Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
I can just picture those dinner parties.
You've written more in one post than almost anyone hasxin the media. He's an eligible player nursing an injury who respects Roy Keane and hasn't issued a come and get me plea, nor has he said he wouldn't play for us. Hardly a saga.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Was thinking more like this... https://youtu.be/BabsgCQhpu4Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
TOWK = Jon Snow
I didn't look at it (work and all that) but I just wanted to be the person to give you your 2000th "thanked". Congratulations.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Ha! Nice one. Wasn't there a foot.ie catastrophe at some point where all the 'thanked' data was reset? And before that there wasn't a thanks feature at all, so we're all being sold a bit short really. :)
You keep telling yourself that.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
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I can't imagine tthere would be too many whimsical japes at a TOWK party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC0968-36s4
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On Horgan; there was a brilliant discussion on OTB last night about where the consensus was that it was much ado about nothing. This is a panel including Kevin Kilbane (much respected Irish soccer legend) and Daniel McDonnell (much respected Irish soccer journalist who writes about LOI and everything else). And that Kenny Shiels is off his nut.
Only Mr A really got screwed, with his puppy post.
And no harm in that really.
This was the consensus.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Imagine bringing him over to Moldova to sit on the bench all the while he's got EL and FAI Cup this week. Madness to think otherwise.
Aberdeen twitter account says Adam Rooney has been added to the squad. Replaces Doyle presumably.
https://twitter.com/AberdeenFC/statu...83514881904640
Pne forum seems to think mcgeady did his hammer and wil b out for 3 weeks which will b massive loss for us in these games where we may need some invention that not many others can give us
Good one.Quote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
watch the txt spk, thanksQuote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
Praise the sun.Quote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
From the Indo:
O'Neill will have to cope without Newcastle new boy Daryl Murphy - the scorer of the equaliser in Serbia last month - due to a calf problem.
Marc Wilson (Bournemouth), Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff) and Stephen Quinn (Reading) all miss out. Quinn made a positive impact off the bench in Belgrade.
Colorado based Kevin Doyle is not expected to travel because of an ankle issue. Aberdeen striker Adam Rooney has been added to the panel.
Arter, Aiden McGeady (Preston) and Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday) were absent from training in Abbotstown this afternoon because they stayed back for assessment with their employers. Arter damaged his groin on club duty, while Westwood is a major doubt on account of a thigh injury. Manchester City keeper Ian Lawlor has been promoted from the U21 squad in the expectation that the experienced netminder will be unavailable.
James McCarthy has reported for duty to have his groin problem assessed, yet the odds are still against the Everton man making his comeback in the Dublin date with Georgia on Thursday. He did engage in light training. Leeds recent recruit Eunan O'Kane is also carrying a knock.
There was no place in O'Neill's final panel for Barnsley midfielder Conor Hourihane who was named in the provisional list for the first time.
Ian Lawlor called up from the U21 squad as well.
No word on any replacement for him in the U21s
It's absurd that Hourihane can't make the final squad in fairness. Look at the amount of players missing/potentially missing in his position.
Thin on the ground with strikers too.
Long, Walters and Rooney.
I have my doubts Walters has 90 minutes in him but he'll be flogged anyway.
And you wonder why we're all so antsy about bringing in Scott Hogan, deep emotional connection to Ireland or no deep emotional connection to Ireland. Well, at least it finally gives Rooney the opportunity to step up to international level and see if he can bring club form with him - I know the SPL isn't the most prestigious league, especially outside the Old Firm, but 48 league goals in 85 appearances is still pretty impressiveQuote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Well you know the expression: wish in one hand, sh.......
Pity about Stokes, too.
Eoin Doyle isn't pulling up trees.
I've championed a call up for Paddy Madden in recent times, but even he's having a tough time of it at Scunny - he's been rooted to their bench over the last few games.
Case for Sean Maguires inclusion maybe?
It's not absurd. It's a value judgment and as things stand Arter isn't ruled out yet. It's not a value judgment I share but "absurd" is stretching it. You wanted Quinn out, he's out. For ages you ask why there's no Rooney. Now he picks Rooney. Walters got an assist for Stoke's equaliser, off the bench. We know O'Neill sees McClean as an option up front. Just give over on the misery and the repetition.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
I'm surprised more people aren't saying this. He looks like a different option to our other strikers too, in a good way. All the noise is about Horgan despite it being a position we're pretty well stocked in. I know Dundalk's European run has fuelled a lot of that hype which is fair enough too, but if I could chose between them right now I definitely go for Maguire due to the circumstances.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Our striking options are looking absolutely dire but enough to get over Moldova & Georgia. Badly need to recruit someone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1OnSeeP8BcQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
@ 3:37
I don't think it was an assist.
I reserve judgment. If Arter and McCarthy join Quinn on the injury list then Hourihane simply has to be called back into the squad.
He's miles ahead of Gleeson. And three years younger.
You know things are bad when you are trumpeting the call up of a 25 year old to bring down the age profile of the squad.
Assuming we are on the same level as a Slovakia or a Slovenia, and using them as a baseline, look at the strikers they select for their squads - both in terms of age, Intl experience, profile and talent.Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapAPony
They make do with what they got.
We are fairly haughty about the strikers we call up.
