Really poor from Smallbone there; that could have set us up nicely
Really poor from Smallbone there; that could have set us up nicely
And that's a phenomenal save from Kelleher onto the bar
How many seconds was Andrew Moran on the pitch before he sold the jersey in the run up to that goal?
Overall not bad at all. We have been watching awful stuff for so long that Im not sure if people are easily impressed or were we actually good even for a friendly. We have to put in a huge amount of work compared to opposition and not always the return, Senegal off the woodwork twice, the scrappy goal, yet we busted a gut. Smallbone chance yu have to be taking those to if you get them v Portugal and other in WC qualifiers. But not a hard game to watch tonight which is progress in itself.
Have to acknowledge too that Senegal left Jackson, Mendy, Koulibaly and Gueye on the bench throughout, possibly with England on Tuesday in mind. We were solid but didn't create that much, especially after Smallbone's miss. Senegal value for their equaliser.
But still we played ok; continues to feel better than the Kenny era. McAteer lively and deserved man of the match. Idah anonymous for 90 minutes. Phillips a bit of energy about him but would need to see more to see if he's a real option. Finn to get 20 minutes on Tuesday maybe?
Notable I think that Phillips got the nod off the bench over Finn. I'd say he might give Finn a few minutes the next day to keep the social media looneys off his back, but there's little in his club form to suggest he should be involved.
That's a bit harsh on Idah, he was right in front of where I was sitting in the second half. Be never stopped running and was hassling the defendce throughout, all while feeding off scraps.
He's fairly pointless in that kind of game though, doesn't hold the ball up anywhere near well enough. There's a case for him starting against a stronger team where we're going to play counter attacking football, or off the bench against a team we're beating or drawing with and who are chasing a goal against us. But there's nothing in his game that will unlock a well organised defensive setup.
Yeah I though Idah's off the ball work looked good. He made runs and showed for every ball that never arrived. Few times Senegal pushed up with a high line I think to try and get a foothold in our third and it was screaming for a quick ball over the top for Idah to run on to, he was screaming too Im sure. A lot of players would have quit making those runs and drifted deep to get more of the ball in frusration. So I dont think anonymous so much as the old didnt get the supply. A little more long vision maybe and he could have tretched the legs. Senegal quit the really high defensive line not long after they tried it as at some point they'd have been turned. Thats probably the satisfying aspect of tonights performance, they didnt expect much and ended up in a feisty mood by the end after having to try a few things to get a pinball goal.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
If the ball didn't come through to him, it's partly because he was offside so often. He gave up possession too often too. He can run around all the likes but ultimately he has very little real impact. Only site I can find with ratings (fotmob) has him our lowest-rated starter on 6.2. Don't know how reliable the site is but it has McAteer, Brady and Kelleher as our top three players which seems reasonably
It's only a June friendly so not exactly going to get caught up on it. But hopefully Parrott is fit for Tuesday so we can see if he continues his March form
Edit - I should say the only Opta-style ratings. Balls.ie and the Irish Times give him a 5, for example
I think Finn would have come on if Brady didnt have to go off when he did. Wouldnt read too much into it, Phillips looked miles off the standard when he came on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
I was happy with this game over all. I get that any time we do well against anyone we must say that the opposition werent really trying yada yada yada, but we can only look after ourselves. We have a long history of being sh1te in June games and I thought this is the most focused and organized we've looked in a while. Even after we scored we still tried to continue on the front foot and we mixed it up really well.
Smallbone should have scored at the start of the 2nd half, Manning should have picked out Taylor when he could inside just after that, and then the subs kinda changed the game. I thought he took of the wrong player when Taylor was subbed. I would have taken off Idah instead, mainly because I thought Taylor was very good. He wasnt flashy but I thought he really kept the ball moving well. Was always available and made quick simple passes. When he went off I thought our control of the ball went down, and then the rest of the changes kinda compounded it.
For September I think Azaz improves us and I'd start him ahead of Smallbone, with Taylor dropping deeper to where Smallbone was tonight. Knights energy was good so I think Id keep him there instead of Cullen.
I like how Hallgrimsson has us playing. There is a sharpness even in a friendly that has been missing for quite a bit of time and Im looking forward to see how we carry it into the qualifiers.
Current manager has taken the team up a few levels, admittedly from close to rock bottom. Really well organised now, lets see how well that organisation holds up in the qualifiers. Apart from miss that was best ive seen Smallbone play for us. Centre backs and keeper a really good unit. Less said about Morans cameo the better.
I honestly can't understand why Moran keeps making squads. Looking at our qualifying group there isn't a single game I'd be happy seeing him play in. Even Armenia at home could be a banana skin if we don't go at it 100%.
I've said it before but the lad is absolute powderpuff, hasn't offered a whole lot when we have had the ball and worse than a man down when we don't have it, as he showed tonight.
