Givens names team for Brazil

[tomred23]

http://www.ireland.com/sports/soccer/2008/0205/1201903536487.html

[passinginterest]

Given; Kelly, Dunne, O'Shea, Kilbane; Duff, Carsley, Miller, McGeady; Keane, Doyle.

About as expected. Maybe Hunt can feel upset at being overlooked.

[Dr. Ogba]

Given; Kelly, Dunne, O'Shea, Kilbane; Duff, Carsley, Miller, McGeady; Keane, Doyle.

About as expected. Maybe Hunt can feel upset at being overlooked.

decent enough team...centre mid very weak though (as usual)

[OwlsFan]

decent enough team...centre mid very weak though (as usual)

Is that not a contradiction in terms :confused:

[Dr. Ogba]

Is that not a contradiction in terms :confused:
ok then mr. pedantic I'll rephrase....decent enough team given the players available...

[eirebhoy]

Predictable lineup with S.Reid out. I'm so hoping McGeady has the game of his life. Not expecting though.

[McGeady10]

I'm just hoping he doesn't get injured! Pitch was used for rugby only a few days ago!

This is the most meaningless international game I can remember. Just a cash cow for the FAI!

[ruben_sosa]

Maybe Hunt can feel upset at being overlooked.

he'll be livid, Hunt has played exceptionally since the start of the season and now Duff plays a couple of games after a long term injury and gets to play against Brazil ?

Givens you tosser.

[shakermaker1982]

what the hell does Hunt have to do to get in the team?

[tetsujin1979]

Probably a strong a line up as can be expected with the squad that's left.

hunt has been mainly used as an impact player this far in his career, that's probably what he'll be whenever Duff is fit. Duff was supposed to have played well at the weekend, had a goal disallowed,

Along with the Wales game, that's 10 Premiership starters, plus McGeady, 2 games in a row. Must be a while since that happened?

[Nipper]

what the hell does Hunt have to do to get in the team?

Don Giavanni is only winding him up nicely so he'll come on after 60 mins and kick seven shades of yellow out of the Brazilians. Should be fun to watch.

[elroy]

He's an impact player remember lads :rolleyes:

With a centre midfield like that, id be very concerned about our chances of qualification.

[inexile]

anyone know the brazillian squad for the game tommorow?

[gustavo]

he'll be livid, Hunt has played exceptionally since the start of the season and now Duff plays a couple of games after a long term injury and gets to play against Brazil ?
.
Because Duff is a better player

[Ozymandias]

He's an impact player remember lads :rolleyes:

With a centre midfield like that, id be very concerned about our chances of qualification.

just as well there are no qualifying points at stake until september then

[as_i_say]

what the hell does Hunt have to do to get in the team?

Maybe announce his retirement :mad:

[lionelhutz]

Given; Kelly, Dunne, O'Shea, Kilbane; Duff, Carsley, Miller, McGeady; Keane, Doyle.

About as expected. Maybe Hunt can feel upset at being overlooked.

Looking at that back four - it's truly shocking. Dunne can't be asked the carry 3 players. Kelly is a headless chicken at right full with no positional sense (I hope to God Finnan is brought back with the new manager), O'Shea is a fairy and Kilbane, despite all the hard work he puts in, is a donkey with no positional sense either. If thats the best available to us - which seems so at the moment - I'm very worried about the future

[Nipper]

S. Reid missed all last season with various injuries and still looks like he's struggling badly. Can anyone see him holding down a place in this qualifying campaign?

He did well the season before last for Blackburn, but I'm concerned he could be a goner at this stage.

[NeilMcD]

Looking at that back four - it's truly shocking. Dunne can't be asked the carry 3 players. Kelly is a headless chicken at right full with no positional sense (I hope to God Finnan is brought back with the new manager), O'Shea is a fairy and Kilbane, despite all the hard work he puts in, is a donkey with no positional sense either. If thats the best available to us - which seems so at the moment - I'm very worried about the future

Kelly is a very good right back in my view and has played very well for Birmingham this year. However in Slovakia he was playing left back which was out of position for him(I don't see him retiring because of it) and Kilbane gave him no protection at all and most people who watched it on the TV were of the view that Kelly had a shocker but those at the game would have seen it was Kilbane at fault for most of it.

I would be slightly worried going forward that Mc Geady would not give this protection so I might go for the Duff and Hunt as wingers.

[tetsujin1979]

Kelly is a headless chicken at right full with no positional sense (I hope to God Finnan is brought back with the new manager)
Kelly is supposed to be one of Birmingham's best players this season.

[eirebhoy]

He's an impact player remember lads :rolleyes:

With a centre midfield like that, id be very concerned about our chances of qualification.
We're without 2 first choice central midfielders.

[ruben_sosa]

Because Duff is a better player

yeah he's been terrifying defences since November, his form definitely merits inclusion in the starting 11.

[eirebhoy]

yeah he's been terrifying defences since November, his form definitely merits inclusion in the starting 11.
His last 2 games for us were probably motm performances.

