You can balance that out against our awful record against Austria though. So three points would still be an excellent return from these two games whichever way you look at it!
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You can balance that out against our awful record against Austria though. So three points would still be an excellent return from these two games whichever way you look at it!
mcshane is not in the squad...
David Forde, Keiren Westwood, Darren Randolph, John O’Shea, Sean St Ledger, Ciaran Clark, Marc Wilson, Seamus Coleman, Stephen Kelly, Darren O’Dea, Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy, Paul Green, Wes Hoolahan, Jeff Hendrick, James McClean, Andy Keogh, Robbie Brady, Robbie Keane, Shane Long, Conor Sammon, Jon Walters, Simon Cox.
McShane is out for the rest of the season with ankle knack.
...or is this all part of Trap's grand plan?
edit: "fans' favourite"
http://www.thisishullandeastriding.c...#axzz2O6Mj6x8L
Is he really a fan favourite? We all hate him! Perhaps he has regained some of that form we saw when he made his debut against the Czech back in about 2007? The match in which Kilbane scored our equaliser?
I don't want McShane anywhere near our squad, but I don't wish him any harm. It certainly would be nice to have another Irish player in the Premiership next season as we don't have nearly enough these days.
He won player of the month for Hull last month as far as I remember. He's had a rough couple of years but he seems to have established himself as their main man in centre defence now.
edit: Kilbane put us 1-0 up against the Czechs. The equalised almost immediately with a shot that any keeper in the world an inch taller than Wayne Henderson would have saved.
Poor JByrne doesnt know what year it is again. Concussions are so horrible.
I remember this being previously reported before another game and I think Trap went ahead with his "first eleven" selection. Was it at the Euros? If he sees his "second string" hammering his "first eleven", doesn't it raise serious questions in his own head with regard to those he's favouring? It'll be interesting to see if he considers/makes changes based on what he's seen in training.
I don't think it's fair to say we hate him; he's our Paul. I certainly don't hate him. He has great heart; something other players sorely lack. It's just his ability is very suspect, but it's Trap who regularly selects him, after all. Who in their right mind would turn down a call-up claiming they weren't good enough so as to make way for another player?
I don't hate him, I just don't think he deserves to be in the team. Could say that for a lot of players.
The only difference between McShane and Clark is McShane has been given the chances to screw up in the past and has the scars to prove it. There's plenty more lads on the peripheral who certainly look like they have that capacity as well but were never allowed showcase it, like Clark.
People relax, why all the doom and gloom?
I predict a draw, plus a sending off.
Back your team and country
Yes some questionable selections but that's football.
In Trap we must trust.
McShane is 27. Clark is 23. In 4 years time you can talk in the past, if proved right, hardly now when the guy is still learning and only in his first proper year in the premiership.
Well, doc, I'm backing the team too, but I don't see why we 'must' trust in Trap.
Lot of friendlies coming up this summer it seems, just a pity our manager doesn't even try to learn anything from friendlies.
Well, judging by the squad, it probably had two of McCarthy, Hoolahan and Hendrick in midfield! Not hard to see how they might be superior to Trap's chosen two. I would rather see Hoolahan ahead of Green in a two-man midfield if we're stuck to 4-4-2. Yes, before anyone states the obvious, I know it's not Hoolahan's usual position but I'd still rather have a proper footballer in there. Trap is sabotaging our chances if we start with Whelan and Green in midfield. Do we not learn anything from the Euros? From basically having 6 or 8 (if you include the wingers getting back to cover the fullbacks) defensive players on the park and 2 (or 4) isolated attacking players, disjointed with no link between the two blocks? From failing to retain possession for any more than a few seconds at a time?
So it seems like the Green-Whelan midfield is on, meaning we're looking to strangle Zlatan out of the game and hoping for a 0-0. Anybody fancy going to the zoo or a nice long walk on the beach on Friday night?
Strangle Zlatan before the game might work.
HOLY FCUK(I didnt really believe it yesterday when i saw it):
"That's unless Giovanni Trapattoni has a change of heart after seeing the performance of the trio that opposed his apparent first choice in training."
"With a flurry of one-touch passes, James McCarthy, Jeff Hendrick (pictured) and Wes Hoolahan pulled their squad-mates all over the shortened pitch and clearly got the better of the fare in the end-of-training match.
Their touch and movement were a joy to behold as they carved the first-choice midfield and defence open time and time again."
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-29144694.html
While I don't doubt they would be a much better midfield, I'd be a bit wary of Indo hyperbole on the subject. A "flurry of one-touch passing" probably translates closer to "they could pass the ball a bit".
starting XI announced: https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status...60767113134081
Quote:
IRL team v Sweden: Forde, Wilson, Clark, O'Shea, Coleman, Green, Whelan, Brady (TBC), McClean, Keane, Long
team confirmed:
forde
coleman
o'shea
clark
wilson
brady (provisional!)
green
whelan
mcclean
keane
long
It said pretty much the same on joe.ie and the score yesterday. I assume its not the same journalist writing in all 3 places.Quote:
While I don't doubt they would be a much better midfield, I'd be a bit wary of Indo hyperbole on the subject. A "flurry of one-touch passing" probably translates closer to "they could pass the ball a bit".
Why is brady provisional?
No it would be different people but I wouldn't take Joe seriously, or the Score really, and the Indo writers' anti-Trap agenda is fairly well-established at this stage. I'm sure they passed the ball well but I would wager my house that they're exaggerating.
Who'll start otherwise in place of Brady?
Could be junior or stutts, i wouldn't be half surprised.
The fan favourite Cox, and probably switch mcclean.
Andy Keogh! Last time he started on the left in a qualifier he was subbed after what? 20 minutes?
Andy was on the right side in Italy when he was subbed.
HUGE difference, he's ace on the left.
Green and Whelan, sweet lord. Why should we trust Trap when he obviously doesn't trust his squad of players and show it by picking a footballing midfield. Can someone remind us of the definition of madness which we have heard here a few times before? Doing the same thing and expecting a different result. If we get anything from this game, it won't be by design but by chance.
Paul green in the team, trap hasnt a clue, and maybe bring in kehoe even more clueless. Whats wrong with mccarthy and mcgeady?
We'll just have to Green and bear it.
According to some live tweets to the presser Trap said he wanted to midfield to sit deep to combat Zlatan and free Coleman to go forward, suggested he couldn't ask McCarthy to do this.
Interesting he seems to have decided the Cox wing experiment was a failure but it could be worth taking another look at that renowned sideline hugger Andy Keogh. Meanwhile we definitely can't play Wes Hoolahan out-of-position on the wing (naturally).