Reid played in the centre of a diamond, in the position behind the front two. Ideally, that's his best position, but that formational just doesn't suit us. He can't play in the middle of a central mid field duo as he'd be a liability there. Get Miller in beside Keane and stick Reid on the right.
There's a difference between playing against Canada and playing against proper international class teams.
Originally Posted by brine2
when the choice is between Holland,Kavanagh, Kinsella, a few wingers and Liam Miller who has a lot to prove IMHO then I think Kilbane is as good as any in there.
At least you know he is playing in a game ulike the invisible man Mattie Holland.
What are all the raving reviews for Miller based on? A couple of halves in friendly matches? Liam Miller, international class centre-midfielder?
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Well said one decent friendly for Ireland and suddenly hes the answer to our prayers. Maybe he can do a job on the right but Miller is not strong enough yet to control the centre mid with Keane . Kilbane or Holland for me preferably kilbane
Although you have not lowered yourself to saying Kilbane should partner Keane in central midfield, I disagree that Ried (Andy, not that waste of space Stephen) would be a liability there. He has exceptional passing ability and is composed on the ball and although he is small, he is very strong.
Kilbane's lack of composure and crap passing ability would lead him to be a complete liability in the middle, constantly giving the ball away, neary as bad as Carsley I'd say.
i think we can say that a lot of people on this board feel Kilbane is a donkey !!! i feel justified in my comments and shall leave now with my head heald high cause i am more of a man then of you !!!!
sorry went into veiri mode there for a min....
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On the ball in central mid field he's be fantastic, but off it people would stroll pass him. You can't put someone in central mid field when they've rarely ever played there and expect them to do it just because they're talented, it's a very difficult position to play in and he's be a liability on the back foot. It would be like playing Duff there.
I don't quite agree that it would be like playing Duff there. Duff is an out and out left winger, it is his best position by a mile and he looks lost anywhere else on the pitch.
Ried is far more versitile and if he has King Roy alongside him I very much doubt that he would be ALLOWED to let people stroll past him.
I'm just making a point that I think Ried is a good option in the centre, personally I would probably go for Ried on the right and Miller in the centre, but I really think that Ried in the centre is an option to be reckoned with and something that should be tried out.
One things for sure in my mind, he is certainly a better option than Kilbane there.
Given the qualities that all here seem to seek in a central midfielder (tracking back, strong in the tackle, good passer, able to open channels for distribution) and the pro/anti Kilbane/Holland sub-plots going on, I'm surprised that no-one's mentioned Rory Delap. He plays there week-in and out for a decent Premiership side and was highly thought of by Gordon Strachan, no easy man to please. Some of the suggestions here range from the plausible to the laughable, so maybe Delap is someone that we could all agreeon.
Thoughts?
PP
(Carnstien, just a small point, but I have to say it. I know about "i before e except after c" and all that, but it doesn't apply in this case. Both Andy and Steven's surname is Reid. Not Ried. There. Phew.)
Semper in faecibus sole profundum variat
Like O'Shea, he's suffered from being perceived as a utility player and has therefore rarely been used in one settled position until Strachan started playing him in the centre for Southampton. From there, I think he's been excellent.
PP
Semper in faecibus sole profundum variat
I agree.Given the qualities that all here seem to seek in a central midfielder (tracking back, strong in the tackle, good passer, able to open channels for distribution) and the pro/anti Kilbane/Holland sub-plots going on, I'm surprised that no-one's mentioned Rory Delap. He plays there week-in and out for a decent Premiership side and was highly thought of by Gordon Strachan, no easy man to please. Some of the suggestions here range from the plausible to the laughable, so maybe Delap is someone that we could all agree
If Kavanagh or Delap were 22 and Miller was 29/30 with the same ability as they have now, I am absolutely 100% sure that the votes would completely in favour of Kav/Delap. Kavanagh and Delap are currently much better players than Miller, the world cup is in 2 years so its not as if they're going to be old men when it starts. Can people forget about potential ability and think about our best midfielder currently.
I'l love to see what Delap has to offer on the international stage
but he has been cruxified with injuries whenever he gets the call for ireland.
I'd say Strachan pulled his hair out whenever the phone rang for Delap because he was guaranteed to be out of the game for 2-3 weeks.
I agree though he could be useful. Sure didnt he score one of the goals of the season last year. Cant remember against who?
Well said. Millionth time i've said this but Miller hasn't proved himself yet. For me it has to be Kilbane, Holland or maybe even Delap in the middle with Keane.
Nobody has mentioned Colin Healy yet, I know he's injured but I think that he would be a definite candidate if he was fit in time for the qualifiers.
How has Miller not proved himself as a central mid fielder yet Kilbane has? Sorry but that's just daft.
Delaps a good option, but I think he's too similar to Keane to play beside him, he would be a good replacement though.
You don't necessarily need a physically strong player in the centre of the pitch. In 2003 Ajax played Arsenal at Highbury, and Steven Pienaar danced circles around Patrick Vieira. Steven Pienaar is probably one of the smallest and weakest players at Ajax, but he read the play so well and played the ball so quickly that he was always two yards ahead of Vieira, so it didn't matter that he was weak and small.
And with Keane doing the mental intimidation, a skilled midfielder next to him (Reid or Miller) would balance things out nicely. For too long now we Irish have been happy to have players like Kilbane, players who run around like headless chickens and get nothing done.
What do you think of Kavanagh then? He's certainly not too similar to Roy as he gets forward a lot more. I'm sure you'd agree that the quality of opposition in the SPL is no better than that of division 1. Miller scored 2 goals in the SPL this season, Kavanagh scored 7 in Division one. I am a Celtic supporter and hold no grudge over Millers decision over his future but he's certainly not as good as Kavanagh. He has the ability to be better but at the moment Kavanagh is a better all round player. BTW, Kavanagh has over 50 appearances in the premiership and played well, he got let go by Robson when he took over.
Miller did it in the champions league, that's what sets him apart from Kavanagh, who couldn't make it in the premiership.
Miller did in in the CL? You've got to be joking. A few subsitute appearances and a good performance against Anderlecht. Eh, Kavanagh had two seasons in the premiership, Bryan Robson took over and released him. Didn't Staunton, Houghton and McGrath get released at some time? Cardiff paid a million pounds for Kav and he hasn't let them down since.
He was let go by a premiership club and no other premiership clubs picked him up, he's spent the rest of his career between division one and two, therefore, he did not make it in the premiership.
Miller scored twice in the champions league group stages and was excellent every time he played, coming off the bench or starting. He was also man of the match in his last international match.
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