Euro 2012 Squad Discussion

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, I think we're all a bit worried about Trap's thinking wrt McCarthy.

wrt Fahey, Hughton said recently that Fahey's injury was OK, it just needed managing. I think we all agree that Fahey is a tidy player and a great guy, but in cold light of day if I had to leave him out to bring McCarthy I would.

[Olé Olé]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-3095215.html
I'm after getting the Sunday Independent this morning and it has put Trapattoni's "90-99%" comments into a more appropriate context than Darragh Moloney served to do when quoting the Daily Mail last night.

Trapattoni went onto state that a few players have a 90% chance to go. Well, at least it's an indication that McClean is on a level footing with Hunt and well up for consideration, unlike the position Trap seemed to hold prior to the friendly against the Czech Republic.

[Charlie Darwin]

I'd have thought Fahey was seen by Trap as a central player now as opposed to a wide midfielder.

[Olé Olé]

I'll agree that he has more recently been deployed in the middle by Trap, for instance against Uruguay, away to Andorra and at home to Armenia. However, away to Armenia, away to Russia and away to Slovkia came on on the right, I'm almost certain. Away to Estonia he came on in the middle and he came on on the right in the reverse fixture.

So it's fairly even between Fahey being deployed as a central or right-sided midfielder by Trapattoni.

I would have thought that in squad terms, now that Keogh has been dropped and with Fahey unlikely to start, Fahey is the second choice right-sided midfielder, after McGeady. This doesn't take into account any movement of Hunt and Duff to the right side.

[Closed Account]

A mate of mine had an interview with him yesterday. First thing he said was that he was very hard to understand. He had an interpreter but it was some dude, not manuela, boo.

What my mate got from I was that Mcclean will be in the squad, but mccarthy will only be on standby.

[Charlie Darwin]

A mate of mine had an interview with him yesterday. First thing he said was that he was very hard to understand. He had an interpreter but it was some dude, not manuela, boo.

I thought you meant Fahey there.

[backstothewall]

On McClean, I think in Traps system he doesn't distinguish between left & right wingers. He will take 4 wide midfielders with him, and expect that at least one of the 2 he picks for a game can play on either the left or right if required. And in fairness McGeady and Duff offer him just that. The 90% quote says to me that McLean is the 4th of these along with Duff, McGeady & Hunt

I think the following are sure to go

Given
Westwood

Kelly
Sledge
O'Shea
Dunne
O'Dea
Ward

Gibson
Whelan
Andrews

Duff
McClean
McGeady
Hunt

Walters
Keane
Doyle
Long
Cox

That leaves 2 outfield places, + a goalie. I'd imagine at least one of the two will be a central midfielder. I'd imagine he's already decided in his own mind who he will take, but it could be any one of Fahey, McCarthy, Paul Green or even Marc Wilson. I can see him sitting long into next Sunday night before deciding on who the 23rd man will be.

[paul_oshea]

there is no justification in picking green ahead of mccarthy.I actually thought green was ok against Slovakia but its a travesty should he make the plane and not mccarthy....I wonder has trap already had a word with him and that prompted his move with regard to not signing a new contract.

[geysir]

Nothing to do with Trap, Green is a free agent now and this is his opportunity to get a decent pension. It has been understood for a while I think, that Derby were no going to be able to offer him an acceptable contract.

[EastTerracer]

Irish Times reporting that McClean may be picked instead of "an established player"
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...315361252.html

[Stuttgart88]

I guess it wouldn't be an Irish tournament venture without some personal issue taking centre stage.

[Junior]

At the end of Soccer Saturday on RTÉ this evening Darragh Moloney turned attention to an article in the Daily Mail tomorrow. From what I picked up the article is carrying direct quotes from Trap to the effect that McClean is "90-99%" certain to be in the squad for the Euro's. The article also states that there will be 5 strikers (Doyle, Walters, Keane, Long and Cox, presumably) and 4 wingers and 4 central players.

Keith Fahey could be out of the Euro's with a recurrent groin problem, which is a real pity for the guy given how his career has gone so far. Anyway, that would leave McClean, Hunt, Duff and McGeady as Trap's 4 wingers of choice.

