He has just scored for Sunderland against Wolves. Keano is happy
Originally Posted by pete
That would make a lot of sense. You should run the EL with logic like that. You'd fit right in
O'Shea is not great but for the time being is the best we've got.
Of course, you know a lot more than managers of numerous professional (businesses) teams right?
Of course you do.
There is no such thing as a miracle cure, a free lunch or a humble opinion.
Elliot scored again. Seems that Connolly missed a sitter.
So is Connolly/Elliot the prefered partnership for Sunderland now?
There is no such thing as a miracle cure, a free lunch or a humble opinion.
Not accurate. He played well away to France for a start & he did Ok against the Czechs - one slip I know. He has done reasonably well on many occasions, often playing out of position to try to compensate for two of your inferior preferences!!!. And as for Kavanagh & Miller, wish they had served Ireland well, but that's just not so. As yet Miller has not performed well in a competitive game (I hope he does soon) and Kavanagh is and has never been up to it - his only decent games were sitting on Roy Keane's coat tails - anyone would look good. To suggest Kavanagh is a better player than O'Shea is horribly naive.
Frankly there is a sad case of wish fulfilment here - the more you guys pick on O'Shea and express contempt for his efforts, the less likely he is to perform at his best. And when we have chewed him up & spat him out - who's next in line for this treatment- McGeady or Kilbane or even Finnan I've read on another thread. I wonder who in their right mind will want to play for Ireland with the boo boys at the helm ? Seen then how we perform with your choices from lower leagues - with the likes of G O Connor, Kavanagh & Delap - & some kids not yet ready, with our best sitting at home.
elliott has been playing on the right the last couple of games but moved into the centre near the end of the game were he seemed much more comfortable. connolly was annoymous for most of the game and hasnt set the world alight since he joined us .. elliott is coming back to form and will hopefully stay injury free for a while now..
Leon Clarke missed the sitter, I dont think there was one at all for Sunderland. It is generally agreed upon I think (over at the Sunderland board) that the problem isnt Connolly, its the defenders and midfielder hoofing the ball up to him and praying he gets a head on it.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Kavanagh
think he hasn't done it for us in the big games .. but this is some review of his performance last night on the beeb
(didn't want to open an exclusive thread for this .. Elliot, Sunderland .. close enough, eh?)
First post in a few weeks as I'm enjoying a nice enforced break from work!
I went to QPR vs Sunderland last night. First up, during the warm up Sunderland played a really quick game of 2 touch / retain possession in a confined space. Watching Kav was a joy. He always knew where to find a man and was unerringly accurate with both feet. Elliott was good too, but Miller was shocking. Possession always broke down with him.
The match was a funny affair. Some bits of good football actually emerged but in all it was mainly a kick it high, head it back, head it back again, hoof it to touch type game. Daryl Murphy has a great first 20 minutes or so, winning every flick, nearly scoring on about 3 different occasions and scoring a fairly easy glancing header. I was disappointed in him as the game went on though. He played well, but if he's to turn into what we'd all like him to become I'd like to have seen more.
Stephen Elliott had a super game, wide right occasionally coming in to support Murphy. He caused trouble on the right and always used the ball cleverly. He has a few tricks and a turn of pace but not enough to be a really effective wide player, although he was clever enough to know his limitations and give the ball back when necessary. His work rate was immense and for a guy who's been unlucky with injuries he put himself about a lot. Arguably Sunderland's best player on the night (Varga's aerial defending put him up there too) and not bad for a guy who I consider to be the most instinctive goalscorer available to us. His only blemish was to put a headed half-chance over the bar from about 15 yards.
Kavanagh was sound. Just as in the two-touch game, he was aware of everything around him and was very influential.
Miller was a waste of space. Even when he had time to pick a pass he was poor. I've seen enough of him now to say I categorically do not want to see him in an Irish squad. He's living off a high-profile burst of form 3 years ago and as far as I can see offers us nothing. He was subbed early in the second half.
Connolly came on as a late sub and was unlucky to see a shot come back off the inside of the post.
Martin Rowlands anchored QPR's midfield and did a decent job but didn't really rise above the mediocrity around him.
The game was notable for a totally comical open goal miss from Ross Wallace on 90 mins which nearly cost Sunderland the game.
Amen to that. Maybe Garvan can take his place. He's back starting for Ipswich tonight after his lengthy illness.
While we are talking about dropping Miller from the squad has anyone seen Chris McCann playing for high-flying Burnley? He's scored a couple of goals in his last few starts and perhaps could also be looked at as a potential candidate for a future Ireland midfield slot (in a friendly).
Last edited by youngirish; 29/11/2006 at 3:54 PM.
I noticed that but haven't seen anything of him yet. Cotterill speaks very highly of him.
not a fan of miller at all but had a cracking game today and looked like the player who shined at celtic .. elliott was non stop from the right for the 90 minutes .. daryl murphy was ****e but scored a cracking goal fair play to the lad .. kav was very steady in the middle ..
reports this morning that Cardiff have bid 800k for Stephen Elliot. Seems a poor enough price.
in fairness he has hardly set the world alight!! I wouldnt pay over 1m for him.
In some ways it would be a good move for him as his career seems to have stagnated somewhat at Sunderland the past season or so and this might kick it back into life.
On the negative side if he moves to Cardiff I can't see him playing in the Premiership anytime soon but if he could regain his place at Sunderland this is a possibility next season.
Last edited by youngirish; 19/01/2007 at 9:40 AM.
Sunderland just sold John Stead for 750k!
800k is very cheap to let him go at. Although this may spark the interest of Celtic and some other clubs.
How many strikers do Cardiff want.
This doesnt surprise me as Elliot seems to have hit a ceiling.
I feel the same. It wouldn't be a terrible move but it also wouldn't be a fantastic move. What would be most interesting to see would be which one of him and Byrne would be most successfull i.e. an Irish man that went to Engerland as a teenager or one that played in the LOI until 28/29 and jumps straight into the Championship. Of course there are lots of other factors to consider, such as their age difference and natural skill levels. however, I can see it raising some heated debate on here. If he does join Cardiff it might limit Byrne's chances.
Elliott has been playing on the wing for Sunderland this season afaik.
Would be a good move for Elliott as Cardiffs strikers have been right off form recently . Would also be intersting to see how he compares to Byrne if they are at the same club.
Another interesting comparison will be between Ward and Keogh, if Keogh moves to Wolves for a reported 500,000. Similar age, similar price, both Ireland U-21 players and neither has played in the championship yet. However, Ward is not highly regarded by the LOI fans on here.
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