Republic of Ireland V USA - Tuesday, 18th November 2014 - Friendly

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't know what Murphy said, only what McGoldrick himself told me as I was signing the back of his programme.

[geysir]

McGoldrick is probably the closest we have to Hoolahan or Reid at the moment. If people want us to play more progressive football, he's where we should start for this game.

Hard to credit the criticism King got for playing Andy Reid up there.
I think we should try McGeady in there again, I haven't a clue about McGoldrick.

[IsMiseSean]

On a side note. Klinsmann said today that Shane O'Neill will be sticking with USA. He's also on trial with Sheffield Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/KCsixtyseven/sta...02864589045760

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

So has Robbie finally thrown his toys out of the pram and huffed off back home to LA? This must be his walk-out moment then...

You may laugh now but give it time. It will be interesting if he isn't named in the 11 for the Poland game. The vibes are already there. He already had his toys out of the pram moment when he gave an expletive laden interview post game inferring that we would have won the game if he had started, and not Long and Walters.

Pretty poor form to not only doubt the manager's decisions in a public forum but bringing up teammates too? Wow.

He was given 20 minutes and it's not like he done anything when we were chasing the game anyway.

[paul_oshea]

TWOK we started with shane and we were useless though, what do you say to that? You said you would eat your words. Shane got his chance and couldnt do anything, at least robbie would hold it up and win a throw the odd time or keep possession, Shane didnt even do that. I think doyle plays this role better, Shane plays running into the channels better, but not holding it up and bringing others into play.

[tetsujin1979]

You may laugh now but give it time. It will be interesting if he isn't named in the 11 for the Poland game. The vibes are already there. He already had his toys out of the pram moment when he gave an expletive laden interview post game inferring that we would have won the game if he had started, and not Long and Walters.

Pretty poor form to not only doubt the manager's decisions in a public forum but bringing up teammates too? Wow.

He was given 20 minutes and it's not like he done anything when we were chasing the game anyway.

he implied it, you inferred it

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Hanley should have been sent off for scything him, he set up Walters for a chance, he had a flicked instinctive header on goal, decent link up with Walters..

It's as much as Keane did in his last several competitive games.

I think Long should be played on his own and the midfield should have three players in it. It would benefit Hendrick, Long, McGeady, McClean..... but no, sure we have to find a way to fit carthorse Jon Walters into the team for every game.

[BonnieShels]

You may laugh now but give it time. It will be interesting if he isn't named in the 11 for the Poland game. The vibes are already there. He already had his toys out of the pram moment when he gave an expletive laden interview post game inferring that we would have won the game if he had started, and not Long and Walters.

Pretty poor form to not only doubt the manager's decisions in a public forum but bringing up teammates too? Wow.

He was given 20 minutes and it's not like he done anything when we were chasing the game anyway.

I could have sworn he was given about 12minutes?

21:19
79 mins It's a last throw of the dice from Ireland as Robbie Keane is introduced to proceedings with Hendrick making way.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2014/...and-v-ireland/

---

To bring Robbie on when we did was pointless. He wasn't going to change the game with so little time, couple that with a system that was not designed to accommodate him and with a team set up in such a way that we had precious few chances on the night, how could he have possibly prospered on Friday?

Of course, you will point out that he did very little and that is true, but it fails to singularly explain why he was so ineffective. Setup was key and on the night MON got some substitution calls awfully wrong. But c'est la vie.

[paul_oshea]

Hanley should have been sent off for scything him, he set up Walters for a chance, he had a flicked instinctive header on goal, decent link up with Walters..

It's as much as Keane did in his last several competitive games.

I think Long should be played on his own and the midfield should have three players in it. It would benefit Hendrick, Long, McGeady, McClean..... but no, sure we have to find a way to fit carthorse Jon Walters into the team for every game.

Towk i normally agree with you on things but he didn't and he never brought the midfield into it, he isn't capable of holding it up and bringing the midifield in, he lost possession quite a few times. And his goal threat isn't there, robbie looked livelier when he came on, and we all know Keane the finisher is better than Long the finisher.

BS he came on with about 13 mins or so to go but there was over 4 mins of injury time, so he is closer to the amount of time than you suggest. He was on the pitch for about 16-18 minutes.

[osarusan]

he implied it, you inferred it

Indeed!

I don't actually think Keane implied it though.

[BonnieShels]

Towk i normally agree with you on things but he didn't and he never brought the midfield into it, he isn't capable of holding it up and bringing the midifield in, he lost possession quite a few times. And his goal threat isn't there, robbie looked livelier when he came on, and we all know Keane the finisher is better than Long the finisher.

BS he came on with about 13 mins or so to go but there was over 4 mins of injury time, so he is closer to the amount of time than you suggest. He was on the pitch for about 16-18 minutes.

16-18? Or 16? Or 15? A 20min stint indicates that there was a prolonged presence, plus Injury-time which was not the case.

[tetsujin1979]

Hanley should have been sent off for scything him, he set up Walters for a chance, he had a flicked instinctive header on goal, decent link up with Walters..

