Ciao Trap. Next. (2 Viewers)

[Hector Grey]

Apparently Glen Whelan has been amazing in Stoke's last couple of games. Winning loads of tackles, chasing everywhere, great passes, and also doing loads of Zidane roulettes and tricks like that.

He has it in his locker.

 

[Cormcolash]

Maybe he's entering his Niall Quinn Brazilian phase?

 

[washingcattle]

We hardly need to even have a complex passing game. If the strikers just make the right runs and be in the right positions to get on the end of a cross, Reid will pick them out.

That sounds dangerously like "4-4-2 and lump it into the box" to me.


Reid would never make it in a 4-4-2 at international level. He hasn't got the legs.

Has to be
Whelan and Gibbo(when he's fit) Or I guess it probably has to be Whelan for now in the holding roles with three attack minded lads allowed to roam and switch wings etc. Reid fits in there pretty well but unlesss we go to 3 at the back (Ha imagine!) I can't see how there's any other serious option other than Long up front on his own.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

That sounds dangerously like "4-4-2 and lump it into the box" to me.
.

Andy Reid has never "lumped" anything into the box in his life.

 

[washingcattle]

Andy Reid has never "lumped" anything into the box in his life.

Except his fat self!!

Baddum Tish !!

Wha ?

 

[Jerry Twig]

Holy mother of god, Andy Reid can be sublime

Balls.ie | GIF: Andy Reid cross for Darius Henderson goal vs Watford

just look at this:
GIF: Andy Reid cross for Darius Henderson goal vs Watford Balls.ie

Do keep up

Has to be
Whelan and Gibbo(when he's fit)

What team do you support again? I'd have McCarthy and Gibson in the middle every day of the week, as will Martinez eventually, and Reid/Hoolahan in front of them.

 

[washingcattle]

Do keep up


What team do you support again? I'd have McCarthy and Gibson in the middle every day of the week, as will Martinez eventually, and Reid/Hoolahan in front of them.

Ha, I had McCarthy and Whelan / Gibbo (when he's fit) typed and ready to go and then tried to change something and erased half the post. Yeah I meant McCarthy and either Gibbo or Whelan.

That's all supposing Gibbo doesn't come back fat as fuck. One fat lad fine but two ? That's a bit too mid 80's.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Fucking mid 80s for us would be amazing

 

[washingcattle]

Fucking mid 80s for us would be amazing

But we already tried that remember ? Put em undah preshuh, Kick it as far as you can, Everyone getting pissed on a tuesday, bunting outside the gaf.

It was called euro 2012 and we'll never speak of it again.

 

[Jerry Twig]

To compare the tragedy of 2012 to the glory days on Tony Galvin's rolled down socks is blasphemy.

 

[Richie]

The problem with Trap was that it wasn't Put 'Em Under Pressure, it was put ourselves under as much pressure as possible, get bodies in the way and hope we fluke a free kick or something at the other end.. No real surprises in this squad but with the first few O'Neil games I'm more interested in the approach than the personnel. There was a bit of encouragement with the Latvia and Poland games that keeping the ball and passing to feet are priorities, but you want to see if they stick to that against better opposition. Reid and Hoolahan aren't too old (the Swede who scored the winner at Lansdowne Rd was 37) but there's the Andy Reid enigma - too good for the Championship, but has never quite done it at a higher level, that brief Sunderland spell excepted.

Robbie Brady is apparently going to miss the rest of the season.. With Gibson, Westwood and Joey O'Brien already out that's a significant chunk of the Ireland squad sidelined. Should be back for the Euro qualifiers but it's a lot of time to miss.

 

[Unicron]

Euros draw is on Sunday by the way.

 

[Jerry Twig]

The Euro draw is next Sunday by the way
Pots announced for EURO qualifying draw - UEFA EURO - News - UEFA.com

Euros draw is on Sunday by the way.

There's a fierce echo in here today.

Here's something, however, that I bet you didn't know: Hungary and the Republic of Ireland share the record for the highest number of qualification matches played by a single nation, with 109 apiece, although the Soviet Union/Russia have contested 110.

 

[Richie]

There's a fierce echo in here today.
Here's something, however, that I bet you didn't know: Hungary and the Republic of Ireland share the record for the highest number of qualification matches played by a single nation, with 109 apiece, although the Soviet Union/Russia have contested 110.

This is where all those 2-legged playoff heartbreakers work to our advantage..

On the Euro draw, seeing as the top two in each group now qualify automatically (as part of UEFA's plan to kill the tournament by removing all jeopardy for the bigger teams til the quarter final stage), our basic concern is finishing ahead of the Pot 3 and 4 picks.

Pot 3
Slovenia (17) ; Serbia (18) ; Romania (21) ; Turkey (23) ; Austria (24) ; Slovakia (29) ; Israel (31) ; Norway (32) ; Poland (35) ;

Pot 4
Armenia (19) ; Scotland (22) ; Wales (27) ; Montenegro (28) ; Finland (33) ; Bulgaria (36) ; Belarus (37) ; Estonia (40) ; Latvia (45) ;

Would like to avoid Serbia & Romania in pot 3. In Pot 4 Armenia probably owe us an upset, Montenegro could cause problems & Scotland have been improving lately... The rest are much of a muchness really.

 

[Cormcolash]

(as part of UEFA's plan to kill the tournament by removing all jeopardy for the bigger teams til the quarter final stage)

aka The Champions League

 

[Cormcolash]

Let's hope for Israel and Armenia, so we can be really anti-semitic, do loads of quenelles, and then complain about the teams not actually being in Europe if we lose to them

 

[Richie]

Germany
Republic of Ireland
Poland
Scotland
Georgia
Gibraltar

Fucking Germany again.. Scotland and Poland are tough enough as 3rd and 4th picks go. Should be a right battle between the 3 of us for 2nd. At least it'll be interesting with two teams we haven't faced in qualifying in a long time, and newbies Gibraltar.

 

[dunderhead]

poland and scots must be delighted. first time i can remember playing scotland in competitive competition

 

[Richie]

Euro 88 qualifying was the last time we had them in a group.. and Euro 92 qualifying was the last time we had Poland, I think.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

Time to boo Rangers/ex-Rangers players.