Team for WC qualifiers.

carnstein · 20/11/2003, 5:41 PM

Id go for.

Given

Carr
O'Shea
Cunningham
Finnan (Left Back)

Miller(right mid)
Andy Ried
Healy
Duff

Keane
Morrison

Bench: Doherty, Partrige, O'Brien, Holland, Colgan

Dropped for ever more: Kilbane, Breen, Harte, Carsley.

**pete** · 20/11/2003, 5:47 PM

O'Shea not capable of playing centre back at international level yet.

Healy is looking dodgy & not as good as appeared to promise.

Miller never played internationals yet so unknown quality so far.

What is the facination with Partridge? Are there that many Liverpool supporters on foot.ie???

**Beavis** · 20/11/2003, 6:13 PM

The friendlies still have a lot to show us so it's possibly to early for this.
Andy O'Brien ahead of Breen

**macdermesser** · 21/11/2003, 6:32 AM

If you were playing ISS or some computer game .. it would certainly have the highest skill level but other factors .. like experience, and players that don't have the quality but give all that they have comes into it ..

I have to agree with Pete. O Shea is not ready for centre half ... I was cringing every time he got the ball in Basel. We look at our most secure when Cunnigham and Breen are there ..

I'd still go with Kilbane and Breen in the team

Given
Finnan Breen Cunnigham O Shea
Miller Andy Reid Holland Kilbane
Duff
Keane

Miller is still unproven of course ... I don't know if Carr can play right-midfield .. but he might be an option too .. or Finnan there. Keane seems to play better with a big man up front .. but going on recent displays of Doherty and Morrison .. they're not up to it at the moment. maybe given Alan Lee a try .. but don't know if he's much better..

**noby** · 21/11/2003, 8:21 AM

Originally posted by pete

What is the fascination with Partridge?

I know. Just back from 3 months injury, and now it seems he's gone for the year.
there seems to be a thing for dropping anyone with experience, and replacing them with people with unproven potential

**finlma** · 21/11/2003, 8:28 AM

Are we in some kind of time warp and I've missed a year? The qualifiers don't start till next September so I think we're being a bit early in trying to pick a team for it.
If you're picking our best current team I think I'd probably go along with it.

carnstein · 21/11/2003, 10:14 AM

Honestly some of the bull**** that is written on this site amazes me. O'Shea is not ready for international football at centre back??????? This is BULL****. Breen is nowhere near international class and having him ahead of O'Shea at centre back is madness.

And playing Duff out of posistion to accomadate Kilbane is pure horse-****e. We should play our best players in their best posistions, that means Duff on the left.

Keane does NOT need a big man to play off. Keane needs someone who will stay in the box and not roam, so he is free to do his work ourside the penalty area.

And Finnan and Carr MUST both play, they might both be right backs but they are easily two of our best players, Finnan can be accomadated at right midfield or left back.

And the fascination with Partrige is that he should be given a chance, he should have been called up years ago, if he was his club career wouldn't be in the rut it is today. He is extremly talented and was considered a better prospect than Duff at the same age.

**fergalr** · 21/11/2003, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by carnstein
.....
We should play our best players in their best posistions, that means Duff on the left.
.....
And Finnan and Carr MUST both play, they might both be right backs but they are easily two of our best players, Finnan can be accomadated at right midfield or left back.

Some inner turmoil going on here....?

**liamon** · 21/11/2003, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by carnstein
O'Shea is not ready for international football at centre back??????? This is BULL****. Breen is nowhere near international class and having him ahead of O'Shea at centre back is madness.

IMO, O'Shea has a bright future ahead of him, but he's not up to playing centre back at present for club or country. Alex Ferguson seems to agree with this assessment as well, and who am I to question him?

Breen has a role to play in our team. He's done well at times for the senior team and shouldn't be dumped because he doesn't reproduce that form at club level. For that matter, a lot of our players are not international class and never will be, but with injuries/suspensions and limited resources, you have to pick them.

Do agree that Duff should stay on the left wing though. He's bloody amazing when he starts out there.

**Dodge** · 21/11/2003, 1:00 PM

Originally posted by liamon
Do agree that Duff should stay on the left wing though. He's bloody amazing when he starts out there.

The argument is which pair would you pick out of these two
1) Duff on left and Doherty/Connolly/Morrison up front or
2) Duff up front and Kilbane on left

For me its No 2 everytime

**fergalr** · 21/11/2003, 1:01 PM

Too early to say what our WC team should be - but here's one to try in the upcoming friendlies.

Given
Finnan Cunningham O'Brien/Dunne/Breen/Doherty O'Shea
Miller Holland Kavanagh A.Reid
Duff Keane

Thinking: No point in persisting with those who are obviously not up to international level (you know who you are!).

**Seanie** · 21/11/2003, 1:06 PM

Originally posted by carnstein
...the fascination with Partrige is that he should be given a chance, he should have been called up years ago, if he was his club career wouldn't be in the rut it is today. He is extremly talented and was considered a better prospect than Duff at the same age.

