Staunton\'s Squad So Far

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This thread discusses the Content article: [url=http://www.thefreekick.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&Itemid=66&id=81]Staunton’s Squad So Far

Excellent article rocko. Would agree with all of that and laughed at the quips below.

My life has become much more complete now I’ve found people who possess a similarly detailed high level and intensive knowledge of association football and all its tactical nuances. Of course there’s yourself and there’s also ClarkeyCat and even Cesc4 too. On the other hand there’s the likes of farmerinthecity who continue to bemuse me with outlandish comments about the beautiful game.

‘There are arguments for including Kilbane on the left wing or at left back but there are equally convincing arguments for including him in a circus.’

‘To be perfectly frank Andy Reid is fat.’

‘As an example he cited the fact that the Czech Republic were able to adopt any one of three formations in any game because their players are so clever. It didn’t appear to occur to him that their manager might have devised such formations. Did Paul Merson teach this man nothing at Walsall?’

Post edited by: Bandage, at: 2007/08/16 19:31

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Coincidentally enough after reading the article on the squad I see Stanislav Staunton has named his squad for the away friendly. Because he’s such a nutjob I have a bad feeling he’s not going to use Carsley in September even though he suggests he will. How can Alan O’Brien still get picked? Whatever he is it’s not a footballer.

From RTE (the Irish national broadcaster):

Manager Steve Staunton has named a strong squad for the upcoming friendly away trip to Denmark despite the absence of several key players.

Staunton is without the Newcastle United duo of Shay Given (groin) and Damien Duff (ankle) because of injury but he is able to welcome back Newcastle defender Stephen Carr, who hasn’t played since the opening Euro 2008 qualifier against Germany last September.

While Duff is unlikely to return before the end of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Staunton is hopeful that goalkeeper and vice-captain Given will be fit for the September tests.

Also missing from the squad is Everton midfielder, Lee Carsley but Staunton said that the 33-year-old is still very much part of his plans.

Staunton revealed: ‘When Lee came back into the squad last year we agreed that if I was not going to use him I wouldn’t bring him around the world to sit on the bench, however he is still in my plans for the games in September.’

Charlton Athletic midfielder Andy Reid and Wolves striker Stephen Elliot, who missed the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Wales and Slovakia at Croke Park last March because of injury, also return to the squad.

Ireland’s last games were in May when they faced Ecuador and Bolivia in the USA where Staunton gave many of the young players on the fringes of his squad valuable senior international experience.

Colin Doyle (Birmingham City), Darren Potter (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Andy Keogh (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Daryl Murphy (Sunderland), who made their senior international debuts during those games, are included in the 23 man squad for Denmark.

Staunton added: ‘The games in the US last May were a great exercise and many more of that squad will be with the U-21s in Germany next week where they will get more valuable international experience.’

If he makes his 81st senior international appearance against Denmark, Wigan Athletic’s Kevin Kilbane will pass out legendary goalkeeper Packie Bonner to become Ireland’s fifth most capped player of all-time.

The squad will assemble at their Portmarnock headquarters on Sunday and will train on Monday and Tuesday at Gannon Park, Malahide, before flying to Denmark on Tuesday afternoon.

Republic of Ireland senior squad for friendly v Denmark in Aarhus, 22 August, 2007:

Goalkeepers:
Nick Colgan, Colin Doyle, Wayne Henderson.

Defenders:
Stephen Carr, Richard Dunne, Steve Finnan, Stephen Kelly, Paul McShane, John O’Shea.

Midfielders:
Jonathon Douglas, Stephen Hunt, Stephen Ireland, Kevin Kilbane, Aiden McGeady, Alan O’Brien, Darren Potter, Andy Reid.

Strikers:
Kevin Doyle, Stephen Elliot, Robbie Keane, Andy Keogh, Shane Long, Daryl Murphy.

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It’s an improving squad. Still weak with goalkeepers there - any reason why Kenny hasn’t been included. Henderson is crap and so is Colgan.

No Andy O’Brien which is good news. Is O’Dea in the Under 21 panel? Unlucky timing with his injury pre-season but there’s a place for him there at Celtic ahead of Pressley and Kennedy on current form.

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O’Dea was named in the U-21 squad alright as was Stokes. It’s interesting (to me anyway) that there’s certain Championship players like Potter and Keogh, who both admittedly did well on the Summer Tour, in the squad ahead of EPL players like Miller, Connolly and Stokes. Heard a Stan interview on Newstalk earlier where he was saying it doesn’t matter what league you’re in as long as you’re playing well. I’m pretty sure that’s completely at variance with what he’s said in the past when he defended leaving players out by citing the fact they weren’t playing in the EPL.

I’m quite miffed at Carsely’s exclusion. I don’t get the whole ‘no point bringing him to sit on the bench’ argument. The thing is he shouldn’t be on the bench - he should be playing. I’ve no qualms about not bringing him to America at the end of a long season but this away friendly is 2/3 weeks before an important away double header. Surely he should be getting his planned XI for those qualifier games on the pitch against Denmark and also there’s midfield players like Hunt, McGeady and Potter who’ll have had very little, if any, exposure to playing in a side with Carsley. It’s fairly obvious that it’d help their understanding as a midfield unit if they’ve played a friendly game together before the Czech / Slovakia games.

Stan doesn’t really do common sense though.

Post edited by: Bandage, at: 2007/08/16 22:45

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Yeah I don’t see any reason for not playing Carsley. In the past I’ve been highly critical of the FAI for failing to organise away friendlies but the lack of a stadium finally forced their hand. But the whole exercise should be a learning experience for the players to learn how to play together on an unfamiliar pitch. The US Tour was for experimentation. This match should be about the Czech/Slovak double header.

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Some journo also asked Stan about Roy O’Donovan and Stan drawled, 'Just ‘cos he’s got himself a move to England it don’t mean he’s suddenly become the greatest player in the world.’ Nobody said he had you clown.

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O’Donovan will have to do plenty to get into Keane’s plans after the row they had when Staunton didn’t pick him for the US tour. Seemed that Stan went out of his way to not pick him and made no secret of that when talking to the media. I can’t stand managers who do that. Don Givens got 1 game as caretaker manager of Ireland and he managed to have a public bust-up with David Connolly. I don’t care how good or bad Connolly is, Givens should not have had a public row with him.

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Saw Richie Dunne split himself open yesterday and Paul McShane the day before and I thought to myself, these lads are heroes and quite a decent pair to have centre-half for Ireland. So then I was thinking a bit more and I thought, fook we actually have the bones of a decent first 11. The way I look at it is, that these guys are all excellent players:

---------------------Given---------------------

—Finnan----Dunne------McShane-----x

—McGeady-----x-------x---------Duff

-------------Doyle--------Keane------------

I suppose there’s nothing massively new in what I’m saying here but we’ve only three gaps to fill as far as I’m concerned. Carsley is quite a decent player imo but hasn’t long left in him. Maybe Steven Reid can fill that void although we need him to channel his boundless energy towards providing a screen and moving laterally than being up and down as is his style. Then we need to pop a creative midfielder in beside him. The alternative is to find someone similar in style to Reid and just ensure one sits when the other goes forward. I’m stumped at the moment as to who the second midfielder can be though. At left back maybe Stephen O’Halloran but I suppose O’Shea will have to do for now.

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Yeah that’s what the article is getting at Clarkey. There’s some real quality in the squad these days.

I think Stephen Ireland has earned himself one of the central spots to be honest and at the moment it’s got to be Carsley alongside him. I’m not overly impressed with S Reid but I think he has the makings of a good player. He was poor away to Germany though I thought.

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I understand what you’re saying about Stevie Ireland but I don’t really think he’s top class and would hope that somebody else will emerge to be the creative midfielder. Agreed on Reid. People were fawning over him after his season for Blackburn 2 years ago and a decent performance against Sweden in Stan’s first game in charge. I don’t really see it. Like his enthusiasm and workrate but he’s not that great and I’d definitely have Carsley ahead of him.

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I’m not saying he should be in there instead of one of the X’s as an established “excellent player.” I’m more addressing the paragraph below where you discussed midfield options and said that at the moment we need a creative midfielder to pop in beside Carsley. That has to be Stevie Ireland at the moment.

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I watched Everton win at Spurs last week and Carsley really does an excellent job. He’s what Eamon Dunphy calls ‘the good pro’ in Only A Game - he covers the runs from midfield tha his team-mates have missed, he makes committed blocks on the edge of the box, he’s an effective screen for the centre back pairing and when he gets the ball he gives it simply to a better ball player (like Arteta). He should be a definite selection for Ireland at this point in time while recognising his limitations on the ball.

As for Stephen Ireland; I still think he’s too lightweight to play in a 4-4-2, especially away from home. If I recall correctly he played in a 4-4-1-1 type formation in the home double header in March. Douglas and Carsley played in the middle against Wales with Kilbane and Duff out wide and Keane upfront with Ireland in behind. Doyle returned from injury to replace the suspended Keane for the Slovakia game with Duff and McGeady wide and Ireland in front of Kilbane and Carsley.

Having watched a good bit of Ireland he’s neat and tidy on the ball and has the ability to pick out a probing pass in the attacking third. However, he has little, if any, strength on the ball, isn’t a great tackler and wouldn’t be one to work all that hard off the ball in tracking, marking etc. I know the whole team was a shambles in Cyprus but the decimation came in a game where Kilbane and Ireland started together in a 4-4-2.

Obviously Carsley is a more disciplined defensive midfielder than Kilbane and knows the position far, far better but I think we would be completely overrun and ultimately beaten up badly in Czech / Slovakia playing Ireland in a midfield two.

The quandry (which I have no faith in Staunton solving) is how to set up the team to ensure we’re hard to break down while retaining an ability to keep the ball ourselves. If we sacrifice Ireland and play Kilbane and Carsley then we’re going to be tackling and defending for the game as they’ll have no chance of setting a passing tone in midfield.

On the other hand if we play Ireland in midfield with these two then it’d mean either Doyle or Keane, the captain, would miss out which would be a big decision for Staunton to make.

On balance I think we should go with one upfront and Ireland in behind. Ireland has earned a start with his goals and use of the ball in the last few games while his inclusion should give us a better chance of getting some kind of passing game going. I just hope Stan doesn’t back off from having to make a decision and play Ireland out of position on the flank to avoid having to leave out Keane or Doyle.

If I was picking a team for the game:

Given;
O’Shea; Dunne; McShane; Finnan;
McGeady; Carsley; Kilbane; Hunt;
Ireland;
Keane;

RIP to Staunton’s Dad too.

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That last point is crucial Bandage - hadn’t thought of that but now that you mention it I think Ireland will get a wing spot instead of McGeady probably and that will solve all Stan’s problems for him. Of course it doesn’t hide the fact that Ireland was dreadful when played on the wing before and it still doesn’t solve the problem of retaining possession in the middle of the park but I’ve a feeling that’s what Stan will do.

I take on board all your comments about Ireland being too lightweight for a 4-4-2 and in other circumstances I might agree with your proposed team. However I think:

  1. we need to win and
  2. we can’t afford to not play our best players
    so I’d definitely start Keane alongside Doyle. Put them on the back foot and have a real go at them. It’s a pity we didn’t experiment further with the formation we used against Sweden which was effective (in a friendly admittedly) but also suited the players we have.

Given
Finnan, Dunne, McShane, O’Shea
_Carsley, Kilbane
__McGeady, Ireland, Keane
Doyle

would be a cracking formation I reckon but we can’t just use it for the first time in competitive games. Hunt would be dropped in that formation but we’d have lots of creativity around the box and two lads just holding in behind. Kilbane isn’t suited to that role much though because he’s not really a holding type player but we do have a problem in that area of tha park as you say.

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Agreed that Stan is likely to favour Ireland on the wing to McGeady, at the expense of any creativity in the middle of the park. If we line up with a midfield four of Ireland, Carsley, Kilbane, Hunt, we’re in serious danger of losing both games and have little chance of scoring from play. What I’d favour is a midfield four of McGeady, Carsley, A. Reid and Hunt but there’s no real chance of that happening because that would mean dropping Kilbane or else playing Kilbane left back (where he’s playing for Wigan) and dropping Finnan/O’Shea.

Like you said rock I think we should get up and at them and reckon that midfield 4 is best to do it but it’s probably a million miles from what he’ll do. I know Reid is fat but I think he has the same sort of qualities and limitations as Ireland but is a better player than him. He’s been made captain of Charlton so I take that as encouraging - he must be training well.

Bandage - O’Shea at RB and Finnan at LB - seriously?

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Re O’Shea and Finnan; I should have clarified that I’d play them the other way around but for whatever reason Stan has played O’Shea on the right and Finnan on
the left in competitive games and will probably do so again next month.

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therock67 wrote:

[quote]

Given
Finnan, Dunne, McShane, O’Shea
_Carsley, Kilbane
__McGeady, Ireland, Keane
Doyle

[quote]

I like the above team. McGeady plays best when he isn’t stuck out in the wing or doesn’t have to cut inside to a crowded area from the wing imo. One of his best displays was against Milan last year when he played just behind the striker(s). Carsley is well worth his place in the side and does a job that no one else can. I fear however either himself or McGeady won’t start. One problem I have with all your teams lads is why would you continue to pick O’Shea. Like all my best points on this board I like to bring it up again and again but O’Shea has been simply awful for Ireland. I would qualify that and say it has been only in last year or two when he has been awful but I actually don’t think that is the case. Kilbane might not have the experience that O’Shea has at left back but I am sure he would do a far better job. Time and again playing O’Shea has cost us. I would actually play Harte instead of him also. Why are people so keen to start O’Shea all the time?

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Harte doesn’t have a club at the moment so can’t be fit. If you play Kilbane left back then who would you play in the centre with Carsley in the above formation?

At the moment it comes down to O’Shea v Carr (O’Halloran isn’t ready yet) and O’Shea wins that for me.

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I’d go with S Reid alongside Carsley with Kilbane then at left back. I think Reid could be a good holding midfielder though Clarkey’s point about him being more of a box to box rather than a lateral runner is a good one.

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Steven Reid hasn’t played since the Germany game last September due to injury.

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Fair enough so. How long more is he out for?