Match Prediction

[irishfan86]

Sometimes you need a player with personality to know when to adhere to the system, and when to make the right decision.

Systems are not built to cater to every scenario, but rather to provide a blueprint of how to deal with most situations.

Steven Reid is the only central midfielder we've seen who has the ability, courage, and personality to go beyond the system when he feels that there is a better option.

I think Andrews is a similar player (not at the same level), in that he will burst forward and attempt to do things offensively and support our strikers more than Whelan/Gibson.

[youngirish]

Most people seem to think Steven Reid is some sort of saviour and all will be fine if/when he gets back to fitness. In actuality Reid is at best a very average Premiership midfielder. He's no Roy Keane or dare I say it even Stephen Ireland and he's rarely been brilliant for Ireland when fit. Saying that I'd find it hard to disagree with people who stated that at the very least he's a far stretch better than the likes of Andrews, Whelan and Gibson. The difference he makes will be minor though and won't represent the major improvement we're all hoping for. We need McCann to step up to the mark and replace Whelan alongside Reid and then we might start to look half decent again. I don't hold much hope for anyone else emerging in that position over the next 10 months particularly after witnessing how limited Gibson looks at this level again the other night.

McCarthy and Fahey are too attack minded for Trap imo. Even if they both have very good seasons they probably will find it difficult to get noticed at International level.

[ofjames]

I think you are being extremely harsh on reid youngirish.

I will accept he looked quite average for his first couple of years at Blackburn when Souness was in charge but in fairness to him he spent most of that time alternating between the bench, fullback and right midfield.

Once hughes was appointed, he moved him into central midfield and kept him there and he was nothing short of excellent. They finished 6th in 2005/6 and he was a key contributor to that success and was rumoured to have attracted the interest of Man United and Tottenham.

Unfortunately he has missed virtually all of the last 3 seasons through injury but going on the form he showed under hughes when fit and his excellent displays for ireland against georgia and in pogorica last autumn I have no doubt that his return for us will improve us no end.

He basically has all the ingredients you would want in a midfielder... he's strong, pacy, takes responsibility for taking the ball from defenders, he's authoritative on the ball, doesnt just take the easy pass time after time, and has a whopper shot on him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om2r1fRd_CQ). It's just a pity he's made of glass.