Ireland V Germany 12th October & Faroe Islands 16th October 2012 - World Cup 2014 Q

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Originally Posted by geysir

I can try to move it up another sviði :)

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An Icelandic joke? YUSS! I get jokes.

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"Bæmarkaði-Sviði á Smiðar", it's not Icelandic but similar, meaning somewhat distorted from the pure (scandinavian) stuff.
Bæ = town /city
markaði (genitive/dative case?) market

sviði = classification/level/catagory/type
smiðjar = woodwork

I'd expect a 6/10 for this guess - at the town market - various woodwork types. carvings possibly?

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Jaysus, Google is pants sometimes.

I got Bæ as Farm. Sviði as field/area. Smiðjar came from when I translated Blacksmith and then I attempted to Pluralise it.

So, eh, can you translate it for me then: Margadh na Feirme-Smithfield

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Why has Trap changed his phillosophy/policy/system? He is playing all these attacking players? Playing players we always wanted and discarded his own defensive approach? Do you think perhaps he wants the sack?

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Desperate measures, cornered dog response.

I'd prefer a cornered dog(well breed specific), than a cornered rat.

Wilson will hoof it more accurately to Walters.
We're back to 442, with Walters up front. And with Fahey dropped, that can only mean one game plan.
Why can't we have a ball player like Fahey in there? What is the big fear of having a player who is all-round competent and can pick out a pass?
Brady is a prospect - why not bring him on after 60 minutes or so? if and when the game is safe.

It just shows that Trap's idea was to clutter the midfield against Germany, with no assigned or valued technical roles for each midfielder or one that suited each midfielder.
And now the 3 central midfielders tactic is up in smoke? How on earth would a team set up like that, hope to compete against any other team in the group?

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Originally Posted by geysir

What is the big fear of having a player who is all-round competent and can pick out a pass?

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McCarthy is that player.

Keith Fahey was ****e against Germany.

I'm glad Ward has gone.

I've have moved Coleman to RM and played Kelly at RB.

O'Dea is a lucky lucky boy after that dire showing on Friday, same goes for O'Shea.

The Trap is relying on his captain BIG TIME tomorrow. If Keano has a bad night at the office & heads start to drop then the Trap will be gone by the weekend.

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Originally Posted by brine3

Keith Fahey was ****e against Germany.

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A bit unfair on Fahey, his job was to keep Ozil quiet.

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Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I'm glad Ward has gone.

I've have moved Coleman to RM and played Kelly at RB.

O'Dea is a lucky lucky boy after that dire showing on Friday, same goes for O'Shea.

The Trap is relying on his captain BIG TIME tomorrow. If Keano has a bad night at the office & heads start to drop then the Trap will be gone by the weekend.

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How O'Shea is still there is merely down to lack of options. He was beyond gash. And he should be slowly removed from the squad.

I've always tried to defend him when I can but mother of lord.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Why has Trap changed his phillosophy/policy/system? He is playing all these attacking players? Playing players we always wanted and discarded his own defensive approach? Do you think perhaps he wants the sack?

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I think the FAI are putting pressure on him to change some things with regards playing younger players and changing the formation. Which seems to have pushed Trap out of his comfort zone which is to the benefit of nobody. Last 3 squads have been very untypical from Trap.

As for the game, we're relying on Robbie Keane heavily tomorrow both for leadership and goals. Bit of a sad state that he has to take a pain killing injection against the faroes when we have Long/Cox/Keogh around too but in the circumstances we need him.

I really hope this means Walters will be playing in his wide Stoke role, not the big knock-down man that he was employed as in Astana.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

I really hope this means Walters will be playing in his wide Stoke role, not the big knock-down man that he was employed as in Astana.

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The Kazakh defence was very good and bossed him that night, there's no harm trying it again but if he gets dominated aerially again we need to be flexible and able to revert to Plan B.

Team v. Faroe Islands:
Westwood, Coleman, O'Shea, O'Dea, Wilson, Brady, Andrews, McCarthy, McGeady, Keane, Walters

Let's forget the Germany game for a moment - this is probably the most attacking line-up Ireland has selected in a very, very long time (dating right back to Mick's tenure).

