I agree its early days and a real end of season performance from everyone. Trap,Tardelli and Brady were great when the goal went in! That was great to see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar
But shocking how many people left before the end. Cant and will never understand that...
Yeah you are correct. Duff always plays well for Ireland and even if not at his best is still one of the most important players we have.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
Yeah, the stadium was half empty about 10 minutes before the end. It was only a friendly but considering it was Trapattoni's first game the atmosphere was shocking. It was probably the worst that I've experienced so far. Judging from today's showing from the crowd you'd think we only had one song. At least the mexican wave died an early death though. We really need to get working on new songs or at least air our current ones as much as possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by craig7042
Duf was very lively all night, really impressed with Delaney too. Whelan was pretty wuiet in the Middle, and Doyle was terrible p front, cant lay too much fault on him though as the service wasnt great!, McShane was totally at fault for the goal, Defenders dont do what he did. I was sitting in the Davin stand and had a great view of it, he was all at sea!
I have a feeling Duff and Keane are going to thrive under Trap. Duff's final ball was sometimes poor but he gave the runaround to some of the best defenders I have seen at Landsdowne for awhile. The Serbians have some top players and I love the way they play football. Yet you could see they had real respect for Duff. Very pleasing part of todays game. If the old Duffer turns up for the whole of the next campaign then we can qualify.
Agree with much of this but I completely disagree about Whelan. Thought he was awful, CM is our biggest problem, Miller looked poor though one or two good balls. Whelan gave the ball away too much, not imposing enough, easily my vote for weakest player.
Duff was good, Dunne, Keane, Kiely did OK. Delaney is a possibility. I was impressed with Kelly, looked very composed. Hiunt enhanced his supersub reputation. Goal well taken by Keogh.
A little disapointed in the complete lack of creativity in the midfield aside from Duff. We seemed lackluster and a little uninterested. Was happy with the performance of Whealan and Delaney and they can bot be relativly happy. Both are tough commanding players which is what is needed.
McShaneds mistake was something a school boy would do. It was crineworth. I feel sorry for the guy as he had a good game but in every game he seems to have one major howler aved up that he has to use.
Biggest disapointment for me was Hunt. I thought he was awful and proved to me anyhow that he wont be in the starting 11 come the qualifiers. I thought he was a big let down.
Despite his tough year i think Doyle showed some great touches and was much the better of our two striking options. Nice to see Trap shw that Keane is not an untouchable.
Keogh took his goal excellently and it was nice that we showed a bit of fighting spirit.
however i still fell a sense of disapointment about the game. When the Serbians attacked they looked to have a lot more about them and a lot more running off the ball. We seemed very lacklustre and stern
The game was so...well meh.
Delighted for Trap that Keogh scored.
In relation to atmosphere I and a few others tried our best to get some stuff going on the Hill, but to no avail.
How did you expect to get anything going when the Hill was practicaly empty?
Overall it was quite promising, certainly looked like they had more of a clue than they did under Staunton. Delaney was good enough, and may be a possibility for the campaign ahead, but can't see Whelan being anything more than another Potter/Douglas who isn't going to a complete disaster, but really is way away from being international class.
Oh and McShane and Hunt really shouldn't be starting in that side, neither look up to it. Stephen Kelly isn't an international quality player, really struggled in the first half, and his distribution was brutal.
I was right behind the dugout and got to watch Trap all game long. The man is brilliant, completely passionate and radiates enthusiasm, and he did his best not to look too annoyed when there were schoolboy errors from McShane and Kelly. At the final whistle there was a fist pump and you could tell Trap is very, very up for this.
the atmosphere will improve as the team develops and the games matter more. We're not that bad...
The thing I dont understand is people walking out before the game ends. Thats just strange, weird and very annoying!
Just as long as people feel the atmosphere can improve I'm happy....just saying I tried to get something going...wasn't that bad. Probably the first time I've been vocal at an Ireland match.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jicked
Anyway love to hear this. The man is a legend in my eyes.
There was a Trapattoni chant on the hill after the goal went in.:D
Oh BTW people leaving early is a joke. That actually did annoy me.
People what I need to know is how to I get in line to get tickets for the forthcoming home qualifiers. I want to be on the hill every time.
Problem with that is the Hill is usually for away fansQuote:
Originally Posted by irishultra
Really? Damn that sucks. It could really be good if utilised right. They should put the away fans in the furthest corner of the Hogan stand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
Yeah, the only way to get tickets for the hill is if the away team doesn't sell out their allocation (as far as I'm aware) so it's a gamble relying on those tickets for qualifiers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
thought the defence looked solid, McShane made 2 mistakes, and was lucky to get away with the slack back pass.
Whelan and Miller weren't a great central midfield partnership. In future, I expect it would be one of these + a creative player beside them.
Hunt was poor on the left, and most of the midfield forward play came through Duff, I'd expect him to be dropped on Thursday
Duff played better than I've seen him all season, but still wasn't enough to provide for the front 2.
