Predict the Squad/ Starting Lineup for Macedonia

It's impossible to take Trap seriously anymore. He's an absolute joke.

Kilbane (League 1) or O'Dea (SPL reject) starting in front of Clark (with 1,529 minutes of Premiership football behind him this season) is incomprehensible. Acknowledging the fact that he has been a bit of a journey man around the Villa team, he is still far less a risk than the other two starters. Not starting McCarthy (best young prospect in premiership along with Wilshere and Bale) is another grave error. Whelan (with a fine total of 675 mins of premiership football this season) and Gibson (with an equally impressive 404 minutes) are in our engine room instead of McCarthy. Put simply our 2 centre midfielders do not even have 12 premiership full games between them this season! That is a frightening stat!!

I try not to pay too much heed to Trap's embarrassingly inadequate selections because it angers me too much. Irish football will not move forward until we get rid of Trap.

The real shame of it all is that there are some really promising players like Coleman, McCarthy and Clark (not to mention the likes of Clifford, Henderson and Duffy who will soon to come on the scene). Throw into the mix the likes of McGeady, Duff, Keane, Doyle, Long, Dunne and Given, and we could be a serious outfit with the right manager at the helm.

It is far harder to lose your place in the side (Green must feel hard done by. . . .that hamstring injury against Slovakia cost him dearly. . . .) rather than playing your way into it. The only way new players are given a chance is by default, when injury forces Trap's hand. It's a real shame.

Let's be having you Charlie . . . . . . must try to find that "Trap Out" thread, have until tomorrow night to find it. . . . . .

He was definitely at fault for the one he scored against Andorra.

Bulgaria away was awful.

This one?

http://media.tcm.ie/media/images/k/K...rraSep2010.jpg

The four are both Bulgaria games. The Russia game and the Georgia away game (similiar to the Russia game only this time he was next to the defender when he half turned his back and threw out a weak left leg. Thats an experience I can do without)

Surprised nobody has picked up on Trapattoni's comments on starting Gibson - that the line Macedonia defend on is inside his shooting range
So when he gets the ball in an advanced position, he'll more than likely be at a distance he can score from, with time to shoot

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Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar

The four are both Bulgaria games. The Russia game and the Georgia away game (similiar to the Russia game only this time he was next to the defender when he half turned his back and threw out a weak left leg. Thats an experience I can do without)

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Bulgaria at home was not his fault - he did everything right and can't be responsible for nobody tracking Petrov's run from midfield. Bulgaria away was dreadful. Russia he made the wrong choice for but was put in an impossible position by McGeady. Don't remember the Georgia one - will have to look it up.

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Originally Posted by geysir

This one?

http://media.tcm.ie/media/images/k/K...rraSep2010.jpg

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thats quite an epic photo - any chance of a larger version Geysir?

Quoting from 'El Trap' himself...

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'I have told Gibson to get on the ball and when he is on the ball, to shoot.
'The way they play, it is better for Gibson, who can control the ball quickly and shoot.

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Dear me. Gibson only manages to get about 1 of 5 of his shots on target, most of them end up in Row Z.

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'Against opponents who are more technical and creative, Paul Green may be more suited because he is very aggressive.

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What? Paul Green isn't suited to play against ANY team, simply because he lacks any technical ability and is simply not good enough.

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'But in this game, we will have a lot of space until we get to the edge of the box, and I have told Gibson and Aiden McGeady as well to shoot whenever they can.

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Great. Solid plan, what with all the goals McGeady has scored for us....

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'It will be very difficult to work our way into the box, and shooting from outside the box is a good option for us. That is the reason why Gibson and not Paul Green is starting.'

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More bullsh*t. This tells us that Green is ahead of Fahey, McCarthy etc. in the pecking order for selection in the cntre of midfield. But no, we won't pick Green, because we need Gibson to have pop shots and McGeady to threaten to look like he's going to do something....
Don't get me wrong, Gibson played well against Wales and scored a good goal, but it would be foolish to let that mask over the amount of times he was desperately average for Ireland in the middle, and the fact that the majority of his shots end up nowhere near the goal.

I was a lot more optimistic earlier in the week. Now I'm thinking that this could end up as a draw....

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Originally Posted by SkStu

thats quite an epic photo - any chance of a larger version Geysir?

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Not that I know of. I grabbed it from the Examiner

Reminds me of that photo after McAteer scored v Holland

Only thing wrong with that selection is O'Dea at CB, should be Clarke 100%

With Clarke as CB, KK is the best for Full back.