Coleman: excellent attacking right-full, rightly selected and hopefully going to make that position his own and put an end to the travesty of JOS at right back.
Wilson: been saying this for a long time, he is not just our best option for LB, he is our ONLY option. A solid and versatile performer. Hopefully this will be the last we see of Stephen Ward for quite a long time.
Brady: outstanding so far. Very cocky, confident and exciting - can shoot from range and has a brilliant setpiece delivery. This is a good time for a character like him to come in - fresh face, full of self-belief, untainted by the maulings we've had (save for the 5 minutes he played against Germany, when he had the assist for Keogh's goal).
Andrews and McCarthy: not a holding CM between them. Andrews is a guy who should always be playing further up the pitch. McCarthy is a classy, technical ball-player who will hopefully dictate the tempo.
Walters and Keane: okay, I want Long to be in from the start. But we need a proven performer like Robbie to dig us out. Walters is someone I'm pinning some moderately high hopes on as being a big contributor for Ireland over the coming years. I feel that whoever the next manager is will use him a little differently and get more out of him.

Thoughts lads?

Pleased to see Wilson and Brady included and happy that the 'Cox on the wing' experiment seems to be over.

I'm a bit worried about centre of defence. O'Dea will be short of confidence and O'Shea needs to pull his finger out.

Wilson is a welcome addition.

I'm not fussed about reverting to 442 because I doubt the Faroes have enough in them to dominate midfield, unless we allow them to. I'd hope that Coleman can be free to focus on offensive duties.

McGeady is lucky to be retained. I'm losing pateience with this fella. I'm beginning to think his tricks and gimmicks would be best suited to the freestyle circuit.

I hope the players take it among themselves to play their own game, use their heads and give it a proper go. We'll win by at least a couple if we do that.

John McDonnell knows the Faroese well. He says they will have put so much into the Sweden game that they'll be knackered after a while against us. We need to starve them of the ball and keep them running around.

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Originally Posted by centre mid

A bit unfair on Fahey, his job was to keep Ozil quiet.

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By the way, WTF was that about? Fahey was probably the least defensive of our three centre mids against Germany, yet he's shackled with a man marking job? Baffling. Along with McClean and McCarthy behind the striker, I think Trap has no idea what to do with the third CM.

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Originally Posted by centre mid

A bit unfair on Fahey, his job was to keep Ozil quiet.

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Not sure if it was Özil's doing that caused Fahey to pass the ball straight into touch a couple of times when under no pressure.

Centre back is a real worry tomorrow, it was noticeble on Friday how much of a disconect there was between midfield and defense in those central positions. O'Shea and O'Dea were constantly dropping off and leaving a sizable gap between themselves and the midfield. Andrews, on a nubmer of occasions had to bawl both O'Shea & O'Dea out of it. Whatever about O'Dea and his relative lack of experience, O'Shea shouldnt be getting these basics wrong. I suppose it echos the point already made above about how important Dunne is to this team.

RE Fahey

He looked shattered by the time he was taken off, its just not his game. Point taken though, he didnt play well in possession.

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Originally Posted by BonnieShels

How O'Shea is still there is merely down to lack of options. He was beyond gash. And he should be slowly removed from the squad.

I've always tried to defend him when I can but mother of lord.

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It's only a few days ago people were calling for JOSH to be played at CB.
Make your mind up!

In Trap we must trust

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Originally Posted by centre mid

RE Fahey

He looked shattered by the time he was taken off, its just not his game. Point taken though, he didnt play well in possession.

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I don't know why we don't use blood transfusions like everyone else - ideally German blood!

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Originally Posted by the doc

It's only a few days ago people were calling for JOSH to be played at CB.
Make your mind up!

In Trap we must trust

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I speak for all Ireland fans?

Awesome!

My overall opinion of Robbie Keane's worth, when Long remains stuck outside the starting line-up, is going to be heavily influenced by this game.

Good attacking line-up. I would still have questions about Brady's experience, but I said before that a team like the Faeroe's was a good one to start your international career proper against.

I do think we will win, I expect a bit of cop-on and commitment after Friday. Any news on what the weather will be like?

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Originally Posted by Paddy Garcia

ideally German blood!

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Careful now...

Anyone know where one can watch the match here in Canada? It doesn't appear that GOLTV are showing it at all.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

McGeady is lucky to be retained. I'm losing pateience with this fella. I'm beginning to think his tricks and gimmicks would be best suited to the freestyle circuit.

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He can rip teams to shreds if given a bit of room to run with a counter attack. Our style of play doesn't suit him at all. However, he did easily unlock the Andorra defence last time so I'd definitely have him in against another minnow.

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Don't think Kelly should be starting ahead of Coleman, not until he's starting regularly again at Fulham
O'Dea for Clark is the only change I'd make there.

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I agree with you about Clark and O'Dea but not Coleman, I don't recall him making any mistakes in particular and he played a key role in the goal.
I don't know for sure if he is a better defender than Kelly, I certainly can't recall any blunders but I am pretty sure he is better going forward
and if we are not going forward against the Faroes who can we go forward against?

