Another "Pick your Ireland Team" Thread

Well Lads,

Im a firm believer in picking your best 11 and working the formation around that 11 as best you can rather than trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Im not international standard by any stretch of the imagination but ive adopted this approach with any team I've managed and its always reaped rewards. Players are most comfortable playing in their own position. Obviously if a player is out of position you have to let him know what you want from him in that position and talk him through it during the game.

With all this in mind and completely disregarding formation to begin with, who would be in your top 11 Irish players as of this moment. Once you have your 11 picked, place them in formation as close to where they play week in week out. My twopence worth:

Clinton Morrison, Robbie Keane
Daryl Murphy
Stephen Hunt, Andy Reid, Stephen Ireland, Aiden McGeady
Kilbane, Dunne, O'Shea
Given

Bit of a Spurs effort here. I think we'd leak goals a plenty but we'd score more. Id say it would be a rollercoaster to say the least.

Kilbane and O'Shea in a 3 Man defence...I'm nearly got sick laughing.

Originally Posted by Speakthetruth

Kilbane and O'Shea in a 3 Man defence...I'm nearly got sick laughing.

well stan thought Kilbane was good enough to play centre half so thats good enough for me...

lolz No offence but that team would get creamed and hard, not only are O'Shea and Kilbane not good enough to play in a 3 man defence but the midfield would get overrun too as S.Ireland offers nothing defensively and McGeady isn't a lot better,

Anyway my best 11 disregarding formation would be

Clinton Morrison, Robbie Keane, Doyle
Duff, Stephen Hunt, Andy Reid, Stephen Ireland, Stephen Reid, AidenMcGeady
Dunne,
Given

Originally Posted by blobbyblob

Well Lads,

Im a firm believer in picking your best 11 and working the formation around that 11 as best you can rather than trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Im not international standard by any stretch of the imagination but ive adopted this approach with any team I've managed and its always reaped rewards. Players are most comfortable playing in their own position. Obviously if a player is out of position you have to let him know what you want from him in that position and talk him through it during the game.

With all this in mind and completely disregarding formation to begin with, who would be in your top 11 Irish players as of this moment. Once you have your 11 picked, place them in formation as close to where they play week in week out. My twopence worth:

Clinton Morrison, Robbie Keane
Daryl Murphy
Stephen Hunt, Andy Reid, Stephen Ireland, Aiden McGeady
Kilbane, Dunne, O'Shea
Given

Bit of a Spurs effort here. I think we'd leak goals a plenty but we'd score more. Id say it would be a rollercoaster to say the least.

Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane
Damien Duff, Andy Reid, Stephen Ireland, Aiden McGeady
Kilbane, Dunne, O'Shea S.Kelly

................................Given
...................Kelly Dunne J.O'Brien Kilbane

....................S.Ireland S.Reid A.Reid

...............McGeady ....................Duff

...............................Keane

A lot would depend on the wide attackers but I think they would revel in free-ish roles as they would be bolstered by 3 centre-mids behind, S.Reid being the ball winner.

If you're asking who would be the 11 most influential players who are eligible to play for Ireland at the moment I'd say (obviously disregarding formation);

Given, Finnan, Dunne, Andy O'Brien, Andy Reid, Stephen Reid, Hunt, McGeady, Keane, Murphy, Ireland,

Originally Posted by blobbyblob

Well Lads,

Im a firm believer in picking your best 11 and working the formation around that 11 as best you can rather than trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Im not international standard by any stretch of the imagination but ive adopted this approach with any team I've managed and its always reaped rewards. Players are most comfortable playing in their own position. Obviously if a player is out of position you have to let him know what you want from him in that position and talk him through it during the game.

With all this in mind and completely disregarding formation to begin with, who would be in your top 11 Irish players as of this moment. Once you have your 11 picked, place them in formation as close to where they play week in week out. My twopence worth:

Clinton Morrison, Robbie Keane
Daryl Murphy
Stephen Hunt, Andy Reid, Stephen Ireland, Aiden McGeady
Kilbane, Dunne, O'Shea
Given

Bit of a Spurs effort here. I think we'd leak goals a plenty but we'd score more. Id say it would be a rollercoaster to say the least.

I think you've contradicted yourself slightly there Blobby. Thats a team that would do well at home against all the weaker nations but wouldn't stand a chance against Bulgaria or Italy.

Originally Posted by Morbo

Anyway my best 11 disregarding formation would be

Clinton Morrison, Robbie Keane, Doyle
Duff, Stephen Hunt, Andy Reid, Stephen Ireland, Stephen Reid, AidenMcGeady
Dunne,
Given

Most entertaining formation ever!

