Republic of Ireland V USA - Tuesday, 18th November 2014 - Friendly

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Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

I agree with a lot of what DeLorean said but I think Stokes showed decent enough technique playing out of position to become an option as striker or playing in a front 3.

People go on about Walters being important because of his workrate as if he has reinvented the wheel. Stokes played with a defensive mindset for Celtic in the Champions League and done perfectly well helping out the midfield.

The third goal last night wouldn't have happened either were it not for his persistence and doggedness in winning the ball back on the left wing.

Murphy showed enough to warrant inclusion in future squads imo.

I think we may have seen the last of Doyle, Cox and Sammon for a long, long time.

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Was that not Quinn?

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Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

What did he write in the programme? Don't suppose you could post up a photo if too long to paraphrase? Many thanks!

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http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/...psk5zz718w.jpg

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Originally Posted by MeathDrog

Was that not Quinn?

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My apologies. I was on about Brady's first goal, the second goal.

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Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

I know I cop a lot of flak for not treating Robbie Keane like a sacred cow and my opinions on him sometimes aren't orthodox.

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This isn't why you cop flak.

You're banging on here like you're the Galileo to the foot.ie established thinking, and you're being targeted for Robbie hereticism.

But really most of what you say is bog-standard Robbie bashing dressed up in a barely-there argument. Wind your neck. This is the Ireland vs USA thread and Robbie wasn't even playing.

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Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

I agree with a lot of what DeLorean said but I think Stokes showed decent enough technique playing out of position to become an option as striker or playing in a front 3.

People go on about Walters being important because of his workrate as if he has reinvented the wheel. Stokes played with a defensive mindset for Celtic in the Champions League and done perfectly well helping out the midfield.

The third goal last night wouldn't have happened either were it not for his persistence and doggedness in winning the ball back on the left wing.

Murphy showed enough to warrant inclusion in future squads imo.

I think we may have seen the last of Doyle, Cox and Sammon for a long, long time.

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You mean the second goal? Stokes was off when McClean scored.

Stokes was poor overall and didn't take his chance last night. I don't feel like going out of the way to defend him, when Brady, Christie, McGoldrick et al can do that for themselves on the pitch. There's few opportunities like last night, and Stokes didn't do it for me.

I'm happy to see Murphy in the squad though, again, he could have done more last night. He should have had one, if not two goals (personally feel he should have thrown himself at Pilkington's cross in the second half). I also don't think he offers nearly as much in link-up play of physicality as Walters. But he deserves a squad place, and I'm pleased for him despite my doubting him in the past.

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Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

My apologies. I was on about Brady's first goal, the second goal.

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Yes but looking at it again Quinn did appear to be the one who put him under the most pressure. Stokes put him under pressure just as he was desperately hoofing it away after Quinn backed him near his own goal line.

It's not me bringing up Keane and bashing myself simultaneously on several threads. I am taking the bait though.

It's the same - no more deserving of controversy imo - as people criticising Ward, McShane, Sammon, Whelan *insert footballer* and perceiving faults, some of which are imaginary. It's the equivalent of going into a room you have been told is haunted and you start "seeing and feeling things" because all your senses are heightened and you are expecting to see something. I just happen to criticise someone who is, sometimes, beyond criticism. And that's perfectly understandable with his record. I am judging him on recent performances, not 4/5 years old performances.

And about the quotes. Hey I could be right. I could be wrong. People are equally guilty of playing fast and loose with their interpretation of up and coming Aston Villa player's quotes. We can all be stubborn sometimes.

I thought the tone of his post match interview was needlessly hostile, I got a hint of questioning the manager's tactics and I thought this wording was strange: "If the manager wants to play with one up front, I'm not f***ing Niall Quinn or I'm not Shane Long - they are better at that than I am. If you play two up front and you want to score goals, that's my game."

We should have played Robbie if we wanted to score goals. Back to the drawing board for Poland then..

That's my honest opinion. May be wrong but hey opinions are like a.... They make the world go around.

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Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

It's not me bringing up Keane and bashing myself simultaneously on several threads. I am taking the bait though.

It's the same as people criticising Ward, McShane, Sammon, Whelan *insert footballer* and perceiving faults, some of which are imaginary. It's the equivalent of going into a room you have been told is haunted and you start "seeing and feeling things" because all your senses are heightened and you are expecting to see something. I just happen to criticise someone who is, sometimes, beyond criticism. And that's perfectly understandable with his record. I am judging him on recent performances, not 4/5 years old performances.

And about the quotes. Hey I could be right. I could be wrong. People are equally guilty of playing fast and loose with their interpretation of up and coming Aston Villa player's quotes. We can all be stubborn sometimes.

