Squad announced on Thursday, I’m sure we’re all hoping that HH has a far more hands on role in this window. I think we’ll know a good bit more once the squad is announced. In my mind, there were two big mistakes with the squad last time. 1) overall size of squad 2) lack of midfielders, which was linked to the size of the squad. We ended up starting all of our midfielders in the second game. Really poor squad management to be left in a situation where you’ve got absolutely no midfielders on a 12 man bench.
Worth noting the turnaround between the games is really tight (Thursday night + Sunday night, both away games). So I think you’ll need to use more players to keep legs fresh etc. And maybe rotate a few players as well.
This is the squad I’d like for this group of games:
Goalkeepers:
Kelleher
Traver
O’Leary
Pretty much picks itself with Bazunu injured.
Right backs:
Doherty
Key/Gallagher
Assuming Coleman is injured, no idea who you pick. I’d be inclined to have a look at a genuine full back in training - I don’t think Ebosele is a right back, a wing back or a winger but not a right back yet. Danny McNamara hasn’t really been playing so I think you’re left with either Josh Key or Jon Gallagher.
Centre halves:
O’Shea
Collins
Scales
O’Brien
Omobamidele
O’Shea, Collins and Scales are all shoo-ins. O’Brien and Omobamidele haven’t played enough really - but on talent they’re very much deserving of a place and Omobamidele was decent covering for Coleman at RB against Greece. There’s always a few lads down in the championship who have a case for a call-up: all of McNally, McGuinness and Clarke-Salter are doing well at the moment (JCS missed the game on Saturday with injury). There’s an argument that a back to basics Hallgrimsson/O’Shea Ireland could use Duffy’s defensive instincts and threat from set pieces. John Egan is also back fit if you’re looking for an old head amongst a pretty young group.
Left back:
Brady
O’Dowda/Manning/Gallagher
A problem position for Ireland. None of the kids are good enough yet, so you’re left with Robbie Brady. Manning is probably actually the best option we have but he’s played 0 mins of first team football this season and has only made a squad once (also played 90 mins in centre midfield for the reserves about 10 days ago). Not convinced O’Dowda has the defensive chops to play left back, as opposed to wingback. Jon Gallagher is once again a somewhat left field option. You could also end up playing a centre half in this position, but i do think you want a more natural option that say Dara O'Shea playing there.
Defensive midfielders:
Cullen
Molumby
Taylor
Connell
Serious lack of options for a multitude of reasons. Lawal and Smallbone both unavailable due to injury doesn’t help. Taylor is getting minutes in the premier league and looking ok, so deserves a call-up. Meanwhile Luca Connell is doing excellently at a low level, so also worth a glance.
Attacking midfielders:
Knight
Browne
McGrath
Azaz
Think all 4 have earned their place and we missed Jamie and Finn last time out. In principle, I’d love to see Connor Ronan get a call up but unless there’s an injury, I don’t think you could justify it. Mark Sykes is the other name you could bring into the conversation.
Wingers:
Ogbene
Johnston
McAteer
Robinson
Ogbene is an automatic choice. I thought Johnston had done enough and was surprised by he exclusion from the last camp. McAteer looked bright during the last camp and Robinson was surprisingly good in the last few mins v Greece and he’s scored against Hull last weekend. You could certainly argue for Ebosele or O’Dowda who made the squad last time around. Harness would have been in my squad last time - he impressed against both Liverpool and City but he hasn’t really established himself at Derby, so hard to call him up. Maybe by the next camp, Connolly will be a name worth talking about or Farrugia will have won a few MOTM awards in the Europa League.
Strikers:
Ferguson
Idah
Parrot
Szmodics
Pretty obvious choices. Beyond them, Obafemi is starting on the left wing for Plymouth. Not sure I trust Wayne Rooney to get the best out of him. Tom Cannon is starting for Stoke but not scoring - can’t really argue for either being selected over the 4 on the list.
Thanks for that breakdown, elatedscum.
It's probably to our disadvantage that there's already some pressure on Hallgrimsson. It may discourage him from experimenting, even at the fringes of the squad. Full back is has been a problem for a while, but it feels like it's becoming more and more urgent to figure it out. Omobamidele was okay there, but I'd be surprised if that's their long term solution.
