Republic of Ireland V Colombia - Thursday, 29th May 2008 - Friendly - Craven Cottage

[irishultra]

I don't support Celtic.

I support Ireland.

[theworm2345]

I don't support Celtic.

I support Ireland.
:eek: Me too :)

[rambler14]

Supposedly a new generation of Irish football and yet McShane and Duff are still involved in the team even though their form is the worst in the Premiership amongst the Irish players.

[Razors left peg]

Supposedly a new generation of Irish football and yet McShane and Duff are still involved in the team even though their form is the worst in the Premiership amongst the Irish players.

and yet Duff was one of the bright spots from the game at the weekend!

[stojkovic]

I often wonder how so many people have such informed opinions about young players playing outside of the premiership....

They gotta be closet Leeds fans I bet :D

[kingdomkerry]

Really looking forward to see the attacking potential of McGeady, Duff, Keane and Doyle as a unit.

I bet you any money McGeady and Duff will not play on the wings for away games unless we have 3 in midfield

[Mad Moose]

Anybody heading to this one then.I'm going to head down after work. Just have to work out times so I may tart early in the morning.Can't imagine I'll fit in a pre-match pint but hopefully get to the game.

Can't remember if there's a tube stop there. Must check that out. If I make it for a pre-match pint anyone got sugestions.

Cheers,

Brendan

[Razors left peg]

Anybody heading to this one then.I'm going to head down after work. Just have to work out times so I may tart early in the morning.Can't imagine I'll fit in a pre-match pint but hopefully get to the game.

Can't remember if there's a tube stop there. Must check that out. If I make it for a pre-match pint anyone got sugestions.

Cheers,

Brendan

theres a link under the Fans Forum that might help ya out mate

[Mad Moose]

theres a link under the Fans Forum that might help ya out mate

Thanks for that. Found my way to that. Now to get up early and finish early so I'm in in time for a pint or two.

Cheers again.

[jmurphyc]

As someone stated earlier, and without meaning to be pedanitc, could the OP please change the thread title. It's a common mistake, but it's Colombia, not Columbia. Even though no Colombians will read this, I just think it's respectful to get the name correct.

[Razors left peg]

As someone stated earlier, and without meaning to be pedanitc, could the OP please change the thread title. It's a common mistake, but it's Colombia, not Columbia. Even though no Colombians will read this, I just think it's respectful to get the name correct.

was my mistake originally but have no idea how to correct it if I even can at all

[stojkovic]

In fairness, its a common mistake due to the spelling of Christopher Columbus.

[amaccann]

So, predictions for tonight?

I'm going for 2-1 Ireland

[jbyrne]

Supposedly a new generation of Irish football and yet McShane and Duff are still involved in the team even though their form is the worst in the Premiership amongst the Irish players.

duffs form for us is good and thats all that matters. would rather see him out left though, much more effective

[smellyfeet]

So, predictions for tonight?

I'm going for 2-1 Ireland

Just hope McShane doesn't fock up all the hard work the rest of the players put in. 1-1 for me.

[Denis The Red]

Trap will fix the problem at the back, for now, 0-0 or maybe 1-0 to us sneaking a goal in the last 15 minutes.

[Morbo]

I'll go with another 1-1 with either JOSH or McShane making the mistake which costs us a goal. As for Duff he isn't the player he was but he is still putting in good performances for us but I'd prefer to see him on the left, is McGeady any good on the right?

[shakermaker1982]

I reckon another draw - 1-1. Doyle.

[Kingdom]

An Ireland win. 2-1 for me.

[lionelhutz]

Does anyone have any idea how good this Colombian team is? How did they do in the last Copa America? have they started their 2010 world cup qualifying campaign?

[passinginterest]

3-2 Ireland in a thriller.

Or maybe a dour 0-0. :)

[irishultra]

I think they might nick it. But, it doesn't matter. If we can see some good passing, and a solid team display, then that is fine with me. The Norway game in August might hold more importance. Not that this game doesn't matter, but the result does not.

[shakermaker1982]

Does anyone have any idea how good this Colombian team is? How did they do in the last Copa America? have they started their 2010 world cup qualifying campaign?

Didn't Colombia beat Argentina 2-1 last November? Pretty sure they did.

[smellyfeet]

Didn't Colombia beat Argentina 2-1 last November? Pretty sure they did.

Ya they beat Argentina 2-1 in WC qualifier, they have won 4 out of 4.

[lionelhutz]

Ya they beat Argentina 2-1 in WC qualifier, they have won 4 out of 4.

