QuoteScurrilous accusation
They went bust and gave their Champions' League spot to Derry?Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar
Scurrilous accusation
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
I read the Dunne interview in Hot Press today and it is not as bad as it reads in the tabloids.
On the issue of going to hospitals he does say that he has no problem going to hospitals to see the kids and enjoys giving something back to the community but feels that the timing of them was not great and that it should not have happened after training and with the media there.
He praises Kerr for his underage work and said he was the perfect person for the job but unfortunately it did not work out for Brian Kerr. He does say that Kerr got a little bit pre occupied with the press which is a bit harsh but there you go.
In Trap we trust
can someone post the latest Kerr column?
Cheers....
Victory is ours if the right boxes are ticked
Brian Kerr Soccer analyst
The intense criticism of Steve Staunton may have contributed to him breaking my pitch side press conference record this week. Halved it! Fair play to Stan as it was something I thought I would take to the grave. In my defence I was rushing to catch a plane to Cyprus.
Despite the media scrutiny, public frustration will disintegrate tonight if a performance of substance yields three points; but without an improvement a mindless draw is a distinct possibility against this weakened Slovakian outfit.
A lot of the squad's public comments in the last few days have focused on the confidence generated by gaining 10 points out of a possible 12 and the possibility of four successive wins. But the overwhelming feeling within the camp would be relief.
It is always about winning.
The squad will attempt to cut themselves off from the media but it remains difficult even in the bubble of high security hotel life.
Inadvertently, Lee Carsley heaped more pressure on the manager this week. Lee is a great bloke who has the admiration of all the players and staff mainly because he makes the most of his talent through an insatiable dedication to his craft. A good guy within the group, which is something the public wouldn't have noticed.
I didn't know him when I first came into the Irish job but I immediately discovered an honest, decent man. He pulled out - stating he wanted to concentrate on regaining a starting place at Everton. I was well fixed for midfielders at the time with Roy, Liam Miller, Colin Healy and Matty Holland so he had become a fringe player.
What really impressed me was he said "if you ever need me just call and I'll come back in straight away".
A pleasure to work with and loyal so it is so strange that he became embroiled in separate controversies through belated selection against the Czech Republic and now his suggestion that there was a lack of detail in match preparations before the Welsh game.
When there are two games so close together the coaching staff tends to concentrate primarily on the first game so it is not surprising the players have displayed very little knowledge of the opposition.
In my experience of Slovakia at underage (the under-19s' European Championship third place play-off in 2002. They beat us 2-1. My St Pat's team also met Slovan Bratislava in Europe), they are proud players with a strong football tradition despite only becoming a national team since 1993. They are quick to remind visitors that nine of the Czechoslovakia side that won the 1976 European Championship were Slovaks.
Technically proficient, they adopt a 4-4-2 formation but their current injury/suspension problems may lead to a more flexible approach.
Staunton named his team early yesterday to allow players time to focus on their specific roles.
On the other hand Jan Kocian can now devise a clear tactical plan to deal with the individuals he identifies as a threat.
In my opinion such an advantage need not be conceded, especially when the stakes are so high.
If you have a great team, and everyone already knows it, then early selection doesn't matter but this is not the case so why assist the opposition? It's so difficult to gain any edge at this level.
The enforced change of Robbie Keane makes Kevin Doyle's selection academic. The squad is devoid of another experienced striker like Alan Lee, Clinton Morrison and David Connolly.
Doyle is a better lone forward option than Keane - more aggressive, and a better aerial target for Kilbane, Duff and others to aim at.
Aiden McGeady, coming in for Jonathan Douglas, is hardly a surprise considering the midfield's lack of cohesiveness against Wales. Stephen Ireland's return to a central role should add an inventiveness that was patently absent on Saturday.
I think Staunton will position McGeady off the front in a similar role to Andy Reid against the Czech Republic. He shone in this demanding position in the Champions League against Milan at the San Siro.
McGeady can come of age tonight. He is someone we always felt had special potential, which is why we pursued his Irish possibilities from when he was a raw 15-year-old.
Not 21 until next week, he is maturing into a tactically astute performer this season. He also has plenty of experience playing off the front man from underage level.
Stephen Hunt can be disappointed by his exclusion. He appears to have become too valuable a commodity as an impact sub when Ireland need something different late on.
The back four remains the same but the fullbacks could, make that should, switch in order to reap the full benefit of Steve Finnan's crossing ability. When Finnan is at left back he is forced to check before crossing.
This means any movement inside the box can be marshalled by the defenders. It normally leads to a lethargic delivery, unlike what Finnan has consistently shown he is capable of for Liverpool.
Finnan and John O'Shea also need to improve their communication with the wingers Kilbane and Duff.
Slovakia are a far superior team to Wales and more importantly, they retain aspirations of qualification.
They have already emptied Wales and Cyprus away from home so the Croke Park factor will not intimidate them. Richard Dunne and Paul McShane will need to be switched on for 90 minutes.
An improved tempo with more accurate passing and control of possession is essential tonight.
