Ireland vs Macedonia (1 Viewer)

[Jerry Twig]

That's a fair assessment - to which I would add that O'Dea is a fucker for hoofing long balls to no-one, especially in the first half, and Westwood was very solid again. Cracking 1-2 save in the 2nd half.
Fahey has to be a shoe-in for the first team. I mean he does everything that Whelan doesn't do. He runs and passes forward (imagine), connects and sees space, and has no fear in trying things. In short, he has confidence.
I thought it was a very enjoyable game of football all told. How many were there, 8,000?
Pity Long didn't play like that on Saturday. I thought we was poor enough then. Maybe the bang on the head did him in.

 

[Unicron]

Have to say that despite the reservations I expressed about Long earlier in the thread he had an excellent game last night, if that is in fact the standard of performance that he's been putting in for Reading this season then regardless of whether or not they go up he should be playing PL football next year. Great centre forward play for his goal, held it up nicely and when he got knocked over he got back up and tried to get in the box. Still think that he runs like a meerkat stands though, or Michael Johnson.

Green and Keogh, just not good enough, we don't have much in the way of standards these days but they don't even reach those. Fahey is a nice footballer, passes well but when I saw the way that the Uruguayan player (F/Hernandez was it? Looked a good player) ghosted past him when setting up the second goal I thought to myself that Trap will neer play him in the middle again. Then again the same thing happened to Green for that goal and he'll probably get a start at some point. Awful shame that Lawrence is so fucking slow because he's certainly talented.

McCarthy, didn't get on the ball much did he? But he did work hard to get into the box whenever Long ran the channels and picked up posession.

Don't think we'll use that formation in the next game, unless Keane is injured he'll always play and if you play him you have to play 2 up front, I doubt that he can play in the hole any more. And I still think he deserves his spot, he's still got an almost 1 in 2 record for us, which he's maintaining. I learned this week that Ireland have only ever lost one game in which he's scored.

 

[Jerry Twig]

On McCarthy's performance, it was interesting to hear Trappatoni say that he 'felt sorry' for him as the team wouldn't get the ball to him when he was free, and that they are working to find the right role for him. That's a hell of an endorsement.

 

[Unicron]

On McCarthy's performance, it was interesting to hear Trappatoni say that he 'felt sorry' for him as the team wouldn't get the ball to him when he was free,

That's a fair point, there were a number of occasions where a ball to him was on and it went to someone else or it was intercepted. You'd want him on the ball high up the pitch, there's little point in playing him in that position and him having to drop deep to allow someone to give a simple pass to him.

 

[Hector Grey]

keane, for all his failings, would have scored last night. u-r-gay were pretty poor at the back, which made for a nice open spectacle, but left plent of space in their box. long kept running and doing things but there was never anyone in the box. keano would have pounced on something, because that's what he does, so i suppose he has his uses.

fahey was good, likes to pass, had some shots, made stuff happen, but is suspect defensively and would need a def-mid next to him in the middle, which rules out the fahey-mccarthy matrix right off. 4-3-3 could be an option, but trap would never do it. treacy looked okay as well. liam lawrence should be our andrea pirlo. have him stand in the centre circle spraying it about and not having to move.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Can't believe we got beat by a bunch of gays

u-r-gay were pretty poor at the back,

Couldn't resist

 

[Luther Blissett]

What an entertaining game of football last night. Although I can't believe so many people who had been at the Macedonia game didn't seem bothered turning up to watch a team that reached the World Cup semi-finals.

Ireland can take a number of positives out of the game from what I saw. Westwood again proved that he is more than an able deputy for Given. Hopefully Shay will recover quickly from injury, but it's been really encouraging to see Westwood perform solidly over the last two games. That double from Cavani will live long in the memory.

Fahey's performance was also really promising. He has quick feet, reads play well and looks like the first midfielder we've had in a long time who demands the ball off other players and can dictate the tempo of a game. He has to be a starter in midfield from this point onwards.

I felt sorry for McCarthy. He struggled to find space and the few times that he received the ball his back was to goal leaving him with little option but to pass sideways or backwards. Also Uruguay's defensive-midfield pairing are tough opponents for any opposition let alone someone making their first international start in a largely unfamiliar role. It would have been nice to see him and Fahey given some time together in centre midfield, but you can't have everything. Thankfully Trap's comments about McCarthy after the game, as mentioned in another post above, are hugely encouraging for the future.

Shane Long was outstanding. He must be the quickest player in the Ireland squad by a country mile! He also seemed the fittest player on the field last night. Lugano is a very experienced defender but Long caused him numerous problems both in the air and with his pace and guile. My girlfriend described him as a taller, quicker and more skilful version of Stephen Hunt.

 

[coast to coast]

A friend of mine has a habit of basically labelling every player ever shit, but yet has always been extremely optimistic about Shane Long. I guess he was right. He'll be in the Premier League next year I'd guess. Tough lad, isn't he? His goal was great.

