Squad announced for Czechs and Cyprus

**Irwin** · 25/09/2006, 4:15 PM

Can someone please explain why so many people have McGeady in their team??? I have watched him play on a number of occassions and taking the opposition into account can see no reason why he should be in our first.

Agree to a certain extent. our options are limited and while i think he should be involved i do not think he is anywhere near International standard yet but saying that i wouldn't be against starting him at home to the Czechs, we've nothing to lose.
And additionally I'd keep John O'Shea in the midfield, he may not be the best in the world but i think he was one of our better players in Stuttgart to be honest, get kilbane out of there. O'Shea will try hard, some other guys, in particular, Duff are spending too much time on their arse throwing their hands up to the ref looking for free kicks for nothing.

**DeNiro** · 25/09/2006, 4:20 PM

I'm suprised McShane has come in ahead of McCarthy, who's captain at Leicester. We need leaders (be they young or old), so surely McCarthy would be a better option. I don't really see the benefit of Alan Lee in the squad. How many of us really feel he will score an important goal in a competitive match? He has yet to score an international goal. McPhail most defo should be in there! The FAI have hired a monkey. But that's no suprise really. He can shove the 2010 idea, we could be even worse by then.

**Billsthoughts** · 25/09/2006, 4:23 PM

I think mageady is a class player and way better than most of the players we have..there is no point in bemoaning lack of quality if you dont play the only quality players you have.

**youngirish** · 25/09/2006, 5:20 PM

I think it's nostalgic, defeatist nonsense to suggest the players we have are not good enough to get out of this group. Mc Carthy had poorer players in a more difficult group but still got us to WC 2002 and let's be honest - he was no Brian Clough.

For most of the qualifiers for 2002 we had the following players in our first 11 as far as I can recollect:

Given
Carr
Breen
Cunningham
Harte
Kilbane
Roy Keane
Kinsella
Mc Ateer
Robbie Keane
Connolly/Quinn

Of those mentioned we've lost Cunningham, Breen, Roy Keane, McAteer, Kinsella and Quinn. Besides Cunningham and Keane I don't see any of the others walking into the current team (Quinn was old at this time and past his best - he rarely lasted the full match). Of the current team Finnan, Dunne, Duff and Doyle should all walk into that 2002 team while S Reid and Mc Geady would be viable alternatives to McAteer and Kinsella.

Also take into account that Robbie Keane at the time spent the majority of his time on the Leeds sub's bench and is now playing regularly.

I believe on paper our current team should be stronger if we played our best players and not persisted with tried and tested sh*te like Kilbane and O'Shea.

**geysir** · 25/09/2006, 5:46 PM

Interesting post YoungIrish, makes a nice change from SPL bashing

All of those players you mention have been more or less replaced except Roy Keane.
After Giles we had Brady, when Brady left we were relativly flush.
Without Roy now and whenever he wasn't playing in the past, for the most part we have been desperately lacking leadership and midfield stability even stooping to headless chicken standard.
I can't see where the enthusiasm is coming from some for Steven Reid in midfield on this season's form and not likely to play before the Intl. games.
He might be the best available but he's not much more than adequate atm.

For the 2 games
i'd say 4 points incl. a good performance against the Czechs would be a good haul. 6 points would be a miracle - our best performance in 8 years.

**Billsthoughts** · 25/09/2006, 5:52 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Without Roy now and whenever he wasn't playing in the past, for the most part we have been desperately lacking leadership and midfield stability even stooping to headless chicken standard.
.

why do you think that is?????????

**geysir** · 25/09/2006, 8:32 PM

Originally Posted by Billsthoughts

why do you think that is?????????

The endless row of Qm's as in, its so feckin' obvious that the selection of O'Shea and Kilbane is a dead duck not to mention a headless chicken.

I couldn't say anything much more than the obvious 'None are good enough'. Right now, overwhelmed by a Dodge size dose of realism, I'd consider selling 5% of my soul for another Keane but 10% for a Giles

I had thought that someone like Kav could have imposed his personality and his type of game in the qual games. Now I'd assume that being let go by Wigan is another sign that it's not going to happen.
S. Reid on form is talented but even on form there are unanswered questions yet about leadership and personality (does one exist?) needed to lead an Irish midfield.
Had a look at Cardiff's game for McPhail, he did well in poor enough standard of a game, it was no indicator if he could do a midfield job for us.
We have other decent skilled midfielders in Andy Reid and Ireland but leaders they aren't.

**Donal81** · 25/09/2006, 10:29 PM

It's depressing but I don't see what team we can put out that will take on the Czechs and Germans in the big games. The world class players we have just haven't done it for us since 2002, with the exception of the wonderful Shay Given. Where has Duff been? Robbie Keane?

