Finnan to return ?

[BradyIsMyHero]

Looks positive

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2008/0604/finnans.html

[stojkovic]

Yeah read it on Liverpool website.

[Hibs4Ever]

I think we should just leave Stephen Kelly at right back. Finnan is a great player, but Kelly is our future in that position.

[Wolfie]

I think we should just leave Stephen Kelly at right back. Finnan is a great player, but Kelly is our future in that position.

Time is against Trapp and he's working on a short term plan. He's not building for future campaigns.

The brief is to qualify first go and I'd go with Finnan in order to better achieve the goal.

I'd rate Finnan the better player at the moment.

[OneRedArmy]

So he's now "in discussions" about returning......

Has the man's ego got no bounds?

Disgusting.

I wouldn't let him near the ground as a spectator never mind near the pitch.

[geysir]

Quite appropriate for Trap and Finnan to meet for a chat.

If there is one player who no one can begrudge discussing what role he would play in the qualification games, it's Steve Finnan.
While the fans were fobbed with the repeated excuse of accommodation,
Finnan was one of the most fécked around players we have had on our panel in the last 5 or 6 years.
If anyone has the right just to be 100% sure the insanity won't continue, it's Finnan.
In fact Trap should bring a note of sympathy from the fans to Finnan about the abuse to the "meaning of football" he had to bear witness to and endure.

[paul_oshea]

Quite appropriate for Trap and Finnan to meet for a chat.

If there is one player who no one can begrudge discussing what role he would play in the qualification games, it's Steve Finnan.
While the fans were fobbed with the repeated excuse of accommodation,
Finnan was one of the most fécked around players we have had on our panel in the last 5 or 6 years.
If anyone has the right just to be 100% sure the insanity won't continue, it's Finnan.
In fact Trap should bring a note of sympathy from the fans to Finnan about the abuse to the "meaning of football" he had to bear witness to and endure.

Yer playing for yer country.

[jbyrne]

what must the likes of mcgrath, moran and frank stapleton et al think of all this? they squeezed every last min out of their international careers while receiving the palty sum of £200 per game for doing so not all that long ago. now some players need to negotiate a return! good ridence i say

[geysir]

Who says anything about negotiating a return.
That language was not used by Trap or Finnan.
You know nothing about this supposed meeting between Steve Finnan and Trap.

[jbyrne]

Who says anything about negotiating a return.
That language was not used by Trap or Finnan.
You know nothing about this supposed meeting between Steve Finnan and Trap.

the fact that a meeting even needs to take place at all is poor form. you either want to play for your country or you dont. whats there to discuss?

[seanfhear]

there is no doubt that finnan was messed about and undervalued by our recent managers maybe even more by kerr than staunton

[Morbo]

He retired AFTER staunton had gone, this "he was messed about" is a weak excuse, I'll take him back as I believe it will improve our chances but I'm tired of all the excuses being made for this this guy, money was obviously the main factor in his retirement but now that he has lost his place at Liverpool it has changed things and returning to Ireland may now be benificial to him

[Greenforever]

there is no doubt that finnan was messed about and undervalued by our recent managers maybe even more by kerr than staunton

And what about Kilbane, yet he just gets on with it, sorry but to me he's a me feiner, and the fact he wants another chat is taking the p*** he either wants to play or doesnt.

Trap wants a TEAM not a group of individuals,

[geysir]

the fact that a meeting even needs to take place at all is poor form. you either want to play for your country or you dont. whats there to discuss?
That fact of a meeting is no evidence on how much or how little desire Finnan has for playing for his country.
Therefore there is nothing to discuss at all nor any place for the mind reading nonsense posted here.

[ShamrockIreland]

Quite appropriate for Trap and Finnan to meet for a chat.

If there is one player who no one can begrudge discussing what role he would play in the qualification games, it's Steve Finnan.
While the fans were fobbed with the repeated excuse of accommodation,
Finnan was one of the most fécked around players we have had on our panel in the last 5 or 6 years.
If anyone has the right just to be 100% sure the insanity won't continue, it's Finnan.
In fact Trap should bring a note of sympathy from the fans to Finnan about the abuse to the "meaning of football" he had to bear witness to and endure.

