A decent closing line from the nordie on setanta,
'not a great friday but perhaps a good friday'.
Killer thinks Keith Duffy was playin'
A decent closing line from the nordie on setanta,
'not a great friday but perhaps a good friday'.
Agree with most here.and Duffy looked well. Coleman showed experience and calmness amongst a generally inexperienced and naive defence.thought he came of age tonight and potential future captain. He seems to get away with these close quarter mistakes he makes too.hopefully it stays that way.
I don't get this Randolph thing. The swagger and that relax attitude if I were CD I might have a racial motive in thereI think he is very slow to come out and puts the defense under pressure.2 or 3 times tonight he should have been out way quicker but too fat and slow and maybe lazy
based on what? had a very decent canpaign and his experience in france will be invaluableOriginally Posted by geysir
Arguably the best performer over the campaign in my opinion. Poor performance against Poland probably the only blot.
Doyle's is a bit more than a superficial wound.but he should be back very quick, Tuesday probably too soon unfortunately
And just ignore four or five good performances by Keogh in the actual qualifiers? I'd prefer Duffy myself, he looks a better player in both boxes, but I'd imagine O'Neill will show some loyalty to Keogh. That said, it could be O'Shea and Clark that start in June. One thing is for sure, the prospect of a Duffy Clark partnership over the next few years is very encouraging.
I think Randolph is a very good goalkeeper for us, very steady all round with a great boot on him but I completely agree with you about too slow coming out to smother. Noticed those occasions tonight. Probably the worst was where I think Clark was shepherding the ball back to him under pressure from a Swiss player. All Randolph had to do was take two or three steps and hop on the ball and we would have had possession. Instead he lingered way too long and ended up in a heap with the Irish player. The Swiss worked the ball back and took a shot that I think took a deflection of Xhaka and just rolled by the post with Randolph flat footed from having to scramble back to his goal line. Definitely needs to be watched. I would not call him fat, "slow" or lazy though.I don't get this Randolph thing. The swagger and that relax attitude if I were CD I might have a racial motive in there
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Thanks Del. As I said I missed the first 9 minutes and BBC had said it was Judges corner.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
He didn't play too bad either.
Last edited by DeLorean; 25/03/2016 at 10:59 PM.
The qual campaign is long finished, it's past history.
He's getting older and of late slower or/and shipping injuries, either way there's a doubt.
Our history tells us the value of sentiment diminishes fast when it comes to extending loyalties all the way to a finals tournament.
For all the concern about Stephen Ward, Robbie Brady still looks capable of making a game-changing mistake in every match. Got caught out several times in the first half.
Think that McClean and McGeady should be switching roles in the summer. McGeady as the impact sub and McClean, like Walters, capable of working like a trojan over 90 minutes.
Would be tempted to put Doyle ahead of Murphy in the queue as he looked very sharp in his cameo. McClean, too, achieved a lot in his short time on the pitch up front, despite having no support.
Player ratings: http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-34573584.html
Judge gets 5.
I agree with some but a good bit off on others. McCarthy was a very obvious improvement on Meyler yet they both got 6. McGeady deserved more than 5, Long's 8 was generous I think, he wasn't really a man of the match candidate like the two centre backs but worth a 7 all the same, so maybe that's nitpicking a bit. Judge was worth a 6 for effort as well as a consideration for the fact that he was being played out of position. I think a 5 rating is 'liability territory' and he certainly wasn't that.
Without deriding Quinn and Meyler too much, I'm afraid they demonstrated in that first half why they're playing in the Championship. They really didn't control the game enough for us and it invited the Swiss on (Xhaka is clearly head and shoulders above them). Most games we don't start with Whelan and McCarthy I find myself missing them together even more. Hoolahan looked so sharp when he came in. Never frets when under pressure in tight areas in the middle.
Duffy had a fine performance. It was a Richard Dunne-esque type of performance in that he just read a lot of things well and got his blocks and interceptions in and wasn't really caught out of position much. Also, his post-match interview was utterly lovely. He just spoke about how getting picked for the Euros would be a bonus for him as he had no involvement in getting us there and he feels it might be a bit harsh on those that did. Spoke about how he struggled when he was just at Everton and not getting games out on loan and that he needed to get his move which has allowed him to be consistent. I also like Clark and he reminded me why I like him tonight. He was good. I hope he stays in the PL because he'll be 27 in September and that's not a great age to be moving down to the Championship for the first time. These are a right good pair but O'Shea is the man and he'll be starting. I'd back Clark to get the nod beside him as MON referred to how good Clark was in the Bosnia games in his post-match interview.
Judge didn't get into good areas to make things happen or threaten and I think that was mainly due to the lads in the middle. I'd like to see him getting another shot for a good period of time on Tuesday. I think he might get that too.
It looks now like Brady will be at left back for the Euros and MON has his mind made up. It disappoints me but I'll trust MON. Now that Brady and Coleman got their full games tonight I'd hope to see Doherty get a chance on Tuesday. I hope he gets a start Tuesday but I wouldn't be surprised to see McShane at RB and Christie at LB instead. I do think Gleeson and Elliott will start and that Judge will be afforded another shot. I don't think Hayes is going to the Euros and O'Kane was benefiting from Arter's absence tonight.
Yea he is head and shoulders above the rest.
I don't know what the racial bit is about but I thought the opposite about his speed getting out. There was one chance in the first half where Embolo bumbled his way past Duffy for once and Randolph was out very quick to make sure he couldn't get a shot on.Agree with most here.and Duffy looked well. Coleman showed experience and calmness amongst a generally inexperienced and naive defence.thought he came of age tonight and potential future captain. He seems to get away with these close quarter mistakes he makes too.hopefully it stays that way.
I don't get this Randolph thing. The swagger and that relax attitude if I were CD I might have a racial motive in there
Is this another variation of your "waiting to happen" argument? He hasn't make a mistake yet but he looks like the kind of guy who will one day make a mistake?
Leicester prove you can win without dominating possession.
Highlights from Slovakia v Latvia. Looks like Latvia just kept it tight away from home and limited the Slovaks to long range attempts.
http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2...ia-highlights/
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Looks like Latvia gave them loads of room to play with in midfield and, to be fair to Slovakia, they seemed to be able to make space around the box but ruined it with some poor shooting rather than put a team mate into a better position.
Meyler and Quinn both held their own playing in the PL, especially Meyler, so I think the Championship reference is a bit unfair. It's obvious they're not our first choice central midfield but I don't think they had a hope last night. Whelan and McCarthy, these days, usually have plenty of support from the likes of Hendrick and Hoolahan so it's much easier to find a pass and they're not outnumbered to the same extent. Neither Meyler or Quinn are ball playing central midfielders but both could do a decent job individually in a different kind of circumstance. They were sloppy in possession last night alright but it was a bit of a lost battle. I can't remember too many games we've played without McCarthy and Whelan to be honest, to have actually missed them. Obviously Glasgow and Whelan was absent for Germany without it being at all noticeable. The only other game I can think of was the USA friendly when we got a real foothold as the game went on and played quite well.
Christie left back would be out of left field a bit, I'm not sure it's an experiment worth bothering with when we now have Brady, Ward and Doherty more experienced in that position. Like yourself, I'd be hoping that Doherty would get a run there as we know what the others can do. It has been confirmed that Elliot will start.
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