Stephen Elliott

[thejollyrodger]

maybe robbie should be dropped. we have connolly and elliott and morrision who are good for a goal.

[Stuttgart88]

Superfrank, you really have it in for Elliott don't you?

We crossed swords on this issue in a Kevin Doyle thread a few months ago. I've been of the view for a while now that Elliott is the most naturally talented finisher of any young Irish player I've ever seen. I thought his finish on Saturday helps to endorse that view. His all round game is decent & can improve but you can't coach the natural ability to poach goals. It was actually a very difficult situtation & the sheer instinctive nature of the finish was one of only a few faint positives from saturday.

[Adrianovic]

I can't see Kerr dropping Robbie, it would be career suicide. Even if we beat the Swiss, the media would kill him for it.

I think a new formation may well have to be found for Wednesday if the Swiss are going to be very happy with a draw, and we are a little bit short in the midfield.

As for Elliott, he'll be scoring goals for years to come.

Ade

[pete]

At least the emergence of Elliot will force Robbie Keane to get his act together if nothing else & prove that there is an option on the bench.

[livehead1]

I can't see Kerr dropping Robbie, it would be career suicide. Even if we beat the Swiss, the media would kill him for it.

I think a new formation may well have to be found for Wednesday if the Swiss are going to be very happy with a draw, and we are a little bit short in the midfield.

As for Elliott, he'll be scoring goals for years to come.

Ade

if we beat the swiss with keane dropped then i think it will be a massive + by the name of brian kerr and will be a serious reality check for that lazy c*nt keane.

[superfrank]

Superfrank, you really have it in for Elliott don't you?

We crossed swords on this issue in a Kevin Doyle thread a few months ago. I've been of the view for a while now that Elliott is the most naturally talented finisher of any young Irish player I've ever seen. I thought his finish on Saturday helps to endorse that view. His all round game is decent & can improve but you can't coach the natural ability to poach goals. It was actually a very difficult situtation & the sheer instinctive nature of the finish was one of only a few faint positives from saturday.

In the games I had seen him in before the Cyprus match, I was very much unimpressed. I still don't like him but I'll acknowledge that he's a good player.

[thejollyrodger]

robbie will never be dropped for our most important game since the dutch qualifer. If Kerr did that the media would write a book about it. robbie to be defintely taken off after 45minutes or 60minutes though. He can do all his flicks and faints in the changing roooms

[zinedineontour]

if the rest of the outfield players had have shown the passion and hunger elliott did on sat we would have had no problems ... robbie has got lazier and lazier and needs a good slap to get the lad going again ..

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

Stephen Elliott is supposed to have scored a cracker of a goal for Sunderland. He's become first choice striker for Sunderland in recent weeks. I've been really impressed with his start to the season and he is one of the few positives for Irish football at the moment.

[Irish_Praha]

Good stuff. In the last thread about Elliott, where some guy said he hates him for some reason I said he would score before the end of the month because in the 2 games before, where he was finally played as a striker, he gave motm performances and did everything except score. I know I'm jumping the gun a bit but I reckon Keegan was some tool for letting him go so cheap. I expect him to be around the 10 goal mark by the end of the season, which would be pretty decent for a 20 yr olds first season the EPL. I think he would be a useful player for City. Hopefull he can keep his good form up. I also hope in another few years we will be saying Keegan was a tool to let Paddy Mac go on a free too.
Morrisson, McShane (he looks like a gem), Lee (Surely a better option than the Doc), Macken and Garreth O'Conner (6th goal of the season from midfield, also worth a try at national level, although it was a peno today) all scored in the championship.

[FarBeag]

Yes..Excellent goal by all accounts left footer into the top corner.He appears to be getting regular football for Sunderland now which will only make him a better player.Great potential without a doubt.

[ccfcgirl]

And if Dayrl Murphy also started getting a go at Sunderland who knows we could have two good strickers in the making .........Fair play to Stphan for scoring again.

[Irish_Praha]

I bet he scores for Sunderland before the end of this month. It's only a matter of time before he gets his first goal in the Premership. I reckon he'll be an 8 to 10 goal striker for Sunderland this season, with about the same number of assists.

OK I'm collecting my winnings now

[AidoM]

And if Dayrl Murphy also started getting a go at Sunderland who knows we could have two good strickers in the making .........Fair play to Stphan for scoring again.

Well said girl. Lets look forward, no point in looking back

[sligoman]

I still can't stand him.

I'm not the only one then

[thejollyrodger]

Elliott should be an automatic start for Ireland now with Robbie or Clinton making way. Plus Doyle should get some full games up front as well.

[thejollyrodger]

For me Elliott should be given a start in all of the Ireland games. He has a fantastic attitude and is a bit of competition for Robbie Keane (who is a disapointment)

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

What strikes me about Elliott anytime I see him play is that he holds the ball up very well. This is all the more impressive considering his slight build. He has a good first touch and makes good runs. He doesn't hide when the going gets tough. In addition, he appears to be a goal poacher. The Sunderland fans see him as the new Kevin Phillips. His goal last week came with his fifth cap. It is worth noting that Robbie Keane also scored his first goal in his fifth cap (against Malta in October 1998). Considering that Keane had a lot more playing time than Elliott in those five caps, I think its fair to say that Elliott has made an impressive start to international football.

[superfrank]

He scored a great goal though. We could do with another left-sided player.

