Originally Posted by
irishfan86
I'm not calling for his head.
Some of his decisions have been good, some have been bad.
We're hardly going to praise Trap for common sense decisions like Duff, Keane, Dunne, and Given in the starting lineup.
The discussion and debate will always be related to those players who are not necessarily guaranteed a spot for various reasons.
Here is a brief look at some of Trap's questionable inclusions:
O'Shea has been much maligned over the years, and it is only really this campaign that I have noticed the criticism almost disappear completely. He doesn't always play for United, but placing O'Shea in the centre of defence has been one of Trap's best moves. Hardly mentioned in the media or this forum.
Kilbane has always had his doubters, and I have been one of them at times. I love the man's character, but if I'm being 100% honest, he still scares me ****less at times. Still, with no clearly better option, nobody has been critical of him playing at left full.
McShane is a centre-half being played at fullback for both club and country. At least he's getting games at Hull, but you really never know what you're going to get from him. There's no questioning his guts or commitment, but his questionable decision making, lack of pace, and the fact that he's playing out of position all make him hard to 100% justify when we have the likes of Joey O'Brien and Foley to choose from.
Whelan- Above average performances against crap opposition and he's now a guaranteed starter. Even if he is as good as Trap thinks, it can't be good for his match sharpness and fitness to be riding the pine with Stoke. Questions are rightly raised- not as good a tackler as Carsley, not as creative as Andy Reid...is he the better overall player, or is it just a matter of being highly effective in Trap's system?
Gibson- There's definitely potential here, but he's simply not ready for this level yet. Perhaps if he was getting regular football he could rapidly be capable of this, but going from reserve team football against Hull reserves to playing Italy is simply too big a gap so I hope he gets a loan move or breaks through at United (GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!).
Keogh- never a winger in a million years. At this stage he should be 4th or lower in the striker pecking order.
Folan- Even though he played well, his selection for the friendly was questionable given that he isn't getting much playing time with Hull. This was a gamble worth taking, and he really looks like he could be a solid option for us in this campaign. He looks a real team player, and a very intelligent footballer overall. It's only one game, but I was really impressed.
Anyway, these are some of Trap's questionable decisions.
Kilbane and O'Shea are not being questioned now, because we don't have much in the line of alternatives, and in fairness to them, they have done well apart from this Poland game.
The centre of midfield is barely functional at best, and there isn't an obvious solution. I love Andy Reid, but I don't think he can play alongside Whelan without us getting ripped apart.
In fact, with the midfielders we have, I'm not sure Reid could play as a central midfielder in a 4-4-2.
I'm hoping Trap eventually decides to use Reid on the wings instead or on a rotation basis with McGeady, and I'm hoping that Andrews is given the start alongside Whelan when our campaign resumes in the new year.
My formation for our next game:
--------------Given------------
Finnan-----Dunne---O'Shea---Kilbane (when will Finnan be back anyway?)
McGeady---Whelan---Andrews---Duff
-------Keane--Doyle---------
Would be fine with Andy Reid coming in for McGeady, or Folan coming in for Doyle.
That lineup looks pretty strong, with my only serious worry being Kilbane at left full.
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