Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

**geysir** · 04/03/2014, 9:34 PM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

"Roy Keane 'apologised' to Mick McCarthy over Saipan"

Keane apologised but what did he apologise for?
Maybe Roy said, out of normal social politeness,
"I'm sorry Mick for how ugly it all turned out" and Mick was supposed to reply "I'm sorry too for what transpired", but he didn't

Mick should have kept to his promise not to give in to the little sh'it of a journalist, who, by hook or by crook was going to print some Saipan residue

**Stuttgart88** · 06/03/2014, 9:09 AM

I think it was Geysir who said in another thread that playing with two wingers is out of date. I'm not sure this is strictly true but either way there are a few puzzles to solve in how we line up or what players we pick.

451 / 433 or variations thereof:
* It gives us better numbers in midfield
* Long as the lone forward: does the number 9 stuff well but can't be trusted as a finisher. Last night was nothing new.
* Keane as a lone forward: there's a school of thought that he can't lead the line. But is a line-leader necessary? Not necessarily if the team can play football. He'd have relished Wes' service last night.
* It still allows us two traditional wide men which we are ideologically wedded to.

442
* Does it leave us light in numbers in midfield?
* It allows us two upfront which suits our players better
* It allows us two traditional wide men
* The idea of Keane dropping deep to make it a 451 of sorts has never worked.

It would seem to me that if we are to retain the best of our forward options and the best of a 3 man midfield maybe then we must drop our reliance on classic wide men.

So, this suggests to me that 4-3-1-2 might be better. And maybe there's room for both Reid and Hoolahan. Example: McCarthy deeper, Reid, Hoolahan and Gibson in a narrower midfield, Keane and Long upfront. Coleman provides width on one side at least.

I like the idea of McCarthy, Gibson, Reid and Hoolahan all being on the pitch together.

**geysir** · 06/03/2014, 12:49 PM

I don't see why Robbie can't play ahead of Hoolahan or Reid, as long as he's fit and sharp enough.
You'd wonder just how much of O'Neill's decisions last night were affected by ageist thinking, Robbie is about to kick the bucket - better to just go with Long. Replace the vintage rearguard of Dunne and O'Shea, if it has to be done soon, why not now?
I hope O'Neill won't be flip flopping around for much longer with the decisions as to who are the best players available now, for the core positions and not wondering who will be best in 2 or 3 years time. Surely the Giles' maxim has to take precedent?

Brady's stature and importance in the scheme of things has improved immensely, even though he was absent from the proceedings.

**Stuttgart88** · 06/03/2014, 12:54 PM

Yes, true. I had overlooked Brady.

**Crosby87** · 07/03/2014, 11:36 AM

Martin might add another friendly:
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/socc...back-1.1715571

**Fixer82** · 07/03/2014, 12:26 PM

One thing I have to say was very refreshing about Wednesday night was it was great to see us actually playing football again. It's been quite a while!

**Charlie Darwin** · 07/03/2014, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Crosby87

Martin might add another friendly:
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/socc...back-1.1715571

Don't you mean "Martin: Me might add another friendly"?

**geysir** · 07/03/2014, 4:20 PM

Me don't get that one.

**Stuttgart88** · 07/03/2014, 5:04 PM

That's how Crosby typically introduces the links he adds. Me actually finds it amusing.

**TheOneWhoKnocks** · 07/03/2014, 5:22 PM

If Irish football managers were Muppets, Mick McCarthy would be Beaker, Roy Keane would be Animal and Martin O'Neill would be Bunsen Honeydew.

If Irish football managers were Breaking Bad characters, Chris Hughton would be Gus Fring and Brian McDermott would be Mike.

**Crosby87** · 07/03/2014, 11:50 PM

Me felt Breaking Bad was over rated. This new one on HBO with Woody is better.

**TheOneWhoKnocks** · 09/03/2014, 10:26 AM

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-30075666.html

Paul Rowan got caught with his hand in the cookie jar....

O'Neill took issue on Wednesday night with the excellent journalist Paul Rowan who had suggested in a recent article that, broadly, Roy Keane was watching players in the north of England and O'Neill was covering the south. "I've been to Blackburn, I've been to Swansea, I've been to Southend, I've been in the north about four other times. I have seen 25 live games for the Republic of Ireland. I've seen 28 live games, but the other three didn't consist of an Ireland player," O'Neill said, taking a different approach to media relations than Trapattoni.
"I don't need you to tell me where I should be," he told him. "Do you hear me? I don't want you to make it up. Whatever you say about the team is entirely up to you. Okay? I haven't been hanging around Loftus Road."

**Crosby87** · 09/03/2014, 9:08 PM

Dont want to argue with Marty but isn't that him right there?

**Charlie Darwin** · 09/03/2014, 9:15 PM

No, Crosby, that's a traffic island.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 10/03/2014, 10:02 AM

Don't encourage him/'them'...

**Stuttgart88** · 10/03/2014, 10:32 AM

Paul Rowan's first article on MON said that he was treating the job as a joke, although I think there's a difference between being jovial at a press conference and being disrespectful to execution of the actual position. The quote above seems to suggest Paul Rowan still thinks O'Neill isn't working hard enough, consistent with his opening impression.

I'm not sure though. International football is a bit of a sinecure in some respects, hard work in others. MON and Keane seem to be spending a lot of time on the ground in Ireland and between them are taking in a lot of games. It doesn't bother me much if Keane watches games nearer his home while O'Neill watches games nearer his own.

The rest of that Fanning article is quite positive on the outlook of O'Neill's tenure.

**geysir** · 10/03/2014, 11:57 AM

Rowan can't help himself, O'Neill had him sussed out and replied in kind.
Also sounds like O'Neill was pre-prepared to reply in kind, with a very accurate account of his scouting activity.

Usually an O'Neill honeymoon lasts a bit longer than 2.5 games. The second half performance didn't remind me of Trap, as was referred to by Fanning and others, as if it was a lingering legacy, but more reminded me of O'Neill's last batch of gloomy, relegation bound, Sunderland games. I think we have 2 problems to be sorted, the first is just regular team related issues, the second is O'Neill has to find his mojo.

**Charlie Darwin** · 10/03/2014, 3:12 PM

Rowan seems to miss Trap already. Thankfully, O'Neill is treating him with the same contempt Trap did. We're in for a very boring couple of years, folks, if you want to skip to the end just go back to 2010 and read the articles about the then manager.

**OwlsFan** · 10/03/2014, 4:28 PM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

One thing I have to say was very refreshing about Wednesday night was it was great to see us actually playing football again. It's been quite a while!

Yes like giving away a goal instead of humping the ball forward. If that second half was "playing football", you can keep it. Don't feel even slightly "refreshed" having lost at home to Serbia. We have got to start winning at home against decent sides or we might as well give up and I don't care how we do it.

**Stuttgart88** · 10/03/2014, 4:49 PM

I think you're being too black and white Owls Fan. For a start I think it's fair to say Fixer was more impressed with the first half.

More pertinently, the management's faith in a player like Hoolahan running midfield and playing lovely slide rule passes for Long is the other side of the same coin as allowing full backs to develop play from the back. Sometimes it won't work out. You've got to be able to trust good players like Coleman to use their judgment as to when to hoof and when to play it. His judgment, or at least execution, let him down.