Out of curiosity, what level of football would be advantageous to Kelleher? Jaros spent the season playing for Pats - would that level be of any use to him? How would league 2? League 1? The championship? SPL? SPL2? At what point does that balance tip towards playing games…?
Agreed. Discounting any games is odd and, whatever about the significance of the League Cup overall, it's hardly any lower a standard than League 1 anyway.
Wiki also taught me today that Kelleher's brother plays occasionally for Bradford, a fact which had completely escaped me.
If a PL club is loaning a player to LOI its a sure sign they see no future for that player at PL level.Originally Posted by elatedscum
Absolutely. Can't discount any games within reason. I would say that cup games featuring weakened sides when Liverpool either think the result isn't in doubt or isn't worth much to them aren't the same level as regular EPL game time. There seems to be a few who think any game for any Liverpool team is better than a high pressure game at a lower level and I'm not sure on that. Particularly for young players who need to make mistakes and learn. Again open to correction by any coaches who'd disagree. I'm no coach.Well that's true. I said I'd flag it though as it was what Jd2793 was referring to, which otoh had missed.
I think if we can all agree it's silly to discount Kelleher's cup games, then we're all good
To elatedscums question I think our current national side needs players playing competitive games at League 1 and above level. So that's the sort of level that counts. Bazunus games for Rovers don't mean much. If Kelleher had a season of League 1 or Championship under his belt I think he'd be Ireland #1 now even if he was warming the bench at Liverpool..he'd have had the jersey already ahead of other options and Bazunu would have been just filling in when he was injured. That's where it's hurt him for me.
To a point Jd273 made that I missed, Randolph is a similarish case to Kelleher but crucially (for me) Randolph had multiple seasons of senior football under his belt and no potentially world class teenage waiting in the wing when Given was on his way out. He'd sort of already become the #1 in waiting hadn't he? I don't remember the period well but the other option on the bench around then seems to have been Forde?
Big day today for Kelleher. I hope he shows his class.
Certainly not the same as EPL games.
Better than League One games? I think so, for reasons already given. (That is, the top top teams regularly play weakened sides in the Cup competitions and yet still do quite well in them. Their second string sides are very good)
But then there's the balance of course of 7 cup games v 50 third tier games for a young player over a period of 18 months or so.
Westwood was the other option when Randolph came in btw (in fact, he was given the number 1 jersey for the Euro 2016 finals, when he was somewhat surprisingly picked ahead of Forde)
Cheers Stu. Westwood seems to have been a bit unlucky throughout.
On the topic at hand - It's not just cup games being of a lower quality for me. Kelleher has played some big teams and serious opposition. It's that Liverpool don't care as much about the result. It's a low pressure environment. Travers and Bazunu are playing higher pressure games even if the players around them are lower quality than Kelleher faces. Maybe I'm wrong but I just think that's a better test of a young keeper. He has played some bigger games of course and today is one of them. So let's go Kelleher.
Liverpool mightn't be too worried about the result, but I suppose the flip side is the players might. It's a real chance for them to show that they can offer something to the first team. A poor game might be the start of the manager mentally writing them off and looking for a replacement. It's a different kind of pressure of course.
But no doubting that today's game is definitely a big one. Let's hope he does well in it. Two of his three Premier League games have been as a spectator. This will be quite different.
Maybe not! Liverpool are streets ahead of Chelsea from what I'm seeing. Only switched it on with 20 mins gone. Kelleher has looked nice and calm when he's been needed to take a ball and give it back but Liverpool should be 3 up already!
Bazunu would have caught that.
With one hand and his eyes closed.
Nothing much he could have done with the first. Thought he was indecisive for the second probably should have kept coming to close down or just stayed on his line and he did neither.
Just saw his save from Pulisic. Did well. Couldn't do much about the 1st. Maybe should have come out for the second? Rocket of a finish not many would have gotten a hand to.
For the love of God would you switch it back off!!
For the love of God would you switch it back off!!
In the context of this thread you've hid your allegiances nicely.....
Ha!
Not a Liverpool fan. Just would be good to have something nice to report about an Irish keeper in a top level game.
Well he will get his chance to prove himself at least!
Good performance from Caoimhin. One excellent save, a couple more standard saves, reasonable distribution apart from one wayward pass, and couldn’t do anything about the goals. Overall, very solid. Great to see from an irish perspective.
From the Guardian live report -
Sounds like the foot.ie rows will continue for a while to come so“I agree, Rob,” says Nora. “Kelleher is a composed young goalkeeper and he is Irish.”
With Kelleher and Gavin Bazunu, Ireland should be okay in that department for the next, gulp, 15-20 years.
Kelleher didn’t look out of place at all I thought,didn’t actually have a lot of saves to make but most of what he did was composed and solid….
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
From the Guardian live report -
Sounds like the foot.ie rows will continue for a while to come so
But sure that's what most of us have been saying!
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