I agree with you on that he's one of the better players we can choose from and has been used on the right wing and playing with some waful players and systems. Kerr and Staunton especially played some nice lose the ball football. If others here want to go back to the days when Moran and Stapo wore it with pride thats a fair point but one that is sadly removed from football nowadays. I'd talke Finnan back in a flash

[jbyrne]

That fact of a meeting is no evidence on how much or how little desire Finnan has for playing for his country.
Therefore there is nothing to discuss at all nor any place for the mind reading nonsense posted here.

so if all say 50 players capable of representing us wanted a meeting before playing?

if he had great desire to play then one meeting would be excessive but two or more???!!!! hardly smacks of great desire so id say "mind reading" that he does not have great desire to play for us would be reasonable enough

[geysir]

so if all say 50 players capable of representing us wanted a meeting before playing?
Steve Finnan retired from International duty.
He made a long thought out considered decision that he would not be a part of the next qual campaign.
It's been a few months since he made that decision.

Who said Finnan wanted a meeting?
It is more evident that Trap asked to see him.

Before anybody mentions Dean Kiely, did Dean Kiely have to have a meeting?
Kiely was retired for years, had plenty of time to review his decision.


if he had great desire to play then one meeting would be excessive but two or more???!!!! hardly smacks of great desire so id say "mind reading" that he does not have great desire to play for us would be reasonable enough
You do not know anything about what you persist in writing about.

Strange then with the weight of importance that you put on your interpretation of desire that you would at the same time vote yes for the unconditional return of Stephen Ireland, a player who walked out and spurned many a return with a different excuse each time.

Finnan has been totally upfront with his decision to retire and most fans would welcome a chat between Finnan and Trap over his decision to retire.

[paul_oshea]

That fact of a meeting is no evidence on how much or how little desire Finnan has for playing for his country.
Therefore there is nothing to discuss at all nor any place for the mind reading nonsense posted here.

No, you could be right he might be using the "meeting" as a false flag or he could be using it as a bargaining tool i.e. Ill come back on the condition that you want me to play where I want, which is fair enough given he was never played in his preferred position for years.

[jbyrne]

Strange then with the weight of importance that you put on your interpretation of desire that you would at the same time vote yes for the unconditional return of Stephen Ireland, a player who walked out and spurned many a return with a different excuse each time.


i made that vote quite a while ago when i was willing to give a lad of SI age the benefit of the doubt but since he has not returned to the squad for our last two friendlies i have changed my view and would no longer want him to return

i would love steve finnan to play for us but at this stage hes had enough opportunity to change his mind

[jbyrne]

No, you could be right he might be using the "meeting" as a false flag or he could be using it as a bargaining tool i.e. Ill come back on the condition that you want me to play where I want, which is fair enough given he was never played in his preferred position for years.

i havent been picked by Ireland in my prefered position but would still like to play without any conditions

[Greenforever]

i havent been picked by Ireland in my prefered position but would still like to play without any conditions


I turn up at all matches home and away with my boots just in case:D, mind you they really could have done with me in San Marino

[geysir]

I doubt that Trap will be giving any of you a phonecall :)

[Greenforever]

I doubt that Trap will be giving any of you a phonecall :)


And unfortunately I dont have his, anyway we'll to to busy celebrating a few decent results, met an Italian from Turin, at a business meeting yesterday, he was convinced we would beat them in Italy, says we've Juventus's best ever in the three amigos! Hope he's right

[tetsujin1979]

i havent been picked by Ireland in my prefered position but would still like to play without any conditions
bottom line is that we've a far better defence with Finnan than without him. Any conditions he (or any player) attaches to his return are unfortunate, but if we have to live with them, then so be it

[zenokelly]

Finnan has done nothing wrong imo. He's probably the nearest to a world-class player we've had for the last 5 years, playing consistently for a Liverpool team that has reached 2 European finals and 3 semis.

Yet, he was ****ed around by Kerr and Stan which was unacceptable.

And it isn't the 1st time by a long shot that this has happened: Kiely, Carsley, Keane in recent times and foreigners like Lilian Thuram, Zidane, Makelele, Larsson; need I go on?

And by the way, Finnan said he would discuss the situation with Trap, not sit down and negotiate a million quid per appearance as aome here are implying

[paul_oshea]

I doubt that Trap will be giving any of you a phonecall :)

ah come on now geysir you have being on this forum long enough, attack the post not the poster ;)

[geysir]

But Paul, you have been on long enough to know that wouldn't come near to being one of my insults:D

BTW, I never questioned your dedication to the Ireland cause when you decided to go on a pre match orgy of pints, missing the kick off by 30 minutes :D

[paul_oshea]

But Paul, you have been on long enough to know that wouldn't come near to being one of my insults

BTW, I never questioned your dedication to the Ireland cause when you decided to go on a pre match orgy of pints, missing the kick off by 30 minutes

Ah ya but come on don't be hurting their feelings, a boy and his dreams and all that...:D

I didn't go on an orgy of pints, though I had a few. I also had stew(which was quite nice HarpoJoyce, lots of meat)*. Missing the kick-off was down to poor time-estimation - a big work problem of mine also - and thinking I knew a shortcut that ended up being a long-cut i.e. I should have followed my own advice in the "roll call" thread.:D

*Subtle, but say that first line in a galway accent and it becomes a line short of a limerick, if you fill in a few commas its there.

