Shane Long better start.......4-5-1 and hope for the best.
"If God had meant football to be played in the air, he'd have put grass in the sky." Brian Clough.
You'll NEVER beat the Irish.......you'll just draw with us instead!!!
Whelan has been playing well for Stoke in the recent games I saw him play. Yet for us in recent games he looks like he has super glue on his boots. Player or tactics making him look bad? He had a poor Euros and did not have a good game against Kazakhstan. The team at the moment looks like
Westwood
Kelly JOS O'Dea Ward
Cox McCarthy Andrews McGeady
Keane Walters
If he picks that starting 11 then expect hoofing all night and conceding at least two goals. No pace in that Irish team to make the German midfield and full backs think twice about pushing forward. Keane won't get a kick of the ball against this type of opposition. Its like playing with 10 men. And Walters is not a Niall Quinn type of player. He won't trouble either German center back enough in the air. With Whelan almost certainly out then I would play Mayler, McCarthy and Andrews in the center. Coleman out right. McGeady left. Long up front on his own. And Wilson in for Ward. Mayler and McCarthy are two very tough players who will not be intimidated by the Germans. Long can run that right channel all night. He makes great runs into the space between the left center back and the left back. Wilson has been in good form for Stoke and is a very steady player. Ward gets pulled out of position too often.and will be exposed again against the Germans.
Our strength in depth in the defensive areas isn't bad, losing Dunne, St Ledger, Whelan and replacing with O'Dea, Kelly and Andrews isn't too steep a climb down. I'd even they've been our in form players in those positions in the past few months. Not that it really matters who we play since Germany are on a different planet though it'll be interesting to see how the guys who came in do for leaving their mark down for a place. JOS back to centre back and Kelly to right back in particular I reckon is something that'd benefit us for the long run. Whelan has been diabolical for us in recent times too so I wouldn't be too upset if he didn't get his place back.
Last edited by Murfinator; 08/10/2012 at 12:29 PM.
Clark has been called up
Havin a weekend away is quite frankly,lettin ur team mates down!
Wilson, Coleman, Clark, Meyler and Brady all in this squad now. Knowing how hard it is to actually get out of an Irish squad this might be a good sign!
I would start all of them
Trap just said O'Shea being considered for center back but nothing else mentioned on other player changes or tactics.
I think you're dead right.
Personally I'd have:
Westwood
Kelly JOS O'Dea Wilson
McGeady McCarthy Andrews McClean
Keane Long
If that wasn't effective I'd bring on Meyler or Brady for Keane and let McCarthy play behind Long.
Wll any of this happen? Maybe. And by maybe I mean definitely not!
Folding my way into the big money!!!
So what are peoples predictions for the game? It obviously depends on the starters for both teams. If Trap starts with Ward, Cox and Keane then I can only see a straight forward 2-0 win for the Germans. If he changes things around and plays Wilson, Long, Coleman and possibly even Meyler then I can see us getting something from this game. Maybe a 1-1.
Meyler was called up at same time as Brady I think - when Doyle withdrew. 2 in for 1, so not directly replacing anyone.
Think Meyler was actually called up before Brady weirdly, on Friday. Appeared Trap just decided to get David in regardless of injuries.
I'd pick Meyler/Fahey in the middle with McCarthy and Andrews regardless of Whelan missing out. Pack the midfield and frustrate them. Don't think Keane's an ideal lone front man but he'll do, particularly if we utilise Long's pace out right.
If things stay tight, play Coleman on the right, Long into the middle with Walters and go for it.
It'll probably be 4-4-2 with Cox back in as a phantom midfielder. Fahey might have a decent chance to start though.
After the Euro trauma I truly fear a beating, but think Germany will ease to a 2-0 win.
Trying to keep in mind Portugal '01 and the late drafting of Stan and Dunne into central defence. There's always hope.
Last edited by SwanVsDalton; 08/10/2012 at 2:17 PM.
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
Great to see Clark finally get a call up, I'm a bit suprised Alex Pearce didn't get the nod ahead of him though.
Trap must not have been too impressed with what he saw during the Oman game.
Mats Hummels ruled out today.
Joachim Loew calls up Westermann to replace injured defender Hummels
I'd say it was probably his performance against Spurs for Reading when Defoe made him look very ordinary. Both Clark and Pearce are very green at Premier League level but Clark has a bit more experience (and ability).
edit: Leverkusen defender Lars Bender has also been ruled out
Last edited by Charlie Darwin; 08/10/2012 at 3:18 PM.
All these withdrawals could be a win win for Trapatoni, especially if end up losing by 2 or more goals.
I'm a bloke,I'm an ocker
And I really love your knockers,I'm a labourer by day,
I **** up all me pay,Watching footy on TV,
Just feed me more VB,Just pour my beer,And get my smokes, And go away
Comfortable German win with your first team, dominant German win for your 2nd team. You're insane if you think throwing in a stoke, west brom and everton reserve against probably the 2nd best team in the world is going to somehow earn parity. More than likely it'd make a bad situation worse with all the cohesion problems of missing every single starter from the last campaign in their position bar McGeady. We'd be looking at a 7-0 destruction if he did that.
Bookmarks