Random Soccer Thread

[Logorrhea]

Strange how expectations for what is effectively a bunch of average premiership/championship players, are so high.

Would everyone be happy if we played more attractive football and ended up like Wales?

[suisse]

Strange how expectations for what is effectively a bunch of average premiership/championship players, are so high.

Would everyone be happy if we played more attractive football and ended up like Wales?

What about playing dull football and losing 6-1, 4-0 etc? (not using this as a stick to beat him with, just wondering). I have no views either way. I just think Brady comes across as a petulant child.

[Broken Wing]

A full house showed up at that farce this evening according to the BBC. Have these people nothing better to do with their money than line John Delaney's pockets? I thought there was supposed to be a recession on in this country.

I wasn't there but I believe children's tickets were €10 and adult's started at €35. It wasn't exactly IRFU pricing.

[Broken Wing]

Strange how expectations for what is effectively a bunch of average premiership/championship players, are so high.

Would everyone be happy if we played more attractive football and ended up like Wales?

What about playing dull football and losing 6-1, 4-0 etc? (not using this as a stick to beat him with, just wondering). I have no views either way. I just think Brady comes across as a petulant child.

I think Brady has a real problem in that he agrees with most of what Dunphy and Giles are saying but is torn by his loyalty to Trap so it's fingers in the ears "nah nah nah I can't hear you " stuff. Much like Gerry Thornley when he encounters any criticism of Kidney.

[fourthirtythree]

If you have a poor team and you try to play open attacking football you will get spanked every time. It was rather telling yesterday that the manager got flustered when asked could they not play with more ambition "we are Ireland, do you think we are England or Austria or Germany?" My memory may not be precise but the point is he does not believe the players are any good.

He's right you know. They aren't.

[Broken Wing]

Wes Hoolahan is.

[fourthirtythree]

I don't mean to be harsh on them nor do I ever want to watch what Trappatoni's team serves up. It's awfully hard to watch.

He does seem to take a perverse delight in sticking to his guns and not playing players though.

[tackle-bag]

Strange how expectations for what is effectively a bunch of average premiership/championship players, are so high.

Would everyone be happy if we played more attractive football and ended up like Wales?

I don't think people are suggesting that we should try to play like Barcelona, just that when there is a choice between two players, it should be made in favour of a guy who can actually play football. Conor Sammon looked completely out of his depth last night against pretty average opposition and I believe made a negative contribution overall. He can't do basic things like trap a ball or deliver a cushioned header, and for a big guy he uses his size extremely ineffectively. Of course, Trap would have known this if he had just looked at his stats before the game last night - 16 goals in four seasons in the League of Ireland, followed by 17 goals over three seasons in Scotland. So instead of lashing this big lump up front to run around aimlessly, he could have picked Wes Hoolahan without altering his philosophy for the team. We were all over Austria for long periods of the game last night - if we had played someone who could string a few passes together, we might easily have been 3-1 or 4-1 up going into those final minutes.

[Sauvignon Blank]

If you have a poor team and you try to play open attacking football you will get spanked every time. It was rather telling yesterday that the manager got flustered when asked could they not play with more ambition "we are Ireland, do you think we are England or Austria or Germany?" My memory may not be precise but the point is he does not believe the players are any good.

He's right you know. They aren't.

Disagree with that entirely. We are a decent international side with some potentially very good players like McClean,McCarthy,Gibson,Long, Coleman,Wilson and Hoolahan.

Trap will persist with limited players like Whelan and Sammon to the detriment of our team. He is incredibly negative and fearful when it comes to his preparation and teamsheet.

FFS he believes Austria to be superior to us

Outside of Spain,Holland and Germany (maybe Italy at a push) at present there is not one side to fear in Europe..not one.

We can and should be beating the likes of Austria and Sweden. The reason we don't is because he leaves players like Whelan and Sammon on chasing their tails and giving the ball away when they eventually get it. Scandalous for a manager not to haul Whelan off the other night when everyone could see his contribution apart from the corner kick was abysmal. He was a midfielder FFS
Play cannot bypass them, midfielders control games. Its that simple.

The fear spread in the last 15mins and Austria deserved their equaliser, for this alone Trap should be ashamed of himself for allowing what happened unfold. He could have plugged that hole easily.

[Logorrhea]

Gareth Bale rumored to be heading for Madrid for a anywhere between £80-£100 million.

If Madrid were to make an offer over £85 million I'd sell him in an instant. That money (even in installments) will pay for a good portion of our new stadium.

Question is, do Madrid actually have the money to pay what they are rumored to be offering. Personally I don't think they do.

[IanD]

Gareth Bale rumored to be heading for Madrid for a anywhere between £80-£100 million.

If Madrid were to make an offer over £85 million I'd sell him in an instant. That money (even in installments) will pay for a good portion of our new stadium.

Question is, do Madrid actually have the money to pay what they are rumored to be offering. Personally I don't think they do.

Not sure you are getting all that cash.

Real hope to complete a £95m deal for Bale, offering £51m plus Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, 25, and Portugal left-back Fabio Coentrao, 25, before they finish their tour of the United States on 11 August.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... -tour.html

[Logorrhea]

Not sure if Spurs would be too interested in either of those lads. Fabio Coentrao maybe. Don't need DiMaria.

Brilliant add to NBCs coverage of the premiership.

Really well done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8[/youtube]

[Avenger]

Not sure if Spurs would be too interested in either of those lads. Fabio Coentrao maybe. Don't need DiMaria.

Spurs have a very good squad... but are a bit light up front - but Solado should help there. Getting the bones of £100m to add to what is already there is surely something that Spurs fans would be happy about. Bale is very good but he's vastly overrated by the British media.

I don't know why you'd write off Di Maria. He's far superior to the likes of Lennon who he'd be competing with to get in the team. But if I had a choice of what Madrid player to push for, it'd be Ozil. Excellent player.

[nelly the elephant]

Not sure if Spurs would be too interested in either of those lads. Fabio Coentrao maybe. Don't need DiMaria.

Brilliant add to NBCs coverage of the premiership.

Really well done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8[/youtube]

Excellent.

[Logorrhea]

I don't know why you'd write off Di Maria. He's far superior to the likes of Lennon who he'd be competing with to get in the team.

If he came it would be for a salary that would break our structure, for a player that wouldn't want to be here.

If he was interested then you'd be dead right, he would be a massive improvement, but at the moment hes just not a typical spurs kind of signing.

[Dave Cahill]

Brilliant piece from the Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blo ... n-west-ham

[Logorrhea]

Proper journalism. Great read.

[Leoslovechild]

Superb piece well worth the read.Pity he couldn't replace Conor George.

[blockhead]

I know we lost, but Robbie Keane, 60 international goals! That is an amazing achievement, very few men have done better than that. His total is probably about the same as the next 3 highest Irish goalscorers combined. There's only 1 Keano!!

[Mickado]

I know we lost, but Robbie Keane, 60 international goals! That is an amazing achievement, very few men have done better than that. His total is probably about the same as the next 3 highest Irish goalscorers combined. There's only 1 Keano!!

Had to look that up.

Niall Quinn 21
Frank Stapleton 20
Tony Cascarino 19

Tip of the cap, spot on.