Think it will be:
GK: Given
RB: O'Shea
LB: Ward
CB: Dunne
CB: St. Ledger
CM: Whelan
CM: Andrews
LM: McGeady
RM: Duff
FW: Keane
FW: Doyle
Think it will be:
GK: Given
RB: O'Shea
LB: Ward
CB: Dunne
CB: St. Ledger
CM: Whelan
CM: Andrews
LM: McGeady
RM: Duff
FW: Keane
FW: Doyle
Given, Killer, Dunne, St. Ledger, O' Shea, Duff, Andrews, Whelan, McGeady, Doyle, Keane
Yup. I think Trap will totter to the edge of selecting Ward, dip his toes in the water and then retreat back to the Kilbane parasol. Where he can sip chianti and watch DVD's.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlaskaFox
Kelly played RB in Fulhams 3-0 win last night in the Europa, actually got an assist as well, firing over a cross.
Baird was on the bench. Possibly looks like Jol might fancy our Stephen ahead of Baird (who apparently made a few gaffs against Crusaders) for the RB spot. Early days yet I suppose.
No - he play hughes rb with hangeland and senderos at central back .... thats how he started against villa!Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
True, he played Hughes at RB against Villa but I was chatting to a Fulham fan and she doesn't see him being a perm fixture there. Would be a bit weird having a CB playing there ahead of two RBs.
As I said though, it's early days, only a few games in to the season.
Squad watch 20-22/8
Code:Goalkeepers:
Shay Given Started
David Forde Bench
Keiren Westwood Bench
Defenders:
Kevin Kilbane Started Goal
Stephen Ward Started
Richard Dunne Started
Darren O’Dea Started
Damien Delaney Started
Ciaran Clark Started
Kevin Foley Bench Used
Stephen Kelly Bench
Sean St. Ledger Bench
John O’Shea Injured
Paul McShane Injured
Seamus Coleman Injured
Midfielders:
Keith Fahey Started
Damien Duff Started
Stephen Hunt Started
Liam Lawrence Started
James McCarthy Started
Keith Treacy Started
Keith Andrews Started
Glenn Whelan Started
Marc Wilson Started
Andy Keogh Started
Darron Gibson ------
Aiden McGeady Injured
Strikers:
Robbie Keane Started Goal
Kevin Doyle Started Goal
Shane Long Started Goal
Jon Walters Started
Simon Cox Bench
What were you doing chatting to one of them?Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
A lot more "started" and "scored" in Joe's list than this time last year.
Missing my first home competitive match since Portugal home in 2001, all thanks to a buddies wedding in Limerick. Disgusted,
Given,
Kelly (if O'Shea unfit)
Dunne
Sledger
Ward
Hunt (if McGeady unfit)
Whelan
Andrews
Duff
Keane
Doyle
Slovakia result will dictate the other game so will wait for that one.
I got the impression that Trap was more than keen to have a new LB in place, to start ahead of KK. His fulsome praise of Ward, on the morning after the game, was a bit over the top, perhaps he was preparing the soccer nation to handle the trauma of KK not starting a competitive fixture.
Can anyone tell me who's on yellows going into this game, that could rule them out in Moscow?
Glenn Whelan is on a yellow.
The following are the yellow cards I can see on the UEFA websiteQuote:
Originally Posted by JGKyne
Glenn Whelan (as per Kingdom above)
Sean St Ledger
Kevin Doyle
Darron Gibson
Kieran Westwood
Simon Cox
Someone needs to tell Doyler to keep his shirt on after he scores against Slovakia
Clark only came on as a sub, Luke Young went off injured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Andrews has to be the first choice in midfield with Whelan now that he is back fit and playing well. Oh for him to score a goal against Slovakia like he did at the weekend.
Biggest concerns surround the fitness of JOSH and McGeady. Hopefully JOSH will make it (I see he wont feature in the midweek cup game against Brighton), we have more adequate cover for McGeady.
Fingers crossed, nothing happens the likes of Dunne, Duff, Keane, Long and Doyle in the next couple of weeks.
Yep, compared to russia last year, we are far better prepared with our midfield particularly a lot fresher and game ready. That has to help no end, especially going out there. Whelan seems to have stepped it up a level at club too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
All bearing well thus far. Someone said possibly owlsfan that managers(someone also said only good managers but anyway) need luck at the right time. Trap to me seems to be one of these, and he is lucky that all our players bar a couple of inury concerns are all getting lots of game time. I wouldn't put that anyway down to him, but its good that he has developed a big squad and that these players are now getting valuable match fitness at some level leading up to two very big make or break games.
Now, If Joe could get a list of the Slovies and Russkies squad injured/bench/started I would be impressed.
I've a really good feeling about the upcoming games. One thing, is O'Shea going to be fit? Surely if he doesn't play next weekend, he won't play for Ireland. I'd like to see Foley come in then instead of Kelly.
Of the probable starting 11, at least 9 are in good to excellent form for their clubs - Given, Dunne, Ward, Whelan, Andrews, Hunt, Duff, Doyle, Keane. So the only worries based on form are St. Ledger and our right full. That's perhaps the best position we've been in since Trap took over.
And we've options all over the field on the bench - Westwood, Clark, Gibson, Fahey, McGeady (although if he's fit, he should atart ahead of Hunt), Long to name but a few.
Ditto for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Supreme feet
Kelly if JOS not fit, Hunt if McGeady doesn't make it, Duff moving to the right.
do we not lose a lot of duffs threat when he is moved to the right? playing our best players in their best positions is what we should be looking for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Not at all. He plays on the right alot for Fulham and as it happens I was watching Ireland Spain 02 on ESPN classic last night and Duff was on the right tearing the Spanish full back apart. He's such an intelligent player and he can deliver with both feet so I'd have no problem with him playing right wing.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
yes, but that was 9 years ago. he doesnt have the pace he had anymore and constantly checks back onto his right foot when playing rm for usQuote:
Originally Posted by lionelhutz
I don't think Duff ever had to rely on his pace to get by players though. He's always been able to out smart defenders rather than skin them. He may check back now and again but he has no problem using his right peg imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
Also, playing on the right means he can cut inside defenders and shoot rather than always going down the line.
According to Dan McDonnell's twitter, and repeated by a few others:
James McCarthy, Marc Wilson, Jon Walters, Ciaran Clark & Damien Delaney cut from Ire squad for Slovakia/Russia. McShane & Coleman injured.
Which leaves us with...
Goalkeepers:
Shay Given
Keiren Westwood
David Forde
Defenders:
John O’Shea
Kevin Foley
Stephen Kelly
Stephen Ward
Richard Dunne
Sean St. Ledger
Darren O’Dea
Kevin Kilbane
Midfielders:
Glenn Whelan
Darron Gibson
Keith Andrews
Keith Fahey
Andy Keogh
Aiden McGeady
Damien Duff
Stephen Hunt
Liam Lawrence
Keith Treacy
Strikers:
Robbie Keane
Kevin Doyle
Shane Long
Simon Cox
The grudge comes into play after all. Trap can justifiably say a lot of guys played their way into the squad in the others' absence. Everyone else can justifiably say 'Andy Keogh'.
With 2 big games in 5 days, we probably would be using all 4 'wingers' at some stage and needing to use them all. Any one of them pulling out reduces options during the game, Trap has to resort to using Treacy or an excuse to give Keogh a run.Quote:
Originally Posted by elroy
Looking at the CM's, if Whelan gets booked against Slovakia I wouldn't have to much faith in our CM cover for the Russia game...Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
Worrying that Ciaran Clark seems to be well out of favour at the moment....to be honest I had a feeling MCarthy, Walters and Wilson would be given the boot
I'm not that fussed by those ommissions. Only McCarthy has played competitively (3 mins). I'd like to have seen Walters included more than any of the others. Call it a grudge, but I think SvD is mainly right saying there's justification. O'Dea may be primitive but he did well in the two competitive games and Italian friendly. Clark was patchy in his friendly performance.
McCarthy is obviously the headline, but he was never going to play without having impressed in a friendly first.
Despite doing very little wrong, Walters finds himself in the unfortunate position of being behind Robbie Keane (captain) Kevin Doyle (first choice partner for Keane) Shane Long (two goals in two games in the Premier League) and Simon Cox (two goals in five international games, plus one wrongly disallowed)
Oh god, cue absolute furore from certain quarters over McCarthy and co omissions.
To a degree I stand behind Trap, respect must be shown for the jersey. Im sure if we qualify for the Euros, they will all be clambering in the squad. I am undecided if he has been too harsh on McCarthy or not, out of the three I would have liked to seen him in the squad. Wilson looked very poor for Stoke at the wkd, although both he and Walters now appear to be first choice at Stoke.
How is pulling out of 4 call ups in a row "doing very little wrong".Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
He was legitimately injured for at least two and I think for another his daughter was sick in hospital. Walters' commitment isn't beyond reproach but by all accounts he's very keen on playing for us. Sometimes you just can't be there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Murfinator
You think he was legitimately injured on the wednesday of the friendly and then fit again for 90 minutes just 3 days later? Or that when he missed a saturday game for the birth of his daughter it was also acceptable for him to make the adjacent wednesday game despite again playing for stoke the saturday? The guy has wafer thin commitment and trap obviously thinks so too if he's discarding him. Its the right call.
Trap obviously thinks no such thing. All we can glean is that Trap thinks he's better with the four ahead of him, and Tets set out why that could be fairly succinctly. If there's a touch of 'that'll show em' to the decision, it's not at the expense of actual on-the-pitch justification.Quote:
Originally Posted by Murfinator
Around the Carling Cup, Walters was genuinely interested and talked openly about his disappointment at whatever had occurred. Moreover pretty sure he was one of the guys to turn up (or was willing to turn up) in Dublin for a medical assessment for the Croatia game.
I'm taking Walters' commitment at face value. But I agree Trap made the right call, just not for the reasons you say.
To be fair there's a difference between being called into the starting XI and into the squad. I don't see why McCarthy should be left out of the squad altogether. Surely Trap realises that he would at least be a very good option off the bench.
We want to qualify for the Euro's which means you pick the best players you have got at your disposal. Wilson has been consistent for Stoke for a long time & is currently a better player at left back than Kilbane IMO. Walters is obviously better than Keogh. McCarthy is better than most if not all of our midfield players and I personally think Clark is a better player than O'Dea. Hoolahan should be in the squad too but obviously never gets a look in. No problems with Delaney's omission though.
the russia game kicks off at 4pm our time. were people aware of this? i wasn't.
will have to take a half day.
I wasn't but I work in Dún Laoghaire so this bodes well.
Off at four, into the Port View, Watch Russia game, Get Dart to Lansdowne, budda Bing budda boom.
how do you know these players are better international players than those you mention?Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapAPony
we have to rely on a system of play rather than individuals. Trap is just right to go with those that have been involved in 5 clean sheets in a row rather than those who were no shows. mccarthy is just hype for now. have watched him several times for wigan and seen nothing special to date.
o'dea has proved solid in recent games for us.