Richard Dunne (1 Viewer)

[CinnamonBoy]

Villa could field a team of Irish players, they've about 8 on the reserve team, including the very exciting Samir Carruthers, who's featured in the 1st team recently. But although I did want them to stay up for that reason I now think relegation would be good for them. The rubbish (and good) senior players will leave and we might see a team of young Irish lads perform well in the Championship next season.
From looking at Newcastle and Reading's examples among others, I think sometimes it's a good thing to be relegated. Wolves certainly are a team in dire need of a fresh start. If they'd stayed up you'd have another season of Karl Henry launching reducers left right and centre and another relegation battle. Wigan have a bit of quality and a good manager and could push on as the chairman supports him. Blackburn though, not so much. Not so much at all. I wouldn't mind to see QPR stay up purely because of that 4 Year Plan documentary, probably the best thing I've seen all year.
This is a rambling post, I know.

 

[washingcattle]

I wouldn't mind to see QPR stay up purely because of that 4 Year Plan documentary, probably the best thing I've seen all year.
.

Hold on, you want QPR to stay up on the basis of a documentary ? For fuck sake.

That's it lads the premier league is over. I'm watching the bundesliga next year. Football is truly in a bad state of affairs.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Reading coming up will at least hopefully put some of the limelight on Alex Pearce, one for the future provided he gets a call up sometime soon

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Reading coming up will at least hopefully put some of the limelight on Alex Pearce, one for the future provided he gets a call up sometime soon

They've a young man called Sean Morrison too, who's on loan at my team, Huddersfield, and I can tell you he's been an absolute star for us. He's a 20 year old centre half. Big and good on the ball. Probably not EPL ready yet but I'd say he will be in the near future.

 

[washingcattle]

Dunne returns, Villa keep clean sheet.

 

[Richie]

Yeah good to see Dunne back, had a solid game. O'Shea back for Sunderland too. 2 strikers that they'll probably be facing in Torres and Jelavic having ominously good weekends though. What do people make of Trap's "90-99% certain" comments on James McClean? Very hard to make a case for leaving him out. The other James Mac at Wigan is having a very strong finish to the season too. Coleman might be one to miss out, Fahey is apparently also at risk with a recurring injury. If I had to pick the squad now it'd look like this:

Given \ Westwood \ Forde
Dunne \ O'Shea \ St Ledger \ O'Dea \ Wilson \ Kelly \ Ward \ Foley
Whelan \ Andrews \ Gibson \ McCarthy \ Duff \ McGeady \ McClean \ Fahey
Keane \ Doyle \ Long \ Walters

Trap has talked about bringing 5 strikers, I think an extra midfielder or defender would be a lot more useful, don't see 5 strikers all getting time on the pitch in the 3 games. Wilson realistically isn't going to make it though and Hunt will probably be there instead of either McCarthy or Fahey.

 

[washingcattle]

Do we need 3 keepers ?


I'd have Coleman in since he's returning from injury rather than having just been injured ,but, I hope Fahey doesn't miss out, he's been very neat and tidy when I've seen him. McCarthey looks like he's fulfilling the potential from what I've seen recently, though Wigan as a whole have been playing great football lately.

Ward looked very very poor the last few weeks. Stephen Kelly is injured again right ? McGeady wouldn't make it into my side Duff and McClean would be starters. I'd even take Coleman as a right sided defender/midfielder rather than McGeady. Trap won't see it that way which is fair enough though short sighted since he can't cross to save his fucking life.



Can't really fault your picks though Richie.

Think a midfield 5

......Gibson Whelan
Coleman McCarthy McClean

could emarge in the qualifyers but who knows what Trap will throw out in the Euros think the average age there is about 24-25 which is a plus. They can all pass it and in McClean we have a really direct powerhouse of a winger.


There is hope lads.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Do we need 3 keepers ?

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It's the law. We circumvented it in one tournament by having Niall Quinn as third keeper but they closed that loophole.

 

[washingcattle]

Seems excessive to me.

Forgot about Hoolihan he should be knocking on the door come the qualifyers.

 

[Richie]

North Korea hilariously tried to sneak in an additional outfield player as their 3rd keeper in the last World Cup only to be then told by FIFA that he could only play as a keeper at the tournament:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/03/north-korea-world-cup-goalkeeper-gamble

It's a silly rule, teams should be allowed to take the risk and only bring 2 keepers if they want. The odds of the 2nd backup ever getting used must be very small.

Kelly has a broken bone in his hand, heard an interview on Newstalk with him where he said he was grand to play though. I think Trap will experiment a bit more with the advanced playmaker role after the Euros, James McCarthy and maybe Hoolahan and the baldy exiled one to get a try there (though McCarthy ironically is playing much more of a defensive role with Wigan these days, and doing a good job of it).

 

[washingcattle]

North Korea hilariously tried to sneak in an additional outfield player as their 3rd keeper in the last World Cup only to be then told by FIFA that he could only play as a keeper at the tournament:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/03/north-korea-world-cup-goalkeeper-gamble

It's a silly rule, teams should be allowed to take the risk and only bring 2 keepers if they want. The odds of the 2nd backup ever getting used must be very small.