What's even worse is that no one is coming forward to replace Keane. We won't produce a player like that for some time but where's the organiser in the middle of the pitch? Where's the leader, the pro? We have O'Shea and Kilbane. And although we will not do anything if we start with those two in the middle, who else does he bring in? There are alternatives but they have as many flaws as O'Shea and Kilbane.

Carsley would give us a bit of bite but I saw the bloke play enough times for us and I'm not sure what he has to offer going forward. So let's say Stan drops O'Shea and plays Carsley with Kilbane. Would we be any better off? If Carsley and O'Shea start in the middle, would we look any stronger?

Steven Reid needs to step up to the plate and accept what's more or less on offer - be at the centre of our midfield for the forseeable future. This has been there for him since he started playing regularly with Blackburn and Keano retired. But yet he goes missing in games, which is something you can only put down to attitude and mentality, as opposed to some physical flaw.

Holland is finished as an international footballer. Bringing him in would be a stopgap measure and an awful indictment of Kilbane and O'Shea. I can't see Stan doing that. But who the hell knows what's going on in there.

I've posted this before; I'm so sick of the listless performances that I'd gladly take a wildcard at this point. We've tried out the same players so many times, and we haven't seen a great performance in so long. Something like Steven Ireland/Stephen McPhail beside Steven Reid, with McGeady on one wing and Duff on the other, with Keano and Doyle upfront.

Stan is only a few games in and I think any manager deserves a fair go of it. I don't think we're good enough to qualify. Or, more importantly, I don't think we're cohesive enough to get close to the Germans or the Czechs. But we have players to at least give them a run for it and not make it easy for them. That's all I'm expecting from these games.

I was talking to a friend recently who was amazed at the success of Martin O'Neill's teams, as O'Neill never struck him as a genius with tactics. Our conclusion was that history shows a long line of successful teams who didn't have much spectacular talent to draw on. The Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa teams who won European Cups; Wigan last season; Portsmouth this season; Greece in 2004; Ireland in 1988 and 1990 ; McCarthy's 2002 team. If you have a squad of organised and motivated professional players, you can achieve so much in football.

**Billsthoughts** · 25/09/2006, 10:29 PM

no I didnt know the answer either but fully agree wiht you.
I think give lads like macphail a go.
kilbane does not offer anything as a midfielder.
John o shea could offer something if he got his act together.
I would say having rooney and ronaldo in front of you covers a multitude.
The main thing is to try other options.

**Qwerty** · 25/09/2006, 11:00 PM

I have to say that Stan isn't giving me the warm fuzzy. As a player he struck me as being mature but from the interviews he has given ( where he throws back questions to the interviewer with the mornoic 'what do you think?' line, does he think this is cute or something? ) and the junvenile behavior pitch side while Houghton was being interviewed before the Germany game and his bottle kicking fit ) seem to show that Stan is still more of a lad than a manger. It has also been written about Stan that when he was injured he didn't go to or watch games unlike Keane who watched and studied the same maniacially and worked on getting his coaching badges. I think Stan falls into the Charlton school of management but the difference is that Jack had a solid gameplan and stuck with it no matter what. I think Stan will get there eventually, but I have a feeling this will be his first and last management job. Is he even qualified to manage a professional club side?

As for the players, it's a matter of tweedledum and tweedledee, there really isn't much between them. As the last poster said in effect what we need is a system which works for us. We have some good players but we need the other with less talent to neutralize the negative by working their socks off.

Carsley is 32 and when he left people weren't crying in the streets, I don't think he has anything to offer us nor does Kavanagh whom I would dump immediately.

**theworm2345** · 25/09/2006, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by finnpark

Must be the worst Irish squad EVER (since the last one of course)

Agreed

Cyprus:
179 26.03.1980 Nicosia Cyprus 3-2 WCq
185 19.11.1980 Dublin Cyprus 6-0 WCq
362 24.03.2001 Lefkosia Cyprus 4-0 WCq*
369 06.10.2001 Dublin Cyprus 4-0 WCq*
403 04.09.2004 Dublin Cyprus 3-0 WCq*
415 08.10.2005 Nicosia Cyprus 1-0 WCq*
6 matches, 6 wins

Czechs
298 05.06.1994 Dublin Czech Republic 1-3
316 24.04.1996 Prague Czech Republic 0-2
336 25.03.1998 Olomouc Czech Republic 1-2
352 23.02.2000 Dublin Czech Republic 3-2
396 31.03.2004 Dublin Czech Republic 2-1
5 matches, 2 wins, 3 losses

I wont dwell on it like usual, but Connolly was Elliott's partner up front, and he is expected back this weekend, so why wouldnt he be picked in Elliott's place? Why is Shane Long suspended?

