Coleman could be changed for Kelly or Foley (if he hasnt retired after his treatment by Trap) as we all know Trap doesnt want full backs under 6ft tall?? Others to come into the fray are Duffy at CB and young Robbie Brady who looks like he could be a big player for us! Think we're now in a smiliar era as what McCarthy inherited when he had to build a new post Jack team.
It'll be interesting to see if Brady makes it at United, we could really do with an attacking player making the grade at one of the big Premier League clubs, it's been such a long time!
We do need to start play fullbacks at fullback but as Stephen Ward showed, that doesn't guarantee anything!
as an outsider looking in - is this guy Westwood any good?
Has played well any time I've watched him for Ireland or Sunderland but he's still No2 there and I'd prefer Shay to continue as our No1 provided he can recover his form/fitness.
didnt even know who he played for - a bit of 1st team football won't go a miss there.
Signed him from Coventry where I think he was in the Championship team of the season but I'd be a liar if I said I'd watched him much!
Heard we had more possession against Italy than England had against them last night. How embarrassing for them if true.
just done a wee google search of him - didnt realise he was 27.
The domination Italy had last night was amazing to see, not just possession but shot at goal etc.
Shows you how hard it is for us too though, we haven't a single player who would make the England team.
*Joe Hart had more touches than any other England player last night!
Ireland had the least possession out of any team in the group stage... 33 per cent... by a whopping 7 per cent.
They had the least possession of any team in the history of the Euros along with the worst ever GD... -8
think the possession stats where 32% - 68% if i remember correctly form watching SSN at lunch.
doubledoubledouble, there's no need for that...........
Yep lowest possession stats and worst goal difference in tournament history so think its fair to assume Trap got it all wrong and the lads who never got a run have every right to be annoyed. If a team is clearly struggling then change is not only necessary but its crucial. Einstein famously declared insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results??? Think Trap could do well to bear this in mind if he stubbornly insists on leading us into the WC qualifiers
...and yet despite all this Len, it seems we gave Italy a lot more trouble than England did last night....
The tactics from Trap were spot on in that game and certainly much better than England's last night.
However basic defensive errors and lack of firepower from Keane upfront (have you seen how overweight he is now?) meant we couldn't get a result.
The senior players performed extremely poorly in the 3 group games and they must take some responsibility there as well as Trap.
Also, the tactics worked in qualifying.
Some bizarre and alarming tactical decisions by Trap throughout - Cox as a winger against Croatia as opposed to actual Premiership wingers on the bench (Hunt & McClean), Cox in midfield against Spain, Robbie as a loan striker against Spain??? Unfit Given, 4 strikers on the pitch against Italy by the end?? These are bizarre and senseless decisions that cost us and if Kerr, McCarthy are even Stan made them people would be baying for their blood! Traps on borrowed time big time!
Did Ireland play well v Italy. I heard they were denied blatant pens
Qualifying by getting ahead of Slovakia and Armenia is hardly much to brag about and we got very lucky getting Estonia. Make no mistake as soon as Trap methods came up against real opposition in the Euro's he was ruthlessly exposed as being ill prepared and tactically weak. Sweden, Austria and germany now to come, further Trap punishment is inevitable as he'll not change and will use the excuse of only having one friendly against Serbia before the qualifiers for his logic not too chnage anything, leopards dont chnage their spots and trap will alienate our future players even further!
There's no doubt he didn't cover himself in glory and is a very stubborn man (his reluctance to use McClean in the face of an overwhelming outcry to promote him being the most obvious) but come on, comparing him to Stan or Brian Kerr?!
Qualifying by getting ahead of Slovakia and Armenia is hardly much to brag about
------------------------------------------------------
It is if you're Ireland.
Wasnt comparing him to Stan or Kerr, fact is if either of those managers made the tactical calls Trap did as outlined above people would have hammered them as clueless and yet our so called super experienced manager (who doesnt watch players at club level) decides to play guys out of position ahead of actual suitable positional alternatives on the bench! Makes you wonder what Trap's selection policy is based on? Long our top EPL striker gets no game time ahead of USA based Keane and pitiful goal per game ratio Doyle!
Is it? Croatia have a population smaller than Ireland. basketball is their main sport and they reach World Cup semis...as do Uruguay, Denmart, etc
People keep trotting out the same excuses for Trap such as small country nonsense, fact is we have a pool of talented players who are currently being ignored by Trap! Clark, Hoolahan, McCarthy, Gibson, Pilkington, Wilson, Coleman and McClean are all premiership regulars who have been ignored by Trap simply coz their too young for him as he doesnt trust young players and recently referred to young players as arrogant and/or shy!! Bizarre mindset for any manager to have let alone the manager of a small nation who supposedly doesnt have much resources to pool from!! The Scots, Welsh or even NI boys would be delighted to call opn any of them yet we for some unknown reason dont need them!!
Double thats rubbish,
Sure the Croatians play basketball more than we do, but football to them is a national obsession, like rugby in NZ, far and away the no1 sport.
They all learn how to proper touch, passing and technique from a very young age which is why they've been producing top quality players since Euro 96 and before then when they were part of former Yugoslavia.
in Croatia: tennis/basketball>football
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Some small crumb of comfort for Ireland....
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posted on 25/6/12
Coleman could be changed for Kelly or Foley (if he hasnt retired after his treatment by Trap) as we all know Trap doesnt want full backs under 6ft tall?? Others to come into the fray are Duffy at CB and young Robbie Brady who looks like he could be a big player for us! Think we're now in a smiliar era as what McCarthy inherited when he had to build a new post Jack team.
posted on 25/6/12
It'll be interesting to see if Brady makes it at United, we could really do with an attacking player making the grade at one of the big Premier League clubs, it's been such a long time!