Tick all those boxes and Ireland should be good enough to win. Otherwise, the chances of qualifying are pretty much over.
Then we'll have more serious issues to address.
© 2007 The Irish Times
In Trap we trust
I really hope they don't line up as Kerr is suggesting. In fact, that's too predictable and Stan wouldn't have named the team early if the lineup was going to be predictable.
Does anyone else agree that these Kerr articles are rapidly getting bitchier and bitchier? It's almost as if he's pushing the envelope each time to see how many digs he can get away with without taking too much flak himself. Mind you, considering how he got completely rogered by the FAI, I can't say I blame him one little bit.
It's very interesting reading all of that. Kerr is obviously unhappy about the (perceived) injustice of Staunton's results so far compared with his and the fact that Staunton appears to have the support of the FAI whereas he was sacked for a lot less. To an extent I agree with him - if he had lost 5-2 to Cyprus or barely scraped a win against San Marino I think the response from the FAI would have been very very different.
His sniping at the players suggests that he feels they are partly to blame - refusing to visit hospitals, refusing to watch more than 20 mins of video, general "whinging" etc. However, this is where I think he has lost some objectivity. As the team manager it was his job to get the players to do what he wanted. Clearly, he failed to do that and he does not appear to have accepted that failure nevermind contemplating how he might have managed those players differently.
Compare that with Jack Charlton. Although he was technically vastly inferior as a coach and some of his methods left a lot to be desired there was never any doubt as to who was in charge. So-called top players at the time - David O'Leary, Liam Brady to name two - were not exempt from this rule and in that respect Jack Charlton's style of management was brilliant. Players knew exactly where they stood and knew exactly where the boundaries were. I think if Kerr had been a bit more like Jack Charlton and a little less like Roy Evans he would still be our manager.
i share that sentiment. centre mid will be too exposed if kilbane plays on the left i feel, while its obvious that ireland should play centrally and, at least to begin with, mcgeady should play wide.
kerr's style is pretty forthright, he's much better than lawrenson i think. that last line is a bit needlessly bitchy alright, there's definitely a chip on one of his shoulders
Don't agree really. I think he's largely calling it as it is. He's saying nothing that we haven't said ourselves here, and then he's adding his own personal experience to it. Makes a change from "Players on three hour bender after match" stories.
I really hope they don't line up as Kerr is suggesting. In fact, that's too predictable and Stan wouldn't have named the team early if the lineup was going to be predictable.
With you there. And for the record the ultra conservative Kerr wouldn't have lined them up like that either, not a hope.
Did Kerr not prefer 4-4-2 with 2 strikers rather than one?
Yep and he often used big Gary Doherty as one of them. Kerr would never have lined up with such an open midfield. Two strikers is all well and good but strikers needs creative play to help them and Kerrs teams were often stagnant.
You're not manager anymore. Get over it, and stop making excuses. Nobody referred to Mick's reign when you took over, do Stan the courtesy of the same.
Healy and Miller played a handful of games for you, it was 2 from Kilbane/Keane/Kavanagh/Holland
Who's fault is that? Could it be the previous manager who persisted with Morrison and Keane up front, with the inevitable Gary Doherty substitution late on?
not true, Packie Bonner was on the Celtic coaching staff, and alerted the FAI to his eligibility
Funny, I remember Stephen Carr getting the nod at right full quite a bit, and Finnan playing right wing or left full on more than one occasion
10 man Cyprus, and the Cypriots were leading at 1-0 until having their keeper sent off, and they substituted a defender to bring on the sub keeper.
I don't understand this one. You're saying Morrison wasn't selected because the previous manager selected him too often?
Jesus you're petty tets.
He has a new job now and if it was Lawro I'm sure he'd have mentioned the press conference too, it was the main news yesterday.
Carsley actually played a lot under Kerr at the start of his reign.
Who else was there instead of Morrison and the others you named? Keane and Morrison was a decent partnership in fairness.
Yes but they still pursued his Irish possibilities from when he was a raw 15-year-old.not true, Packie Bonner was on the Celtic coaching staff, and alerted the FAI to his eligibility
Probably should have highlighted this part:
Who's fault is that? Could it be the previous manager who persisted with Morrison and Keane up front, with the inevitable Gary Doherty substitution late on?
The squad is devoid of experienced strikers, because there are so very few of them. Beyond those 3, what available strikers have more than 10 caps, i.e. what other strikers were capped by Kerr? And I'm not counting Doherty as a striker.
At least by bringing Keogh and Stokes into the squad, and trying out Ireland up front, Staunton is trying something different.
Just a bit, I'm fairly p!ssed at Kerr at the moment. I've made this point before, but noone went to Mick McCarthy after Kerr took over to get his opinion on the team, why is Kerr adding to the pressure already on Staunton so soon after he took over? If nothing else, you would think he would be sympathetic to Staunton's plight given the way the media turned on him in the last few months of his reign.Jesus you're petty tets.
He has a new job now and if it was Lawro I'm sure he'd have mentioned the press conference too, it was the main news yesterday.
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