QuoteI assume you mean St. Ledger and not Foley?Originally Posted by Colbert Report
I agree it's a risk, but I'd rather risk St. Ledger at centre-half than risk McShane or Foley at right full.
I don't think that's a terrible idea, but I also don't like giving a competitive debut to someone like Foley in such a big big game.
I assume you mean St. Ledger and not Foley?
I agree it's a risk, but I'd rather risk St. Ledger at centre-half than risk McShane or Foley at right full.
Enjoyed the game, though it clearly lacked the edge of a competitive game.
By and large, the debutants disappointed me. Lawrence looked OK, Nolan was hot & cold (big lad - looks like a CB up close).
Foley didn't shine at all though I couldn't see who was at fault for the goal, but surely between Duff and Nolan the guy who put the ball in should have been pressurised. Foley played at least one dreadful pass straight across our box to a Nigerian. Those, like me, calling for his inclusion weren't given anything to back their claims up on Friday.
Best tried hard and did reasonably well. Ball was played "into the channels" way too much for him and Long in second half. Wenger & Guardiola would have cringed.
Westwood was quiet but was tidy when called upon.
Sledge was clearly the pick of the bunch. One careless pass but generally very good.
As said above, that new guy Miller looks handy! I've been a big critic but credit when due, he moved the ball about accurately and quickly and generally snapped at their ankles, making a few strong tackles.
I think Andrews is getting better & better. I liked the look of him.
Decent enough performance. Nigeria played & moved better than we did initially but we got back into it and were better than them in second half. We noticably upped the tempo I think.
Anyone see the Nigerian WAGs at the Hammersmith End at half-time?
Just for the (English) immigrants?How about we host some England matches here for all their immigrants
Still way things are going with the economy there, Craven Cottage might be nearer to the workplace come next year.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
I'm sure he was referring to the sizeable Nigeria population in Ireland. A match between Ireland and Nigeria played at an Irish venue would of attracted a bigger crowd than that which attended the game in Craven Cottage.Just for the (English) immigrants?
Still way things are going with the economy there, Craven Cottage might be nearer to the workplace come next year.
Flew back yesterday afternoon from Gatwick, missed the cup final
Given was alright in the game, apart from picking the ball out of the back of the net, I don't remember him having much to do
Nolan looked a little out of his depth here. He seemed to be trying hard, but very little of it came off. I'm not sure if he's a natural left full back, and we've had enough square pegs in that particular round hole
Dunne was excellent. Since coming back from his last suspension, his form for Man City has returned. Deservedly took the captain's armband when Robbie Keane went off
St Ledger was the pick of the debutants. Strangely, conceding the goal seemed to calm him and he was comfortable in possession after that, as well as being strong in the air. Still not going to start ahead of O'Shea or Dunne, but should be first choice replacement ahead of Bruce after this
Foley never really settled into the game and didn't link up well with Lawrence either. Nolan had the experienced Duff in front of him on his debut, not sure if two debutants on the right was the correct call.
Duff was ok, seemed to work hard, but didn't have a lot of space to move in. After the end of the season he's had, I hoped the Ireland setup would be a welcome respite from Newcastle
Andrews stuck to his role in central midfield well, blocked attacks and had an excellent pass for Robbie's goal. Considering one year ago he was playing in League Two, it's been some 12 months for him
Miller had his best game in a long time. If I was being unkind I would say that he's playing for a transfer. Won't start ahead of Whelan or Andrews, but should keep his place in the squad for now. With McCann, Fahey and probably McCarthy playing at higher levels next season, he'll need to reproduce this form consistently to keep it
Lawrence didn't do much for me, was wasteful in possession, didn't seem to work hard to get back the ball, and didn't show enough for a pass, meaning Foley resorted to a long ball far too often. Again I would question the logic of playing two debutants in front of one another
Keane took his goal magnificently, and worked hard behind Best, but didn't do a lot else. On the other hand, he's a striker and he's only really supposed to score goal. Ireland under Trapattoni are starting to remind me a little of Arsenal with Henry in the team in that everything the team does is geared towards creating a chance for Keane, to the detriment of other scorers. If it works, well and good, but if it doesn't.....
Best kept the opposition defence on their toes with some good movement to make room for his strike partners. Possibly tried too hard at times, with some wayward shots. Hard to choose between him and Folan, but I reckon Folan's contribution in Italy will get him the nod
Westwood, like Given, didn't have a lot to do, but made one smart save. If he hadn't, we would accuse him of having a poor game
McShane was poor, the lack of recent game time showed badly. I don't think he's a full back, but it's clear now that Trapattoni doesn't see him as a centre half either
Mcgeady was on the other side of the pitch to me, so I couldn't see him. I actually didn't notice him until about the 60th minute, maybe that says it all
Whelan replaced Andrews in a like for like substitution. They are possibly too similar players to have an effective partnership in central midfield?
Hunt came on and ran around a lot and didn't do much else. He's not a right winger by any stretch of the imagination. The guy next to me said he's like a pup chasing a piece of paper!
Long was desperately unlucky with a shot that was well saved by their keeper, and rightly complained about not been passed the ball when through on the right side
Overall, I wasn't disappointed with the result. Ireland never lost their shape, and never stopped playing the game the way Trapattoni wants them to play. For a team with so many debutants, this is encouraging that it's being drilled into them in training. Even after going behind, we still looked in control, and scoring was an inevitability. Not sure whether to blame their goal on Nolan or Duff for not blocking the pass, or Foley for allowing the shot. Their keeper was their best player, and honestly thought he could have been MOTM, until I saw it had gone to Andrews on soccerrepublic.ie
Roll on Bulgaria.
