Goalkeepers Rob Elliot (Newcastle United) Started Darren Randolph (West Ham United) Unused Substitute David Forde (Millwall) Unused Substitute Defenders Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) Started
Goal, Clean Sheet Yellow Richard Keogh (Derby County) Started Clean Sheet Yellow Seamus Coleman (Everton) Started Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa) Started Paul McShane (Reading) Started Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Started Stephen Ward (Burnley) Started Yellow John O'Shea (Sunderland) Sub (73) Cyrus Christie (Derby County) Sub (90) Alex Pearce (Bristol City*) Unused Substitute Midfielders Jonathan Walters (Stoke City) Started
Goal, Assist Yellow Robbie Brady (Norwich City) Started (76) Goal James McCarthy (Everton) Started Jeff Hendrick (Derby County) Started Glenn Whelan (Stoke City) Started Stephen Gleeson (Birmingham City) Started Alan Judge (Brentford) Started Jonathan Hayes (Aberdeen) Started Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City) Started Yellow Stephen Quinn (Reading) Started (78) Aiden McGeady (Sheffield Wednesday*) Started (45) Harry Arter (Bournemouth) Started (45) Eunan O'Kane (Bournemouth) Sub (46) James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) Sub (59) Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City) Unused Substitute David Meyler (Hull City) Not in Squad Illness Forwards Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) Started Goal Shane Long (Southampton) Started Assist Daryl Murphy (Ipswich Town) Started Kevin Doyle (Colorado Rapids) Sunday
Dropped Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday) Started
Clean Sheet Greg Cunningham (Preston North End) Started Assist Chris Forrester (Peterborough United) Started
Paul Green (Rotherham United) Unused Substitute Darron Gibson (Everton) Not in Squad Anthony Stokes (Celtic) Started Goal Simon Cox (Reading) Sub (78)
Last edited by Closed Account; 20/03/2016 at 4:10 PM.
Baffling that Alex Pearce is in there. He's played 180 minutes all season and conceded 5 goals. Couple that with a few ragged cameos for Ireland...
Thought Cunningham would have edged Doherty. Came back in from the cold for a match against Poland and didn't look like he missed a step.
Baffling that Westwood isn't in there. You need his experience if something were to happen to Randolph (Given really shouldn't be going to the tournament).
Perhaps rather than giving Cox and Stokes any more token call-ups, opportunities should be afforded to Eoin Doyle, Mason or Madden next time?
Last edited by TheOneWhoKnocks; 19/03/2016 at 5:14 PM.
A 36 year old League One sub goalkeeper ahead of the Championship goalkeeper of the season. Absolutely bizarre, and Westwood is easily better than Elliot too.
I'm surprised Doherty got in ahead of Cunningham too.Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
Cunningham is a natural LB whereas Doherty as far as I know is mainly a RB and is filling a gap for Wolves at LB. Cunningham is also part of one the best defences in the Championship.
Might be my Galway bias though...
Think it's pretty clear the Forde over Westwood decision has nothing to do with form, league position or gametime, and simply a desire to have Forde around for a combination of:
a) Because he wants a third-choice goalie who will be an optimistic presence and contribute to the squad spirit.
b) Because Forde is a particularly good character more suited to the role above, rather than Westwood.
I can't comment on Westwood's character, but I wouldn't blame him if he was surly or hesitant about being a third-choice keeper in a squad/at a tournament while Forde has been used before in squads simply because he's highly professional, and almost mentor-like in his role as third choice.
You can argue Westwood is more likely to challenge, but I reckon O'Neill's made up his mind that it's Randolph followed by Elliott and the other keeper might as well be a good dirt-tracker.
I don't think that's bizarre at all, pretty common in squad building.
It is, however, much more bizarre that Westwood isn't closer to the team, for which he has legitimate beef. I can't help but feel there's some level of distrust between management and Westwood, for whatever reason.
Last edited by SwanVsDalton; 19/03/2016 at 6:53 PM.
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
Yep... all pretty sh!te and highly frustrating reasons though in my opinion. Maybe there's more to it that we'll find out in time. He'll probably drop Forde on his ass anyway when the other 'great lad to have around the place' regains fitness.
