Ireland v Greece (3 Viewers)

[Jerry Twig]

Call up for might Damien Delaney.
Not against trying out youth at all in friendlies, but just an observation that it's a sad sad state of affairs when both Brady and Clifford aren't even getting a run out in the Milk Cup third round.

 

[Hector Grey]

How does Delaney get in but Paddy McCarthy doesn't?

He's not related to John Delaney is he?

 

[Jerry Twig]

He's been injured all season, but as a general question it's a fair one.
Why no Pearce is my question?

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

How does Delaney get in but Paddy McCarthy doesn't?

He's not related to John Delaney is he?

Damo is a left back. Can McCarthy play there?

He's one lad who can feel hard done by, is Paddy. If his career had started a couple of years ago he'd probably have a fair few caps by now. Never seen him play much. Maybe in that B game against the Scots. But he's been club captain at Palace, I think. Seems an alright sort of a lad.

At least Gibson is coming back anyway. And Wes is in. I'm far too disillusioned to give much of a shit about the whole thing at the moment, though.

 

[Luther Blissett]

He's been injured all season, but as a general question it's a fair one.
Why no Pearce is my question?

Pearce was dropped by Reading around the time of the Oman game and has yet to win his place back. He's barely kicked a ball in the last month or so. Although a lack of game time doesn't seem to have harmed the chances of a number of other players.

On a brighter note, it's nice to see Robbie Keane's public profile has risen Stateside - check out the caption below.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Pearce was dropped by Reading around the time of the Oman game and has yet to win his place back. He's barely kicked a ball in the last month or so. Although a lack of game time doesn't seem to have harmed the chances of a number of other players.

On a brighter note, it's nice to see Robbie Keane's public profile has risen Stateside - check out the caption below.

Cracker!
I know that Pearce hasn't been getting his game (kind of surprised me actually, not that I'd be followung Reading) but I wouldn't think that a few weeks on the bench should relegate him from another look in internationally. Never stopped us with others. St Ledger played some of his best football for Ireland when we was in the bench in the Championship.

 

[Richie]

Ha, poor Robbie! I'm glad he's being left out of the squad this time around, shouldn't play any friendlies from here on. It's hard not to feel that the Hoolahan inclusion is just a sop to the fans & press, but hopefully he gets most of the game and isn't played out of position in some genius Trap masterplan. Delaney's been in a lot of Trap squads before and is a regular starter at a Palace team that are doing well at the moment so I'm not surpised at his inclusion. Bit peeved that Joey O'Brien isn't back in, was playing left back for West Ham until he got injured, should be looked at as another possible alternative to Ward. Deckchairs on the Titanic is right though, I'm sure all of this will be immaterial once the Sweden game comes around.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

I was encouraged by Trap saying that they know Hoolahan is a "beautiful player" though. He'll be at Norwich v Stoke this weekend, so if Wes can give that useless cunt Whelan the runaround and then impress against Greece, he might just have a good chance of a place on the bench for Swaustria.

 

[Hector Grey]

Has Damo D. moved to centre back? He can do teh left alright, but i think Palace have better options there.

 

[Jerry Twig]

It's hard not to feel that the Hoolahan inclusion is just a sop to the fans & press,

I wouldn't think so, given that Hoolahan was called up for the Serbia game but was injured.

 

[Richie]

I wouldn't think so, given that Hoolahan was called up for the Serbia game but was injured.

I'd forgotten about that. It'd be nice to think that Trap genuinely thought he was good enough to give him a proper role in the team instead of it just being a token gesture to get some people off his back. I'm sceptical because he was talking about using him in the 'Totti role' previously attempted with McCarthy against Uruguay and McClean against Serbia, which he seemingly reserves for players that he's trying to demonstrate don't fit his normal system who are then excluded (though McCarthy's worked his way back in, thankfully). I can't help feeling that to get the most out of players like Hoolahan we'd have to change the general approach more than Trap is ever going to be willing to do.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

I can't help feeling that to get the most out of players like Hoolahan we'd have to change the general approach more than Trap is ever going to be willing to do.

