Team For Wednesday

[DeLorean]

How anyone can suggest McGeady instead of Lawrence is beyond me!!

A big part of the reason for me is that I'd prefer to see an attacking threat than a full back nullifier. Lawrence did his job pretty much to perfection but McGeady would have been far more difficult for the French to cope with, in my opinion. To suggest he's done nothing for Ireland is harsh beyong belief. He's had a decent qualifying campaign. It easy to throw the no goals thing at him but that's pretty much a non-issue for me. In the games he started he provided the cross for Doyle in Mainz, was motm by a distance in Croke Park against the same opposition, looked dangerous against Cyprus at home and to be fair was pretty average against Motenegro away and Bulgaria at home. He had a really good match at home to the Italians. I think he's been improving all the time for us, nothing at all against Lawrence but our system was already so defensive that I don't think sacrificing another attacking option was necessary. As for the set pieces, what was the story with Duff taking outswingers from the left and Lawrence from the right, totally stupid. It was our so called best chance of scoring and inswinging corners are far more dangerous.

[dingbat]

Hunt should be nowhere near this team. The only thing he guarantees is to constantly give away the ball, and against a good team like France when we have the ball for so little time anyway, playing somebody like Hunt is just shooting ourselves in the foot.

Lawrence did ok the other night. Duff was very intelligent with the ball but it was obvious that he was given licence not to track back, hence the reason that Kilbane looked so exposed.

The big thing I'd like to see isn't so much a change in personnel but a change in mindset when we're counterattacking. We counter with three players, maximum, and usually there's only one person in the box when the ball gets there. We're missing either the other winger or one of the midfielders getting there as the late man in, which they're all very capable of doing.

And as for the people around me who were berating the team for not pushing everybody into attack when we went a goal down, well, they just don't understand football. 0-2 to the French and the tie is dead; 1-1 and we still have to score in Paris so nothing changes there.

And don't get me started on the fecking Eircom ads blasted out at full time when we were trying to give the lads a good send off for Paris. Muppets.

[twoenz]

Why the massive changes? We're only 1 nil down, not as if we have to score 8 goals, and being more adventurous would leave in a position to be ripped apart from get go. Go man for man against the attacking threat that the French have? Madness.

If anything this line up needs to be more defensive than the home one. If we can get some set pieces and deliver them a bit better then we'll be in the game. Change it later on if we need to.

[Dun Laoire]

Why the massive changes? We're only 1 nil down, not as if we have to score 8 goals, and being more adventurous would leave in a position to be ripped apart from get go. Go man for man against the attacking threat that the French have? Madness.

If anything this line up needs to be more defensive than the home one. If we can get some set pieces and deliver them a bit better then we'll be in the game. Change it later on if we need to.

I don't think we had one free kick anywhere near the french end. Domenech done his homework on that one. Would it be a better option to have McGeady on from the start as he runs at defenders and might be able to get us a few set pieces?

[jbyrne]

I don't think we had one free kick anywhere near the french end. Domenech done his homework on that one

more like everytime we got into their third of the pitch the officials found some way to penalise us. did anyone else see the linesman for the lawrence chance? when it looked like lawrence would score his flag shot up for offside but when it went wide he changed it to a goal kick when it should actually have been a corner

[twoenz]

I don't think we had one free kick anywhere near the french end. Domenech done his homework on that one. Would it be a better option to have McGeady on from the start as he runs at defenders and might be able to get us a few set pieces?

But we need someone with decent delivery, so he can't do that, and Evra will get the chance to get forward a lot more than he did in the first game.

[foureyes]

i think it'll be the same team for the first hour and then 'we'll see'.

it could well be over by then anyway. it's a shame folan is out - he had a big impact in the game in italy when he came on, whereas best did nothing on saturday.

i'd be surprised if mcgeady started - he provided no width at all on saturday, it was quite strange.

[dynamo kerry]

if something had happened or we wanted to change it up in midfield, who else is even in the squad for central midfield?

[Stuttgart88]

Only Gibson I think, assuming Miller misses this game as well.

[dynamo kerry]

Only Gibson I think, assuming Miller misses this game as well.

that sounds right.

frighening.

