I'd be wary of making wholesale changes here. It's a new manager with, presumably, a new style. We need the spine of the team out for this one so they can effectively get a competitive friendly under their belts. Throw in a youngster or two - certainly sub them on if the game is won with 20 to go - but I don't think it makes sense to play a B team
Understood pineapple, but really of that side, Browne, Stevens, and Maguire are the newbies. The rest are part and parcel of the set up now. to be fair, none of them are kids.
Shaun Williams and McGoldrick are mature players at this stage.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Well Williams and McGoldrick have 8 caps between them. Yes, they're mature in that they're past 30, but they're not regulars at national team level.
I'd pick a team on merit tbh. The first game for a new manager is too important I think
Obafemi confirmed as missing the rest of the season. Robinson unlikely to be available. So with that in mind....
------------------ Kelleher ----------------
--- Coleman O'Connor Duffy ---
Doherty Arter Johansson Brady
---- O'Dowda Connolly Curtis ----
Has Johansson ever even played a first team game?Originally Posted by backstothewall
Give up the coke man.
Yeah, that's exactly the kind of stuff that I think we need to avoid. It doesn't aid us at all in getting to grips with a new manager.
His back's to the wall.
Four not only uncapped players, but kids who have never played a club first team game for points even, make up the spine of the team ?
Under a manager here to qualify us purely and then step aside, away in a must win Euro qualifier (don't care V who)
Christ, they aren't even lads you could argue we need to cap tie.
Something more hallucinogenic ill wager.
Where have we ever seen the likes? How could anyone contemplate something so crazy?
Short memories.
It's Gibraltar. That side is easily good enough to put 9 past them. I'm suggesting this because we need to get some youth and pace into our side. We've looked utterly turgid since the Euros.
If we invest minutes into these lads now at 17 or 18 their development will benefit tremendously. With any luck by 20 they will be in the team on merit and will hopefully be part of our team for a decade or more to come. Fairly symptomatic of the issues we have been having in recent years that experimenting by giving a debut to a 17 year old kid who seems to be very highly regarded at Bayern Munich is deemed "hallucinogenic", while experimenting by giving a 3rd cap to a 32 year old playing in the English 3rd tier with Millwall is deemed as an entirely sensible approach.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
I don't think there's any need for that. To be fair, if you look at two of our neighbours (who we generally look-down upon), Wales and them upstairs, they never miss the opportunity to cap young talented players who are physically able. They do it for different reasons - resources mainly - but you'd have to say that they've done as well, if not better, than what we have done, so the policy hasn't effected them negatively.
Would Wales cap Kelleher, Johansson, Connolly and Curtis. Without missing a beat they absolutely would.
To be honest I think it's the type of thing we're too slow to do.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
I'm curious to know how much work people think Kelleher or O'Connor would be likely to be called upon to perform in this game. I deliberately picked a young goalkeeper and centreback as part of the 4 rookies because we should be safe enough against Gibraltar if we somehow end up with me in goal, and if at some point we need someone to make a mad dash back to win a footrace against their one forward after it's been booted clear it would do no harm to have an 18 year old kid who can turn on the afterburners in a way that Keogh or Egan probably don't have the capacity to do these days.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Hadn't seen your second post before responding, but I do agree with a lot of it.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
What I do know about Kelleher is that his use of the ball and his command of the box is apparently beyond belief for his age. That's just an opinion obviously.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
I've not heard much beyond the potential they feel he has. As I said above given the opposition it seems very unlikely our goalkeeper will be called on to show off much of his abilities.
For me much of the benefit would be in them coming in to the squad and experiencing all the things that go with a senior international with qualifying points on the line. The training camp, and the day of the game. Being around the hotel and learning the names and faces of the support staff. Being on the bus to the stadium. Being issued with a kit. Standing for the anthems and being introduced to the First Minister of Gibraltar and all that stuff.
It means that if and when they are called upon to do it again against superior opposition none of that will be new to them.
Millwall are in the championship but that's irrelevant. Williams may feature as McCarthy seems to rate him, but regardless of who we start I don't see us winning 9-0. I also think for a first game we won't take too many chances... the same squad will be used for the Georgia game a few days later after all, so it will be largely familiar faces I expect.
Will Keane may feature I suppose - very hard to get excited about that. He's 26 and has scored 8 goals in his senior career.
Last edited by zero; 27/02/2019 at 12:02 PM.
I hope someone at least mentioned that to Rice.
Wales have qualified for one competition in over half a century and NI two. They are not a good barometer on how to do things. While i expect us to win relatively easily. Check Gibraltar recent results, they have clearly improved greatly. Connolly is injured. I'm not sure if O Connor has played a senior game of football. He has Duffy on the left side of the back there. Johannson is untested. He played recently for our u19s and was only ok. The goalkeeper question for the moment should only be Randy or Westwood. ( sorry about the coke gag, but his selection is nonsense)
Interview tonight on off the ball on the football show at 9pm Irish time with mick. The off the ball lads earlier were saying mick said In the interview that it will be Coleman or dockherty not both
It's all well and good to want to blood in new players in general, but we've just had a year of rebuilding and player experimentation and our squad from the Euros has to be built from that. The game against Gibraltar is one last chance to give some of the players who have emerged from that period with their reputations enhanced an extra competitive cap along others whose club form makes them serious options for the qualifiers. The following realistic options all have fewer than ten caps:
Doherty, Stevens, Cunningham, Egan, Hourihane, Williams, Browne, Robinson, Maguire, Hogan, O'Brien, McGoldrick and Curtis.
Plus O'Dowda is really starting to do well and an extra cap where he really has the opportunity to be central to the game would certainly help.
Plus it will be Mick's first game in charge and he will need to see how the actual team gels in advance of the crucial game at home to Georgia.
Plus three of our likely strikers (Robinson, Maguire and McGoldrick) have yet to break their international duck while the other (Long) is in desperate need of goals
Plus Dan Crowley, maybe, depending on paperwork
Plus James Collins, maybe, if Robinson doesn't make it back from injury in time.
Plus we only beat Georgia 4-0 when we last played them away. And since then, they have improved, notching up wins against Armenia, Latvia, Liechtenstein and Latvia along with draws against Liechtenstein and Estonia.
As regards the possibility of Kelleher playing, those defenders I mentioned would probably be better off getting experience playing in front of Randolph.
If one of our youngsters really starts to progress in the next few months, then the games against Bulgaria and New Zealand would be far more appropriate for seeing how one or two of them fare.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks