Keith Andrews

**Lionel Ritchie** · 30/06/2012, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Arsene Wenger thinks you need a team of artists with no attention to their mental / leadership attributes. What does he have? A team of fancy dans who choke all the time. Eric Morecambe was a genius, but he needed Ernie Wise to illustrate it. Teams often need the likes of Andrews as much as they need the Pirlos. Sure, we'd prefer if we had a Makelele or a Deschamps but we don't.

Like Kevin Doyle -if he'd only get himself a girly snood and a pair of mittens Arsene'd be in for him in a heartbeat.

**BonnieShels** · 01/07/2012, 5:09 AM

Originally Posted by tricky_colour

How much does our squad cost?

Tuppence-ha'penny

**brine3** · 01/07/2012, 10:56 AM

Collect twelve crisp packets and get a free squad.

**mark12345** · 01/07/2012, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

according to squawka - http://www.squawka.com/player/keith-andrews - his average pass length is 17m = 18 yards.
so, yes he can pass the ball ten yards

Not the time for useless jokes. The man deserves a lot of credit for his commitment to Ireland, no question. But at the end of the day he is a liability (that's the jist of what's being said here). Andrews is just like Whelan, Ward, O'Shea - not of international standard. And if Trap means business he'll cut them loose before the WC qualifying begins.

**Stuttgart88** · 01/07/2012, 5:11 PM

I agree. Ditch Andrews and bring in Paul Green.

Seriously, I think Andrews still has a role to play in this qualifying campaign. Some of the players shown up as not good enough to compete with Spain and Italy will still be good enough to compete with Austria, Kazakhstan and Faroes. Germany will be tough no matter who we play and Sweden might just be a level Andrews could still do a job at.

**Charlie Darwin** · 01/07/2012, 5:58 PM

Andrews' showing at the Euros is definitive proof that he is a player of international quality. He showed up players like Richard Dunne and Robbie Keane who would otherwise be regarded as our most talented players. I've said it 100 times, international football is about more than just finesse - you need players with the guts to take the reins and drive the team forward. We had a player once who had both finesse and immense leadership qualities but unfortunately there is no Roy Keane in our ranks anymore and we have to rely on a lesser mix of players. The good thing is that many other countries lack the same sort of player.

**dong** · 01/07/2012, 7:44 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Andrews' showing at the Euros is definitive proof that he is a player of international quality.

Cant agree with you there.
Did you take a baton over the head at Dalymount the other night?

**Bungle** · 02/07/2012, 11:06 AM

I like Keith. I think he's a decent enough player who had a good tournament for us. I think he is useful against the likes of Kazakhstan and Austria. He will probably do a job for us against Sweden.

However, Gibson and McCarthy really need to be our midfield pairing in this campaign. I would love to see Conor Henderson, if he gets fit, getting game time in friendlies, but I just couldn't see Trap doing that. He probably doesn't even know who Conor Henderson is.

**tetsujin1979** · 02/07/2012, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Bungle

I like Keith. I think he's a decent enough player who had a good tournament for us. I think he is useful against the likes of Kazakhstan and Austria. He will probably do a job for us against Sweden.

However, Gibson and McCarthy really need to be our midfield pairing in this campaign. I would love to see Conor Henderson, if he gets fit, getting game time in friendlies, but I just couldn't see Trap doing that. He probably doesn't even know who Conor Henderson is.

Is this the same Conor Henderson who came through the Arsenal academy under the tutelage of Liam Brady, who used to be Trapattoni's assistant?

**geysir** · 02/07/2012, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by Bungle

I like Keith. I think he's a decent enough player who had a good tournament for us. I think he is useful against the likes of Kazakhstan and Austria. He will probably do a job for us against Sweden.

However, Gibson and McCarthy really need to be our midfield pairing in this campaign. I would love to see Conor Henderson, if he gets fit, getting game time in friendlies, but I just couldn't see Trap doing that. He probably doesn't even know who Conor Henderson is.

It will be a hard task to emerge from the Euro campaign and take off from where we were before the Finals with a CM pair. That just won't cut it against those teams you mentioned. We got through a qualification campaign with a pair, now we need a trio, a quartet, maybe even a quintet. No harm to have Andrews in along with Gibson and McCarthy. But if had to shoot one of them, it would be Keith.

**Wolfie** · 02/07/2012, 12:36 PM

Rumours of Chris McCann move to Norwich.

Would be interesting to see how he'd link with Hoolohan at Club level. Pilkington knocking around there as well.

Maybe we'll trade in our Wolves club reps and upgrade to Norwich this season????

