Steven Reid

[BigmanCas]

yeah but therein lies the problem - they are nowhere to be found.

[Dr. Ogba]

yeah but therein lies the problem - they are nowhere to be found.

Stephen Kelly no?

[jmurphyc]

Stephen Kelly no?

He doesn't rate him, to put it as nicely as I can. I think that we could do with Finnan for at least this qualifying campaign as I'm not sure whether Joey O'Brien or Kelly are ready yet. However, if they're not ready for the next qualifying group, they'll never be ready.

[Dr. Ogba]

He doesn't rate him, to put it as nicely as I can. I think that we could do with Finnan for at least this qualifying campaign as I'm not sure whether Joey O'Brien or Kelly are ready yet. However, if they're not ready for the next qualifying group, they'll never be ready.


ah yeah i know, just trying to see the reaction! ;)

for the record, i think that both Kelly are solid if unspectacular and would have no problem with either starting RB in the qualifiers. LB however is another story, just can't trust Kilbane in that position...

[Wolfie]

An unprecedented dearth of quality full backs.

Years ago we could have fielded a complete team comprised of full backs!!

[paul_oshea]

thats what having a small nation does wolfie!

although it still doesnt explain why you have so many players in one position!

[Wolfie]

thats what having a small nation does wolfie!

although it still doesnt explain why you have so many players in one position!

I didn't mean they all stood at full-back Paul!! :D That part of the field may have been a bit crowded alright!!!

More along the lines of the fact that we had at least 11 half decent full-backs to choose from.

[paul_oshea]

I didn't mean they all stood at full-back Paul!! :D That part of the field may have been a bit crowded alright!!!

More along the lines of the fact that we had at least 11 half decent full-backs to choose from.

i know what you meant, and I think you know what I meant too. ;)

[Wolfie]

thats what having a small nation does wolfie!

although it still doesnt explain why you have so many players in one position!

I think I get ye now :confused: - do you mean it doesn't explain how Ireland produced so many full-backs at the one time??? I was lost for a bit there.

I think a lot of them started out in different positions and were converted to full-back.

[paul_oshea]

yes thats exactly what i meant!!

[eirebhoy]

Hughes has a lot of faith in Reid. He took Tugay off after 55 minutes and went 3 up front with Reid as the only central midfielder. Bentley and Pedersen the wide players.

[eirebhoy]

Reid was Blackburn's best player today according to the Fantasy Football judge.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Only seen brieg glimpses of him but he seems to be more comfortable on the ball than he was before. Haven't noticed his added awareness but I'll take your word for it. ;) He would be brilliant with Andy Reid.

Here's another post that I read on some other forum ;) :D


I've been keeping a very close eye on him since he got back from injury and I'm very excited about the thought of him in the Ireland team if he can stay injury free. Before his injury he turned down Spurs, while Man Utd were linked with him, after an excellent season with Blackburn. His injury actually came in the Ireland game against Germany if I remember (I think he got injured again recovering from that).

He used to be a poor man's Stephen Gerrard. A box to box player with incredible energy. Now he seems to have turned into a playmaker. He's the main man in the Blackburn midfield. He's not doing anything spectacular on the ball but his movement is fantastic. He seems to be a much more confident and determined player and pretty much demands the ball from his teammates.

He's playing in a team at Blackburn with 2 strikers, 2 attacking wide players and a relatively attacking partner in David Dunn. If Reid wasn't positionally sound and good defensively that team would get ripped apart. So I don't think he'd necessarily need someone like Carsley beside him in the Ireland team which he may have needed pre-injury.

He captained Blackburn against Bolton as Ooijer was injured and himself and Dunn were apparently outstanding. He was again supposedly Blackburn's best player today against Fulham. I'm just excited about the player he has turned into. A very intelligent player. Add in Andy Reid's beautiful brain and I think we could match many European teams in that area which is where the British and Irish teams have been lacking in recent years. 2 proper playmakers in midfield.

So has anyone seen much of him? Can he stay injury free at last? Maybe, after watching Ireland and Celtic in recent years, I'm getting over excited about something as simple as a central midfielder that actually moves into the best position possible to receive a pass all the time.

