QuoteI don't believe Whelan isn't getting his game....thats bad.
Scored a 94th minute winner too!
Tact is for people who are not witty enough to be sarcastic
I don't believe Whelan isn't getting his game....thats bad.
Jesus Whelan played last week and he played during the week, maybe Pulis did not feel he wanted him playing 3 games in a week when Delap has probably only played 1 or Lawrence who has played none. Story out of nothing. That is not to say that Delap should not be in the squad.
In Trap we trust
i always felt that Delap was never given a fair chance by the various irish managers... he fails to mark someone from a corner (cant remember the game) in a friendly, gets lambasted by the pundits and doesnt see an irish squad since.
I always liked the way he played.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Joey O'Brien had another solid game for Bolton playing in the holding midfield role. He's been playing there for a while now and that's where Megson sees his future. Still only 22. I'd have him way ahead of both Whelan and Delap.Originally Posted by SkStu
Last edited by youngirish; 23/08/2008 at 7:22 PM.
me too - i was just offering my opinion on Delaps irish career to date.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Sorry Ciaran if you think that O Shea and Kilbane are better in central midfield than Glenn Whelan you clearly know nothing about football.
Have you not seen Kilbane in central midfield for us giving the ball away and against Cyprus getting cut open time and time again. Miller was rubbish against Colombia and Whelan was average, Miller has been rubbish time and time again. W
Whelan has played twice for us. Most players say it takes up to 15 games to get to the level of international football and feel comfortable in the squad etc. You are way over the top on your assessment of Whelan. Judge him on what he does over five or 10 games not over 1 or 2 games when he was average but not poor.
In Trap we trust
not to mention the fact that Garvan cant get a start in a poor Championship team.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Liam Lawrance also started, and scored.
Honestly, that piece I have highlighted in bold is one of the most ignorant things I've seen on this forum. And here was me thinking that football is all about opinions?
You can't write Kilbane off as a CM over his performance in one game. I think it's fair to say that everyone was off form against the Cypriots. I'd take Kilbane over Whelan as a CM - his engine is as good as Whelan's if not better - even at his age and his aerial ability is a great asset to any team he plays for.
If you want to judge Kilbane on one game why not pick his performance against the French in Paris in the World Cup Qualifiers? And he palyed that game in centre midfield.
But then maybe I know nothing about football either?
Sorry just caused I mentioned one game does not mean it was just one game Kilbane is not a central midfield player. He did not grow up being a midfield he does not know about positioning, how to look around before you receive the ball, how to position your body so that you can receive and pass in the quickest time possible. Glen Whelan has grown up as a central midfield player and is only young and has played for Ireland 2 times.
Kilbane has played for Ireland many times in central midfield and the only time he had a good game was beside Roy Keane and he played the role as and advanced destroyer. Bascially that night Kilbane pushed on to the defensive midfielder for France and put pressure on him ever time he got the ball. This would only work when you have a world class midfielder behind you and against teams that like their holding midfielder to have the ball a lot and when you are satisifed with a draw. We do not have anyone like Keane at the moment so we cannot have Kilbane playing that role
Kilbane is a left sided wide player most suited to wing back and maybe as a full back now. I am not saying that Glenn Whelan is going to be a class act but I know for sure that he is a more natural central midfield player that Kilbane will ever be
Also if you think playing central midfield is all about engine and aerial ability well then I do not know which type of football you think Trap is going to play. If we were playing long ball football then maybe Kilbane could play chasing the knock downs or providing knock downs but from watching the match against Norway we seem to be going for a more classic type of central midfield player who can win it, receive it in good positions and give it simple and to and Irish shirt and develop the play when possible. Whelan did this to some degree and Reid did it exceptionally well. Kilbane does not have the ability to dictate a game in midfield or to keep possession for any sustained amount of time.
He is a great professional and always tries his best for Ireland but he belongs on the wing where you can see things in straight lines rather than have a map of the pitch in your mind and a picture of how the play is goign to develop just like Fabregas does or Scholes does or Giles did.
Last edited by NeilMcD; 24/08/2008 at 12:16 AM.
In Trap we trust
Not even going to bother pick the bones out of that post. You strike me as one of those fans who thinks they know everything but in fact just talk a lot of....
Maybe it's you who knows nothing about football after all?
Delap looks like has has been lifting weights. Looked super fit as did Lawerence and the entire Stoke team. I still think both have a bit to prove but heres hoping they have a great season and improve enough to be considered.
Last edited by Noelys Guitar; 24/08/2008 at 12:20 AM.
im a big kilbane fan - but i have to agree with you neil - he belongs on the wing or left back imo
Maybe it is me who knows nothing about football, however football is all about opinions but at least I am willing to offer my opinions and back them up with some sort of evidence.
Also I know for a fact that I do not know everything about football.
In Trap we trust
Yeah I wonder is Delap not worth calling up for a few reasons
His Height and physical nature
His versatility
and his long throws.
In Trap we trust
yeah i agree, always like Delap aswell.
good solid, versatile player to have in any squad
He is right with that post
Its really not that complicated!!!
One thing that needs to be pointed it out is that Delap has a McCarthy-esque throw, and we all know that one of McCarthy's throws lead to one of Ireland's more famous goals. Its not something that would alone get him in the squad (of course) but it is another thing he brings and it could be helpful if Doyle or Murphy is playing
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Delap has always been a victim of his own versatility. I remember the clamour for him to be included after great goals for Derby against Chelsea and Arsenal in 1999. He started the two legs against Turkey in the EURO 2000 playoffs, and did nothing. That, and a general confusion about his best position, left him in the international wilderness. He played against the USA in a pre-2002 friendly, lost Eddie Pope for a simple headed goal, and though many people blamed that moment for his exclusion, anyone could see he hadn't the pace nor trickery to outfox an international full-back. However, with his best position regarded as right-midfield, and his competitors being McAteer, Steven Reid, Gary Kelly, Kennedy and Duff at the time, he wasn't considered.
His subsequent club form (relegated with Southampton) didn't help under Brian Kerr, and at such an advanced age, he's been forgotten about. As I say, his versatility has been a curse. Has he the passing ability, decisiveness, footballing intelligence, finesse or creativity to become a central midfielder in the Steven Reid mould? No. He has the physique, and a decent throw, and little else, and he's 32 now.
Glenn Whelan is 24, has a fixed position, has shown the fruits of development from underage Irish teams to the present, and an aptitude for the basics of the game, with room for improvement. Despite the biased Italiophile opinions of our Ciaran (i.e. if he's not immediately a more spectacular version of Gattuso or Pirlo, he's s**t), Whelan has more of a future in the game than Delap could have hoped for. Whelan is a new Matt Holland/Mark Kinsella type player, with simple consistencies and qualities which will continue to serve him in good stead throughout a long career. Delap has always been a bit of an enigma, as can be expected of one who has played striker, winger, full-back, central midfielder and central defender at club level, without excelling in any position.
This reminds me - in the same season that Delap came to prominence with those aforementioned goals, we had Barry Quinn, Alan Quinn, Stephen McPhail, Jason Gavin, Gary Doherty and Michael Reddy playing regular(ish) Premiership football! Richie Partridge and Graham Barrett were making their club debuts, after excelling for our all-conquering underage team... Dominic Foley scored in the Premiership too, for Watford at Elland Road... Our future was supposed to be built around them! What happened?
Last edited by Supreme feet; 24/08/2008 at 4:37 AM. Reason: nostalgia
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