Republic of Ireland Team Talk/News/Rumours 2020/2021 - see Mod Note in OP [18/11/20]

The_Kew_Tour

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Shows a complete lack of understanding of McCleans motives. He bleeds green. He would do anything to play for Ireland more so than anyone else in the squad. If everyone on the team had his motivation we would not be in the hole we are in.

Ah here. Stop

TheCitizen

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Ah here. Stop

Stop what? He’s right, and he’s often treated with disdain by some on here.

Pawwed Rig

TheCitizen wrote: »

he’s often treated with disdain by some on here.

Me or James McClean? :pac:

Mantis Toboggan

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Seemed nuts the amount of game time he got - especially starting a feckin' friendly - when he was in a recovery boot only days before.

Awful mismanagement there.

SomethingElse

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Awful mismanagement there.

This fella won the lotto the day he was appointed Ireland manager.

sterz

TheCitizen wrote: »

Stop what? He’s right, and he’s often treated with disdain by some on here.

Well McClean is pants tbf. No doubt he's one of the most passionate players that have put on the jersey over the past ten years or so but that doesn't automatically give him a pass. He's a one dimensional player whose enthusiasm possibly makes him worse than he actually is.

The_Kew_Tour

sterz wrote: »

Well McClean is pants tbf. No doubt he's one of the most passionate players that have put on the jersey over the past ten years or so but that doesn't automatically give him a pass. He's a one dimensional player whose enthusiasm possibly makes him worse than he actually is.

I think what initial poster said in that if everyone tried like McLean we be ok is BS.

I think all the players gave 100% it was other factors which cost us.

Mantis Toboggan

SomethingElse wrote: »

This fella won the lotto the day he was appointed Ireland manager.

No doubt he's still learning on the job, they've admitted they got the setup wrong so that's a start. He could still turn it around though, but the FAI can't afford to sack him yet.

dr.kenneth noisewater

Hourihane, Manning and McNamara involved in the early game in the championship

Francie Barrett

dr.kenneth noisewater wrote: »

Hourihane, Manning and McNamara involved in the early game in the championship

https://twitter.com/RepTracker/status/1380859143347638276

Assist for Hourihane.

Swansea fans are a funny lot, some of them complaining about him, yet if it wasn't for him, Swansea would be mid-table now.

johnnyryan89

Francie Barrett wrote: »

https://twitter.com/RepTracker/status/1380859143347638276

Assist for Hourihane.

Swansea fans are a funny lot, some of them complaining about him, yet if it wasn't for him, Swansea would be mid-table now.

Massive assumption to make when Swansea were second when he joined and have been good all season.

The White Feather

Mipo Odubeko scored a hat trick for the West Ham Under 23s last night. They came back from 2 down against Man United.

Conor Coventry with the assist for the second goal too!

johnnyryan89

sugarman wrote: »

Festy Ebosele is on the bench for the first time for Derby today. Knight and Watson also on the bench.

Omobamidele continues to start for Norwich against them.

Knight could do with the rest. Has started 37 of Derby's 40 games, has featured in all of them bar one, and probably played in every position bar the defence too.

Pawwed Rig

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

I think what initial poster said in that if everyone tried like McLean we be ok is BS.

I think all the players gave 100% it was other factors which cost us.

I don't tbh. McCarthy for one never seems interested in playing for us. Doherty is another that never seems to stress himself during a game. Hourihane drifts in and out of games, doesn't look for the ball enough. Now I don't think McClean is Barcelona standard but you can never fault his effort and passion. He runs himself ragged every match for Ireland. That is why he is (probably) the most popular player on the team if not the most skillful.

Duff

Hope Omobamidele gets a call up for the June friendlies if he keeps this up.

johnnyryan89

sugarman wrote: »

.

You'd imagine Nathan Collins will be ahead of him for a call up too.

Don't think he'll be fit by then, but if he is then yeah he'd be well ahead of him for a call up. Wouldn't be surprised if he's moved up to the seniors this year.