Originally Posted by Speakthetruth

................................Given
...................Kelly Dunne J.O'Brien Kilbane

....................S.Ireland S.Reid A.Reid

...............McGeady ....................Duff

...............................Keane

A lot would depend on the wide attackers but I think they would revel in free-ish roles as they would be bolstered by 3 centre-mids behind, S.Reid being the ball winner.

looks good on paper but keane struggles up front on his own

If retirements aren't/weren't an issue I'd like for this team to start against Serbia:

Given

finnan ---------AO'Brien-------Dunne ------------Kilbane
------------------SReid----AReid------------------------
-----McGeady -------Doyle --------- Murphy-----
--------------------Keane------------------

Originally Posted by Ciaran

Henderson

Joey O Brien - St Ledger - Bruce - kilbane

Lawerence (c) - Douglas - Miller - Alan O Brien

Doherty - Folan

Why would you waste your time writing that garbage?

Anyway

Given
Dunne Finnan
A.Reid S.Reid McGeady Lawrence JOBrien Hunt Ireland
Keane

That's the best 11 at the moment imo. Before people start going on about Lawrence. Look at Stoke's position in the Championship and look at his goal and assist record and you shouldn't have a problem with him being there.

Originally Posted by Kingdom

I think you've contradicted yourself slightly there Blobby. Thats a team that would do well at home against all the weaker nations but wouldn't stand a chance against Bulgaria or Italy.

I wont say my tactics are flawless. I suppose it just highlights that were not flush with riches all over the park.

Originally Posted by blobbyblob

I wont say my tactics are flawless. I suppose it just highlights that were not flush with riches all over the park.

Agreed about the quality of player available to us. And I do agree about the round hole and square peg theory.

The way I see it is the management have to decide whats best: to pick out the 11 players and the formation to suit them best or to pick the formation and the players that suit it best. If that means one or two players of poorer quality getting picked (in other words a Championship/League1/Loi left full instead of KK) then so be it.

Originally Posted by Ciaran

Henderson

Joey O Brien - St Ledger - Bruce - kilbane

Lawerence (c) - Douglas - Miller - Alan O Brien

Doherty - Folan

Comedian!!

Originally Posted by boovidge

looks good on paper but keane struggles up front on his own

Yeah, I know but Duff has played a forwards (as opposed to Strikers) role in the past to great effect, so as long as the team is an attacking 4-3-2-1 as opposed to a 4-5-1 (Big Jack Style) I reckon Keane would have the neccesscary support..

--------------Given-------------------
Finnan---Dunne---A. O'Brien---Kilbane-
Murphy---Hunt----S. Reid---A. Reid----
---------------Duff-------------------
---------------Keane------------------

I'd have Doyle replace Duff and go up front and Connolly replace Keane, but depending on how Keane/Duff were doing. McGeady on for Murphy or one of the Reids. Ian Harte available to come on for Kilbane if we need a goal and Andy Reid is out to take the frees and we haven't put on McGeady yet. Obviously I would need Finnan and Andy to unretire and would try to get Gary Breen out of retirement as well...I think Kelly and Joey O'Brien are ****e

Given

Finnan Dunne O'Brien O'Shea

S.Reid

McGeady A.Reid Duff

Keane Morrison/Doyle



McGeady is still finding his feet at this level and people need to be patient. Morrison offers us a good alternative, he is proven at this level. For me the jury is still out on Steven Reid but I don't really see anybody else who can do the job apart from Carsley who is limited. Darryl Murphy can give us some physicality but his finishing needs to be improved. Stephen Hunt can make things happen. And Stephen Ireland could be a fantastic imapct sub when you are behind.

Originally Posted by theworm2345

--------------Given-------------------
Finnan---Dunne---A. O'Brien---Kilbane-
Murphy---Hunt----S. Reid---A. Reid----
---------------Duff-------------------
---------------Keane------------------

I'd have Doyle replace Duff and go up front and Connolly replace Keane, but depending on how Keane/Duff were doing. McGeady on for Murphy or one of the Reids. Ian Harte available to come on for Kilbane if we need a goal and Andy Reid is out to take the frees and we haven't put on McGeady yet. Obviously I would need Finnan and Andy to unretire and would try to get Gary Breen out of retirement as well...I think Kelly and Joey O'Brien are ****e

thewum2345

Eh I dont get it...perhaps its better that way