I remember reading what a great presence Forde was around the group. I think that's as much a part of it as any. O'Neill seems to understand group dynamics. Also a reason I believe he hasn't called up Delaney. It wouldn't help the dynamic of the group. An unhappy group will not go out and do the business on the pitch. And football teams and players can be very fickle
Folding my way into the big money!!!
Clark has barely played all season. Wilson remains injured. Now O'Shea's rooted to the bench for Sunderland after a couple of high-profile gaffes.
I hope O'Neill knows what he is doing. I would be more comfortable with Delaney leading the team than anyone else in the event O'Shea were to become unavailable. And the fact that he is left-footed is a bonus.
Odd whatever way you put in when you consider he is our best PL performer in that position and Alex Pearce is ahead of him.
Total exaggeration to say Clark has barely played all season. He's been in almost as much as he's been out. Alex Pearce is ahead of Delaney because Alex Pearce isn't retired.
Clark has started 12 times and being an unused substitute 15 times so it was an exaggeration to say he's barely played, but it's still less than half of the games they have played (31).
And Delaney needs to come out and say if he is amenable to a come back instead of having Dann & Pardew do his talking but I think O'Neill should leave his pride aside and ask him if he would agree to come back with no guarantees.
Instead he's shut the door on the possibility.
He's also played five cup games and obviously the internationals for us. I make that twenty full games this season and he'll probably play some more before it finishes.
It's not about swallowing his pride. It's about consistency, team morale and the future. If you're going to take issue with O'Neill here, it should be on those points; not because you think he's being contrary. There's nothing to suggest he's just being stubborn. He has no reason to be that way, nor would there be any embarrassment for him in actually re-calling Delaney if he wanted to. There's a case to be made for Delaney's inclusion, sure, but O'Neill just doesn't favour it for a few reasons, which I think are perfectly valid.
Agree that Delaney should be in the Squad- but only if he approached it in the right manner. Firstly he should publicly withdraw his inferred criticism of O Neill given the success of the management team in securing qualification, Then he should not hide behind Scott Danns and Alan Pardew in testing the waters in relation to a possible return.
from https://twitter.com/SSEAirtricityLg/...24517539553280
.@DundalkFC goalkeeper Gary Rogers has been invited to train with the @FAIreland senior team for the next two days.
Attachment 2414
See who I saw on my flight from Heathrow yesterday: Messrs McShane and Judge.
The omission of Westwood from the squad is Trapesque. He is now in to his second excellent season and is generally regarded as the best Championship keeper and, but for injuries, would have been a regular Premiership player. Perhaps this goes back to issues between MON and Westwood from Sunderland days. I don't know but to leave out from the squad someone who arguably should be starting, let alone a squad player, is disappointing and this is not just my blue striped bias talking here. I was away for the past few days. Was MON queried on this at the Press Conference?
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
Trapesque? There was no such disquiet on your part with regards to Trap :P He was the best we had and we should have been very happy and lucky we had him... And now you say Trapesque
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
There was a post on the YBIG forum last year from a Sunderland fan theorising that Westwood blotted his copybook badly with Martin O'Neill when he was manager of Sunderland and he refused to play in a League Cup game because he was sick.
I don't think you'll ever find I used those words. Just about everyone agreed that Trap never picked his strongest squad and made some bizarre selections. What I did think was he got the best out of the squad and made us very competitive, away from home in particular and I didn't care about the style of football. I just hope MON isn't going to stick to the same players like Trap used to do (i.e. become Trapesque and select Forde/Given over Westwood and further down the road the likes of other established midfielders over Arter etc).Trapesque? There was no such disquiet on your part with regards to Trap :P He was the best we had and we should have been very happy and lucky we had him... And now you say Trapesque
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
League of Ireland keeper trained with the squad today. That's gotta hurt Westwood
The fact that he has played for Ireland under O'Neill kind of suggests it has little or nothing to do with his time at Sunderland though, doesn't it? I've a feeling he just got sick of him pulling out of Ireland squads.
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