I find it hard to criticise Keane and Doyle, there was very little support from the midfield and, even if they played the game of their lives, you can't score without the ball
Delighted for Keogh, Trapattoni namechecked him during the week as a player that impressed him, and he delivered.
We need a player or 2 to come out of the woodwork or else we won't qualify. Where is our Houghton or Aldridge? I hope just around the corner.
That and the antics of the numerous clowns more interested in getting Vidic's autograph than watching the game. Seriously why bother coming to a match if you are going to spend it using your mobile to record a player sitting on a bench.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmurphyc
Trying to watch the football after the rugby made it seem soooo dull and boring. the rugby was so fast and exciting in comparison.
Ireland seemed improved since the group stages, with a bit more intent when with the ball. Still should get rid of that gob****e robbie keane
My thoughts:
Kiely did well, but didn't have much to do. Glad to have him back though, I feel safer with him than any of our keepers apart from Shay.
Kelly had a solid game at right back. Glad to see him put in a good shift after being targeted unfairly on here a bit.
Dunne didn't have his best game, and was a bit sloppy with his distribution.
McShane and Delaney were both at fault for that goal. McShane should have been closer to his man, and Delaney should have stepped up. Either way, there should have been some communication going on, and unfortunately it only seemed to start happening after the ball was in the net.
McShane is turning into a scapegoat on here and I think that's a bit unfair. Not a great performance by any means, but the way people have turned on McShane since his debut is shocking.
Delaney put in an okay debut, but I think some people are getting a bit ahead of themselves in their praise for him. The amount of attention he's getting on here after this game really shows how much we need a left back.
Glad to see Duff show glimpses of his old self. Hopefully he'll bring more consistency after a good pre-season.
Hunt was disappointing on the left, but you can see he's tired- he really gave his all to keep Reading up and you can see the toll that has taken on him.
Miller was his usual self- he disappeared for large portions of the game, and would then hit a brilliant ball every now and again.
Whelan had a good debut, but again, not as brilliant as some on here would have you believe. But it is a good start, and he's young enough to improve.
Up front, Doyle and Keane were fairly isolated. Not really much to say about them. Again I'm skeptical that they will form a good partnership.
The subs all did well though, and it was nice for Keogh to score after Trap's praise in the week.
I'm always impressed by Shane Long, and I hope he gets the chance of more starting time with Reading in the Championship next season- I really think he'll thrive there if given starts.
I'm not a huge fan of Murphy as a striker, I prefer him more on the wing...but he does add some height to our team of midgets, and might come in handy in the qualifying campaign.
He always seems to give defences a handful, but he desperately needs to start bulking up. He gets bullied and pushed off the ball far too easily.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Finding a partner for Dunne (shakermaker1982). I agree McShane is not up to it. I've said it all along and nothing has changed my opinion - Steven Reid is the best man to partner Dunne. I know he's a midfielder and it would mean him playing out of position, but it has to be done. Reid has the mobility to make up for Dunne's lack of it and has the aggressive nature required to frighten defenders.
There's simply no one on the horizon among the defenders we have so we're going to have to manufacture one, and Reid is the man!
I watched most of Reading's games this past season, and I'd disagree with you. If anything he gets called for a lot of fouls for barging into defenders.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmurphyc
He wouldn't knock Richie Dunne down, but I've seen him barge over a number of fullbacks.
Haven't read through the thread as too tired. To keep things simple and draw attention to myself, the highlight of my night was me quick-wittedly saying "ah lads ye'll miss a goal" to the people walking out with five minutes to go. And sure enough, they missed a goal!
Keep the faith! :)
How many Cypriots are coming in October?? :confused: :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
I take it that, as a defensive-orientated boss, McShane won't be making more appearances, if goals continue to be given away from balls sailing over his head.
Inclined to think McShane is getting an OTT pasting now. As Tets pointed out -he made two mistakes -in an end of season friendly ...and one of those, the one for the goal, was compounded by Delaney who was playing the Serbian boy on despite having the clearest view of the line. A little more communication and that's sorted. Hardly a banishment offence in any event.
More concerned that too much of what creativity we have, crosses in, goalscoring opportunities and general attacking play involve Duffer which, given his tendency to spend half a season on the treatment table, makes us hostages to fortune when the real shooting war starts.
Set pieces need work too -though our goal had the pleasing look of something that had been practiced about it.
Can't wait to get out of headquarters.
Lionel - McShane is like Titus Bramble in his pomp, he seems to make at least one mistake a game which always results in a goal. To play the offside trap like that was suicidal. You might try those things if you've worked with your other 3 defenders most of your playing career i.e. Arsenal in the 90s and you have some kind of telepathic relationship going on but not with an untried back 4 that has never played together in its whole life!!!
Thats a ridiculous post.First of all ,Dunne very moblie and doesnt need help there, people see his size and just automatically assume he is slow and he is far from it, and Secondly Steven Reid has never played Center half in professional football so to start him there at international level would be stupid, especially considering how good a central midfielder he is and how vital he could be to us in the qualifiers in that position. If we had any midfielder that could be converted to a defender it would be Joey O Brien, he did well there against Germany, but unless he plays in that position regularly for his club we shouldnt even consider him thereQuote:
Originally Posted by mark12345
Boring game, very disjointed performance. That wasn't football we played, it was just a sequence of discontinuous long punts from defence up the field that invariably resulted in lost possession. Sometimes by chance we'd retain possession in the last third where Duff was erratic in his delivery, but decent at taking on his man.
