Ireland Squad for Bulgaria and Italy

I think the squad is mostly unchanged due to a preference for team unity, cohesion, spirit, and all that lark. Lets face it, the likes of Keogh, Miller, Long, etc. are only there to train with the starting team. Maybe this group of lads gets on really well? We saw the togetherness in the last game against Georgia. I think it is always good to get a come from behind win and I don't think that teams who are not united get them.

Yes there are some players out there who are technically better than the reserves in our squad, not the starting 11, but I think Trapp sees it more like a club. We just need 1st or 2nd when the fixtures are over and he is reluctant to change it.

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Originally Posted by Umberside

I don't remember Damien Delaney being picked last time, do you?

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Worry more about your own memory than mine :rolleyes:

I think we should forget about Stephen Ireland until he wants to remember us.

Stephen who?

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Originally Posted by Crosby87
So thats finally it for Stephen Ireland.


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Originally Posted by Greenbod
Did it really take the naming of the squad for anybody to realize this! Forget about him. Lionel Messi had as much chance of making the Irish squad.....he's not available for selection for us either.

Why, is he injured? What about Lionel Richie?


[QUOTE=Greenbod;1123611]He just called, to say, "I'm unavailable"..

He just called, to say, how much he doesn't care.

Or was that Stevie Wonder??[/QUOTE]

Eh, yeah!! :D

And only Stevie Wonder would see merit in picking Miller ahead of Andy Reid.

As for Lionel Richie, fast feet and great moves but not much use when the ball's on the ground and he's Dancin' on the Ceilin' (now is it clicking?)

No St Ledger in the squad, yet again! How must he be feeling, having turned down Northern Ireland recently only to be overlooked again.

How the hell does Bruce keep getting selected, saw him play against Preston and he was poor!

It appears that you either need a famous dad, play for Sunderland reserves or sit on the bench for most of the season at Celtic to get selected by Givens, I mean Trapp!

As for Lionel Richie, fast feet and great moves but not much use when the ball's on the ground and he's Dancin' on the Ceilin' (now is it clicking?)[/QUOTE]

Lionel Richtea



http://www.yardwear.net/blog/content...l-rich-tea.jpg

Trapps squads are like making love to your long term partner... Still good but ultimately nothing different and you wonder if what's out there is any better..

At least Stans squads were like flings with a cheap floozy... You looked forward to them, built them up in your mind, there are a few surprises, some not nice..... afterward you're left disapointed, deflated and spend the night complaining to people you don't know on a message board that got you speculating in the first place.

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Originally Posted by Greenbod

As for Lionel Richie, fast feet and great moves but not much use when the ball's on the ground and he's Dancin' on the Ceilin' (now is it clicking?)

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Lionel Richtea


http://www.yardwear.net/blog/content...l-rich-tea.jpg[/QUOTE]

:) Oh crumbs :o

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Originally Posted by Scram

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87
So thats finally it for Stephen Ireland.



Why, is he injured? What about Lionel Richie?

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Well, he was called once, twice, three times by Brady;

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Originally Posted by cfdh_edmundo

Well, he was called once, twice, three times by Brady;

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:D:D:D

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Originally Posted by dr_peepee

Trapps squads are like making love to your long term partner... Still good but ultimately nothing different and you wonder if what's out there is any better..

At least Stans squads were like flings with a cheap floozy... You looked forward to them, built them up in your mind, there are a few surprises, some not nice..... afterward you're left disapointed, deflated and spend the night complaining to people you don't know on a message board that got you speculating in the first place.

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Somebody needs to take Dr_Peepee to Bari and send him to a girlie bar with some money in his pocket. I think he has some frustrations that need easing.

Happy enough with the squad. We all know that Ireland & Reid won't be in the squads. At least there's one new face in O'Dea so it shows the door is open.

Does anyone know if the Bulgarian and Italian squads have been named yet?

I think the squad we have assembled for these games is good enough.

I can't see more than three points (Not much chance of beating Italy, draw possible) coming from these games though, and we need something new for the games in September.

Its time to turn your backs on Stephen England. I would also consider having Fahey and Mooney in the sqaud.

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Originally Posted by The Fly

Does anyone know if the Bulgarian and Italian squads have been named yet?

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Bulgaria overseas players named today:

Stanimir Stoilov, the manager of the Bulgarian national side, has recalled several experienced internationals for the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Cyprus at the end of the month.

Today he announced the list of 13 Bulgarian players who play abroad and called up several older players to shore up the defensive line.

