Liam Lawrence

[Fergie's Son]

Any audio or visual of that interview? Fair play to him for saying it.

[geysir]

Really stupid discussion on Newstalk on the plastic paddy issue, totally misinterpreting LL´s reported views on the matter.
But I was only half listening to it.
Liam referenced a player who hesitates and prolongs a decision, a player who juggles.
He clearly articulates most fan's feelings on the matter. There is a line of acceptance and a player who needs to wait and juggle the possibilities is firmly on the other side of that line.

[DannyInvincible]

How did whoever was discussing it on Newstalk pass off his comments?

[gastric]

Lawrence seems to be a genuine sort of bloke, but the cynic in me also thinks more competition for places could mean less game time!

[TrapAPony]

Really stupid discussion on Newstalk on the plastic paddy issue, totally misinterpreting LL´s reported views on the matter.
But I was only half listening to it.

What was said?

Lawrence seems to be a genuine sort of bloke, but the cynic in me also thinks more competition for places could mean less game time!

I agree.

[geysir]

The Newstalk discussion will be available on playback, somewhere around 7.15pm to 8.00pm.
As I said I only half listened to it. They assumed LL was talking about the plastic paddies in general, that his comments were derogatory in general about the 2nd and 3rd generation paddies.
They used his name in vain (and that's what annoys me) to engage in a superficial discussion about the issue and not one reference to the core of his comments.
I like it when a footballer expresses himself sincerely and sensibly and it is a frustration when the rare time it happens, the comments are treated with such flippancy.

[Stuttgart88]

Probably a bit harsh. I got the impression he was talking on behalf of others as well. LL was probably the guy designated to do the day's media duty.

[geysir]

Good discussion with Alan McLaughlin on Newstalk 9.45pm, balances out all the earlier nonsense.
Hit the nail on the head with the decision time needed for a 2nd/3rd generation paddy, he said more or less, not weeks, not days, not hours but minutes or seconds needed to accept the invitation.
He said he had an invite to join up with England B same times as invite for Ireland B.

[Fixer82]

Newstalk discussion at top of the show really annoyed me. How dare they be so cynical about players lining out and pulling on the green jersey.

[Noelys Guitar]

Just as interesting were his comments about our tactics ie 442 rather than playing 451 sometimes. Tardelli went to see Lawerence to "clarify" his comments.
Todays Irish Times
It should come as no great surprise then, in the wake of Liam Lawrence talking formations with the press on Tuesday evening, assistant manager Marco Tardelli revealed after training yesterday he had stopped by the Portsmouth winger back in the team hotel to “clarify” his remarks.

Lawrence’s suggestion, not unreasonable it seemed, after Trapattoni had come close to declaring himself helpless as he watched his four-man midfield overrun by Russia’s five in the first hour of the game in October, was the Republic too should consider manning up in that department.

Tardelli, though, was having none of it yesterday, insisting 4-4-2 remained the logical choice for Ireland as they step up their push for a place at the next European Championships, and claiming while the team could play with five across the middle, “it would take 10 to 15 days to prepare for the match”.

This was at odds with Tardelli’s confident claim moments earlier that Ireland can switch between one formation and the other mid match simply by relocating Robbie Keane. But in any case, he declared, “it doesn’t matter because Macedonia play 4-4-2 so for now, 4-4-2 is good for us”.

I wonder if LL's opinion of tactics is shared by others in the squad?

[Supreme feet]

I think, simply, Trap has stuck with 4-4-2 because Keane and Doyle are among our 5 best players and thus undroppable. Admittedly, the last time we played 4-5-1 in a competitive game was our 1-0 win over Slovakia under Stan (Keane was suspended) and it worked like a charm. Tardelli mentioned the possibility of Robbie dropping deeper when required, and he's certainly capable of doing this (when Trap took over, he mentioned Keane as a 'Totti' kind of player) but we just haven't seen him do it, for whatever reason. Maybe it's because Doyle naturally tends to drift out wide these days, Keane may feel obliged to stay in the box.

Still, 4-4-2 would be absolutely fine for us if we played two athletic and intelligent central midfielders who can do the simple things right, plus two full backs who can pass it more than five metres. 4-4-2 worked for Sweden when they were qualifying for 5 tournaments in a row, no reason why it shouldn't work for us.

[paul_oshea]

Really stupid discussion on Newstalk on the plastic paddy issue, totally misinterpreting LL´s reported views on the matter.
But I was only half listening to it.
Liam referenced a player who hesitates and prolongs a decision, a player who juggles.
He clearly articulates most fan's feelings on the matter. There is a line of acceptance and a player who needs to wait and juggle the possibilities is firmly on the other side of that line.

I don't know if im allowed to reply to you directly anymore, but a couple of mates at home, for the soccer particularly, say that newstalk - or moreso the presenters - has gone downhill somewhat. Is this true - or for those who listen frequently? I don't listen all that often

Be interesting to see if anything comes of his comments around formation though.

[geysir]

I don't know if im allowed to reply to you directly anymore,

I don't know why you would feel so rejected Paul but I suspect you are donning a contrived veneer of oversensitivity

but a couple of mates at home, for the soccer particularly, say that newstalk - or moreso the presenters - has gone downhill somewhat. Is this true - or for those who listen frequently? I don't listen all that often

I would only listen to Newstalk around the build up to the Ireland games for snippets of info around the team. It's similar now to what it was for previous games.
What your mates might be experiencing is an over-familiarity

Be interesting to see if anything comes of his comments around formation though.

What I notice, the issue is hardly ever a footballer speaking his mind, the issue is what the media manufacture from a footballer speaking his mind.
Newstalk just didn't understand that LL was referring to those 2 players who were publicly discussing the option of declaring for Ireland and delaying.
Malone paints an image of Tardelli collaring LL afterwards, which I'd take with a dose of salt i.e.the image not the collaring.
Result - you end up getting the Stephen Carr attitude or you get banal platitudes from players.
LL wants to play on Saturday. He wants Ireland to win. He hated losing to Russia. Both Trap and Tardelli appreciate what type of character LL is.

If Emmet Malone scratched his head a bit then let him suggest who we should play up front alone, or do we have some flexibility as Tardelli suggests we should have.

[paul_oshea]

Its always easier to knock than offer opinions or suggest alternatives. Luckily for sports journalists they are covered by both.

Hence why there are always critics - and always work for critics.

[Charlie Darwin]

That's a very cynical attitude, Paul. You'd make a great critic.

[theworm2345]

Portsmouth cannot afford the necessary scan for Liam Lawrence's calf injury
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17067079

[johnnyc]

Holy ****.

[drummerboy]

I'm sure Liam could well afford to pay for it himself, if he is desperate to find out what is wrong.

[Carrigaline]

He's on £20k a week until 2014. I think Lawrence is a useful player, but how the heck did a Championship club just out of administration justify paying that kind of money for a player?

[seanfhear]

It would be good if the FAI were willing to foot the bill for Liam. Its about time the FAI acted in the interests of their players if there is a necessity to do so.