One thing that was really missing (apart from the obvious!) in this campaign, and also a big feature of Kerr's tenure, was a lack of goals from set pieces.
Good set pieces can very often decide tight games. Just look at the number of games that England either win or open the scoring from a free kick or a corner. Mourinho's Chelsea were the same and Martin O'Neill's Celtic likewise.
Doyle's goal at home to Slovakia was from a wide free kick. Robbie got a penalty at home to San Marino and I can't remember the other goals in that game, not that it's important for my argument. Disregarding San Marino I think we only got one goal from a free or a corner in all our games. Dunne missed a chance in Stuttgart late on. For a big guy he misses a fair few chances at club level too.
Doyle, like Larsson was for club and country, should be an aerial asset. Although he's not a giant he's a superb header of a ball. All 4 of his Premiership goals this so far year were from headers I think.
Stephen Hunt takes a mean dead ball from out wide. I think Shane Long nearly scored from one of his corners against Slovakia in Dublin too. Both were subs so can it have been reherased?
One positive was that we scored 6 goals away to Cyprus, Slovakia and Wales. It's a pity we conceded 9!
An interesting statistic for the new manager I think.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 19/11/2007 at 4:14 PM.
You are aware of how small our team is?? We have a tiny team, never was this shown more than against Cyprus. It was like men against boys in every sense of the word. Really only Dunne and to a lesser extent O'Shea and Kilbane are a danger from Irish set pieces. If the opposition marks Dunne well they are fairly safe. Kind of makes you wonder what Alan Lee has to do to get in the squad
Dunne's goal against Cyprus Away was a header from a corner as far as I remember. Finnan's goal against Cyprus at home was sort of from a corner, but probably doesn't really count.
Anyway, some commentator mentioned that 40% of goals in Internationals are scored from set pieces. I can't actually back that stat up as it was probably Andy Gray or some other insufferable, but if it's even close to true, it's something we really need to work on.
When was the last time we scored a direct free kick?
Im guessing Harte at home to Israel under KerrOriginally Posted by Serb
Did Andy Reid not score one since then? For some reason I'm thinking against Cyprus, but that could be wrong.
Reid's against Cyprus was before Harte's against Israel.
Finnan's against Cyprus wasn't from a corner - it was a cross from the left. There had been a free about ten seconds earlier, but too far back to be a goal from a set piece.
I see the long throw made a comeback on Saturday - great to see. Arguably football's most underused weapon. Welsh defenders were panicing a bit under Kilbane's deliveries, which is exactly what you want. Have we had a long throw taker since McCarthy retired?
do you remember Kerrs first game, v Scotland maybe (?) when we scored from a set piece and in the post match interview, Kerr himself emphasised the importance of a set piece threat? he also boasted how the goal had been worked on in training and somewhat smugly I thought, pointed out that these goals dont just accidentally happen, sticking his little flag in the credit for it.
shame he lost that knack eh?
Yes, good call.
Lee is definitely unlucky. At 29 I think his age counted against him. Jon Walters at Ipswich is a great header of a ball too but you can't pick him jst for that.
Absolutely. I've said loads of times it's not just mental/moral stature we lack, it's physical stature too.
We have the smallest team in our history just when international footballers everywhere else have never been bigger!
Me too and its something fundamental that is always overlooked when people here starting calling out their teams
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Owen Garvan looks to be a good 6'1 and in my albeit limited experience watching Ipswich he's a great header of the ball. And we lack central midfielders. I want to see him get a game.
"No regrets, none at all. My only regret is that we went out on penalties. That's my only regret. But no, no regrets." -Mick McCarthy
Well, if you look at this campaign we've been without an elite dead ball hitter, and on the flip side very few aerial threats at mentioned above.
Sure Andy Reid and Hunt take set pieces for their clubs, but for me Harte is in a different class altogether on that front.
If Ian Harte comes back into the side, and we get some more height into our squad (GET ALAN LEE IN PLEASE), then I think we've got a good chance of getting more set pieces in the net next campaign.
We have not had a deliberate set piece policy (corner kicks especially)since Johnny Giles was manager. Individual players like Irwin, Stan and Harte have been brilliant for us at set pieces. But it was Johnny Giles who perfected the corner kick to the back post. Usually Heighway to either Treacy or later Stapleton. Then they would head it into Givens. Simple but effective. And worked on by the Irish team before every game under Giles.
Andy Reid scored from a free kick against San M at home, think it was first the first goal - took a heavy deflection if i remember right.
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