It's as much as Keane did in his last several competitive games.

I think Long should be played on his own and the midfield should have three players in it. It would benefit Hendrick, Long, McGeady, McClean..... but no, sure we have to find a way to fit carthorse Jon Walters into the team for every game.

are you including the hat trick he scored only two competitive games ago?

[Stuttgart88]

Does anyone know the question that was put to Keane when he said he's not effing Noall Quinn?

How did he insult his teammates or infer we would have won if he had started? He said he's not a bean pole who can play lone striker in a long ball team, he's a frontman who plays in a two upfront system and that's how he scores goals.

I think TOWK is reading it as "I don't like playing as a lone striker but if you go with two upfront I have to be one of those two because I score goals unlike the other two muppets, and would have done on Friday."

I think that's a highly subjective interpretation to say the least.

And whilst all opinions are subjective, I thought Long was so so at best on Friday. He gave away another impetuous unnecessary foul when he could have just stood up, and hardly ever got the better of his man. I think very few refs would have sent Hanley off even with the benefit of a replay.

[Closed Account]

Does anyone know the question that was put to Keane when he said he's not effing Noall Quinn?

http://www.98fm.com/Im-Not--Niall-Qu...not-Shane-Long
Reporter: Robbie, 13 years since you were left out of a starting team, uninjured, did Martin have a word with you before the start of the game?
Robbie: Ah speak about the game. Listen, if the manager wants to play one up front, I'm not effin Niall Quinn or I'm not Shane Long so they're better at that than I am. Play two up front and want to score goals, that's my game. Certainly, I'd prefer to speak about the team rather than individual making a big deal of someone not starting the game. Manager made a decision and you have to respect that. Playing one up front doesn't suit me. It's fairly obvious, I'm 5'10'' so it's not my game.

[BonnieShels]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that statement.

[DannyInvincible]

How did he insult his teammates or infer we would have won if he had started?

Robbie didn't insult anybody, nor did he suggest we'd have won had he started. He simply said that playing one up front didn't suit him and made reference to two players (Quinn and Long) whose styles contrast(ed) from his own and whose styles might have been/be better suited to that role. He even made it clear that he respected Martin's decision and that he'd rather speak about the team than the individual. The quote is here: http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-30747221.html

[Stuttgart88]

I think it's a stretch to say it's an insult to the two who were picked. Long played further forward that Walters who covered a lot of ground, including linking midfield and attack, as identified by Kerr. So, that could label Long the lone striker. Keane is saying he wouldn't have been the right choice for the lone striker. So he is not criticising Long's selection. He was gutted at losing and personally gutted not to have played, and arguably questioning of the approach to the game.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Keane said: "If the manager wants to play with one up front, I'm not f***ing Niall Quinn or I'm not Shane Long - they are better at that than I am. If you play two up front and you want to score goals, that's my game.

I must be reading too much into it as always.

Unfortunately playing the system Keane wants to play in or persisting with the same system we played against Scotland isn't going to give this mess of a team a chance of going to France.

A blind man can see we need 5 players in the middle.

And sorry Tets. I should have phrased that better. Keane has been anonymous in the vast majority of the games he's played against teams of any significant level. His performances in the Portugal friendly and similar games before it weren't anomalies. They were a sign of things to come.

Long, frankly, isn't going to score 7 goals in a qualifying campaign but if it's a choice of expecting Keane to get chances to score goals against teams like Scotland or Poland or playing Long or Walters up front and trying to instil a blueprint for the next campaign, I know what I would choose.

Something seriously needs to be done promptly. If things carry on the way they are, we will still be an aimless mess of a team by the start of the next campaign and beginning it from a state of disadvantage again.

I honestly don't think we should still be fitting and trying to accommodate the team around a mid-thirty something in the near future.

There are no Keane's coming through but the present day Keane is not the Keane of old either.

[SwanVsDalton]

There's no debate here. He didn't insult anyone and he expressed his passionate disappointment about Friday (as if we could expect anything less). Roy Keane turned round the other day and said Robbie was a model pro about the whole thing.

It would take extreme amounts of Thick Of It style spin and a snug-fitting tin hat to get this argument going.

[SwanVsDalton]

Keane said: "If the manager wants to play with one up front, I'm not f***ing Niall Quinn or I'm not Shane Long - they are better at that than I am. If you play two up front and you want to score goals, that's my game.

I must be reading too much into it as always.

Not just reading it - spinning it too. Maybe our top scorer (possibly for eternity) should play down his proven ability (I don't think so) but in the emotive post-match atmosphere, it's understandable and more than forgivable - unless you have an axe to grind or a theory to prove...

Anyway, the rest of his quote, also given in an emotive atmosphere, is needed for full spin-free context.

Certainly, I'd prefer to speak about the team rather than individual making a big deal of someone not starting the game. Manager made a decision and you have to respect that. Playing one up front doesn't suit me. It's fairly obvious, I'm 5'10'' so it's not my game.