Why not throw in Best, Doyle, Stokes or Madden? Or even Maguire as someone mentioned.
It's uninspiring but are they any worse than a 37 year old Milivoje Novakovic or Marek Bakos?
We are not the only country with a dearth of strikers coming through. It doesn't mean we have to deplete ourselves or leave ourselves short.
Those lads I just mentioned are all a good age too, between 26-29 like Rooney.
Best is injury prone and is hardly going to get a run out for Ireland again despite starting recently for Ipswich, Stokes is a Blackburn reserve with baggage, Doyle should have retired, Madden is a Scunthorpe sub and they are doing well without him. In any case he has never done it at a higher level than League 1. Maguire might have potential in the future but would need to be scoring on a regular basis against teams from a higher level than the League of Ireland...Adam Rooney...Is he realistically any better than Connor Sammon?Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Is there a case for Madden to be called up ahead of Maguire playing only in League One? It's hardly a higher standard to what Maguire is playing.Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapAPony
There's every bit the case for Maguire ahead of, or at least on equal footing to, an injury prone Best, reserve players in Stokes and Madden and even Adam Rooney, as the SPL is not of a higher playing standard to LOI Premier, no matter what argument you put out.
My point is that I wouldn't call up any of them. None of them are currently good enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Maguire didn't pull up trees in League Two. Didn't look any better than Drennan.
Stokes is a very talented player, scores goals, looked sharp against Germany & Kazakhstan when he got a rare chance. Has actually started relatively well for Blackburn IMO before things took a turn after his strop in Cardiff. I thought his Champions League performances have shown his class.
Madden has scored ****loads of goals in League Two consistently and had a decent cameo against Wales. Can play on the wing.
Even Sammon, as **** as he is, has had his moments for us. Got a few assists and showed a decent understanding with Keane at times. Very unlucky not to score on a breakaway against Spain.
The basis of my point is that we have a paucity of options but lots of teams do. Portugal won the European Championships despite not having a half decent out and out striker since Pauleta.
There's no need to get hung up on Hogan. There are some lads mentioned in the last few posts who could do a job for us, though not as a bonafide regular starter.
Sheridan is another option..
Maguire scored 7 goals as a 20 year old at Accrington in half a season where they finished 17th. Don't think that's too shabby really.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Stokes is incredibly over-rated. He failed to live up to any glimmer of potential he showed as a youngster at Celtic.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Again, League Two is of a worse standard than LOI Premier.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Has he even scored since returning to Scotland?Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
On the Maguire suggestion, I'd be in favour of bringing him into the squad. Even if not as an official squad member it would do no harm at all to call him and maybe one or 2 others in to train with the squad.
I believe O'Neill suggested that he wouldn'the be calling up any Dundalk players to this squad due to the crazy fixture congestion they are up against. It's a reasonable position and I think he has to be taken at his word on that. But the truth is it's not terribly clear what level the top of the LOI is in comparison to the SPL or the Championship in England. Seeing a few of the best non-Dundalk LOI players training alongside players from those divisions might demystify that a little without disrupting what Dundalk are doing at this crucial stage of their season.
A wise person once said we would rue the days after Robbie hung up his intl boots and there's plenty of rueing going on here.
For these games we have Long, Walters and Wesley close by, along with a few good attack proficient midfielders.
The main thing I'd worry about is the imponderable, the fear that Georgia's deserved time to extract something from us is overdue.
Sooo...at the end of all that, Adam Rooney, with two-and-a half seasons with a scoring rate of a goal every 1.77 games, seems to be the right option to come in for now
I'll put out the argument that Harps are in the LoI Premier - and not even in the relegation zone.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
I think the SPL is a higher standard to the LoI Premier. The top LoI teams are certainly comparable, but not the league.
Ditto the English Leagues One and Two - again, the Harps argument. And Longford, FFS. (No offence to Longford fans!)
That said, I'd probably go with Magiure ahead of Madden if we needed to bring another forward into the squad, but there wouldn't be much in it. In my opinion, obviously.
I just find it impossible to overlook his scoring record in the Championship and L1 where he clearly struggled. Eoin Doyle absolutely torched L1 whereas Rooney struggled. Obviously there are other variables when comparing Aberdeen/SPL form to Brum/Championship and Odlham/L1 form.Quote:
Originally Posted by samhaydenjr
Agreed. We have serious problems upfront. Only going to get worse if nothing is done soon about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
So I guess realistically this is probably the team for Thursday anyway? Only possible change would be risking McCarthy instead of Whelan but that seems unlikely. Maybe Duffy could come back in also. For all the withdrawals, I don't think it would have been any different anyway so it's more the bench that has been weakened and the potential to freshen things up for Moldova.
http://www.footballuser.com/formatio...56_Ireland.jpg
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
I think Clark will partner O'Shea at the back...Brady will play in the Hoolahan role...and McClean will start left wing...
Actually those changes kind of reinforce the point that we're not quite as depleted as the number of withdrawals suggest.
I'd prefer McClean as a sub, especially in these type of games where a bit of craft more than brute force is needed. I'm not sure O'Neill will see any reason to drop Keogh but I wouldn't mind if he did. I really hope you're wrong about Hoolahan not playing.
would there be anything to be said for a Joe Mason call up?