Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[Charlie Darwin]

Keane was supportive on the touch line the other night! You could hear him shouting “well done Cyrus” numerous times. Unless he was being sarcastic?!

Both are possible to be honest.

[SkStu]

Keane was supportive on the touch line the other night! You could hear him shouting “well done Cyrus” numerous times. Unless he was being sarcastic?!

I thought he was screeching “worse than Cyprus”

[Stuttgart88]

So either he's an aggressive bully from the sidelines, or his judgement is seriously questionable. It doesn't reflect well on Keane either way!

[Stuttgart88]

I actually place a lot of the blame for our midfield failures on Roy. No doubt this is a bad batch of Irish midfielders, but Roy of all people should have been advocating strongly for O'Neill to select a proper defensive/holding midfielder like a Shaun Williams. It is better to play a more limited defensive midfielder in his proper position than to play a superior technician or attacking player like Hourihane or Hendrick in that defensive role. I actually like Hourihane and Hendrick but feel they were played completely out of position.

Exactly. I was thinking that if anyone can understand what a midfield needs to be functional it's Keane. Instead he seems to have proved another theory of mine, that people who found playing the game easy never understand it quite as well as those who had to really figure it out.

[geysir]

I wonder what managerial team interaction could possibly explain and justify the anarchy of the Cyrus midfield role?

[seanfhear]

I wonder what managerial team interaction could possibly explain and justify the anarchy of the Cyrus midfield role?

Threading on dangerous ground here but .....Both Paul McGrath and Mark Lawrenson played in midfield for Ireland . Ok Cyrus Christie is no Paul McGrath or Mark Lawrenson . What I am saying is that perhaps M’ON / Roy Keane wanted to bring a bit of physical presence / defence / athletic-ism to the midfield . We are really lacking a mobile defensive good midfielder .

Only Playing Devils Advocate !

[Real ale Madrid]

Ok Cyrus Christie is no Paul McGrath or Mark Lawrenson

Understatement of the century!

[seanfhear]

Understatement of the century!

But they are not as good as him now . They are way too old

[DeLorean]

I actually place a lot of the blame for our midfield failures on Roy. No doubt this is a bad batch of Irish midfielders, but Roy of all people should have been advocating strongly for O'Neill to select a proper defensive/holding midfielder like a Shaun Williams.

Maybe he did. We don't really know.

As for being abrasive on the sideline, so what? It's not under 12's.

[jbyrne]

What I am saying is that perhaps M’ON / Roy Keane wanted to bring a bit of physical presence / defence / athletic-ism to the midfield . We are really lacking a mobile defensive good midfielder .

Only Playing Devils Advocate !

agree with the thinking behind this. Christie was our most mobile ctre mid in the last few matches but his playing there was an easy stick to hit MON with. he outshone some of our regular ctre mids when playing there

[Stuttgart88]

agree with the thinking behind this. Christie was our most mobile ctre mid in the last few matches but his playing there was an easy stick to hit MON with. he outshone some of our regular ctre mids when playing there

O'Neill specifically cited his mobility as a factor, given the Aviva pitch is very long. I think Christie did well enough but his first touch and ability to protect the ball when receiving it weren't up to the standard necessary for a CM. A full back doesn't need the same skill as he'll almost always be facing play when he gets the ball. Christie got shown up as a round peg in a square hole and only really outshone anyone because pretty much everyone else played badly, not least because some - especially in the middle - were given inappropriate roles. For the life of me I don't see how O'Neill failed to noticed that we used the ball better between defence and attack when Shaun Williams was playing. This was just glaringly obvious to me. As was Stevens' comfort in the LWB position over McClean's. MON's judgment was found seriously wanting at times.

[Fixer82]

Maybe he did. We don't really know.

As for being abrasive on the sideline, so what? It's not under 12's.

Absolutely.
Keane getting too much criticism for team selection when it wasn’t his job and we don’t know what input he had.

He deserves more criticism for the rows and falling out with players.

Interesting interview with Carlos Edwards here about Keane

https://youtu.be/GzoDU-IOqHw

[osarusan]

Instead he seems to have proved another theory of mine, that people who found playing the game easy never understand it quite as well as those who had to really figure it out.

The ex-managers club is full of top class players who proved useless at getting other players to do what they themselves had been able to do effortlessly.

It's funny sometimes to listen to ex-players in a punditry job, and hear just how much utter rubbish they talk. I sometimes end up wondering how they ever managed to play the game at such a level for so long, because if seems like they have no insight into it at all.

I remember watching Duff as a pundit on the Juve-Spurs CL game, and commenting on a penalty, he said something like "It's not deliberate, but it's bad defending, and you have to punish it. Penalty." I remember thinking to myself...Is that actually what you think? Is that what you've thought all they way through your career?

[tricky_colour]

What ?

I'd say McCarthy, currently propping up the Championships would see it as an attractive proposition.

Grammatically corrected but not factually corrected, I was not aware McCarthy had departed or at least if I was I forgot, I can't remember which is the case.

But it is a plus point that I was wrong. (a plus point for McCarty, not for me personally).

[geysir]

I remember watching Duff as a pundit on the Juve-Spurs CL game, and commenting on a penalty, he said something like "It's not deliberate, but it's bad defending, and you have to punish it. Penalty." I remember thinking to myself...Is that actually what you think? Is that what you've thought all they way through your career?

What was wrong with what Duff said? Bad defending leads to foul in the penalty area = penalty?