On the list was Maccabi Tel Aviv's Igor Tomasic (10 caps), Hapoel Tel Aviv's Elin Topuzakov (29) and Sanfrecce Hiroshima's Ilian Stoyanov (33).

Stoilov knows the trio very well from the time he managed Levski Sofia, but a big downside is that each of them is 32 years old and none are known for their pace.

Then again, Stoilov hardly has any obvious answer to the likes of Aiden McGeady or even Stephen Hunt, the most likely of Giovanni Trapattoni's picks on the wings.

The rest of the team will become clear on March 23, when Stoilov will announce which players from the domestic league will join the national side.

Levski's Zhivko Milanov and Litex's Stanislav Manolev, who started the friendly against Switzerland last month, are both expected to receive another call-up.

Topuzakov and Stoyanov had been frozen out of the national squad under previous manager Plamen Markov, but returned for the Switzerland friendly, acquitting themselves well enough.

As a back-up, Stoilov will have Tomasic, the naturalised Croatian, who had ended his international career in September 2008 after the 2-2 draw with Montenegro.

He has now been persuaded to come out of retirement after injuries have left Stoilov's team short of defensive cover.

The notable absentee in the list of players announced today is Manchester City's Martin Petrov, whose return to fitness from an injury suffered last year while on international duty appears to have progressed slower than Stoilov would have liked.

Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov and Aston Villa's Stilian Petrov, arguably Bulgaria's other two big stars, will only be dropped if injured and since both are healthy, they too have been called up.

Valeri Bojinov, the Manchester City striker who looks to have recovered from yet another serious injury and featured as a late substitute in two recent matches, will join them on the short flight to Dublin.

From Germany, Stoilov called defender Stanislav Angelov and striker Dimitar Rangelov, both at Energie Cottbus, as well as Hannover midfielder Chavdar Yankov, who returns to the national side after an injury.

The list is rounded off by a trio of attacking midfielders - Dimitar Telkiyski from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Blagoi Georgiev from Terek Grozny and Velizar Dimitrov from Metalurh Donetsk, as well as goalkeeper Dimitar Ivankov from Bursaspor.

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Originally Posted by Scram

So, the team is? (if Finnan fit):


Goalkeeper: Given

Defenders:Finnan, O'Shea, Dunne, Kilbane

Midfielders: McGeady, Gibson, Whealen, Duff

Forwards: Doyle, Keane.

?

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Obviously Andrews will start ahead of Gibson. Agreed?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scram


So, the team is? (if Finnan fit):


Goalkeeper: Given

Defenders:Finnan, O'Shea, Dunne, Kilbane

Midfielders: McGeady, Gibson, Whealen, Duff

Forwards: Doyle, Keane.

?

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Originally Posted by lionelhutz

Obviously Andrews will start ahead of Gibson. Agreed?

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Sorry, yes, would imagine so if he's fit


Goalkeeper: Given

Defenders:Finnan, O'Shea, Dunne, Kilbane

Midfielders: McGeady, Andrews, Whealen, Duff

Forwards: Doyle, Keane.

Anyne else think that this could be a very open game? With Bulgaria desperate for three points (a draw isn't going to do them any good), and Bojinov back fit, Stoilov will probably play with the latter alongside Berbatov up front, leaving four in midfield against our four. In the last two games at Croker, weve been playing against five-man midfields, which has denied Whelan, Gibson and Andrews much time on the ball, or space to find their men. Hopefully, with more space in the middle, we'll be able to get quicker ball out to Duff and McGeady. Alternatively, if Bulgaria try and play a 4-3-1-2 (as I think they might, with Rangelov playing behind the front two), their midfield could be quite narrow, and our wingers should be able to isolate the opposing full-backs as a result. If I was Bulgarian, I'd be seriously worried abut the defence, with three 32-year-olds coming into the squad - if Bulgaria come and try to play an open game, I think we could really expose them; our attacking 4 is the strongest part of our team, Given aside.

As for Italy, a draw isn't beyond reach, as Italy have an unbelievably static and slow midfield and attack - Cassano is the only player they have who could cause us real problems. They have no pacy wide players who could isolate our full-backs and go past them (full-backs are a big weak link for us). Shutting them out isn't beyond us, and we could sneak a goal on the break. I think for a neutral, it'll be a shocking game, but we won't worry about that.

Getting excited now, and I hope our key players (i.e. our entire starting eleven) manage to avoid injury this weekend.

has berbatov sorted all his differences out with the national team now???