Your pessimism makes me optimist. #GelsenkirchenQuote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
Your pessimism makes me optimist. #GelsenkirchenQuote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
But the fact that AB is dreading the fixture, means he still cares, he's the opposite of apathetic.
Real fans hope to win and if their team does lose, they manage to recover from that tragedy/trauma much faster that those fans (the self styled realists) who knew in their hearts that we were going to lose.
I hate those type of people who say we're sh1te and then when we get in to a big tournament they jump on the bandwagon and then when we get knocked out they say 'sure I knew we'd get knocked out, we're sh1te anyway'.
I HATE those people!
So you hate all but about six Irish football fans?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fixer82
they have a poorish record away from home.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdeeBhoy
It's always easier to be pessimistic about Ireland's qualification chances, or our chances of winning a game against a country ten times our size. Looking at things totally rationally it's a miracle we've ever beaten anyone of note. Small country, no full time professional league, one of the few countries in the world where football isn't the dominant sport.
It's not how I look at things though. Burnley beat Man City 1-0. Same score as Barcelona beat them. Stuff happens in football.
if we were to lose, is it fair to say we're effectively out of the running? i guess not, as beating scotland would put us in the race for 3rd.
trap would be looking at this fixture as a 'must not lose'... but we probably wouldn't have lost in glasgow under trap.
MON used the Trap template in Glasgow, more or less. The only major difference is that Keane would have started and quite possibly nicked a goal. I doubt Trap would have used Hendrick (an attacking midfielder) in a holding role either, with the likes of Quinn and Meyler available. We could just as easily have lost under Trap though, as you're always running the risk when you're limiting yourselves by playing for a draw. Trap lost in Austria in his last game, if that was MON I'm sure people would be saying that Trap would have got a draw. Hopefully we're more likely to win at home under MON, we could hardly be less likely I suppose.
DeLorean you have taken a few steps away from reality and appear to be in a complicated conditional space.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
You should be okay I guess, it will only be a lasting problem if you believe that's how it all would have transpired and it becomes a part of your reality.
And funnily enough, my intention was quite the opposite... fighting off any presumptions notions that things would have been better, conditional upon Trap being in charge, or Whelan being available, etc.
I don't think we should give up on Long/Walters or Long on his own up front already just because of one bad result. I don't think Keane would have made the slightest bit of difference really, based on his performances against Georgia or Germany.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
I think we are going to go back to the well against Poland though, so hopefully we can find a way to best accommodate Keane while also trying to figure out how not to get completely overrun in midfield; again.
That Teodorczyk lad who plays for Dynamo Kiev looks like a good player by the way.
Goes to show that you can't always place too much stock in the big name players; Kuba, Lewy, Pisz. All around, they are probably technically sharper even if they are lacking in name familiarity.
Yeah I'd go with Keane against Championship level centre halves every time though, and I think Long and Walters would have a better impact from the bench than Keane. Long also has the ability to cause havok from the start, if used properly, but it's one or the other against Poland because we will need five in midfield.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
I would like to see Keane and Hoolahan on the pitch together. It is rare that they play together and in my opinion they should link up well together since Hoolahan can pick a pass and Keane's ability to find space. This issue of Keane cant play up front on his own because hes too small and doesn't have the pace would be irrelevant if Hoolahan is on the pitch since he encourages us to keep the ball and play on the floor while when we play Long/Walter (I'm a big fan of both players) we almost give ourselves the ok to just kick the ball up the pitch and hope for the best. In my opinion Keane up front with Hoolahan playing as the attacking midfielder is the way to go for this game.
It's just that Robbie is so far ahead in the realm of football intelligence that it's a task to find other players who are smart enough to complement his playing style, maybe Hoolahan could step up to that task.
Funny that he didn't complete a season at either Liverpool or Inter when given a chance to play with players on his wavelength.
:p
Forde
Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson
McGeady, McCarthy, Gibson, McClean
Hoolahan
Keane
Forde
Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson
McCarthy, Whelan, Gibson
McClean Long
Keane
Prefer team 1. Steve Bruce says there's a good chance Robbie Brady is going to be fit. If so, McClean off & Brady on.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Robbie Keane wearing a sexy man-bag:
http://www.independent.ie/style/cele...-31084368.html
Hand luggage doesn't count, every man gets a pass when it comes to hand luggage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87