Ирландия против России (2 Viewers)

[xrockridgex]

Turns out I'm not gonna to this anyway as will be heading to EP instead. Sorry Thedore but me ticket has been promised elsewhere too.

(Sly mention of EP ticket. Can't help out fellow thumpers. +10 cunt points for me)

As for the game the Slovaks are terrible and we shoulda hockyed them the last time. It's rare we come up against teams as limited as us technically or who are just not as arsed, and that is when Stephen Ireland or some such might have come in handy. It's probably the strongest defence we have fielded this campaign, and I would go as far as to say it is the strongest team too, considering Keane is nailed on for this campaign (I pray he at the very least gives up the captaincy after this campaign).

Hamsik is apparently 50:50 according to the Vladimir Weiss Jr (Vladmir Weiss III plays for City) but he will probably play.

Going to predict a cheeky 2-1 to Ireland here.

 

[ratmonkey]

Vladmir Weiss III plays for City

Only in the sense of the word that doesn't involve actually playing.

 

[Cormcolash]

Yeah I think those are the two things to look at alright.
St Ledger has been solid enough generally, but I'd prefer Dunne and O'Shea in the middle if we have a good right-back. Someone like McShan... hold on.
Andrews just isn't good enough. I remember having a big debate about this on some other forum, with some idiot that loved Andrews and was saying he's better than Whelan. My hole. Fahey might fit the bill, but that second midfielder still needs sorted alright. Where's Roy Keane when you need him? Oh yeah, on the plane home.

 

[Cormcolash]

Saying that, Whelan and Andrews seems to be the safe choice right now, as at least they can defend well.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Fahey's injured

 

[xrockridgex]

Whelan really has grown immensely under Trap, to the extent that I don't think he would be even playing in the Premier League without his backing at international level. Andrews is very very limited but he offers more than Gibson.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Fuck it, Long is apparently out now.
I was excited about that.

 

[Cormcolash]

Jaysus that was bollocks.
Andrews is soooooo shite.

 

[Richie]

Felt like the Switzerland game in Kerr's last match in charge, limping to 0-0 in a must-win game, bossed around at home by a technically superior and pacier side that aren't meant to be especially better than us on paper. Extremely disappointing on lots of levels. Ireland were so ponderous, low on ideas going forward and second to the ball most of the time. I've generally stuck with the idea that Trap's system would eventually get us places but he really had to change things up at some point in that game and he didn't. Not that he had a lot of options with our central midfield players in particular looking incapable of basic ball control and short passing on several occasions. Of course if Keane or Dunne had put away those free headers from 6 yards out we could ignore most of that. I think that's our Euros challenge out of our hands now, unless we do the incredibly unlikely and win in Moscow (minus our best defender from last night in St Ledger), I can see us at best battling to a draw there and then being dependent on Slovakia dropping points.

 

[Cormcolash]

Ah sure we'll beat Russia, they're shite.
All that team needs is a good central midfielder to play alongside Whelan. Well, and a bit of pace too maybe. It's the lack of midfield that is killing us in these games, because it means all the rest of the team doesn't work as well as it should. The wings lose the ball too easily, because they have no support from the midfield. You end up with 3 or even 4 on 2 situations in favour of the opposite team, because they get players in to support their wingers and wingbacks. We don't, it's just winger and wingback.
I mean, McGeady was bollocks in that match alright, but at one point in the second half he got the ball down near the corner flag, and the closest players to him were 4 Slovakians. Literally. Actually, whilst O'Shea was overlapping on the right, Ward didn't overlap once on the left. Every single time he came forward, even with loads of space in front of him, he passed to the winger, who was sometimes about 2 yards away, and then sat behind him. Total waste of 2 or 3 really good crossing opportunities. But the point is, he always went to the winger, because the midfielder would be about 20 yards behind him somewhere!

Like the man says though, if Keane or Dunne score one of those headers, happy days. Keane's one was an awful miss - at least Dunne was a bit unsighted because of the defender right in front of him. We were bollocks in that match alright, but it definitely wasn't as awful as Kerr's last few games if you ask me! I mean, at least they looked like they all had positions.

 

[Richie]

O'Shea is out now, fecks' sake.. So we're looking at an hour and a half of Ward / O'Dea / Dunne / Kelly up against the Russian attack, should be a laugh. Is there any chance of Trap seeing sense and going with 5 in midfield for this one? Slovakia did exactly what Russia did against us last time with the extra man in the middle and it had the same effect, the only upside being that they were a bit less incisive.. I reckon play Keane deep as the extra midfielder and Doyle on his own up front, or else drop Doyle and play McCarthy, Foley or Lawrence as the 5th midfielder.

