Wes Hoolahan (M Cambridge Utd b.1982)

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20/10/2012, 11:39 PM
bishbash

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolitudeRed

Will be interesting to see if Hoolahan gets a call up for the next couple of friendlies, definitely seems Trap is interested in getting a look at him and this was shown back in August he called him up for the Serbia game however he pulled out due to injury, think he also called up Pilkington for that game too although I am not so sure about his commitment to Ireland to be honest.

I've been reading the analysis of Hoolahan tonight, to be fair I don't expect the fella to radically change Ireland but he can definitely offer alternatives and good ones at that. It's the fact that he's not even making squads that's criminal for me. He's a terrific attitude and work rate and that's the bizarre thing about Trap. Fellas like him and McClean you would think would be right up his street. McClean is direct hard working covers ground well gets forward and back and delivers a good cross so how can he rate Cox above him. Hoolahan the same gets on the ball keeps it well great alternative but can't get in the 23 even. After his performance tonight he must be a shoe in for a squad place.
21/10/2012, 12:09 AM
harry crumb

Did Tardelli not say that he was too old.
21/10/2012, 1:21 AM
Manblue

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry crumb

Did Tardelli not say that he was too old.

Thats even worse if so...hes young enough to be a stand out player against arsenal but cant get a sniff against the faroes.....madness
21/10/2012, 1:56 AM
DannyInvincible

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry crumb

Did Tardelli not say that he was too old.

His age was definitely used against him by someone in the management team; either Trap or Tardelli. I don't see why a player's age should be an issue if he can still offer something (30 isn't that old anyway!) and it's especially odd considering he's three years younger than the likes of Duff who Tardelli was hoping would come out of international retirement last month.

Was Trap definitely at the game then? Pics or it didn't happen!
21/10/2012, 8:17 AM
Stuttgart88

Tv cameras showed him
21/10/2012, 8:32 AM
geysir

Quote:

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

he's three years younger than the likes of Duff who Tardelli was hoping would come out of international retirement last month.

Afaiu, that was just Tardelli being humorous which the press took literally and later we ended up with a cringe enducing piece on 'leave Duff alone'.
But something was said or referred to about Hoolahan's age 'that we look to the future'.

I can't say I'm too excited about that future, the vision or the preparations. We'll see what transpires out of this visit. I just saw the last 15 minutes of the game and I guessed Hoolahan had a good game because he was still on the pitch :)
21/10/2012, 9:09 AM
geysir

Quote:

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

Was Trap definitely at the game then? Pics or it didn't happen!

Here you go, absolute proof.
http://cache.tcm.ie/media/images/g/G...ct12_large.jpg
21/10/2012, 9:27 AM
DannyInvincible

Haha, wasn't being completely serious with that request, but thank you. :)
21/10/2012, 9:34 AM
DannyInvincible

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

Afaiu, that was just Tardelli being humorous which the press took literally and later we ended up with a cringe enducing piece on 'leave Duff alone'.
But something was said or referred to about Hoolahan's age 'that we look to the future'.

Irrespective of whether he was being facetious about Duff returning or not, why was 29/30 advanced as being too old for Hoolahan to get a look-in, but not for the likes of Given, Duff, Keane, Dunne, O'Shea, Doyle, Fahey, Kelly, Walters, Delaney, Green, Hunt and Lawrence who've all been selected despite being 29 or above at the time?
21/10/2012, 10:22 AM
Stuttgart88

I thought Hoolahan was a country mile more effective last night than the much lauded talents of Ramsey and Arshavin. He'd have fitted in easily beside Arteta and Carzola.

I'm not saying he's the messiah but he'd go a long way towards joining up this team and enabling some ball retention. He'd reduce the need for hoofball. With Duff gone we have nobody capable of receiving the ball and brining others into the game, bar Gibson maybe.

I mentioned above how I'd try to accommodate such a player. I may not be right but if I was being paid more than a million to improve this team I'd damn well try hard to do it right.
21/10/2012, 12:02 PM
geysir

Quote:

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

Irrespective of whether he was being facetious about Duff returning or not, why was 29/30 advanced as being too old for Hoolahan to get a look-in, but not for the likes of Given, Duff, Keane, Dunne, O'Shea, Doyle, Fahey, Kelly, Walters, Delaney, Green, Hunt and Lawrence who've all been selected despite being 29 or above at the time?