International call-ups should have no effect on a club career. It has to happen the other way around. Partridge is not in a rut because he is uncapped.

carnstein · 21/11/2003, 1:21 PM

Originally posted by Seanie
International call-ups should have no effect on a club career.

Thats not true, players like Carsley, Holland and Kinsella built their reputations on playing along side Roy Keane and there is no way any of them even approaches international class. Breen's club form has been so bad for the last few seasons that if he wasn't made look good by the likes of Carr, Finnan, O'Shea and Cunningham at international level, he would have retired by now. Kilbane was bought by Everton on the basis of his "performances" for Ireland. So it is true that being called up at international level and being "spotted" has a big effect on ones career.

carnstein · 21/11/2003, 1:23 PM

Originally posted by fergalr
Some inner turmoil going on here....?

Well Finnan and Carr obviously both can't play right back, but its sure as hell that they should both play, god forbid it would mean the sarcraficing of a world class talent like Carsley, Harte or Breen.

**Seanie** · 21/11/2003, 1:43 PM

Originally posted by carnstein
Thats not true, players like Carsley, Holland and Kinsella built their reputations on playing along side Roy Keane and there is no way any of them even approaches international class. Breen's club form has been so bad for the last few seasons that if he wasn't made look good by the likes of Carr, Finnan, O'Shea and Cunningham at international level, he would have retired by now. Kilbane was bought by Everton on the basis of his "performances" for Ireland. So it is true that being called up at international level and being "spotted" has a big effect on ones career.

I understand your point about international form benefitting a club career, but the international spotlight should not be the basis for kick-starting one's club career. Carsley, Holland and Kinsella had established themselves in their club sides before getting a call-up. Kilbane was not bought by Everton solely on account of his performances for Ireland - he was Sunderland's best player last season and that was primarily why he went to Everton.

only1kilbane · 21/11/2003, 1:53 PM

Why does everyone keep slating Kevin Kilbane and Gary Breen. Kilbane and Breen were our two best players in the last two home internationals with Kilbane man of the match against russia !

The push for Partridge is a funny one as well . Why play a player who has never proved what he can do on the domestic stage !

Oshea has not played a decent game for Ireland yet and seems to be a little off international level and his game is also suffering for manu

Team as follows:

Given

Carr
Cunningham
Breen
Finnan

Kilbane
Miller
Kavanagh
Reid ( Andy )

Duff
Keane

**colster** · 21/11/2003, 2:36 PM

Originally posted by fergalr
Too early to say what our WC team should be - but here's one to try in the upcoming friendlies.

Given
Finnan Cunningham O'Brien/Dunne/Breen/Doherty O'Shea
Miller Holland Kavanagh A.Reid
Duff Keane

Thinking: No point in persisting with those who are obviously not up to international level (you know who you are!).

that looks like a pretty good side to me.
It'd be very flexible could play 4-3-3 or a 4-3-2-1 or 4-5-1 with the players there.
I'd put Finnan at LB and Carr at RB though.

carnstein · 21/11/2003, 3:46 PM

Why is everyone including Kavanagh all of a sudden. He is nearly 31 now and including him in the international side at this stage of his career would seem like a waste of time to me, especially when younger alternatives like Andy Ried, Heally and Miller are knocking about.

carnstein · 21/11/2003, 3:50 PM

Originally posted by Seanie
Carsley, Holland and Kinsella had established themselves in their club sides before getting a call-up. Kilbane was not bought by Everton solely on account of his performances for Ireland - he was Sunderland's best player last season and that was primarily why he went to Everton.

Is that why he was regularlly booed by the Sunderland fans?

As for Carsley, Holland and Kinsella, they might have found their way into the priemership when they were called up originally, but I would be fairly certain that those players would all be in division 1 now had they never played for Ireland.

The point about Partrige is that if he had been called up years ago and made a name for himself at international level, he would have either been bought by another club or it would have greatly helped his 1st team prospects at Liverpool.

**John83** · 21/11/2003, 3:52 PM

Originally posted by carnstein
Breen's club form has been so bad for the last few seasons that if he wasn't made look good by the likes of Carr, Finnan, O'Shea and Cunningham at international level, he would have retired by now.

Strange that Breen seems to be so much better because he's carried by that lot when O'Shea just looks ****e beside them. Maybe he's suffering from carrying the team?

Breen works.(<-that's what's sometimes referred to as a period)

Meanwhile, O'Shea has been crap for us, both in the centre and on the left. Only the lack of other options has him in the team at all. The sooner Finnan is tried at left-back the better. Let O'Shea mature at ManU in peace. It's hardly without reason that Fergie has dropped him.

Oh, and let Partridge demonstrate that he can play football before puting him in the starting lineup, will ya? He might be **** for all we know.