I’d go:
Randolph
Coleman Keogh O’Shea Ward
Hendrick Whelan Quinn
Hoolahan Brady
Long
In all cases in this case. From what i read of it he has a slightly ruptured ankle, that could really fuck him.
And he could not be fully effective.
There’s no point playing houlihan agin Italy, he is useless.
Eire need to turn this into a dogfight, backs to the wall mentality. 11 lads who will die with their boots on. Warriers. Hoof it into row z. Get the green army behind them. Win it on the terrace first. Boo the greasy cunts. Heckle the anthem. Boo the ref. Bollock and bite, that’s how Eire need to play. Put the fear of God into them. Then fuck a few green flares out on to the pitch as some wop cunt is about to hit a corner.
You can discuss tactics all day long lads and I know ye probably will but the above bit of advice is the best bit of advice ye will get on this game all week .
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If they do somehow muddle through, it’ll be France or Spain in the next round. Best to bring them all home now.
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unreal, the likes of that clown like @Rocko love to pontificate and hypothesise, letting on they know they what they are talking about, what you just said there is unreal, you hit the nail on the head
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Wednesday will be nothing like yesterday. Belgium were in last chance saloon and have serious attacking talent. Italy’s first team have no creativity or firepower up front let alone their second string. Keep it nice and tight, play them at their own game and sneak a late winner. Then hopefully the French cunts and revenge for the hand of frog.
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Fuck off and get a life for yourself you traitor Brit gowl, its boring at this stage. Just fuck off
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Much more creativity and firepower in reserve IMO.
Guys like Insigne, El Shaarawy, Bernardeschi are all classy players who make things happen. Zaza and Immobile are more prolific strikers than Pelle and Eder as well.
We are Ireland mate and we are going to stuff your wops. It will be 1994 redux.
We’re not bothered mate.
What do you make of him using McClean, McGeady and Keane off the bench in both games? Murphy must be badly off form and/or very rusty after missing the last two months of the season. He didn’t look sharp at all against Belarus anyway. Maybe we should have gone with another attacker in the squad given Walters, Keane and Murphy were all carrying injuries when our final 23 was chosen. McGoldrick has a bit about him and offers something different.
That’s what I’ve been saying although I still think we’ll lose narrowly, this is a shitty Italian team and with a nice slice of luck we could well win, we never stood a chance against the Belgians.
Leave it off, his audience is down to two or three as it is. Try to ignore.
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Yeah I saw Stephen Hunt writing about that today too. But even if Murphy wasn’t in goalscoring form you’d imagine he’d still be a better general option than Keane.
I don’t really think McGoldrick is up to it so wouldn’t have brought him but that was in the context of Walters and Murphy being viable options. If that isn’t the case then we’re definitely short-handed. And Long continues to be infuriating of course, it’s very hard to build a gameplan around him, which is why the Walters absence is so important - he was our attacking focal point because we could rely on him. Long is just too unpredictable.
True but Long is also the only one likely to score against a defense like Italy. He has the pace and occasional finishing ability to trouble them unlike anyone else on our 26.
Long isn’t suited to the lone front man role except off the bench against tired defenders. He can’t play with his back to goal and his whole game is all about running in behind and looking for defensive mistakes or flick ons. I actually think that him playing off Murphy would be a half decent combo, or even playing Long advanced on the right with Slab leading the line and doing the dirty work.
It is a better bet than McClean or Keane playing off Long
Yeah, Long often plays wide at club level if they’re playing Pelle or someone through the middle. I’d be playing him on the right in the Walters role in my lineup with Slab upfront.
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Maybe management have doubts about giving a tournament football debut to a 33 year old striker who’s failed to score to date in his 20 odd caps.
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Possibly but I’d say it’s more down to form and/or fitness as they saw fit to select him from the start in fairly pivotal qualifiers against Germany and Scotland for example.