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[Albion] Internationals
- Thread starter PILTDOWN MAN
- Start date
smillie's garden
Am I evil?
- Aug 11, 2003
- 2,731
Steady on Leo, don't really want the big boys sniffing around you too.
Second goal for Leo......
swindonseagull
Well-known member
At least he knows where the goal is..
Should do Trossard’s confidence a world of good.
smillie's garden
Am I evil?
- Aug 11, 2003
- 2,731
Thanks. Well done Leo. That is a defeated keeper.
herecomesaregular
We're in the pipe, 5 by 5
But it seems he only smiles when at home playing with his Lego. Do wonder why he always looks like he is really not enjoying his football. Odd (but a terrific player, hope we keep him).
Robinjakarta
Well-known member
I hope so too and have always liked and rated him. Yes, he's inconsistent, but flair players often are. I think he sometimes gets misunderstood. I well remember vs. Watford last year him getting slated on here by many. He was in space out on the left that match and spent much of his time signalling others to give the ball to him. When they did, he was effective, but they didn't do so much, so he didn't see a lot of the ball. Not his fault. He was doing the right thing and presumably under instructions.
As for smiling, try getting me to smile for a photo. Some people just don't.
ManOfSussex
We wunt be druv
Sky Sports highlights of Belgium's win if anyone wants to see it.
I think he's just serious about footy and winning...always seems agreeable in post match interviews. Good for Tross
Not bad for a fatty.
Jolly Red Giant
Well-known member
- Jul 11, 2015
- 2,615
1. Kenny is a few months shy of 50 - he has been a manager for almost 25 years. The guy has been sacked from half the teams he managed. His 'reputation' is manufactured, based on his success at Dundalk - a success based on the quality of players that were at the club when he arrived. Furthermore, you need experience at international manager level - an ability to get the best out of the players at your disposal because you cannot go out and spend £50-£100million on a striker. Kenny has never shown that he is capable of producing when he has had limited resources at his disposal. By the way - the best Irish manager at the moment is Brendan Rodgers - and Michael O'Neill is doing a good job as well - Rodgers is younger than Kenny and O'Neill a year older.
2. You said they were Championship players - they are not - most play in the PL. Now you retort with the fact that they are going to get relegated. The reality is that John Egan will be back in the PL next season unless he is convinced that Sheff U will bounce straight back - and he actually wants to stay there. I also think Callum Robinson is underrated and is PL standard. As for Clark and Hendrick - Hendrick never really produced for Ireland and is clearly in decline - Clark however has played most of his career in the PL and will continue to be a useful back-up to the defenders who will be on the pitch for Ireland. Coleman has another 3/4 years at Everton and will be vital going forward and Doherty will prove how good he is when Mourinho gets sacked. You also failed to mention another PL player at WBA - Darragh O'Shea - who was Ireland's best player by a stretch over the recent three games.
3. There is a lot of potential at underage level for Ireland. We have no idea how much of that potential will come to fruition. In my view it is the most exciting crop of young players since Ireland won the underage European Championships. You mention Bazunu and Kelleher (and Ireland is set at GK for the next 20 years) - and then Connolly. I don't want to go back over old territory when people on here were raving about Connolly, but Connolly is not the pick of the remaining bunch of young players. The aforementioned Darragh O'Shea looks like he will be a top PL player - Nathan Collins has had several PL clubs looking at him. Molumby, who I would argue made a mistake going to Preston, is a better prospect than Connolly and will become a good PL player. Will Ferry and Will Smallbone at Southampton as exciting players - Conor Noss at Monchengladbach - Cullen could really kick-on in Belgium - Adam Idah at Norwich and Parrott - and then there are also a host of youngsters a couple of years below them - like Evan Ferguson. Not all of these players will come through - but we don't need them to - a couple here and there and all of a sudden you have a really good team. Finally you have Jason Knight - he was excellent in the first half against Luxembourg, but faded in the second half, like the rest of the team. When he came on as sub last night he singularly caused the team to up the tempo and threaten Qatar. Rooney isn't the only one raving about Knight - he produces week-in week-out for Derby and in January Burnley, Palace and West Ham all tried to sign him. West Ham regard him as a potential replacement for Rice. Again - he may never fulfill his potential - but the odds are very much in his favour.
4. The Irish team is going through a major transition. O'Neill should have been sacked two years before he was - and the FAI should have tried to hire Hughton. That didn't happen - McCarthy was a lame duck with Kenny waiting in the wings. If they FAI really wanted to change the style of play and wanted an Irish manager then they should have gone for a tried and tested manager who has a solid reputation at international level - Brian Kerr - there is someone who knows what he is doing and knows how to get the best from the players at his disposal. But the FAI, as usual, have their collective heads up their rear-ends.
The problem with Kenny is that he doesn't know what he is doing - he was outcoached by both Luc Holtz on Saturday and again by Felix Sanchez last night. His team is a mess and it is only because of the effort of the players that they weren't more seriously embarrassed. Last night Kenny compared his 11 game winless start (5D 6L - 4GF 12 GA) - to Michael O'Neill - yet O'Neill clearly had a plan in place and knew what he was doing (with a worse squad of players than Kenny has available) - furthermore, O'Neill was playing against teams that were much superior to what Kenny has had to face (Holland, Russia, Portugal). As an aside - both Alan Kelly and Damien Duff (who is developing a reputation as a coach) both packed their bags and left the Irish set-up to protect their reputation. However long Kenny is left as manager will be wasted time and potentially wasteful of the players coming into the squad and whoever takes over will have a big mess to clean up.
SweatyMexican
Well-known member
- Mar 31, 2013
- 4,155
Possibly in contention for the Ballon D’or? His haters will say no...