Banjaxed82

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Shows a complete lack of understanding of McCleans motives. He bleeds green. He would do anything to play for Ireland more so than anyone else in the squad. If everyone on the team had his motivation we would not be in the hole we are in.

Maybe McClean's bleeding green should have involved putting the Irish team ahead of himself. He was nowhere near ready for inclusion in that squad.

Dr. Bre

Just don’t call him McLean...

Francie Barrett

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

Maybe McClean's bleeding green should have involved putting the Irish team ahead of himself. He was nowhere near ready for inclusion in that squad.

Ah come off it. McClean doesn't pick the squad, nor the team. He presented himself to Kenny and the Irish medical team, they looked at him and passed him as fit enough to play. I am not having a pop at Kenny for playing him either. Our attacking options at the moment are dreadful, he had such a little choice.

Banjaxed82

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Ah come off it. McClean doesn't pick the squad, nor the team. He presented himself to Kenny and the Irish medical team, they looked at him and passed him as fit enough to play. I am not having a pop at Kenny for playing him either. Our attacking options at the moment are dreadful, he had such a little choice.

There's the fitness that the medical team can assess and there's the fitness that the individual knows when it comes to their own body. McClean should have put his hand up and said he wasn't 100 percent.

Some players can get away with not being 100-percent. McClean is not one of them.

Pawwed Rig

Connolly was in worse shape than McClean. I am sure that the conversation was had with James and they have the very best of doctors and medical staff. James wants to play. If he is not up to it then that it up to the manager to determine.

The point I take issue with is the suggestion that he would walk away from the Irish set up. There is no way that would happen.

Pawwed Rig

Connolly got cramp earlier in a game than I have ever seen. At 60 mins he was on the ground. He wasn't fit and shouldn't have started

TheCitizen

sugarman wrote: »

Nah McClean was in a boot until days before the Ireland game. Hadn't even ran or trained, nevermind kick a ball since he went off injured 3 weeks prior. He was supposed to be out for 5-6 weeks with it, but took it upon himself to come back after 3.

Most likely took an injection to get through the game. Has a history of doing it, I remember he had a back injury before and had an epidural to play for Ireland.

He shouldn't be lauded for it. Yes he had pride playing for his country, but hes putting himself at risk of further injury while also not being fit or sharp enough to actually play the game. Its selfish if anything.

Same as Given, Dunne, O'Shea, Keane and whoever else was in heap at Euro 2012 and tried to play through it.

You should be putting your team first before yourself.

Connolly in comparison just had a rib injury and had been back in training with Brighton days prior to meeting up with Ireland. He ended up going off with a cramp / minor muscle injury rather than the initial complaint.

Playing through a pain barrier is selfish? Haven’t heard that one before.

I think it’s up to the management here at club level first and then at international level to make a call on a situation like that. They know he’ll want to play. He got injured I presume playing most of the friendly match.

pjohnson

So its McCleans fault that Kenny called up and played an injured player.


The excuses Kenny gets for everything he does is amusing.

Mantis Toboggan

It was well documented the McClean was nowhere near fit for the games. Whatever about bringing him on for a half hour in a crucial world Cup match but giving him 84 minutes in a friendly was criminal.

TheCitizen

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

It was well documented the McClean was nowhere near fit for the games. Whatever about bringing him on for a half hour in a crucial world Cup match but giving him 84 minutes in a friendly was criminal.

A shocking decision by Kenny. McClean should have been told we appreciate your commitment but you’re not playing especially not in a friendly match. He should have been sent back to Stoke after the two competitive games.

Kenny had dropped him from the starting line up and was using him as a sub in previous games. McClean was eager to get a starting place in the team but he wasn’t fit. Very poor management.

wadacrack

TheCitizen wrote: »

A shocking decision by Kenny. McClean should have been told we appreciate your commitment but you’re not playing especially not in a friendly match. He should have been sent back to Stoke after the two competitive games.

Kenny had dropped him from the starting line up and was using him as a sub in previous games. McClean was eager to get a starting place in the team but he wasn’t fit. Very poor management.