Sounds like it'll be a good test for us then. Agree that the performance is more important than the result, usually the two go together though

[FarBeag]

Didn't Colombia beat Argentina 2-1 last November? Pretty sure they did.

Argentina 4 - 2 Columbia Thursday, July 05, 2007

Goals: Edixon Perea (10), Crespo (19, pen), Juan Roman Riquelme (34, 45), Jaime Alberto Castrillon (73), Diego Milito (90)

On November 17, 2007…Colombia won the match 2-1, obtaining 4th place in the world cup qualifiers.Ruben Dario Bustos and Dayro Moreno

[Wolfie]

From the Indo - Thursday May 29 2008


Trap door closing on Irish hopefuls

Giovanni Trapattoni has handed some of Ireland's fringe players the chance to impress against Colombia at Craven Cottage tonight

UNDER the previous manager the experimenting never ended but with Giovanni Trapattoni you sense that the tinkering will cease once proceedings conclude at Craven Cottage tonight.

The 69-year-old will take on Colombia with an Irish side that is unlikely to reunite for the business that really matters in the autumn. Read between the lines of the Italian's somewhat scattered English, and the resounding message is that experience will be a key factor in his selections for the World Cup qualifying campaign. This time around, the plan is quite simply a two-year one.

Aside from the old reliables, only prodigious youths with exceptional talent or elder fringe players who show an understanding of his system have a genuine prospect of involvement in Tbilisi and Podgorica in September. Tonight is arguably the last chance that some of his party from the last fortnight will have to prove they hold those credentials; August's trip to Norway should contain a few more familiar faces and less legroom.

So for the likes of Glenn Whelan, Damien Delaney, Liam Miller and Paul McShane, in addition to whatever substitutes are introduced against the South Americans, this is an opportunity which must not be sniffed at. The confidence shown in them by Trapattoni would suggest they are destined to be squad players at the very least during his tenure, but leaving a positive impression will do them no harm if they're looking for more.

"I've said in the past that you can't change five or six players in two months," said Trapattoni yesterday, speaking at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. "I don't want to change a certain amount of the squad.

"But maybe now, Miller, Whelan and Delaney have a chance. The experience in the qualifiers is very, very important. I need players with that personality. The young can give us power, they can give us energy but experience in international football is very important."

After 12 days in camp, with media duties on almost every one of them, there's only so much that Trapattoni can say right now that hasn't been said before. Repeatedly, he has stressed his happiness with the players who have been around for that time, and their growth in confidence.

Nevertheless, hanging over all of those platitudes is the reality that when Lee Carsley, Kevin Kilbane, Steven Reid, Andy Reid, Shay Given and, maybe, Steve Finnan, Andy O'Brien and Stephen Ireland come back into the fold then many of those who have worked with Trapattoni at close quarters in this window will be watching from afar come August. Some will return to the U-21s, the elder ones banished to the periphery. You can understand the frustration of those who didn't see any action on Saturday against Serbia, and may not do so tonight either given that the only changes to the side see Aiden McGeady and John O'Shea return from their club commitments into starting berths.

It drills home the point that Trapattoni is concentrating on building a functioning unit comfortable with each other rather than simply having a look at everybody. He's done all his monitoring on the training ground.

Instead, the little details that he is looking for ahead of this game relate to the tempo at which his team plays, with Trapattoni adamant that his side can still progress up the pitch a little quicker in more calculated fashion without simply resorting to hoofing the ball forward. He was vague enough in response to a question suggesting this game might give Ireland more attacking freedom as it's anticipated that the Colombians will be positive, but he seemed to be of similar thought.

"In the past, the defence of Ireland has been catastrophic and we need to work on that. But now we have an opportunity to look more confident in all areas. It's a different question, but I hope against strong opponents we can play better and be more assured.

"We want to go up front more, and we tried in the last game, Delaney got a lot of crosses in. We want more of that, but only if the opponent attacks and we have more freedom and more space."

With Robbie Keane by his side, Trapattoni attempted to clarify what role he preferred for his captain, making a comparison to Francesco Totti before reining back and asserting that while he wanted him to drop off the front man like the Roma star, he wasn't stating that they were similar players.

Keane quipped that he wasn't as good looking as Totti anyway, but intimated that he would prefer that kind of flexibility rather than simply being deployed further forward.

"At club level I do it a lot, and it suits me a lot better. As I said before, with Tottenham my role was a little bit deeper than my role was before with Ireland and I like that, it's my favoured position."

The 27-year-old acknowledges, however, that if such a system is to work, with him dropping off Kevin Doyle, then the two wingers will have to be of a high quality in terms of providing an outlet. With Damien Duff and McGeady in situ he is confident in that, and he has been particularly impressed by the improvement of the latter over the past 12 months.

