I thought he was poor, nowhere near MOTM. Am I alone in think Aiden McGeady was MOTM by a small mile. He's developed so much as a player since going to Russia, he looks like a new player.
Def thought McGeady was man of match. I always think Duff looks much more dangerous an comfortable on the left. Considering how poor the keeper was I think it made sense to have duff an mcgeady cut in to shoot but against better sides I think they have to play duff left and mcGeady right and maybe switch at times during games.
he did well but is very predictable because he's so one footed.
Thought Duff was MOM and was pleasantly surprised they gave it to them, Was expecting RTE to give it to one of the new boys like they usually do regardless of how they played, expected Foley.
Duff was excellent, but McGeady was better. The two of them were comfortably ahead of the rest.
McGeady was lobbing too many high balls into the box for my taste. Fine for a different team but when Keane/Long are the only people in the box and are already getting dominated aerially you need to switch your game. Duff had the intelligence to cut inside a lot more and bring the midfield/fullbacks into play rather than always looking to beat his man and whip in a cross. McGeady's cut ins worked better for himself but he still struggled to link up with the rest of the team
McGeady's distribution was just as good as Duffs, about 2 of McGeady's passes should have led to goals. Where Duff excelled was in the hard work to actually win back the ball. McGeady makes the effort to close down but with little effect. McGeady is primarily a very effective offensive player, Duff is an all round genius.
Thought McGeady was easily motm to be honest.
Seems to be some reluctance amongst the pundits to recognise when he plays well. Sure after the game Dunphy was advocating dropping McGeady for Coleman and moving Duff to the other wing. This after arguably his best game for Ireland.
Last edited by Maroon 7; 27/03/2011 at 12:16 PM.
I think Coleman will only be effective in midfield for ireland away from home but hopefully should be our first choice right back.
I think we need to play 3 in centre mid away in June. I would be happy to see Duff left, Coleman right, Gibson, Mccarthy and McGeady in midfield with rob up top. Its the only way we will have possession of the ball and get away from going route one to Doyle/long.
Very close call between the two. I wasn't surprised by it. Duff was up against Mr Cynical Lucky to remain on the pitch Popov and gave him the runaround. McGeadys first touch is as good as any current player playing anywhere. Both players helped us see out the las 12 to 15 mins with their skill and experience. Never underestimate that. Because of McGeadys goal I would have given it to him. And Westwood would not have been far behind these two. That save was worth two points.
I would take a save like the one Westwood made, for granted at this level. It's the other aspects which stood out imo, Westwood has that priceless (Alan Kelly snr like) ability to come out and elegantly gather the high ball safely, as well as his confidence dealing with the back pass and his accurate kick outs.
Duff had a good game last night but McGeady was the star man on the field. Some of his touches and control were exceptional, he took one clearance down over his shoulder from about 40 yards and killed it stone dead with one touch. Even his crossing has improved, he rarely if at all hit the first defender last night. His goal was well taken and his composure in the last five minutes was vital.
For some reason he always gets stick when he doesn't play well but never gets the credit when he deserves it. I can't help but feel that if he was a Dublin or Cork man he'd be well on the way to Damian Duff levels of reverence, but it seems like he will never get the same appreciation, especially from the media, which is a real pity.
Agree with the concensous that McGeady was MOTM, was very surprised to see Duff got it. Have been critical of McGeady in the past but that was his best game for us by a long way. Has undoubtedly improved since going to Russia....
There is no evidence that there is a consensus that McGeady was motm.
In fact some agree some don't.
For me, Duff was motm. Even better was that both were excellent.
Think thats harsh, to be fair Damien Duff very rarely gets the plaudits for MOM despite him being our most consistent outfield performer for the past 10 years. To claim bias for him when he's almost eternally among the "honorable mentions" but never the actual man of the match is unfair.
McGeady had a good game but he wasn't the man of the match. Having good touches and dribbles in itself isn't significant on the match, it's what he does after controlling the ball and after beating his man that I feel, while not lacking isn't of the same quality as Duff's ball usage and delivery.
I'd say there's a concensus on this thread. Which was what I was referring to.....Originally Posted by geysir
You hit on the head there.
I thought Duff was immense. McGeady had a great game as well. Very impressed with both.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
McGeady's progression is pleasingly apparent but Duffer was also my pick and I wasn't at all surprised to hear he'd picked up the accolade. His appetite for the green shirt is ravenous. There's a reason he was cramping up after an hour last night.
WTF?! indeed.
I would agree with you, I though Duff was fairly quiet in the match, I didn't see him do anything wrong but then again I don't recall him
being particularly impressive either. I would probably have gone for McGeady too but I also thought there was a case for Westwood
because I thought that ball was going in the back of the net in which case he really saved out bacon.
His all round game was good too, he inspired confidence, I had been worried he might turn out to be a nervous liability just
like the Macedonia keeper but he was quite the opposite, he seemed confident and in control. I didn't think the team was
weakened by the loss of Given.
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