Holland -v- Ireland predictions, etc.

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Originally Posted by Slash/ED

Have to agree with Sheridan really, Maybury was poor, but there were a lot of positives to be taken from the game. Maybury wont be around when the qualifyers come around in all likelyhood.

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I shouldn't think so. In fairness, he's not a left-back.

I hope people won't get too carried away by this result; remember how Ireland beat the Dutch in a friendly on the eve of USA '94 and people were crowing about going all the way in the World Cup etc etc - the Dutch put them in their place when it mattered. Friendlies, to be blunt, don't mean sh*t.

Still, a good result with a shadow XI, great performances by Given, Cunningham, Finnan and (for his goal, at any rate) Keane. However (and not that one wishes to be churlish, but...) if Maybury, Quinn and (game though he may have been) Barrett are international footballers, I'm a Dutchman. And that's self-evidently not the case; if I was, I would have been selected ahead of Kluivert.

PS: Slash/Ed - great performance by your chaps last night, Hoolahan and Byrne in particular. Hoolahan (my fav. player in the league) was man of the match imho; I was almost willing him to score the cracking goal he deserved near the end when he slalomed through half our team, only for Robbie to save (instead of doing so twenty minutes earlier, when it might have made a difference :rolleyes: )

A.Quinn worth a place?
I think he's great cover for Keane. Plays really well when defending.
Think we're looking great for the WC Qualifiers!

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Originally Posted by Sheridan

PS: Slash/Ed - great performance by your chaps last night, Hoolahan and Byrne in particular. Hoolahan (my fav. player in the league) was man of the match imho; I was almost willing him to score the cracking goal he deserved near the end when he slalomed through half our team, only for Robbie to save (instead of doing so twenty minutes earlier, when it might have made a difference :rolleyes: )

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Wes is back to the form that earned him an Ireland call up, he was poor last year but has been class this year even when out of position. There's few better sites than in the EL than watching Wes when he's on top. For your side, Derry were apparently absolute rubbish against Bohs and with only one down this year i'd be fairly optimistic if I were you that you could catch them. Dublin are the better team from what I've seen this year imo.

So as not to post totally off topic, today was a good preformance from Ireland in workmanlike way. There were players out there who, while they really haven't the quality to play at this level, worked their arses off and that upset the Dutch. However, imo the likes of Barrett, Quinn and Maybury shouldn't be considered when the real matches come around. However, put the likes of Duff, Keane Miller, O'Shea and the rest back into the side and we've a very good and well balanced side imo.

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Originally Posted by Sheridan

I shouldn't think so. In fairness, he's not a left-back.

I hope people won't get too carried away by this result; remember how Ireland beat the Dutch in a friendly on the eve of USA '94 and people were crowing about going all the way in the World Cup etc etc - the Dutch put them in their place when it mattered. Friendlies, to be blunt, don't mean sh*t.

Still, a good result with a shadow XI, great performances by Given, Cunningham, Finnan and (for his goal, at any rate) Keane. However (and not that one wishes to be churlish, but...) if Maybury, Quinn and (game though he may have been) Barrett are international footballers, I'm a Dutchman. And that's self-evidently not the case; if I was, I would have been selected ahead of Kluivert.

PS: Slash/Ed - great performance by your chaps last night, Hoolahan and Byrne in particular. Hoolahan (my fav. player in the league) was man of the match imho; I was almost willing him to score the cracking goal he deserved near the end when he slalomed through half our team, only for Robbie to save (instead of doing so twenty minutes earlier, when it might have made a difference :rolleyes: )

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Ah now don't be so quick to write players off - this was Alan Quinn's second start and you are saying he isn't international class? Do you remember when Andy Townsend first played for Ireland and i think he went on to be a very good player? The guy is young and will develop. The same applies to Barrett who has a lot of potential as well. International football is different to club football it takes 10-15 games to really know.

Reid needs to improve his fitness levels but is a very exciting player.

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Barrett, Quinn and Maybury

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I wouldnt write off these players just because it wasnt a competitive match, but I think kerr should defintley use them against some of the weaker groups in our group. Who wants to risk injuries and bookings from our best when these players are good enough

true- we still dont knwo if stephen reid is going to develop further

he couldnt have a worse season

for ye lads who actually got watch games instead of listening

did maybury look at all like he imporved over the week?

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Originally Posted by thejollyrodger

I wouldnt write off these players just because it wasnt a competitive match, but I think kerr should defintley use them against some of the weaker groups in our group. Who wants to risk injuries and bookings from our best when these players are good enough

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You run the risk of dropping silly points doing that though, and the whole point is imo, those players while they do try very hard, aren't good enough against the better international sides anyway.

why would we want to rest players anyway- we never h ave before (except keano maybe now)

and don't we usually drop points against the weaker sides as it is - no chances- full team every time

france and maybe brazil could do that but let's not get carried away here

like cypress and (correct me if im wrong, are they in our group) faroee islands?? the only difference is going to be the goal difference. They might not the world class but work hard.

Why risk it, unless our players are on a booking there's no point just randomly resting players really, it can only backfire.

And goaldifference, like you said, is an issue. Remember 2002, the only reason we didn't qualify automatically was because we didn't score enough against the minnows.

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Originally Posted by dynamo kerry

true- we still dont knwo if stephen reid is going to develop further

he couldnt have a worse season

for ye lads who actually got watch games instead of listening

did maybury look at all like he imporved over the week?

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I though Maybury played quite well (everyone did), he did lose
the ball once, but then the Dutch made plenty of errors to.

Incidentally Maybury won the ball off RVanN which A Reid then jinked
to Robbie for the goal.

I am gonna try and record the goal with my webcam off da TV
and see if I can post it somewhere for those who didn't see it. :D

if you do get it done - I can host it

I was at the match. Maybury looked decent enough in the first half, but Holland were playing without wingers. In the second half they brought on van der Meijde, who is a very average winger, and he cuased Maybury lots of trouble. Maybury sometimes also had a knack for not knowing what to do with the ball when he did win it.

Robbie Keane would be my man of the match (although we could have won 2-0 if he wasn't so selfish), pushed close by Kenny Cunningham and Graham Barrett.

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Originally Posted by brine2

In the second half they brought on van der Meijde, who is a very average winger

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My arse, van der Meyde is a quality player and deserves to be starting for Holland. I think your just looking for reason's to slate Maybury.

Well my reason is that he's not very good. Is that enough?

Cunningham was our best player imo.

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Originally Posted by dynamo kerry

if you do get it done - I can host it

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I made a few clips, quality not too bad considering I get poor
reception on C5.
Quite hard to get the colour and brightness right without any bands
but they are reasonable quality, as good as you could
expect from pointing a webcam at a TV, on my fairly low spec PC.

Actualy they are pretty good considering.

I have a nice one of the 'sleeping fan' too :p

I will try and sort out the best ones, some are quite good and you
can manipulate than a lot better than on a video recorder.
I will also try and edit them so they are not too big

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Originally Posted by Slash/ED

Cunningham was our best player imo.

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Cunningham was great, blocked everything, because we defended
deep there was no chance of getting caught out for pace.

Robbie was great too, and Reid, great team effort.

Best away performance in 10 years?

Since:-

Germany (GER) 0:2 ( 0 : 1 ) Republic of Ireland (IRL)
Friendly 1994 HANOVER GERMANY - 29.05.199

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Originally Posted by davros

memory fails me,as to our hapless manager then! :rolleyes:

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Ah, but he wasn't Irish was he? :rolleyes: ;)

The Dutch have been playing in the Amsterdan ArenA (not every match though) since 1996 and played all the top sides. We're the first to beat them there. :)