I'm not the mind reader you think I am :)

The question about Hoolahan was asked after the Euros. I guess Tardelli was thinking of the future from that point on, McCarthy? Meyler? Brady?
I guess Trap did not not rate Hoolahan for previous qual campaign for tactical reasons and dismissed his chances then of making the squad in various utterances.

Hoolahan was called up after Gibson 'retired' but it appeared that was as a token filler rather than anything else. There is also another aspect, Trap is serious about 'being right' and resorting to Hoolahan who was always available, would be an admission of sorts that he failed to see the qualities of this player. That's why I think Trap was hoping that the younger options would come good and hoping to whitewash Hoolahan out of existence. But Hoolahan is still there, still playing in the EPL.
Something similar also applies to Andy Reid who has done well to recover his form after a string of injuries. The Mainz scapegoat thing looks more and more absurd after all this time and the whole episode more reflects on the manager that he couldn't mend fences with Reid - who we are told from a reliable source - is a decent lad. Basically Trap was not interested in Reid as a player and it's as if he did not want the embarrassment of having a player with ability hanging around the squad.
So we are left with the sight of intelligent Andy Keogh coming on as a sub.
21/10/2012, 12:23 PM
DannyInvincible

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

I'm not the mind reader you think I am :)

Know your meme.
21/10/2012, 2:40 PM
mark12345

Quote:

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

Was Trap definitely at the game then? Pics or it didn't happen!

So Trap being at the game yesterday will produce a coupole of scenarios.

(a) Trap now sees how good Wes is and plays him against Greece and makes him a mainstay in his team

(b) If he does the above then it will show people the error of his ways and also show that he should have done it all along. It will also show that us supporters were correct about having Hoolahan included a long time ago (at least those of us who didn't keep saying that he didn't fit into the famous system of Trap's)

(c) why all of a sudden does Trap feel the need to go and see Hoolahan, when he claimed before that Wes wasn't part of his plans. Was it something the FAI demanded of him?
21/10/2012, 2:53 PM
geysir

10/11 It was political gesture, genuinely not interested in Hoolahan/Pilks before or now
6/4 Looking for more excuses as to why Hoolahan is not a 'squad man', Pilks tainted by association.
4/1 the slate is clean of old attitudes - Trap prepared to look at Hoolahan/Pilks with objectivity.
21/10/2012, 3:36 PM
Stuttgart88

I don't think there's a single poster here who doesn't think Hoolahan has always been worthy of a squad place, especially since he was so instrumental in getting Norwich promoted. But Trap did have a system and Hoolahan didn't suit it, so that explained his absence. I think that 4 years in Trap is less convinced of the system as he was - if not he's blind to the evidence - so is looking at new ideas, at least partly due to FAI pressure and media pressure. What he actually decides to do is anyone's guess at this stage.
21/10/2012, 8:10 PM
geysir

So you'll have a punt on the 4/1 option?
I'm reading Steve Jobs' biography, there was a strategy which Steve Jobs employed on more than one occasion. Once when he bought an elderly wooden vacation home, he wanted to raze it and build anew, the local conservationist community objected. By the time the court process came close to being exhausted, the house had fallen apart on its own anyway from neglect.
With Trap/Tardelli neglecting Hoolahan all these years, then saying he's too old to try out now, then with their arms twisted they do take an interest in him. Even if they were willing to give him a small chance, Wes will be on the wrong side of mid thirties before the assimilating process would be exhausted.
I might need help, I'm sounding just as cynical as Paul, but at least I have some grammar to console myself with
21/10/2012, 8:42 PM
paul_oshea

I never knew grammar was something you could own/possess!
21/10/2012, 10:45 PM
Kingdom

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

Here you go, absolute proof.
http://cache.tcm.ie/media/images/g/G...ct12_large.jpg

Dude, that's Lloyd Bridges!
21/10/2012, 11:38 PM
BonnieShels

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

I might need help, I'm sounding just as cynical as Paul, but at least I have some grammar to console myself with

Where's that full-stop so?
22/10/2012, 4:01 AM
tricky_colour

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

Here you go, absolute proof.
http://cache.tcm.ie/media/images/g/G...ct12_large.jpg

Looks photoshopped to me.

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