Irish players abroad - half way point in season

Here we are, half way through..
Summary of players progress to date coming up to 6 weeks away from play offs (not counting players who are unlikely to seriously play international ball - eoin doyle for example)

Goalie
Randolph back in premier league...may or may not keep place when fabianski returns.
Travers, kelleher not playing. Ohara likely second choice. Not a bad season for our keepers. Travers aside.

Defence
Middling style season.. Duffy may need a move..Clark getting game time....Egan doing well. Coleman recovering some form. Doherty and Stevens the class acts. Mastersons maybe making some ground. Manning emerging. Not much else to shout about. Hope still for Nathan Collins.

Midfield
McCarthy getting a string of games. Hourihane playing and somewhat holding his own..Hendrick seems to have recovered his place while Brady is slipping back. Mccleaan..meh..
Molumby pulling up trees..Jason knight the emerging interest..Browne still getting his game..odowda going backwards at Bristol.. Crowley not declared but doing ok..

Up front

No end of teenage developments. Connolly, obafemi probably furthest ahead. Parrott well debated...Long playing well...
Mcgoldrick playing great, Maguire having a slow season, Hogan stalled at stoke. Robinson, cameos only. Ronan Curtis doing well..

My team of the season so far (not necessarily for march)

Randolph
Doherty Egan Clark Stevens
Hendrick molumby mccarthy
Knight
Mcgoldrick Connolly


Decent half season for irish players. Quite a lot of development. Progress for loads of players. A few less positive stories but overall plenty for Mick to work with and obviously very exciting once kenny gets into it..

Dunno if this is the right place for it but fair play to Ciaran Clark. Was highlighted on match of the day as the man of the match. He’s really turned things around for himself.

Shane Long also deserves credit. It seems it’s the same every season for him. Southampton buy a new striker (Gabiadini, Ings, Adams etc etc) and Long is at the bottom of the pile, then eventually the new striker doesn’t cut it and Shane’s endeavour and all round play earns him a place in the side...

I am very sure that you are not referring to Ings as "the new striker" that "doesn't cut it" but it reads that way!

Yes, it has been really good so far. Have a bad feeling that none of this will matter for the playoffs though. If we see a team sheet containing McClean and Whelan in the starting 11 then we'll know for sure. Mick McCarthy's second run in the job has been a huge disappointment so far. Expect more safe options that aren't actually safe options at all for the playoffs. Lots of hope for the future all the same.

Team I'd start v Slovakia (i.e. no chance of this team starting)

Randolph, Doherty, Duffy, Egan, Stevens, McCarthy, Molumby, Hourihane, Connolly, Long, McGoldrick.

Like I said, no chance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

Yes, it has been really good so far. Have a bad feeling that none of this will matter for the playoffs though. If we see a team sheet containing McClean and Whelan in the starting 11 then we'll know for sure. Mick McCarthy's second run in the job has been a huge disappointment so far. Expect more safe options that aren't actually safe options at all for the playoffs. Lots of hope for the future all the same.

Team I'd start v Slovakia (i.e. no chance of this team starting)

Randolph, Doherty, Duffy, Egan, Stevens, McCarthy, Molumby, Hourihane, Connolly, Long, McGoldrick.

Like I said, no chance.

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I'd say in fairness apart from molumby that team might very well start I think mick would likely pick Hendrick instead. At this stage mick has 1 game left so loyalty does not matter anymore so I think he might go with form players instead. Watching Whelan take a bass from Randolph on the edge of the area turn and pass it out of play on Steven's side against Denmark summed up the panic he brings to an Irish side.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

Yes, it has been really good so far. Have a bad feeling that none of this will matter for the playoffs though. If we see a team sheet containing McClean and Whelan in the starting 11 then we'll know for sure. Mick McCarthy's second run in the job has been a huge disappointment so far. Expect more safe options that aren't actually safe options at all for the playoffs. Lots of hope for the future all the same.

Team I'd start v Slovakia (i.e. no chance of this team starting)

Randolph, Doherty, Duffy, Egan, Stevens, McCarthy, Molumby, Hourihane, Connolly, Long, McGoldrick.

Like I said, no chance.

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I'd say in fairness apart from molumby that team might very well start I think mick would likely pick Hendrick instead. At this stage mick has 1 game left so loyalty does not matter anymore so I think he might go with form players instead. Watching Whelan take a bass from Randolph on the edge of the area turn and pass it out of play on Steven's side against Denmark summed up the panic he brings to an Irish side.

I can't see Mick going with 3 strikers. I do feel that those 3 would offer us a significant threat going forward. When McGoldrick is at 9, they can pull wide. When McGoldrick is at 10, they can tuck in centrally. A potential way we could do it would be to play both Whelan and McCarthy in midfield, with Hendrick or Hourihane ahead of them.

I can't see Doherty displacing Coleman. I think the back 5 is settled.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Olé Olé

I can't see Mick going with 3 strikers. I do feel that those 3 would offer us a significant threat going forward. When McGoldrick is at 9, they can pull wide. When McGoldrick is at 10, they can tuck in centrally. A potential way we could do it would be to play both Whelan and McCarthy in midfield, with Hendrick or Hourihane ahead of them.