[paul_oshea]

just walked by finnan there at london bridge, unfortunately due to my crap eyesight didn't realise it was him till gone past, could have got the answer from the horses mouth :D

[Scooby Doo]

just walked by finnan there at london bridge, unfortunately due to my crap eyesight didn't realise it was him till gone past, could have got the answer from the horses mouth :D

In london to sort out a transfer?? - steve i mean! :)

[paul_oshea]

In london to sort out a transfer?? - steve i mean! :)

ya thought about that but why would he be at london bridge? unless he is going to Charlton of course :D

[Wolfie]

You heard it here first folks. Paul definitely saw Finnan on the way to Fulham to negotiate his transfer. Its a done deal. :)

[paul_oshea]

You heard it here first folks. Paul definitely saw Finnan on the way to Fulham to negotiate his transfer. Its a done deal. :)

oh ya did i forget that part he was about to jump on the district line down to fulham :D

[Scooby Doo]

oh ya did i forget that part he was about to jump on the district line down to fulham :D

id prefer not to be reminded of my tube journey to fulham for the game in may - nightmare!!!:(

[OneRedArmy]

So people think that Finnan had a hard time because in played in poor Ireland sides and was played out of position?

Just confirms the size of the egos if thats why he retired.

Geysir, you are right that we don't have the info about what happened, but some of us don't need to know the full story to make an assessment of the man's moral backbone (or lack therein) given what we do know as fact.

Obviously some people are happy to move with the times and accept the norms that the modern football players adhere to, and some don't. I'm glad I got a few decades of watching true Irish heroes in green.

[as_i_say]

So people think that Finnan had a hard time because in played in poor Ireland sides and was played out of position?

Just confirms the size of the egos if thats why he retired.

Geysir, you are right that we don't have the info about what happened, but some of us don't need to know the full story to make an assessment of the man's moral backbone (or lack therein) given what we do know as fact.

Obviously some people are happy to move with the times and accept the norms that the modern football players adhere to, and some don't. I'm glad I got a few decades of watching true Irish heroes in green.

Well said. Those days are gone. The modern footballer is much more concerend about the size of his paypacket than anything else. Initially i was 100% on for finnan, ireland and obrien to comeback but it should not matter who is in charge or what fee they are getting. either you want to play for your country or not. Now im not so sure at all-nobody should have to be coaxed to represent their country. Look at that england team of stars that didnt qualify for euro 2008-they just didnt care that much about it-no other reason.

Am I the only one also that raised an eyebrow when kiely said "it was the opportunity to work with trap and brady" that made him comeback? Does that mean that he wouldnt have bothered his arse coming back if we had gotten someone of a lesser profile?

[paul_oshea]

i thought about it a little more, its got go be west ham. so steve finnan to west ham :)

[elroy]

Well said. Those days are gone. The modern footballer is much more concerend about the size of his paypacket than anything else. Initially i was 100% on for finnan, ireland and obrien to comeback but it should not matter who is in charge or what fee they are getting. either you want to play for your country or not. Now im not so sure at all-nobody should have to be coaxed to represent their country. Look at that england team of stars that didnt qualify for euro 2008-they just didnt care that much about it-no other reason.

Am I the only one also that raised an eyebrow when kiely said "it was the opportunity to work with trap and brady" that made him comeback? Does that mean that he wouldnt have bothered his arse coming back if we had gotten someone of a lesser profile?

Im not sure what anyone else thinks but if you look at the best performing teams in the Euros so far, in my opinion Holland and Croatia. Now admittedly these teams have a few big name stars but on the whole they dont have players who are 'superstars' (eg Oojier, Boulahrouz at the back for Holland). However, they are playing with a real passion for their country and more so they are playing as a team. This is why England havent qualified, as although they have a very good best XI, they fail to play as a team, basically its a bunch of individuals as opposed to a well drilled team.
On this basis, I feel we should aspire towards the likes of the Croatian model, a good manager, a solid team without any real 'superstars' however as a unit they are as good as the rest, so far anyways.

