Montenegro V Republic of Ireland - Wednesday, 10th September 2008 - World Cup 2010 Q

[lionelhutz]

Ratings out of 10;

Given - 8.5 : Pray that he stays fit. Magnificent save from the deflected shot - im pretty sure 90% of keepers wouldn't have been able to change direction as quick. A couple of other solid saves to boot and non-stip orchestrating of the defence.

Kilbane - 6 : Solid enough 1st half but he got out smarted a couple of times too easily in the 2nd half - particularly for the Vucinic chance where if he went down, he probably would have got a penalty. Too easily turned.

Dunne - 8 : Great partnership forming with O'Shea. I think he has a calming influence on O'Shea. All no nonsense defending, some crunching tackles put in that were borderline frees but the ref was lenient. Thought he could have played a simple pass at times instead of hoofing it though.

O'Shea - 8.5 : I must say I doubted his ability to play centre half but he's been excellent for the two games. His reading of the game was McGrath-like and he looks very comfortable longside Dunne. A few timely interceptions too.

Finnan - 7.5 : Defensively he was brilliant and tried to support McGeady most of the time going forward. I can't recall them getting a cross in from his side. Though he didn't get many chances to put his trademark crosses in. Great to have him back.

Hunt - 5 : Extremely poor. Puts his head down and runs at defenders like a headless chicken. Needs to be alot smarter and realise the right time to have a go at defenders and when to hold back and play a simple ball. His crossing was atrocious too.

Whelan - 8 : I thought he outshone Reid last night. He really stepped up in the 2nd half when Reid looked like he was struggling. He constantly showed for the ball off defenders and played some decent balls out wide. Put some solid tackles in too and generally controlled the middle. His dink over the defender and shot on the half volley was lovely - would have been a beautiful goal.

Reid - 7 : Seemed to be struggling a little with injury. His reading of the game was still top notch and he was a steady influence on the team with some lovely passes. Seemed to tire badly in the 2nd and probably should have been replaced.

McGeady - 7 : He was very lively - especially in the 2nd half. He drew two defenders at all times and was alot more intelligent with the ball than Hunt. Won a number of frees, put in some great crosses in the 2nd half though he should have done better with his chance.

Keane - 7 : Living off scraps really. Great turn and shot that was saved by the keeper. Excellent vision and skill to create the chance for McGeady too. Didn't like seeing his tantrums again though.

Doyle - 8 : Worked so hard for the team, held the ball up brilliantly, won frees to relieve pressure and didn't give their defenders any space. Never got any chances at goal though besides the miscued effort that Hunt tried to turn in.

[Closed Account 2]

The match was tense, gritty and both teams played with an element of fear.

I thought that Dunne had an excellent game, he was given the task of marking Vucnic (Montenegro's best and most experienced player) and he did this very well for the full 90 mins.

In my opinion McGeady was also very good, it was dissapointing about his shot at the end, but for the whole match he seemed like the only player who could link the midfield up with the attack. Steven Reid and Whelan are great midfielders but they tend to both be a bit static, as others noted Hunt didn't have a great game so our only dynamic element of midfield was McGeady. He is an exceptionally good dribbler, his crosses can be good too but he needs time to place them, he didn't get that last night (also bear in mind we have no significant height upfront so there is less to aim at). One thing I noticed about McGeady last night was his willingness to collect the ball and just run with it down the wing. On numerous occasions he would just run with the ball into space, keep posession providing relief to the rest of the team. It's clear that the sweltering Adriatic heat caused a huge problem for a lot of our players, McGeady's willingness to take the ball and run was vital for the rest of the team.

I think Montenegro are a good team, they certainly have a large amount of pace and skill in key positions. It will be interesting to see how they play away from home. Traditionally sides from the former Yugoslavia are very strong at home but tend to resort to a defensive style when they play away. This usually negates the advantage they have over the opposition (individuals with a high level of technique), I think Filipovic will deploy this tactic away from home. I think Montenegro will win at home against Cyprus and Georgia and I think they will probably (hopefully) get a draw with the Italians at home.

Again it was great to see no yellow cards for us last night, that means no suspensions for the Cyprus match next month and, even though it will be tense, I can see us winning it this time by one goal. It looks like Trap has installed a degree of discipline in the team and hopefully there will be fewer suspensions in this campaign.

