Josh Cullen M Burnley b.1996

**Eirambler** · 23/08/2025, 3:20 PM

Cullen with the first Irish Premier League goal of the new season. (He says as though there's going to be loads - all our other Premier League first choice players are defenders and a goalkeeper.)

https://x.com/GoalsXtra/status/19592...ArjERc2xg&s=19

**SkStu** · 23/08/2025, 3:57 PM

And an assist for Burnleys second.

**Eirambler** · 23/08/2025, 3:57 PM

Lovely floated ball through.

https://x.com/GoalsXtra/status/19592...S24BYOdzA&s=19

**tetsujin1979** · 23/08/2025, 4:20 PM

**elatedscum** · 15/09/2025, 1:47 AM

Was excellent against Liverpool. Probably Burnley’s best player. Played 63 minutes before being subbed as he was starting to tire.

**irishfan86** · 15/09/2025, 3:04 AM

Yeah thought he was great. Good bite, positioning and helped transition defense into attack. Really a shame he seems unable to translate this to international level.

**Fixer82** · 15/09/2025, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by irishfan86

Yeah thought he was great. Good bite, positioning and helped transition defense into attack. Really a shame he seems unable to translate this to international level.

Why is that? He’s playing against better players in PL

**texidub** · 15/09/2025, 4:00 PM

Can't remember who it was after the match... maybe Damien Delaney, but someone was saying that at Burnley there are more in midfield and they play compact so he never has to cover a lot of space. With Ireland he gets exposed and is unlikely to be any better unless/until we start putting more bodies in midfield.... I think that was the gist of it.

**Eirambler** · 16/09/2025, 7:51 AM

It's exactly that. Cullen is a very good midfielder in the right system but asking him to play in a midfield two is an act of insanity, he's not good enough to do it (not are any of our midfielders) and they end up looking like terrible players when they're put into that system.

It's easy to forget that Cullen was a standout player for us in his early caps when we played a proper midfield three.

Paddy McCarthy has always pushed a midfield two for as long as he has been involved with Ireland and, while that certainly doesn't exclude Hallgrimsson from his share of the blame (he's the manager after all) I do worry also about O'Shea and McCarthy's continued involvement in our setup.

**Fixer82** · 16/09/2025, 9:58 AM

Was it Keith Andrews who said that in Euro 2012, something like 'It was Iniesta, Xavi and Alonso against me and Whelo.'
Trap refused to budge his tactics.

**seanfhear** · 16/09/2025, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

Was it Keith Andrews who said that in Euro 2012, something like 'It was Iniesta, Xavi and Alonso against me and Whelo.'
Trap refused to budge his tactics.

I suppose Trap didn't want to go to hard on, Iniesta, Xavi, and Alonzo !

**elatedscum** · 16/09/2025, 3:36 PM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

Was it Keith Andrews who said that in Euro 2012, something like 'It was Iniesta, Xavi and Alonso against me and Whelo.'
Trap refused to budge his tactics.

Along with Busquets holding and David Silva playing wide - 5 absolutely cracking midfielders packing the midfield. Then Santi Cazorla, Cesc Fabregas and Javi Martinez coming off the bench. Unbelievable depth that Spanish midfield from 2008 to 2012.