Set Pieces

it doesn't seem as if we've been very effective lately from them and i can't remember the last time we scored a direct free. this could admittedly be down to the rapid onset of senility but i don't think we carry a threat as we did when harte was there. this isn't a 'recall harte' thread but wondered who'd your line-up for direct frees would be in and around the area. i think robbie scored a corking but disallowed free in a friendly a few years ago but haven't seen him try any lately. the following seem like the other candidates

kavanagh - i think he's a recognized specialist with his clubs but i profess ignorance on all things kav (although his frees in 1 qualifier were a bit.. :eek: )

duff? - sweet left peg as we know and takes the corners so why not? (although some of his stuff comes in a bit high and loopy)

a. reid?? - likewise, and based on his goal from open play in these qualifiers?

s. reid - i believe he has taken the hammer-it-like-gerrard approach for his clubs in the past?

robbie keane has the skill certainly. mcgeady although not really in the frame takes the corners for celtic i think.

er.. who else?? surely forgetting someone

McGeady has scored a few crackers for Celtic from set pieces (admittedly against poor enough opposition). For me Kavanagh's shooting is good but his delivery into the box can be very poor.

I reckon andy reid is our best hope on set pieces at the moment, his absense was notable against israel because of this.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

McGeady has scored a few crackers for Celtic from set pieces (admittedly against poor enough opposition). For me Kavanagh's shooting is good but his delivery into the box can be very poor.

I reckon andy reid is our best hope on set pieces at the moment, his absense was notable against israel because of this.

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good to know re. mcgeady, very excited to see him progress. i recall kav's deliveries in that game were poor, maybe nerves? seems unlikely..

reid looks like he could take on the mantle, does he take the frees/corners for spurs now?

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Originally Posted by ken foree

i recall kav's deliveries in that game were poor, maybe nerves? seems unlikely..

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Why does it seem unlikely? :) Yes, it was nerves. I have yet to see him take a decent set piece for Ireland (that I can remember). He's superb at them from what I see of him on "goals on Sunday" every now and then. Duff also doesn't take direct freekicks because of nerves.

Just to add about Kav. He was one on one with the keeper last weekend on his return to Cardiff but he set up Mahon because he "didn't want to score" against his old club. :)

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Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Why does it seem unlikely? :) Yes, it was nerves. I have yet to see him take a decent set piece for Ireland (that I can remember). He's superb at them from what I see of him on "goals on Sunday" every now and then. Duff also doesn't take direct freekicks because of nerves.

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seriously?! whoa that's hard to believe about both players.. i was doubtful that kav's nerves were at him because he looks so confident a player, posture is very, erm, erect and he likes to play with his head up, ahh i'll stop now okay :o

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Originally Posted by ken foree

kavanagh - i think he's a recognized specialist with his clubs but i profess ignorance on all things kav (although his frees in 1 qualifier were a bit.. :eek: )

duff? - sweet left peg as we know and takes the corners so why not? (although some of his stuff comes in a bit high and loopy)

a. reid?? - likewise, and based on his goal from open play in these qualifiers?

s. reid - i believe he has taken the hammer-it-like-gerrard approach for his clubs in the past?

robbie keane has the skill certainly. mcgeady although not really in the frame takes the corners for celtic i think.

er.. who else?? surely forgetting someone

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Personally I'd use Duff and A.Reid for free kicks out wide, which we would want crossed into the box for strikers. [Edit - also maybe Finnan]

I'd use Kav, S.Reid, or possibly Roy Keane for direct low-ish shots at goal from medium range. [Again maybe Carr too]

I'd use Robbie Keane to take free kicks right on the edge of the box, where a chip over the wall is the sensible option (ive seen him do this a few times e.g. in 2001/2 for Leeds at Old Trafford, but that particular one was disallowed for taking it too early iirc).

If Ian Harte was playing I'd have him take any free kicks. Overall if I was BK i'd be inclined to tell our lads to shoot from most free kicks. IMO we dont have the aerial threat (in our usual starting 11), so there is little purchase in playing a free kick into the box when a shot might be on.

Richie Dunne takes the odd free kick for Man City, and has scored. Hes from the 'hit it as hard as you can towards the wall and hope a gap appears' school of free kick taking but he's an option. If he ever gets a start :)

Our set pieces have been poor this campaign which is surprising. Duff, Reid, Kav & Finnan can usually deliver a pretty good ball. Does Kilbane take frees / corners from the RHS at Everton? Steven Reid takes a mean free kick (the first goal we scored under Kerr was a KK header from a really good Reid free I think). Robbie has a decent boot from 22-25 yards, doesn't he? Kilbane has a pretty good long throw.

Not only was the delivery poor from conventional efforts in Israel, but there was one time when we tried a ludicrously complicated chip over the wall (which we botched) when a shot on goal was pretty achievable. Bad selection as well as bad execution.

I've lost count of the number of times Duff has set up goals for Chelsea this year from corners and "near-corners", i.e., frees from wide of the penalty box. At club level his delivery is unerringly accurate, but not for us. That goal at Old Trafford was brilliantly executed, causing the 'keeper to panic. Maybe it's easier because John Terry is so good and is such an obvious target for him at Chelsea.

One thing I really like about Mourinho (the only thing!) is that despite the ability of his team to score from open play, he still places major emphasis on set-pieces. Martin O'Neill likewise. In fact when Celtic take on superior opposition in Europe it's often only the strength of their set-pieces that allow them to compete (Varga in Milan, Harton in Barcelona, plus countless others in recent years). I think we should take note from this. Set-pieces allow you to compete against better teams and punish poorer teams.

I think Kav needs to settle down a bit. Once he does we'll probably see how good a ball striker he is. Remember that goal against Leeds? But against Cyprus his dead-ball delivery was bad, as it was against Brazil too.

As has been said before if it was like American Football and you could bring him on and off it would be great but he is too dodgy at the back

no harte talk! he's amazing from the dead ball, no doubt. and he's from yellabather. forgot about dunney and that disallowed free he scored! what a hit. good point too about punching above your weight via set-pieces and punishing teams that pack it in and a goal seems otherwise impossible. best chance fell to o'shea at the back post from a free if i recall correctly. we need an aerial threat, i think morrison's got it, otherwise dunne and kilbane are about it? o'shea once in a while for his club

can't remember who mentioned it, sorry, but agree there should be well-drilled free-takers from certain positions, i.e. reid out wide etc. good points them

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Originally Posted by cfdh_edmundo

I'd use Kav, S.Reid, or possibly Roy Keane for direct low-ish shots at goal from medium range. [Again maybe Carr too]

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yea these can be lethal, roll it to a nearby player and have him dummy it through his legs, ball across the top of the box and the midfielder arriving full steam. deflections and everything, the object should be to keep it down and on target with power, anything can happen

Just look at how many deflected goals Chelsea & England have scored recently. OK, so not all from set-pieces, but it shows what can happen if you're prepared to have a go.

We scored from a corner against Portugal when O'Shea got up well. I think we also got one from a corner against Cyprus?

What we need is two guys standing over every ball for every free, regardless of what side it's on, to keep the opposion 'keeper and defenders guessing what type of ball is coming in. With the new light balls you've got to use pace and get the ball to move to cause trouble. Duff, Reid, Kav and others have the skill to do this.

Although he has a brutal (zero?) goalscoring record at club level I seem to recall Richie Dunne scoring from a few corners & frees over the years (USA, Estonia, Turkey...).

Neither Robbie nor Clinton has much height but Henrik Larsson shows you don't need to be big to be a threat in the air - it's the quality of service that's more important.