I'm pretty sure Hogan didn't make the cut and o Brien was the one called upQuote:
Originally Posted by backstothewall
I'm pretty sure Hogan didn't make the cut and o Brien was the one called upQuote:
Originally Posted by backstothewall
I'd love to see a more adventurous 4-3-3 played with Brady and Byrne utilised as two wingers flanking Maguire up front.
Doherty needs to be at right back. Coleman hasn't been the same player since returning from injury.
For me:
Randolph
Doherty Duffy Egan Stevens
Hourihane Arter Hendrick
Byrne Maguire Brady
Where did Byrne ever play on the wing?
Against Georgia on Tuesday night :cool:
He's comfortable on the ball, adept at taking a man on and either having a crack at goal or playing a team-mate through. I think he'd thrive in a position like that.
Fitness permitting, I don't expect any changes. Maybe a Whelan wildcard for 'stability'. Mick had months to consider the team against Gibraltar and that's what we got. If available, I think he'd have gone with O'Dowda over McClean, Browne in place of Hourihane and maybe Long instead of Maguire, but some of the remaining selections (Keogh, McGoldrick) were telling. Only a couple of howlers, injury or retirement can remove Randolph as our undisputed #1 now, and rightfully so. Duffy is also nailed on.
The Coleman + Doherty experiment deserves another run. Judge is as close as we have to Hoolahan. And we are in desperate need of the Hoolahan, foot-on-the-ball, lock-picking, midfield respite factor. I'm unsure about Maguire. (Ditto on Hendrick, Brady in current form and Arter in general. But the pantry is skint.) Let McClean get wound up on the bench and unleash him for the final 15. His contribution spreads thin over 90. Resurrecting Whelan just sticks in the throat. The effect would be incomplete without Andrews next to him anyway. I reckon the temptation to play two outright forwards would last about the ten minutes it takes the Georgians to begin dominating midfield.
My wannabe football manager effort. (I'd like to see Brady and Hourihane dispute set pieces, up to and including pushing each other off the ball.)
https://i.imgur.com/Y5ALi1W.png
That's my team bar Jeff for hourihane. I don't really get the hourihane love in tbhQuote:
Originally Posted by Sullivinho
There's only the flick of a coin between them for me. Hendrick made a contribution on saturday so I fully expect him to take tuesday off, whether selected or not.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diggs246
I was surprised at the widespread outpouring of disgust and pessimism after the 1-0 win on Saturday. The conditions were awful with a gale-force wind and a pitch at the back of an airport that made our Saipan training pitch look like the Camp Nou. UEFA should never have sanctioned the game in Gibraltar, and this needs review (preferably after our competitors experience the same conditions). In addition, it was Mick's first game and first time with the players. I was happy with the result. Less so with the performance but we have time to work on that and will improve. Together with the flourishing underage players, we have plenty of things to be positive about.
For Georgia: Randolph to continue in goal, excellent save vs Gibraltar. Continue Doherty and Coleman experiment on right side. We can always try Coleman in a more advanced role if Doherty continues to look uncomfortable. I would not play Doherty left back, it is a hard adjustment to make when right-footed, like changing from a tight head prop to loose head - this will take time to work at and should not be experimented with for the first time Tuesday. Agree with Pineapple Stu that Coleman is nowhere near the same player since his return. I would love to see a young and up-and-coming center half like Egan come in beside Duffy, but Mick will persist with the 32-year-old Keogh. Stevens to continue at left back - although agree with some other posters that he's a bit lightweight and prone to errors, and I don't have great hope of him developing into a long-term reliable left back option. Regarding the center of midfield, loved SwanVsDalton comment on the lack of balance with Hourihane and Hendrick in there - two players that have a habit of ghosting in games. This needs to be addressed - Harry Arter is playing reasonably regular premier league football and needs to start here, at least he will be more consistently involved than the other two. Ideally, Browne would have been fit for this role. Certainly, I don't have any appetite to see Cullen or Byrne in there for now. I think it's a toss up for Hourihane vs Hendrick. Hopefully, neither of these players will be starting in a year's time, when the likes of Browne, Crowley, Molumby, and Smallbone hopefully start establishing themselves. Brady needs to start in place of McClean, simple as. Maguire and McGoldrick to start up front. I have never been impressed with McGoldrick - at Ipswich I felt he was a bit of a donkey, despite scoring goals with Sheff Utd he had not improved much this season when I watched him on 3 occasions. But for now, we have no one else so David is the man. Soon, we should be blessed for options in this position fingers crossed.
We should maintain traditional 4-4-2 formation, this is not the time to start experimenting. We need the home win vs Georgia.
The Coleman Doherty on the same flank experiment was finished when Doherty was subbed and that was against the bottom ranked team. There is little or no chance that Mick will try it again against a better quality opponents like Georgia. The time to experiment was in the Nations league games.
I tend to agree although the irony is that playing two fullbacks on the right against superior opposition might actually be more effective than it was against a minnow. Horses for courses and while I have been supportive of the Doherty wing experiment I think Gibraltar was the wrong game to try. McGeady should be in the squad and that was a game where I would have started him.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
I was surprised Mick was so openly damning about Doherty after the game. I didn't think it was a complete disaster. With McGeady not in the squad, we don't have better options than this "experiment." Brady needs to go left wing. And I certainly don't want McClean still on the pitch.
I thought Mick was more damning over his decision to place Doherty in that role.
He's played on the wing for Rovers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Obviously Mick had to enact some experimentation for the Gibraltar game because of the condition of the squad and that was his first game.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
I don't think a bedding in process is an option for a 'Doherty at midfield' role. Mick can't afford to risk another game where it wouldn't work and cost us.
Even though possibly it would be a better scenario trying it out v Georgia, than in a muck scrap game v Gibraltar.
Won't even address that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
It's the position he was playing in against Sligo, when McCarthy watched him and jumped him into the squad, having not even been on standby.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Rovers play a variation of 4-3-3 / 4-1-4-1. Byrne starts on the right but has a lot of freedom to drift around and generally gets in close to the central players to allow the full backs to push on. It's the type of formation that might suite Ireland against Georgia if we want Coleman to push on from full back.
Team that I think is likely to start;
Randolph,
Coleman, Duffy, Keogh, Stevens
Hendrick, Whelan, Arter
Brady, Maguire, McClean
McClean??????? As I said at very best a mascot or cheerleader maybe. Selecting McClean has got to be the ultimate instance of hope triumphing over experience, rationality and footballing common sense. He embodies all that is desperate and limited about our football philosophy. All heart, but no sense, guile, technique or patience.
I was going to post my thoughts on McClean, but third policeman's put if perfectly for me.
I wouldn't start him. But I think he'll start. It might be his last competitive start for us, because there'll be opportunities in the summer friendlies for others, but it looks to me like it'll be experience first in the selection for this one.Quote:
Originally Posted by third policeman
I thought Doherty and Coleman deserves another chance once they get a better understanding of eachother. I thought in the first half Doherty did the play well but Seamie was too slow or didnt read his intentions clearly. That deserves time and chance. So give it another go. I am not sure I would go with Stevens if its a case of getting doherty on the pitch and not getting on the pitch. But lets see how Stevens does against Georgia.
Arter looks like the only cert for me, hourihanes dead ball was very good but that's the only positive to take from Saturday. That and Mcgoldricks running. He was coming so deep sometimes it was ridiculous.