[Drumcondra 69er]

I was disappointed we didn't win the game given the fact that we had at least one utter stone wall penalty not given and that if McGeady had gone across the keeper at worst I reckon we would have had a save from the keeper at the feet of one of Doyle, Keane or Hunt who were all steaming in.

But we look a team again, were solid and once we got to grips with the game after 15 minutes or so we dominated it. We would have been very unfortunate to have lost that game but no one will find it easy going there, they look a decent side but they go down way too easily, hate seeing that.

John O'Shea looks a different player under Trap, can't fault him defensively or concentration wise the last 2 games. Really think it would do his development good if he was to join a club where he could play centre half week in week out but can't see that happening. Credit where it's due, delighted to see him improve.

f we can win all our home games bar Italy (a draw may be enough there for Trap) we'll be there or thereabouts.....

[Pike B]

The match was tense, gritty and both teams played with an element of fear.

I thought that Dunne had an excellent game, he was given the task of marking Vucnic (Montenegro's best and most experienced player) and he did this very well for the full 90 mins.

In my opinion McGeady was also very good, it was dissapointing about his shot at the end, but for the whole match he seemed like the only player who could link the midfield up with the attack. Steven Reid and Whelan are great midfielders but they tend to both be a bit static, as others noted Hunt didn't have a great game so our only dynamic element of midfield was McGeady. He is an exceptionally good dribbler, his crosses can be good too but he needs time to place them, he didn't get that last night (also bear in mind we have no significant height upfront so there is less to aim at). One thing I noticed about McGeady last night was his willingness to collect the ball and just run with it down the wing. On numerous occasions he would just run with the ball into space, keep posession providing relief to the rest of the team. It's clear that the sweltering Adriatic heat caused a huge problem for a lot of our players, McGeady's willingness to take the ball and run was vital for the rest of the team.

I think Montenegro are a good team, they certainly have a large amount of pace and skill in key positions. It will be interesting to see how they play away from home. Traditionally sides from the former Yugoslavia are very strong at home but tend to resort to a defensive style when they play away. This usually negates the advantage they have over the opposition (individuals with a high level of technique), I think Filipovic will deploy this tactic away from home. I think Montenegro will win at home against Cyprus and Georgia and I think they will probably (hopefully) get a draw with the Italians at home.

Again it was great to see no yellow cards for us last night, that means no suspensions for the Cyprus match next month and, even though it will be tense, I can see us winning it this time by one goal. It looks like Trap has installed a degree of discipline in the team and hopefully there will be fewer suspensions in this campaign.

Run it to where exactly? He didn't put one cross in, and fluffed his only chance. Take off your Boys In Green Tinted Specs and look at it from a footballing point of view. The guy was limp, predictable and bloody well useless.

[Closed Account 2]

Run it to where exactly? He didn't put one cross in, and fluffed his only chance. Take off your Boys In Green Tinted Specs and look at it from a footballing point of view. The guy was limp, predictable and bloody well useless.

He would dribble from the edge of our box or the middle of our half into the oppositions half usually down the channels. If he hadn't been prepared to run
with the ball as much we would have played more of the game in our own half and then invited Montenegro to camp at the edge of our box, which was the usual away scenario under Stan...

McGeady (or any other wide player for us) has very little to aim at, physcially, in the box for us. If he has time (e.g. vs Georgia) he can pick out a player with a good cross, but unless we play with a physical target man (e.g. a few years ago the likes of Quinn or Morrison) there is very litttle to aim at in terms of crossing.

[Noelys Guitar]

i disagree with some of the comments about Hunts performance. He did his job of getting all over the pitch to break up their play. Protected both our full backs at different times. And he physically inserted himself into the entire 90 plus minutes. Yes he gave away the ball more times than any of us would like. But I believe Trap made the right decision by keeping him on the pitch for the entire match. Bringing on Reid might have won us the game. But it also might have lost us the game. In close games like this away from home when a player like Hunt is doing his primary job of protecting the defense why change it? As Trap said after last nights game lets see how Italy do in Montenegro before judging last nights result.

[paul_oshea]

The match was tense, gritty and both teams played with an element of fear.

I thought that Dunne had an excellent game, he was given the task of marking Vucnic (Montenegro's best and most experienced player) and he did this very well for the full 90 mins.

