Anyone want to join the chorus. It's got to start now so as we have Wes in place for the friendlies next spring. Just
looking at the lad play on a quite a few occassions this season (latest versus Arsenal on Saturday) he is head and shoulders
above Whelan, Andrews, Gibson and even Fahey.
He makes things happen for Norwich - in a team that isn't blessed with talent. Surely his time has come to represent
his country? Not like we can afford to pass up his talents.
Can he play the defensive sitting midfielder role? No, probably not.
Is he so good that he's worth changing our system for, to take advantage of his attacking qualities? No, probably not.
Trap wont be picking a 5 foot 5 attacking midfielder, even if he is playing well (for one of the worst teams in the league) to play in a defensive role, so I can't see him coming to Euro 2012.
Agree completely with Jicked. Doesn't fit into the system, and is therefor dispensable. We could try and reverse our whole system of play to accomodate him and we probably would play a slighty more attractive brand of football, but we probably wouldn't be going to the euros either. Armenia played the best brand of football in our group, but are they going to Poland and Ukraine?
If he's playing well for one of the worst teams then he's obviously playing well against superior opposition.
He's not too bad defensively anyhow. I'd like to see him play behind Keane in a 4-2-3-1. Trap
could keep his six man defence, put Doyle and Duff either side of Hoolohan.
Even more defensive than Trap's set up, I know, but for the two deep midfielders (two because we don't have a Roy Keane to set Trap's mind at ease in that position) I would like to see Gibson and McCarthy given a run out.
Or, he looks like shining by playing the odd lovely pass in a game where his team doing anything at all will be considered particularly good, even if the midfield he's a part of have been increasingly overrun.Originally Posted by born2bwild
With 5 top quality strikers, playing just one, and leaving out one of or best players in qualifying (McGeady) wouldnt happen whoever was in charge, let alone Trap who has proven that his system works.
I imagine that there'll be a good few threads like this before next summer. The media will have a flavour of every month and we'll hear loads of arguments for different players. The only chance of Hoolahan getting called up is if we get someone in the draw, who Trap looks at and says, "Right, 4-4-2 against them will get anihalated, we need to come up with a different gameplan, a change of mentalitee....".
Am I right in saying the only time we've played 4-3-3 was away to Italy when Folan came on? Have we played 4-5-1 aside from Robbie dropping deep? Otherwise he's put his best players out in the best postition he could. I'd like us to come up with an effective Plan B. Otherwise the other teams could just watch one of our games and figure us out, as Russia did in the Aviva.
I'd like to see Hoolahan get a go, but only in a friendly against someone in the top 2 seeds. He could be useful for example against Germany if he kept up his form. It'd require dropping Robbie but that's going to happen someday anyway. But not quite yet.
Change what system? Just put the boy on the park as a direct replacement for Whelan and detail him to do the same job that he would have done.
Wes shows for the ball, plays one twos, gets the return pass and generally finds a decent 'end product' pass. Quite often he finds a very threatening pass in the opposition half. He did it to great effect against Liverpool and again today against the class that is Arsenal F.C. So what more is there to understand about Hoolahan?
He can rub shoulders with some of the best players in Europe and have them chasing his shadow at times.
He's a very creative footballer who shows for the ball and helps his team retain possession. But, oh I forgot, we (Ireland) are so good at retaining possession. The qualifiers are over lads - time to take that step up against quality opposition. And we need people who can make things happen in midfield.
The Arsenal match today showed exactly why Hoolahan can't fit the existing system. He did not trackback whatsoever today and the Norwich back 4 were completely exposed several times. It's a miracle how Arsenal didn't score 4 or 5 goals really. People don't seem to realise we have one of the weakest teams in the competition. If we try to play open attacking football against the likes of Spain, Germany, Italy or Holland, we are going to get absolutely destroyed. We have a chance against teams like this if we stick to our system and keep things tight and not leave gaps or space that can easily be exploited.
I will say that Hoolahan should be in the squad and deserves some sort of run out. I think his place in the team is an impact sub where we are chasing a game and have nothing to lose.
May I suggest Mark reads the zonalmarking article posted here recently?
I saw him today and wasn't blown away by any means. Decent enough, some nice touches but he plays too far ahead of the ball for Trap's system. Hoolahan, like Stephen Ireland, is a final third player. Where we need stengthening imho is the middle third.
I could see a role for him in a 4-4-1-1 in a game we really want to avoid losing above anything else, or maybe 4-4-2 when we're throwing caution to the wind, but then we have the long ball for that!
I like wes but he wouldn't add anything to our team. He's a 5-man midfield player, we don't play a 5-man midfield. It's as simple as that.
The mild clamor for him seems to be from mostly ignorant folk who've conveniently forgotten absolutely every midfield Trap has lined out with in the past 3 years. Just the usual foaming at the mouth brigade because some lad is playing well in the premiership, calling for their call up without any reason or logic as to how they'd operate in the international team.
Bit similar with Coleman, great player and all but his position is already filled very well by Duff, McGeady and Hunt. Even giving him his chance he's not going to improve our side very much because the guys ahead of him are doing so well already.
I'd rather see more chat about alternatives at Left Back and centre mid than positions we're triple filled for or in the case of Hoolahan positions that don't even exist.
Last edited by Murfinator; 19/11/2011 at 5:50 PM.
i hear what everyone is saying but isnt it more prudent for Trappatoni to see what he can do in a flat 4 (or as a wide man where he played a lot before Norwich) instead of assuming that he cant fit a system and therefore doesnt add to the pool of players we already have. If you try it and it doesnt work, good and well, youve learned something, you move on - but if you dont try it at all, well you'll just never know.
Nail on head.
We did try playing inventive final third players relatively recently. We got one point from 6 against Cyprus.
How about you join in with the rest of us in not making pointless threads (this is basically the same as this one you made a month ago) and post in the player's usual thread, which I posted in your last daft thread.
http://foot.ie/threads/58807-Wes-Hoolahan
Alternately, theres a place where you and this sort of off the cuff nonsense would fit right in and I'm sure you'd be more than welcome: www.ybig.ie/forum
Last edited by theworm2345; 20/11/2011 at 12:38 AM.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Ah! But it was grand point
It's not assuming though, there are compelling reasons to both sides of the argument. And it could be considered prudent to offer opportunities to others who may be more likely to make an impact.
Not saying Hoolahan doesn't deserve a chance, just saying Trap, who knows his system inside out, possibly shouldn't buy into simply giving someone a go. It has to be fully justified and Hoolahan's a tight call - the guy would have to come into the team and not just do OK, he'd have to make a BIG impact. Would that be better than developing others in the squad who lack game time for instance? I'm not sure....
I'm happy either way to be honest. I'm not convinced Hoolahan would make a huge difference to our chances our team but I certainly wouldn't be against him getting a game. Just difficult to see with so little games between now and June.
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
what all the fuss about
the next friendly is the first logical time to bring him in since he's come on the international radar. he deserves a call up. no point building him up or writing him off before he gets a chance.
On Traps radar?
No Somos muchos pero estamos locos.
explain to me how it is not assuming? Until he sees him up close at practice it is an assumption. With regards to game time for other established squad members, its about seeing what Hoolahan (or anyone in the same position) can do in practice first.
People assumed the same thing about Keith Fahey and they were wrong. He played well in the system when he had the chance at games and now Trap always has him in the squad.
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