You're basing that on one game, when he's been outstanding for Spurs and Ireland in every other one this season?Originally Posted by OwlsFan
If so, it'd be laughable if it wasn't so baffling how quickly people can write players off.
I’m a fan of Kerr and impress in how he got our under age teams to perform well over the years (deserve to get the crack of the senior manager Job), but IF we get to Germany and play the way we are playing at the moment. We'll lose our opening matches. I think it's time set some fires (no blow torch) under their arses to get them going to set the world and group alight. They need motivation!!
I agree.
FFS, when we beat the Swiss, the Israelis at LR, and beat the Faroes and Cyprus away, and nick a draw against France at LR (playing sh!te in each game) - finishing top of the group, all these gobsh!tes lookin for his head on a platter now will be lookin' to ride him!!!
Kavanagh is on Newstalk and he is the 5th player I'm after hearing backing up what Kerr said.
"it certainly wasn't a conscious effort on the lads to sit back and defend deep"
Next time I hope the fans and media don't just jump on Kerr's back and say it was his tactics. Whatever Kerr could have done different on Saturday it was not his decision to create few chances and play safe.
Picking a right back in an attacking position and then when it came to subbing off Clinton bringing on Matt Holland sent out it's own message. Whatever the players and Kerr said, his selections told their own story.
The fans were 50/50 on whether Reid or Finnan should play. We can rely on Finnan, we know what we're going to get but sometimes Reid can be a liability as proven in Switzerland and against China. Holland came on and Duff was pushed up a bit more forward with Kilbane on the left. While we may not agree with that its still just as much attacking.
There has to be some accountabillity on the management after Saturdays performance. It wasn't an isolated performance against a team that are a middle tier international team at best. This is on the back of similar results against other teams of similar stature under Kerrs reign.
If it wasn't Kerrs intention to play the way they did then why wait so long to make the substitution?? If he wasn't happy with the way things where progressing it was up to him as manager to act on it. He didn't.
And too many people are citing Brian Kerrs mantra of winning home games and drawing the away game. Rubbish. With that approach you'll be lucky to finnish runner up in any group. It generally onlyapplies to the top 2 or three teams in a group, yet we appear to have lowered that bar to the top four teams. We are hardly in a 'Group of Death' here. The only team I would've accepted a draw away from home before the game is France.
And besides, I can cope with a draw or even a loss against any team so long as the performance justifies it. we were well capable of beating the Isrealies. I think scoring so early was a bit of a poisoned chalice as maybe if we'd scored after say 30 minuted the momentum may have sent us on. But with the posession we had we should have threatened more. It was like that episode of the Simpsons were they're watching the Soccer match...
Kerr has brought some positive aspects to the set up, there can be no argument there. And anyone calling for his head is a little bit extreme. But it's time we start climbing the learning curve.
But Kerr is not beyond criticism by any stretch.
Kerr's fate will be decided ultimately by wheter or not we qualify. If we go through he will be hailed as a tactical genius. If not, he will be called an ass. It's a thin line he walks...
Playing for draws away is great as long as you win at home. Time will tell if that happens. I am a fan of Kerr's but he doesn't seem to be able to tinker with the team during the game. Once he saw that the Isreali's had nothing to throw at us, there should have been a Plan B to attack more.
If we qualify, it will all be forgotten. But, as we learned the hard way, not losing games doesn't guarantee qualification...
I'm not saying Kerr should not get critisism for that. Everyone was putting the blame on Kerr the way we sat back. 5 players have now came out and said it wasn't the plan and they should have attacked more. Thats all I'm saying. The biggest critisism been thrown at Kerr after the match was his tactics. It wasn't his tactics for everyone to sit back and I wanted to clear that up. I've said the P(sychology) word so many times since Saturday but too many people under estimate the powers of the mind. A players instinct is to defend a lead (that was the main priority) and every team does it, nothing a coach can do about it.
BTW, I certainly didn't expect Israel to sit back so much after seeing them against Switzerland. They gave us too much respect and maybe that played a part in distrupting Kerr's game plan. Of course he deserves critisism but not all of it like the papers and fan have been giving him.
We have never performed well when we go in the lead against a half decent team away from home in my memory so we can't expect that to change any time soon.
Come off it, Finnan on the right was a defencive option and has we been at home he wouldn't have done it. Holland on for Morrison was a defencive option, as is playing Duff up front and had we been at home his sibstitutions would have been different. Actions speak louder than words, I don't care what Kerr or anyone said, he played defencive and that was his intention from the off. It's this almost frightened attitude to away games that is the difference between our home and away record as much as anything else.
Some "supporters" we are when we start calling for the managers head after a couple of results don't go our way. Give the man a chance, and reserve judgement until after the campaign. If we do manage to finish first in the group ahead of France, it would be the best qualifying performance we have ever had.
I think the conservatism last Saturday was down more to Roy Keane than Kerr. It was Keane playing the ball backwards, directing operations, urging people to hold onto the ball and not give it away. I think in the back of people's heads was the Holland game when we threw away the 2-0 lead, and the criticism that followed that game from Keane. Its obvious that players like Robbie and Duffer look up to Keane and I think that influenced them too. If we had nicked a second goal, I think people would have been raving about the possession football we played.
