Given
Finnan Terry Ferdinand Cole
Barry
Gerrard Scholes Giggs
Rooney Doyle
Alex Ferguson as manager. Martin O Neill as assistant manager....... Steve Staunton as media liason
Its really not that complicated!!!
With someone from all 4 countries on the panel:
---------------------Given--------------------
--Brown-----Ferdinand-----Terry--------Cole--
-Beckham-----Gerrard------Barry------Young-
------------Rooney-------Agbonlahor---------
Subs
Gordon
McGeady
Keane
Owen
Lescott
McCartney
Hargreaves
Finnan was close, and a year ago Dunne would have been in there somewhere.
Last edited by backstothewall; 19/02/2009 at 6:46 PM.
Basically it would be the english team with Given in goal.
"A silent mouth is sweet to hear"
Kevin Doyle on a Lions team....
would ye come in out of the fog for the love of God!!! One half decent season in the premiership and ye think he is better than Keane/Defoe/Crouch etc....
Come down from the clouds lads! The only Irish with any hope of the team would be Given for definite, and MAYBE McGeady, but only maybe.
As said before, in truth, it would be Given, and an English 10
FACT
Why not? He's a good international and I think would be a better partner to Rooney than any of those mentioned. Doyle is good at leading the line while Rooney likes to drop deep. Keane also likes to drop deep as does Bellamy. Defoe is good in the box and not that good outside it and Healy is a more proven goalscorer at International level. Crouch is a bit one dimensional. The only other player I can think of to lead the line would be Heskey.
So I think in both the teams mentioned Doyle would be a good option up front.
Last edited by colster; 20/02/2009 at 12:02 PM.
tell me this now, honestly, if u were to ask the 5 nations to poll their fans and come up with a team, do u think anyone who wasnt Irish would pick Doyle? Honestly... or if u were to get some europeans with no bias who had watched all the football possible in the last 3 years to pick the team, do you think ANY of them would pick Doyle? Honestly...............?
No chance.
I would think the most common partnership would be Rooney Crouch closely followed by Rooney Keane and Rooney Defoe.
Crouch?
I'd have Rooney, Keane, Bellamy, Heskey, Defoe, Agbonlahor, Owen all ahead of him in the squad.
Scholes and Hargreaves would be my central midfield pairing. I'd start Rooney up top with Owen.
It's an Opinion. I think a Rooney Doyle combination would be as good as any of those you mention. Crouch and Defoe are not great. Even England don't consider them first choice partners for Rooney. That job usually goes to Heskey or Owen and I think he plays better with Heskey. Tell me this if Defoe and Crouch were Irish do you think either would get in ahead of Doyle. Keane is better than Defoe and Crouch is one dimensional. He's not as mobile as Doyle and the team I've selected would be too good to rely on the long ball. Crouch is a great sub if you want to change a game but again he's one dimensional.
Doyle is a good honest player, he's got good technique, quick, strong, decent in the air and has a huge heart and work ethic. In the recent game for Ireland against Georgia it was Doyle along with McGeady who wanted the ball and tried to force the play. Keane was absent apart from his goals.
It would be the English team with Given in goal and maybe McGeady on the left.
From Wales: Possibly Bale and Bellamy in the squad. Giggs retired from international football years ago.
From Scotland: Err.. can't think of anyone. Maybe Fletcher and Gordon as squad players if there was an injury crisis.
NI: Evans might sneak in the squad as a tocken gesture
ROI: Dunne on the bench. Keane in the squad, maybe on the bench.
It's a lot of things but a fact is definitely not one of them. You're taking about Crouch (couldn't get in Pool team offloading to Pompey) and Defoe (couldn't get in Spurs team so offloaded to Pompey) not Rooney and Torres. I'm not saying you're wrong by the way that Doyle is inferior I'm just saying it's a million miles from being a fact.
It would obviously depend on the club wouldn't it and how they wanted to play etc.. I think they are a similar quality player each offering different qualities. None of them are world beaters. The fact is that only one of them has been at a top 4 club and coudn't hold down a place.
It's curious that you consider Defoe so much better than Doyle yet Keane consistently kept him out of the Spurs line up and Doyle has shown up very well alongside Keane on the international stage.
Anyway we were discussing a Lions Team and I still think that Doyle would be a better partner for Rooney than either Keane, Defoe or Crouch. Rooney plays better with a partner who leads the line e.g. Heskey or Doyle.
One of the best performance I've seen from a British and Irish side was United's demolition of Roma 7 - 1. Who was playing up front for United in that game? Alan Smith and his aggressive constant harrying of the Roma defenders set the tone of performance for United. Doyle does this as well, is quicker and is a better finisher than Smith.
If the Lions were to play Brazil i would love to see a forward partnership that really hasseled and harried their defence and deep lying midfield. I think a partnership of Rooney and Doyle would do that for and offer a threat as well.
Speaking of Stan.............Check this out...........priceless!!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle2237198.ece
Bookmarks