 

[rettucs]

A friend of mine has a habit of basically labelling every player ever shit, but yet has always been extremely optimistic about Shane Long. I guess he was right. He'll be in the Premier League next year I'd guess. Tough lad, isn't he? His goal was great.

I remember him as a kid playing hurling for Tipperary. A class act. Hes obviously one of these lads whose gonna be deadly at anything he turns his hand to. You have to hate people like that!

 

[CinnamonBoy]

I remember him as a kid playing hurling for Tipperary. A class act. Hes obviously one of these lads whose gonna be deadly at anything he turns his hand to. You have to hate people like that!

In fairness to Long, he's had to work really hard over a number of years to get where he is now. He was on the bench for Reading for a few seasons stuck behind Doyle and that ginger lad among others. I'm not surprised he's come good but I equally wouldn't have been surprised if he was playing League 1 right now.

 

[Hector Grey]

My girlfriend described him as a taller, quicker and more skilful version of Stephen Hunt.

that could be me you're describing there

 

[fobster]

If Reading don't make it into the Premiership next season I'd be amazed if Long wasn't bought up by a PL side. On a side note, Reading have scored 60 goals this season, 35 of which have been scored by Irish players, Long, Ian Harte and Noel Hunt.

 

[Luther Blissett]

that could be me you're describing there

Too true. But could you match their boyish good looks?

 

[washingcattle]

Londs banged in his first 20 gaol season this year. I'm not overly firmilure with quality in the championship though.

I watched the play offs last season, the quality veered sharply from Excellent to dire usually by both teams and in the same match. that may not be a fair reflection of the standard though. Anyone more of an authority ? Is it way below the PL Who was the last club to go up and straight down again. Hull ?

 

[Hector Grey]

you should watch the football league show after match of the day of a saturday. the quaility is up and down but the football is generally more fun. it's like it was when we were young, muddy pitches, big english lads, fewer fancy foreinters, less diving, more fightin. the gulf in quality is all about the dosh you get once you get up a division. then you start to buy in some foreinters, pick up lads from the teams going down, buy the best players from the championship who didn't get promotd, etc. overall though i'd have to say the standard is prety low if burnley and derby and the rest can get promoted.

however, long has some prem experience, and he's played wel agisnt prem clubs in the last two seasons (was good against liverpool in the fa cup last year as i recall) and he's all about what premier managers love: physicality. he's always been a pokey-elbowy kind of lad, that's the gaa in him, but he's added the goals to that. so he fast enough, strong, always up for it, can take all kinds of kicking, likes to wind up his marker (what game was it where he wound up the centre back so much that he was booked for hoofing long halfway in the irish half?). he's utterly fearless. i liked his attitude (i'd hate to play against him) but bemoaned his lack of technique and particularly goals. he's improved, which i imagine would have a lot to be with currently being first choice now kitson and doyle have moved on.

his goal tally is swelled with penos as well, no? good to have another dead eyed peno taker in the squad.

dare i say it, he could be better than doyle? it's funny how people are saying that wolves will really miss doyle, he's a striker and he's got 2 goals this season. that's the game now, innit, you strikers don't score, your wingers are on the wrong foot. etc.

how old is keith fahey? i hate to say it, cos of teh mercenary overtones, but jamie o'hara in that midfield and we could be sorted. there's options, for the first time in years. except at the back, where we're in trouble. no left back. st ledger, mcshane... dunne getting older, kilbane still playing.... clarke wasn't good the other day, but odea looks okay and foley did alright too. where's the new dunne though? where is he?

ps is marc wilson any good?

 

[SomethingManic]

I thought Jamie O Hara doesn't want to play for Ireland?

We shouldn't jump the gun on Long just yet, he's still third choice. Only difference now is we have a lot more faith in him.

 

[Hector Grey]

yeah, but if he goes PL next year, and score goals, then he's ahead of doyle. doyle doesn't score, and that's what he's there for. i suppose there's still a place for keano. he's a hatcher in a way the other two aren't. that's why he scores all the goals.

 

[Luther Blissett]

where's the new dunne though? where is he?

Everton's Shane Duffy is highly regarded and appears to have made a miraculous recovery from that freak injury he suffered last year. He's on loan at Burnley at the minute but fingers crossed he can break into the Everton team at some point over the next few years.

 

[SomethingManic]

yeah, but if he goes PL next year, and score goals, then he's ahead of doyle. doyle doesn't score, and that's what he's there for. i suppose there's still a place for keano. he's a hatcher in a way the other two aren't. that's why he scores all the goals.

If he goes PL next year, and plays better than Doyle or Keane then fair enough. At the moment I would rather Doyle than Keane up front. He might not score too many, but his overall play is fantastic.

 

[Unicron]

Fahey is 28 I think. Didn't cut it at Arsenal and Villa, came home and got a second crack a few years later.