Irish Euros Team - Half Term Report

Raskolnikov

Who has played themselves in, and out of contention of the 23 man squad? I imagine Trap's squad will now look something like this.

Goalkeepers
Given
Westwood
Forde

The only debate over goalkeepers is who takes the third slot.

Defenders
St. Ledger
Dunne
O'Shea
Kelly
O' Dea
Foley
Ward
Wilson

St. Ledger has been axed from the Leicester team after a row with the manager and will be sold during the transfer window. Wilson surely should get a place in the squad at least given his ever-present first team status at Stoke. If Ciaran Clark can get any kind of regular football at Villa, he could push his way into the team also. McShane is surely out of contention as he hardly plays and Trap has already called time on Kilbane's international career. Joey O' Brien could also be considered, given that he is fully fit and getting a regular game at high flying West Ham. Marc Tierney is also in the frame apparently.

Midfielders
Andrews
Whelan
McCarthy
Fahey
Duff
McGeady
Coleman
Hunt

Trap has spoken more enthusiastically about McCarthy now that he is playing regularily and in a holding midfield role, he will almost certainly get into the squad now I would think. Gibson and Meyler's lack of game time sees them slipping down the pecking order. Hoolahan has shown some form for Norwich, and apparently he will get a run-out during a February friendly.

Strikers
Keane
Doyle
Long
Walters

Cox not playing for West Brom will probably see him lose out. Leon Best (who Trap has said he "appreciates" is probably 5th choice if Trap decides to go with a 5th striker. Pilkington is also surely being looked at given his form.

G.K.

Aidan White!

GLaDOS

Players club form (or whether they're even playing) hasn't stopped Trap from picking players before so I can't see it having a huge effect now.

applehunter

I was impressed with James McClean of Sunderland yesterday.

Looked like a real Trap player.

Worked his ass off getting back helping defence and was dangerous on the attack.

Watch this space.

EdenHazard

james mclean is poison

GLaDOS

EdenHazard wrote: »

james mclean is poison

How so? Haven't seen him play since he left Derry but have only heard good things about his 1st team performances so far.

Mushy

EdenHazard wrote: »

james mclean is poison

How

ambid

applehunter wrote: »

I was impressed with James McClean of Sunderland yesterday.

Looked like a real Trap player.

Worked his ass off getting back helping defence and was dangerous on the attack.

Watch this space.

Is McClean not a Northern Ireland player, or has he declared for us?

Either way we have lots of wide players so might struggle to get in at this stage.

Good idea for a thread by the way.

GLaDOS

ambid wrote: »

Is McClean not a Northern Ireland player, or has he declared for us?

McClean was part of the Northern Ireland team that won the Milk Cup in 2008 and scored in the opening game in a 3–1 against the USA.[9] He has also represented Northern Ireland seven times at Under 21 level. On 26 July 2011 he was called up to the Northern Ireland senior squad for the match against the Faroe Islands on 10 August 2011.[10] McClean decided to wait for selection by the Republic of Ireland and therefore pulled out of the Northern Ireland squad.[11]

From his wiki

Good point though, the wings are arguably our strongest position in terms of player quality.

Eathrin

I can't imagine the starting XI for most games will be any different to the team we've seen through the qualifiers anyway.

fullstop

EdenHazard wrote: »

james mclean is poison

:rolleyes: Seen a lot of him have you?

EdenHazard

Yeah he's so bad, no imagination or trickery just an engine who'll run all day. Fair play to him for making it as a prem footballer but he's dirt. No place in an Ireland team that has good depth in that position.

applehunter

Duff
McGeady
Coleman
Hunt

Duff and McGeady:( are the only certs there.

Coleman and Hunt's places still up for grabs.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

Read somewhere Marc Wilson is 7/1 to make the plane. I know he hasn't even got a competitive cap yet, but it's still surely worth a punt.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

I'd just like to throw out there that Alex Pearce (the Reading defender) declared a few months ago. Probably won't make the squad, but if there's injuries he would be preferable to McShane.

ctrl-alt-delete

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

Read somewhere Marc Wilson is 7/1 to make the plane. I know he hasn't even got a competitive cap yet, but it's still surely worth a punt.

I don't know, I'd rather the team flew on a Boeing or an Airbus rather than something Marc Wilson made :eek:

ambid

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

I'd just like to throw out there that Alex Pearce (the Reading defender) declared a few months ago. Probably won't make the squad, but if there's injuries he would be preferable to McShane.

Never heard of him but we're short at centre half. The Euros might be too soon for him, if he's decent we need him for the future.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

ambid wrote: »

Never heard of him but we're short at centre half. The Euros might be too soon for him, if he's decent we need him for the future.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11673/7290594/Pearce-eyes-Republic-call

Another option is Steven Gerrard's cousin, Anthony who plays for Cardiff.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

G.K. wrote: »

Aidan White!

I notice you're not saying Keogh anymore.

Mushy

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

I notice you're not saying Keogh anymore.

Hasnt been playing as much, and when does, its very different tactics.

Raskolnikov

St. Ledger may be moving to Celtic, Andrews thought to be interesting Aston Villa and Everton - http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/ireland-pair-seeking-lsquowindowrsquo-moves-2977507.html

Father Damo

Raskolnikov wrote: »

.

McShane is surely out of contention as he hardly plays [/quotes]

Please. Please please please. I would let him stand in a square outside the stadium watching it on the big screen.

Cox not playing for West Brom will probably see him lose out. .

Hardly. Everyone else thought Trap had lost it starting Cox over Long despite regular game time and he went and scored. Trap likes him. Fact is nobody can guess the line up- what seems logical to Joe Public isnt usually what Trap is thinking, yet he always pulls it off. We could have a striker better than Messi and Trap mightnt start him because hes not down with the system.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

Raskolnikov wrote: »

St. Ledger may be moving to Celtic, Andrews thought to be interesting Aston Villa and Everton - http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/ireland-pair-seeking-lsquowindowrsquo-moves-2977507.html

Wow, don't like putting down Irish players, but if Villa sign Andrews it's another damning indictment of their aspirations since Martin O'Neill left.

G.K.

IRISHSPORTSGUY wrote: »

I notice you're not saying Keogh anymore.

He's not really played much recently.

AgileMyth

EdenHazard wrote: »

Yeah he's so bad, no imagination or trickery just an engine who'll run all day. Fair play to him for making it as a prem footballer but he's dirt. No place in an Ireland team that has good depth in that position.

You haven't seen much of him. Wait til he settles into the team. Mclean is potentially top class.

McGeady has bags of imagination and trickery and gets **** all done. Mclean/Coleman's direct approach will achieve a lot more.

premierstone

AgileMyth wrote: »

You haven't seen much of him. Wait til he settles into the team. Mclean is potentially top class.

McGeady has bags of imagination and trickery and gets **** all done. Mclean/Coleman's direct approach will achieve a lot more.

McGeady has scored over 40 goals and over 100 assists in less than 300 apps from midfield and was signed by Spartak Moscow for a fee of £9.5m, was an ever present for Ireland throughout its most succesfull campaign in years yet according to you he delivers fcuk all???

While the other poster is being redicilous to dismiss McLeans potential so flipantly I would think it is even more foolish to be so dimissive of somebody who is already delivering at the top level.

Eathrin

McGeady has struggled to deliver for Ireland, you can't deny that, never mind club level.
I like him. I see him as the creative threat the rest of the squad lacks and so he brings a whole new dimension to our game. Duff was the same but has lost most of it, still does the job for us though.

Luap

What about Anthony Pilkington for Norwich scored yesterday and has scored a good few goals this season.

Mr.Nice Guy

Joe Murphy played well for Coventry against West Ham yesterday. He might be in with a good shout for the third goalkeeping spot. I reckon that's the only spot that an outsider of sorts can land.

TheRedDevil10

Can't see Duff getting back into the Fulham team unforunately. Dempsey, Dembele and Ruiz ahead of him in pecking order, also the young lad Frei looks decent.

applehunter

McClean scores the 2nd for Sunderland tonight.:)

Great boost for him.

Mushy

If he keeps it up, he may be in contention. The more the better, dont want complacency.

