While Gibson is far from making the Irish team he does have a decent range of passing so I wouldn’t lose hope for him. Needs to make impression in friendlies if he is to get into our squad nevermind the team though. Before that a good run for his club wouldn’t hurt. Without a good run at club level I’m not sure he’ll even figure in our pre tournament plans. I think he had falling out with Ferguson over Sunderland where fee agreed was far higher than 500k so that is probably why it is seen as a bargain.
Is it safe to say Gibson gave the two fingers to the whiskey nosed cunt who tried to push him out the door in the summer and stiffed United in the end with this deal? I am choosing to see it this way and congratulate Mr Gibson.
Sunderland wouldn’t match his over inflated wage demands so they pulled out of the deal.
I think we all still retain some hope for Gibson (and some respect for his determination to play for us in the first place) but he has disappointed when given chances at international level and at club level he has seemed content to just play a minor role in the team instead of looking to dominate the game (or influence it properly) when he has had opportunities. I don’t think he’d have been in the Irish squad by the summer without this move though so this is a chance he needed to take.
Fair points. That Blackburn game at New Year was another example of Gibson failing to take an opportunity when pitched into the first team. It’s all well and good some people saying he can pass it quickly and can display a good range of passing too if he doesn’t actually impose himself on the game and demand the ball. It’s also fair enough to say that Whelan and Andrews hardly do that in an Ireland shirt but they have proved capable of doing the defensive side of the midfield job and Gibson hasn’t done nearly enough to warrant getting a competitive start based on his appearances for us to date. I wish him the very best of luck with his impending move though.
I agree with Rocko on Gibson. He’s a bit robotic in his movement and takes to long to settle himself on the ball and move it on. He also lacks the belief to take control of the game, he doesn’t impose his game on it. He’s got decent technical ability but he needs to learn to play at a quicker tempo and he needs to start showing character on the pitch as well as working on the defensive aspect of his game.
Hopefully he’ll develop this side of his game at Everton, although they like to bypass midfield a lot of the time.
Trap currently giving Press Conference. Not giving a lot of hope for new inclusions in the squad, intimating that he must give respect to players who have got them to the finals. Said he will look at one or two in the coming months, but only if injuries occur.
A little disappointing to say the least if he’s going to be as close minded. Understand his thinking, system, system, system, but no international squad should ever be a closed shop.
I don’t think I’d go as far as saying it’s a closed shop and he did cite the example of St Ledger who came into the competitive starting lineup almost immediately. But he’s certainly very clear that the players who got us to the tournament deserve respect and are best placed to get the nod.
But Bandage he qualified the SSL example by saying “this is different, a tournament, they know the system”. Wouldnt sound very promising.
I think it’s much more likely than not that he’ll stick with players who’ve featured competitively before all right but I don’t think he definitively ruled out bringing people in. I don’t really have a problem with that.
Are there are players any of you feel should make the final 23 that haven’t really been among his 30 odd mainstays over the qualifying campaign?
Chewy mentioned Robbie Brady before but that was a frankly ridiculous shout. McClean has obviously burst onto the scene and then there’s the likes of Stephen Reid intimating he would be keen to be asked and David Meyler coming back from injury. Other players are too far down the pecking order in any case.
Am I missing anyone that would maybe have a claim to be considered based on club form this season even though they’ve hardly ever or never been involved internationally before?
I’d be interested in having a look at a player or two with the notion of replacing a player like Andy Keogh if a bolter emerges such as McLean. As I said above, I do understand his position, but I wouldnt like to see it being a case of the only way out of the squad between now and the summer being injury.
Anthony Stokes.
[quote=“myboyblue, post: 634073”]
I’d be interested in having a look at a player or two with the notion of replacing a player like Andy Keogh if a bolter emerges such as McLean. As I said above, I do understand his position, but I wouldnt like to see it being a case of the only way out of the squad between now and the summer being injury.[/quote]
Trap has picked big squads for the qualifying campaign though - sometimes as much as 27 or 28 players - and I think (& hope) that the likes of Keogh who’s been involved will lose out to players already in Trap’s plans when it comes to the final 23. We have McGeady and Hunt for the left wing, Duff and either Coleman or Lawrence for the right and then Keane, Walters, Long, Doyle and Cox ahead of Keogh for upfront. I’d say he’ll be one of the regular 3, 4 or 5 players who’ll have to accept not going.
I would hope so too, but I would doubt Lawrence is in the plans at this stage, how long has it been since he featured? Coleman I would hope is ahead, but Keogh is almost a lucky charm at this stage.
Have we addressed a potential squad here yet:
Keepers (3)
- Given
- Westwood
- Forde
Defenders (7)
- O’Shea
- Ward
- Dunne
- St Ledger
- Kelly
- O’Dea
- McShane
Midfielders (8):
- Whelan
- Andrews
- Duff
- McGeady
- Fahey
- Gibson
- Hunt
- Coleman/McCarthy/Keogh/Lawrence
Strikers (5)
- Keane
- Doyle
- Long
- Walters
- Cox
Trap is not one to take risks so he may only bring the 4 strikers (possibly leaving out Long) and add an extra defender possibly Clark or Foley.
I think he will leav Cox out, Farmer. I think Coleman will get the nod in midfield and he will opt for one of Foley or Clark due to their versatility. Clark’s recent form would have him as a slight favourite.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see him bringing Keogh due to his ‘versatility’ ahead of others. Did Keogh score a late equaliser or winner against Slovakia in Croke Park in one of Traps first games or am I mixing that game up with one under Stan?
I could see all of farmers list travelling apart from Long with both Keogh and Lawrence picked from the 4 potential midfielders, as insane as that would be.
Keogh scored the first goal of Trap reign.
Keogh scored the equaliser in Trap’s first game late on in Croke Park against Serbia, Mac.
I can’t see him leaving Long out.
Lawrence would have to be vulnerable all right. He’s fallen way down the pecking order having started the first 4 of the 10 group games.
There was some squad talk earlier in the thread Farmer.
If Gibson didn’t get his move I think he’d have been among the doubts but he has an opportunity to impress now. As I said a few pages back I think Meyler is the one player who could come from nowhere to make the squad because he has the right attributed. McLean is in good form but we really don’t need another winger.