Quote[QUOTE=dr_peepee;But if, as mentioned he's been brought in as cover for full back I would've thought Foley from Luton would have got the call...[/QUOTE]
me too. maybe they've deemed to u21 qualifier as more important for foley to be involved in?
I haven't seen much of our centre halves in the Championship (McCarthy, McShane or St Ledger) so I can't say if there's much to call between them... But if, as mentioned he's been brought in as cover for full back I would've thought Foley from Luton would have got the call...
St Ledger maybe a diamond in the rough though so I'll reserve judgement.
Stan is full of Surprises though.
[QUOTE=dr_peepee;But if, as mentioned he's been brought in as cover for full back I would've thought Foley from Luton would have got the call...[/QUOTE]
me too. maybe they've deemed to u21 qualifier as more important for foley to be involved in?
I'd say you are spot on. Realistically neither is going to get a game on Sat so they probably thought Foley is more important to the U21's then warming the bench on Sat.Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
"I'd rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd" Johnny Giles
Surely the senior team should always come first. What if Carr and/or Finnan get injured before or during the game. We are fu**ed. Surely Foley should be in the squad instead as he's young, highly rated and has a seasons experience behind him playing in the Championship while Ledger has 6 games.
Another day. Another bizarre decision by Staunton and his cronies. He's so far:
1. Named Terry Dixon, who can't even get into the Spurs reserve team, in a number of squads ahead of far more deserving forwards (too numerous to mention) for no obvious reason.
2. Continued to leave P Mc Carthy the young Leicester captain out of the squad for unexplained reasons.
3. Played Kilbane at centre back.
4. Brought in Heath St Ledger or whatever his name is straight (almost) from League 2 football after watching him on Big Ron's Championship manager.
And finally the most baffling of all:
5. Left Andy Reid a proven premiership footballer now playing regularly out of a squad containing Alan O'Brien, Liam Miller and Johnathan Douglas all well known names in the reserve leagues.
Staunton is turning out to be a joke. I'm beginning to think that the man isn't all there as even the dodgiest of all managers couldn't justify all of the above.
Last edited by youngirish; 29/08/2006 at 1:33 PM.
There's a picture in today's Indo, if St.Ledger is the big lad in the white shirt sticking the boot in the tackle, then at least he looks the part.
How true. Sledge is the man!
I bet most of ye are to young to remember Paul McGee?
When Johnny goes marching down the wing...HURRAH! HURRAH!
Of Sligo Rovers? And QPR?
youngirish, my guess is that it's so unlikely that St Leger will actually play that it's thought Foley playing in a competitive match rather than warming the bench is more important.
However, my point on another concurrent thread, is that the press should be asking him to explain this decision, and Reid's ommission etc. It's all about communication.
The manager is paid to make value judgments and we've got to allow him to make those decisions, but letting speculation & rumour fester is unhelpful. My guess is that few in the press would even think that Kevin Foley was even an option, or few think that Reid's ommission is important. Insignificant rubbish like Portsmouth's win at Middlesborough probably gets more attention.
I trained with him last week.How true. Sledge is the man!
I bet most of ye are to young to remember Paul McGee?
Agreed...
It was a problem I had with the last regime when it came to Harte, S Reid and Dunnes absences. But I felt that even if the manager felt he shouldn't have to explain his decisions to the fans or media he should at least keep the players on or about the fringe of the squad in the loop. Judging by the noises they made in the media at the time it was clear that Kerr wasn't in contact with them to explain their absence or, more importantly, what they'd to do to get back in.
As it stands there's been no grumblings from anyone. Now it's unlikely someone at McCarthy's level and experience would feel justified in making comment over exclusion but Andy Reid would have a point if he felt agrieved..
Anyway, point is, maybe Staunton has been in touch with them and talked through some things and they know where they stand so their just gonna stick the head down and plough throught til their oppertunity comes.
St Ledger only got called up as he has english parents. Staunton does not want him to declare for another country & therefore limit his options.