[youngirish]

Im not sure what anyone else thinks but if you look at the best performing teams in the Euros so far, in my opinion Holland and Croatia. Now admittedly these teams have a few big name stars but on the whole they dont have players who are 'superstars' (eg Oojier, Boulahrouz at the back for Holland). However, they are playing with a real passion for their country and more so they are playing as a team. This is why England havent qualified, as although they have a very good best XI, they fail to play as a team, basically its a bunch of individuals as opposed to a well drilled team.
On this basis, I feel we should aspire towards the likes of the Croatian model, a good manager, a solid team without any real 'superstars' however as a unit they are as good as the rest, so far anyways.

Agree with you to a point on Croatia though I believe they have possibly a slightly better calibre of player than us at the moment. However the Dutch are a different kettle of fish as they have a number of World Class players (every team has a couple of average players such as the 2 you mentioned, even Brazil).

I would feel that on paper the Dutch first 11 is better than the English first 11. Van Nistelroy, Sneijder, Robben, Van de Sar, Van de Vaart and Van Persie would all make a claim to be regular starters in the English team. Keep in mind that doesn't include the likes of Huntelar, Babbel and Van Bommel who can't even get a game for the Dutch (or into the squad in Van Bommel's case for that matter). I don't buy into the assumption that the English team can't work together and are a team of individuals to explain their regular failures in International football. I think it's more likely they are extremely overrated by their own far reaching media (and always have been I may add). They have a couple fo great players but the majority of the team are fairly average International footballers that wouldn't get into any of the top sides in Europe.

[Ordinary Fan]

Finnan appears to be waiting on a move before he decides if he wants to play for Ireland.
The manager should ask players to reconsider their position but leave it at that. He has done that so it is up to the players now, so let's move on with the players who are interested and try and put together a team that will play for each other and qualify for S.A.

[tetsujin1979]

Looks like Finnan won't be moving to Fulham, they're not willing to match his wages at Liverpool, so they're going after Luke Young. Would have been a great move for Finnan.

[GavinZac]

And that's why you're not the manager. Thankfully Trap isn't going to let pride get in the way of us having the best possible chance of qualifying for the World Cup.

The point of international football is pride. Nothing else.

[drummerboy]

Finnan is past his best. Last season he struggled.

[dr_peepee]

Still the best right full we have though

[third policeman]

Dont agree about Finnan's form last season. He had a couple of wobbly games which is all Benitez needed to justify dumping him in favour of another expensive Spanish mediocrity. Finnan's delivery into the box is second to none at Anfield. think he should move on as hois face clearly does not fit. Benitez has made three attempts to replace him and has to reluctantly bring him back when the likes of Josemi, Kronkamp etc prove to be utterly useless. If he is willing to come back then he should be picked.

[as_i_say]

The point of international football is pride. Nothing else.

Couldnt agree more. A sizeable contributing reason as to why we've been so sh ite recently. It'll be some result if Trap can get the spirit back into the team and make them give a cr@p even if we are not technically superior.

[elroy]

Couldnt agree more. A sizeable contributing reason as to why we've been so sh ite recently. It'll be some result if Trap can get the spirit back into the team and make them give a cr@p even if we are not technically superior.

If the current Irish team as a whole looked like they gave as much a cr@p about the team as prior Irish teams or like the current Croatian team do Id be more than happy, even if they were unsuccessful. Remember the team in 2002 almost to a man in tears after the exit to Spain, how many of our players were looked like they were really that bothered by the failures of the last few campaigns????

[Emmet]

Finnan is past his best. Last season he struggled.I disagree. He had a few injuries last season which meant he could net get a sustained run in Liverpool's first team. This talk of him leaving Liverpool hasn't come out of Liverpool - I don't think Benitez wants him to leave (not yet anyway!)

[tetsujin1979]

I disagree. He had a few injuries last season which meant he could net get a sustained run in Liverpool's first team. This talk of him leaving Liverpool hasn't come out of Liverpool - I don't think Benitez wants him to leave (not yet anyway!)
Benitez has signed another right full (Degen) already, pushing Finnan further down the pecking order. It's just going to make it harder for him to get back into the side after an injury-hit season

[Colbert Report]

Degen didn't even get into the Swiss team during the Euro Finals. He's no Finnan. No need to worry about him from an Irish perspective.