"Ask any striker, to be alongside two wide attacking players like them, it makes your job a lot easier. I've noticed that Aiden is a lot stronger, a lot more mature compared to when he first came into the squad.

Fantastic

"He's been fantastic in the games I've seen him this year. People can say what they want about the SPL but what he's done this year is tremendous. He was a deserved Player of the Year and in any Champions League game I've seen him play, he's roasted the opposition full- back. He's getting better and better."

That's good news for Ireland and particularly for Trapattoni who has consistently stated that the Celtic youngster will be an important part of the jigsaw for the next two years. He's one of his chosen ones.

"When we have a certain 12 or 13 players in the squad, we can play against anyone," he asserts.

For those conscious that they are outside that number, this relatively low-key end-of-season friendly may yet prove anything but meaningless.

Ireland (v Colombia) -- Kiely; O'Shea, Dunne, McShane, Delaney; Duff, Whelan, Miller, McGeady; Keane, Doyle.

[cavan_fan]

Argentina 4 - 2 Columbia Thursday, July 05, 2007

Goals: Edixon Perea (10), Crespo (19, pen), Juan Roman Riquelme (34, 45), Jaime Alberto Castrillon (73), Diego Milito (90)

On November 17, 2007…Colombia won the match 2-1, obtaining 4th place in the world cup qualifiers.Ruben Dario Bustos and Dayro Moreno

Looking up the squad on wikipedia they seem quite inexperienced. Only 2 have more than 30 caps and the only 2 I know are Guarin and Zapata. Are they in rebuilding phase? As a national team they have dropped out of sight a bit since the Valderama/Higuita days (though I gues they could say something similar about us!!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia_national_football_team

[paul_oshea]

"When we have a certain 12 or 13 players in the squad, we can play against anyone," he asserts.

Good man trap dont ye love reading things like this. None of the crap from staunton saying we are building for the future blah blah blah. Can you imagine if staunton was still there now saying well its a chance to bring in some new players etc etc. Got love everything about The Trap so far. Couldn't be more positive and assertive.

[Wolfie]

Good man trap dont ye love reading things like this. None of the crap from staunton saying we are building for the future blah blah blah. Can you imagine if staunton was still there now saying well its a chance to bring in some new players etc etc. Got love everything about The Trap so far. Couldn't be more positive and assertive.

Yeah - he's exactly what was required. Anything is possible with the right attitude and application. As he has continually stressed to the players "Remember Greece. Remember Greece".

The players have nowhere to hide now as I think we could have no issue with the new management teams pedigree.

His enthusiasm is infectious.

[jmurphyc]

Yeah - he's exactly what was required. Anything is possible with the right attitude and application. As he has continually stressed to the players "Remember Greece. Remember Greece".

The players have nowhere to hide now as I think we could have no issue with the new management teams pedigree.

His enthusiasm is infectious.

Yeah, he's totally right. How must the team have felt when Staunton pretty much wrote off our chances of qualification before a ball was kicked? Trapattoni seems to be building up their confidence and if he can get the team well organised - which I have no doubt he can - anything is possible. It seems like it's a good time to be supporting us once again. Long live Trap!

[Noelys Guitar]

Good man trap dont ye love reading things like this. None of the crap from staunton saying we are building for the future blah blah blah. Can you imagine if staunton was still there now saying well its a chance to bring in some new players etc etc. Got love everything about The Trap so far. Couldn't be more positive and assertive.

Exactly my thoughts. The future is now. Bringing younger players into a team that knows what it doing makes it easier for all concerned.

[paul_oshea]

Woflie, it certainly is.

[boovidge]

I did (in 2008 at least, he was never had a Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (unless you count Billy Sharp in League 1) before to make me realize his worth), but I'm a Wolves fan. I'm feeling very open minded about McGeady right now. If he excels in one game and does at least decent in the other (meaning Colombia and Norway) I see no reason why not to start him when Qualifying starts

There is no way McGeady won't start in the autumn if he's fit. Whilst the hype about him is a bit OTT he's clearly better than our other options on the wings atm.

[lionelhutz]

Left back, a partner for Dunne at centre back and right midfield are without doubt our main problems. At left back, our three main options are Kilbane, O'Shea and Delaney - none of whom inspire confidence in me. Although Delaney, given his chance, could become a solid full back for us.

A partner for Dunne could be solved with the return of O'Brien - I'm not his biggest fan by any stretch but he played well with Bolton last season and is a much better option at the moment than the out of sorts McShane, the absent minded O'Shea or the relative unkowns O'Dea and St. Ledger.

