Let's see how the rest of the group goes. Maybe we'll get 4-6 points from Finland who are in as bad a condition as we are. Then a draw at Wembley
Finland will be interesting as they are surely weaker than when we played then last time out, Pukki isn't the player he was at the very least, they seemed well coached at the time, but I don't even know if it's the same coach.Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Let's see how the rest of the group goes. Maybe we'll get 4-6 points from Finland who are in as bad a condition as we are. Then a draw at Wembley
The Finland manager has been in place for eight years. Their strength is that consistency of style and knowledge of structure rather than the quality of the playing pool.
Well yeah, but that should be enough to retain our place in League B, which is about the limit of our aspirations for now. I don't think anyone is making us out to be world beaters. What we should be at the moment is 1) capable of staying in League B - top 28 in Europe and 2) capable of mounting a realistic challenge for Euros qualification - top 24 in Europe. We haven't a prayer of making the World Cup - top 16 in Europe - but by 2027 we should be in a position where we should be aiming to qualify by right for Euro 2028.
In recent years we have barely clung on to League B status at the expense of two very poor sides - Armenia and Bulgaria and we have been miles off qualification for a finals, gone after a couple of games every time and no playoffs to fall back on either. It's been awful. So the target now is to get back to where we should be which is competitive at our own level, and then see where we can go from there.
I think we can stay in B too, and wouldn't be surprised if we take 4-6 points off Finland, but there's a matter of a playoff to navigate thereafter which I wouldn't take for granted, hopefully best case scenario is we beat Finland twice and get someone we can beat in a playoff, and then things feel better, a bad playoff loss would kill any momentum results from Finland would bring.
I wouldn't be devastated by relegation simply because I'd see it as an opportunity to get a winning run together and guarantee a playoff spot. I'm generally an optimist when it comes to football, but trying to keep my expectations low for now
We were dreadful at home. Really stupid careless goal. Was it around same time we lost at home to Lux?
We played well away though. Stevens hit the bar and a minute later they scored after Randolph threw the ball straight to a Finn. Curtis came close to equalising.
A far cry from a comfortable home win under Mick in the early 2000s. Steve Finnan's debut? And a 3-0 away win straight after WC02. Jim Goodwin debut?
If I remember correctly, Matt Doherty was playing wild advanced and there were gaps everywhere, the gaps between full back and Shane Duff/midfield gave them a few openings, I think Kenny tried to just outplay and control the game, the players weren't ready for the change of approach or at least Kenny wasn't ready for Finland to actually be any good, probably both. Then some lad from the Bundesliga came on as a sub and scored a well worked goal.
O' Dowda was a right winger and Robbie Brady a CM, god be the days
Last edited by Acornvilla; 12/09/2024 at 2:39 PM.
I would put Collins in as a defensive midfield player - it would be no harm to try it.
The Collins thing comes up and maybe it could work, but I'm not sure he has it in him. I was chatting to a pal about it a couple of days ago and I kind of talked myself in to thinking that Omobamidele is actually the best footballer of all of the defenders so if someone was going to do it, I'd make it him. He needs to play football at club level and stay fit to actually know what his level is, but I've felt he's our most promising prospect since he first emerged.
I agree - but I also think that we need to see if Collins can do it, because I still think that Omobamidele has a much higher ceiling than Collins as a CB.
Jake O'Brien also decent with the ball at this feet.
I think you can turn a centre back into a full back a lot easier than you can turn one into a midfielder. None of those centre backs have any history of playing midfield that I'm aware of, so I don't see how it works. It's completely different playing with your back to goal at centre back than it is playing in midfield and facing your goal and taking the ball on the half turn consistently.
What's more realistic is centre backs stepping into midfield to fill space out of possession, a lot of our CBs are well able for that. But actually playing the full game in midfield is a completely different and I think unrealistic ask.
I dont understand the idea that Collins would make a good midfielder. Hes an ok passer of the ball but hes never shown an ability to dictate play out from the back. He did well bursting forward for the goal against Ukraine, but thats a one off instance. You'd never compare him to good ball playing center halfs like Rio Ferdinand or John Stones.
In the recent United v Liverpool match Casemiro should how a bad midfielder can be so catastrophic to a team, and he was one of the greatest midfielders in the world at one stage. Moving a lad in there whos never played the position just doesnt make any sense. MON did it with Cyrus Christie and it wasnt good.
To me Lawal is the one to watch over the coming months. If he plays in midfield for Stoke I think he instantly becomes viable for us, but we have to wait and see how he does. Looking at the rest of the u21 squad I do think Moran should be with the seniors already, hes probably not 100% ready but he has something different that we dont have with anyone else. Hodge is fantastic at u21 level and everytime you watch him he oozes class, but he needs to start playing games at club level before we can even consider him.
Another one to watch for me would be Luca Connell. I know its only L1 and I dont like calling up players from there, but I fully believe this will be his last season in that league. Hes a 7 or 8 out of 10 in every game so far this season and I wouldnt be surprised if a Championship team come calling in January. Hes still only 23 and he could still be a big player for us in future.
Its really not that complicated!!!
I'd be tempted to try that as well. It is preferable to play players in their natural positions but with the limitations of the squad and midfield, there is probably a pressing need for playing someone like Collins in midfield. Austria often play Alaba in midfield. It is not unusual to international teams to have to play someone of a certain quality out of position.
If you push Collins into a DM role, he’ll be expected to receive, turn and move the ball under pressure. He’ll have less space and time. He’ll have more of the pitch to cover. And he’ll need to have more positional awareness as the game will be both in front and behind him. I’m with Razor on this one. I don’t think Collins has the feet or agility for midfield. David Alaba. :-)
In our current situation it makes sense but it should have been tested in the friendlies. Still worth considering.
Racking my brains on this… who, since Paul McGrath, have we had with the ability to go from being a centre-half to central mid with consistent competency, excluding centre-halves who played a game here and a game there, or as an experiment?
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
There was that Rice fella who played a couple of games a few years back.
You can't spell failure without FAI
You're always more likely to see a (reasonably tall) central midfielder drop back than the other way around. Like Celtic tried with Lawal, but he's a midfielder first and foremost. What we need is to find and bring through better midfielders, not try to convert centre backs into them.
Undeniably a s&$t, but he's not a centre-half.
Flippancy aside, is there anyone since Paul McGrath? Or before? It's like we've a fantasy that we're going to have a centre-half each generation who's as good if not better better as a CM. I'm open to correction, but I think we've only had one.
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Mark Lawrenson played in midfield for us ~ ~ Lawrenson was an excellent all round player and Liverpool probably would have got a few more good years out of him if he did not get a serious injury that finished him off a bit earlier that might have been.
Mark Lawrenson would probably make a Top Ten of all the players that played for Ireland, if you counted the ability and level that he played at club level in the criteria.
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