4 wingers and 3 central midfielders. when central midfield is a key part of our system?

[Razors left peg]

I think Lawrence could be moved into central midfield if we needed to change into a more of an attacking formation

[dynamo kerry]

I think Lawrence could be moved into central midfield if we needed to change into a more of an attacking formation

do you reckon? have you seen him play cm? I have no preconception of it so I can't judge it. I'll take guidance from somewho who claims knowledge.


I don't usually feel inclined to criticise but feel a little down that we didn't bring thru someone else (not sure who) in friendlies so they'd at least know the position.Or at least push miller/gibson for the spot.

[Razors left peg]

do you reckon? have you seen him play cm? I have no preconception of it so I can't judge it. I'll take guidance from somewho who claims knowledge.


I don't usually feel inclined to criticise but feel a little down that we didn't bring thru someone else (not sure who) in friendlies so they'd at least know the position.Or at least push miller/gibson for the spot.

Im only judging on his style of play to be honest. I just think he has the work rate and passing ability to be an option in there

[jay1]

we need Clinton morrison back, he always produced a few good goals.

[Stuttgart88]

Im only judging on his style of play to be honest. I just think he has the work rate and passing ability to be an option in there

I agree. He's not a winger, more of a direct wide midfilder, a bit in the Ljungberg mould. Ljungberg was well able to play centrally, albeit mainly in the last third.

[Metrostars]

I'm wondering if we might see Gibson at some point in the game. He can hit a powerful shot from distance.

[IsMiseSean]

Same back four
Id changed the midfield to Mcgeady andrews lawrence duff
Keane and doyle up front.

And NEVER bring on Leon Best again!!!

[drummerboy]

I think its a pity we haven't got Folan to throw in if we need a goal towards the end. He would surely ruffle the likes of Gallas when the ball in is the air.

[Emmet7]

Why the massive changes? We're only 1 nil down, not as if we have to score 8 goals, and being more adventurous would leave in a position to be ripped apart from get go. Go man for man against the attacking threat that the French have? Madness.

If anything this line up needs to be more defensive than the home one. If we can get some set pieces and deliver them a bit better then we'll be in the game. Change it later on if we need to.

I think we need to change the set up of the team from the off.

It takes time for players to get into a game. It's extremely difficult to expect Leon Best, Hunt, McGeady, or any sub to come on with 20 minutes to go and suddenly produce an opening, very difficult, and it's also too big a risk to bring them on late. Their first few touches are going to be poor and they are going to make mistakes the first few minutes they are on.

It probably takes any player 10 minutes to get a feel for a game. That would leave only 10 minutes to start creating chances, hardly enough time.

When Folan came on early in Bari, he settled extremely well into the game and by the end was probably the most comfortable Irish player on the field. That's where the real advantage of a sub is, and Trap was right to change things early in Bari when he saw plan A was failing.

I think starting again with the same starting line up as in Croker would be a mistake. That line up was setup to hold out for a 0-0 draw and possibly sneak something from our defenders at a setpiece. It wasn't set up to as an attacking team.

If we go to Paris, follow the same format, it's probable Anelka or Henry will score again in the second half, leaving us needing 2 goals.

We need to attack from the start.

Personally I think our best chance is to aim for a high scoring game and hope to come out on top, that means, 3-2, 4-3 or something like that. Throw caution to the wind, abandon the conservative mindset and attack with 3 forwards from the off.

[dan o d]

keep the same 11 as saturday. up untill 70 mins i thought it was our best performance under trap. it was only after anelkas goal that things began to unravel. when hunt and mcgeady game on we lost the plot. half the team wanted to sit back with paris in mind and avoid conceding a second which would have killed us, while the other half wer treatin the game as a once off match and bombing forward for the equaliser. duff played his best game for ireland for years, while mcgeady has been playing poorly for celtic this season and didnt have the confidence to take on sagna. id start with lawrence and possibly throw hunt in for him after 60 minutes and try win some freekicks. if we need a goal or two in the last 20 mins id throw best on for kilbane, switch o shea central to a 3 man defence and pump long balls up to best and doyle.