Serbia are an interesting side. it's true they've tended to underachieve compared to Croatia, and have even been outdone by Bosnia and Slovenia at times. Amazingly, their club sides have never reached a European group stage, Europa or Champions League. But when Dunne says -
I can't agree with that. Mitrovic and Jovic are clearly much better up front than anything we have, and that was a big difference on Wednesday. Vlahovic too, with 12 goals for a poor Serie A side this season. A keeper who's a regular in La Liga (even if we were unlucky in losing three keepers for the match), players playing Champions League at Lazio and Seville.I’d see Serbia and Ireland as even enough in terms of talent but in Tadic they have that extra bit of quality,
To say that we're equal in terms of talent is to ignore all of that, and I don't think it's a reasonable view
And when he says -
- this overlooks that they've qualified for three World Cups in that time, which is three more than we've reached. They were an injury-time Swiss winner away from reaching the knock-outs in 2018, and beat Germany in 2010. Is that really struggling for a small nation?they’ve struggled any time they went to a major finals in the last 20 years
Last edited by pineapple stu; 26/03/2021 at 8:59 AM.
I'm wanting to agree here, but over the last 9 games we can get the ball out quickly, but theres no support, lads hold it up like old times sake, or win a free and we build again. The passing does appear structured/static passing, we've had many times when counters are on but a player does a circle or pulls back and turns sideways, like we've got it but we dont know what we should do next, that has to be down to how they are training, and that to me appears like the passing is more of a slow build up. It happened a handful of occasions the last night too, where robinson or connolly got the ball and turned around or picked the player to the side instead of the player in front. I'd like that to change, we may not have speedy wingers, or the formation to match but doherty and stevens should be fast enough to get up past - this is where I think we miss coleman out there, he was always speedy and an out.
Ya this playing to the strengths sounds like Ex Pros playing up how we used to play when they played, a very limited brand of football made up of the sum of the parts, the irony being we probably had better players then to play the football we are trying to play now. We don't really have any particular strengths at present i.e. very gifted players in any one position(s) so we might as well try something that perpetuates better football
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
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
your phraseology suggests you DO agree with Brady
criticism of Kenny's selectionhe was right in one sense that he wasnt good enough,
criticismI felt he wasn't physically up to the task
he was lucky by your contentionand yes in another game he would have gotten booked for persistent fouling(and probably be less in their faces),
He's not good, he just manipulated the laws of the game well, with a weak referee not doing his job right.but he made it difficult for the Serbs with all the fouling, and pulling them down breaking up their play. That is a good thing to have, its a great to thing to be able to do and get away with it time and again.
but I better damn him with faint praise...Whilst he was on Serbia never got into any sorta rhythm really - so he was effective.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
That was the biggest change I noticed between the Serbia games and the previous games. We were much more energetic in the Serbia game - probably helped by having two guys with pace up front. We mixed it up a lot more than we had in for example the Bulgaria and Wales games. That and the change of formation showed good progress.
One area I expect to see improvement in is our set pieces, that will take time.
https://www.football.london/chelsea-...barry-19225837
If we can add a significant set piece threat to our game that can make a difference in tight games. The above article speaks about his defensive side but I understand he handles attacking set pieces aswell.
Last edited by zero; 26/03/2021 at 9:43 AM.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Before the group stages. No Serbian side has ever qualified for the CL or EL group stages.
Well, 3 counting 2006 as Serbia and Montenegro. Whose records they've kept since Montenegro split.
Yes, we've been to two Euros and they haven't alright. Slightly curious as of course the Euros are easier to reach. I'd credit three World Cups over two Euros though.
I agree with most of that. I mean one of their young strikers scored a 30 minute hat trick in Serie A recently.
I don't think Scotland dug out a result. Scotland mullered them in Belgrade only to get hit by a sucker punch from a corner in injury time.
And I like Collins and what he brings to the team. Brady, McClean, Hendrick and Doherty never cease to disappoint.
I just want to say Brady's Duffy > Clark critique because they scored a good headed goal is just bonkers. It was a good goal just as Browne's was a good goal.
And despite the result, I think the 90 minute performance was considerably better than the performance in the 2-2 a few years ago.
Hm. They've actually qualified lots of times, including this year's EL and the last two CL groups. Wiki has let me down quite badly there!
Edit - in fact, Partizan have qualified regularly too. I'll have to completely take back that statement!