Is there a call to say play O Shea at full back and St Ledger at centre back. I would be very reluctant to break up Dunne O Shea partnership, however Martin Petrov is a top class left winger and I would not fancy Foley or Mc Shane against him. St Ledger does look like the sort of player who would not get nervous about playing in a game. He seems a hungry mature confident player at the moment. Its a tough call for Trap but certainly worth a thought.
In Trap we trust
You can check out the news report here: http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1049074
There's a report on the game from 15:35.
The interview you're referring to is on about 17:20, here's a screenshot
Aye cheers, who is the player anyway?You can check out the news report here: http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1049074
There's a report on the game from 15:35.
The interview you're referring to is on about 17:20, here's a screenshot
You've got no fans.
It's Kevin Foley.
It was a solid performance and I thought we were the better team. My judgement might be clouded because of the heat and booze but on the whole the Trap can take some encouragement from that run out. St Ledger will have impressed and I think there is a good chance he starts on Saturday. Dunne and St Ledger worked well as a pair and I'd have no qualms if he kept them as the central pairing and moved O'Shea to full back.
Miller and Andrew's were nice and tidy.
Keano played well and I think if he stayed on we'd have won the game. Best impressed me as well. Strong, quick and always on the move.
Keith Fahey, Kevin Foley. Funny. That dude looks 17 years old. Can he even drive yet?
Was an ok game and an ok performance. Typical Ireland friendly really. Was a decent run out though and we were the better team I thought. Agree that Sledge was the best of the debutants - assertive and largely comfortable after he settled down. Dunne beside him was always going to be a help.
Nolan was ok but didn't seem overly comfortable on the left. Lawrence showed some nice touches but it didn't really happen for him and Best was a handful although his first touch at times was woeful. But he's only going to get better and could be a useful option.
Was fairly disappointed with Foley - he's been built up in some quarters but he shown little to back it up. He had a chance tonight to stake a claim but didn't. Ball's back in Stephen Kelly's court now.
McShane had 15mins at right back and was again well out of it. He also provoked the quote of the night. Remember when he let a long cross field ball bounce through his legs? A guy behind me disgustedly said: "Jesus christ, how can anyone be nutmegged from 50 yards?"
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
No sh*te, sherlock! An even bigger crowd might have turned up in Lagos.
There is a far bigger Nigerian population in London than Dublin. I don't have the figures, but I'd put money on it. I'd put money on it being bigger than Colombia's too. I'm dissapointed that more didn't come.
I'd guess Irishultra feels aggrieved that Ireland are playing games for its emigrant diaspora's benefit rather than for the 'Metropolitan' population's benefit. That's his prerogative just as it's mine to feel that a drive down the M40 is preferable to a flight to Dublin. Maybe if he had to emigrate to London - as may well be a future option - he might agree. Personally, I would have liked a visit to Lagos.
Dunno what point he's making about the Tans playing in Ireland seeing the last time they came they smashed up the stadium. A better suggestion would be for a Poland - Nigeria game or Lithuania - China at Tolka Park. But just as we've forgotton about emigration, we've forgotten about that incident too. So put it to the FAI, mate. Be a moneyspinner alright, because there are enough tossers who put clubs they've never been to, in cities and a country they have absolutely no connection to, ahead of their national side, who will go along to see players of these teams. Daily Star and the Independent will give it all the publicity you need.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
I can't believe its really been 4 years since Israel and the **** Aouate and the Faroes?We haven't had a June qualifier for 4 years?
He would've played Killer, Whelan, McGeady/Hunt, McShane from the start if that was his main aim.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Great post lopez, spot on. I was going to reply to the post but I could not find the words to articulate what I thought. You have managed to do that.
In Trap we trust
Hardly...
His comment was tongue in cheek because you suggested that more games should be played in Craven Cottage. But go OTT on it - that's your prerogative.
Thanks for clearing that up, which is remarkable, seeing you didn't post the comment. OTT? I'll give you that one. I just thought it was - from a financial point of view at least (damages - to stadiums, pubs, faces, trauma to kids being filmed by TV looking on in shock, lawsuits by idiots buying tickets for the Tan section complaining about getting a slap - excluded) - a good idea for the Tans to play internationals in Ireland.
Anyway, I'll reckon it'll be one more year at Fulham at the very most. Then ALL our friendlies for the foreseeable future will be at Lansdowne Road. It will be the inverse of what most African and Latin American countries currently do with their friendlies.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
Thought Dunne was our man of the match by a distance. St Ledger was very impressive on his debut. The 2 full backs were poor. Lawrence and Duff didn't set much up and surprisingly it was the 2 midfielders creating most. Andrews again looks an intelligent player and doesn't just keep it simple. Keane was very good and I thought Best also impressed on his debut. He has some burst of pace.
The move for the goal was brilliant. It looked like Miller meant that pass to Andrews and was literally a world class pass.
yeah, agree with eirebhoy though if you look at the goal again Duff also played a big part, winning the ball back from the toes of a Nigerian guy and then feeding Miller.
That was actually one of the best goals I've seen from us in a while: Duff, Miller, Andrews, all one touch, then brilliantly finished by Keane. I thought he may have looked offside at the time though.
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