That Shay Given post was one of the few posts I've read in this thread. I'm trying to avoid it. :)
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I dont think he had a shocker of a season or anything they just wanted Buffon. Point I was making is youngirish was using van der saar as an example of someone who is not suddenly a good player over night because he moved from fulham to man u. when in fact he had always played for europes top teams.
I dont think anyone is saying we are near Sweden's level of performance. As a team we are at best on a par with Scotland/Wales.
The point here is that the plyaers we have are as good (I believe) as those available to many other teams in Europe, including Sweden, who are far more succesful than us.
If that is the case then the problem is with the management.
I just dont agree with Stans line that we should not be disappointed if we dont qualify as we dont have the players at the moment.
Ok Cavan man, serously my friend, tell me, who are these GOOD players we supposedly have, cos i count 3 MAYBE 4 at a stretch
In that context I accept your point. I'm a bit of a goalie watcher (sad) & throughout the 90s I always thought he was a good but error prone keeper. Maybe not even error prone, but there were many occasions where i felt he could have done better.
I think he has improved with age & experience but I felt this at Fulham too, not just since he moved to Man U.
Ok lets be HONEST
Our one EXCELLENT player is our bloody keeper
Dunne is a decent premiership defender playing for a mediocre club
Finnan is a fairly solid full back playing for a relatively poor team by top standards
Duff is a potentially good player, but he has lost his way. Never a superstar but can be decent enough if he is bothered, no ambition
Keane is a potentially very good player but too fond of his own press and certainly no captain
McGeady is the great white hope
Thats it!
One great player, the goalie. A few could be's and the rest are PISH
Basically as Kurt Angle would say, WE SUCK!
Alan O brien isnt even in the newcastle 22 for tonight's game
What is wrong with people being on the optimistic side. YOu seem to take great pleasure in saying we are rubbish. The fact you are using slang like pish hints that you may in fact be from Scotland and here as a wind up but I could easily be wrong about that. Anyway some people like to be optimistic about the future others like to be pessimistic about it. Both can debate their points in harmony. I think what everybody is agreed upon regardless of whether we have a terrible team, a good team, an average team or a very good team is that Staunton is not best man to guide us over the next few years.
A bit off the point but received this email today ...........
Heard a brilliant one today. One of the lads in here was talking to
Wayne Henderson on Sunday..he's his cousin. He was telling him about the
other night against the Czechs. At half time, in the dressing room some
of the players were laughing, joking and saying how well they were
playing.
Paul Mcshane, a 20 year old making his debut jumped up and screamed at
them. His exact words were apparently "all of yiz shut the f*ck up and
sit down, its only half time, don't start licking each others f*cking
balls yet"...and they all did as they were told. Staunton just looked at
them and said "do I need say any more?" and walked out.
ceannaire , i hope you are on the wind up
shay given robbie keane damien duff and steve finnan are far better players than anyone on the scotland and NI teams apart from shaun maloney .
sadly our team is not performing. if our manager can get them to do so then we will be back in action and back up to the top 15-25 in the world where we belong
Great story about McShane
Most international teams we should be aspiring to have the same level of players as we have.
A typical mid European team will have 1/2 star players, 2/3 solid performers at league level and filler players.
Slovakia are better than us and have Stan Varga in Central Defence. Is he any better than Andy O'Brien??
I'll keep saying it, the argument that our players are not good enough is just an excuse for Stan to drift along and fail to qualify.
When was the last time the "world class" Damien Duff scored an important goal......for anyone......?
Its such a pain in the arse reading the Irish media talk about what a world class player he is! He is in his ring! Playing for newcastle, beating no body anymore. He had the potantial to he, but he never delivered.
Mc Shane can't even get into the West Brom team so he's hardly the saviour in central defence we've been waiting for. Saying that I'd play him instead of Andy big nose.
That story sounds like a load of balls btw. I seriously doubt McShane would be so vocal in the dressing room at half time in his first senior appearance.
He's still better than anyone (yes anyone) Northern Ireland, Scotland, Slovakia or Wales have and they are all doing much better than us at the moment.
Fact is we'd have definitely beaten Cyprus and probably the Czechs with anywhere near our first 11 available and a half decent manager and if that occurred you'd be saying how great our players are.
We have a good first 11 overall which if used properly are more than good enough to qualify for a major tournament. There is no need to persist with shi*te like O'Shea, we have alternatives who are better. Our manager is pure s**te. That's our main problem.
How many World Class players do Germany have? I'd only list Ballack for certain (possibly Lahm) yet they on current form are one of the best teams in the world. Duff, Finnan, Given, Dunne and Keane would all have a strong stake for a place in the German first 11. Get rid of the ginger tosser and much of the current problems will resolve themselves.
Better than Giggs?
better than bellamy? i dotn feckin think so!!!!!