Agree yea its a poor decision. Look at the amount of injuries this season in general. Naïve management to risk a player in a friendly

Francie Barrett

sugarman wrote: »

Nah McClean was in a boot until days before the Ireland game. Hadn't even ran or trained, nevermind kick a ball since he went off injured 3 weeks prior. He was supposed to be out for 5-6 weeks with it, but took it upon himself to come back after 3.

So he was clearly injured, yet it's McClean's fault that Kenny called him up and played him in all three games?

sugarman wrote: »

Most likely took an injection to get through the game. Has a history of doing it, I remember he had a back injury before and had an epidural to play for Ireland.

If he took an injection to get through a match, it wasn't something he did by himself. The manager/medical team would have had the final call.

Kenny is the manager, he said both players were "undercooked", so he was well aware of the issues with both. He had the final call, he rolled the dice on them and played them. If there's any blame to go around, it's 100% on Kenny.

athlone99

pjohnson wrote: »

So its McCleans fault that Kenny called up and played an injured player.


The excuses Kenny gets for everything he does is amusing.

And if Kenny didnt play them, people would be complaining and blaming the results on him not playing lads who were half fit. Excuses can go both ways.

NewMan1982

How is it possibly Kenny’s fault that McClean got injured?
Stoke medical staff released him. Ireland medical staff deemed him fit.

It comes across as just looking for an excuse to throw mud at Kenny.

There’s some valid criticisms of Kenny you could use instead.
Inability to change tactics when the plan isn’t working being one.
Leaving substitutions too late.
Not knowing his starting 11 yet.
Build up play too slow allowing opposition to get into position.

Despite all this I still think we should give him more time. I never want to go back to long aimless football.

wadacrack

Hendrick on for Newcastle in the 92nd minute. They held on. He's improving

Duff

wadacrack wrote: »

Hendrick on for Newcastle in the 92nd minute. They held on. He's improving

Don't worry, Bruce is a cert to start him against Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and City which will cost us about 15 goals.

Banjaxed82

How about this then. Can we agree that Kenny, Connolly and McClean are all wrong and complicit in this?

Neither player should have been in the squad
Agree?

Francie Barrett

Disappointing to see Cullen has been benched for their game today against top of the table Club Brugge.

https://twitter.com/rscanderlecht/status/1381265504518701057

Francie Barrett

sugarman wrote: »

Yeah, it look as if his red the previous week has went against him. They won their last game 4-1 in his absence.

Still, 2 absolutely massive games today for Cullen and Anderlecht if they are to make the Champions League next season.

Only 2 games left of the regular season. Top 4 go into the Playoffs for European places ..and they're currently sitting in 4th.

5th and 6th placed teams who are just 3 and 5pts behind them are facing off together later on tonight.

On after 67 minutes with Anderlecht 1-0 down and has changed the game. Won the ball in his own half and released it to start the attack for the first goal. Just assisted there for the second. 2-1 Anderlecht.

Francie Barrett

sugarman wrote: »

Thats a HUGE win for them. Top 4 / Playoffs secured.

Yea, they now have the real possibility of chance going into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League if they can finish second. Third place puts them into the Europa Conference league. Worst case scenario for them now is that they finish 4th in the top 4 play-off, but even if that happens, they are guaranteed a final play off against the winner of the second top 5-8th place play-off, whoever wins ​that game gets the final European spot.

There's another permutation that could guarantee Anderlecht European football regardless of what happens. Genk play Standard Liege in the final of the Belgian Cup. Genk are already in the top 4 play-off, so if they win, I think the European spot for winning the cup drops into the league, which guarantees Anderlecht a crack at European football regardless of what happens. The final is on April 25th, so hopefully Genk get the job done.

