was my mistake originally but have no idea how to correct it if I even can at allQuote:
Originally Posted by jmurphyc
was my mistake originally but have no idea how to correct it if I even can at allQuote:
Originally Posted by jmurphyc
In fairness, its a common mistake due to the spelling of Christopher Columbus.
So, predictions for tonight?
I'm going for 2-1 Ireland
duffs form for us is good and thats all that matters. would rather see him out left though, much more effectiveQuote:
Originally Posted by rambler14
Just hope McShane doesn't fock up all the hard work the rest of the players put in. 1-1 for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by amaccann
Trap will fix the problem at the back, for now, 0-0 or maybe 1-0 to us sneaking a goal in the last 15 minutes.
I'll go with another 1-1 with either JOSH or McShane making the mistake which costs us a goal. As for Duff he isn't the player he was but he is still putting in good performances for us but I'd prefer to see him on the left, is McGeady any good on the right?
I reckon another draw - 1-1. Doyle.
An Ireland win. 2-1 for me.
Does anyone have any idea how good this Colombian team is? How did they do in the last Copa America? have they started their 2010 world cup qualifying campaign?
3-2 Ireland in a thriller.
Or maybe a dour 0-0. :)
I think they might nick it. But, it doesn't matter. If we can see some good passing, and a solid team display, then that is fine with me. The Norway game in August might hold more importance. Not that this game doesn't matter, but the result does not.
Didn't Colombia beat Argentina 2-1 last November? Pretty sure they did.Quote:
Originally Posted by lionelhutz
Ya they beat Argentina 2-1 in WC qualifier, they have won 4 out of 4.Quote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
Sounds like it'll be a good test for us then. Agree that the performance is more important than the result, usually the two go together thoughQuote:
Originally Posted by smellyfeet
Argentina 4 - 2 Columbia Thursday, July 05, 2007Quote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
Goals: Edixon Perea (10), Crespo (19, pen), Juan Roman Riquelme (34, 45), Jaime Alberto Castrillon (73), Diego Milito (90)
On November 17, 2007…Colombia won the match 2-1, obtaining 4th place in the world cup qualifiers.Ruben Dario Bustos and Dayro Moreno
From the Indo - Thursday May 29 2008
Trap door closing on Irish hopefuls
Giovanni Trapattoni has handed some of Ireland's fringe players the chance to impress against Colombia at Craven Cottage tonight
UNDER the previous manager the experimenting never ended but with Giovanni Trapattoni you sense that the tinkering will cease once proceedings conclude at Craven Cottage tonight.
The 69-year-old will take on Colombia with an Irish side that is unlikely to reunite for the business that really matters in the autumn. Read between the lines of the Italian's somewhat scattered English, and the resounding message is that experience will be a key factor in his selections for the World Cup qualifying campaign. This time around, the plan is quite simply a two-year one.
Aside from the old reliables, only prodigious youths with exceptional talent or elder fringe players who show an understanding of his system have a genuine prospect of involvement in Tbilisi and Podgorica in September. Tonight is arguably the last chance that some of his party from the last fortnight will have to prove they hold those credentials; August's trip to Norway should contain a few more familiar faces and less legroom.
So for the likes of Glenn Whelan, Damien Delaney, Liam Miller and Paul McShane, in addition to whatever substitutes are introduced against the South Americans, this is an opportunity which must not be sniffed at. The confidence shown in them by Trapattoni would suggest they are destined to be squad players at the very least during his tenure, but leaving a positive impression will do them no harm if they're looking for more.
"I've said in the past that you can't change five or six players in two months," said Trapattoni yesterday, speaking at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. "I don't want to change a certain amount of the squad.
"But maybe now, Miller, Whelan and Delaney have a chance. The experience in the qualifiers is very, very important. I need players with that personality. The young can give us power, they can give us energy but experience in international football is very important."
After 12 days in camp, with media duties on almost every one of them, there's only so much that Trapattoni can say right now that hasn't been said before. Repeatedly, he has stressed his happiness with the players who have been around for that time, and their growth in confidence.
