http://www.tuwien.ac.at/en/news/news...article/10150/A computer simulation created at TU Wien (Vienna) predicts the results of the group stage of the Euro 2016: France, Slovakia, Poland, Belgium and Austria are predicted to win all three group stage matches, Italy will not make it to the next round.
(PDF of predicted results for each group)
Gerrup!Group E
1. Belgium (BEL) 9
2. Sweden (SWE) 6
3. Ireland (IRL) 3
4. Italy (ITA) 0
TV3's Paul Walsh tweeted this from Ireland training: https://twitter.com/paulwalshtv3/sta...44875172741120
Here are the 10 a side teams during #IRL training. More first teamers in yellow i think....
Brendan O'Brien has tweeted: "Randolph. Brady, JOS, Duffy, Coleman, McGeady, McCarthy, Hendrick, Hoolahan and Long all on one 10-man team at training. Walters sits out..."
Looks like the makings of a starting line-up (although very attack-minded). I expect Whelan would play and probably McGeady drop out. Surely McGeady isn't in the running to start after his season?
Duffy certainly a surprise, if this is an indication, but I approve. As I've said a few times, he's as solid at the back as any of our options but adds a height-threat for set-pieces.
Obviously, I'd rather be seeing Westwood in there too, but I think everyone shares that feeling. Is there anyone on the forum who wants Randolph to be number one?
Yes. Randolph ahead of Westwood for me.Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
I'd like to see Duffy in the team for Sweden but maybe his lack of playing time in a green jersey will count against him.
Why do you favour Randolph?
Randolph has done little wrong to warrant being dropped in my view. Westwood is undoubtedly the better goalkeeper, but I think more game time of recent in the Irish shirt for Randolph stands to him.
That's probably true, but at the same time I'd probably prefer MON just to take a ballsy view and pick Westwood even if it is harsh on Randolph.
I'm not sure too much can be read into the ten-a-side selections, other than Walters and Keane are still crocked. I actually have no real firm view on our CB pairing. I'd probably go with Clark and O'Shea.
Westwood
Coleman O'Shea Clark Brady
Whelan McCarthy
Hendrick Hoolahan McClean
Long
I'd be a bit worried about bench options, not much to come on that'd spruce things up.
As Nigel said. Randolph has done little wrong. It's marginal call either way but would start Randolph as he "has the jersey".
Agree bench options don't look great after the Belarus game. Be more tempted to play Christie in a midfield role than to bring McGeady into the team.
Damian Spellman tweeting that Keane and Walters both trained this morning
No Randolph has done nothing wrong, he didnt come out in no mans land flapping around the last day against Holland. Or completely misjduge his positioning for one of Polands goal.
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
"Stands to him", as in you think it'll boost his performance/ability to a lever superior to Westwood's?
I agree that Randolph hasn't committed any major or "drop-worthy" clangers, but why is there a special rule for a goalkeeper? If it was an outfield player, there'd be none of this "he has the jersey" talk. We'd simply be talking about who's the better player - whether he's made errors in the past or not - and discussing whether he should start on that basis. It's not as if there's some unwritten obligation to stick with the same 'keeper every game, surely.
I think it's unhelpful conventional wisdom to keep selecting a 'keeper because he "has the jersey". It doesn't make any rational sense to me. Sure, you could say that it might damage Randolph's morale, but any player has to be prepared to accept they're not in the starting line-up. He'll have to be dropped at some point. Goalkeepers should be no exception.
You don't think Walters will just slot in for McGeady, Hendrick to move forward and Whelan to come back in to Hendrick's training-team slot to pair up with McCarthy?
Football doesn't make rational sense. Sometimes you have to measure the player for the role, or sometimes you have to manage an ego or a crisis of confidence, or look at how they interact with teammates or communicate with their defenders or captains.
Some keepers do better when confidence is placed in them. So do some players - I wouldn't limit the concept to goalkeepers meself, though as you point out it seems fairly prevalent with goalies.
I'd pick Clark over Duffy. Just would prefer someone with a bit more top-class experience up against Ibrahimovic. And Clark is no slouch from set pieces even if he doesn't offer quite as much as Duffy.
Last edited by SwanVsDalton; 09/06/2016 at 1:52 PM.
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
Clark and Duffy? Or do we really need O'Shea's experience in there? Has Keogh dropped to number four?
i didn't say what I think will be the team!
I think by "stands to him" Nigel just thinks possession is 9/10 of the law, if it ain't broke don't fix it (or similar cliche). I think you're over analysing.
I think foot.ie groupthink has us all fretting over Randolph when he's actually a very big part of why we're going. Huge save in Bosnia at 0-0.
I wonder what David Forde makes of the 9/10 theory.
I'm with Danny completely on this one. Long is almost certain to take Murphy's place in the team because everybody knows he's better. I know it's probably not as clear-cut but I don't see any major difference with the goalkeeper side of things. Long is likely to score a goal that Murphy wouldn't, well I think Westwood is likely to make a save that Randolph wouldn't, and less likely to make a mistake (Martial's goal and the Dutch equaliser both very recent).
The save in B&H was the one where he came out and spread himself after Henrdick's mistake wasn't it? Fair play, big save, but a fairly standard piece of goalkeeping at the same time. It's not like he pulled something out of the top corner that most other keepers wouldn't get near. And I'm still kind of iffy about Poland's first goal as well as Dzeko's, not sure his positioning and/or reactions were great.
Last edited by DeLorean; 09/06/2016 at 3:08 PM.
I agree about the Poland first goal but the B&H save was more than a standard spread. He got a high arm to it which involved reflex reaction rather than the starfish / hope it hits me type block.
You'd swear he was a walking calamity though. Any blame for the Dutch goal is marginal and I don't think he did much wrong for Dzeko's goal.
Still, I think O'Neill should make an executive decision on Westwood. RTE saying Given hopes to be picked.
As you say above, don't rule out Given: http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/...gainst-sweden/
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
No, he's not at all. I just think the difference between the two is significant enough to matter.
Wouldn't worry about what Given says, he's not going to say he's there to make up the numbers. I'd imagine (and hope) that he's very much third choice.
Stockholm-based Irish journalist Philip O'Connor on how to stop Sweden: http://www.newstalk.com/Philip-OConn...ffer-than-Ibra
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