QuoteIt's going to be tight for Mick (and staff) with the qualifiers starting in March. The timing of the appointment just compounds the error of not appointing a new manager before the UNL.
Kinsella is back with their u18s afaik.
It's going to be tight for Mick (and staff) with the qualifiers starting in March. The timing of the appointment just compounds the error of not appointing a new manager before the UNL.
It's the vision geysir. Vision. You wouldn't understand. You're not on 360k/year.
The options available to Mick McCarthy
Goalkeeper
Darren Randolph
Rob Elliott
Kieren Westwood
Stephen Henderson
Colin Doyle
Ian Lawlor
Sean McDermott
Kieran O'Hara
Caoimhin Kelleher
A year ago he might have felt under pressure but to my mind Randolph is pretty secure in the #1 shirt. Elliott and Westwood have both lost their place at club level and Randolph has been performing for club and country. Mick coming in will presumably mean Henderson is out of the doghouse if he can get fit and playing football somewhere. Kelleher made the senior squad recently but I’d assume Kenny will want him for the U21 squad. Potentially the first tug of war between him and Mick
Right-Back
Seamus Coleman
Matt Doherty
Cyrus Christie
Mick has 3 good options available to him, but very little else. One of the challenges he will obviously have is keeping the 3 of them happy.
Centre-Back
Shane Duffy
John Egan
Kevin Long
Ciaran Clark
Richard Keogh
Darragh Lenihan
Jimmy Dunne
Alex Pearce
Tommy Hoban
Lee O’Connor
Ryan Nolan
Conor Masterson
We have decent strength here. Duffy is one of the first names on the teamsheet and there are plenty of options to play beside him. And a couple of decent looking prospects in the pipeline. It would be good to get a long term partnership established and MMcC will understand the value of that as well as anybody. And of course Declan Rice may potentially come back into the mix.
Left-Back
Greg Cunningham
Stephen Ward
Enda Stevens
Derrick Williams
It isn’t great. Playing Brady there is another option, particularly if MMcC continues with 3 at the back. But I’d guess Robbie Keane could be putting in a lot of motorway miles trying to dig up other options.
Right-Wing
Daryl Horgan
Aiden McGeady
Jonny Hayes
Sean Scannell
Jake Mulraney
The right wing isn’t a lot better than left-back. McGeady is a has-been and the others never will be. O’Dowda has played there in the past and has impressed me in that role and Callum McManaman is still eligible afaik. If he could be brought on board it might help a bit
Central Midfield
Harry Arter
Jeff Hendrick
James McCarthy
Conor Hourihane
Alan Browne
David Meyler
Alan Judge
Shaun Williams
Dan Crowley
Josh Cullen
Connor Ronan
Richie Towell
Ryan Manning
Hendrick looks lost, and there are obviously doubts over the future of McCarthy. It’s a little depressing but Browne and Hourihane are both playing well in the Championship and Liam Kelly could possibly come back into the mix. MmcC will possibly start playing to the strengths of the likes of Arter/Hendrick rather than whatever has been going on for the last 18 months. For me the biggest positive is that I’m probably never going to see Cyrus Christie playing in central midfield ever again.
Left-Wing
Robbie Brady
James McClean
Callum O’Dowda
Callum Robinson
Aiden O’Brien
Ronan Curtis
Anthony Pilkington
Olamide Shodipo
A pity Robinson has picked up an injury. Fingers and everything else crossed that he comes back as strong as he has looked for us so far. His introduction has been one of the few highlights of a **** year. McClean seems to have gone back a step. The chaos he brings to a game is perhaps a better option from the bench
Forwards
Shane Long
Scott Hogan
Michael Obafemi
Graham Burke
Joe Mason
Will Keane
David McGoldrick
Sean Maguire
We have a lot of depth but not a lot of strength here. Perhaps Obafemi can really kick on at Southampton. In a dream world he and Jonathan Afolobi will get a run together and rack up 20 goals between them to keep Southampton up. It might not sound terribly plausible but the next most likely option to solve our striker issue is for Shane Long to recover his form so it’s either hope for the 2 young lads to make the breakthrough or get on to Saint Jude about Shane. I agree with the idea that McGoldrick is likely to return the squad given his previous relationship with MmcC. Patrick Bamford isn’t exactly Gabriel Batistuta but if he can be brought in he might be a good option for the next campaign. Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly maybe offer some hope just beyond the horizon.