In my opinion McGeady was also very good, it was dissapointing about his shot at the end, but for the whole match he seemed like the only player who could link the midfield up with the attack. Steven Reid and Whelan are great midfielders but they tend to both be a bit static, as others noted Hunt didn't have a great game so our only dynamic element of midfield was McGeady. He is an exceptionally good dribbler, his crosses can be good too but he needs time to place them, he didn't get that last night (also bear in mind we have no significant height upfront so there is less to aim at). One thing I noticed about McGeady last night was his willingness to collect the ball and just run with it down the wing. On numerous occasions he would just run with the ball into space, keep posession providing relief to the rest of the team. It's clear that the sweltering Adriatic heat caused a huge problem for a lot of our players, McGeady's willingness to take the ball and run was vital for the rest of the team.

I think those are very valid points. The only person to link up the two yesterday was mcgeady. BUt the problem is we are going to be missing players again during the campaign and we need others to be able do this.

[Ozymandias]

something that hasn't been mentioned and which I think was a factor in the way the game panned out was the pitch...it looked poor in terms of bobbles etc..therefore everyone seemed to need to take an extra touch and deffo avoided striking first time....

[cudsy1]

Some of you are overly critical and have short memories. If we had these two results under Stan/Kerr/Mick we would be all thrilled. 4 points from these two games is a job done. This team is growing, getting more cohesive and confident. Good job by Trap and the boys.

my sentiments exactly

"Some of you are overly critical and have short memories" - you can add the newstalk lads and listeners to this as well by the sounds of their post-match reaction last night

[paul_oshea]

i disagree with some of the comments about Hunts performance. He did his job of getting all over the pitch to break up their play. Protected both our full backs at different times. And he physically inserted himself into the entire 90 plus minutes. Yes he gave away the ball more times than any of us would like. But I believe Trap made the right decision by keeping him on the pitch for the entire match. Bringing on Reid might have won us the game. But it also might have lost us the game. In close games like this away from home when a player like Hunt is doing his primary job of protecting the defense why change it? As Trap said after last nights game lets see how Italy do in Montenegro before judging last nights result.

No he said how montenegro do in Italy next month. THe point at hand though re: Hunt, last night on rte, they showed the amount of times he lost it compared to won it, he lost it more than he won it. IF you play a player who isn't losing the ball and holds it up it is definitely more of an advantage than playing a player who constantly gives it back to them. Its definitely better to have a player that doesn't win the ball as much but doesn't lose it when he has it.

[lionelhutz]

Run it to where exactly? He didn't put one cross in, and fluffed his only chance. Take off your Boys In Green Tinted Specs and look at it from a footballing point of view. The guy was limp, predictable and bloody well useless.

Have to disagree. I recall three or four good crosses in the 2nd half. Yes, he fluffed that chance but in general play, he was very intelligent, held the ball up when needed and drew fouls at other times. Ok he wasn't electric, beating man after man like he sometimes does for celtic but he wasn't playing falkirk last night. I was impressed by him.

[paul_oshea]

Have to disagree. I recall three or four good crosses in the 2nd half. Yes, he fluffed that chance but in general play, he was very intelligent, held the ball up when needed and drew fouls at other times. Ok he wasn't electric, beating man after man like he sometimes does for celtic but he wasn't playing falkirk last night. I was impressed by him.

funny we said falkirk too when watching it

[Noelys Guitar]

No he said how montenegro do in Italy next month. THe point at hand though re: Hunt, last night on rte, they showed the amount of times he lost it compared to won it, he lost it more than he won it. IF you play a player who isn't losing the ball and holds it up it is definitely more of an advantage than playing a player who constantly gives it back to them. Its definitely better to have a player that doesn't win the ball as much but doesn't lose it when he has it.

First point.

By Daniel McDonnell
Thursday September 11 2008
NO words were necessary. When Giovanni Trapattoni shook his fist at the final whistle, he displayed his verdict on whether this was a case of a point gained or two dropped.

Afterwards, he said that maybe it won't be until Italy come here that it will be properly answered.

Second point.
I can think of a bunch players off hand who could have stepped into the team last night and not given up possession as easily as Hunt did (Reid, Murphy etc) But none of them would have covered the ground, won tackles and helped the team overall the way Hunt did and does. I like Andy Reid as a player and I hope to see him play a big part in us qualifying but I fully understand why Trap played Hunt last night. And if Duff or McGeady are injured against Cyprus then Hunt will start again.

[Closed Account 2]

I think those are very valid points. The only person to link up the two yesterday was mcgeady. BUt the problem is we are going to be missing players again during the campaign and we need others to be able do this.

