Johnston was also playing up until two weeks ago. Something Kenny talked about when mentioning McGrath and Scales in his press conference.
Anyone have a link for the game?Originally Posted by JR89
Looks to be pretty hot on Friday in Athens.
Hope we don't wilt late.
In theory the base camp in Turkey was supposed to acclimatise the players. Plus we don't play the long ball chasing game (as Kenny continues to remind us as nauseum) so perhaps we don't expend as much energy,
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
windy.com are saying it'll be 21°C in Athens at 8pm tomorrow.
I'd say that's a lot cooler than Greece could have been in June. 82% humidity could be a bigger issue than the temperature if they're correct.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
the match kicks off at 9.45pm and our squad are young guys. its just wont be the reason we lose=, if we do lose
Agreed.
If it was going to be in the high 20's or 30's it could have posed an issue, but the forecasts aren't going to be that badly wrong.
A squad of professional athletes should be able to get through it without to much difficulty. If we end up with too many guys the wrong side of 30 on their field blowing out their arse, that's on the manager. Greece being warm in the summer shouldn't surprise anyone.
We have the players and the weather to go and win this game.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Yeah that should count for something, at least for the first two. Can't see Scales featuring much even if he's gotten things back on track in Scotland.
It's odd, and exciting to have an 18 year old striker who we essentially need to build a team around. It will be really interesting to see what comes out of the Turkey camp as it sounds like it was as much an exercise to prepare for the Greeks as it was to prepare for getting the most out of Ferguson. Johnston might be a great option. It feels like his bit of trickery and quick interchanges from wide on the left might suit Evan down to the ground. I also like the idea of Knight running beyond him when he drops deeper to link up play.
Just watching videos of his goals this season. He's pretty versatile in ways our other strikers aren't maybe. He can poach, drop deep, go wide and has an eye for a pass as well as the goal. Finding the right players around him is key though as our options are more limited than his ability. Hopefully Kenny has seen something that works as I don't think we've gotten the most out of him quite yet. So early to be saying things like that but we do need to get everything we can from him if this campaign is going anywhere.
21 leagues and 25 cups.
To be fair, for all of Jay's industry, endeavour and absolute engine, when it came to the crunch vs France, 3 times, it was his slight technical deficiency at crucial moments that let him down. Will he have a half second more in same situations tomorrow? Probably, but with more ball expected it would be better to have a technical player in those situations - i.e. smallbone.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Kennys comments over the last week or so make it pretty clear that they are building around Ferguson now and everything they are doing is to try get the best out of him. I know its probably obvious that he is our best player already, but I do like that its being embraced so quickly. Because of that I think we will see either Smallbone or Johnston in the team, probably not both away from home though.
Yeah it's pretty clear and that's as it should be. Cullen might be as important right now but Ferguson is the way we progress. I think I'd go for Smallbone against Greece with Johnston off the bench when players start to tire on both sides. Johnston should start against Gibraltar though for me.
21 leagues and 25 cups.
Kenny name-dropped Smallbone, mentioning how well he linked up with Doherty on the right against Latvia, so I think he's very much in contention.
I've been going on for a good while, to anyone who'll listen, about how we've had a Keane/Duff/Doyle/Hoolahan/McGeady/Walters-shaped hole in the squad since 2017; no reliable goalscoring threat up front, no powerful centre-forwards to bully defenders, and no creativity in midfield or threat from wide positions. That, as much as any level of mismanagement, has been our downfall in the last few years, as we've always, since time immemorial, played to the level of our opponents; which keeps us competitive when we're playing the big boys, but also sees us get dragged into tight games with the banana-skin 4th/5th seeds in groups. We've always needed a bit of quality to get us over the line, which no international coach in the world can magic out of thin air. Hopefully Smallbone and Johnston can step up on a consistent basis.
Actually pretty excited about this; if Kenny gets the tactics right, and the lads are at the right emotional pitch for it - not overwhelmed, not trying to force things, but focused, confident, and enjoying the challenge - then a win is possible.
Last edited by Supreme feet; 15/06/2023 at 5:35 PM.
Where is Paul O'Shea, lads?
What are our Predictions for the Greece game lads?
At the risk of being labeled needlessly optimistic again Im going to go for a convincing win, best performance of the Kenny era so far.
3-1 with a couple of goals from Ferguson and a header from a corner from Collins.
No risk about it as Greece are very stingy when it comes to given up goals at home. If we actually win 3-1 extend Kenny's contract until the next Nations League (sarcasm just before any of the anti Kenny's start ranting).
Optimistic from me would be 2-1, but this has 1-1 written all over it.
A glorious 5-0 away win.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Yeah, this for me. Defeat is entirely possible of course, but I can never bring myself to predict the sort of poor performances we've seen against similarly-ranked teams lately (Scotland and Norway).
We also beat Scotland 3-0 this time last year, so theres slight room for hope it can happen. Also, I dont think we were poor in the away game, we lost a fairly close game that could have been very different if Parrott scored one on one with keeper. Norway was indeed sh1te, but Id rate them quite a bit better than Greece at moment.
I'm oddly confident. I think a win would be a very good result and wouldn't be too upset with a draw....but something tells me we are going to click a bit tomorrow and get a 1-0 win. I'm worried about Doherty but think we have enough good defenders to keep them out.
I agree with Supreme Feet above in that a large part of our struggles has been a lack of quality in the final third. When someone like Robinson has found a bit of form we've done ok but overall its just been very poor creatively and around the box. That has to change and it's a lot of pressure on an 18 year old but he seems to deal with it well.
21 leagues and 25 cups.
The tale is long Crosby mon frere & a sad one in the telling.
But he logs in each day to gaze from afar, longingly, & will surely type again one day. Inshalla.
& remember, even the blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
Stephen Kenny Saviour, Leader, Winner, An Autobiography - In All Good Bookstores Now
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