I don't think the mistake was not picking a 5th striker.
Walcott's inclusion was a very strange one because he wasn't up to the standard where the manager would play him. What's the point of picking somebody who you won't play even when injury and fitness doubts open up a place? Imo, the mistake was not picking a viable 4th striker.
Which thread had information on getting tickets for the finals ?
I checked Uefa site yesterday and from what i saw i think more released after draw.
Will you still be able to get them through your club ?
Dunno if there's an actual thread on it, but best place to ask after info is here (and it'll be easier for others to find it then as well)
Yeah i'd agree with your comments re. Walcott.
But i still think theirs is a good example of why you should have 5 'viable' strikers. If they'd had eg. Defoe instead of Walcott, then the way things went they were still short on options. Owen went home injured and Rooney, struggling for fitness, got sent off and would have been suspended for the next round anyway. Would have left them with just the Crouch/Defoe pairing for a massive game. You'd always want a striking option on the bench. For a team with (deluded?!) designs on winning the tournament, Eriksson's choice was criminal.
Of course you'd hope that, whether we take 4 or 5 strikers, they'd all be 100% fit at least for the first kick off.
Niall Quinn was Ireland's registered 3rd keeper in 1990, we could pull the same stunt with John O'Shea but I'm pretty certain FIFA have changed the rules.
I think we'll go with 5 strikers, particularly as two (Long & Walters) are versatile and can play well elsewhere. I'd be amazed if he doesn't take 5 actually.
I also hereby predict at least one game in the group stages where we go 4-5-1. I have a nagging feeling that Trap thinks Keane and Doyle are undroppable but that might change. 3 games in 12 days gives Trap license to change things without offending any precious egos.
Doyler was a winger at City for the most part
Player has to be assigned to the team sheet as a goalkeeper. Outfield can only be used as emergency goalkeeper if the other two are injured, that rule goes right down through footballing ladders now. Had that rule in college when I played too.
But can a sub goalkeeper be brought on for a forward, even when the team still have their first-choice keeper in nets?
I don't understand how UEFA/FIFA can enforce the keeper rule though. Whats to stop you playing a keeper as an outfielder?
eg. if one of the teams has a wildcard like the Paraguayan Chilavert. Its the 120th minute of the semi-final and its heading to penalties. Your current keeper is a great penno shot stopper so you want to keep him on - but you also want Chilavert on to actually take a penno.
Or are they saying that that literally isn't allowed? Seems unfair to me.
Or am i the only geek who actually cares?!
EDIT -Stu beat me to it and was way more succinct, as usual
There is nothing to say you can't use a goalkeeper on the bench as a sub for an outfield player, but there is nothing to say you can.
From experience, I've come on as an outfield player once for the college team. Had a thumb injury and couldn't play in goal. One of our players got injured so I came on as striker. Never seen it enforced where one couldn't do so. But every time on a team sheet, player must be wrote down as GK on the bench.
True. Good logic.
I vaguely recall hearing/reading that Mexico's goalkeeper Jorge Campos was also registered as a striker in the '94 WC.
I think (and hope) likewise. Whilst in charge of Italy Trap took 5 recognised strikers (not including Totti) to both the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Walters has elevated himself to at least level pegging with Cox via his last two performances imo so as it stands I'd have Keane, Doyle, Long, Walters and Cox as said five. If I'm not mistaken, Walters also played quite a few games as a right winger/midfielder for Ipswich so he's got that versatility.
No, I was thinking of France, who asked to replace their third keeper in WC 2010 after he got injured. I had thought their second keeper was also injured (though not for the whole tournament like the third choice guy), but I didn't see any confirmation in my quick googling. They were denied permission in the end.
The Italians don't think of Totti as a forward. He's a "fantasista", so he only plays in the hole behind two forwards, like the role Keane was moved into in Bari. My guess is that Trap has been reluctant to experiment with that formation more because you usually play three all-round midfielders behind the front three, which would exclude Duff, McGeady, Hunt, etc.
I think it's far from clear how Trap now rates those five, other than that Keane is clearly first. Doyle seems to be second for now, but the others' performances must be putting pressure on that.Walters has elevated himself to at least level pegging with Cox via his last two performances imo so as it stands I'd have Keane, Doyle, Long, Walters and Cox as said five. If I'm not mistaken, Walters also played quite a few games as a right winger/midfielder for Ipswich so he's got that versatility.
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