I think the criticism of McGeady is unfair. Yes, he's overrated but he's still our best option on the wings with Duff.
Like someone already said....dissapointed that we didnt get all 3 because they were defo there for us but some great performances none the less. A.Reid i think would've made an impact as i taught S.Reid was nearly out on his feet the last 10 or so but still played very well to be fair. Hunt wasnt his best tonight but he always tracked back , maybe thats why Trap is on a bit of a no no about replacing himself with A.Reid??
Real mixed emotions... Pleased with the performance but gutted over the result. Should have won
Hunt simoultaneously answered arguments for and against his selection. His work rate was excellent and broke up play in the middle and at the back, however lost posession way too much and the delivery from set peices wasn't great.
Finnan O'Shea and Dunne were excellent at the back Kilbane had a couple of scares but I thought played well otherwise.
Reid looked gingerly. His passing and awareness is good but he wasn't the athlete he can be and could have covered more ground had he been fit.
Whelan was quality. I hope Pulis was watching. I'm sure Trapp'll recomend him to a couple of clubs in Italy based on this, if he's not a fixture at Stoke by the time January comes along.
Keane showed just flashes of his quality. Doyle needs to grow a few more inches..Nah Doyle worked hard and done well enough but I'd say a partner for Keane has to be one of our problem areas at this point. The measured build up has become a staple but they haven't truly abondoned the punt up field which proved fruitless tonight. I would have brought Murphy off the bench toward the end just to change it against their back four.
McGeady continues to be an enigma.
Good performance and no yellow cards.
Definitely. He actually put in some very good crosses this evening. Yes he should have hit that shot across the keeper but over the two games he did well IMO.Originally Posted by boovidge
Hunt's position definitely looks like the one most in danger.
We are a long long way from Cyprus.
They weren't a bad side. we made them look bad. Its a good point. We might have won but considering the performance i am satisfied. I didn't think Hunt was doing to bad, but he obviously did as his head went down in the last 25 minutes and he didn't seem to believe in himself. Hard to disagree he should have come off at that stage given his performance, but if Trap is looking at the long game it is great for him to know that his manager believes in him. he also had very little support from Kilbane, i can't remember him overlaping once in the game
Would of liked to have seen a striker with real pace brought on for Doyle, but who do we have??
I mean...He's the type of player to be brought on in the last 20 minutes to relive a bit of pressure...I agree and I normally stand up for the guy! He gave the ball away every time he got it. Can't believe Trap wouldn't make a change.
One thing I will say though - what's an "impact sub"? Surely every player is brought on with the intention of making an impact!
Solid performance. We were the better team, no doubt. If we had Duff there instead of Hunt we would have won that game. O' Shea and Whelan played excellent football and they were the two I was worried about before the start of the campaign.I am happy enough with four points but still think we were lucky not to have played Georgia in T'bilisi.
I love it!
People criricised Trap's subs on Saturday saying they were responsible for the goal we conceded. Now tonight he chooses not to make any subs and we do not concede a goal. He still is criticised. Bunch of fools
Anyway, huge congrats to Trap for the way he was made this team do a complete 180 in the space of four games. Georgia and Montenegro are both good sides. Their results to come will prove just how well our lads have done this week.
Cant wait for the home game against Cyprus. Everyone is gonna be so fired up for that one. Fans, players, manager. Good times ahead I believe
4 points, the draw is OK, I not too disappointed as Bulgaria drew here to.
Yes they did and rightly so. It’s the calibre of subs that he brought on not the fact he brought them on. The only subs I would have brought on to-day would be Andy Reid for Hunt and maybe Murphy for Doyle.
Read carefully
Planning for the right result away from home is a tactic in itself, which is what we done. The players looked tired as the game went on, but we kept our shape, we didn't give them ample chances, so why change things around dramatically by bringing on subs - especially Andy Reid - who is not a winger, nor a defensive midfielder.
Still haven't seen a reasonable post on why Andy Reid should have come on - it's not a game of Football Manager where you put on a player with a creativity rating of 20 out of 20 who changes the game in the space of a minute.