I'm not sure. I think if you had a system where you still launched balls up to Walters and he was knocking it down to Wes, he could then actually hold the ball and pass to a winger/full back and they could get a decent cross in. If you watch the Charlton Years on Youtube, that was pretty much our tactic. Charlton was slated for it, but it was very effective, and as he says in the docu, it was "putting them under pressure" which the football gods eventually retitled "pressing". Punt to Walters, down for Wes, out to Coleman bombing on, into the box, boom. It'd be a lot more effective than what we have now (punt to Walters, possession back to the opposition).

 

[Hector Grey]

Well now, without Unnamed Fan in the line up, Ireland's whole game plan has changed. We don't need two strikers anymore, because one was compensating for the other. Now there may actually be room for the Totti role. You just couldn't have that with Unnamed Fan in the team, cos he's not mobile enough.

 

[Jerry Twig]

I'm sceptical because he was talking about using him in the 'Totti role'

But isn't this exactly the type of formation people have been saying would suit Hoolahan and that we should adapt to, unlike when it was attempted with McCarthy and McClean, who were clearly ill suited for that role?
As much as Trap can give you a pain in the hole, sometimes he just can't win!

 

[Unicron]

But isn't this exactly the type of formation people have been saying would suit Hoolahan and that we should adapt to, unlike when it was attempted with McCarthy and McClean, who were clearly ill suited for that role?
As much as Trap can give you a pain in the hole, sometimes he just can't win!

At the time though wasn't that the sort of job that people were saying McCarthy was ideal for? I remember before he was capped Gabrial Marcotti saying the he was the closest thing to an Italian style Trequartista that he's seen emerge in Britain in ages. Then when Trap played him there we just hoofed the ball over his head and he couldn't get into the game.

But if we're hoofing it in the same manner then you're right Hooly-Han (© John Motson) would probably be well suited as he's a bit more mobile.

 

[Jerry Twig]

At the time though wasn't that the sort of job that people were saying McCarthy was ideal for?

Not really. He doesn't play like that for Wigan. In any case, he was properly stitched up that day, playing his first start for Ireland against one of the best teams in the world at nearly full strength with who around him? Paul Green, Keith Fahey, Liam Lawrence and Andy Keogh!

 

[Cormcolash]

Fuck Unnamed Fan, bring back Daddy Dick!

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Amen

 

[Richie]

I'm not sure. I think if you had a system where you still launched balls up to Walters and he was knocking it down to Wes, he could then actually hold the ball and pass to a winger/full back and they could get a decent cross in. If you watch the Charlton Years on Youtube, that was pretty much our tactic. Charlton was slated for it, but it was very effective, and as he says in the docu, it was "putting them under pressure" which the football gods eventually retitled "pressing". Punt to Walters, down for Wes, out to Coleman bombing on, into the box, boom. It'd be a lot more effective than what we have now (punt to Walters, possession back to the opposition).

Yeah it's weird, Trap in some ways has been using a sort of broken version of Charlton's system. We primarily try to stop the other team from playing but we've long abandoned 'pressing' (oddly, seeing as it's a fundamental aspect of the style of many of the top teams now) and prefer to retreat very deep and defend inside our own final third\quarter of the pitch instead.. And we still play long balls all the time but most of them are totally wasted because the strikers are so isolated.

But isn't this exactly the type of formation people have been saying would suit Hoolahan and that we should adapt to, unlike when it was attempted with McCarthy and McClean, who were clearly ill suited for that role?
As much as Trap can give you a pain in the hole, sometimes he just can't win!

In theory it would be great, but so far under Trap it's only been done in this strange compromised way in friendlies where you already have a weakened side, and inexperienced players are thrown on out of position, and then when they don't win he points to it as evidence that Ireland can't handle anything other than 4-4-2. I think it's really more about the attitude to possession and using the ball than formations anyway, if it's still being treated as a hot potato to be kicked aimlessly up the pitch then 4-5-1, 4-3-3 or whatever is no better than 4-4-2. Will wait and see how this Greek game goes, Hoolahan should be the man for the 'Totti role' on paper anyway.