Squad for Wales match?

**Dunners** · 06/01/2011, 10:03 PM

Maguire made himself available In Oct , he's waiting by the phone for a call up
No harm in having a closer look at him

**mark12345** · 07/01/2011, 9:30 PM

Don't get the thinking that Whelan should remain in midfield, as quite a few people are advocating here. He was ok at best in the heighth of Ireland's last campaign and that's being generous. He has dropped off the face of the earth at Stoke. He and Andrews are yesterday's news now - harsh maybe but that's the type of managment decision we need if we're to qualify.

In any event, Fahey has clearly passed both in the pecking order.

And then there is also the option of Robbie as an attacking midfielder which I wish to God Trap would consider. It would make for Robbie running at the opposition defence (as he does with Spurs) and a front pairing of Best/Doyle or Stokes/Long or Folan/Sammon or Walters/Rooney (we need to go back to the little and large stikers as our continued long balls from defence have been presents to the likes of Russia and Slovakia in recent games).

With all those strikers to choose from Trap can no longer say he doesn't have the fire power.

**backstothewall** · 08/01/2011, 12:20 AM

Started to write something totally different to this post, then had a think about it. Before the game I was on of those demanding names like Coleman, Walters etc get their chance. One game on and most of use aren't even mentioning Walters for the squad. I think I'm beginning to understand Trap better.

Obviously he is a conservative coach (but we all get a bit right wing as we get older). He likes a couple of games to look at people in his system, which tends to put him a few games behind the rest of us watching premier league every week and basing our opinion on that.

All this depends on his opinion of the competition. He notoriously hates losing any game, and although a lot of people have a fairly low opinion of this competition, if he is anything like me, he will really want to win this. The best way of doing that is putting out his strongest team, which we all know. That said, if there is one game to experiment in, its the Wales games.

Based on that assumption, I thought back to the last couple of games. He wanted a look at Clarke last time, which injury denied him, so I think he'll get his chance beside Dunne this time. In midfield he will want a further look at Fahey in the middle to confirm that he thinks he has something to offer. He might take a look at Wilson, but probably as a sub as at the minute Whelan is part of his system, and he will only change one of his midfielders at a time. Up front is tricky. He might have been intrigued by the second half last time (Long & Walters). Really he could do anything, and I would say he will debate that long and hard. Whatever he does the 4 strikers in the squad will be Keane, Long, Walters and Doyle. Can't see him picking any more than 4. He knows his four on that one now. Even if Leon Best scores another couple of hat tricks between now and then and forces his way in, I can't see him getting on.

Trap will consider that very experimental. Given the absence of Cunningham, that will mean Given in goal, O'Shea at RB, Kilbane at LB, Duff LW and Lawrence/McGeady RW. Given the clamour, and his performances, we might see Coleman off the bench. Maguire will probably have to be happy with a call-up for now