[as_i_say]

ah isnt that lovely!

if thats the case though then a central partnership of himself and carsley could be just the thing for us. hope he stays fit

[carloz]

Without blowing my trumpet , i have been singing this guys praises for nearly 5 years. If he remains injury free for at least 2 years i really really think he can hit the big time. He has everything you would want from a central midfielder. He has a good physical stature, but unlike O'Shea for example, he knows how to use it. Blackburn fans know how important he is for them. IMO he will be a massive massive player for us in the upcoming qualifiers. I have all my fingers crossed that he can stay injury free.

[Irish_Praha]

So we have no need to worry that his position could be under threat from Vogel then?

[Razors left peg]

So we have no need to worry that his position could be under threat from Vogel then?

dont think so. he is very highly thought of at Blackburn and its more likely that Vogel will be his partner in midfield

[Razors left peg]

I'd worry about Vogel to be honest, Vogel's a much more defensive player than Reid and it would be strange to drop the more attack minded Dunn for Vogel. Though Vogel has fitness problems so it's only really an issue if he rediscovers his best form which is unlikely.

Reids all round game is better than Dunn, he adds more to the team in my opinion

[Razors left peg]

He is but Vogel is a much more similiar player to Reid than he is to Dunn.

I could be wrong but I dont think Vogel is as mobile as Reid

[NeilMcD]

I'd worry about Vogel to be honest, Vogel's a much more defensive player than Reid and it would be strange to drop the more attack minded Dunn for Vogel. Though Vogel has fitness problems so it's only really an issue if he rediscovers his best form which is unlikely.

Who said Vogel is not just brought in as a squad player and as back up.

[eirebhoy]

It's extra competition for the midfielders but I wouldn't worry about Reid's place. He's the vice captain at Blackburn now. Tugay is going on 38. Mokoena is then the only other central midfielder apart from Reid and Dunn.

[irishfan86]

Hughes seems to really rate Reid, and I can't see him being dropped out of the picture altogether.

Even if he goes through a rough period, I don't see him dropping further than the bench.

At worst this will mean a rotation policy in midfield, but I suspect he's just bringing in midfield reinforcements due to Reid's horrible injury record.

[carloz]

Well Vogel was never bought to give competition for Reid. Hughes knows how important Reid is, hence the reason he was put back in the team the minute he came back from injury rather than gently get him back into action. However Vogel was given a 2 and a half year contract so Hughes probably sees the two of them working together. Really Dunn is not a good enough if Blackburn have genuine ambitions to get into the UEFA cup

[geysir]

After Reid's withdrawl from the friendly squad, it's a relief to read that he and his doctors look to be in control of his knee situation, Minor Surgery success (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/7403243.stm)

[dr_peepee]

Watched Blackburn on MOTD last night, paying particular attention to Reid (as much as you can from highlights anyway). He started wide on the right... (I seen him play wide right for Ireland under Kerr in the draw at home to Russia and he was POISON that day.) But when I noted it I was kinda hoping Ince would have him in the wide right role much like Bowyer at Leeds or Gerard,where they're not bound by tactical obligations as much and just let off the leash (thats when I think reid is at his best, when he doesn't have to think)

He got a couple of decent deliveries into the box from out wide though without having go by anyone, which is alright, but we don't have a target man like Santa Cruz. The was a couple of bursting runs through the middle though that impressed me, one from deep but particularly the one where he won the free that led to the goal.

I'm hoping for a big year from him. We're lacking a real athlete in the middle. He ticks all the right box's but has never fully delivered, imo. Fingers crossed.

[tetsujin1979]

I was listening to the Blackburn game on Today FM, nearly had a heart failure when he went down injured

[NeilMcD]

I would prefer to see him in the centre and playing as the holding role. Going to watch match of the day soon and check him out.

[irishfan86]

I would prefer to see him in the centre and playing as the holding role. Going to watch match of the day soon and check him out.

From watching the game, it looked like a 4-3-3, with Reid playing on the right of the central midfield group.

Thought he had a good game, and it seems Ince has decided to let Reid play more of a box-to-box game, and let Dunn sit in front of the back four.

[dr_peepee]

I would prefer to see him in the centre and playing as the holding role. Going to watch match of the day soon and check him out.
I've no doubt he could do a job there and do it well, as he did last season for Blackburn.. And I don't know whether Trap would facilitate the kind of Freedom i was talking about in my post. I just think he ticks too many box's to be stifled as just "holding", if you know what I mean. That's why I'd like to see him and Carsley in the team. He's big, pacy, can tackle, relativley comfortable on the ball, can shoot from distance (though we've seen little of that lately).

