myself an educated and open-minded individual. My peers expect me to pore over the works of Noam Chomsky and Chinua Achebe, rather than bothering myself about football. Yet the trivialities of Darron Gibson's eligibility and the relative merits of Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid engage me more than the most engaging of world-political disputes. Come on Ireland! I refuse to believe that we'll take anything less than six points from our Danubian adventure.

Great post there, Supreme. I've a deep rooted and long running attachment to this team also.

Spare a though for myself - I've just heard that my sons Christening rehearsel is due to take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday - and the priest has stressed that both parents must be there. :eek:

I'm gonna need to think fast........................

[onephillyhughes]

Anyway, international football (outside of the top seven European nations) seems to be a bit of a lottery. I can't see our squad as being inferior to the Czech Rep, Slovakia, Sweden (who we thrashed not so long ago), Denmark (ditto), Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Russia, Switzerland, Romania, or any of these middle-of-the-road teams who we constantly see ourselves as being inferior to. We have every right to be competitive.

For F**k's sake, all of my friends, and half the people on this forum, seem to think that following the Irish football team is nothing more than a chore, a fruitless, pessimistic obligation. F**k that. I'm never going to forget the joy I felt when McLoughlin's shot went past Tommy Wright, when Houghton's lob hit the net, when Vitor Baia palmed the ball into our net, when Croatia and Yugoslavia (Mark Kennedy!!) shat themselves in Landsdowne Road. Or when we matched Portugal and Holland over four unforgettable games. Or when we outplayed France in the Stade de France. Or when I sat in a Spanish pub in March and my home-town hero Kevin Doyle saved our face against a resilient Slovakian team...

I refuse to believe that Ireland can not play like that again, and that the heartbreaks of Anfield '95, Brussels '97, Skopje and Bursa '99, Basle '03 and Landsdowne '05 will be repeated ad infinitum until I die. F*ck that. We all want the team to do well. Lets have some positive vibes!!!



Thats a f**king great post. I was a kid and I left Amsterdam disappointed in 2000. I left le Stade de France disappointed in 2004. We had just grabbed draws away to 2 international superpowers. We're not the team we were then (If only people could understand that) but we, the fans who travel, who hate the begrudgers, have an unbelieveable belief. We will show those Slovaks what the Boys in Green are all about. I'm leaving for Vienna in the morning and I just can't wait to stand in the stadium roaring 'Come on you...' at the top of my lungs, getting those goosebumps from that and from Amhránn na bhFiann. The belief, the passion, this is what footballs all about.

All you barstoolers who want us to lose just to see Stan fail, and be able to say 'I told you so', stick to your barstool, you'll never have what some of us have, passion.

COME ON YOU BOYS IN GREEN

[irishbaz]

Fantastic the trials and tribulations of being a football fan but we all love it this crazy addiction. I am doing a research project on the prevalence of mental illness throughout Europe and then doing a comparative analysis with regard to the other continents then collating and presenting the results (please kill me) however today I will be doing nothing but waiting for the under 21 match tonight, then the full international match tomorrow. I will sit day dreaming through meetings thinking of team formations, the loss of finnan, second guessing who will play in midfield and b****ks to everything else even though I’m being paid there will be no work done today! Let’s enjoy the ride lads.

[youngirish]

I backed Ireland a few months ago at 150/1 to win the European Championship. To cover myself the bet was each way so it's looking good. Come on Ireland.

[cheifo]

Good stuff lads,Enjoyable reading.I first caught this beautiful sordid bug as a 9/10 year old in our cursed qualifying caimpaign for Espana 82.That match away to Belgium when a dodgy ref broke my heart and robbed us of an oh so crucial point(and proably of a famous win).The image of Eoin Hand with his head in his hands summed up the feelings of a sickened nation.The excitment and anticipation in the build up to the France match and subsequent victory
against Platini et brought me in touch with emotions I didnt know existed.
When we get a result I am filled with that lovely warm glow for the whole week afterwards.A great Irish perfromance can give you a feeling no drug can
(and I have been stupid enough in the past to try most of them!)so yes it is an addiction but its a wonderful shared experience.C'mon lads do the business
and we can all start learning how to yodle.:)

[Lionel Ritchie]

[QUOTE=Supreme feet;765581]
Spare a though for myself - I've just heard that my sons Christening rehearsel is due to take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday - and the priest has stressed that both parents must be there. :eek:

I'm gonna need to think fast........................

