they aint a premiership strikeforce. long defo aint up to it at the moment, think he will be though eventually.
Printable View
Never mind "FFS". What are you on about? Someone mentioned the fact that they are a 'premiership strikeforce', I am entitled to my opinion, and was pointing out that I don't believe Long is currently up to the standard expected of a premiership striker.
With regards to his age... did you read my post? I recall mentioning that he may be up to it in the future.
Shane Long scored a hattrick against Arsenal Reserves last night, as Reading ran out 6-0 winners.
Jon Hayes and Stephen Hunt also featured for the Royals.
Joe O’Cearuill was in the Arsenal line-up.
I can't wait to hear how British commentators pronounce his name if he makes the first team.
Kayhill passes to Dockerty, who feeds Mayre. He lays it off to Joe O'Keeroowil but his shot his saved by Flawvon.
(references to Kevin Maher and Daryl Flahavan thrown in, as that's how their names were pronounced on ITV last week).
Just thought I'd finish this debate once and for all. Who is more Irish? Shane Long, From Gortnahoe in County Tipperary, star of the Tipperary Minor Hurling team when he was sixteen, and also played for Cork City in the Ericom League, or Lee Frecklington of Lincoln City?(who was, for some inane reason, picked ahead of him)
Case Closed, methinks.
Don't really want to get into this as we've debated the 2G thing here endlessly. I don't know anything about Lee Frecklington, I don't know whether or not he's a chancer in the Noel Whelan mould. For argument's sake, let's assume he is, in which case you're taking two extremes and ignoring the middle ground. I don't think a crude definition of what is and isn't Irish helps anyone - surely there's a degree of personal choice - and least of all when that extreme is a GAA-playing son of the soil.
My mother feels as Irish as anyone, having lived here since she was 7. But she was born in Birmingham to Irish parents and felt English until she was in her late teens. Over ten years or so, she felt more at home here and felt less affinity with Birmingham and England.
A nationality isn't necessarily made of concrete - it can change. Frecklington may well just fancy a handy international career to boost his profile and knows we're looking for players. Or maybe he's always wanted to play for Ireland, who knows?
Staunton has an inferiority complex. His quotes on searching the globe for talent back this up. For some reason he suggested Kerr ignored 2 & 3Gs when it was Kerr who brought McGeady into the squad. I would expect nothing less given the people Staunton has surrounded himself with. All are either english or wannabe english scouts/"advisors"...
All things being equal he will pick an english player with irish great granny than any irish player. How else can anyone explain picking a lincoln City player for a B international. Its not as if he justified the inclusion either on his performance.
1 player in 4 years, who had already declared for us, yeah Kerr was all about the 2nd and 3rd generation players.
Staunton has spent the whole of his career in England, making contacts in English clubs, and being trained by English coaches. He respects their opinions and methods, we would say worse things about him if he brought in someone he knew nothing about
Kerr only played 2 Eircom League players AFAIR (Crowe and Byrne), if the rest were not good enough under Kerr, what makes you think they're good enough for Staunton? He's already given Byrne more of a run out then Kerr did. The only players that really came through under Kerr were Andy Reid and Aiden McGeady, and he hardly gave McGeady a fair crack of the whip - although he wasn't playing well at the time.
Kerr was routinely criticised for not bringing in new players to the squad, his starting line up and tactics rarely changed from game to game, even from year to year. There were 10 players from his first game that played in his last game!! (For the record the players are: Carr, O'Brien, O'Shea, Dunne, Harte, S.Reid, Holland, Kilbane, Morrison, and Doherty). At least by bringing in the likes of Emanuel, Frecklington, Lawrence, Ledger, etc Staunton is trying something new.
What players recommended team mates? Ledger was recommended by Ron Atkinson (Staunton's former manager) after working with him at Peterborough. I don't know who recommended Frecklington or Emanuel.
In fairness, Kerr brought in 15-20 players. He just didn't feel any of them were good enough for the first team.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be parochial and outwardly nationalist, but its got be dismaying when outstanding homegrown talent like Long (scored goals in the Championship, agaisnt Liverpool, and figures regularly in the Premiership) is disregarded. And in his place, a random and may I court controversy, wholeheartedly English(Until 3 weeks ago maybe) Lincoln City player. I remember George O'Callaghan saying he got into a massive fight with Brian Kerr because Kerr brought on some inferior British Exeter player instead of him in an underage game. O'Callaghan felt it was an absolute joke,and didn't play for Ireland again, but he was so right. Where's the pride in the indigenous set up?
Its a real pity that Stan is manager at this current time. I actually think we have decent players(when most are fully fit) and there are some great young lads coming through... But you need someone who actually has a scooby doo to take advantage... I stand by my judgement that a draw against the Czech's was the worst possible result we could have got. If we lost, he'd be gone by now. If only...
But at least our tactics change every game cos we have none. :eek:
Back on topic, If Staunton thinks players good enough he should actually go & watch himself. He asked Steven Carr & Damian Duff for their opinions of Alan O'Brien & since he only played part of a pre season friendly they probbaly never played with him in first team game. :rolleyes:
Just out of curiosity, what players did Kerr cap?
Off the top of my head
Paddy Kenny
Nicky Colgan (not 100% on him)
John Thompson
Liam Miller
Andy Reid
Stephen Elliott
Martin Rowlands
John Byrne
Clive Clarke
Aiden McGeady
Jon Macken
Out of these, Kenny, Elliot (when he's been fit), Andy Reid and McGeady have gone on to be mainstays in the squad. Miller still has a chance but he has to make up for 2 years at United when he rarely played.
Andy Reid
Liam Miller
Alan Lee
Alan Quinn
Paddy Kenny
Martin Rowlands
Aiden McGeady
Stephen Elliott
Jon Douglas
Clive Clarke
Joe Murphy
John Thompson
Jason Byrne
Michael Doyle
Jon Macken
Paddy McCarthy and Kevin Doyle were also in a squad or 2 while Kavanagh became a regular squad memeber under Kerr.
I would put Long's absence down to the downright insanity that's going on at management level. Frecklington could be as Irish as they come but Long - I think - deserves his place in the full squad. He's in the Premiership with a team that's doing relatively well - end of debate, really. That's the issue for me, more than a debate over who's more Irish.