Republic of Ireland V Scotland - Saturday, 13th June 2015 - Euro 2016 Qualifier

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/03/2015, 8:23 PM

You know you can't say anything positive about an Irish centre half other than SSL with the doc around. Speaking of SSL, his ability to carry the ball forward from defence is legendary...

**DeLorean** · 01/04/2015, 11:04 AM

We should really focus on our own performance for this one. Scotland's main attribute is probably their team spirit, and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way, it's probably ours too! I do think we have a better selection of footballers though so if we match them for desire, in theory, everything else should fall into place. There's a lot of talk about our failure to beat a direct group rival but I don't think Scotland are any better than, say, that Armenian side we beat home and away just two campaigns ago and, as it turned out, they were a direct group rival also. The local element makes it a slightly more daunting task than Armenia though.

A small aside, I don't like the way the away fans are put behind the goals in Lansdowne. Put them into some corner where they're less visible.

**geysir** · 01/04/2015, 1:17 PM

Less visible and a well ventilated area.

**BonnieShels** · 03/04/2015, 1:54 PM

Put them up on the upper level. Above the home fans.

Sure we can try it out when Scotland and England come to visit.

**elroy** · 03/04/2015, 5:33 PM

Whelan gets a raw deal from irish fans and media, played well the other night imo. One occasion in particular he won the ball after McLean was dispossessed and then set him off down the left hand side. He does a lot of tidying up that is easily forgotten. Admittedly he's not an imposing box to box midfielder but we don't have one of them.

What about Mcclean at left back???

**geysir** · 03/04/2015, 6:24 PM

Originally Posted by elroy

Whelan gets a raw deal from irish fans and media, played well the other night imo. One occasion in particular he won the ball after McLean was dispossessed and then set him off down the left hand side. He does a lot of tidying up that is easily forgotten. Admittedly he's not an imposing box to box midfielder but we don't have one of them.

I don't know why it is, but Whelan and McCarthy don't seem to gel.

What about Mcclean at left back???

D................G................A............... D
How many times must he use a (false) left back
.............Em..............A7
before he can hear people cry?

**tetsujin1979** · 03/04/2015, 7:19 PM

Originally Posted by elroy

Whelan gets a raw deal from irish fans and media, played well the other night imo. One occasion in particular he won the ball after McLean was dispossessed and then set him off down the left hand side. He does a lot of tidying up that is easily forgotten. Admittedly he's not an imposing box to box midfielder but we don't have one of them.

What about Mcclean at left back???

Because he was tried there against Portugal last summer and failed miserably.

**paul_oshea** · 03/04/2015, 9:09 PM

ya he was woeful all over the place and his positioning was woeful.

**Stuttgart88** · 04/04/2015, 10:57 AM

He should have asked O'Neill to explain what left back means before the game. He was also tried there against Costa Porto.

McClean has Alan Thompson qualities. Thompson excelled as a left wing back under O'Neill.

**geysir** · 04/04/2015, 12:09 PM

Thompson was much more an excellent L sided midfielder, he was too slow/cumbersome as a wing back.
That was fine in the spl against teams you had to break down, but not against good teams.
I'd say McNamara was the quintessential Celtic left wing back.

**Stuttgart88** · 04/04/2015, 1:38 PM

Did he play on the left? I thought he was right sided. Good player alright and a nice guy too.

**geysir** · 04/04/2015, 2:32 PM

He could have been a right fb, I suppose my memories of McNamara are just from televised games in the last couple of seasons of his time with Celtic and he looked a class act on the left side.
maybe Agathe would be the quintessential wing back? equally adept at fb and wide midfield, fast and skilful.

**DeLorean** · 10/04/2015, 2:28 PM

I only remember McNamara from his early Celtic days when he was definitely a right sided player. I kind of lost interest in Celtic in the latter part of MON's reign so I would have never seen him play on the left, that I can recall. Who was starting on Celtic's right in that period to cause McNamara being moved? Was Agathe there that long? I remember McNamara scoring a brilliant goal against Liverpool in a UEFA Cup game way back, cutting in from the right and putting it into the far top corner with his left. It was the night Steve McManaman equalised in injury time after running from his own half. Bobby Petta was MON's original left wing back I believe, before Alan Thompson, running amok in that 6-2 win against Rangers!

**Charlie Darwin** · 10/04/2015, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

I only remember McNamara from his early Celtic days when he was definitely a right sided player.

As immortalised in song: http://footballchants.org/viewChants...eltic&let=J&p=

**zero** · 02/05/2015, 1:50 PM

a lot of our players seem to be coming into form at the right time - though i suppose you could argue for some it's that they are being given a chance in less meaningful fixtures.

in the prem today, given o'shea coleman mccarthy whelan walters wilson coleman and long all starting. that's nearly a first team.

grealish also features!

in addition we have 3 championship 'team of the year' players and mcclean who was player of the season at wigan. i refuse to believe we are not better than scotland.

**Stuttgart88** · 02/05/2015, 2:28 PM

Nah, we haven't got the players zero.

**Stuttgart88** · 02/05/2015, 2:43 PM

Originally Posted by zero

a lot of our players seem to be coming into form at the right time

o'shea off injured.

Bang on the head, so not a muscle injury.

**TheOneWhoKnocks** · 02/05/2015, 2:47 PM

He has been getting a lot of bangs on the head lately.

**Stuttgart88** · 02/05/2015, 3:09 PM

It was in a clash with Shane Long.

**TheOneWhoKnocks** · 02/05/2015, 3:12 PM

Who has been taken off at half-time, as the stop start nature of his season continues.

Really needs a move this summer, but Southampton would have to take a considerable loss on their investment.

I wouldn't be surprised if Hull make a cheeky £6-7m bid for him if they stay up.