Not a bad result against a team at the level we need to be competing with. Sure, it wasn't their main line-up, but then we were missing, or didn't start about half a dozen players who arguably make us better... Plus Senegal had God up front.
Would I be right in saying that Moran was only there because of withdrawals? Ive been a big fan of him in the past but he has definitely regressed. Fella needs to get in the gym, hes been in senior football 2 years now and hasnt put on an ounce of muscle. You can be a small player and be impactful in midfield but not when you can be blown over by a strong gust of wind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
He was, but we weren't meant to be picking Championship players who didn't feature in the playoffs, which will have contributed to him not being in the original squad. But then he still somehow ended up in there anyway.
Leaving aside the fact that Senegal stood off us a lot, a positive performance, with plenty to be happy about. Kelleher's save was top class (further cementing his status as our No. 1 IMO), Knight's industriousness and willingness to play it forward (thinking particularly of the moment where he played it first-time round the corner into McAteer in the first half) and McAteer's enthusiasmus (to quote an old Trap-ism). Doherty and Brady both did well too, with Doherty's clever pass to Manning showing his quality. A reminder that we need not be so quick to write off our veterans, especially when they're still operating at a high level.
I thought Collins and O'Shea had a few hairy moments, the sort you'd hope would be ironed out by now in a CB partnership, but they kept a good shape at the back too. I remarked to a friend that they don't seem to attack the ball as violently from set-pieces as Egan and Duffy did. They're around the same size as those two, but seem lighter, if that makes sense. Maybe it's just that opponents have just learned how to handle our approaches on that front too, though. The goal we conceded was disappointing - just didn't react quickly enough in the breakdown.
That's an interesting thought. Do we really think national team head coaches concern themselves with the opinions of a handful of random people online? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
This is the main dilemma facing HH right now. I think there is a world where Smallbone and Azaz can fit into the same midfield, but it might be strictly for games where we're going to be in control. Azaz looked phenomenal in the last window, but Smallbone has more to his game defensively.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
A handful of random fans - no. But do smart head coaches play to the gallery a bit, yes of course they do. We only have to look at how long Kenny lasted in the job despite his obvious inability to get results to get a sense of the benefit of having the support base onside.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Hallgrimsson knows full well that calling up the likes of Finn and Honohan will curry favour with a sizeable section of the support, even though the reality is that the two of them will be nowhere to be seen once the serious stuff starts, barring an absolute injury crisis. He has nothing to lose by naming them in extended squads or capping them in friendlies.
The reality is that national teams in particular are prone to having sizeable sections of their support who know little to nothing about football - international football cuts through into the public domain to an extent that mid rank club teams like Ipswich or West Brom or whoever never can. It's what kept the likes of Dunphy relevant for 30 years. So yes, keeping people onside is part of the reality of the job.
A good summation of the point. I actually agree on the broad idea of coaches playing to the gallery and keeping fans/media onside. I just wonder to what extent it figures in the thought processes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
It was also offside btw - Senegal player standing right in front of Kelleher when the initial shot came in. VAR would have ruled it out, but as it happens the world is still turning today without it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
In defence of technology though, I did like the round of applause in the ground for the replay of Kelleher's save onto the bar. Nobody had seen it was a save at the time and the spontaneous, delayed, acknowledgement was nice
Don't want to read too much into a friendly, but was really impressed by the focus and organization, the closing down, and the overall energy levels and drive. Solid all round.
Was impressed and if it wasn't for the mass substitutions I do think we contain them for the 90.
Knight was the underrated player of the evening. I thought he was brilliant and I'm less sure who should start in September between him in Cullen.
And despite it costing us a place or two in the world standings, I think putting Moran on was a good call. He's miles off being ready for the tough international games and that question has been answered now.
Only real concern was that Brady clearly couldn't do the full 90. He hasn't exactly had a tough season so hopefully he has a strong pre-season and can stay fit for for the qualifiers. I think he's really key to us as we have no strength in depth for that position.
Really can't understand why people are so impressed by last night. Yes, first half a good solid display but Senegal's B team were utter horse poo for 80 minutes, subs helped them as expected but we dropped off and invited them on. We did move the ball ok at times, got it up to Idah quickly but set pieces were gack, especially the "long throws" by Doherty, we have to be smarter than that. We need to build winning habbit at home so to chuck it away is annoying against a highly ranked side but result was fair, if it went on another 10-20 mins they'd probably have won.
Big positives were McAteer and Taylor
Maybe it's wishful thinking... I'm always looking for 40 shades of green shoots, especially considering the past few years, but I thought we looked more solid and aggressive and organized than we have been in a while.
I think it's only fair to comment on a Senegal B team if it's also noted that we were missing loads of players as well. No Cullen, Azaz, Parrott (in the squad but wasn't match fit), Szmodics, Johnston or Ogbene, who would all either have started or come on if they were available.