Last edited by backstothewall; 27/11/2018 at 1:02 PM.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Great post.
I have a feeling if Doherty continues his good form he will play right back and that mick will play coleman in right wing.
I'd like to see us try a 3-4-3 with Coleman in a back 3. I've mentioned before I'd envision him playing a similar role to that Kyle Walker has for England.
------------ Randolph ---------
---- Coleman Duffy Egan -----
Doherty Arter Hendrick Brady
-- O'Dowda ------ Robinson --
----------- Maguire ------------
The big danger of playing a back 3 is having your centre backs dragged out towards the touchline where they aren't comfortable and getting into trouble against the opposition winger. But Egan plays on the left of a 3 for his club, and Coleman obviously wouldn't mind ending up in the full back position. I'm not sure how likely it is that McCarthy would play a back 3 though. Off the top of my head I can't remember him trying it for any club he's been at.
No matter what system we play it would look a lot better with even a middle of the road premier league striker leading the line.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Clarke played left of a three tonight for Newcastle I think.
Just wanted to comment on this. Many are lamenting the absences of Dunne, Duff, Kilbane, Given, etc etc yet we have a guy with almost 100 caps aged just 32 and he's a write-off, end of story?Originally Posted by backstothewall
I went digging and here's the most recent thread on Aiden from Sunderland fans. I think it seems very balanced. I really don't think we should be dismissing anyone, especially not someone who played 7 times for us in 2017 and with Robbie on board now who played so often with Aiden, (and while I'm at it. what about Gibson??)...I could see him being important again. I could also see him never playing again, but I am realistic. I thiink the former has more possible success.
https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/mcgeady.1452845/
Just wanted to throw that in there.
Just on the full back point, Cunningham apparently did well at the weekend for Cardiff. We have 4 full backs starting in the PL and Ends Stevens was bright against NI so there are so many options there. 2 excellent PL right backs countered by a dearth of options at right midfield is worrying. Whilst I hope Nathan Collins and Oisin McEntee and Lee O'Connor make a breakthrough, how very badly we need the likes of Parrott and Idah and Connolly to follow Obafemi. Kenny's comment yesterday suggest he will be open to fast-tracking those lads into his under 21 side.
How many of them are still eligible for the under 19s? Depending on the draw, we could have two underage teams at a tournament next year
With Kenny being the next senior manager, at least on paper, I like the idea of hot-housing a generation of talent under him.
I think he may play Doherty left back. He's played there before for Wolves.
I thought he might play Doherty right mid! A bit like Gary Kelly back in the 2000s? A bit like what backstothewall had above with a slight shift:
------------ Randolph ---------
Coleman Duffy Egan Brady
Doherty Arter Hendrick O'Dowda
-----------Robinson -----------
----------- Maguire ------------
If Rice declares, I'd like to see it more like this:
------------ Randolph ---------
Coleman Duffy Egan Brady
-------------Rice ---------------
Doherty Arter Hendrick Robinson
----------- Maguire ------------
Though I'm not sure Maguire is the number 1 front man, can Robinson do that role? Also see the 2nd CB spot as any one of 3 or 4 really but left Egan there for now.
Havin a weekend away is quite frankly,lettin ur team mates down!
I think he indicated it's unlikely in the press conference and suggested the game has moved on from 4-4-2 also.
I was wondering about that too. What kind of formation was he using at Ipswich? 4-5-1 / 4-3-3?
edit: seems he was going 3-5-2 quite a bit:
https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/sport/...lash-1-4933057
Last edited by zero; 27/11/2018 at 10:24 AM.
That's interesting. With the players we have 3 at the back makes the most sense to me.
Two midfielders left out of backstothewall list - Ryan Manning & Richie Towell would be ahead of Connor Ronan in the pecking order.
I wonder if Patrick Bamford will be approached. I seem to remember him scoring a couple of goals against Mick's Ipswich live on Sky a few years back, the season he pipped Daryl Murphy to the player of the year award I think.
Yes. Oversight by me. I knew I'd miss the odd one. I'll update my list
Same applies to Lukas Jutkiewicz. Digging up a striker from somewhere has to be a priority.
Last edited by backstothewall; 27/11/2018 at 1:06 PM.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Kind of. Actually turned him into a left winger. Ward was asked to play left back because he was the only fit 'left footed' player available one match day and he reluctantly agreed.The rest is history.
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