Kick church doors open, wave dodgy copy of dodgy paternity test in the air, a bit of hollering and argy-bargy, storm off in a huff, slam door behind you.

Problem solved.:cool:

Sort it all out after saturday.

[citizenerased]

[QUOTE=Supreme feet;765579]...that is what being a 'fan' is about - following your team through the good times and bad. There is one word that sustains us, and that word is hope.

We can speculate about the terrible things that may befall us, and rain down our shower of vitriol to whoever we choose to blame when it all goes wrong; but we choose to follow our team, because we care about them. And nobody would be wasting their time posting messages here, (instead of downloading porn), if we didn't have this inexplicable attachment. I love this team, and the heartbreak and frustration it causes me! It's almost a masochistic addiction.

I consider myself an educated and open-minded individual. My peers expect me to pore over the works of Noam Chomsky and Chinua Achebe, rather than bothering myself about football. Yet the trivialities of Darron Gibson's eligibility and the relative merits of Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid engage me more than the most engaging of world-political disputes. Come on Ireland! I refuse to believe that we'll take anything less than six points from our Danubian adventure.

Fair play, unbelievable post couldnt have summed it up better...cant wait to get to bratislava in the morning!! people were slagging me at work for wasting a weeks annual leave and a good few hundred quid to see a shoddy irish team in san marino in the cold month of february...Theyll never understand, im a sincere believer that only when you experience the really bad times ala san marino, cyprus , will you be able to revel during the good times

[Supreme feet]

Glad to see that my passionate rant went down well! Eight pints of Shumensko and a few shots of disgusting Bulgarian whiskey can be an effective muse! However, I stand by my sentiments.

[Wolfie]

[QUOTE=Wolfie;765611]

Kick church doors open, wave dodgy copy of dodgy paternity test in the air, a bit of hollering and argy-bargy, storm off in a huff, slam door behind you.

Problem solved.:cool:

Sort it all out after saturday.

Thanks for that, Lionel. I could yet call upon the "Lionel strategy" to solve this problem. :D

[geysir]

I think I'd prefer the upfront IM WATCHING THE MATCH rather than that*:)
A good result for you would be to get away to watch the match, she has some doubts about whatever excuse you pulled (red cow jam) but she can't quite work out what it was.

If she did find out but we win, your absolute euphoria will dominate, nothing can effect that. If we lose, the depression can be switched to devastation at missing the rehearsal.

[bwagner]

I agree lads this team is a drug
I love it to bits , I only watch the english leagues to follow all the Irish.
Since 88 when I was 8 I just fell in love
France in 05 or whenever it was , was just a night when I was so proud to be Irish ..The French were in awh of us. (girlfriend is a froggie)
This is the time now when our young squad are going to get us the results we need !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anois

[Wolfie]

I think I'd prefer the upfront IM WATCHING THE MATCH rather than that*:).

That was my original stance on the issue and may yet end up my final stance also.....................

Terrible PMT this afternoon - Pre Match Tension.

[Supreme feet]

PMT... I hear ya. I want the match to start NOW!!

[Lionel Ritchie]

PMT... I hear ya. I want the match to start NOW!!

There's only one cure for that. It waits for me in the off-licence. Booze shall kill a few hours ...until I get the drabs at around 2am and start wailing inconsolably that we're going to be hammered.

[Supreme feet]

I'll probably resort to the same. Expect another passionate dissertation on the merits of footballing loyalty, at around 5 in the morning.

[billybunter]

Somebody get Stan a transcript of Supreme Feet's post to read out before the game.

Good man.

amen.

[billybunter]

Fantastic the trials and tribulations of being a football fan but we all love it this crazy addiction. I am doing a research project on the prevalence of mental illness throughout Europe and then doing a comparative analysis with regard to the other continents then collating and presenting the results (please kill me) however today I will be doing nothing but waiting for the under 21 match tonight, then the full international match tomorrow. I will sit day dreaming through meetings thinking of team formations, the loss of finnan, second guessing who will play in midfield and b****ks to everything else even though I’m being paid there will be no work done today! Let’s enjoy the ride lads.

if you are looking for representation from the Americas, then I recommend you stop by my work place. Its like the fookin Cuckoo's nest - but with more drama. i'm laughin here at your comments regarding work, if my company ran a productivity report for this week, I may not get a pay check (american spelling!) on thursday. Between Foot.ie. rte.ie and independent.ie. I feel like i've covered more press than Tommy Gorman. Here's hoping for a great day tomorrow, but regardless, it wont change one thing about how much I love supporting Ireland.