Kelly has a broken bone in his hand, heard an interview on Newstalk with him where he said he was grand to play though. I think Trap will experiment a bit more with the advanced playmaker role after the Euros, James McCarthy and maybe Hoolahan and the baldy exiled one to get a try there (though McCarthy ironically is playing much more of a defensive role with Wigan these days, and doing a good job of it).

McCarthys work rate has improved a lot, and you don't just get bad at passing overnight so he should be fine to play more advanced. Kelly should play more, he's another neat and tidy player at a club who play neat and tidy football.

On principal I wouldn't choose anyone who plays for long ball sides like Wolves or Stoke. That said Whelan males it in my team precisely because he plays for Stoke, and we need someone who puts the boot in. Amazingly he's the poor mans Lee Carsley, and Lee Carsley was the poor mans Roy Keane. What we wouldn't give for a Roy Keane and a Johnny Giles right now.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

I'd rather have Graham Kavanagh than that useless cunt Whelan

 

[washingcattle]

I think you've mixed up Whelan and McGeady there.

 

[Hector Grey]

Do we need 3 keepers ?


I'd have Coleman in since he's returning from injury rather than having just been injured ,but, I hope Fahey doesn't miss out, he's been very neat and tidy when I've seen him. McCarthey looks like he's fulfilling the potential from what I've seen recently, though Wigan as a whole have been playing great football lately.

Ward looked very very poor the last few weeks. Stephen Kelly is injured again right ? McGeady wouldn't make it into my side Duff and McClean would be starters. I'd even take Coleman as a right sided defender/midfielder rather than McGeady. Trap won't see it that way which is fair enough though short sighted since he can't cross to save his fucking life.



Can't really fault your picks though Richie.

Think a midfield 5

......Gibson Whelan
Coleman McCarthy McClean

could emarge in the qualifyers but who knows what Trap will throw out in the Euros think the average age there is about 24-25 which is a plus. They can all pass it and in McClean we have a really direct powerhouse of a winger.


There is hope lads.

Gibson? Coleman? You forgot kevin Sheedy, Lee Carsley and Mick Meaghan.

tsk. Other than being a toffee, what does coleman have?

 

[washingcattle]

Pace, a good first touch, great work rate, a decent final ball and most importantly a recurring injury. That's vital if you want to be an Everton legend.

But Okay he's missed most of the season hasn't been fit when he's played and has little experience in big games, But, who exactly would you have in there instead ? Old man Duff ? McGeady ? Hunt the biggest waste of them all ? Only Fahey and Lawerence can actually deliver a final and they have no pace whatsoever.

 

[Jerry Twig]

But, who exactly would you have in there instead ? Old man Duff ? McGeady ? Hunt the biggest waste of them all ? Only Fahey and Lawerence can actually deliver a final and they have no pace whatsoever.

McClean obviously. Duff and McGeady are rightly shoe-ins (don;t bother with the anti-McGeady shite!) and then you have McClean, and Walters and Fahey as cover if you need it. Coleman has been unlucky this season but doesn't merit a place.
Is he really still unfit?

 

[Unicron]

McClean obviously. Duff and McGeady are rightly shoe-ins (don;t bother with the anti-McGeady shite!) and then you have McClean, and Walters and Fahey as cover if you need it. Coleman has been unlucky this season but doesn't merit a place.
Is he really still unfit?

Another on the not a chance of a look in list, but on form and performance Pilkington deserves a place more than Coleman does right now.

 

[washingcattle]

To set the record straight here I did say that I thought Coleman would play in the qualifiers and that he is in better shape than Fahey because he's returning from an injury rather than just injured. McClean is pays down the left.

He still doesn't look fully match fit having not gotten a decent run in the team but we do have a few friendlies and if he plays in them he may be better off than someone who's played all season and now has an injury.


Coleman has the same thing that Jack Rodwell has except I think it's his thigh rather than hamstring. He got a really bad ankle injury pre-season, we rushed him back and then his thigh went, Drenthe and Donovan arrived and he was given time to recouperate, but by the time his season really got started it was mid-December. He got injured again and was out for a few weeks in the mean time Pienaar, Gueye and Osman have all had a real run of form so he hasn't gotten a look in. That's football and he's been unlucky. It's unfortunate for Ireland because he does have a lot of admirable attributes, he was nominated for the PFA young player of the year last year, he's only 23.

My saying that he should feature in the qualifiers is really based on what I've seen of him last season. In all likelyhood he won't be on the plane to Poland so should be (in theory, and at Everton that is pure theory, see Fellani's mystery virus last year for example) fit for the qualifiers whereas (am I right in saying this? I'm not sure) McGeady will be getting off the plane from Poland and playing immeadiatly.

It won't bother me if he doesn't go and McClean Fahey and Lawerence do. It will boggle my mind if he doesn't and Hunt does.

 

[Cormcolash]

I just sent Trap a message making myself available, just so you all know