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I was reading that Joe Murphy had some sort of nerve injury...with this sort of thing it may not clear up right away (didn't Harte miss months over something like this before?).
Wonder if Kiely would come back if we called him.
http://soccerrepublic.eircom.net/New...ptember25.aspxQuote:
"Joe Murphy has picked up an injury with his arm where his nerve has gone dead from his elbow down to his hand,"
"He's gone to have an X-ray to make sure there isn't any damage with his neck. Obviously there is going to be some nerve trapment and hopefully it goes away as quickly as it came."
how Trappatoni deems that Andy Reid is not amongst the top 27 players for Ireland absolutely disgusts me.
I don't think Trapp has ever questioned his ability so it's not that he rates 27 players "better" than Andy Reid.
Picking a squad is about picking the players that will work best together to fulfil the manager's plans. From the way Ireland are playing I think behind the front two is the only place where Reid would currently fit in. He is a superb passer of the ball but he is not a winger and Trapp wants two defensive centre-midfield players to disrupt the opposition.
Personally, I'd prefer to see a centre-midfield pair of Stephen Reid alongside Andy Reid but the manager has a different view of the game than me. I'm not going to argue with that if he gets results though.
I still think it's up to Andy Reid to convince Trapp that he can do a job for him - just as Liam Brady had to convince Jack Charlton that he could play within Jack's system in the late-80s.
thats exactly what it is no matter what the background is or what spin is being put on it. There are 27 players picked ahead of Andy Reid. Thats disgraceful.
Andy Reid would be equally as effective as all the "wingers" (Keogh = winger :rolleyes: ) that Trappatoni has named bar possibly Duff.
It galls me that a late night sing song or a sulky few days (born out of disappointment) has spelt the end of Reids international career.
But you need people to be happy and all pulling together. Greece won the European Championships not cause they were the best team in Euro2004 but because the had a plan and they all worked together with that plan and it suited the players and they gave little away. Trap is trying to get Ireland into a similar situation and Reid does not fit this and when he was not in the team Trap was not happy with his attitude around the camp. Team spirit is very important and if you have someone who is not happy they can have a corrosive affect on the squad.
By the way I would have Reid in the squad.
Noel Hunt has been named as a replacement for Caleb Folan.
Predictable but disappointing, he is not getting much game time at the minute. Would love to have seen Morrison recalled or even Walters given a chance. It's not as if Hunt has ever made an impact when brought on. No doubt Trapp and Brady will be commended by some for loyalty/ consistency, but there are times when it looks like sheer stubbornness especially when it comes to Reid and the overlooking of Morrison. He has given vastly more than Hunt to Ireland and is playing and scoring regularly. We are a small nation with limited playing resources we cannot afford perverse selection policies.
I agree- while it is important to be consistent with your starting XI, I believe fringe spots should be given to players who are in form (obviously not total overhauls, but just a bit of tinkering to reward those in good form).
In fairness to Noel, the reason for his lack of playing time is the fact that he's coming back from an injury, and as for your statements which imply that he hasn't contributed much, he has only had a handful of chances with Ireland, so I think it's a bit unfair to judge him on those performances alone.
But for the record, I would have had Morrison as part of the set-up a long time ago if I were in charge.
Assuming everybody is healthy, I assume the squad would look like:
4 fullbacks-Finnan, Kilbane, Kelly, Nolan
4 centrebacks-Dunne, O'Shea, St. Ledger, McShane
4 wingers- McGeady, Lawrence, Duff, Hunt
4 central midfielders, S. Reid, Whelan, Andrews, Gibson or Miller
4 strikers- Robbie, Doyle, ?, ?
3 goalkeepers: Shay, Westwood, ?
Obviously there is some overlap with players who can play multiple positions, but that is probably the basic plan.
I think those would be the first 4 wingers at this stage, and the real spots up for grabs are the forward positions after Keane and Doyle, the third goalkeeping position, and the two fullback positions, where the likes of Foley could step ahead of Nolan or Kelly.
Let's hope Noel Hunt has the opportunity to claim he scored two of Robbie's hat-trick this time.