Given the switch to packing the midfield against Greece, it'd be odd if there weren't more midfielders in the squad this time around.
Last edited by John83; 01/10/2024 at 9:34 PM.
You can't spell failure without FAI
Has Jimmy Dunne been playing at RB for QPR ? Seems to be back to centre back in more recent games?
I think it will be Doherty plus a centre back to cover right back, and maybe Ebosele also. Not expecting a left field callup there.
I wonder if Scales might be tried at left back, surely he can't be any worse than Brady...
Interesting that just a few hours ago elatedscum made the - at the time - reasonable suggestion that it would be hard to justify a Cannon call up as he hadn't been scoring. And then he goes and scores four in one game. It will be more of a story now if he isn't called up, but possibly the goals have come too late and the squad has already been picked? Will probably now be used as another stick to beat HH with if he's not named tomorrow.
Is he clearly available for a call? I lost track of his flirtation with England.
You can't spell failure without FAI
I think he said he'd like to be considered for selection a while back.Originally Posted by John83
Wasn't he in the O'Shea squads & played ?
Yes, no suggestion that he's anything other than fully committed and available at this point. Needs a competitive cap to fully confirm his nationality, so would be good to see that happen this month.
Do we have any idea what time the team will be announced?
Is there a press conference today?
1:30pm press conference, so presume we'll see squad before that.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
haven't seen it mentioend anywhere (other than here) - it's usually around 1pm i think?
McGuiness
Taylor in
Azaz and Johnston back in
No Cannon
Round up the usual suspects beyond that.
If cannon isn't injured, can we take it he's changed his mind? Or is he just not selected?
He had no form before last night to be selected. He'll probably get a late call up if there's anyone with a knock.
Tallaght Stadium Regular
A very interesting squad. The most interesting one in a while I'd say. Has the feel of a squad that has been picked by someone different (i.e. Hallgrimsson), rather than the Kenny and subsequent continuity Kenny squads we have seen time and again since 2020.
Doherty out - will wait to see if he has a knock or something, but hopefully just a selection decision. Or maybe he has withdrawn himself from international duty after the stick he got last month. Looks like Festy and Omobamidele are the right backs, but I wouldn't have Festy in a back four so looking like Omobamidele will start the two games.
O'Brien out - surprised at that one, maybe there's a reason we don't know about.
Browne out - again there may be a reason but much as I don't rate him as a starter he can be useful off the bench and we're already short with Smallbone out.
Taylor/McGrath/Azaz in - I called for all three to be brought in to the last squad after the disaster of the England game (and got a bit of stick for it!) so good to see the manager on the same page there!
McGuinness in - glad to see this one, have wanted him in for a while. Hopefully he gets a cap this month. Happier to see him in than go bringing back Duffy.
Cannon out - suspect the goals came too late. Will be interesting to see if he's with the 21s.
Brady the only player over 30 in the squad tells a story. And he's only there because we're desperate at left back. It's a new generation team now, possibly Egan might get back in at some point and Brady might hang on for a while out of necessity. But that early 90s born generation of players have collapsed as a group in the last two or three years. This time last year Jeff Hendrick was still getting caps so I'm classing that as progress.
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O'Leary (Bristol City)
Defenders: Festy Ebosele (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Mark McGuinness (Luton Town), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Liam Scales (Celtic), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City), Robbie Brady (Preston North End).
Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen).
Forwards: Adam Idah (Celtic), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich Town), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar).
Tallaght Stadium Regular
Would presume the squad was already selected before he scored his first goals of the season in that game.
Doherty and O'Brien out is the biggest surprise really. Granted O'Brien hasn't really got his chance at Everton yet, but he's undoubtedly one of the more talented centre backs we have.
Alan Browne is probably unfortuanate to miss out too, as is Callum Robinson after his decent cameo last time out.
Seems to be more like Heimir putting his stamp on it this time. Less of O'Sheas men and a few unlikely callups in Taylor and McGuinness.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Ebosele, McGuinness, Azaz, Johnston, McGrath, Taylor in.
Doherty, O'Brien, Browne, Robinson, Smallbone out.
Who am I missing?
I can't complain too much. All of the lads called in are doing okay at a level at a level equal to the lads dropping out (Smallbone injured). He may as well see if they fit better.
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