Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
No room for a Holding Midfielder there Stutts?
Tbf, it's not going to matter much on Friday, besides a novelty value, how we line up/play next week is much more important.
No room for a Holding Midfielder there Stutts?
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
None whatsoever, anywhere or anytime!
Is that the team you would play? I do think it's a safe (non contreversial) selection for Noel King though.
I'd consider dropping Keane against Germany with a garauntee of a start in the following game. I'd even consider Green ahead of Gibson to partner McCarthy in the defensive midfield role for the German game.
I'd play McGeady Reid and Pilkington in the advance midfield roles with Long alone up front. (If Hoolahan had been playing more football i'd have opted for him instead of Reid)
----Green-- McCarthy
McGeady------Reid------Pilkington
---------Long-------
That's just me though. Don't think i'd be brave enough to drop Keane and choose Green over Gibson in Kings position...
Last edited by dr_peepee; 08/10/2013 at 1:15 PM.
I think Mcgeady is too lightweight against Germany, therefore I'd stick Long on the wing.
Long is not a goalscorer and we have seen him be very poor in front of goal and is short of match practice.
Keane can still grab a goal, i'd put him up there and Long on the wing for both of the above reasons, hence why im leaning with Stutts, you could always bring mcgeady on in the wing for Long with 20 mins to go when the germans are a little tired - not much mind cos they are German.
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
I thought Long was a real physical threat when he came on against Arsenal on Sunday.
dr_peepee, I'd say that probably is the team I would play although I'd be torn between Reid and Hoolahan. I think Wes might be a better bench option, not having started much of late. McGeady for the bench too. I should have added him to my list of possibles.
I agree re-Keane, but I think it'd be interesting how well he can play that role. I don't think it's a lone striker role as such. The thing is, Germany away will probably teach us very little.
I'd also pick a goalkeeper and back 4!
Regarding tickets for the Kazakhstan tie premium tickets via ticketmaster are €40 which compares well with the general admission nosebleed sections for €35-€45.
Anyone know if you get anything extra like a programme or is it just the seat at 'premium' level with access to a bar?
"oh my, that was some beer we had last night, I think I feel like getting sick" Effin Eddie
Yeah. that's all. If you're in one of the boxes you get a programme but they're not on general sale
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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Noel King invited Shamrock Rovers' David Elebert along with Richie Towell, John Sullivan, Kurtis Byrne and Andy Boyle of Dundalk to train with the squad today. I suspect this won't be the last time we see Towell involved with the senior international side.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater
No Darren Meenan, surprisingly.
Feeling a bit more positive now about the 2 games. Good to see Reid, Gibson & Stokes back in the fold & 4-5-1 is surely the only way you'd line up against this German side so a midfield looking like this could at least keep the ball for more than 2 passes:
Pilkington Gibson Hoolahan McCarthy Reid
I'd stick Long or Stokes up top for the donkey work (sorry Robbie).
Disappointing, considering he put himself about so well on Sunday.
I understand the "call-ups" were more to fill up required numbers for a training game rather than an indication of possible interest in calling them up at some point in the future or an exercise to offer them a flavour of senior international experience. Of course, King won't have the opportunity to select another Irish squad.
I think King called the guys up based on tactical reasons. He wanted certain types of players, no? It wasn't a statement that these are the top 5 players.
King uses 5 LOI players to prepare for Germany and it's seen as disappointing. Yossarian's username is very apt, putting King in a Catch 22 situation like that.
They'd be among the better players but Towell is the only one who you'd say is in the top 5. He'll be in future Ireland squads, for sure, and he'll learn from this experience. The others, probably not. Elebert is probably only there because Croly doesn't rate him.
They were brought in because they occupy roughly the same positions as the players who sat out the 11 v 11 match - 3 defenders, a midfielder and a striker (Delaney, Clark, McGeady and Doyle).
There's nothing sure about Towell and future squads. Fine player but there are reasons he didn't make the SPL grade. Hope he can recover and get back to learning a good living
King approached other LOI managers/players but they refused the request (on the basis of league games this weekend). Wouldn't be reading too much into the players selected as, to all intents and purposes, they're just bodies. Elebert, for example, is one of the worst centre halves in the league. 4th choice for the team in 5th position
No harm though. Players will enjoy it and King makes an anti-Trap point.
(Oh and Meenan is a Northern Ireland u21 international (born in the Republlic))
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
---
New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
I don't know what the reasons were that Towell didn't get an SPL contract but he appears to have gotten over it already.
Towell didn't get a contract presumably because the managers there didn't rate him. The game is full of players who in spite of their obvious talents have had trouble getting contracts and sometimes it's just a matter of finding a manager who has that amount of faith in you. Conor Henderson as recently as last month had run out of options at Championship level with managers unconvinced of his ability before Hull swooped in to give him a Premier League contract. Not getting a contract at one level doesn't necessarily say anything about a player's ability, aptitude, attitude or whatever. To me, Towell looks like he has all the attributes to make it a long way and I saw some of those traits in the SPL and underage teams too.
I heard he was hung out to dry by Fenlon.
Emmet Malone in today's Irish Times is saying that yesterday's training suggests Gibson, Stokes and Clark are all likely to start and Wilson is in contention to play the DM role with O'Brien or Kelly going to left back.
I suppose in my post above about the 4231 shape, I should have said that Clark, O'Brien and Wilson are all candidates for a DM role too.
Anyway, it's refreshing that King actually seems to know which players have which attributes.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 09/10/2013 at 8:08 AM.
So how come joey O'Brien didn't need this window to get his knee massaged?is he the fourth to have won a reprieve of sorts? or just didn't want to be near trap eithEr?
Anyway the whole thing is refreshing therr is an air of confidence coming out of the squad.
I wouldn't like to see stokes starting.its Keane for me Keane had a great understanding with players like Reid and Ireland less so with hoolahan for a whole host of reasons though.
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