The line between fitness and injury is a thin'un, I guess.
Printable View
The line between fitness and injury is a thin'un, I guess.
Anyone know. I just hope Doyle and Dunne are OK also. I still believe we can win on Wednesday. Watched the game again last night and at times we played some good stuff. Especially in the second half. The pitch suited players like Kilbane but did'nt suit Doyle or Keane. I expect a huge game and a goal from Robbie Keane on Wednesday night. Douglas looked clearly off the pace and lacking match fitness. Very odd decision to play him by Stan. When he came on Gibson taking the corner kicks? Why? None went beyond the first defender. Maybe the others were knackered. Anyway maybe that last minute goal will work to our benefit on Wednesday night. No complacency. I believe if injury free we will have a better starting 11 against the Czechs than we had against the Slovaks. We are on a good unbeaten run. And we are scoring goals. So not all gloom and doom here.
I watched the match again a couple of hours ago. Douglas was absolute ****e when he did come on, he almost gave up a goal on 82 minutes that I had forgotten about.
Throw Darren Potter in, why the hell not. He's playing at a much higher level then Douglas and he looked superb in the American tour. Plus, he's a past captain of the senior Irish national team!
thought i heard TOD saying in the news last night that as well as Ireland, Potter & Finnan are now no longer in the squad.
I reckon our chances of betting the Czechs are about 6 or 7-1, not impossible but unlikely, hopefully the Czechs will play for the draw, it will probably take a late goal by Ireland to win it, leaving no time for the Czechs to equalize
Wouldnt have mattered if he had of been fit for wednesday staunton still would of played one of the best right full in the premiership arguably the best league in the world at left full.
Nice to see that Steve Finnan made a full recovery from his crippling injury to play the full 90 minutes for Liverpool over the weekend. Mind you its not the first time he's done this.
I don't condone it but its hardly surprising when he looks so uncomfortable playing left full for Ireland. Blame Staunton.
Maybe its his own brand of protest?? :D
Mind you if I was the top right full in England and was displaced every time I showed for national duty I'd be annoyed, but I'd still turn up.
in fairness to finnan, i dont recall him doing this before. i stand to be corrected he has turned up for the vast amount of games both competitive and friendly in the last few years.
You don't think it's a bit odd that he could play 90 mins for the 'pool in Portsmouth but couldn't even make it for one of Irelands games? It doesn't sound right! maybe rafa had a word in his ear!Quote:
Originally Posted by aidz1
I agree, its always a pleasure seeing him playing for Liverpool. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by keenanboy
Can you tell me the last time Stevie missed an international game, including friendlies, pre-Slovakia and Czech Rep?
USA tour doesnt count. That was a nonsense tour for blooding youngsters.
he was playing in the champ league final for US tour as well..I rarely misses matches but I was very dissappointed to see him miss the czech game, we could really have done with him
I like Finnan & think he's committed but over the course of his Ireland career the difference between his club and his interntional situation has grown massively.
6-7 years ago he was at Fulham (he actually spent a season there at left back forr all you naysayers!) and playing for Ireland in an exciting team on the verge of a WC finals.
Now he's a 2 time CL finalist playing at the top of the PL for a very highly regarded manager and at a well managed ambitious club with a lot of foreign money coming into it, compared to playing for a divided Ireland team under an inarticulate rookie manager who in turns works for a self serving propogandist in a near bankrupt association.
I don't actually doubt his commitment but you can fully understand if he feels that playing international football isn't what it used to be for him. Returning from Stuttgart last Sepember Finnan and Steven Reid cut forlorn shapes at 7am in Stuttgart airport heading back to the UK. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall. Each had reason to be more frustrated than most.
It's funny that people are so positive about Finnan now. When we played Croatia in a friendly in Dublin in late 2004(?) I came on here singing his praises saying the guy just oozed quality from full back, and always had done for us. I think eirebhoy and myself were the only ones who concurred, everyone else thought he was poor, overrated or maybe tainted by some stupid cross-Lancashire club rivalry.
When Dunphy says that the FAI has failed this "great " generation of players, I really think that Finnan can feel the most hard done by. How must he feel at his prime to be given a manager told to learn on the job?
I actually think he's a candidate for captain next time there's a change.
The words "nail, hitting and head" spring to mind after reading that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Was going to say the same about your post on the "whinging" thread.
Might deter him from retiring to focus on club football too.. That, of course, and a manager with something to offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
And all of this excuses him for not turning up for international duty how??Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
There's nothing in the rules that doesn't allow a player to recover from an injury.
That's a very quick recovery!!Two days later and he is able to play 90 mins when he could play no part in the Czech game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Is Mr. Finnan now too big to play for "his" country that he is at Liverpool and a European Cup winner or was he leaned on by a certain bearded Premiership manager.Either way he should have had the guts to say I am fit and I will be there to help my country in their biggest game in 4 years!!
Lost all respect for Finnan.He's just another self serving over paid premiership primma-donna!
Agree with everything here except a bit of the above. The FAI are loaded and have been for some time. They flogged their HQ for nearly E10m just a few months ago! Bit pedantic, I know.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
:)
Do the FAI or LFA own the premises on Parnell Square, which is also about to be sold as they are also moving to Abbotstown. It currently houses the LFA, LSL and LJL. It say it will go for a tidy sum.
The finances of the FAI is not a pedantic point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Donal81
The FAI have a huge asset in the fans going to International games, TV deals and sponsorship. I would be curious to see how it compares to the Czech FA coffers.
Unless Stutts was referring to idealogical bankruptcy :)
In fact it would strengthen his post to refer to the coffers of cash generated.
He has a right to feel annoyed when he has a rookie manager playing him out of position but that still doesn't excuse what he did, I don't believe he could make a full recovery in less than 3 days so either he couldn'd be arsed or he let Rafa talk him out of it, either way it shows poor character and I definitely don't think he should be our next captainQuote:
Originally Posted by drummerboy
Finnans injury was very slight - a gash on his knee is that right? Benitez obviously told him that if he turned out for Ireland he would lose his place. I've come to this conclusion because Gerrard was dropped after lining out for England.
I'm very disappointed he wasn't there for the Czech game because he was definitely fit for it.
Finnan is overrated. He has played next to Carragher and Hyppia for years, the finest central defensive partnership in England. They can clean up for him when he gets roasted. He doesn't offer a great attacking threat in a lot of games that he play in. Considering Stan would have played him out of position anyway it really wouldn't have made any odds to me if he had featured
Who in the name of feck has "roasted" Steven Finnan in Europe or the English Premiership over the last three years? I can think of one player (from a mediocre English team).Quote:
Originally Posted by danonion
Who is it? I actually cant think of one and thats putting on my critics hat. You can count the number of mistakes he has made on one hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Erstwhile Bóz
His miracle recovery reminds me of the great recoveries by the lad from Cork. But merseyside fans would never see it that way.
Comments like this are ridicioulous. This is the same Finnan who had Messi and Ronaldinio in his pocket last year for two legs, without Hypia.....1/2 the finest(thats quite laughable by the way) central defence in England. Carragher is prone to continously be caught out of position and then makes great lunges at the end to save himself.....these arent the hallmarks of 1/2/ of the finest defensive partnership. He is the best right back in England, well possibly on a par with Neville. To prove how good Finnan is for Ireland watch the perfromances by out left back and right back aginst the czechs and Slovaks. Finnan is not spectacular but by god he does the easy things the way they are meant to be done. Very much in the mould of Denis Irwin. I honestly cant blame the guy for missing the last 2 games. im sure he become totally annoyed at being played put of position under staunton Kerr and McCarthy. You pick your best players in their best position and then worry about weak positions. finnan shouldnt have to accomidate for us being weak at left back. He is a Champions league Right back, FFS play him there. I really dont think irish people apreciate him when he plays well for Ireland. his only bad game was in CyprusQuote:
Originally Posted by danonion
Yes going 100% against your club managers wishes to play a do or die first leg playoff against Iran when he hadnt kicked a ball in over a month before. Damn that Roy was a *****:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Metrostars
Exactly. he is a model of dependancy and how some irish fans dont realise this, particularly after witnessing our full back choices last week beggers beliefQuote:
Who is it? I actually cant think of one and thats putting on my critics hat. You can count the number of mistakes he has made on one hand.
:rolleyes: The use of commas for "his" country totally unneccesary not to mention irrelevant.Quote:
Originally Posted by btid1
If he was fit to play for us I am sure he would have
every footballer at every level of football is by definition self serving, to say he is overpaid is rubbish , he gets paid what the club can afford to pay him , if they couldnt afford to pay him it then he wouldnt get it and if he wasnt worth it they wouldnt pay him it ,Quote:
Originally Posted by btid1
Merrion Square I assume you mean or do they also have a pad in Parnell Square?Quote:
Originally Posted by drummerboy
Irish professional footballers have dodged representing their countries on numerous times over the decades I've been following the national side, including God Almighty (whose name I won't mention). It is usually as a result of pressure from the club which pays their wages and I predicted elsewhere that Finnan would play on Saturday. Barely raised an eyebrow for me. I wouldn't single out Finnan for missing the game. He was no doubt injured for the Slovak game and the club probably decided that they weren't going to risk him against the Czechs. Pity though as the 15K personal jet used to fly Ireland home could have been used to collect Finnan ;)
So has it been, so shall it continue to be.
Leinster FA have their headquarters in Parnell Square West.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
Can't believe all this negative sh1t about Finnan.
He is the only player to come out of that trip with any credit.....because he wasnt there.
I wish half the other fcukers would pull out with injuries or lose a granny.
That's not very fair on Colin Doyle. He did nothing wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by stojkovic
If Finnan had played wednesday night, then he would have certainly been unfit for the game on Sat for Liverpool. They pay his wages so obviouly they come first.Quote:
Originally Posted by btid1
Brian Kerr drew reference to this in his articles in the Irish Times over the last few weeks. He felt that the attitude of LIverpool FC to International football was not very good. I am sure if it was Ferguson and Man Utd that there would be lots of people on here going mad about it. I was very ****ed off that Finnan did not make the trip to Prague and then turned out for Liverpool against Pompey. If it was Keane a few years ago Cathal Devan would encouraged the fans to boo Keane.
Not sure who owns Parnell Square (FAI or LFA) but its up for sale as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
The FAI had the right to demand that Finnan not play on Saturday. If Liverpool had played Finnan under those circumstances then FIFA would have been obliged to impose sanctions against Liverpool.
If we are being compared to France then Domeneche wouldn't take this lying down.
Force his commitment or else.