Anyone who thinks McCarthy should start doesn't have a clue. He has played 15 minutes for Ireland and is far too young to be dumped in there with a team that inexperienced. He'll get his cap from the bench and will hopefully impress.

O'Dea shouldn't even be in the squad.

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Originally Posted by MeathDrog

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Don't get me wrong, Gibson played well against Wales and scored a good goal, but it would be foolish to let that mask over the amount of times he was desperately average for Ireland in the middle, and the fact that the majority of his shots end up nowhere near the goal.

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Even by Darron's standards for us, he did not play well against Wales, aside from the goal of course. He was okay, middling, average, not a performance that you would think nailed him the CM spot.
If you think he did play well then I'm sure we will be alright at CM because he can play better than that. Also it sounds like Trap is giving him some sort of a (temporary) license to get forward.

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Originally Posted by geysir

Even by Darron's standards for us, he did not play well against Wales, aside from the goal of course. He was okay, middling, average, not a performance that you would think nailed him the CM spot.
If you think he did play well then I'm sure we will be alright at CM because he can play better than that. Also it sounds like Trap is giving him some sort of a (temporary) license to get forward.

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He played well by his standards and had a good strike on goal, but Wales were very poor and played at a slow tempo.

I wouldn't discourage any player to have shots on goal like, but it just sounds like this is one of Trappatoni's main gameplans that we have to depend on to win. I hope that is not the case.

I don't think he was poor against Wales. He did his usual steady job and we did dominate that area of the pitch, but I don't think the current Ireland team are used to finding space so he can show off his excellent passing range (although Gibson is no better in that respect). If you're looking for somebody to take the initiative in a game, Darron will probably never be it, but he is a player who will enable us to hang onto the ball more.

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Originally Posted by Kingdom

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AS for Gibson, well you can see the reasoning - he has been there or thereabouts for United since Xmas, and to be fair it was the stick which Trap beat him with for long enough, so in a way it's put up or shut up time. But it is nice to see an explanation from Trap (re the line at which the Macedonian's defend) - that's what he's paid to do, and if it comes off well then well done.
We've a centre midfielder that loves to take the ball forward and keept the play progressing and taking pot shots all day long... I think we're underestimating just how forward thinking this team is that's been picked.

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Originally Posted by Kingdom

....... Doyle has done his usual magic trick as a battering ram (particularily so given the mention of Westwoods boomers as an attacking tool)

..... Whether people want to believe it, with the front 6 that he has picked, there is a goal threat from each one....

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Surprised nobody has picked up on Trapattoni's comments on starting Gibson - that the line Macedonia defend on is inside his shooting range
So when he gets the ball in an advanced position, he'll more than likely be at a distance he can score from, with time to shoot

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I did, just didn't emphasise it, I assumed most would have read what I read into it.

Trap is encouraging his midfielders to shoot. What is wrong with that? He may have other tactics in mind but he'd be stupid to reveal anything publicly.

Talk is cheap. Let's see how they play tomorrow. As was said above, as Trap selections go, this one is reasonably bold so let's hope they play assertively and expressively.

The one thing I'm looking for is tempo. If we're better than them we'll beat them by moving the ball quicker than they can react to. If we're not better than them we'll only win by being direct.

Ireland get 3 and Big Mac Attack plays and I will be happy.
I think there has been more talk for this one than the 2 with France, quite honestly. Kinda weird.

o'dea ahead of clarke. what is trap on? it's like he always throws in at least one ridiculous decision just to show us he's in charge.

i hope darren has a blinder tommorow but even if he does it will still of been a stupid decision. getting really sick of trap at this stage

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Originally Posted by Crosby87

I think there has been more talk for this one than the 2 with France, quite honestly. Kinda weird.

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its been 6 months since our last competitive game - i think that has a lot to do with it!!

Trap explains O'Dea selection here by saying that O'Dea is a different type of CB than Clark, a "stopper", and more experienced.

Conservative? No doubt. Ridiculous? Discuss....

I don't think so myself, but Dunne has a big job on his broad shoulders to keep O'Dea concentrating and doing the right things.


But if there is a surprise package, it’s the selection of O’Dea, currently on loan at Ipswich from Celtic, who has been chosen ahead of Ciaran Clark to partner Dunne because, says Trapattoni, O’Dea is a specialist stopper and a player with more consistent experience in a central position than the highly- rated Aston Villa newcomer currently playing for his club at left-back.

"Stopper is stopper," said Trapattoni. "We need experience in this position and O’Dea has more experience."

Today's Examiner

Also, I think we've all overlooked Wilson's ability to play CB.