Nevertheless, hanging over all of those platitudes is the reality that when Lee Carsley, Kevin Kilbane, Steven Reid, Andy Reid, Shay Given and, maybe, Steve Finnan, Andy O'Brien and Stephen Ireland come back into the fold then many of those who have worked with Trapattoni at close quarters in this window will be watching from afar come August. Some will return to the U-21s, the elder ones banished to the periphery. You can understand the frustration of those who didn't see any action on Saturday against Serbia, and may not do so tonight either given that the only changes to the side see Aiden McGeady and John O'Shea return from their club commitments into starting berths.
It drills home the point that Trapattoni is concentrating on building a functioning unit comfortable with each other rather than simply having a look at everybody. He's done all his monitoring on the training ground.
Instead, the little details that he is looking for ahead of this game relate to the tempo at which his team plays, with Trapattoni adamant that his side can still progress up the pitch a little quicker in more calculated fashion without simply resorting to hoofing the ball forward. He was vague enough in response to a question suggesting this game might give Ireland more attacking freedom as it's anticipated that the Colombians will be positive, but he seemed to be of similar thought.
"In the past, the defence of Ireland has been catastrophic and we need to work on that. But now we have an opportunity to look more confident in all areas. It's a different question, but I hope against strong opponents we can play better and be more assured.
"We want to go up front more, and we tried in the last game, Delaney got a lot of crosses in. We want more of that, but only if the opponent attacks and we have more freedom and more space."
With Robbie Keane by his side, Trapattoni attempted to clarify what role he preferred for his captain, making a comparison to Francesco Totti before reining back and asserting that while he wanted him to drop off the front man like the Roma star, he wasn't stating that they were similar players.
Keane quipped that he wasn't as good looking as Totti anyway, but intimated that he would prefer that kind of flexibility rather than simply being deployed further forward.
"At club level I do it a lot, and it suits me a lot better. As I said before, with Tottenham my role was a little bit deeper than my role was before with Ireland and I like that, it's my favoured position."
The 27-year-old acknowledges, however, that if such a system is to work, with him dropping off Kevin Doyle, then the two wingers will have to be of a high quality in terms of providing an outlet. With Damien Duff and McGeady in situ he is confident in that, and he has been particularly impressed by the improvement of the latter over the past 12 months.
"Ask any striker, to be alongside two wide attacking players like them, it makes your job a lot easier. I've noticed that Aiden is a lot stronger, a lot more mature compared to when he first came into the squad.
Fantastic
"He's been fantastic in the games I've seen him this year. People can say what they want about the SPL but what he's done this year is tremendous. He was a deserved Player of the Year and in any Champions League game I've seen him play, he's roasted the opposition full- back. He's getting better and better."
That's good news for Ireland and particularly for Trapattoni who has consistently stated that the Celtic youngster will be an important part of the jigsaw for the next two years. He's one of his chosen ones.
"When we have a certain 12 or 13 players in the squad, we can play against anyone," he asserts.
For those conscious that they are outside that number, this relatively low-key end-of-season friendly may yet prove anything but meaningless.
Ireland (v Colombia) -- Kiely; O'Shea, Dunne, McShane, Delaney; Duff, Whelan, Miller, McGeady; Keane, Doyle.
Looking up the squad on wikipedia they seem quite inexperienced. Only 2 have more than 30 caps and the only 2 I know are Guarin and Zapata. Are they in rebuilding phase? As a national team they have dropped out of sight a bit since the Valderama/Higuita days (though I gues they could say something similar about us!!)Quote:
Originally Posted by FarBeag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombi..._football_team
Good man trap dont ye love reading things like this. None of the crap from staunton saying we are building for the future blah blah blah. Can you imagine if staunton was still there now saying well its a chance to bring in some new players etc etc. Got love everything about The Trap so far. Couldn't be more positive and assertive.Quote:
"When we have a certain 12 or 13 players in the squad, we can play against anyone," he asserts.
Yeah - he's exactly what was required. Anything is possible with the right attitude and application. As he has continually stressed to the players "Remember Greece. Remember Greece".Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
The players have nowhere to hide now as I think we could have no issue with the new management teams pedigree.
His enthusiasm is infectious.