[gustavo]

yeah he's been terrifying defences since November, his form definitely merits inclusion in the starting 11.

I believe someone once said "Form is temporary , Class is permanent"

[Maroon 7]

That centre midfield is bobbins. At least we have the two Reid's to come back. Would be very handy if Darron Gibson could make the breakthrough there.

[Nipper]

Anyone that thinks Hunt poses any competition to (a fit) Duff for a starting place in the next two years is deluded.

[NeilMcD]

I would nearly have Hunt in the centre instead of Miller but not quite.

[Nipper]

I would nearly have Hunt in the centre instead of Miller but not quite.

I can see the merits of this alright. Especially against Brazil. If Miller doesn't make an effort, like so often happens, we are going to get destroyed.

[Stuttgart88]

Looking at that back four - it's truly shocking. Dunne can't be asked the carry 3 players. Kelly is a headless chicken at right full with no positional sense (I hope to God Finnan is brought back with the new manager), O'Shea is a fairy and Kilbane, despite all the hard work he puts in, is a donkey with no positional sense either. If thats the best available to us - which seems so at the moment - I'm very worried about the futureIt's the back 4 I'd have picked, and given injuries etc. pretty much the XI I'd have gone with, except Hunt for McGeady.

We have to persist with O'Shea. I thought he has generally played well at CB for us, bar lapses in concentration. I prefer him there than at full back. Kelly is a shoe in for RB in Joey O'Brien's absence (the only realistic competition as Foley isn't ready yet). KK is the only real option at LB with O'Shea playing CB. It's certainly time that O'Shea starts playing like the senior player.

I'd like another look at Potter in Carsley's role at some stage, and Murphy to replace Doyle at some stage to give he & Robbie time together. Hunt will surely feature too.

[Stuttgart88]

Anyone that thinks Hunt poses any competition to (a fit) Duff for a starting place in the next two years is deluded.Does anyone? I think it's Hunt vs McGeady no?

[Stuttgart88]

S. Reid missed all last season with various injuries and still looks like he's struggling badly. Can anyone see him holding down a place in this qualifying campaign?

He did well the season before last for Blackburn, but I'm concerned he could be a goner at this stage.Yep, a great option on paper but way to injury prone. Very disappointing. His type of player would really add something to our team.

[OwlsFan]

Reid seems to be the new Keith O'Neill I am afraid in terms of withdrawals from panels.

[shakermaker1982]

I'd have Hunt over McGeady every day of the week (sorry Celtic fans). He's our most in form player alongside Robbie and he's left on the bench. Miller and Carsley in the engine room? It's the future. Reid and Reid are the Darren Anderton's of our squad so we better pray Gibson and Garvan's progress accelerates this season. O'Shea is better at LB because he can do less damage there.

[ruben_sosa]

His last 2 games for us were probably motm performances.

...completely ignoring the fact he has hardly kicked a ball for club or country since then.

[eirebhoy]

...completely ignoring the fact he has hardly kicked a ball for club or country since then.
No. He's one of our best players. Simple as that.

[shaneker]

Picking Duff ahead of Hunt is insane and reflects everything wrong with the Irish team at the moment, picking players on reputation rather that form (case in point, omission of Hunt from the team and Morrison from the squad).

I'm sorry, anyone who thinks Duff has been setting the world alight since he came back for Newcastle is looking through seriously green-tinted glasses. He just hasn't, he has looked about as dangerous as a butter knife. He still seems to have a burst of pace but his touch, crossing and finishing has all looked well below the player he was a few years ago. Hunt, however, is scoring and creating goals, and generally playing well in most respects. Hunt deserves to be in the side and Duffer could probably do with a night off and a few more weeks to try and regain his previous form for Newcastle. Combined with the fact that DUFF HAS NOT HAD A GOOD GAME FOR EITHER TEAM IN OVER A YEAR should make the choice obvious.

[dr_peepee]

Duff has to start against Brazil... He needs a shot in the arm.. He deserves it.. Sometimes when it's not going so well at club level, I believe the change of scenery international level can provide the spark again. Leaving him out against Brazil will only compound things on his laboured comeback, especially if it transpires he hasn't actually "lost it". Duff has done enough in his Ireland career to warrant a starting spot against Brazil as an attempted "springboard" if you know what I mean.

Not detracting from the form of Hunt by any stretch.... I just think a fully fit and on form 28 year old Damian Duff has more to offer than Hunt...There's more to be gained than lost.

[gerryscore]

hunt is decidedly average and to have him ahead of either mcgeady or duff when they are fit and well is a no-brainer. hunt is little more than a glorified kevin kilbane in my eyes.

duff is struggling for form but how many players have come back from the same length of time out and tore **** up? very few i'd imagine, if any. mcgeady is up there with keane and dunne as the form irish player for their club and his cl performances mean he is performing at a level higher than any other irish player and throw the whole 'spl' argument right where it belongs, out the window.

hunt will get his 20 minutes undoubtedly, run around a bit but more than likely not create anything of substance.