*vids available from these games, PM me

**elroy** · 26/09/2006, 8:48 AM

I dunno why a few of ye are saying ye'll be happy with four points from these two games. If we are serious about qualification we need six, an away game against a minnow and a home game-six points and nothing else!

If Kerr had got more points from his home games we wouldve qualified, so its essential we win at home. From a Czech perspective they would be happy with a draw in Dublin, therefore we def cant be.

**Stuttgart88** · 26/09/2006, 11:12 AM

I'd take a wild card too Donal. I'm that desperate. But I do think there's a pairing that'll work to the extent required to make us competitive, even if it's inculding someone like the unsung Jonathon Douglas putting himself about.

Whilst I'm quite a fan of Steven Reid, realistically he'll be in no shape to do himself justice in October. He's played **** all this season & is still out with a back injury. We can't count on him in these games.

If we're eliminated with an imaginative selection giving youth a chance to prove itself then that'd be far more palatable. But as the Dutch match proved, if you've got relative rookies in the team then bog standard 4-4-2 has to be adhered to.

**theworm2345** · 26/09/2006, 12:26 PM

http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=10591
Kavanagh appears to be hurting

**Stuttgart88** · 26/09/2006, 12:42 PM

Picking up on Donal's belief, look at the Ryder Cup. One team was hungry & closely bound by a common target. One was a collection of individuals who deep down preferred to focus on their more lucrative "solo careers" & rumour has it many of them didn't like each other. One of these used also refer to the Irish football team. Which one does now?

If nothing else, Staunton at least seems to know the merits of the European approach.

**DmanDmythDledge** · 26/09/2006, 3:41 PM

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/euro200...p?newsid=24614

**Emmet** · 26/09/2006, 4:19 PM

Originally Posted by Donal81

It's depressing but I don't see what team we can put out that will take on the Czechs and Germans in the big games. The world class players we have just haven't done it for us since 2002, with the exception of the wonderful Shay Given. Where has Duff been? Robbie Keane

Yep - spot on there. No leadership whatsoever from any of the so-called better players (with the exception of Given who perhaps should have been made captain). I said before that the substitution of Duff against the Germans was great because perhaps - just perhaps - he will begin to see that he can't coast through Ireland matches and expect to play the full 90 based on his reputation alone. Duff is probably our most gifted player but if you were to look exclusively at his performances over the last two or three years you'd never be able to tell that.

Originally Posted by Donal81

Our conclusion was that history shows a long line of successful teams who didn't have much spectacular talent to draw on. The Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa teams who won European Cups; Wigan last season; Portsmouth this season; Greece in 2004; Ireland in 1988 and 1990 ; McCarthy's 2002 team. If you have a squad of organised and motivated professional players, you can achieve so much in football.

Yep - with the exception of your reference to Ireland in 1988 (watch the game against the USSR especially ... we played them off the park!) I think that is 100% correct. That is one of the things Charlton did so well - he had the team playing as a team. It's a lot harder to do at international level than people realise but it can be done. And like you say, when it does happen teams that are - on paper - inferior, often get very good results!

Originally Posted by Donal81

I've posted this before; I'm so sick of the listless performances that I'd gladly take a wildcard at this point. We've tried out the same players so many times, and we haven't seen a great performance in so long. Something like Steven Ireland/Stephen McPhail beside Steven Reid, with McGeady on one wing and Duff on the other, with Keano and Doyle upfront.

Yep - the players do look lethergic and bereft of new ideas. Players like McGeady and Alan O'Brien should be included because they will freshen things up and offer different options to the team. I saw a couple of posts earlier mocking O'Brien's pace but if you ask any coach what one single attritbute they would value above all the others in a player and most will say pace. He had a couple of good runs against the Dutch when he came on there and one against the Germans ... now that is not much I know but then it was significantly better than Duff's overall contribution in both matches!! And players don't need to be playing regularly for their clubs to come in and do a job for us (thinking particularly about McAteer V. Holland in 2001). He's shown drive energy and enthusiasm. Perhaps Duff and Keane should sit near him on the team bus - hopefully some of it will rub off on them!!

**eirebhoy** · 26/09/2006, 4:59 PM

Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/euro200...p?newsid=24614

Absolutely ridiculous decision imo.

**Paddy Garcia** · 26/09/2006, 5:07 PM

Central midfield, our weakest position, and playing very well for the 4th placed team in the premiership - unbelievable. No lessons learnt from the last few games.

Still he has the experience of Kavanagh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**NeilMcD** · 26/09/2006, 5:18 PM

The only possible reason for it is that he feels it would be a kick in the teeth for Miller Douglas etc. but I would put it to him dont drop them drop Kilbane possibly from the squad for Carsley. Why not swap experience for experience rather than Carsley in instead of one of the young players.