The fascination with Scales on here is surprising to me. Let’s see what he can do outside the LOI first before considering him in a key position. We have seen multiple times that lording it in the LOI does not automatically guarantee success at a higher level. If he starts getting game time at Celtic then it’s a different conversationQuote:
Originally Posted by passinginterest
Kevin Long has been out injured since last season, so obviously isn't a realistic option to come in.
19-year-old Omobamidele having having to come on after 35 minutes against the formidable Portuguese attack demonstrated the folly of leaving out of the squad the likes of Lenihan, Williams and, especially, Clark - Williams and Clark being two of the few left-sided central defenders available to us. As it was, Egan had to play there, despite being far more effective in the middle.
I may have missed this, but is Nathan Collins injured? He wasn't on the bench last night though was in the squad at first?
Trying to play out from the back, especially against teams that like to employ a high press, and with players who aren't comfortable dealing with the ball in tight areas, ie many defenders, strikes me as a mugs' game.Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
We conceded a penalty last night, that 9 times out of 10 Ronaldo would have scored from, deploying just those sort of tactics.
I was watching the League Cup highlights in Quest one evening recently and, at a conservative guess, at least 60% of the goals scored came from teams losing the ball in their defensive third of the pitch and being punished.
I believe he simply didn't make the matchday 23 cut.Quote:
Originally Posted by zero
Oddly you're obliged to name two goalkeepers on the bench.
I think the rules are tied to the finals rules, when you have to name two keepers on the bench because you have to name three keepers in the squad. (This avoids people messing around with dropping the third keeper and trying to add another outfield player)
Collins and Curtis were both really unlucky that Long tested positive after the squad was submitted to UEFA on Tuesday night, it meant neither player could be named as a replacement.
The only reason I think he'll be called up is that he was the only defender name checked as being on standby and if we need cover he can cover both centre back and wing back. For what it's worth, I think he could do a solid job, but it's unlikely he plays even if he does get called in.Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy_c12000
Clark should have been called up but sorry no way can anyone be having that as regards Williams and Lenihan over Omobamidele.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trequartista20
He impressed far more last year in a better team at the same level as either of those and even at his young age and is already a better defender.
The defence all round was very effective with O’Shea or Omobamidele and there is no credible case to make that Derrick Williams or Lenihan would have improved that, that is absolute nonsense.
Which is a ridiculous ruleQuote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
We can look back now in retrospect and say Omobamidele did fine last night playing on adrenaline having been thrown into the deep end in an ultimately fruitless backs-to-the-wall effort against Portugal. But in reality Omobamidele is a teenager with only 8 league starts to his name, leaving your 'impressed far more last year' comments looking rather over-excitable and lacking in credibility.
To say that any one of the experienced trio of the left-sided Clark and Williams and the Blackburn captain, Lenihan, wouldn't have proved a useful option in the circumstances last night is a difficult position to maintain and defend.
Omobamidele does look a very good future prospect, however.
Playing on adrenaline? Do you really think that adrenaline gets someone through the game like he did?
And Kenny didn't have the luxury of retrospect in picking his team. He selected Omobamidele ahead of those players because he thought they'd fare better. And, as it turned out, Omobamidele probably did. Most certainly better than Lenihan and Williams would have.
We have seen Lenihan struggle against Northern Ireland. And Williams had intermittent seasons as a starter in the Championship.
It's not a huge deal for me, I just found it strange that in a situation where Kenny seems to have settled on playing with a back three he had left himself, when O'Shea got injured, with only a 19-year-old lad who's not started many more than half-a-dozen league games on the bench as cover. It seems a completely unnecessary gamble.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
His marginalisation of Clark is perplexing to me.
Why would it matter what age he is?
He looks a better defender. That's the beginning, middle and end of the conversation. If you're good enough, you're old enough.
I'm delighted he played, and delighted he's never going to play for Nigeria.
Well done Stephen Kenny.
I think he's not locked to us until he reaches a certain age, or 3 competitive caps. Open to correction on the details there, but it's definitely more complex than it used to be.Quote:
Originally Posted by backstothewall
This is a fair game comment I think - both parts of it. You could argue that Manning on the bench (at a push) offers cover for LW, LWB, LB & LCB given his experiences of the last 18 months (and given Kenny watched him in that last position for Swansea recently), but it's not something i'd be championing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trequartista20
Clark is a specialised lcb in a 3-man defence. How good he is, is open to serious debate at times here, and scrutiny online last week suggested that he started the season badly for Newcastle - can't comment as i haven't seen it myself - but still, at that, it is somewhat remarkable that both Omabamidele and Collins were selected in the squad ahead of him. I don't think he's ever really been seen as a vital cog in the squad amongst the masses. Personally speaking I rate him a lot.
If he doesn't come in to replace Dara '****housery' O'Shea - that's a compliment - then it's a raised eyebrow.
I'm reluctant at the moment to get too hung up on squad selection decisions just because of the uncertainty in the world right now. Can't say I saw too much commentary by journo's either on the omission, which would lead me to think there's no falling out or other issue, it's simply a selection choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by John83
Lads,Quote:
Originally Posted by backstothewall
He was never going to, and will never, play for anyone else apart from us.
We've simply got to stop this narrative around players who've got other nationality possibilities and drawing them, via the media, into discussions that don't need to be dwelled on, due to our own insecurities.
There are absolute worlds of difference between the likes of Bazunu, Idah, Omabamidele, and others, with that of Rice, or even perhaps a Odubeko. We've got to get to grips with it, as it's only going to become more commonplace from now on.
If you say so, Kingdom. I have no sense of that one way or another, and was just commenting on the changed rules on switching.
That's all well and good Kingdom, but this narrative about age is part of the reason we've had so much difficulty with this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
We are far reluctant to give caps to young players. The classic example is Jack Grealish. He should have had senior caps when he was tearing things up on loan at Notts County. By the time we had finished p*ssing about waiting for him to be old enough, whatever that means, Southgate and his agent were in his ear.
If we had just brought him into the squad when he was a kid who looked like he wearing his dad's shirt, and making old pros look silly, England would never have had a look in.
Sure, but when we do cap them, then it's totally counter-productive to make a reference to what that cap does. We've got to be above that.Quote:
Originally Posted by backstothewall
Sure. And maybe we don't exploit his talents in the way Villa did. Maybe we shoe-horn him - f*ck it, I'm not going down this road - he's not ours, he's gone.Quote:
If we had just brought him into the squad when he was a kid who looked like he wearing his dad's shirt, and making old pros look silly, England would never have had a look in.
Whatever about 2gers & 3gers, with respect to our own lads who were born here and families have remained here, are part of the local communities, we really need to rise above the mentality that they might "defect". If a kid talks about his parish, his old coaches - name-checking them in an interview - with his family still in that community, he's not going anywhere. If a kid has moved from club to club at schoolboy level, his family moves at the first opportunity, and then he trades clubs every year again in that new country - that there is a pragmatist, and international football has f-all meaning to a player like that. You'll have a selfish player that you can have zero guarantees about going forward.
Frankly I find it insulting to the kids and their families who might not be ethnically 100% Irish, but are as committed as those who are. It's an insult to their own backgrounds, to their local clubs and coaches, and to us as well. I'm not necessarily throwing punches at you specifically backs, but this is a narrative that's almost out of control on social media - cap him, tie him down - it's a moveable feast with FIFA, and they'll continue to change goalposts as they see fit, or as money sees fit.
Just look at the current 17s squad. On name alone - without knowing much about them - there's maybe 10 that have dual heritage at least. That's the type of ratio that we'll be looking at for years to come.