Now, if Fahey does prove himself fit then Trap is left with a conundrum. In Fahey's absence the 4 wingers would pick themselves, regardless of which flank they play on regularly. However, if Fahey was fit then Trap would have to select 4 from 2 predominantly right-sided midfielders for Ireland in McGeady and Fahey, while the left-sided wingers would be McClean, Hunt and Duff. I've seen Hunt to fill in on the right for Ireland and Roy Hodgson played Duff on the right for Fulham but if I'm going on the basis of Trap's past selection. Given that McGeady and Duff are the staples of an Irish squad under Trapattoni, competition for the other 2 spots would be strong. Issue being that Fahey would be the only right-sided player of the 3 and, henceforth, likely to be picked. So then, we're left with the McClean versus Hunt debate as we've consistently been having. If these quotes are accurate then McClean is likely to win out, or so it would seem. That is, unless Trap is "90-99%" certain that Fahey will miss the Euro's which would be like a pre-emptive Neurofen tablet, getting to the source of selection headaches before they even happen.

That is until Trapattoni has to choose his 4 centre midfielders. This looks a straight-forward decision, with Andrews and Whelan having performed well under Trapattoni and Gibson and James McCarthy in fine Premier League form. Were we not so familiar with Trap's methods then we could expect any combination from the group to start. But accustomed as we are to Trap's ways that the name Paul Green must also be factored into this equation. I would hazard a guess that Andrews, Whelan and Gibson are the three most certain of their places on the plane. I reserve some doubt as to whether Trap will make the right call and bring James McCarthy, of resurgent Wigan fame, rather than the championship level Green.

Good post, Duff is still playing on the right for Fulham under Jol (though no question we would want him on the Left). McGeady played both left and right for Celtic (not sure how he has featured for Spartak, mainly on the right I expect).We are lucky in that we have some flexibility with our wide players being comfortable in switching wings.

[paul_oshea]

Hmmm that has me wondering...Mcclean taking the position of someone, has to be a midfielder or winger in a like for like. Who would be confident enough of being selected to speak with Trapatoni to say he won't be going?(Surely not Hunt, I know he is a bit of a header but surely he knows with the way his season has gone that he cant be sure of a place on the plane?) Might be nothing, but as stutts said wouldn't be an irish tournament venture without some personal issue taking centre stage. I gather Mcgeady is raring to go as I can't imagine duff not going, even if say it was something related to his marriage.

[geysir]

I gusess it wouldn't be an Irish tournament venture without some personal issue taking centre stage.

Hard to tell what at this point. Trap's voice would naturally drop to a 'personally tragic' tone if he was hinting at a player not being able to make it.

[Olé Olé]

Nothing to do with Trap, Green is a free agent now and this is his opportunity to get a decent pension. It has been understood for a while I think, that Derby were no going to be able to offer him an acceptable contract.

It has shades of Gary Breen being courted by Inter Milan after 2002.

Maybe Juventus will come in for Green? Ah, that's a bit far-fetched, maybe only someone like Napoli!

[elroy]

From the papers yday, it appears that Trap will not ignore McClean and will (probably rightly at this stage) bring him to the Euros.

I am far less confident re McCarthy. Trap doesnt seem to have warmed to him and in reality only playing him for a few mins against Macedonia due to FAI pressure.

He did play a full game or certainly a large part of the friendly against Uruguay, I think. But from what I can recall, it was no more than just ok that night. Based on his recent form, I think he has to be our third/fourth CM, with Andrews, Whelan and Gibson ahead of him, but I suspect Trap wont think the same.

[Stuttgart88]

I'm a firm believer in living for the now rather than the future, but if it really is a marginal call (which I don't think it is personally) between Green and McCarthy then surely he has to take McCarthy. McCarthy is bound to become more integral as the WC14 campaign develops and what better way to help him acclimatise to the system than by bringing him on tour for a month? Failing to do so risks alienating the player, though of course you'd hope he'd be mature enough to get over it.

[drummerboy]

Gibson seems to be injured a lot lately. Wonder if he need an operation or something during the summer?

[paul_oshea]

to be honest id be happy enough gibson missing out and mccarthy getting his place, with mcclean coming also.

It wouldn't surprise me to hear gibson say he didnt want to come. He seems a bit aloof the lad sometimes.

[Sullivinho]

Couple of quotes attributed to Trap here that I've not seen anywhere else yet:

Trapattoni will name his squad in Dublin on Monday week but warned Wigan’s James McCarthy:

“He is like some others, he must wait.”

Stephen Ireland may also have to await his international return despite recent offers to make his peace with the Irish boss.
Trap added:

“Two years I spoke with him in Birmingham. I chose another team. After the Europeans, we have a long list of young players like McCarthy. What do we do, leave these players out to make a place for him?”

McCarthy: one for the future / Ireland: one for the past?