**paul_oshea** · 02/07/2012, 12:48 PM

Andrews is a limited player, I reckon a good impact sub with 20 minutes to go. As was the case for west brom for a lot of this season now that i think of it. A very good championship player but limited International. Don't be so naive as to be fooled moving his familywas a reason to not play in the premiership - or limited the possible clubs he would go to - premiership clubs know enough, like most of us, that keith is a hard working but limited player, who at 31 wont make much of an impact or get any better to invest in for the future. He will do a job in the first few qualifiers and possibly germany, then fazed out i hope.

I really hope we see the emergence of another battling midfielder with good technique emerge in the next couple of years. For now lets hope mccarthy and gibson keep performing and Trap plays them, i'm more worried about the latter to be honest. I really think Trap doesn't know what Mccarthys best position is either.

**Charlie Darwin** · 02/07/2012, 1:15 PM

He is a limited player, I don't dispute that. My point is that limited players often have certain qualities that make them excel at international level and, in my opinion, Andrews has those qualities. If James McCarthy was to step up to the plate, I'd be the first to say "thanks Keith, but your time is up," but until then I think he is arguably the driving force behind our entire team. We have struggled (more than usual) any time he has not been fit, more so than we've struggled when Dunne or Robbie were out.

**paul_oshea** · 02/07/2012, 1:20 PM

You just said in an earlier post that you couldn't understand why a premiership team wouldn't come in for him?

I agree with post 373 mind.

**Charlie Darwin** · 02/07/2012, 1:26 PM

I think most Premiership teams would love to have him. He's a player who can play well in both a midfield 4 and 5, passes well despite his critics and has been proven to score goals regularly at the top level. I was looking at Scott Parker during England's games with France and Italy and wondering what on earth he had that Andrews doesn't, yet he's at a club in or around the Champions League spots, and the answer is nothing.

Not to say Keith Andrews is a Champions League-standard player, just that Scott Parker isn't either.

**paul_oshea** · 02/07/2012, 1:33 PM

If they would loved to have had him, they would have bought him Charlie.

I think Parker, for spurs and for west ham was a great enforcer, always rated him, good at tackling and good at breaking up play. He is, in my opinion a completely different player to andrews, far less advanced, more in the mould of the stutts coined "holding midfielder".

**Charlie Darwin** · 02/07/2012, 1:38 PM

I'd say he's fairly middling at it, to be honest. Andrews is not a great player by any means but he has qualities that we as a national team lack. I'm not putting him in the same bracket, but he's the first player we've had since Roy Keane who has the moral courage to take control of a game and drive the team forward, and shuffling him out for flavours of the week like Hoolahan would be a huge mistake in my book.

**third policeman** · 02/07/2012, 3:06 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

If James McCarthy was to step up to the plate, I'd be the first to say "thanks Keith, but your time is up," but until then I think he is arguably the driving force behind our entire team.

McCarthy can only step up to the plate if he is actually selected and therein lies the problem. I have nothing against Andrews and he made more of an impact than most in the Euros, but he is not the best we've got and should not be a contender for a starting place in the qualifiers.Gibson, McCarthy, Houlihan, Pilkington all performed more consistently in the Premiership last season and three of them have more to offer in the longterm as does McCann.The midfield is where we most need to rethink our selection, our formation and our footballing philosophy. Andrews gets stick as much for what he represents about the Trapp style and formation as anything else.

**jbyrne** · 02/07/2012, 3:12 PM

Originally Posted by third policeman

McCarthy can only step up to the plate if he is actually selected and therein lies the problem. I have nothing against Andrews and he made more of an impact than most in the Euros, but he is not the best we've got and should not be a contender for a starting place in the qualifiers.Gibson, McCarthy, Houlihan, Pilkington all performed more consistently in the Premiership last season and three of them have more to offer in the longterm as does McCann.The midfield is where we most need to rethink our selection, our formation and our footballing philosophy. Andrews gets stick as much for what he represents about the Trapp style and formation as anything else.

Gibson? probably not. has had his fair chance and never impressed.
McCarthy? agree. has to be given a good chance now.
Houlihan? was in and out of the Norwich team last year. unproven. has taken over the "world beater if only Trap would pick him" title from andy reid.
Pilkington? read somewhere that he is not even interested in playing for us.
McCann?? has shown nothing to show he has anything to offer at international level.

IMO Andrews has to be retained and a new partner found for him. Hopefully McCarthy.

**Closed Account 2** · 02/07/2012, 3:20 PM

I think it would be harsh to drop him given his performances at the Euros were decent. He isn't a world beater, but he's generally played well for us notably in Paris in 2009 and out in Tallinn in the play-offs. People talk about his age, and it might be a factor, but to be honest he looked a lot more athletic than Glenn Whelan who's around 2-3 years younger than him. Given the right conditions and training discipline there is no reason why he couldnt have another 2-4 years in him. Of the two of them (Whelan and him) I think he offers more to the team than Whelan - and to be honest I think Whelan might need to be dropped for a few games to motivate him in terms of re-gaining fitness as he looked spent before halftime in our games in Poland.