A lot of rumours doing the rounds on social media over the weekend, Given will 'definitely' play in Georgia. If true, seriously unhappy;all the signs point to a draw at best.
I don't know why McLean is named as he is injured and hasn't played for Wigan yet this season. Team news ahead of their game last Saturday read as follows:
Wigan Athletic Team News:
'Ben Watson, Chris McCann and James McClean are all out long term, no word on Shaun Maloney after the Scotland international missed the past two games through illness'
Why was Stephen Kelly named in the original squad when he last started a league game on New Years Day and is out with a long-term injury? You could question a lot of the decisions Martin and Roy are making.
There is no reason why players like Rob Kiernan, Tommie Hoban, Eunan O'Kane and Matt Doherty shouldn't be given squad places other than laziness, complacency and an unwillingness to take the time to take a closer look at them.
Instead they focus their energies on clandestine meetings with football agents on behalf of mysterious English players.
You know the old hat. When things start going wrong they will start blaming their own inadequacies on lack of players coming through and speak of the need to take more advantage of the eligibility rules; when it has already been proven time and time again that it is a frustrating waste of time.
FFS Poland have a 30 year old Steaua Bucharest player with 6 caps, a 28 year old Serie B journeyman with 1 cap and another unknown 27 year old based in China filling out their squad.
The world isn't going to end if we take a shot on some younger players playing a better level and stop persevering with dead weight like Kelly, Cox and several others.
i tend to agree - they offer nothing to the squad. if we are facing into a qualifier looking at the likes of those starting we are in terrible trouble. surely matt doherty is more worthy of a call up than kelly?Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
it does seem o'neill/roy have been taking a very relaxed approach to things so far. this had better change come sunday.
...especially in a squad of 27. It does sound as if there's a bit of preparing excuses to fail and MON's reputation management going on. But while I agree with you, it's an age-old habit here of getting het up about marginal decisions regarding the fringe places. Our qualification hopes don't depend on the likes of those four being included in this week's squad.
I have to say I don't share AB's view that Given's selection signals tough times and a draw at best. I think too much can be read into Given. Whilst I'm currently favouring Westwood on basis of form and age (being related to sharpness) he hasn't played international football for a while and the last thing we want next week is a keeper being nervous. His time will come, probably sooner rather than later. Given will just fit in seamlessly, unfussed by the job and will be no worse than the other two in doing the nuts and bolts of goalkeeping. He will bring some "presence" to the position. His reluctance to take high balls has always been a weakness and this is my concern.
Elsewhere, the real rub is whether he picks our good enterprising players and has the team pressing, always being busy. As yet O'Neill hasn't really had these guys all available together yet so we don't have any indication as to what he's thinking. Wednesday ought to tell us that.
There are two ways of interpreting Given's likely start.
It could be that O'Neill is just making a bold, shortish term decision to bring some authority to a defence that has made silly errors in 5 of the last 6 friendlies (I'm exempting Italy) and lacked authority.
Alternatively, it could just be an indication that he's being unimaginative across the board and we'll get same old, same old.
I'm hoping it's the former, but am not betting on it. I think McCarthy did a better job of using his first 6 or 7 friendlies than O'Neill has so far.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 01/09/2014 at 10:31 AM.
More likely the latter, knowing our recent 'thinking'. And Weds a limited reflection on Sunday IMO.
i would agree. i would say the same of trap. his first squad contained 7 uncapped players, including whelan , who for all his detractors started out well for us and gave us consistency in the middle of the park alongside andrews (who might also be a trap call up? i dont recall if stan played him).
if o'neill really felt we needed new recruits, why is that yet to be sorted out? shouldn't they be in and around the squad for the start of a campaign rather than being drafted in, be it in october or otherwise, at the expense of someone else?
it just seems a bit half hearted. o'neill/keane are there 10 months now and have had 7 games to look at the current squad. failure to win in georgia and there will be rumblings of discontent already.
Andrews made his debut at home to Poland under Trap, at least a few months into his tenure.
I suppose it's not O'Neill's fault that Reid and Hendrick are unavailable and that Reid has been unavailable to him for several games. O'Briens inclusion is welcome.
Joey O'Brien returning to west ham to have treatment in his ongoing knee issue. No word yet on a replacement.
What a surprise, why do they even bother...
how many squads is it he has pulled out of now? strange behaviour. you would think he would just retire from international football at this stage.
He came in for a lot of ridicule for not playing in the summer friendlies and for having the nerve to get married, citing his ongoing injury which requires regular treatment. I think Joey was simply terrified of being on the receiving end of another online rollicking, which is why he turned up.
It does indeed seem that the guy has a chronic problem, which is a real shame for both him and us.
With no replacement called up it'd appear that Wilson is being seen as dispensable at CB and is Ward's deputy left back. This elevates Keogh a fraction closer to getting on the pitch and makes the Delaney and McShane omissions look odder, as both can cover at full back too. I know Brady can nominally play left back but I doubt that's in management's thoughts, nor should it be really.
I'd call up Lenihan myself now that he has made the transition from amateur local league player to the best league in the world.
If that's true, then MO'N may be as blinkered as some of his predecessors;Ward is a walking liability IMO. Even McShane is miles better.
I have nothing against marriage in theory, but an ongoing injury doesn't strike me as the best reason to get hitched.
For continuity it doesnt make sense alright, but I think Mon might be taking the approach that for now its ok. Ward as bad as he is should not be found wanting or exposed as much against Georgia. I am really disappointed about O'Brien.
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
Unless Wilson is moved to LB, it's hard to argue that Ward, for all his flaws, isn't our best left back or at least it's not surprising that MON thinks he is. Delaney and McShane are hardly LB thoroughbreds, even though both could do it. I'd like to see Delaney there at some stage but maybe he doesn't have the athleticism to get up and down.
Should be Coleman, O'Shea, Delaney, Wilson across the back with McShane/Duffy/Clark/Kelly/Pearce as cover. Plus IF fit, St.Ledger & O'Brien.
The likes of Ward & Keogh are a disaster waiting to happen and inspire minimal confidence IMO. And really should be avoided at all costs.
Wilson has looked more accomplished at CB than LB and MON seems to favour him at CB. Not convinced by Ward at LB but as said above, he is the best option for that position with Wilson at CB. LB has been a problem position for years and this looks like continuing for the time being.
The squad confirms everything that I feared and predicted from MON when he got the job - it is very unimanagative. It is clear that we aren't producing the youngsters that we used to, but there are still guys out there like Matt Doherty who should be in the squad and play tomorrow against Oman. We would get more from seeing Ian Lawlor play Oman than Shay coming back into the squad. Being involved with their country can give the likes of Doherty and Lawlor the boost that their career needs. Mick's tenure in the first few years was a real breath of fresh air in this regard and alot of those lads really kicked on from the experience like Shay Given. People will rightly mention that we don't have time to experiment with our seeding for 2018 currently being so poor, but it could be argued that now more than ever is the time to blood the likes of Doherty, at least in friendlies.
Don't really agree. They've got time. O'Neill needs to put something close to our first XI on the pitch together prior to Georgia. The summer friendlies were more notable for who didn't play than for who did. At least 60 minutes of the Oman game should be a dress rehearsal for Georgia in my opinion.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks