Ireland Vs Russia predictions and possible team

Praetorian · 04-09-2003 4:27pm #1

I think we'll win 2-1. I reckon Duff and another midfielder will score. I'm hoping for a good atmosphere on Saturday.

What team would you like to see playing? I’d prefer if Connolly and Doherty were not playing, especially Connolly.

eirebhoy · 04-09-2003 4:37pm

Given

Carr

Cunnigham

O'Shea

Finnan

Reid

Healy

Holland

Kilbane

Duff

Morrison

I reckon a 3-1 win. Stephen Carr to score!!!;)

jonno · 04-09-2003 4:46pm

Well Kerr has sort of said he will stick by his back four so I'll go for:

Given

Carr----Cunningham----Breen---O'Shea

Reid

Healy

Kinsella----Kilbane

Duff

Morrison

Other possiblities are to play Finnan in Reid's place and Doherty up front with Duff on the left.

2-1 to Ireland
Morrison and a midfielder to score

Space Coyote · 04-09-2003 5:59pm

I'd go with eireboy's selection there.... :eek:

Given

Carr

Cunnigham

O'Shea

Finnan

Reid

Healy

Holland

Kilbane

Duff

Morrison

Breeny may have scored last weekend but he is liable to fall on his @rse at any moment, so lashing Stevie F on the left so Johno can move to centre-back is a good one imo. Kilbane deserves his place on the left, was very effective and full of beans when he came on against the ozzies. I don't think Kinsella deserves to be playing for us at the moment, so I'd have the two H's in there.
Duff and Morrison up front is pretty much a given, obviously throwing on either Connolly or Ian Dowie...i mean Doherty, if thinggs aren't going to plan.

I'll go for 3-1 Ireland. Duffer and O'Shea.

The Muppet · 04-09-2003 6:12pm

As its agame we need to score in i think Harty may get his game in place of finnian or carr other that that I would go with eirboys selection.

Steve_o · 04-09-2003 8:16pm

Ok I think Kerr will play this team against Russia.

Given

Carr

Cunningham

Breen

O'Shea

Reid

Holland

Healy

Duff

Connolly

Morrison

Connolly and Morrison are both very quick and Morrison has a bit of height which always helps.

StickyMcGinty · 04-09-2003 8:31pm

finnan was dire playin right mid against australia, so i'd say kerr won't play him there. and kerr will stick with his back 4, but this is what i'd like to see.

GIVEN

Carr

Cunningham

O'Shea

Finnan

Reid

Kinsella

Holland

Duffer

Morrison

Connolly

wither that or have a diamond in the middle, with

Kinsella

Reid

Healy---

Duffer

thats if we need to attack more.

3-1 to ireland, but it'll be after half time till we are in full gear

Seaneh · 04-09-2003 8:43pm

Best team?

Given

Kelly

O'Brien

O'Shea----Finnan

Reid

Healy----Carsley

Duff

Keane----Morission

Kelly is playing better right now than Carr, Carsley is better alround than either Kinsella or Holland and Reid is far better than anyone else on the right.

The team that will play on the other hand will be very differaint.

Given

Carr---Cunningham----Breen----O'Shea

Reid----Healy----Holland

Killbane

Duff----Morission

Kerr will be affriad to change things o much incase the team doesnt gell, but i think that he will try out some of the players in my first choice before the champs next summer.

Players that should be removed from squad?
Kinsella
Doherty

Both are muck and will be playing reserve football all season.

manic_monster · 05-09-2003 7:10am

Afraid it will be 0-0. Can't see where a goal will come from and the Russians will be coming not to lose.

Team will be
Given

Carr
Breen
Cunningham
OShea

Carsley
Holland
Healy
Kilbane

Duff
Morrison

spudulike · 05-09-2003 7:42am

Russians like to play it on the ground - Kerr will start the game playing it on the ground aswell. To be honest it will be hard for us to score - as long as we don't concede goals the same way we did the last time we played them. If we score they will come from set pieces, break away attacks or defensive errors on the part of the Russians. We don't have the ability to break teams down.

My one worry though is that the Russians now have a new manager. Teams tend to raise their game when a new manager comes on board - with the exception of Sunderland that is !!!!!

jongore · 05-09-2003 8:04am

Originally posted by manic_monster
Afraid it will be 0-0. Can't see where a goal will come from and the Russians will be coming not to lose.

Have to agree (I hopt to God i'm proved wrong) The ruskis will put everyone behind the ball and no matter who plays Ireland does not have enough quality to break them down:(

Our best chance will be from set pieces but Russia will have at least as many of those.

Team will be
Given

Carr
Breen
Cunningham
OShea

Reid
Holland
Healy
Kilbane

Duff
Morrison

Kone · 05-09-2003 11:00am

For this game I think Kerr wil play the following:

Given

Carr
Cunningham
Breen
O'Shea

Reid
Holland
Kinsella
Kilbane

Duff
Morrison

For this game I would play:

Given

Carr
O'Shea
Cunningham
Finnan

Reid
Holland
Healy
Kilbane

Duff
Morrison

I think it will be an Ireland win (just....)

If things aren't going well I can see Doherty and Harte coming on for the last 20 minutes and a lot of long balls being played!

:eek:

ciano · 05-09-2003 11:05am

I reckon the starting XI will be:

Given

Carr----Cunningham----Breen

O'Shea

Reid

Healy

Holland

Kilbane

Duff

Doherty

Ireland to win 2-0!

colster · 05-09-2003 11:42am

I think we'll win this game on Saturday.
The team will be

Given

Carr Breen Cunningham O'Shea

Reid Healy Holland Kilbane

Duff Donherty

This side is good enough to win this game.
The set piece will be very important. We can cause them all sorts of problems in that area.
Reid and Duff are good deliverers of the ball.
Reid takes a very good freekick.
We also have a lot of height in Doherty, Breen, O'Shea, Healy, Kilbane and Reid which will offer us a lot of options from corners etc.
Kerr works a lot on setpieces and I wouldn't be surprised if we nicked a goal or 2 from them.

Big Chief · 05-09-2003 12:19pm

either lose 1-0 or draw 1-1

ella minnow pea · 05-09-2003 12:21pm

With the Russkis playing 3-5-2 i think our wide players will be very important - Carr and Jonno are very attack-minded, and Reid and (sigh) Kilbane are generally good at getting forward. With only 3 defenders to beat I'd play Morrison and Duff up front. Gary Doherty is a centre back, whatever anyone says.

spudulike · 05-09-2003 12:21pm

We will scrape through by a single goal with doherty either scoring or creating the winner - with his head !!

GuanYin · 05-09-2003 2:03pm

The team I would like:

Given

Carr

Cunningham

O'Shea

Finnan

Reid

Carsley

Holland

Duff

Connolly

Morrison

Subs (Doherty for Connolly if we need aerial prowess).

I think, having the ability to interchange between 4-4-2 and 4-3-1-2 will suit us againts a russian 3-5-2 system.

I also think that Connolly, despite his limitations has the best link up play of our forwards and holds up and lays off the ball better than Doherty or Morrison. So Connolly up front with Morrison and Duff attacking at all opportunities.

A strong tackling midfield will be needed with the Russians playing 5 across the middle. Carsley and Holland probably are the best for that on current form, Reid is in because he can naturally tuck inside when Duff gets forward and because Finnan looked lost on Right-Mid.

Finally Breen is a calamity waiting to happen, his form has been patchy of late, even for Ireland (who he usually saves his best for) and O'Shea is quite simply our best centre back. Carr is a no brainer and Finnan over Harte because basically he can actually defend (although Harte tried it against the Ozzies and apparently he might try and include it in his future games).

The team I think will play:

Given

Carr

Cunnigham

Breen

O'Shea

Reid

Healy

Holland

Kilbane

Duff

Doherty

Subds (Morrison for Doherty if we go a goal down).

I think we will win by 2 goals.

The russians preparation for this game has been a disaster and they don't travel well to begin with.

ella minnow pea · 05-09-2003 3:21pm

Originally posted by sykeirl
The russians preparation for this game has been a disaster and they don't travel well to begin with.

i think they've been playing a lot of mind games, putting out statements that their prep has a been "a shambles" and suchlike.

betcha they'll stay in the dressing rooms an extra 10 minutes at half time n all.

GuanYin · 05-09-2003 3:24pm

Originally posted by ella minnow pea
i think they've been playing a lot of mind games, putting out statements that their prep has a been "a shambles" and suchlike.

betcha they'll stay in the dressing rooms an extra 10 minutes at half time n all.

I have a russian colleague over there who is dispairing right now.
Apparently nobody booked a coach from one of their last training sessions and then in an unrelated incident they missed a flight.

They have been trying to keep it under wraps coz they are getting dogs abuse from the media over there as it is.

AngelofFire · 05-09-2003 11:29pm

Given

-Carr

Cunningham

Breen

O`shea

-Reid

Healy

Holland

Kilbane

Duff

Morrisson

Duff could drop back to support the midfield or perhaps switch with kilbane from time to time. Kilbane works hard but if we had Robbie back it would be keane and morrison up front with duff on the left.

Reid is obviously a better choice for RM than carsley as he is getting first team action at blackburn and also he can get himself into attacking postions

Finnan would have been my first choice left back however moving o`shea to CB is risky and the breen-cunningham combo is the tried and tested one

eirebhoy · 06-09-2003 9:46am

Originally posted by Big Chief
either lose 1-0 or draw 1-1

Big Chief, from reading few of your posts about Irish football I really think you don't like to see them doing well or you don't believe in them. I think Ireland are the best team in the whole UK and Ireland and you seem to hate the way so many of the Irish believe and have high expectations of our country. If it was England playing Russia in Old Trafford who do you think would win that? Fair enough, England have better players then us individually but as a team we are better. The Irish team are all friends which makes a team play a lot better. I know that Ireland obviously have a chance of being beaten but isn't just a pity that the Scottish don't have the same belief in there national team than maybe you'd get somewhere.

Ireland Vs Russia predictions and possible team

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