Arsenal, Derby, Man United. I think your tinfoil hat was in the microwave.Originally Posted by Kingdom
What club schooled Brady?
What two PL regular midfielders didn't start last night?
What club schooled them?
That's my tinfoil hat moment.
"He just kicks people" I believe is one of his comments from this morning.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Arsenal, Derby, Man United. I think your tinfoil hat was in the microwave.
Touché. I was more thinking St Kevins myself, but point taken.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Can anyone dispute that Hendrix does sound a lot better than Hendrick?
Hendrix even had better hair than Hendrick
Surely we are not giving Collins a free pass on dubious club/ current form when seasoned internationals are being dropped for that reason? :-)
I've watched a bit of Collins lately, to see if there was something I was missing. The first 15 minutes of his last club start against Norwich is why I don't think he should be in the squad. Luton started the game in the ascendancy but failed to take advantage as Collins missed two good chances, one a sitter. Norwich subsequently went up the field with Pukki scoring on his first opportunity and effectively killing the game. Collins went missing after that, and left the game as an early sub. Maybe it's just the games I watched, but the same "issues" were evident against Birmingham. He worked hard but missed with the opportunities that toil gave (skewed an open goal opportunity from a tight angle wide, and Luton's goal in that game came off a deflected Collins shot (that he should have scored from himself)).
His goals per game statistics posted in another thread look fine, but his actual play is huff and puff, and no guile. He'll score goals but will need 6/7 opportunities per goal.
Agree our other striking options are weak but there's more "footballing ability" in those options and they have time to grow into their potential whereas Collins, at 30 years old, is not going to get better. Maybe the goal against Serbia will give him confidence to reveal his inner Marco van Basten …
he was far more effective on Wednesday than connolly was when he came on. no one is suggesting that he is a long term option but sometimes we have to deal with the here and now and stop always looking to the future. we need someone up top who can actually hold onto the ball and be a threat from corners
10 min cameo when we are chasing the game and pushing bodies forward? Can be argued he is not particularly good at holding the ball up or as a threat from corners (see previous competitive internationals he has started (Georgia and Switzerland spring to mind)).
Connolly has physical limitations that curtail possibilities. Small, so not that much of a physical threat ! Is he deceptive in that he is slower than he looks with those short legs. You have to have a lot of extra ability when you are the size Connolly is. This remains to be seen. I hope for the best.
We played Bulgaria at home as well under Kenny. We had beaten them comfortably under McCarthy with a trial team out. It was a friendly but Bulgaria are woeful, that was Kenny's gimme game. But I'm not sure of the importance of that, the performances under Kenny have been very poor. To not score for so long against opposition that wouldn't be described as top level wasn't good. I'm all for giving Kenny a go but excusing mediocrity shouldn't come into it.
Now, we have seen major improvements against Serbia. It was a big step up and Kenny's willingness to change formation and personnel is great to see. He didn't stick with tactics which clearly weren't working. Obviously, the addition of Barry has been a big plus. He's top class and will make a big impact. I think Luxembourg is massive, a win is needed as we need this to work. A draw or a defeat and the negative press and reaction from supporters will make it difficult to succeed. We really need Kenny to succeed because the alternative isn't pretty.
International football can be strange. He's playing at a similar level to David Healy did for most of his career. He did OK for the north.
We're desperate for a striker, and the lad has got 2 goals from 7 caps. The chances he's had have mainly been short stints off the bench, and at the end of the day he's taken them.
Healy had a few great years with the North. We’d bite somebody’s arm off, for such a run = = Goes to show that it is possible though !
He was given a starting position for 1 match I think, can't recall the opposition off hand but he was very poor in the game. We don't have many options up front but we have better than Collins.
Some sense on a friday morning, thought that was usually left for sobering Mondays. I suppose if youre Kingdom there aren't too many sober reality days. : D
"Calling for Collins" does sound a little like a desperation call, but we are kind of desperate for goals, and I think its worth a try against Qatar, if not even lux to see if we can accommodate him in a two up front if we go 3-5-2 or even as the middle man in a 4-3-3. I haven't seen enough of him so I cant comment and as mentioned stats can be very misleading, especially if its goals:chances, but he has scored 2 goals for us, no one else is scoring, and no one else looks like scoring so its worth a shot, we can all judge better then. I mean our biggest problem at the moment is we have no one anticipating runs for the pull backs across the box, or for those line balls across the 6 yard box. Connolly is either too late or not there, and the midfield aren't getting in in time or are misjudging and going too early. You could put some of that down to communication and getting used to eachother and playing together, but with a proper fox in the box hed be getting on more of them - I'm not saying COllins is a fox, more of a gazelle maybe but we wont know unless we go!
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
The GK union was me presumably?
Can I just say that praise from a U21 manager is no basis to be picking a 19 year old for the senior team? McCaffrey waxed lyrical about Randolph at that age and yet it took him years to get to the level needed.
I am very excited by Bazunu's potential but there's absolutely no counter-factual to prove that he'd have been better than Travers on the night.
Kelleher is probably going to top of the tree or at least ahead of the other youngsters.
Randolph makes dumb errors sometimes but I think he brings a presence and calm assurance to certain situations - corners and inswinging frees in particular - that the kids won't bring. I've seen Kelleher getting utterly lost under inswinging deliveries (more than once) for example and I think it's a real weakness. I'll stick my neck out here and say we may revert to this observation sometime!
I only made the Travers > Bazunu call because I think he's a bit ahead in his development, size and maturity and thought he was the safer pick. It was the less risky of two risky calls. I did say on another thread that each of the 3 younger keepers are exciting prospects but I'd be nervous about playing any of them in Belgrade.
I think we missed Randolph on Weds, badly.
Probably me as well I'd say.
I pretty much agree with everything you've put in that post.
Connolly out of game tomorrow. Another blow.
Not entirely surprising given he came off on Wednesday.
I'd be ok with Long starting though. Collins - though he scored on Wednesday of course - is probably a little bit more a gamble given his lack of game time at the top level
You sort of figured it was more than just cramp with only an hour played.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
It was 1-1 with 10 mins to go. It was only comfortable in the end.
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