[tricky_colour]

Didn't he give away a free kick which resulted in a goal and later win one which won a goal back? So that's 50/50 on that score.

[dr_peepee]

He did yes, but was blameless as far as I could see. He was stretching out his leg to block the cross in, his arms weren't flailing or anything and he had his back to the ball when it struck it... I've seen peno's not given in the same situation.

[minty]

I'm looking forward to watching him in action against Norway on Wednesday...the game is quite big for Ireland and a great chance for the 2 Reids

[eirebhoy]

...on his injuries:

"It all started in the August before that Germany game, I had a back problem which turned out to be a stress fracture, and I had three-and-a-half months off that.

Then I got back to training, got back in and then did my cruciate ligament in a tackle there, so I had the reconstruction and that was another six months and after that it was just niggles and bits and pieces.

It was a tough time for me with the all the injuries. But, during the lay-off, I worked hard in the gym, did a lot of strength and that can only benefit myself, Blackburn and Ireland.

It's been a long time since I was last involved with Ireland. At times I wondered if I would even be back playing, let alone be back in the Ireland squad. It was a tough time for me, unbelievably hard at times, but hopefully it has made me a strong person. Hopefully the injuries I've had have made me a better player and stronger person.

There was a worry in my head that I might not get back. I was out for 16 months and you wonder if you'll get back to that level.

It's been a hard time. My daughter -- she's two in November -- has arrived since my last game with Ireland and that has helped along the way, I had great support from friends and family, a lot of people stood by me, I was speaking to Steve Staunton and Alan Kelly regularly and they helped too. So I was kept in the picture with Ireland all the time but I was also desperate to get back playing again.

I think this year is the first time I've had a full pre-season for about three years now, but I still want to get back to the match fitness level I was at a couple of years ago. I think Everton on Saturday was one of the best games I've played so hopefully I can continue on with that now."

...on Georgia:

"I have been chatting to Zurab Khizanishvili about our game in Georgia. It's been a difficult time for him. He still has his family over there, and he has a house of his own back in Georgia too, so he has been very concerned.

From what he knows his family are safe, but he has been very down over the last few weeks since the war started back in Georgia. He's hoping that things will be OK for them to play us at home in Georgia and maybe that can happen.

It just puts things in perspective, players worry about their form and if they will play but Zura and the other Georgian players are all concerned for their families back home and if they'll get caught up in a war.

He's back in the national team squad now, I think he had a falling-out with the previous manager and was out for a while but he's playing for Georgia again, I think he's captain for their game in Wales this week.

Our job is to play football, if the game is played in Tbilisi, or a neutral venue, or not at all, we will prepare as best we can.

I'd have no issues in going over to Georgia, I know we'd have the right preparation in terms of staff, travel and security, if the game goes ahead we will be there. It won't be an issue for us.

I just want to get the shirt on and play the game, I don't care where it's played, I just want to play for Ireland again."

...on Trapattoni:

"The new manager has been good so far, I only met him for the first time yesterday and we didn't have much time to chat as it was straight in to training, but he seems very enthusiastic and involved. He has won everything in the game at club level, he has a great CV, has managed at international level and I'm looking forward to working with him.

Obviously with Mr Trapattoni, everyone I've spoken to has been saying nice things about him, I've kept in contact with people. He shows great enthusiasm and gets involved and uses his English as best he can.

Hopefully the manager will see me doing well for Blackburn and I can show Trapattoni what I can do and prove that I can play a big part in the campaign."

...on Andy Reid:

"It would be nice to play with Andy. We room together, we get on well together, it's up to the manager to decide his midfield pairing. Andy is on top form, captain of Sunderland against Liverpool on Saturday so he's doing well.

If it's me and Andy in the middle, that would be fine with me. I keep getting called 'Andy' wherever I go, for some reason, so maybe it would only add to confusion if we played in the middle together."

[Razors left peg]

...on his injuries:

"
I just want to get the shirt on and play the game, I don't care where it's played, I just want to play for Ireland again."

