Originally Posted by
TheOneWhoKnocks
It cuts both ways. I have had to sit here countless times listening to people denigrate Long's performances and nitpick them even when he has been one of our best players (Serbia for example). He linked up excellently with Hoolahan against teams like Italy but that kind of performance never gains any traction whatsoever. Instead people just moan about him not taking his chances when he a goalscoring record of better than 1 in 2 starts for us and has never started consecutive competitive games!
What's hyperbolic to me is completely ignoring Shane's composed touch for the goal against Poland and instead focusing on how it was deflected. What's hyperbolic to me is having a go at Shane for getting booked against Austria in Dublin and ignoring Walters' culpability in Alaba having the space to score. What's hyperbolic to me is having a go at Shane for an innocuous foul deep in the Poland half and ignoring the fact that Walters almost gave away position cheaply in a crucial position. What's hyperbolic to me is telling me that I am not strenuously analysing Long's performance like I did Keane when Long came on when we were losing the match 0-1 with 10 minutes to go in a cauldron situation and Keane completed 90 minutes without barely touching the ball, making any kind of impact or exerting any kind of influence.
As I said, it's not a "grudge". I gave Walters 6 out of 10 and I praised his performance against Germany. I can call a spade a spade. But FFS Keane has been out of it against Austria, Portugal, Georgia, Germany, Poland. He had a fantastic performance against Faroe Islands and Gibraltar and Georgia over the last three years.
I can't remember the last time he had any kind of impact against a reasonable side, crucial goal against Sweden aside.
And I will praise Walters for this.
While the fans and players were getting carried away because of an equalising goal at home that leaves us with a considerable task in qualifying - showing our mentality, Walters was the only one remaining composed, bringing the ball back to the center circle and looking to get on with the task at hand.
I don't think he should be in the starting line up whether it's keeping McClean or Brady out or whether it's keeping Long out but he has a good attitude.