Yeah, that's true. The only thing is at least it seems we are not picking up the same level of needless yellow cards as under Stan. We will get injuries though I certainly think having Duff back will be good. Hopefully Stephen Ireland can come back into the fold as he would offer a good link up between midfield and attack too. Also there is the possibility of some of the more junior / young players coming into the fold over the next few games (e.g. Scannell) and fringe players might well develop over the campaign - e.g. Ronnie O'Brien, Joey O'Brien. Although I conceed the former is unlikely to feature for us now.

[lionelhutz]

I can think of a bunch players off hand who could have stepped into the team last night and not given up possession as easily as Hunt did (Reid, Murphy etc) But none of them would have covered the ground, won tackles and helped the team overall the way Hunt did and does. .

When Hunt continously lost the ball, it put Ireland under serious pressure and we had to exert alot more energy trying to regain possession than we would have had if he kept the ball. In the humidity last night, possession was key. Hunt kept throwing away the key.

With bodies and minds tiring all over the Irish team, Hunt should have been replaced by Reid early in the 2nd half, no doubt about it.

[Pike B]

Yeah, that's true. The only thing is at least it seems we are not picking up the same level of needless yellow cards as under Stan. We will get injuries though I certainly think having Duff back will be good. Hopefully Stephen Ireland can come back into the fold as he would offer a good link up between midfield and attack too. Also there is the possibility of some of the more junior / young players coming into the fold over the next few games (e.g. Scannell) and fringe players might well develop over the campaign - e.g. Ronnie O'Brien, Joey O'Brien. Although I conceed the former is unlikely to feature for us now.

Joey O' Brien is one I rate very highly. I think he could do a great job as a holding midfielder or full back. One for the future aswell as the present.

[Pike B]

When Hunt continously lost the ball, it put Ireland under serious pressure and the we had to exert alot more energy trying to regain possession than they would have had if he kept the ball. In the humidity last night, possession was key. Hunt kept throwing away the key.

With bodies and minds tiring all over the Irish team, Hunt should have been replaced by Reid early in the 2nd half, no doubt about it.

Agree with that 100%.

[paul_oshea]

First point.

By Daniel McDonnell
Thursday September 11 2008
NO words were necessary. When Giovanni Trapattoni shook his fist at the final whistle, he displayed his verdict on whether this was a case of a point gained or two dropped.

Afterwards, he said that maybe it won't be until Italy come here that it will be properly answered.

Second point.
I can think of a bunch players off hand who could have stepped into the team last night and not given up possession as easily as Hunt did (Reid, Murphy etc) But none of them would have covered the ground, won tackles and helped the team overall the way Hunt did and does. I like Andy Reid as a player and I hope to see him play a big part in us qualifying but I fully understand why Trap played Hunt last night. And if Duff or McGeady are injured against Cyprus then Hunt will start again.

In the interview on rte, he was asked, so are you happy with a point or is it 2 poitns dropped. He said "we will wait till next month when they travel to italy and we have cyprus at home, before we can say", or something along those lines. check it out on rte.ie

He covered great ground, no one is denying that but when he got the ball after tracking back he gave it away, the only advantage here is that it wasted a bit of extra time, which is fine if you are going for a draw.

[Billsthoughts]

Run it to where exactly? He didn't put one cross in, and fluffed his only chance. Take off your Boys In Green Tinted Specs and look at it from a footballing point of view. The guy was limp, predictable and bloody well useless.

Exactly!
Jesus I dont doubt for a second Mageady is capable of much better but some people want to forgive him anything. People seem to throw plaudits at him when he just gets the basic things right. I thought he was physically weak, he took the wrong option time and time again and he seems to run right into dead ends. His attitude in both games was good tho and Id have no problem with him staying on the right if Duff came back and hunt was dropped. Altho I would play Ireland ahead of him if he came back.

[Pike B]

Exactly!
Jesus I dont doubt for a second Mageady is capable of much better but some people want to forgive him anything. People seem to throw plaudits at him when he just gets the basic things right. I thought he was physically weak, he took the wrong option time and time again and he seems to run right into dead ends. His attitude in both games was good tho and Id have no problem with him staying on the right if Duff came back and hunt was dropped. Altho I would play Ireland ahead of him if he came back.

At last, someone on the exact same wavelength as myself!! I felt like I was fighting a losing battle, but you said it all there mate. Well done.