Keane said he’d really need to join in with the group today to have a chance of featuring. I think tomorrow’s captain’s run would be too late so this doesn’t look very promising.
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Did you bring your gear in case we are short?
Sigh
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James McCarthy has taken part in the pre captains run captains run today. Coleman and Long have also trained.
How much of a part he has taken is still unconfirmed.
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Any word since?
Newstalk reporting it as he came through a full training session unscathed.
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All players have trained this morning it seems. Unlike Joe Schmidts shiteology, I think we can assume that this means everyone is fit and available for selection. Koeman will be seething, but McCarthy starts then you’d feel.
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Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill says James McCarthy is feeling a lot better and is improving.
McCarthy will be assessed again this afternoon after training once again today
cc @bandage
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I think McCarthy has a tendency to start games and then go off injured early on. I’ve a shit memory so might be making that up. He does seem crap at assessing his fitness though.
Looking like it’s a choice between the McCarthy, Hendrick and McGeady combination versus the Whelan, McCarthy, Hendrick one for the 3 midfield spots.
Ireland have played a tilted midfield diamond like this in the past (e.g. against Bosnia at home):
Whelan deepest, McCarthy quite narrow on the right, Hendrick shuttling on the left and Hoolahan then at the apex but drifting more left. Walters then the wide right attacker with a lone striker. In theory McGeady could play that “Hoolahan” role and you’d have all 4 of them starting.
But that formation doesn’t really suit McClean. He’s been our best player in the campaign and will definitely start. I’ve just had a brainwave - tilt the diamond the other way. So McClean is the wide left attacker, Walters through the middle as striker, McGeady at the apex of the diamond but central/right, Hendrick shuttling on the right, McCarthy narrow on the left centre and Whelan still the pivot. The headless chicken Long can be brought on then to run around and be repeatedly caught offside late on.
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Where you getting the Jupiler from, bro?
That was a photo from the Euros when we flew into Belgium and got the train to France. I set out various formation possibilities with the sweets and saved the different pictures into my “football tactics” picture folder. I knew I’d need to use them on an ad hoc basis in future INTERNET discussions. A couple of cans and a few episodes of Where In The World? on the laptop later and we were pulling into Paris.
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sports broadcasting is missing out here. I’d say John Giles would be a fan of your old school way of laying out formations. No need for iPads and all that shite that Sky have.
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mccarthy a lot better and improving
will train in the PM
Brady was idiotic to throw a ball away
coleman remained stoic thruout
more to folow
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Are you working at the daily press conferences, pal?
I enjoyed your piece earlier in the week.
Link to piece please