The top 4 finish should hopefully mean that Kompany keeps his job for next season, which is important for Cullen as he's been a huge advocate for the player.

gormdubhgorm

Risteard Cooper AKA Stephen Kenny

dr.kenneth noisewater

O'Shea and Robinson start for WBA, Ferry on the bench for Southampton

johnnyryan89

dr.kenneth noisewater wrote: »

O'Shea and Robinson start for WBA, Ferry on the bench for Southampton

This will be his 13th league game in the match day squad, probably gonna be his 13th game as an unused sub for Southampton. Hopefully he can get some games once they're mathematically clear of the relegation places.

johnnyryan89

sugarman wrote: »

Goal for Robinson.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1381677298609455111

Scoundrel

Jesus can West Brom send over this Callum Robinson next time please

Pawwed Rig

Looking at their run in and I don't think they have any hope of staying up unfortunately so between them and Shffield U we are going to lose 4 PL players:(

dr.kenneth noisewater

Pawwed Rig wrote:

Looking at their run in and I don't think they have any hope of staying up unfortunately so between them and Shffield U we are going to lose 4 PL players

Hopefully Egan gets a move as I think he's definitely good enough to stay there. Stevens probably a bit too old for a move unless it was as backup. Think WBA will bounce back up and O'Shea and Robinson will benefit from playing regularly in a winning team

johnnyryan89

dr.kenneth noisewater wrote: »

Hopefully Egan gets a move as I think he's definitely good enough to stay there. Stevens probably a bit too old for a move unless it was as backup. Think WBA will bounce back up and O'Shea and Robinson will benefit from playing regularly in a winning team

I'd say there's probably a better chance of Dara O'Shea or Shane Duffy playing in the Premier League next season than John Egan.

Egan is 28 and has three years left on his contract. How many teams are going to be willing to break the bank to buy John Egan, especially after Covid.

Dara O'Shea is only 22 and has been impressive this season for someone that only really broke into the West Brom team in January 2020 and played RB. He's got two years left on his contract, and would be a better long term target for teams given he's six years younger than Egan. The fact that he's versatile is also a major plus, so you'd be buying a guy that's six years younger and could play in different positions for you.

Duffy I think would have a better chance of playing Premier League football, and not just because he's already signed to a Premier League team . But someone like Burnley, Newcastle, or Crystal Palace would look at his size and see him as a player that could do well for them. Burnley were looking at Nathan Collins because he's highly rated but also because the lads built like a brick ****house, and Duffy is built like a brick ****house and has a head that's probably as hard as a brick.

~Rebel~

Tbh, I don’t really care about having PL players just for the sake of it... if they’re linchpins in good teams, grand, but our lads tend not to be. We’d be much better off having lads like Robinson, Connolly, Idah, and Obafemi being regulars in the championship than being options in the PL.

johnnyryan89

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Tbh, I don’t really care about having PL players just for the sake of it... if they’re linchpins in good teams, grand, but our lads tend not to be. We’d be much better off having lads like Robinson, Connolly, Idah, and Obafemi being regulars in the championship than being options in the PL.

Yup, and when you lose to a team you often get the comparison of our player X plays in the Premier League and their lad plays in smaller leagues on the continent. Yet Duffy who played well in the Premier League for Brighton struggled in Scotland.

Francie Barrett

Keogh starting for Huddersfield. Hourihane and Manning start for Swansea. Westwood starts for Wednesday. Harness and Curtis starting for Portsmouth.

Long not even in the Bournemouth matchday squad. Maybe he's injured, but regardless this loan spell in the Championship doesn't really appear to be working out. At 34 it's not really looking great that he will ever play at the highest level again.

Francie Barrett

Parrott not even making the bench for Ipswich. Could be injured, but it really doesn't look like Paul Cook rates him.

noodler

johnnyryan89 wrote: »

Yup, and when you lose to a team you often get the comparison of our player X plays in the Premier League and their lad plays in smaller leagues on the continent. Yet Duffy who played well in the Premier League for Brighton struggled in Scotland.

He struggled for Brighton well before he went to Scotland tbf.

noodler

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Keogh starting for Huddersfield. Hourihane and Manning start for Swansea. Westwood starts for Wednesday. Harness and Curtis starting for Portsmouth.

Long not even in the Bournemouth matchday squad. Maybe he's injured, but regardless this loan spell in the Championship doesn't really appear to be working out. At 34 it's not really looking great that he will ever play at the highest level again.

He had scored two goals last time I checked which seemed like an ok return given the comparative records of our options.