Reid and McGeady were ineffective attacking wise, but still they bring more to the table than Reid does on the wing. And, persistence is part of their game, on another day they might have played the same and either one of them could have whipped in a pin point cross onto Doyle's head - a bit like McGeady did in Georgia.
I suppose, going on a tough mission to Eastern Europe, with a ref who only ever gave us a decision when he absolutely had to, we've got to be happy with that.
As has been said, this is what it's like to have a proper football manager in charge. The lads were organised and obviously knew what their role was. At no stage did we look clueless or seem on the verge of pressing the self-destruct button. Basics, yes, but it has been so long since we've looked competent.
Maybe all this professionalism is bringing out the best in John O'Shea. Tonight, him and Dunne were a central defensive partnership. Two games running, O'Shea has been quick to close down the breaking ball, when the opposition were about to have a crack at goal. Taking note from Dunne, who also closed down a ball against Georgia.
I thought the backs showed a lot of intelligence. It was imperative not to get too shirty with them in our own area as the ref was swayed by an impressively partisan crowd. So we made sure we won the ball, and Whelan in particular shielded the back four nicely.
Hunt is a player I loathe to criticise because we know what he gives us. He tries very hard and chases long into the match. A natural footballer, he ain't. And at times it was pretty frustrating viewing. He butchered a couple of passes and his touch wasn't anything special. Particularly annoying was the poor delivery from frees, from himself and McGeady.
I would have liked to have seen Andy Reid come on towards the end, but then again, he doesn't offer the protection Hunt does. I think Andy Reid has to come in for the Cyprus game, give us a bit of invention. We'll have to see which way the injury situation is going nearer the time.
Overall, a solid start, and we kept a clean sheet away from home against credible opposition.
Edmundo wrote:
Code:Srećno na noćas! Ali ja sam iric i mislim Crna Gora jedan - Irska dva :) Vi ste Crnogorac ? Odkale... iz Titograd ?
Yes I am Crnogorac,but not from Podgorica.I am from town called Berane.
Concerning game-Clear penalty in your favor,maybe one more-thank you for that referee
You are obviosly better team than Bulgaria especially in defence,although they are better techinaly.I would bet on you wining twice or eventualy your win and draw in two games against them against them.
At the end I can say that I espected whole different type of match and I am preety suprised how stong you are in defence.
I hope you also saw that we are not so bad for a country of 700 000.
Last edited by Montenegrin; 10/09/2008 at 7:38 PM.
No he is not. Just cause Keane has lumped him out there does not mean he is. This is well known. He is not a left winger
I personally feel Montenegro were more dangerous but we were better on the ball, in terms of ball retention...other than Hunt...
I am preety suprised how stong you are in defence.[/QUOTE]
You're not the only one......
McGeady only has one trick and Keane went missing again.
Hunt is a joker.As much as i think Duff is past his best he is still better than Hunt,McGeady.
Very comfortable point.
Disappointed we didn't win - something was lacking upfront, not sure whether it was a bit more guile or just a bit of old fashioned physicality.
I thought almost everyone acquitted himself well but Hunt infuriated me. Worked hard and definitely contributed to the direction of the game but his set pieces ware simply atrocious and his general distribution poor.
Duff could have had a field day against this lot.
Who ever said we had problems in central midfield?
Defence was rock solid - take a bow the much criticised O'Shea & Kilbane.
The team is definitely taking shape. It looks cohesive and functional which is something we haven't been able to say for a while. That by itself compensates for not winning in my mind. My only reservation is that points won now can compensate for unexpected or undeserved points lost in future.
My wish list: Duff in for Hunt, McGeady to be more assertive and the front 2 to be more threatening.
Could Andy Reid have improved things? Maybe if we'd taken Hunt off, played slightly narrower and with McGeady playing a freer role behind Keane & Doyle. Did Montenegro have the width to exploit this shape? Not sure but I don't think so.
Reid is a winger and the reason I would have brought him on is that Steven Hunt was clearly knackered and because the game was there to be won Andy Reid was the man to win it for us. Hunts delivery from set pieces especially was bad all game and Reid would have been an improvement and the man to deliver a pin point ball to Doyle’s head or Keanes feet.
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