QuoteGreen suffered from press coverage because Trapattoni picked him and dropped Andy Reid.
Paul Green was a good Championship midfielder. He'd be likely starting for us these days. Back then, we could afford to sneer at a Championship midfielder.
You can't spell failure without FAI
Green suffered from press coverage because Trapattoni picked him and dropped Andy Reid.
Green's touch was far too heavy for international football. He was in the team to win the ball and break-up opposition play. And this was his limit of his abilities - which was good enough for the Championship. Molumby, a player currently in the Championship, can do that and more, and has time on his side to keep improving.
The team are not as bad as brady and some people say
look at this set up against a team we should be looking to beat
4-3-3. theose play are preety good actually
I know we couldnt play that in Paris, where a 4-5-1 might be the order of the day
------- -------Gavin
Coleman--- Andrew O--- Egan --- Manning
---- J Culun--- N Collins--- M. Johnson
------ Ogbene --- Feguson ---- Obefemi
I know he has class and could be a future Stones, but I dont want Collins learning how to be a midfielder in a green jersey. It carries a bit too much risk if you ask me. There's a few other problems with the line up you have there too in fairness... (Andy and Egan almost completely inexperienced in a back 2, Manning not a FB, Johnson can't play that role, especially behind Obafemi who I think is also better in a front 2 than out wide). With that said, subject to us sorting out some options at FB, I do agree that a back 4 is likely the next best iteration of the team style/formation.
I would see us going to a variation of 4-3-3 depending on the opposition... a 4-1-2-3 where we are playing a weaker team and a 4-2-1-3 where we are playing someone a bit stronger. Personnel/selection in the middle 3 would dictate the expected tempo. Against the top teams you'd just pull your wide forwards back into midfield more and go with something that looks more like a 4-5-1.
I'm on the fence about our current playing pool. Worst talent in history is, for me, taking us back to the mid to late 80's where you'd look at this crop and they'd pale into insignificance - almost entirely - against any squad from 86 - 02... the 02 - 12 cohort was when we started dropping as the golden generation(s) were leaving. It picked up a little from 12 - 16 and declined further since.
But.......... you look at this crop and while their club situations dont exactly provide much comfort for various reasons, they have youth and potential on their side, almost completely. There is a similar crop right behind them. The ceiling is high for this crowd but it remains to be seen if they get there. The future does seem brighter than the present and recent past but we'll have a better sense in a couple of years. It is weird though, I also feel like the present should be bit brighter than it is which is why you have now got to look at Kenny.
Even that squad in the early 80s wasn't bad. OK, awful in 1986 qualifying. But 84 qualifying was respectable (drew with Spain, 2-0 up against Holland at half-time only to lose 3-2, beat Malta 8-0, still our record win). 1982 we beat Holland and France at home, drew away to Belgium and Holland; lost out on goal difference. Were the Belgians on the take that year? Certainly we were screwed in Bulgaria one of the years too - '78 I think. Players like O'Leary, Stapleton, Brady, Hughton, Whelan, etc, were top players.Originally Posted by SkStu
I think we haven't had a squad this bad since the 70s - albeit that the age profile of our current squad absolutely stands in them in good stead for the future.
I agree regarding the calibre of certain players. I just dont remember watching that team play (club or country)!! Definitely seems though there was a sense of significant underperformance in that 80 - 86 batch.
Ah he wasnt good, lets not be revisionist about it. He was in the team regularly because he turned up to an early training camp for Trap and it drove us all mad that he was constantly picked afterwards. No one has ever said that we miss Paul Green in there after he was finally dropped, like we would have for Glenn Whelan for example.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...s-manager.html . Corsley s approach. The lads on the English forum in big soccer who are very hard to.please very happy with Corsley reck8n he could get the England job after the ireland job but interestingly one poster says he doesn't sing the english national anthem which is interesting
Ireland down to 52 in the latest FIFA Rankings, with Greece having moved up to 49, a reversal of where the two teams were placed prior to the defeat in Athens. I'd imagine we'll have slipped back some way further after the almost inevitable defeats to Holland and France.
I believe we were ranked 34th when McCarthy left, and 33rd at the time of O'Neill's departure.
Difficult to look upon the Kenny era as anything other than one of regression.
On Paul Green, I seem to remember the media and certain supporters made a huge deal of the fact that he was named in the Euro 2012 squad whilst being without a club, as if this was evidence of how poor a player he was.
But that was hardly unique to to Green. Tournaments (the Qatar debacle notwithstanding) are played in the summer, and players are often out of contract at that time of year. It was the same for players like Gary Breen in the 2002 World Cup and Bonner, Cascarino and Whelan in US '94.
I think he got a decent move to Leeds that summer too. He always seemed to receive an undue amount of flak.
Last edited by Trequartista20; 30/06/2023 at 9:43 AM.
It was also that he was getting played when others that were more highly fancied by the fanbase were sitting on the bench, like James McClean, and maybe to a lesser extent Darren Gibson. His reputation maybe suffered a bit as well when he was brought on as a sub when the team was 4-0 down against Spain. It was something of a meme/snarky comment in the following season that I saw a few times regards counterproductive/pointless substitutions, whenever any random team was getting pasted: "4-0 down: better bring on Paul Green".
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
Forgot about him being brought on against Spain at four down. That's going to put people's backs up right enough. And, controversially, in preference to Gibson too, if memory serves.
Re Collins Im just not sure we have enough good players in the middle of the park, he is a very good player and will be playing in teh prem next season when he moves ( alba plays midfoield for Austria, when he was at munich he was a left back and nothimng else ) we have seen or owne lads swap sucesfully in th past Paul McGrath etc
RE: Andy O and Egan, they can of course play in a back 2. I wouldnt have any concerns at all there
RE Manning at LB, that is a risk, I get it, but I would prefer him to McClean and I would say doherty could be gone soon if he is leaving Europe as I under stand it
RE Joihnson if thats doenst wok we drop Ogebne back into the right side of the middle thrree and he pushes up ( no sub needed)
Ogbene and Johnston aren't midfielders. Your team is a 4-4-2 with Ogbene on the right wing, Johnston on the left and Obafemi and Ferguson in the centre. That's fine - but that's definitely the formation, not playing Johnston or Ogbene as part of a midfield three
And David Alaba was a midfielder that Munich turned into a defender. Something they've done with multiple players. Because it's often easier for some lads to come in and play at FB when breaking into the team and then they've got a player that can play midfield and in defence.
Irish players have successfully swapped in the past and at the same time that happened I'm sure we still had some LOI players moving to teams in the top tier of English football. Times have massively changed since Paul McGrath played midfield for Ireland and went into the United first team after moving from St Pats.
I actually need to correct myself after looking around for stuff related to this. Green was brought on at three down, and was badly at fault for the fourth goal, letting Fabregas past him and then slipping before he could try and stop his resulting shot.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
Fuppin hell, ya know theres not a lot going on when we are discussing the merits of Paul Green.
He was the finest harrier ever to don the green.
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