Looking ahead - Wales

[elroy]

I know im looking ahead here but just saw the report from the Wales game last night on the BBC website. They will be missing Earnshaw, Koumas and Delaney for the game in Croker. In my opinion thats three of their best players gone - without doubt we should take three points. Other than giggs and bellamy there isnt a huge amount to be worried about.

[paul_oshea]

ya but knowing us. we should beat them, as we should beat slovakia but who knows. there have been some very strange results in this group :!

[shakermaker1982]

if we cannot beat this depleted Welsh team at home then we might as well give up now.

[dr_peepee]

They're probbly saying the same about us!!!

[eirebhoy]

Lewis Price (Ipswich Town)

Richard Duffy (Portsmouth - loan at Swansea)
Danny Gabbidon (West Ham United)
Lewin Nyatanga (Derby County)
Gareth Bale (Southampton)

Carl Robinson (Toronto FC)
Carl Fletcher (Crystal Palace)
Simon Davies (Fulham)
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
David Cotterill (Wigan)

Poor team tbh

[deadman]

poor XI true ... but, on current form, i'd prefere to be defending against Keane and Duff than Giggs and Bellamy

[Soper]

Cotterill won't start for Wales.They'll start with Bellamy on his own, or with Giggs playing just in behind him.They have a good midfield too, with solid if average holding players.Gabbiddon is good, as are a few others.Not as easy as you think

[eirebhoy]

poor XI true ... but, on current form, i'd prefere to be defending against Keane and Duff than Giggs and Bellamy

Richard Dunne is the type of player that Bellamy has trouble with. Giggs I agree with. Duff will be up against a player from league 1 though.

Cotterill won't start for Wales.They'll start with Bellamy on his own, or with Giggs playing just in behind him.They have a good midfield too, with solid if average holding players.Gabbiddon is good, as are a few others.Not as easy as you think

Was my predicted team pretty accurate then?

[liaml]

Giggs and Bellamy are both match winners. Gareth Bale is commanding fees of 10 million, more than any current Irish international. Wales are much better than Cyprus and I can see a draw in Cardiff - easily.

[Soper]

Near enough, except for a few.There's a few points of competition in the team, depends on injuries really.I'd expect Collins, Ledley and Parry to feature, as well as possibly Jermaine Easter (looks good).

I'd still say Northern Ireland are a bit better than them though.

[eirebhoy]

Giggs and Bellamy are both match winners. Gareth Bale is commanding fees of 10 million, more than any current Irish international. Wales are much better than Cyprus and I can see a draw in Cardiff - easily.

Ah, we'll be doing extremely well to beat them in Cardiff but we should really beat them in Croker.

[paul_oshea]

what about wales taking points off germany and czech in wales?

still so ****ed off they didnt hold on out in czech, that would have been a great result for us.

[Dodge]

Lewis Price (Ipswich Town)

Richard Duffy (Portsmouth - loan at Swansea)
Danny Gabbidon (West Ham United)
Lewin Nyatanga (Derby County)
Gareth Bale (Southampton)

Carl Robinson (Toronto FC)
Carl Fletcher (Crystal Palace)
Simon Davies (Fulham)
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
David Cotterill (Wigan)

Poor team tbh

Those highlighted would easily be on our team. The rest could argue their case

[Kingdom]

Yor off yor head with that one dodge. Giggs and Bellamy would be in our team at most. Davies has been shyte since he had one good season at Spurs a few years ago. One good season. If you had Giggs and Bellamy in our team Davies wouldn't fit.

[Dodge]

IMO Davies is poor enough. Still better than our options

[gustavo]

Yor off yor head with that one dodge. Giggs and Bellamy would be in our team at most. Davies has been shyte since he had one good season at Spurs a few years ago. One good season. If you had Giggs and Bellamy in our team Davies wouldn't fit.

How many ****e seasons has Kilbane had ? Or O'Shea and still they get in .
I would certainly have Davies in our squad we arent too overly blessed with players down the right side

[republicofwhite]

Saw a bit of the Northern Ireland vs Wales match last night(It was absolutely turgid) Norn Iron were far superior, absolutely all over them but couldn't score(surprise surprise) Admittedly, they didn't have Bale or Giggs, but Bellamy, Davies and Gabbidon were all playing. I have to say, Wales were so bad it gave me a lot of confidence. Had absolutely no cutting edge, desire or ability. All agaisnt opponents WIMO aren't up to much.

[EalingGreen]

Imo, Gabbidon, Bale, Giggs, Davies and Bellamy would get into a team picked from the two squads. (And if available, I'd have Koumas in, as well, though probably in place of Davies).
Consequently, I think the two teams are evenly matched. I think you'll do well to get a draw in Cardiff, though should hope (just) to beat them in Dublin.
I think a great deal rests on how motivated the teams are on the day.
As such, now that Toshack looks to be setting his own "stamp" on the team by getting rid of players he doesn't like, such as Savage, the Welsh players may have more belief in their manager's selection and tactics than the Irish do in Staunton.
That said, I think the Croker Factor will give you a huge boost.
A close call all round, I'd say.

[cavan_fan]

Imo, Gabbidon, Bale, Giggs, Davies and Bellamy would get into a team picked from the two squads. (And if available, I'd have Koumas in, as well, though probably in place of Davies).

But of these only Giggs and Bellamy are any good. The other 3 are there because of the weakness of some of our players:

I presume you mean
Bale instead of Harte/O'Shea at LB. Bale is a good prospect but no more at present.
Gabbidon instead of McShane. Gabiddon is a solid player no more.
Davies instead of Carsley or Ireland(?) The 2 Irish players are now regular Premiership players, Davies isnt.

The 6 Irish players I'd play are:

Given
Finnan
Dunne
Duff
McGeady
Keane/Doyle

All of these are quality players so really it's 6 Irish, 2 Welsh and 3 positions where there's not much in it (both teams have average players)

[eirebhoy]

Imo, Gabbidon, Bale, Giggs, Davies and Bellamy would get into a team picked from the two squads. (And if available, I'd have Koumas in, as well, though probably in place of Davies).
Consequently, I think the two teams are evenly matched.

We're not the greatest team in the world but I definitely don't agree with that, on paper anyway which is what we're going on.

Player for player this would probably make up the best teams:

------------------Given--------------
Finnan------Dunne----Delaney----Bale
McGeady----Carsley----S.Reid----Giggs
-------------Keane----Doyle----------

That's comparing like for like. Obviously you'd find a place for Duff and Bellamy in their too. Giggs is better than Duff and Keane has scored more than Bellamy every season.

There's no way I'd have Price over Given, Gabbidon over Dunne, Duffy over Finnan, Robinson over Carsley, Koumas over Reid, Davies over McGeady, Bellamy over Keane or Cotterill over Doyle.
There's also a big difference in standard between most of those players while Duff is as good as Giggs when on form (although hasn't been on form in a while).

No way are we evenly matched.