[pete]

Elliott's wonder goal against Newcastle has catapulted him to No 1 on list of Irish strikers
Tuesday October 25th 2005
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Stephen Elliott, pictured here at an Irish training session earlier this month, has proven that he has an eye for the back of the net. Picture: David Maher (Sportsfile)

THE next manager of Ireland can relax a little as he contemplates the prospect of trying to guide Ireland to the Euro 2008 finals from fourth seeds.

While Robbie Keane's loss of form is a genuine worry, it has been balanced by the emergence of Stephen Elliott as a Premiership quality striker.

Having taken the Championship by storm last season when he scored 15 goals in his debut season at Sunderland, it has taken Elliott a while to adjust to the change of pace in the Premiership.

But since he scored Ireland's winner against Cyprus on October 8 the 21-year-old has produced two goals that will surely be in the running for Match of the Day's Goal of the Month competition.

The first came against Manchester United when he curled a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area past Edwin Van Der Sar and then on Sunday he left the Newcastle defence in his wake before thumping a screamer past Shay Given.

Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy, who plucked Elliott from Manchester City reserves in the summer of 2004, reckons Elliott is only getting warmed up.

"Stephen has been fantastic and will only get better and better. His goal for the Republic of Ireland has given him a big lift and he's in the groove."

Elliott's hunger is there for all to see and he was unlucky not to start against Switzerland after a performance against Cyprus where he was just edged for man of the match by Given.

When he came on against the Swiss he immediately made an impression by getting on the ball, turning and running at defenders.

If he keeps this sort of form up, he will be first-choice striker for Ireland when the new manager names his first team sometime next year, possibly at the expense of Robbie Keane.

Robbie has been consigned to the bench for most of this season. His only Premiership start was against Blackburn Rovers and the other time Martin Jol named him in the first 11 was for the shock defeat by Grimsby Town in the Carling Cup.

Keane has come off the bench and scored twice and both goals were worth the admission price as he earned Spurs a point against Aston Villa and a win against Charlton Athletic.

But his failure to regularly get 90 minutes of action at club level has impinged on his international form and he was taken off in the games against Cyprus and Switzerland.

Also, he has only managed one goal in seven internationals this year, the same return as in 2001 when he was dramatically dropped by then-Ireland manager Mick McCarthy for the World Cup qualifier against Estonia.

Keane was believed to be on his way to Everton on the day the transfer window closed but Spurs were unable to sign a replacement so he stayed, but he may have to move in January in order to get 90 minutes of action.

Clinton Morrison took the brave step in August of leaving Birmingham and dropping down a division to get regular first-team football and the gamble looks to be paying off.

The 26-year-old has scored six times in 10 games for Palace and playing regularly has certainly helped his confidence, even though he drew a blank against Switzerland. Kevin Doyle was called into the Irish squad by Brian Kerr for his last two games in charge and although he didn't play his call-up was fully merited after a sensational start to his career at Reading where his valuation went from £85,000 to £1million almost overnight.

David Connolly began the season in sensational style with five goals in four games for Leicester City, including a hat-trick against Stoke City. It earned him a €2m transfer to Premiership new boys Wigan Athletic and he marked his first appearance in the top flight with a goal against West Bromwich Albion.

However, the goals have dried up for Connolly since then and he has now gone five games without scoring, though his early season form was enough to earn him a recall to the international squad.

Ireland's squad for the recent World Cup qualifier against Switzerland featured six strikers as Gary Doherty was once against re-classified from the big centre-half that he really is, but he was unable to save the day when thrown on late in the game.

Doherty is unlikely to be considered as a striker by the new Ireland manager, who is more likely to look at those on the fringes like Sunderland's Daryl Murphy, Cardiff's Alan Lee, Hull City's Ben Burgess and Richie Foran of Motherwell.

But for now, it's Elliott who tops the Irish hot-shots charts.

Gerry McDermott

TOP OF THE HOT SHOTS

1 Stephen Elliott
Goals against Cyprus, Manchester United and Sunday's screamer against Shay Given's Newcastle make him Ireland's new No 1..
Season Stats: Sunderland 11 games 2 goals, Ireland 3 games 1 goal.

2 Clinton Morrison
After dropping down a division to Crystal Palace in the hope of finding regular football has returned to form and scored six times.

Season Stats: Birmingham 1 game, 0 goals; Crystal Palace 10 games 6 goals; Ireland 3 games 0 goals.

3 Kevin Doyle
He was the top scorer in the Eircom League when he joined Reading from Cork City and four goals in 16 games is an excellent return for the Wexford man.
Season Stats: Reading 16 games, 4 goals, Ireland 0 games, 0 goals.

4 David Connolly
Began season in electrifying fashion with four goals for Leicester but goals have dried up since his move to Wigan.
Season Stats: Leicester 5 games 4 goals, Wigan 6 games 1 goal, Ireland 1 game 0 goals.

5 Robbie Keane
Ireland's all-time top hot-shot has only scored once in seven internationals and has spent most of his time warming the Spurs bench - although he has scored twice for them coming on as a late sub.Season Stats: Tottenham 9 games 2 goals,
Ireland 3 games 0 goals.

6 Gary Doherty
It's probably a bit unfair to include the Norwich centre-half among Ireland's hot-shots but he was thrown on to save the day against French and Swiss..

Season Stats: Norwich 13 games
1 goal, Ireland 2 games 0 goals.

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What a sad little country we are. Daryl Murphy plays 5minutes for Sunderland & McDermott thinks he is in the international frame.