Duffer

I am a big fan of Damien Duff and I think his game has improved hugely from a defensive side since he has gone to Chelsea. His tracking back is brilliant and it is one of the main reasons that he gets picked every week when other players are rotated more often. However I do think he has lost a bit of the magic he had before and I think he has admitted that he has become much tactial as he has got older. However I do believe that he has not taken an Ireland game by the scruff of the neck in the last few years. He is potentially our best player but I cant remember a competitive game in recnet where he was man of the match, other than maybe Russia at home . He is 26 years old he is at his prime but yet I dont feel he is having the same impact that Keane did on the team when he was at his prime. Againts France he did not get a kick against Sagnol. Robbie Keane gets so much over the top criticism on this board whereas Duff does not get any in comparison. This is not having a pop at Duff just a call for some balance really.

Faroes at home? OK, it's not exactly what you're saying though.

Good sides double & triple mark him. The fact is that this should create openings elsewhere & yet we've never had the guile to exploit this. Could you imagine the gaps we'd leave if we put 2 or 3 men on someone like Thierry Henry?

Duff hasn't played well lately, rubbish in the Faroes, ok against Israel and rubbish again against France

He should have been moved to a more central role in the last half hour of the france game and Kilbane out on the left, I was pretty hyped about Brian Kerr as manager at the start but his imagination seems to be poor considering we have very skillfully minded players that can cause problems for defences, maybe Sagnol who is a world class player figured Duff out on the night but that doesnt mean Boumsong did, Sagnol would then have to stop Kilbane from running out of the stadium while Duffer could surge forward playing off Morrisson and Keane, bit late now after watching the game but a good manager would have tried a tricky move like that rather than relying in the genius of Doherty who cant get his game as a centre half for Norwich to rescue us with the winner against one of the worlds best team.

I think Duff is one of best player we have but because we build him up so much when he doesnt play well we r all moaning about how he use to be. i would like to see him go at the opposition more like he use to but i wouldnt be thinking about dropping him jusy yet! Anyway why do we have to concentrate on players like Duff, the two Keanes etc what about players like Kenny Cunningham they never get any praise and he is consistently good.

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Originally Posted by Green Army Girl

what about players like Kenny Cunningham they never get any praise and he is consistently good.

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He gets enough praise for what he does, HIS JOB.. We need our star players to change games, control them. Good defenders will never be hyped up as much as attackers.

Good defenders will never be hyped up as much as attackers.[/QUOTE]

Why should they especially the way we play. We score one or two goals max so we depend on excellent defenders like Kenny.

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Why should they especially the way we play. We score one or two goals max so we depend on excellent defenders like Kenny..

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I have read your post six times but cant figure out what you mean.

Fair point Neil, no player or club is beyond critisim. Chelsea do seem to be a defensively minded team and anyone who plays for them has to improve on their defensive game.

Duffer has improved in that area but doesnt look as threatening going forward. His assests would have been far better utilised with the likes of Barca

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Originally Posted by Green Army Girl

Good defenders will never be hyped up as much as attackers.

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Why should they especially the way we play. We score one or two goals max so we depend on excellent defenders like Kenny.[/QUOTE]


I should have wrote why shouldnt they, sorry. I think that defenders should be getting the praise because of the way we play we dont score many goals so we have to hold onto our lead and thats where great defenders like Cunningham come in.

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Originally Posted by Green Army Girl

I think Duff is one of best player we have but because we build him up so much when he doesnt play well we r all moaning about how he use to be. i would like to see him go at the opposition more like he use to but i wouldnt be thinking about dropping him jusy yet! Anyway why do we have to concentrate on players like Duff, the two Keanes etc what about players like Kenny Cunningham they never get any praise and he is consistently good.

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Is there anybody here that posted that we should drop Duff. I am not moaning about him. I am offering what I think is contructive criticism. He is not beyond criticism but I have noticed that he very rarely gets criticised on these boards whereas other players get it from various quarter. The reason I would criticise him in anyway is that he has the talent to do it. Kilbane is a bad passer of the ball but thats not his fault thats just the abiltiy or lakc of that he has. I expect more from Duff is the main point of my post. When it was needed our main man in 2001 did it for us and I would like Duff to step up to that mantle now.

Duff has one of his worst games against france.

Radio 5 Live made the point recently that neither Duff nor Robben is taking on players like they used to. Short simple passes are favoured due to a fear of giving the ball away. It's as if their flare is being coached out of them. I don't hear Dion Fanning giving out about Mourinho being cautious in his approach to every game.

But it was obvious that Duff's form dipped around March last year, even a bit earlier. By the time we got to the Faroes game in June the poor guy was simply exhausted.

I would like to see him go at the opposition more like he use to but i wouldnt be thinking about dropping him just yet!

that was the quote, notice the exclamation mark. I wasnt speaking to you directly and i do agree with some of your points especially the one where he has the talent he has shown us before and i do think he hasnt played that well for Ireland in the past few games. You must think i always have it in for you i just think there are other players on the team that should be recognised and praised

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Originally Posted by Green Army Girl

I would like to see him go at the opposition more like he use to but i wouldnt be thinking about dropping him just yet!

that was the quote, notice the exclamation mark. I wasnt speaking to you directly and i do agree with some of your points especially the one where he has the talent he has shown us before and i do think he hasnt played that well for Ireland in the past few games. You must think i always have it in for you i just think there are other players on the team that should be recognised and praised

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Why woould I think that you have it in for me. Its just posting about football so I doubt you would have it in for me. I dont understand why you even mentioned dropping Duff as thats something that wont happen for the forseeable future.

I would like to see him go at the opposition more like he use to but i wouldnt be thinking about dropping him just yet!

I was being sarcastic!

Are you sure it was sarcasm or was it irony

Sarcasm is sneering, jesting, or mocking a person, situation or thing. It is often used in a humorous or ironical manner and is expressed through vocal intonations such as over-emphasizing the actual statement or particular words.

Irony is a form of speech in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the words used. Irony involves the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem

@Are you sure it was sarcasm or was it irony @


neill i dont have to correct you again do I???

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Originally Posted by NeilMcD

Are you sure it was sarcasm or was it irony

Sarcasm is sneering, jesting, or mocking a person, situation or thing. It is often used in a humorous or ironical manner and is expressed through vocal intonations such as over-emphasizing the actual statement or particular words.

Irony is a form of speech in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the words used. Irony involves the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem

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Ill take sarcasm, thanks.

So who or what, were you mocking, jeering or jesting.