Team against Georgia

[bmorgan87]

why are soo many people putting Andrews into the stating 11 when Trap doesnt seem to know who the lad even is! we know it takes Trap a while to change his team that much, he would need to give Andrews a few reserve games 1st.. hel b lucky to make the squad.. maybe deserves more but thats the fact on the situation!
Trap wil stick with the crap midfield of whealen and gibson...sadly

[Colbert Report]

why are soo many people putting Andrews into the stating 11 when Trap doesnt seem to know who the lad even is! we know it takes Trap a while to change his team that much, he would need to give Andrews a few reserve games 1st.. hel b lucky to make the squad.. maybe deserves more but thats the fact on the situation!
Trap wil stick with the crap midfield of whealen and gibson...sadly

I hope and think Trap learned his lesson when we played the Gibson/Whelan thing against Poland. They ran all over us and were deserved winners.

Like him or not, Andrews has made an appearance in all but two of Blackburn's Premier League matches this season. He's played the entire 90 minutes in ten of them. He's missed only thirteen minutes of football in the last seven matches. Hard to leave a guy like that out who's playing regular Premiership football over a reserve player like Whelan or Gibson. Personally, I think he should play Carsley with Andrews and see what happens.

What about Joey O'Brien from Bolton? He hasn't played in ages but is expected back in January.

I'm sorry, but neither Whelan nor Gibson have impressed me at all. I think they are both very limited players and offer little to us. I don't think they should even be in the squad, never mind our starting midfield partnership.

[tetsujin1979]

why are soo many people putting Andrews into the stating 11 when Trap doesnt seem to know who the lad even is!

Yeah, I'd say Trap doesn't know who Andrews is. Apart from playing him in the B game against Forest. And bringing him on against Poland for his debut. Where he scored.

[irishfan86]

People keep talking about Whelan as if he's a reserve player, but the fact of the matter is that he's been starting consistently for Stoke for weeks now.

[Colbert Report]

People keep talking about Whelan as if he's a reserve player, but the fact of the matter is that he's been starting consistently for Stoke for weeks now.

You're right, in fairness he's played the full ninety in each of the last four matches and seventy minutes in the match before those. But before that, in the fourteen matches since opening day, he's made only three appearances as a sub totally 33 minutes. Hardly a proven Premiership player. 518 total minutes on the Premier League stage. I don't know what the numbers are but surely Lee Carsley has ten times that, or even more. He showed little in any of his matches, though he was named man of the match in one of them so maybe others see things from him that I simply don't.

If he plays alongside Gibson against Italy, it will not be pretty.

[irishfan86]

You're right, in fairness he's played the full ninety in each of the last four matches and seventy minutes in the match before those. But before that, in the fourteen matches since opening day, he's made only three appearances as a sub totally 33 minutes. Hardly a proven Premiership player. 518 total minutes on the Premier League stage. I don't know what the numbers are but surely Lee Carsley has ten times that, or even more. He showed little in any of his matches, though he was named man of the match in one of them so maybe others see things from him that I simply don't.

If he plays alongside Gibson against Italy, it will not be pretty.

I'm not saying that I'd have Gibson over Carsley. I was merely stating that Whelan is not a reserve player.

He started the season on the bench for Stoke, and to his credit never got upset when he was left there despite his "success" with us.

When people started asking him if he'd be looking for a move, he said he wanted to stay and fight for his place.

Now he's in the starting XI and has been for some time.

Let's give the guy credit. He's got character, he has performed well for us despite a lack of match fitness in previous games, and has now fought his way into the first XI for his club.

[Stuttgart88]

Let's give the guy credit. He's got character, he has performed well for us despite a lack of match fitness in previous games, and has now fought his way into the first XI for his club.

Well said.

[richieos]

i keep seeing people saying that if we have gibson and whelan in midfield against italy were going to be 'mauled' or 'over-run' or 'destroyed'
personally id be more worried with this pair against an attacking team like cyprus, i dont see italy 'mauling' anyone in this group with their style of play. i also think both ireland vs italy games could end up 0-0