On affecting Heimir's thought processes re team selection and tactics? I'd say less than zero. I heard a good from Didi last night on RTE, "when it's not on, hit it long" . On taking over the job, his first priorities were the obvious team related issues, AFAICS, those were plugging the blatant midfield vulnerabilities the second more difficult one, organising just when and how the team counterattacks and lastly finding out who were the best players for his first team. Alongside that, what he prioritizes is getting the fans behind the team. His method is to explain himself very clearly, be visible and responsive. Heimir is just "playing to the gallery" sounds like a very superficial comment to me. He's impressively intelligent, knows how to present himself and can handle small hiccups such as Bradley's hissyfit with composite ease. Just listen to all the pundits and commentators, they're all behind him (AFAIA), praising him, they're even trying to second guess Heimir assuming his best tactical intentions. No previous Ireland manager has managed to get so many behind the "project", even beloved big Jack had many critics.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
I mentioned a few things about Heimir when he was first appointed, maybe I had mentioned when before the 2018 World Cup in Iceland, Heimir did a tour of the major companies that sponsored the national team. He came to a company I did some work for. Everybody and their dog turned up, fully decked out in team shirts, somehow space was created for about 150 seats with another 100 standing. He came complete with a media presentation of what was accomplished during the qualifiers, with video replays to show how each game had gone and why it went that way, the pits and the tactical successes, how the WC Finals preparations were going and what they were trying to do. with the players. All in all it went on for 2 hours including chanting, cheering, ovations and questions.
.
BTW, Heimir's just out on loan to you guys.
Just to be clear, that's a compliment in this case. I agree, he's clearly a very smart guy.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
That's what worries me. That he's potentially just babysitting O'Shea till the end of the World Cup campaign and then he's off, leaving O'Shea to take on the job (and almost certainly make a mess of it).Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
I get that it was a June friendly, but I would have liked us to make fewer changes, and quite possibly beat a top twenty ranked side on a twenty game unbeaten run, I think we'd have gained more from that than looking at Moran ( get in the fcuking gym lad ), Phillips & Ebosele. We know what Scales is by now and start O'Brien & Ferguson on Tuesday. Taylor was doing well, he was a problem for them, in a position we really need to sort out, leave him out there. I don't see what we gained by any of the changes but we did lose a lead to them.
There's progress, there's cohesion, but letting a win slip we'd have been very unlikely to get, say a year ago, even if they didn't have all their best players out would have been the shine on the apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
I dont think that Smallbone and Azaz are directly interchangeable, but I do think that Taylor might be better suited to drop back into the Smallbone position and Azaz takes up the 10 role that Taylor played yesterday
I dont think its that complicated tbh, I think most people were impressed because we were actually quite good for long periods and it was enjoyable to watch. The opposition is irrelevant, we can be crap against crap teams tooQuote:
Originally Posted by outspoken
Smallbone vastly superior technical player to Taylor and had far more influence on the game yesterday.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
I thought Taylor was our best player yesterday and we lost control of game when he went off. Smallbone might be better technically but hes a bit powderpuff tooQuote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
We dropped to a two man midfield when Taylor went off (Ferguson came on for him). As usually happens when we drop to a midfield two, we were overrun from that point on. It's the lesson we just refuse to learn, for some reason.
Probably what I found most encouraging after thinking about it was how well the team held their shape and pressed as a unit. I agree about Taylor coming off being a big part of it, although he picked up a knock.
If goes back to an earlier debate we had on the midfield and I do think Taylor is going to be the difference. Smallbone as an option when we have the luxury of being more creative.
All in all, there's a starting 11 finally starting to form and that for me is the big takeaway from Friday.
You might be overstating it a little considering the fact that up until the last window there were still a lot of sneering "Icelandic dentist" comments from fans and pundits alike, but he is certainly beginning to win people over, there is no doubt about that. A good friend of mine became a Heimir convert (and Azaz fan) in the last window, renouncing his previous view that Heimir was a spoofer and that the FAI had ballsed it up. I think that sort of Damascene realisation dawned on a lot of fans in the last window. On the point of getting people behind the 'project', it could be argued that Heimir's predecessor managed to get a lot of people behind the plan, so much so that he was probably given greater leeway than others. It just didn't work out!Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Brilliant. I think he is certainly showing his capabilities in that regard with his tour across the LOI grounds. He managed the snarls of Bradley et al well too and didn't come across as condescending. The initial skepticism is wearing off and his intelligence is clear to see. Now that performances (and results) are improving, he is earning greater good will.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
What is absolutely great about Irish football fans, is how so many can watch the same game and see it so differently.
From a tactical perspective, and having had a few months to plan this and clearly with some thought gone into this window, this camp, this squad - looking forward, is that someone decided against a team of physical beasts, that we would drag one full back across the entirety of the pitch - twice - to launch a 'missile' into a box, when the launcher would appear ill-equipped to do so, and on a greasy pitch, not have towels waiting at the side of the pitch to dry the weapon.
England were thumped by them today. I know there's a lot of caveats to that but it puts an extra sheen on Fridays result