Republic of Ireland V Serbia - Wednesday, 5th March 2014 - Friendly

[paul_oshea]

When it comes to this friendly and the next few, I hope we are not going to enter a typical O'Neill phase of indecisiveness, this time on how we should best utilise the players at our disposal. On that, it's probably a positive that O'Neill has Roy Keane at his side.
They have the potential to be the best management team in our international history.

The best management team in our history without the best resources (we have had) in our history.

[Stuttgart88]

Robbie is far more articulate than people give him credit for. I think people just hear the accent and dismiss him. There's no real scope for ambiguity in what he said except for that which people try to apply.

I'm able hear more than the accent, trust me! I'm not saying he's not articulate, I'm saying it's not unreasonable for a footballer to give writers with an agenda scope for printing scurilous headlines. If he was a PR professional I'd have higher standards.

[tetsujin1979]

Hendrick is going to be in the U21 squad: http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-30028790.html

[paul_oshea]

I see O'Neill is concenred that no young lads knocking on the door. Trap was lucky there were a few prospects coming through when he started, and through his term granted he failed to utilise them soon enough and back fired, but there really is no one coming through now which is really concerning.

Anyone any idea when the fixtures will be made after the draw? End of March?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

So because you didnt read his comments properly its his fault?

Keane's comments are in the public domain. It was pretty easy to read between the lines imo.

Genuine question. Do you think if Keane was a unused/substitute at the beginning of the next campaign and/if O'Neill wanted to peruse other options/formations for the good of the team, would he put his head down or would he retire and focus on his club career and remaining injury free, which doesn't go hand in hand with the travel entailed.

By all means, he may take a role as substitute.

I certainly don't understand why his comments are being shrugged off as scurrilous paper talk. They came out of his mouth! It wasn't the first time either.

[Yard of Pace]

but there really is no one coming through now which is really concerning.

Really?? What about the Villa lads including Grealish, Sean Murray, Duffy, O'Brien at Derby.....

[tetsujin1979]

Really?? What about the Villa lads including Grealish, Sean Murray, Duffy, O'Brien at Derby.....

Ian Lawlor part of extended squads at City, Sam Byrne out on loan, McEvoy, Hoban back in the first team picture at Watford, Hendrick

[Yard of Pace]

Ian Lawlor part of extended squads at City, Sam Byrne out on loan, McEvoy, Hoban back in the first team picture at Watford, Hendrick

Yep, nothing coming through at all.

[Stuttgart88]

Aaron McCarey now starting at Wolves?

If the point is that none is immediately threatening the incumbents then I'd say that's fair enough. If the point is that he sees nobody in the 18-23 agre group challenging for a squad place in the next two yeras, well I'd be disappointed in such a remark.

Maybe we should get TOWK to interpret as he's the expert in deciphering the real meaning in peoples' remarks and sub-editors' headlines

[Stuttgart88]

Genuine question. Do you think if Keane was a unused/substitute at the beginning of the next campaign and/if O'Neill wanted to peruse other options/formations for the good of the team, would he put his head down or would he retire and focus on his club career and remaining injury free, which doesn't go hand in hand with the travel entailed.

By all means, he may take a role as substitute.

I certainly don't understand why his comments are being shrugged off as scurrilous paper talk. They came out of his mouth! It wasn't the first time either.

When was the other time?

And hang on: there is the world of difference between a guy aged 35 going on 36 retiring in good grace from international football when he is no longer a key figure and a 32-33 year old threatening to simply quit if he is no longer selected - and, by implication, with more than a whiff of bad grace about it. The latter is how you have chosen to interpret it. He made the remark at least a year ago so the 32-33 y/o bit is wholly relevant.

You really are a sophist of the highest order.

Some scenarios:

(1) If he is dropped by MON during this campaign and quits in a huff I'll hold my hands up. TOWK will be right. If he is dropped in this campaign but stays on TOWK will be wrong.

(2) However, if he is told by MON in this campaign that he is no longer in his plans and he then retires then nobody wins this debate. It remains an unknown.

(3) If he retires at the end of the upcoming campaign at 35, therefore close to 36* at the start of the subsequent campaign, then nobody wins either. His time will have come and gone naturally.

TOWK, would you have the deceny to agree that the sequence above is fair?

* I couldnt be ar$ed to check his birthday again.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Stutts, you are one of the wise sages of this forum. I always value your opinion.

[paul_oshea]

Lads i think thats clutching at straws a bit more than anything, some players might not play for us, others have dubious injury records, and others have been in and out of teams. The players i mentioned were playing premiership football....

These are mainly championship players who even if they blossom still could end up playing championship all their life. Remember Owen garvan huge talk of how well he was doing at Ipswich (championship) whatever happened him? LIkewise chris mccann played a few premiership games and thats it. If we aspire to championship players then ya its really bright...

And even those loanees from PL how many loanees have we seen fall by the way side or just float between championship and league 1. Greg Cunningham anyone?

Yep, nothing coming through at all.

[Stuttgart88]

Stutts, you are one of the wise sages of this forum. I always value your opinion.

Thanks, but that avoids the question!

[paul_oshea]

Aaron McCarey now starting at Wolves?

If the point is that none is immediately threatening the incumbents then I'd say that's fair enough. If the point is that he sees nobody in the 18-23 agre group challenging for a squad place in the next two yeras, well I'd be disappointed in such a remark.

Maybe we should get TOWK to interpret as he's the expert in deciphering the real meaning in peoples' remarks and sub-editors' headlines

Oh yey now we look forward to league 2 players. Are we looking for anyone playing first team football under the age of 23 in any league in England?

His point is straightforward enough I reckon(sometimes i wonder how people get so many different interpretations and most mainly wrong) we dont have many players pushing through at PL level like he believed we had when he took over or believed would come through time. As I said the players mentioned previously came through at PL level from a relatively young age. We dont seem to have anyone at that now.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

As long as foreign managers are in vogue in The Premiership, chances of Irish players breaking through are slim to bupkis.

Say what you want about people like Allardyce, McLeish and Hughes; if an Irish player was good enough, they would be given a chance. The more exotic managers just go to their Chairman with a list of two-dozen kids with unintelligible surnames ending in vowels.

Look at how belligerent Benitez was with Keane at Liverpool. Do you think a French or Spanish player with Keane's record would have been treated as spitefully? "You were man of match in papersh. I don't think you were man of match." "I want you to shtay behind for exshtra training sho David N'Gog can teach you positioning." "That's all I want to shay. You can go now."

Look how many chances Wenger had to sign players like Given and Dunne but he went through a gaggle of foreign flops like Almunia and Squillaci. Even John O'Shea would have been a good, realistic signing at one stage or other but never was any interest shown in him but he did sign Mikael F'n Silvestre.

And don't get me started on Garry Cook letting Richard Dunne leave City because he wasn't "marketable" enough. That attitude sums it up.

Roberto Soldado has a name that sounds amusing when you do it in a Spanish accent and roll the r and l's but he is still absolutely p!ss poor at this level.

[peadar1987]

I never knew Benitez was Dutch!

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I never knew Benitez was Dutch!

He kind of pronounces the letter s in a Dutch style.

[paul_oshea]

As long as foreign managers are in vogue in The Premiership, chances of Irish players breaking through are slim to bupkis.

Say what you want about people like Allardyce, McLeish and Hughes; if an Irish player was good enough, they would be given a chance. The more exotic managers just go to their Chairman with a list of two-dozen kids with unintelligible surnames ending in vowels.

Look at how belligerent Benitez was with Keane at Liverpool. Do you think a French or Spanish player with Keane's record would have been treated as spitefully? "You were man of match in papersh. I don't think you were man of match." "I want you to shtay behind for exshtra training sho David N'Gog can teach you positioning." "That's all I want to shay. You can go now."

Look how many chances Wenger had to sign players like Given and Dunne but he went through a gaggle of foreign flops like Almunia and Squillaci. Even John O'Shea would have been a good, realistic signing at one stage or other but never was any interest shown in him but he did sign Mikael F'n Silvestre.

And don't get me started on Garry Cook letting Richard Dunne leave City because he wasn't "marketable" enough. That attitude sums it up.

Roberto Soldado has a name that sounds amusing when you do it in a Spanish accent and roll the r and l's but he is still absolutely p!ss poor at this level.

Ok so here i do that really annoying thing and give an exception as though i have completely blown your point out of the water like all the other posters on here. Martinez.

Then follow the thanks and silly smart comments after to try and build foundations under my well structured exception.

Yours is a good point though.

Isnt soldado propounced soYdado OR central/south american sojdado?

[SwanVsDalton]

I see O'Neill is concenred that no young lads knocking on the door. Trap was lucky there were a few prospects coming through when he started, and through his term granted he failed to utilise them soon enough and back fired, but there really is no one coming through now which is really concerning.

Depends how we define a prospect. In Trap's era, how many PL club prospects came through? Gibson, Clark, Coleman, McClean maybe? After that I think most of the players to emerge were lower league or less touted prospects. And out of previous names out of those I'd only say Gibson and Clark were players that were pegged for bigger things. Coleman and McClean had meteoric rises from the LOI, which is slightly different.

I'd agree the cupboard looks a bit bear. What we wouldn't do for a couple of sure things in the U-21's. McAvoy and Grealish are probably our best hopes at the moment. But situation can change pretty quickly. A couple of LOI players jumping up or unexpected novices hitting a peak run of form Wasn't that long ago that Shane Long was dismissed as lower-level fodder. Some of these U21s may not look up to much now but could turn out to be mainstays in five years.

Anyone any idea when the fixtures will be made after the draw? End of March?

For Euro 2012, the draw took place on 7 February 2010 and the fixtures came out at the end of March, start of April. It would've been by mid-March but the usual attempts to thrash out fixtures between the nations was vetoed by one of our opponents so UEFA drew them from a hat. Presume it'll be similar again.

[SwanVsDalton]

As long as foreign managers are in vogue in The Premiership, chances of Irish players breaking through are slim to bupkis.

Say what you want about people like Allardyce, McLeish and Hughes; if an Irish player was good enough, they would be given a chance. The more exotic managers just go to their Chairman with a list of two-dozen kids with unintelligible surnames ending in vowels.

They get short shrift all right but part of the reason for that is the aul 'British premium' - established Irish players tend to be very expensive. The bidding for Coleman is going to be pretty outrageous.

If Sam Allardyce was managing Man City, he wouldn't be looking at bringing over Kevin Nolan, Matt Taylor and Joey O'Brien no matter how much he likes them.

Bang on with Benitez and Keane though. Did he actually say that about N'Gog? Holy god.