We do need to start play fullbacks at fullback but as Stephen Ward showed, that doesn't guarantee anything!
posted on 25/6/12
as an outsider looking in - is this guy Westwood any good?
posted on 25/6/12
Has played well any time I've watched him for Ireland or Sunderland but he's still No2 there and I'd prefer Shay to continue as our No1 provided he can recover his form/fitness.
posted on 25/6/12
didnt even know who he played for - a bit of 1st team football won't go a miss there.
posted on 25/6/12
Signed him from Coventry where I think he was in the Championship team of the season but I'd be a liar if I said I'd watched him much!
posted on 25/6/12
Heard we had more possession against Italy than England had against them last night. How embarrassing for them if true.
posted on 25/6/12
just done a wee google search of him - didnt realise he was 27.
The domination Italy had last night was amazing to see, not just possession but shot at goal etc.
posted on 25/6/12
Shows you how hard it is for us too though, we haven't a single player who would make the England team.
*Joe Hart had more touches than any other England player last night!
posted on 25/6/12
Ireland had the least possession out of any team in the group stage... 33 per cent... by a whopping 7 per cent.
They had the least possession of any team in the history of the Euros along with the worst ever GD... -8
posted on 25/6/12
think the possession stats where 32% - 68% if i remember correctly form watching SSN at lunch.
posted on 25/6/12
doubledoubledouble, there's no need for that...........
posted on 25/6/12
Yep lowest possession stats and worst goal difference in tournament history so think its fair to assume Trap got it all wrong and the lads who never got a run have every right to be annoyed. If a team is clearly struggling then change is not only necessary but its crucial. Einstein famously declared insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results??? Think Trap could do well to bear this in mind if he stubbornly insists on leading us into the WC qualifiers
posted on 25/6/12
...and yet despite all this Len, it seems we gave Italy a lot more trouble than England did last night....
The tactics from Trap were spot on in that game and certainly much better than England's last night.
However basic defensive errors and lack of firepower from Keane upfront (have you seen how overweight he is now?) meant we couldn't get a result.
The senior players performed extremely poorly in the 3 group games and they must take some responsibility there as well as Trap.
posted on 25/6/12
Also, the tactics worked in qualifying.
posted on 25/6/12
Some bizarre and alarming tactical decisions by Trap throughout - Cox as a winger against Croatia as opposed to actual Premiership wingers on the bench (Hunt & McClean), Cox in midfield against Spain, Robbie as a loan striker against Spain??? Unfit Given, 4 strikers on the pitch against Italy by the end?? These are bizarre and senseless decisions that cost us and if Kerr, McCarthy are even Stan made them people would be baying for their blood! Traps on borrowed time big time!
posted on 25/6/12
Did Ireland play well v Italy. I heard they were denied blatant pens
posted on 25/6/12
Qualifying by getting ahead of Slovakia and Armenia is hardly much to brag about and we got very lucky getting Estonia. Make no mistake as soon as Trap methods came up against real opposition in the Euro's he was ruthlessly exposed as being ill prepared and tactically weak. Sweden, Austria and germany now to come, further Trap punishment is inevitable as he'll not change and will use the excuse of only having one friendly against Serbia before the qualifiers for his logic not too chnage anything, leopards dont chnage their spots and trap will alienate our future players even further!
posted on 25/6/12
There's no doubt he didn't cover himself in glory and is a very stubborn man (his reluctance to use McClean in the face of an overwhelming outcry to promote him being the most obvious) but come on, comparing him to Stan or Brian Kerr?!
posted on 25/6/12
Qualifying by getting ahead of Slovakia and Armenia is hardly much to brag about
------------------------------------------------------
It is if you're Ireland.
posted on 25/6/12
Wasnt comparing him to Stan or Kerr, fact is if either of those managers made the tactical calls Trap did as outlined above people would have hammered them as clueless and yet our so called super experienced manager (who doesnt watch players at club level) decides to play guys out of position ahead of actual suitable positional alternatives on the bench! Makes you wonder what Trap's selection policy is based on? Long our top EPL striker gets no game time ahead of USA based Keane and pitiful goal per game ratio Doyle!
posted on 25/6/12
Is it? Croatia have a population smaller than Ireland. basketball is their main sport and they reach World Cup semis...as do Uruguay, Denmart, etc
posted on 25/6/12
People keep trotting out the same excuses for Trap such as small country nonsense, fact is we have a pool of talented players who are currently being ignored by Trap! Clark, Hoolahan, McCarthy, Gibson, Pilkington, Wilson, Coleman and McClean are all premiership regulars who have been ignored by Trap simply coz their too young for him as he doesnt trust young players and recently referred to young players as arrogant and/or shy!! Bizarre mindset for any manager to have let alone the manager of a small nation who supposedly doesnt have much resources to pool from!! The Scots, Welsh or even NI boys would be delighted to call opn any of them yet we for some unknown reason dont need them!!
posted on 25/6/12
Double thats rubbish,
Sure the Croatians play basketball more than we do, but football to them is a national obsession, like rugby in NZ, far and away the no1 sport.
They all learn how to proper touch, passing and technique from a very young age which is why they've been producing top quality players since Euro 96 and before then when they were part of former Yugoslavia.
posted on 25/6/12
in Croatia: tennis/basketball>football
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