Glad to see Brady is starting, at least Trap is reading my stats posts!! :p

I'd expect the Faroes to play a pressing game higher up the pitch,
but after they go a goal ahead they tend to fall back to protect it, then Ireland should get the bulk of possession.

Anybody want to guess Westwood's distribution?
Hand passes to back 4 V Hoofs upfield
3 completed sideway/forward passes V Ball sent back to Westwood or hoofed upfield by back 4

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Originally Posted by geysir

Hand passes to back 4 V Hoofs upfield

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Heard he was a daycint half-back in his day alright

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Originally Posted by geysir

I'd expect the Faroes to play a pressing game higher up the pitch,
but after they go a goal ahead they tend to fall back to protect it, then Ireland should get the bulk of possession.

Anybody want to guess Westwood's distribution?
Hand passes to back 4 V Hoofs upfield
3 completed sideway/forward passes V Ball sent back to Westwood or hoofed upfield by back 4

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Munster will never forgive Back. Ever. He knows what he did.

Maybe some of you have seen this before but I found this stat on Opta:

Republic of Ireland have attempted fewer tackles than any other European team in this qualification campaign (24).[

Overall, I think Trap should go but if someone could just persuade him to address fundamental issues of his tactics/management style, I think he would still be worth a shot. Let's face it, none of the alternatives being presented are inspiring. They might bring about some improvement in a CPR kind of way, but they'll come with other problems.

Sadly, I think he's too set in his ways to change. FAI should have grown a pair and dealt with him before hand. Maybe if Denis O'Brian had sent around a man in in ill-fitting Primark suit late at night. Tis all too late now.

Ha ya that dirty hand in. That was typical of that England team though. They have lacked that "professional" anything to win attitude for a while. All stemmed from johnson i suppose, should we open up that cheating debate again, murfinator will duly oblige i'm sure.

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Originally Posted by OwenGoal

Republic of Ireland have attempted fewer tackles than any other European team in this qualification campaign (24).[

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Illuminating. I'm not really sure why, but in the last year or show the team has changed from stand off-ish, disciplined but obdurate and strong to completely standing off their men at all times and simply sitting in their zones without having the gumption to really compete for the ball when it gets in dangerous areas.

We've conceded a remarkable amount of goals from ping-pongs in and around the box, whereas before I'd expect someone (probably Dunne) to bang it clear.

Players are to blame for not taking responsibility, management is to blame for not nipping it in the bud and giving them a rocket by dropping those underperforming.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Why has Trap changed his phillosophy/policy/system? He is playing all these attacking players? Playing players we always wanted and discarded his own defensive approach? Do you think perhaps he wants the sack?

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Is it not just a reaction to being under severe pressure?

Also I'm not all that sure he's been more attacking last two games, so much as he has finally trusted players who happen to be more attacking (McCarthy and Coleman). It could've been Meyler and Kelly in a not so removed parallel dimension, but seems he's actually gone with the guys who have first team games this season.

The inclusion of Brady/Wilson isn't all that more attacking than classic Trap selections (Duff/Kilbane).

The proof in the attacking pudding will be how we play ball tonight. I'd like to think if he's actively making an effort to change our mentality, it'll be represented in keeping the ball and building attacks.

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Originally Posted by OwenGoal

Maybe some of you have seen this before but I found this stat on Opta:

Republic of Ireland have attempted fewer tackles than any other European team in this qualification campaign (24).[

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Dunne did the tackling of 11 men.

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Originally Posted by OwenGoal

Maybe some of you have seen this before but I found this stat on Opta:

Republic of Ireland have attempted fewer tackles than any other European team in this qualification campaign (24).

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*Waits for Stuttgart88 to tell us how many tackles Barca have made this season.* :p

I've no idea whatsoever.

I think fewest tackles attempted (not made, attempted) is a telling stat. We don't even try to tackle.

What changed against Germany from say the Croatia game? We didn't concede an early goal against Germany but around the half an hour mark in both games we fell further and further back. And never recovered a foothold in either game. I can remember Andy Townsend saying that under Charlton when Ireland scored a goal or started to come under sustained pressure the team as a unit would push further up the pitch, not drop further back. Thats what we have to start to do again.

I think the Germany game showed just how important Duff was for us in these games. He was about the only player we had capable of receiving the ball to feet and retaining it, buying the time needed by our players to catch up and get into space. I thought this was really noticable at the Brazil game in London. We fell to pieces when he went off. We were semi-competitive up to that point. Our Euro nightmare might have been worse without Duff.