[eirebhoy]

I'm sorry, anyone who thinks Duff has been setting the world alight since he came back for Newcastle is looking through seriously green-tinted glasses. He just hasn't, he has looked about as dangerous as a butter knife.
He's not setting the world alight but he played well on Sunday. He usually plays well for us though which is what matters.

[NeilMcD]

I think there is a happy medium and some people are over the top with Hunt both in in the positive and negative.

[HolylandsMan]

I think Hunt should have gotten the nod ahead of McGeady. We need Duff on form to qualify so I can see why he's been picked.

Stephen Kelly is the obvious choice at right back. He's has a few dodgy games for Ireland but seems to be in decent form for Birmingham.

Centre of midfield is a real worry but imagine how badly we'd be off if Carsley hadn't come back!

[shaneker]

Nothing would make me happier than to see Duff tear into Brazil and play well with a smile on his face. Unfortunately I don't think its going to happen and I think not rewarding a player in form - such as Hunt - with a start reeks of over-loyalty to a player who has done nothing for 12 months to warrant it.

Still, nothing surprises me any more. Believe me, if Duff has a blinder tomorrow I will gladly scoff down that humble pie in a second.

[eirebhoy]

Nothing would make me happier than to see Duff tear into Brazil and play well with a smile on his face. Unfortunately I don't think its going to happen and I think not rewarding a player in form - such as Hunt - with a start reeks of over-loyalty to a player who has done nothing for 12 months to warrant it.
Club form isn't everything. Just completely random but Libor Sionko was scoring and setting up goals at will for the Czechs while he was struggling badly at Rangers. Zurawski captains Poland regularly while he couldn't make the Celtic bench. Petrov has really struggled at Villa but he's not going to be dropped by Bulgaria. Kezman will keep getting his game for Serbia as long as he keeps producing the goods and Mutu or Chivu won't be getting dropped for Romania because of poor club form (not that they are).

As I said, Duff was arguably our best player against Wales and our best after Doyle vs Slovakia. He was in a lot worse club form then. He wasn't in great club form when he was creating all our chances against Cyprus and the Czechs and also when he forced the Swedish right back into a premature end to his international career by embarassing him.

He starts tomorrow because he has proven to be one of our best players.

[shaneker]

Club form isn't everything. Just completely random but Libor Sionko was scoring and setting up goals at will for the Czechs while he was struggling badly at Rangers. Zurawski captains Poland regularly while he couldn't make the Celtic bench. Petrov has really struggled at Villa but he's not going to be dropped by Bulgaria. Kezman will keep getting his game for Serbia as long as he keeps producing the goods and Mutu or Chivu won't be getting dropped for Romania because of poor club form (not that they are).

As I said, Duff was arguably our best player against Wales and our best after Doyle vs Slovakia. He was in a lot worse club form then. He wasn't in great club form when he was creating all our chances against Cyprus and the Czechs and also when he forced the Swedish right back into a premature end to his international career by embarassing him.

He starts tomorrow because he has proven to be one of our best players.

Strikers aren't the same as wingers, and if you're talking about a player with poor club form but excellent international performances, I think you could look no further than David Healy. But soring goals and creating them are two different things; a winger needs to have that 'extra yard' (I hate that cliche, but its true) and that speed in his feet and in his head to beat his man and either finish a move himself or play someone else into position. This is completely different to a striker's mentality whereby international football can (for whatever reason) provide a less pressurised situation where you can, for example, score 13 goals in a campaign. The games you are talking about where Duff played well happened a good while ago now; you mention the Sweden game, which was Stan's first match in charge!

All I'm saying is I would prefer to see a player in form get a chance from the start rather than a picking a player on performances from a long while back. If we go down that road we should think about giving Big Niall a call - we could do with the height!

[eirebhoy]

Sionko plays the same position as Duff while Zurawski plays midfield for Poland. Anyway, I could come up with loads and loads of examples if I spent half an hour but I won't. ;)

For the 3rd time, Duff was excellent against Wales and Slovakia while in poor club form. Nothing more to add other than he played well on Sunday. :)

[paul_oshea]

that interview with keane showed exactly the opposite of what he was really thinking ye could see himself he thinks its a bit of a joke that no one knows at this stage who the manager is and why one hasn't been appointed.

[shaneker]

Fair enough, we'll agree to disagree. Hopefully you'll be proved right.

[kingdomkerry]

Happy with that team with the exception of O Shea at centre back. Dont rate him at all really. If i was to play him it would be at left back as he would do a job....just about. Is McShane injured?

[NeilMcD]

Carsley - We can finish fourth
Toffees midfielder still confident despite goal drought

I saw this headline and I thought that Carsley was setting his sights pretty low for Ireland. but sure it was Everton he was talking about :)

[tricky_colour]

Anyone that thinks Hunt poses any competition to (a fit) Duff for a starting place in the next two years is deluded.

Anyone who didn't have Hunt as the first or second name on the team sheet
needs their head tested.