I had no problem with picking Finnan over Reid. I've seen Finnan play RHM several times and he can be quite good there. He's an excellent crosser of a ball usually (McAteer vs Holland, Duff's missed sitter vs Croatia...). I accept that sitting back wasn't the game plan, but failing to substitute tired and underperformning players was the big mistake from the bench. Even still, the players out there should have been able to deal with the situation better. A big shame, especially looking at where we'd be now in the table but it's over & hopefully we'll learn.
I said it in the build up to the game. This was of bigger significance than just the 3 points. It could have marked a coming of age of sorts, instead that moment has been put back by quite a bit & unnecessary seeds of doubt will remain.
Good post. Especially the last sentence. We did play some great football but unfortunately, for whatever reason, we didn't do enough of it in or around the penalty box. There were lots of times during the game when the Israelites couldn't get near the ball.
I think too many of our fans have been watching la liga. we have one or two flair players , mainly Duff and Reid. One is world class the other has not proven himself over 'A' season never mind a couple of seasons. Some people on this site were going on about how Reid should have been picked over Finnan.
Andy Reid's performance against China showed exactly why he wasn't picked. He was terrible.
At half time someone should have picked him up by the scruff handed him a dictionary scrolled to the "s" section and pointed out the word "simple". We didn't have a right sided midfielder against China and until he becomes more disciplined, which playing for an ambitious Premiership club should do to him, then he won't be starting for us competitively against the bigger teams.
Steve Finnan is more than capable of playing on the right side of midfield and is having a great season for Liverpool. apart from Jamie Carragher he has been Liverpool's best player. If Andy Reid had played against Israel I've no doubt that Benayoun would have exploited Steven Carr even more so.
As for people slagging off Kerr, let that be done at the end of the campaign. The result against Israel was disappointing but after last nights results we are in a super position. We would have been in a better position had the Swiss not got a late winner.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Spot on, I dont feel Andy Reid has done anywhere near enough in an Ireland or Spurs jersey to merit a start in a WC Qualifier. Played well in the Championship but thats beside the point. Refuses to play a simple ball, but prefers to lob one into space even when its not on. He was nowhere in Switzerland and his passing and crossing were poor against China. Dont get me wrong, he has potential but I think he needs premiership experience and a gym membership before he can be considered over Steve Finnan. Finnan is reliable, hasnt let Ireland down at Right back or Right midfield and is playing well and regularly for a top premiership side. No contest at the moment.
I believe that a right side of Sulky Carr and Lazy Reid would be a disaster.
Finnan and Reid - maybe.
Carr is the kind of fcuker who if he's dropped will retire from international football.
I was his biggest fan 4 years ago but now he is a dissappointment.
same here, i dont rate Carr at all now. People were saying give him a chance etc. It has been on the rot for years now and its time to call a spade a spade. Carr is a very average right back at best. He doesnt get forward like he used to, he doesnt cross in dangerous crosses. He gets himself into a lot of trouble with the ref for stupid things. He is terrible at defending high balls into the peno area and lacks communication skills with the keeper. Finnan over Carr any day.
Reid has talent, dont get me wrong. but there is so much of his game that needs a lot of work. He was absent in Basel, never seen him all night. He keeps playing the same card all night, the ball into space. Its good to see the first few times but after a while its robbie styled fustration. I cant see Reid improving much in 4 weeks TBH.
I think our best team was the one that played in Israel. Apart from Carr. It would be great if Dunne could play in the right back position IMO.
Kerr is doing a great job, that English rag is just having a go because a Irishman is in charge. I hope we top this group and Kerr shows everyone wrong
Whatever about Carr's recent defensive woes for his country, he has not lost any of his attacking threat and he has a fabulous cross. When he's at his best he is more of an attacking threat at right back than Finnan is on the right side of midfield.
I hope you're right dancinpants. But our error margin is gone.FFS, when we beat the Swiss, the Israelis at LR, and beat the Faroes and Cyprus away, and nick a draw against France at LR (playing sh!te in each game) - finishing top of the group, all these gobsh!tes lookin for his head on a platter now will be lookin' to ride him!!!
I don't think the article makes a mountain out of a molehill as someone else claimed -and I DO think we've dropped 6 points that were there for the taking in this group. It's not the stuff of fantasy that Ireland could have 15 points now with France and Israel on what? 9 each and switzerland on 8. There's our group dead in the water before summer for us.
Kerr is apparently a big fan of meticulous preparation, homework and research -yet he failed to prepare a team for the statistically demonstrable fact that Israel -be they winning, drawing or losing - are usually strong finishers and good for a goal in the last ten minutes. Any bookie could've told him that.
But forget the Israel match, we don't create enough chances, we shun shooting opportunities in favour of playing it into the corners looking to cross it at head height to our five and a half foot splash forwards and we have absolutley gone to s h it at set pieces. ...oh and we can't seem to score more than one goal per competetive game unless we're playing a pub team like Faroes.
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
Who's written him off? I'm a great fan of Reid's and was all for him playing instead of having two right fulls on the pitch. He hasn't been outstanding for Spurs and I think he does need to get a few pounds off.You're basing that on one game, when he's been outstanding for Spurs and Ireland in every other one this season?
I've been raving about Reid for a number of years having seen him in the Championship in previous years against Wednesday etc but I'm just not sure whether he's hit a wall now. He needs to get in better shape and kick on and with a bit of luck become the next Ray Houghton. If you visit some Spurs sites you'll see jibles like "who ate all the pies" etc. I've no doubt ANdy has the ability - I just hope he uses it.
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