Last edited by pineapple stu; 26/03/2021 at 10:43 AM.
As Irishmen we dilute our sense of nation by depending on the English to bring us our balls
While I fully agree that expectations on these players has to be tempered, and I've long railed against that pattern of calls to drop the baby and the bathwater, I think the current situation is a little different. We legitimately lack mid-career players worth a damn.
With McGoldrick's retirement, we have Long (34), McClean (31), and Callum Robinson (26) among the forwards. Maybe you'd count O'Dowda (25) as a left forward, though that's also McClean's and Robinson's best position. I've never seen what the big deal was about him. Idah, Connolly and Parrott are not guaranteed to amount to much, but they pretty much have to be in the mix because there's no one else.
We really only have Randolph (33) as a senior goalkeeper. There's a lot of hope around Banuzu and Kelleher, and I've argued against people here demanding Randolph be dropped for Kelleher in particular over the past year. It's clear though that we need to test our options in friendlies because of exactly the situation that arose this international window.
We're doing okay in defence, lacking in depth at left back maybe, but midfield is looking a bit bare too. I think people are undervaluing Hendrick (29) at least, but I've never seen much from Hourihane (30) to convince me that he's miles better than the early-career players who started ahead of them against Serbia, and McCarthy (30) and Brady (29) have had careers ruined by injuries. None of those guys is on the up any more, and while they have something to contribute, their understudies have to be tested and integrated into the team. Where are the lads in the 23-28 age range?
We had the oldest squad at the last Euros we qualified for, and we're seeing the dividends now: key players have retired, and we have 20 year olds to fill in, whether they're good enough or not, because there's no one else.
You can't spell failure without FAI
Yes, that's exactly the point I was just making to some pals on a WhatsApp chat. I think we looked quite modern and accomplished at times in the first half, especially the first 30. We trusted each other to receive a short sharp pass in a tight situation and it worked for the most part, Browne a bit sloppy maybe.
I think we took to the pitch with the message implanted "be brave on the ball, trust each other" but as the game goes on we revert to habit and instinct.
If we score early I'd like to see us continue on the front foot - at least if we can sense that's realistic which it was on wednesday. Think "get the next goal too". We almost never do this against anyone decent. Israel away will haunt me until I die.
I'm struggling to see which superior experienced players were kept back in order to blood young players for the benefit of some future campaign. Connolly's selection over Long or Collins maybe.
Travers - no option to pick a rookie really
Coleman, Clark, O'Shea - all there on merit
Borwne, Cullen, Doherty, Stevens - all mature and there on merit
Molumby - young but picked ahead of experienced players who consistently disappoint, and Molumby has impressed in green already. Knight is an alternative but obviously not experienced
Robinson - experienced
Connolly - still has improvement in him (you'd hope!) but a fair pick all the same
So I don't see how there's possibly any suggestion that we should write off this campaign and that the selection for Belgrade reflected that.
So the other night when I text you the team, you replied saying - looks good - I can screenshot it and add it to the post if that helps. What did you mean by " looks good " I must have misunderstood.
Moving on, we shouldn't be living in futuristic fantasy land according to you and picking potentially good players but the only ones you could really point to as having missed out would be Brady and Hendrick .... who also are an example of this having failed in the past. So which is it to be ?
I am sure SK would love to have those two in their supposed prime underpinning this but their performances have not done that in some time.
Are you advocating Duffy ?
Have you watched his last performances for Celtic before they dropped him ?
That leaves Long. So even if that one example gets past, and its tenuous, none of this amount what you have said. None of it.
So who would you have picked the other night, out of interest ? With another nod of reminder that you were happy at the time with the team that was named.
Very good post and I agree completely with the 23-28 age group observation and I think Kingdom pointed this out before Christmas. We've had a 5 year period of nothing basically and no one coming through. It has certainly dampened expectations and I think this is generally being accepted across the board. Kenny was ballsy all the same going with a full quota of young lads over the more experienced, and his second half subs showed that he was right(even if lack of experience led to the goals, his hand was forced), they had very little impact and little to show, getting even the basics wrong. We have been somewhat forced into this, or a few of the games Kenny has been in charge of, but this is the point I was making these lads were once the future, and I'm sure if you go back 10 years or so we were talking about these lads in the same vein as we're talking about the new group. So while I agree with you that we don't really have many choices at present, we need to be realistic about our campaigns and not just writing them off up front.
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
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
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