I don't know why the Irish manager would base squad selection on putting players in the shop window? Doesn't make sense and i doubt it's the case.
Can't figure out Harry Arter though, a nothing player for us really, and as pointed out hasn't kicked a ball in months. I'm presuming Jack Taylor is injured. If Kenny wants to pin his hopes on an injury prone player in this 30's who can't get in an average Championship squad, good luck to him.
Might encourage other hopefuls to play for us if the auld carrier is given the odd boost when needed. You’d be surprised sometimes that some ( ok may lower level clubs ) like to announce they have signed an international / under 21 international just for the optics like.Originally Posted by Exgrad
Probably quite tenuously. Any of them who starts playing every week will instantly be in contention.
Sad to say... still, this is friendlies and development. Hopefully, something good will come out of it, like a win, and someone unexpected really making a case for starting.I think I say this every time now, but that must be about the weakest squad we've ever named...
You can't spell failure without FAI
I'd suspect McCarthy misses out due to being out of contract and a desire not to get an injury before signing a deal with a club, maybe the same for Westwood.
Assuming the likes of Jack Byrne and Nathan Collins are still injured?
Collins is still injured. We won’t see him until preseason by the sounds of it.
Agree with the general sentiments.
Ogbene, Mandroiu and Arter are strange calls. Disappointing not to see Taylor there. I would have even preferred to see Connell in there. I like the O’Connor call, he’s done well with Tranmere and overcame some challenges there. This could set him up nicely for a shot off Celtic in preseason. Agree, McNamara oozes class and has played at a higher level so objectively he should be in there. But Kenny obviously believes in O’Connor. Love the Omobamidele call and the chance for McGrath to take his career to new heights
Not that I miss him but is Hendrick injured?
Its a horrible squad, Arter being there is baffling.... but the worst part is that I cant think of anyone who I would rather have had instead of him.
No, Hendrick came off the bench for Newcastle yesterday
Was Kenny asked about him in presser? Bit surprising that not more being made about him being left out
Aaron McEneff?
Nah, we'll smash them 1-0.
touch of the getting the excuses in early from SK with the 'lets have a bit of fun / how would you define a must win' comments.
i guess he has to answer the questions asked in some fashion.
"Interesting" - Michael Obafemi
Kenny's never been great when speaking to the media, but these are especially bad
"let's have a bit of fun". No, let's start winning games, then we can have some fun
"how would you define a must win game" - really? Surely a "must win" game is pretty self explanatory
Winning is fun in sport = The best fun.
It's not really a case of there being better players than Mandroiu, just that he is the guy who plays in the position where Kenny needs someone. Gary O'Neill has been Rovers' outstanding midfielder but we have loads of players like him, whereas with Bryne injured we're particularly short of creative players who score goals, and Mandroiu is one of them.
You can absolutely argue that there are other players at other clubs who do that better than Mandroiu, but in terms of Rovers players it's between him and Burke and Mandroiu creates more.
Kenny: “Jeff is not injured on this one. I don't think he's injured. He just has private reasons for not linking up on this one.”
Last edited by elatedscum; 25/05/2021 at 7:25 AM.
i.e. can't be arsed.
Watched some of the press conference. I thought the "how would you define a must win game" comment was one of the worst I have heard. Steve Staunton level stuff.
Aside from the stupidity of the comment itself, the unwillingness to take responsibility if his team can't even beat Andorra grates with me. And it could happen. We might stick 5 past them, but not winning the game at all is a distinct possibility based on what I've seen from Kenny so far.
Would it be worth the embarrassment of not beating Andorra if it meant there was no possibility of him getting a contract past this autumn? Possibly. But if we don't win he will clearly still try to spin it as development and will get backing from certain quarters in the fanbase and media that don't want to be proven wrong it seems.
There's a Jeremy Corbyn feel to the whole thing (for anyone who follows British politics). He's taking us off a cliff but some would rather go over the edge with him that than accept that the whole things a disaster.
Last edited by Eirambler; 25/05/2021 at 7:52 AM.
Are we like cabbages on Jeremy Corbyn’s allotment !
Fair point, if slightly worrying as well in that we're now so stuck in some areas that we're calling up players who aren't even the top players in a part-time league. Byrne was an obvious call as he stood out at Rovers.
Some comments here from Kenny on Obafemi (as well as Long and Brady):
https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...d-see-24176476
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