 

[washingcattle]

O'Shea is out now, fecks' sake.. So we're looking at an hour and a half of Ward / O'Dea / Dunne / Kelly up against the Russian attack, should be a laugh. Is there any chance of Trap seeing sense and going with 5 in midfield for this one? Slovakia did exactly what Russia did against us last time with the extra man in the middle and it had the same effect, the only upside being that they were a bit less incisive.. I reckon play Keane deep as the extra midfielder and Doyle on his own up front, or else drop Doyle and play McCarthy, Foley or Lawrence as the 5th midfielder.

We basically played Keane as a 5th midfielder in the second half against Croatia and we looked toothless up front. But we were hampered by the fact that one of that midfield was Gibson. It will be a situation where we keep it tight and dour for an hour try to sneak one and if we can't then throw the kitchen sink at them, Dunne up front everyone who's got a goal in them pushed forward and just hoof it forward. It won't be pretty I garauntee it.

It is a huge ask but Russia haven't been a rock at home either. It may be a case that we may have misjudged Slovakia and our results (not the performances) against them may seem more impressive in the final shake up.

 

[xrockridgex]

Thinking about this more broadly, is this the sort of performance we are always going to have? The issues we have are exactly the same as the other "home nations", given our players are all developed within the English game ie: a lack of ability to retain and pass the ball. It was probably easier to qualify in Charlton's day before the break up of Yugoslavia and the USSR into tonnes of sides who at the very least can hold the ball. That doesn't explain why McCarthy qualified of course, but I can ignore that for the sake of my elegant theory.

What do people make of the pay cut for Trap? Could well be a way of the FAI giving him the heave-ho whilst blaming "fiscal realities" or whatever.

 

[washingcattle]

Thinking about this more broadly, is this the sort of performance we are always going to have? The issues we have are exactly the same as the other "home nations", given our players are all developed within the English game ie: a lack of ability to retain and pass the ball. It was probably easier to qualify in Charlton's day before the break up of Yugoslavia and the USSR into tonnes of sides who at the very least can hold the ball. That doesn't explain why McCarthy qualified of course, but I can ignore that for the sake of my elegant theory.

What do people make of the pay cut for Trap? Could well be a way of the FAI giving him the heave-ho whilst blaming "fiscal realities" or whatever.

McCarthy qualified because Roy Keane wouldn't allow us to lose. I do agree with your theory, I also would say that throw a decent box to box midfielder into any of the "home nations" and they would be knocking on the door again.

Can't see Trap quitting til he qualifies for something. He seems to be driven by ambition rather than greed and why wouldn't he be I'm sure he's already fucking loaded.

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni drafts Darren O'Dea and Stephen Kelly into his team for Tuesday's Euro 2012 clash with Russia. O'Dea replaces the suspended Sean St Ledger, while Kelly comes in for injured right-back John O'Shea. Trapattoni's team are second in Group B, two points behind Russia.

Kelly and O' Dea in. O' Shea and St Ledger out. I'm worried but hopeful of an own goal or some sort of mad fluke.

Brains in the off position C'Mon the lads.

I'll be watching this on the sly at work. Fucking Russians and their crazy fucking time difference.

 

[xrockridgex]

McCarthy qualified because Roy Keane wouldn't allow us to lose. I do agree with your theory, I also would say that throw a decent box to box midfielder into any of the "home nations" and they would be knocking on the door again.

Interesting analysis of England's win against Bulgaria on the Guardian's podcast, where it was pointed out that England played kick and rush just with quality in the final third and at set pieces which masked their technical deficiencies. Same could be said for our victories.

 

[Cormcolash]

There's an awful lot of national teams right now that just play kick and rush. Its only the good ones that try and pass really.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Our years of experience at it should surely see us doing a lot better if that were the case?
Thanks to washing and rocky for not subjecting me to Friday's game.

 

[washingcattle]

Interesting analysis of England's win against Bulgaria on the Guardian's podcast, where it was pointed out that England played kick and rush just with quality in the final third and at set pieces which masked their technical deficiencies. Same could be said for our victories.

I totally agree with this. Scott Parker and Gareth Barry played in their midfield on saturday. Two picture postcards of the players we no longer produce. You still need that tough nut with lungs bigger than hot air balloons to support the front two and stop the opposition passing through midfield. We aren't even set up right to play kick and rush, which, while not pretty and goes against all purist ideals, is very effective. Especially away. I don't think it's a case of Trap not rating this kind of football (though he doesn't that's painfully apparent in the way we never press the opposition and our full backs don't get forward enough) it's a 50-50 split between he doesn't want to pay that way and we haven't got the players.


Still fuck all that.


C"mon the lads.

 

[Wheels]

Right lads. The game kicks off in my part of the world at 1am, any good links to streams that peeps use for the international matches? I generally find Pool games through forums and would like to avoid spending most of the first half looking for a decent feed. I'll bet there'll be a few people taking later lunches back home for this one.

 

[washingcattle]

is iraqgoals.com gone ?

You could try justin.tv



If not I wouldn't worry too much it'll be all over the russian sites I'll see if I can get you a link for them. You can watch it on rte.ie their stream are usually fucking muck though.