I've said a hundred times that this'd be a decent team if we had a decent central midfield. It has to be remembered that this is a long way from our best midfield pairing. We have better options.
Once I heard the team I thought Miller & Whelan would struggle to get a grip against taller, more athletic and probably more technical players. It was hard to tell on TV but I felt neither showed for the defenders, leaving Dunne to play it long all the time and invariably inaccurately. I'd like to see Whelan again - I've always liked him as a player - but Miller never again. Miller's passing was very poor and he has no physical presence.
This time last year Potter impressed by doing the simple things. Why can't anyone else look to do the same?
Great to see Kiely back, just the presence we need. Delaney impressed me too. Just look what happens when Keogh, a forward, is played as, eh, a forward. Long looked lively and athletic and Murphy added something. Doyle was off the pace but he's had a long tough season and, yet again, it's hard to fault either Robbie or him because the service was so shocking. Nevertheless his place is becoming very much under pressure.
Hunt had a very poor game.
I still have a feeling that playing some form of 3 man midfield may be Trap's favoured "solution" in the near to medium term.
Defence wise he was rubbish imo. Hes another McShane waiting to happen. Very inexperienced and doesn't seem to have the quality for this level at all. Did well going forward but its defenders we want not strikersQuote:
Originally Posted by Hibs4Ever
My thoughts:
1. From the first game he played I knew McShane was rubbish
2. Delaney is rubbish.
3. Kelly is better but not much.
4. O'Shea and Kilbane should be in the defence 1st choice.
5. Robbie Keane should be dropped, Murphy is better than both Doyle and Keane.
6. Duff is rubbish at club level but always puts in a good effort at international level.
Will this team qualify for anything: Not a chance
Sums my feelings up on the game pefectlyQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
yeah Murphy has proved he is better than Keane with all those goals he has gotten at club and international level:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by finnpark
How many of those were penalties and standing in the 6 yard box. His performances for Ireland over the past 2 years have been a disgrace. If you don't agree with that then you don't have a clue. He should not be playing and definitely shouldn't be captain. Put him on the plane back to Las VegasQuote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
First of all he has stated that he definately wasnt anywhere near Las Vegas. His performances in the Premiership for the last 2 seasons have been outstanding and while he hasnt been great for us neither have many of the players, but in Keanes case that has been down to the manager not being strong enough to tell Keane to stop roaming all over the pitch and just concentrate on the last third.Robbies biggest problem for us is that he has been working too hard in the wrong areas, but he could never be accused of lack of effort.Too suggest that Murphy is a better player than him shows that you are the one that doesnt have a clue mateQuote:
Originally Posted by finnpark
There was a noticeable improvement in how to keep the ball as opposed to the Brazil game. I know different class of opposition and all, but in the Brazil game it really looked like a bunch of u-10s playing with a ball down a park. They had no shape, no direction and clue waht to do when they actually got on the ball. Last night they had shape, kept the ball better (still not great mind), and actually seemed to have a game plan (attack the wings), that to me is an improvement.
Individually I think if Whelan can do as well as he did last night in the next few games he will be a fully fledged squad member. McShane's confidence is shot, and he could do with going back to the Championship and re-establishing himself at a club like Wednesday or Wolves. It's good to have Kiely back, Duff did well, but needs to cut out the diving, Delaney looked handy, and I'm still not convinced by the Keane/Doyle partnership.
If I were Trap I'd hope to God I can get a fit Steven Reid on the pitch, tell Andy O'Brien he'll get a run as Dunne's partner, pplay O'Shea and Delaney as full backs, play Andy Reid alongside a hopefully fit Steven Reid, put McGeady and Duff out the wings, give Scannall a start in these friendlies, and I'd recall Clinton Morrison
Quote:
Originally Posted by finnpark
Robbie Keane standing in the 6 yard box? :rolleyes:
If only!!!!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by irishultra
I missed it yesterday, and i've been trying to find some youtube footage of the match, mainly for the equaliser and reaction of course.. Can anyone sort me out with a link?Quote:
Originally Posted by craig7042
I think Brady might have even broken into a smile.
Drop our best player and the only guy who has shone consistently in the PL all season? I know he has not been firing on all cylinders (for us) for a while now but he cannot do anything with the ball if he doesn't have it. All he got last night was long punts into the corners to chase, sure I could run after them kind of balls and you wouldn't notice the difference. It's a waste of the guys ability. Ronaldo, Kaka and co would all look average if they never received the ball. Murphy is a decent squad player and nothing more.Quote:
Originally Posted by finnpark
Quote:
Originally Posted by finnpark
Do goals in the 6 yard box only count as half:rolleyes:
0.4 goals per game in the premiership and for Ireland is about as good as it gets, unless your name is Ronaldo:D