TheRedDevil10

Meyler on now

The_Kew_Tour

Such a pity Meyler got two horrific injures, he seemed to be great prospect.

the realpigiron

EdenHazard wrote: »

james mclean is poison

You've been asked by 2 or 3 posters to explain that comment. Are you going to explain yourself?

applehunter

He can certainly whip in a ball.

Maybe he can give McGeady a few pointers.

the realpigiron

Damian Duff is out of favour at Fulham, hope he gets his place back. James McClean has been excellent for Sunderland since O'Neill took over, could definitely be in the squad for the Euros.

Oat23

McClean is having a great game. I wasn't expecting him to be knocking on the International door so soon if I'm honest!

Mushy

the realpigiron wrote: »

You've been asked by 2 or 3 posters to explain that comment. Are you going to explain yourself?

In all fairness he did. Just poorly...and not what I'd agree with.

Mushy

Oatesy23 wrote: »

McClean is having a great game. I wasn't expecting him to be knocking on the International door so soon if I'm honest!

Was never really expecting it at all but fair play to him.

the realpigiron

EdenHazard wrote: »

Yeah he's so bad, no imagination or trickery just an engine who'll run all day. Fair play to him for making it as a prem footballer but he's dirt. No place in an Ireland team that has good depth in that position.

Nonsense, you haven't a clue.

the realpigiron

Mushy wrote: »

In all fairness he did. Just poorly...and not what I'd agree with.

Just seen that now, thanks.

applehunter

EdenHazard wrote: »

Yeah he's so bad, no imagination or trickery just an engine who'll run all day. Fair play to him for making it as a prem footballer but he's dirt. No place in an Ireland team that has good depth in that position.

Was he doing a few fancy stepovers there to keep you happy Eden?:D

Rhys Essien

Ciaran Clark now on form,as is James McClean.

Robbie Brady looks the business with Hull.(Messiesque)

Anthony Stokes scored hatrick today.Will it be tough if he looses out to Doyle or Walters at this stage?

Wilson playing week in week out,has to be in Euro squad

Lot of food for thought for Trap,although knowing Trap maybe not.

Raskolnikov

Paddypower betting to make the squad.


Throw Wilson in for McShane, and that would be the squad I would have picked for the finals.

cgpg5

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Ciaran Clark now on form,as is James McClean.

Robbie Brady looks the business with Hull.(Messiesque)

Anthony Stokes scored hatrick today.Will it be tough if he looses out to Doyle or Walters at this stage?

Wilson playing week in week out,has to be in Euro squad

Lot of food for thought for Trap,although knowing Trap maybe not.

Against the mighty Peterhead.. come on Stokes is an average championship player at best there is no way he could force his way in ahead of these.

It'll be interesting though who he leaves out in the striker department, provided he takes 4 (and barring injury). Walters, Doyle and Keane have to be certs so that leaves a straight choice between Long and Cox- I fear very greatly that he could go with the latter

Kiwi_knock

I say Trap will have to bring 5 strikers at this stage with Doyle out of form and with Cox looking impressive with his limited performances.

Very impressed by Alex Pearce at Reading, I think he deserves a run out in one of the friendlies before the Euros. Certainly one for the future anyway.

Rhys Essien

Raskolnikov wrote: »

Paddypower betting to make the squad.


Throw Wilson in for McShane, and that would be the squad I would have picked for the finals.

Jebus,looking at that, imagine the combined odds for Wilson,Clark,Stokes,McClean and Hoolahan to be included,who are all playing regularly and good.

For another manager,they would be hard to leave out.

GLaDOS

Stokes attitude has ensured he definitely won't be going imo. Trap is the type of manager that wouldn't take someone who isn't 100% behind the team.

Hannibal

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Jebus,looking at that, imagine the combined odds for Wilson,Clark,Stokes,McClean and Hoolahan to be included,who are all playing regularly and good.

For another manager,they would be hard to leave out.

I'd definitely take Clarke and McClean without doubt.

With regards to Stokes we've Keane, Doyle and Long definitely going with Cox and Walters easily the next best. I can't see Stokes giving us anything better than what them players do

Colilfc

Gary Doherty should be on the plane, just for his versatility. Good option to come off the bench. Can play CB/CM and CF. Could even play him on the wings.