If you have irish parents & put your time into the under age teams don't bother trying to get a call up from Staunton.
A joke is the only word for it now.
That's good to know. If I ever miraculously become a pro footballer, I can blackmail Stan into calling me up to the Ireland squad by threatening to declare for Holland under FIFA's long-term residency rules.
Yeah the St. Ledger Stakes, a race now held in Doncaster I think - supposed to be a big one for the racing buffs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Leger_Stakes
Hope the lad does well for us, it's good to see youth getting a chance with the likes of him, O'Brien and Dixon all in the fray now. Questions may be asked at the present time, but I am sure we will see the benefits 2-3 years down the line. Hope to see Foley and McCarthy make a full squad soon too, theyre good prospects.
I think its grand St Ledger is in the national squad. Stan needs to look at all new markets for players. Apparently Derby were also in for him before Preston, the market is rising for new players all the time.
Last edited by jjppc; 29/08/2006 at 4:50 PM.
It may be grand St Ledger is in the national squad but not with Big Andy falling. Novices don't perform well in the national squad. If Stan The Man doesn't produce, Delaney should lose his Chair.
In case you didnt notice we arent a club side!
This call up of a lower-league Englishman we have never heard of is a joke beyond all reason. It worse than the worst I can remember (Austin Hayes, Paul Butler and that fat striker that McCarthy gave a cap to).
Is "the Gaffer" not aware of the list of Irish players in the Irish Times each Monday? Is "the Gaffer" aware of the eL? No, he's only aware of a cheap reality tv show on Sky. After Big Fat Ron who is "the Gaffer" going to turn to next - Davina? Spiral at left back for the Czech game anyone?
Together with all our hearts.
was thinking the same..... does he not want to admit he made a mistake by not brining him in the first place,
Is it true that McCarthy has a disciplinary problem? 3 red cards, 12 yellows last year, 3 yellows already this year? Maybe he'll realise that he wont progress further till he sorts out this problem. Stan should NOT have to explain his descisions in advance of a massive game like this BUT should have to after.
And do not slag off StLeger because some gob****e of a manager or club official invited the cameras in for a dose of crap tv. I wouldnt blame any player for coming across badly in such circumstances.
BTW this post is not an endorsement of Stans choice but i feel most posters seem to be reading far too much into a descision which should be explained next week.
This is my last ever post unless I come back alive
Is it true McCarthy has a disciplinerary problem? According to the Indo & Herald, yes. So that probably means no.
From newspaper match reports and summary highlights on ITV and SKY which I watch most weekends to track the likes of McCarthy, my understanding is that McCarthy started last year as a rough diamond but managed to add more finesse and discipline to his game. His card count in the second half of last year fell quite a bit. I think he lost the plot with the ref for a second yellow in one game (Leeds?) and got a straight red for a foul in the box, but the latter happens to all defenders.
But that's just my opinion from a distance. Crafty Toe Poke's view would be far more informed (his frequent posts on the "Irish Abroad" sticky always include a comment on McCarthy) and far more than the TV clips I see its his views that lead me to believe he's made massive strides. If the guy was such an ill-disciplined headcase why would he have been appointed club captain?
And I don't recall Staunton criticising Mick McCarthy or Kevin Moran for being uncompromising centre-halves!
I think McCarthy's got quite a bit to go, but we're short in this position and being part of the squad would help, I'd have thought. He was a bedrock of the U21 team he captained and contributed a few headed goals from set-pieces.
In fairness to Staunton, he did include McCarthy for the Portugal trip but he pulled out injured. This was barely reported at the time.
However, I have to at least suspect that Pete's cynicism is warranted on this occasion. As neither McCarthy nor St Leger is likely to feature at least nail thae latter's colours to the mast for the future.
And yes, the fact that he's in a stupid TV show has nothing to do with it. Staunton played under Atkinson for a few years and is perfectly entitled to listen to his advice. He'd be foolish not to at this stage in his managerial career.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 30/08/2006 at 8:29 AM.
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