I thought the tone of his post match interview was needlessly hostile, I got a hint of questioning the manager's tactics and I thought this wording was strange: "If the manager wants to play with one up front, I'm not f***ing Niall Quinn or I'm not Shane Long - they are better at that than I am. If you play two up front and you want to score goals, that's my game."

That's my honest opinion. May be wrong but hey opinions are like a.... They make the world go around.

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Keane isn't beyond criticism. No one thinks that or has said it (feel free to correct me with a post if I'm wrong). If you perceive he gets defended more than Ward, or Sammon or whoever, it's because he's one of our greatest players ever and probably the greatest goal scorer we'll ever have.

He's EARNED that defence, that what 65 goals and 120 odd caps gets you. There's no comparison between Robbie Keane and any of those you mentioned.

As for your amorphous 'people' criticising Ward, Sammon et al - everyone's got favourites and bete noires. But that doesn't make defending Robbie Keane conspiratorial - it's just that most people disagree with you. It's actually that simple.

Be honest, of course by all means, but don't get all twisted up if a load of people think you're wackadoo. Opinions, world going round - it happens.

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Originally Posted by DeLorean

It's a game of inches Geysir, all improvements welcome, minor or otherwise. Everything put together will decide whether we make it or not. It could all come down to Westwood making a save that Forde wouldn't, or Forde claiming a cross that Westwood wouldn't. The full back discussion may not be such a close run thing anyway, Brady could be a revelation or time bomb in there, and if MON feels it's his only way of getting him into the team, then it could be worthwhile for set pieces alone. Certainly worth the discussion.

MON's approach for the home games is going to be intriguing. The way he's been talking, it's like he just wanted to get these nuisance away games out of the way with as little damage done as possible and really kick on in 2015. It seems a fairly strange philosophy but hopefully it works out. I honestly think we have a very decent pool of players and he has little excuse for not making it work.

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There are inches and there are yards, we need yards before inches can matter. When you focus on inches you are intent to fine tune something that is almost functional and we are not functional yet.
Like upgrading a computer's ram but it has no effect on performance because the processor is too slow. Debate/discussion on goalkeeping, full back issues is good but debating a change in either, as if it will make a difference overall in our scheme of things, is veering on scapegoating.
To have Wilson over Ward at LB. the effect was marginal, we still played the same, had the same tactics, he looks just as dodgy and we still lost crucial games. He has definite more ability on the ball but the effect is minimal if the team is dysfunctional.
We have little idea how we will approach the home games and for my money, as we saw in the home games v Austria and Sweden, our negative mono approach nullified individual abilities and cost us the games. We have a hope that O'Neill will shape something more effective, but the shape is not going to come with a few marginal decisions.

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Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

I know I cop a lot of flak for not treating Robbie Keane like a sacred cow and my opinions on him sometimes aren't orthodox.

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I have to hand it to you; you're such a charlatan, you really are. You know rightly that's not the reason why you cop the flak. It's the clear agendas in the face of or with lack of evidence and the unreasonable bias that people take issue with; not your "unorthodox" views. Stop trying to bask in being "out there" as if you're setting us all right from our hackneyed ways.

Have you heard Robbie's post-match interview to judge his tone or have you simply read the quotes through your anti-Robbie shades?

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Hey a lot of people gave me serious flak for my interpretation of the quotes of an up and coming Aston Villa footballer pre August and who turned out to be right about that in the long run?

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You turned out to be right?... Did you?

I hope Robbie retires just to stop this argument.

...and Jon Walters...

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Originally Posted by DeLorean

Has there been a more accomplished Irish debut than Christie's in recent times

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Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

Paul McShane versus the Cze... Actually, I best not tempt fate!

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Good call on McShane, although Koller had the last laugh. Interestingly enough, The Score created their own list.

Power ranking the 8 most memorable Irish international footballing debuts

That lapse against Koller was actually a sign of things to come. We should have nipped it in the bud then.

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Originally Posted by BonnieShels

...and Jon Walters...

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Yes the same Jon Walters whose recent performances I complimented and about whom I said that I may have been hasty in saying that he didn't have a place in the team. :rolleyes:

Even when you're contrite you have to have a comeback.

You really can't take a slagging at all can you?

Even mypost in all his psychotic spacecadet glory took his slagging.

The advent of TOWK has promoted memories of Mypost into the fondly dysfunctional category.

STOWKholm Syndrome I think it's called.

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Originally Posted by elroy

plenty of school kids as well which is good to see.

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http://imalbum.aufeminin.com/album/D..._H020213_L.jpg

Bump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPna9D8pk6w