Money.Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
Didn't Sledge & O'Dea play together in Liege? A friendly I know, but a good test nonetheless.
Money.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...nowledge.sport
Probably money though...OUR FRIENDS IN THE EAST
"How did it transpire that Kazakhstan falls under Uefa's jurisdiction while Uzbekistan, their neighbour to the south, play in the Asian department?" wonders Mikael Colville-Andersen.
This goes back to 2002, Mikael, when Kazakhstan became the 52nd member association of Uefa. Despite its location in the heart of Asia (bordering China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Russia and, of course, Uzbekistan), the Kazakhs were keen to leave the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) behind. It could well have had something to do with their failure to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, when they had finished their qualifying group unbeaten, and with an identical record to Iraq, who eventually progressed. But, officially at least, their addition was seen as a return to the fold, having formerly been a part of the Uefa-affiliated USSR.
"They had resigned from the AFC and in that sense were homeless," explained Mike Lee, former Uefa communications director, at the time. "They believe that they're more naturally European, they want to be more European-turning in their outlook as a nation and as an economy. If a country has a historical and territorial base that is relevant it has a right to pursue that." Kazakhstan FA president Rakhat Aliyev added: "Practically speaking, it means more contacts with Europe and more investment projects. It will also lead to a better future for players and especially young people in the country. It will lead to a higher professional level."
For the time being, however, their switch to Europe hasn't proved so lucrative; in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, Kazakhstan finished bottom of Group Two with a solitary point from 12 games.
Your views on O'Dea are ridiculous and entirely unmerited other than your Sky influenced put down on the MLS. Pathetic to consider yourself a fan of the game and belief in such blanket judgments.
In fairness, money aside, the idea that Kazakhstan feels more European than Asian is quite plausible. Certainly Russia, even in the east, rarely feels Asian. And they'd previously "competed" in UEFA as part of the USSR.
Absolutely plausible.
his ability at international level can only be judged on his performances at international level which to date have been good. your assertion is therefore baseless.
Ipswich (possibly) and Toronto are the only two clubs that ever showed genuine interest in retaining O'Dea long term. Celtic, Reading and Leeds all lost interest fairly quickly. Hardly "ridiculous and entirely unmerited" if those two footballing powerhouses are the only clubs he "established" himself at. I've never heard Sky refer to the MLS, other than keeping people up to date on Beckham. What's the "blanket judgement" I've made? That he is playing MLS so I am automatically presuming that he is a poor centre half is it? I've watched O'Dea for Celtic, Ipswich, Reading and a small bit with Leeds which has enabled me to come to that conclusion regardless of what league he is playing in. Good man.
Maybe you should stick to that reasoning then instead of "He is playing with Toronto now" as your answer to rationalise why he isn't international standard.
What has he? 1 international competitive cap is it? I'm open to correction. Not much basis for forming a judgement on his international capabilities. Unless you want to bring in friendlies against Paraguay, Algeria, South Africa, etc into the reckoning......
then why did you do so?
Macedonia and Russia are 2 competitive games I recall and he did fine. He's a back up CB that has been called upon due to Dunne's injury. I don't see why there's such strength of opinion against him.
I have my own reservations about the back 4, but given the experience Trap has afforded the 4 in question then they automatically become first-choice. My reservation pertains to Marc Wilson but Ward hasn't done enough wrong and has sufficient game time under his belt to ensure he merits the spot.
In midfield, I think Trap has missed a trick. What's the reason for Cox's exclusion ahead of McClean? Lack of international experience on McClean's part? The only viable way McClean is going to gain this experience is against teams like Kazakhstan. Trap hardly sees Cox as an automatic starter on the wing for this campaign. I'm sure this issue will be addressed with a substitute appearance for McClean at a fairly early juncture. But, a degree of security would still have existed in playing him from the off i.e. the fact that he's a good player, not to mention his strong work ethic.
The selection up front is on the money. Keane and Walters should compliment one another in a way I don't think Long-Keane would. I think Long must see himself as Robbie's heir rather than his partner by now. Walters deserves his start on this basis.
There's also the possibility that Trap is selecting this side in the interest of formational flexibility. He may be considering to switch to 4-2-3-1. Cox is quite a good number 10 striker in that his link-up play sees him make sweet passes and he's more than capable at striking from long range. Were this to be a factor for Trap's selection then switching Cox to play off of Keane with McGeady on the left flank and Walters on the right would work quite well. Given the level of tactical maturity the three players in question should bear, perhaps Trap sees the trio as more viable options than the more inexperienced James McClean. McGeady, Walters and Cox should all be more positionally flexible than McClean. I'm not seeking to deride McClean here, but we have seen how Trap places huge emphasis on factors such as these in his prior selections.
The above factors aside, I can't imagine many sides having the fear of God struck into them at the sight of that quartet in comparison to the attacks of, for instance, most Premier League attacking quartets. Furthermore, maybe it's a bit ambitious of me to think Trap would deploy such an attacking formation.
Delighted to see James McCarthy get his first competitive start. Can't wait to see him in action in his first of many, many.
Last edited by Olé Olé; 06/09/2012 at 5:46 PM.
Who else is he going to play there if not McClean?
On a side note, the BBC Newsline reader could barely contain his glee when he announced McClean hadn't made the first team.
i think this is the ideal game to start the campaign really. it's a must win, but against poor opposition. we tend to do better away from home and there won't be the boo boy element if things aren't going well (e.g. we're not ahead by half time).
on team selection, my main gripe is o'shea at full back. he's very frustrating to watch there - gives the ball away, doesn't make good runs, doesn't properly support the attacking play. the cox/mcclean thing isn't too surprising, trap always gradually introduces players before making them starters - walters for example. if mcclean keeps working hard he'll get his starting place.
The most depressing thing for me is that Whelan-Andrews will still be first choice MF pairing if fit.
Cox & Long would be up front for me.
McClean on the wing.
Wilson at LB.
O'Shea, Ward and Whelan are so so lucky the Trap loves em. I know I'll be ranting in the pub as soon as I see O'Shea hoofing the ball forward within a minute tomorrow night. Same old same old.
It could be that Trap is saving McClean for late in the game when Kazakh legs get tired. I remember there was uproar among Stoke supporters a few seasons back when Ricardo Fuller, arguably our most naturally talented player at the time, wasn't starting every game. It later emerged in an interview with Tony Pulis that Fuller wasn't really up to completing a full 90 minutes, so he was saving him to use once players like Walters, Sidibe, and Cresswell had worn out the centre backs. And Fuller tore teams to shreds.
The punchline being that Ricardo couldn't possibly get any Fuller.
There's also an article in the Times too: http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soc...323687247.html
I think the arguments are interlinked, but it's a combination of better opposition and money that will presumably lead to a better international side.
The most interesting part is this:
If only the League of Ireland etc etcFollowing in Russia's footsteps, Kazakhstan will also switch to an autumn-spring calendar from next season. Wages at the top clubs in the Kazakh Premier League average about €12,000 a month, although the highest-paid players can earn double that amount, the source said. Further down the league table, average wages are closer to €4,750-5,500 a month.
I would like to see a team, when fit and available, of
Kelly. Dunne. O'shea. Wilson
Whelan. Gibson
Mcgeady. McCarthy. McLean
Long
Still difficult to break down but with the ability to keep the ball slightly more. I know people will say Traps system got us to the euros but it also got us completely pummelled. I think we can be far more competitive against the 'top' teams than with with 4-4-2
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks