Owen Garvan?!!!
What an idiot you are. McGeady is maybe the only Irishman playing in the Champoins League this year. He was Celtic's MOTM at home to Spartak Moscow and played well home and away to AC Milan only 6 months ago. The fact you judge him on two shockers playing in a position he's only played maybe 2 or 3 times in his club career sums you up.Originally Posted by Hibs4Ever
"Everyone, Republican or otherwise, has their own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small, no one is too old or too young to do something
-- Bobby Sands
I'd go with
GK-Given
--------
LB-Kilbane
CB-Dunne
CB-McShane
RB-Finnan
--------
LM-Hunt
CM-Andy Reid
CM-Steven Reid
RM-Duff
--------
ST-Keane
ST-Doyle
LB is a problem but I think Kilbane is the best of a poor bunch, I wouldn't play Harte, I don't think set-pieces are going to compensate enough for him being a very poor defender.
-------------Given-------------
Finnan Dunne (C) O'Brien Harte
McGeady S Reid Carsley Hunt
------- Doyle Keane----------
This side in my opinion has natural balance. All are in their prefered positions. O' Brien i rate, he was fantastic for Newcastle, and i think he can get back to that, but this depends on him getting game time somewhere. McShane i think is just to short to play CB, its only a matter of time before this catches him out imo.
McGeady I would persist with. Its only a matter of time before his Celtic form translates to an irish shirt. Duff isn't doing it nearly regularly enough at the minute, whether through injury or loss of form, or both, thus Hunt's inclusion.
Carsley is getting on, but he is the only destructive midfielder we have, unless Douglas is included, and he just isn't up to it. League 1 is to low a level when there is a premiership alternative. I haven't really seen Potter play to be honest, but we need someone to break things up in there, and all we seem to produce are lightweight attack minded midfielders.
And at left back, its not that i think Harte won't make a mistake, just that he is no more likely to than Kilbane, but he can hit free kicks.
You have to remember. McGeady does NOT play right wing for Celtic. He doesn't even play left wing. He plays left midfield with a licence to come inside and try and influence the game. He is not a winger, has never been a winger and on the evidence of the last two games will never be a winger.
Give him more freedom though and he's proved he can trouble ANY team.
"Everyone, Republican or otherwise, has their own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small, no one is too old or too young to do something
-- Bobby Sands
i agree, he is not the classic british winger who get chalk on his boots, he has a much more continental game, something akin to Christiano Ronaldo, though not quite as good obviously.
I see him more in the role stephen gerrard was playing for liverpool on the right last season. A tough centre pairing of Reid and Carsley, and a solid Finnan at RB, would allow him that freedom.
He doesn't play on the right for Celtic, but it is his prefered position as i understand. Why he isn't on the right for Celtic is a question for a Celtic board. I was at the 0-0 Killie game, and it was crying out for him to swap wings. Everything went through the middle that day, and it was easy for the Kilmarnock back four to sit quite narrow and kick the ball away all afternoon. With no nakamura for most of the game, Celtic lacked a bit of cutting edge, which i thought McGeady running at a fullback and getting to the byline could have offered. On the left that day he seemed to keep cutting inside from the wing rather than starting off infield and at least having the option of going outside
And i think he could do that for us
His preferred position is any attacking role that gives him the freedom to roam around looking to make things happen.
"Everyone, Republican or otherwise, has their own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small, no one is too old or too young to do something
-- Bobby Sands
Thats him and anyone who ever played the game then.
He has to have a few defensive responsibilities and a defined role, but i agree with your point, he has to have a bit of freedom to show what he can do. Ronaldo can impress so much for united because he knows that Carrick or Hargreaves and Neville can bail him out if he is caught to far up the pitch. Same with Liverpool last season with Xavi Alonso, Mascherano and Finnan, although Gerrard prefers to be through the middle
Reid Finnan and Carsley can do that for McGeady, and for us. Though he needs to track back better sometimes.
If he is is going to become a luxury player, Ireland can't afford him, and frankly, he hasn't shown he is good enough yet to wait about until someone gives him the ball. Figo got away with it for Portugal, but he was FIFA world player of the year at the time.
I'd have...
GK - Given
LB - Harte
CB - Dunne
CB - McShane
RB - Finnan
LM - Hunt
CM - A. Reid
CM - S. Reid
RM - Ireland
ST - Keane
ST - Doyle
The LB situation is a tough one, we are so short of genuine quality at that level but I think whoever it was who mentioned Harte's ability at set-pieces had it spot on. Harte is and will never be a top-quality defender, we know that, but then neither will O'Shea, Kilbane, Kelly etc so you look for the different kind of quality which places one above the rest. He has one vital ingredient the others don't have and that is sorely missing from our team (I'm struggling to remember us scoring a direct free kick for ages, maybe Andy Reid in the last campaign? Pat on the back to whoever remembers that one...)
The midfield, for me, is a simple choice - Damien Duff is now firmly out of the Irish team. For all his pace and creativity, he hasn't played well for us in a competetive game for years and before the inevitable few go 'well neither has Robbie so drop him too' there is no viable alternative to Robbie but with Hunt we have Duff's replacement, and one who I feel is more geared towards the style of play we need; high tempo and aggressive, despite not having Duff's technical ability. That said, should Duff ever rediscover his WC02 form for Newcastle, he should be right back in the team and Hunt moved to the right wing.
S. Reid and Ireland are in because I think Carsley is finished (however, I think we should remember the number of fans who were crying out for him to return after the Cyprus game and be grateful he has done his best; that said, the legs have gone) and Reid has shown great promise as a niggling and smart player in the middle of the park who has more skill than he is given credit for. Ireland quite simply scores goals for us, despite his slightness and tendancy to be invisible he has scored important goals for us in a group when we haven't scored many important goals (the first in Cyprus, the first in Slovakia, the goal at Croker against Slovakia), we need a player like that on the field.
McGeady has quality but will never fulfil it whilst he is playing 90% of his football every season against sh!te defenders who will let him run at them all day long - its making him naive and liable to lose possession against international quality opposition. Sadly for Celtic, for Ireland's sake I say he should go to England or preferably to the Continent. I'd stick with him on the bench.
Kilbane could be a decent option if we're stuck and need someone to be awkward in the air, provides emergency cover at LB and LM if needed.
Long, Stokes, Murphy are all top of the pile so far for cover up front but there is a serious streak of mediocrity in terms of their goalscoring records at the top level. These HAVE to improve if we are to have striking options when chasing games.
Err, sorry. Just meant to post my team and leave it there!
Here's me thinking a team full of SPL players just beat France home and away...
"Everyone, Republican or otherwise, has their own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small, no one is too old or too young to do something
-- Bobby Sands
I don't give a flying rats ass what he does for celtic. And its not just TWO bad games. EVERY game except denmark he's been sh!t. Your username and your previous posts on this and other threads says enough to me to end this arguement here. McGeady is NOT good enough for internationl football.
PS: "McGeady is only Irishman playing in Champions League this year" shows you know NOTHING
Last edited by Hibs4Ever; 14/09/2007 at 7:11 AM.
Thats why I said 90%. There are some good players in the SPL but they are a minority. Playing against teams such as St Mirren, Gretna, Dundee Utd and Motherwell in the majority of his games will not advance McGeady as a footballer, and 4 games with Rangers and possibly 6 or 8 in the Champions League per year(assuming he stays fit and in the team) aren't enough to compensate for that.
I'd pick...
GK - Given
LB - Harte
CB - Dunne
CB - O'Shea
RB - Finnan
LM - Duff
CM - A. Reid
CM - S. Reid
RM - O'Brien (joey)
ST - Keane
ST - Doyle
LB is hard to call as it it trying to find someone who can play there. Maybe someone will come true.
McShane has a lot to learn and lacks pace.
A fit and motivated Duff is the most creative player we have and scares defenders.
While Ireland has scored an amazing amoutn of goals, he has gone missing in all the matches and 2 shots against the Slovacs is not enough. O'brien is a natural on the right.
S Reid has yet to provide the goods but his performances before he got injured showed he was starting to deliver on his potential.
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