From reading a few articles, it sounds like O'Shea's had him training at the back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
From reading a few articles, it sounds like O'Shea's had him training at the back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
Yup, O'Shea's quotes about Lawal:Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
"I have been watching him," said O’Shea. "He is obviously a strong lad, but we have seen the delicate touches from him as well. He can glide past players as well. He did a couple of things in training yesterday where he was stopping runs, matching runs, whether it was fast centre forwards, fast wingers, fast 10s, they struggled to get past him.
"He is really exciting, but he has to keep developing too. Hopefully we will have a chance to see him tomorrow. You never know."
It's almost like O'Shea is on a trial to show more and more why he's NOT qualified for the job rather than showing he IS...Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
What we need is a midfielder, what we don't need is another big strong centre back. This is where player development within the Ireland set up is important, both u21 and Senior should be looking to bring on and develop midfielders, as thats where we have a huge gap. Players playing in a different position to their club position is not unusual in international football. Our famous example being Paul McGrath of course. (obviously not saying Lawal is Paul McGrath! But he'd be a lot more use for us in midfield than at the back). Not really encouraging from O'Shea.
I've been saying it since he went to Celtic and they tried converting him to a CB. Just because they play him there doesn't mean we should. Our need for midfielders is much stronger so should be playing him there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Exgrad
Similar with Alex Murphy. CB might be his preferred position long term but we should continue to play him LB unless he turns out to be a top class CB. Would throw MacNulty in there too.
Try him out at LB with the seniors and see how he gets on, but if JOS gets the job I can't see that as he's already talked about him being a natural CB and wanting to bring McClean out of retirement.
Yadda yadda, the daily split hairs, deflect & then repeat, right across the forum. I'm sure you won't agree that reading, posting regularly and letting on to be well versed in something you actually have only surface statistical gleaned knowledge & no interest in, is really strange behaviour.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Tell me, will you be watching the seniors later ?
I think everything has to be questioned now given what has come to light.
If I don't reply immediately its because I've decided to sign up to a Japanese Botanical forum & I'm in the bonsai section spouting stats like a mad thing to see if there's any crack in it.
Crafty, people are welcome to post here without watching the U21s. Cut this gatekeeping **** out now.
Crafty is right though. Elatedscum wrote a brilliant post yesterday where he highlighted the merits of some of the young talent coming through. It would be cause for excitement with most fan groups, but instead we get the usual morose doom and gloom from posters, some of whom have admitted they dont even watch the players.Quote:
Originally Posted by John83
Idah and Parrotts end to the season were highly enjoyable, again should be cause for a bit of optimism by normal football fans but instead, as SkStu said on the Parrott thread,the constant sh1tting on anything positive "goes against the essence of being a football fan".
Being realistic is one thing, being constantly miserable is another, but most important its better to be informed on the subject you are talking about.... So Crafty absolutely has a point.
The posts most post on here would make question what the word "fan" actually means.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
Most of these posts are not the sort of posts "fans" should be making about a team they supposedly support, I think the term "good weather fans" is a more apt term.
You know it's bad when even mods like John are defending these "fans" now...
It is hard being an Ireland fan right now. Canham has sucked any remaining life out of the support in the last 6 months, but there are glimmers of hope and things to enjoy. A few weeks ago I didnt know if Id even bother watching match today, but now that game day has come around the idiot fan in me is looking forward to the game. I hope there is no one actually in the stadium because I think the FAI need to see that fans are sick of their sh1t, but Im looking forward to seeing some of the players. Its not rational being a fan and its not supposed to be all the timeQuote:
Originally Posted by CSAD
Elated wrote a very good post. I put some counter arguments based on fact, though ultimately it's just my opinion and can be debated. Crafty is just trolling as far as I can see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
If you ask me, its the race to be right, to be the one who "called it".Quote:
Originally Posted by CSAD
There's room for different opinions on potential and merit - - and i'm all for cautious optimism v. wishful thinking (we've all been down these paths before) but the relentless negativity and constant "sh!tting on" as Razor puts it is what really grinds the gears for me - coupled with comparing to other young players who are more accomplished or in the recent instance, less accomplished. We dont need Champions League finalists yet... we can get justifiably excited about players that might get themselves established in the top leagues and help us climb out of the international basement. The potential for progress is a good enough reason to get excited.
You do understand that fact and your opinion are not the same thing right?Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
That post was very welcome. Crafty's reply to it is just to celebrate it now, but before he edited it it contained a dig at Pineapple. I know because I can see it in the mod forum where another poster reported it. We can have informed posts, and enthusiastic posts, and rational posts, and pessimistic posts, but I'd very much like it if we didn't have posts sniping at people posting the wrong kinds of posts. All that makes for is petting squabbling.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
We've been awful for a very long time now. And if you don't think doom and gloom is part and parcel of being a football fan, you must have a very successful club team.Quote:
It would be cause for excitement with most fan groups, but instead we get the usual morose doom and gloom from posters, some of whom have admitted they dont even watch the players.
And who is doing that exactly? Even the much berated Pineapple has expressed satisfaction with both of those. I can tell you personally he was texting goal updates from the Dutch playoff final, which is bloody annoying if you're as many time zones away as I was. If he wants to leven that genuine excitement with an acknowledgement that the level is (for now) a little lower than we'd like in our players then that's his perogative. Honestly, who made you the boss of fans?Quote:
Idah and Parrotts end to the season were highly enjoyable, again should be cause for a bit of optimism by normal football fans but instead, as SkStu said on the Parrott thread,the constant sh1tting on anything positive "goes against the essence of being a football fan".
He can make it in a positive way, celebrating the informative posts instead of picking fights.Quote:
Being realistic is one thing, being constantly miserable is another, but most important its better to be informed on the subject you are talking about.... So Crafty absolutely has a point.
Now, if you don't very much mind, I'm going to insist that the thread return to the topic of the friendlies, and not what makes a proper fan or whatever.
Team news coming soon. Would envisage a team like this:
Kelleher; O'Brien, Duffy, O'Shea; Coleman, Brady; Cullen, Smallbone, Knight; Parrott, Idah.
EDIT: CONFIRMED TEAM:
Kelleher; O'Shea, Duffy, Coleman; Doherty, Brady; Cullen, Smallbone, Szmodics, Azaz; Idah.
Replace Parrott with Szmodics as Parrott hasn't trained with the squad yet and I'd say that's the starting XI.Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Whats that? 4 at the back... 4321? A narrow 433Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Duffy starting over O'Brien is outrageous but otherwise I quite like the look of that team
Kelleher
Doherty
Coleman
Duffy
O’Shea
Brady
Cullen
Smallbone
Azaz
Idah
Szmodics
Coleman as a back three has already been tried and failed... thats why i thought it might be 4 at the back with Brady back in midfield beside Cullen and Smallbone. Azaz and Sammie beside/behind Idah.