"

if only a certain other young Irish midfielder had this same attitude

[Razors left peg]

Oh Balls.....
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2008/0818/reids.html

[Wolfie]

Oh Balls.....
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2008/0818/reids.html

Stephen Reid.......aka......."The Man of Glass".

[Wheels]

I love the quote from Ince saying it's rediculous for players to play 90mins in a friendly...

He said: “You can see why sometimes Premier League managers don’t let their players go if they are going to start playing them for 90 minutes...

Morten [Gamst Pedersen] played 45 minutes [for Norway] and I haven’t got a problem with that but when you start playing them 90 minutes in a friendly I think is absolutely ridiculous. I can understand it if it’s a World Cup qualifier but not a meaningless friendly.”

He does realise that there are rules limiting managers to 6 subs in a friendly right? Does he want a 5-a-side game in the second half??

[youngirish]

He does realise that there are rules limiting managers to 6 subs in a friendly right? Does he want a 5-a-side game in the second half??
Since when? You can substitute your whole team in a friendly if you want unless the rules have recently been changed.

[NeilMcD]

Yeah I think they were changed their recently.

[Wheels]

The rules were changed maybe 18months ago? There had been lots of controversy over teams changing their whole team and making the games meaningless... I think it was after an England game that it came to a head.

So they limited it to 6 subs max.

[youngirish]

The rules were changed maybe 18months ago? There had been lots of controversy over teams changing their whole team and making the games meaningless... I think it was after an England game that it came to a head.

So they limited it to 6 subs max.

Fair enough. Didn't know that. Thanks.

[Deckydee]

Just found this:

http://www.comeonboro.com/matches/080914166.php

Blackburn's injured midfielder Steven Reid is using the lure of next year's World Cup in South Africa to help him in his rehabilitation.

In September the 28-year-old was ruled out for the season with a cruciate knee ligament problem but after surgery he is now well on the road to recovery. The Republic of Ireland star played at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and hopes his international team-mates can keep the dream alive in this campaign long enough for him to rejoin the fight to secure qualification.

Giovanni Trapattoni's side face Bulgaria and Italy over the next few days and Reid is naturally eager for them to do well. "He (Trapattoni) has let me know I have a big part to play in the squad," said Reid. "There are two important games coming up and there is no reason why we can't qualify for the World Cup in 2010.

"I have been lucky enough playing in a World Cup six years ago in Japan and hopefully we can get there again next year and I can play a big part.

"There are a couple of things to aim for and that has been a huge factor in helping me through some pretty tough moments.

"I just have to make sure I get the knee back to how it should be and then hopefully Premier League football next year, and a World Cup would just cap it all off."

Reid has missed virtually two full seasons in the last three years as a stress fracture of the back and a cruciate knee ligament kept him out of most of the 2006/07 campaign.

But after a successful operation in America on his troublesome knee the combative midfielder is looking forward to returning at the start of next season.

"It is going well. I am four months in now and two weeks ago I went back over to see the surgeon and he is happy with it and it looks in good shape," he told the Lancashire Telegraph. :)

"I just have to build it up a little bit and I am still on target for pre-season. (Wo Hoo!)

"My latest meeting with the surgeon was a boost, a little bit of light again, and hopefully there are a few more days like that to come."


He will be needed!!

[elroy]

Good news but wont be back for the Bulgaria away game though by the looks of it.

[Duggie]

if we get a win or a draw in bulgaria it will be great to have him back for the new season. :ball:

[Wolfie]

Can't get ahead of ourselves as our focus has to be solely on Bulgaria away - but having the option of match fit Stephen Reid away in Cyprus would be great boost.

[tetsujin1979]

Reid set to be fit for the start of the new season: http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100124:steven-reid-on-his-way-back&catid=1:senior-men&Itemid=8

[Razors left peg]

Reid set to be fit for the start of the new season: http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100124:steven-reid-on-his-way-back&catid=1:senior-men&Itemid=8

Fantastic news

[irishultra]

He should take it longer than that, he should come back when he's at 100%, not 95%.

[centre mid]

Thats excellent news if he is back, Himself and Whelan had the makings of a very promising central partnership.

[Wangball]

Thats excellent news if he is back, Himself and Whelan had the makings of a very promising central partnership.

Glenn Whelan has played brilliantly but I reckon that Reid and Andrews would be a better partnership, they offer more going forward