I can't see Doherty displacing Coleman. I think the back 5 is settled.

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The bit in bold is basically what I had in mind, but I went for Molumby ahead of Whelan because I think we should pick our best players and I believe at this stage Molumby is better than Whelan. Cullen could also do the job if fit and I would be happy enough with that team if Molumby wasn't there but Cullen was. Connolly on the left, Long on the right feeding off McGoldrick in the middle. None of those three are prolific goalscorers but they are all capable of getting us a goal, as are Duffy, Doherty and Hourihane from that 11.

I'd be amazed if McClean doesn't start though. I don't want to be too harsh on him because he works hard and could genuinely offer something off the bench in the last 20 minutes, but he gives the ball away far to often to be a first eleven pick for us.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

The bit in bold is basically what I had in mind, but I went for Molumby ahead of Whelan because I think we should pick our best players and I believe at this stage Molumby is better than Whelan. Cullen could also do the job if fit and I would be happy enough with that team if Molumby wasn't there but Cullen was. Connolly on the left, Long on the right feeding off McGoldrick in the middle. None of those three are prolific goalscorers but they are all capable of getting us a goal, as are Duffy, Doherty and Hourihane from that 11.

I'd be amazed if McClean doesn't start though. I don't want to be too harsh on him because he works hard and could genuinely offer something off the bench in the last 20 minutes, but he gives the ball away far to often to be a first eleven pick for us.

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Nothing about mcleans season suggests he should start. Glenn was needed in a pinchin the autumn but no reason to stick now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

The bit in bold is basically what I had in mind, but I went for Molumby ahead of Whelan because I think we should pick our best players and I believe at this stage Molumby is better than Whelan. Cullen could also do the job if fit and I would be happy enough with that team if Molumby wasn't there but Cullen was. Connolly on the left, Long on the right feeding off McGoldrick in the middle. None of those three are prolific goalscorers but they are all capable of getting us a goal, as are Duffy, Doherty and Hourihane from that 11.

I'd be amazed if McClean doesn't start though. I don't want to be too harsh on him because he works hard and could genuinely offer something off the bench in the last 20 minutes, but he gives the ball away far to often to be a first eleven pick for us.

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I would have similar set up.
---------------------Randy.
Coleman duffy Egan Steven's
Doherty Cullen McCarthy Connolly
‐--‐--------------- mcgoldrick
‐----------------- obafemi

Conor H. Jeff, and mclean have been so poor this campaign I think it would actually be reckless not to completely change the midfield

Shane Duffy will not be moving. Interviewed in yesterday’s NI Daily Mirror and states he loves it at Brighton and isn’t even contemplating it.

As for McClean providing he is fit then anyone who thinks he won’t start when Mick is manager is indulging in some very wishful thinking. He will continue to be a mainstay in the starting XI.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DCWA

Shane Duffy will not be moving. Interviewed in yesterday’s NI Daily Mirror and states he loves it at Brighton and isn’t even contemplating it.

As for McClean providing he is fit then anyone who thinks he won’t start when Mick is manager is indulging in some very wishful thinking. He will continue to be a mainstay in the starting XI.

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Unfortunately correct and we wont be going to euro 2020

On the whole though, very positive season for irish football so far. An uptick in lads playing at the highest level, more u21 lads getting first team ball. Transfer wise, very quiet. Not going on loan seems to be the trend. Surprised no championship club has tried to buy Curtis though..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dynamo kerry

On the whole though, very positive season for irish football so far. An uptick in lads playing at the highest level, more u21 lads getting first team ball. Transfer wise, very quiet. Not going on loan seems to be the trend. Surprised no championship club has tried to buy Curtis though..

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Not yet anyway. Blackburn supposedly heavily interested.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by liamoo11

I'd say in fairness apart from molumby that team might very well start I think mick would likely pick Hendrick instead. At this stage mick has 1 game left so loyalty does not matter anymore so I think he might go with form players instead. Watching Whelan take a bass from Randolph on the edge of the area turn and pass it out of play on Steven's side against Denmark summed up the panic he brings to an Irish side.

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If I was playing Denmark and my keeper started lumping fish at me I'd probably loose my cool as well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

If I was playing Denmark and my keeper started lumping fish at me I'd probably loose my cool as well.

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:D

In fairness to Mick, he surprised us with picking the likes of Jack Byrne for multiple squads. He travelled to see Crowley not even play in the Dutch Cup final, then went down to Waterford to watch our Under-17s.

I believe Mick only wants the best for Irish football and won't pick based on favouritism. He had to come in to this campaign with no friendlies and we're still in with every chance of qualifying. The group ended poorly for us except for the performance against Denmark, and as we all said leaving the Danish game, if the players perform to that level again, we should be able to get past Slovakia.

I'm optimistic. Have to be!

Not too long ago Stevens, Didsy, Egan weren't around. Now all indispensible for a great Sheffield United team. Clark, McCarthy, Long some others, have shown great character and desire to get back playing regularly.
Just to pick a couple of things from the top of my head. We have an accomplished match-winner in Doherty playing for one of the best teams in the league...
These players will relish the game in March.