Right midfield will probably have to be filled by one of our left sided players, ie McGeady or Duff. Duff has played very well for us on the right in his last few games there and I think McGeady should be given time on the left to try and produce his best form. Our other options on the right would be Ireland or Stephen Reid - but I believe Reid is essential in the middle and Ireland - even if he does return - doesn't look comfortable on the right.

Finnan was suggested as another possibilty at right midfield - especially for away games - which Trap could definitely go for since he would give the midfield a much more solid look. With Finnans excellent crossing ability and passing, he is certainly a viable option when we need to keep it tight.

[paul_oshea]

Finnan was suggested as another possibilty at right midfield - especially for away games - which Trap could definitely go for since he would give the midfield a much more solid look. With Finnans excellent crossing ability and passing, he is certainly a viable option when we need to keep it tight.


Ya could be very interesting indeed, however if finnan was unhappy at being played out of position the whole time then he might not wish to play there, but I think his passing and crossing is very good so it could definitely be an option and it would shore up our midfield.

[paul_oshea]

'It is different because against Serbia, we were compact as a team - against Colombia, it's important they win the duels against their direct opponent.

'It is a different match, but in every game, I hope we go a little bit further forward as a team.'

not sure what he means here, is he saying the serbs played like the germans and were technically efficient and harder to play against due to physical size as well, whereas colombia will play more freestyle/freeflowing football a more passing game etc. Or does he just mean colombia aren't as good as teh serbs and we should be better individually and should have more time on the ball?

[irishultra]

The first one. Against Serbia it was more important to match them up, but tonight it is individual battles which will decide the outcome of the match.

[FarBeag]

The first one. Against Serbia it was more important to match them up, but tonight it is individual battles which will decide the outcome of the match.

You missed the boat to Holyhead then?:D

[paul_oshea]

You missed the boat to Holyhead then?:D

Farbeag whats your excuse then?

[Irish_Praha]

Right midfield will probably have to be filled by one of our left sided players, ie McGeady or Duff. Duff has played very well for us on the right in his last few games there and I think McGeady should be given time on the left to try and produce his best form. Our other options on the right would be Ireland or Stephen Reid - but I believe Reid is essential in the middle and Ireland - even if he does return - doesn't look comfortable on the right.

Finnan was suggested as another possibilty at right midfield - especially for away games - which Trap could definitely go for since he would give the midfield a much more solid look. With Finnans excellent crossing ability and passing, he is certainly a viable option when we need to keep it tight.

If we are playing a 4 man MF then RMF is none of above-mentioned players' best position. We only have one stand-out RMF specialist and that is Lawrence. I know he's injured and couldn't play tonight anyway but he wasn't even included in the extended squad. Hopefully he'll have a good start to next season and will be included in the squad for Norway. McGeady and Duff are probably more skillful and Trap would prefer to have either one of those play there. However, Lawrence should at least be in the squad as he adds something different from the bench. Lots of assists, goals and handy to have another tall player for set-pieces.

[FarBeag]

Farbeag whats your excuse then?



Nah, i am heading over in about an hour or so.Taking the young lad with me.

[paul_oshea]

Nah, i am heading over in about an hour or so.Taking the young lad with me.

Fair play fearbeag, bit of a trek all that way. Fair play.

[irishultra]

I didn't go because the train times didn't coincide with the ferry. I really could only afford a day trip.

[beepbeep]

i cant see us winning tonight. sorry but, columbia will be no joke, i think their 19th in world?? not sure.
il go for 0-0 draw

[lionelhutz]

I can't see it being 0-0 judging by the style of football Colombia usually play. There will be goals tonight - I'll go with 2-2

[Razors left peg]

Im always a bit over optimistic when we are playing so Im gonna go for 3-1 with Keane,Doyle, and McGeady scoring

[EalingGreen]

I'm disappointed to see Ireland lowering themselves to play a university team, rather than playing other international sides.

Yours,
P. Dant.

If you're going to engage in pedantry over Thread Titles, Osarusan, you really should get it completely correct.
Unless, of course, you were referring to a game between "Ireland" and this lot:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/rugby
;)

Yours,

Con D. Sending

[kingdomkerry]

Will you ever **** off Ealing! Were here discussing the game and you come on with your usual crap. This time giving out that we call our team Ireland next week eligibility the next week something even more petty. Have you nothing to talk about on "Are we a country"?

[kingdomkerry]

Anyway lads, Im going for one nil to Ireland. At 18.13 im telling ye Trap will get his first win and first clean sheet!