albania ALBANIA (probable) - Strakosha (Kalfea, Greece); Bellaj (Panionos, Greece), Cipi (Ghent, Belgium), K Duro (Steaua Bucharest, Rumania), Aliaj (SK Tirana); A Duro (Majatispor, Turkey), Lala (Hanover 96, Germany), Hasi (Anderlecht, Belgium), Skela (Eintratcht Frankfurt); Tare (Brescia, Italy), Bushi (Trabzonzpor, Turkey). None of the players names are familiar but all bar one play abroad. They play a sweeper system and apparently, in contrast to saturday, their pitch is very good.
Keano to start Keane to start up front with Duffer then sticking with Kilbane on the left...I suppose it's our best option at the moment!! Let's hope we get out of there with 3 point's & no stab wounds..
0-0 against a feckin pub team. We were absolutely awful tonight. We showed them far too much respect. No excuses. And yes, I'm still really angry. I hope I'm a little more reasonable when I've calmed down... PP - Is this what we've stooped to?
OK so we played poorly tonight, but ALbania are hardly a pub team. Lets not forget the Swiss didn't win here either (as well as dropping 2 points on us tonight) and Russia were beaten. So whatever respect we showed they, they earned.
A couple of things: 1. I posted that comment within two minutes of the game ending, so was just letting off steam. So maybe the "pub team" comment was a little unmerited. But... 2. Let's put it into perspective. Our side, packed full of English Premiership players ("the best league in the world"?) against their team of journeymen. We simply showed them too much respect and were frankly lucky to come away with a point. End of.
I'll do my player ratings then, not a good preformance at all. 1. Given (9) Man of the match for me, says it all. Some people wondering why Kiely doesn't get more of a chance, but Given has, as he always does, put in the preformance of one of Europes best keepers. He's over his dip in form and is a truly amazing keeper, kept us in it. 2. Carr (6) Very inconsistent, at some points produced some grat tackles and showed alot going forward, but also made a few uncharacteristical mistakes which could have proved a bit more costly when they did. However, always willing to give us an outlet, which is important with someone like Carsley. 3. Cunningham (7) Both centre halfs, again, played fairly well today, Albanias passing was impressive but for the most part the central defenders stood upto the test. 4. O'Shea (6) Exactly the same as Carr, inconsistent, you can tell he's out of position and it's very unfortunute he's starting his international career not in his favoured centre half role. However, he did also make some good tackles and won some important headers, and was impressive going forward for the most part. 5. Breen (7) Same as Cunningham, played well and coped with the Albanias for the most part. 6. Holland (4) As is now becoming the norm, it seems, he was poor. While he made some good tackles, he was often invisible both when we had possessional and, more worryingly, when were not on the ball. Offered nothing going forward and, as is becoming a regular occurance, the opponents had absolutley acres when the ball was in the centre. 7. Carsley (6) Not as good as he was against Georgia, still very willing to tackle but his passing wasn't as effective and he had less influence in the game. I still feel he should have been put in the centre, at least he hounds the opponents. 8. Kinsella (5) I gave him a bad rating last match, and I felt he preformed better today, but in saying that, the space the opponents are getting in the central mid field, there's no excuse for that at all. You can tell he's getting on a bit, his knee injuries and ages are catching up on him and he's loseing mobility, I think he's past it, a 27 year old Kinsella wouldn't be a reserve player, simple as that. 9. Duff (7) Had a few moments, but he also missed a sitter, didn't even get a shot away. Looked a threat but at the same time rarely produced anything that looked like it would result in a goal. I still can't see the logic in taking our best player and chokeing him in a position that completley limits what he can do. What he showed in flashes today he does every time he touches the ball at left wing. 10. Keane (7) Hardly kicked the ball in the first half, but in the bit he played in the second half he looked good. Only had flashes, but was causeing huge problems, his through ball to Duff and that whole move and the dummy to set Duff up for his shot from outside the box was vintage Keane but sadly you could see he wasn't fit, which is why he didn't show it too often. 11. Kilbane (6) Started alright, but was very poor towards the end of the game. Kept giving the ball away and even his defencive cover was very lacking. Work man like but not even effective in that preformance from Kilbane. Sub... 15. Doherty (4) Fiercly poor when he came on, he's not a striker, and I feel sorry for him that managers feel the need to play him as one, well, we had little option today. For a big man, his hold up play is non existent and seems limited to giving away frees. Carsley goal would have stood if it was Quinn playing the target man. MOTM, as I've said, Given, kept us in it. Overall, very poor preformance, but to be fair, the inclusion of Finnan, Reid, Morrison and Delap would make such a huge difference and plug most of the gaps that have presented themselves, both in their direct replacements and then the moving the players we had out there into their best positions. The Albanians were impressive, but, fulls trenght team in Lansedown and I'd be very very confident of coming away with the three points. Overall, I'd of taken a draw before the match, and it was a decent result in the end. We can still qualify without a shadow of a doubt.
Damn him for getting into my head! I wouldn't say that Duff missed a sitter - he received the ball with his back to goal with a defender harassing him from behind and another closing in from the front. I was screaming at him to backheel it, the far side of the net was open! I also wouldn't say that this free role is "choking" him - he receives a lot more ball than he would hugging the left, and a lot more involvement in front of goal. It also means that once he gets going, he has so many more options than just to cross from the touchline (which is still there).
I don't see it, when he gets the ball he either has his back to goal and can't do much with it or is pulled onto the wing where he should get it anyway. I think he gets far more of the ball on the left, or at least when he gets it he can use it far far more and just looks more effective. And I'd say an international class striker when put through on goal like he was should at least get a shot away. For me he's a better player when he gets it on the left, he can dribble with it far more and do more with it, as a forward player he is ineffective except for a few flashes, always has been, he and Robbies goals return as a partnership has been very very sub standard aswell. Aswell as Duff not being a good striker, he and Keane are far far too similar to play together, both pull to the wings and run, neither stay in the box and have a job soley as a goal scorer, can never work.
So 4 points out of 6 while Russia dropped 3 and Switzerland dropped 2. The Swiss loss of 2 might yet prove to be the more costly. Qualification is probably still in Ireland's hands as both Switzerland and Russia will drop more points - at the very least they have to play each other H & A. And I don't think Albania and Georgia are finished speaking in this group yet. So a quick trip to Eastern Europe to get Kerr's competitive reign started? The first thing to be said is that his selections look remarkably similar to McCarthy's. (No-one yet howling about him picking his mates?) Interestingly, I do remember McCarthy saying that all teams would take points from each other in this group and he has been spot-on on that one. The team has played reasonably well. Given has shown himself to be the number 1 keeper for the foreseeable future. Case closed there, but I do blame him for Georgia goal. O'Shea is far from the finished article when it comes to defending, at least at the international level. He was shown up time again by ordinary wingers/forwards in both games. It is no surprise that both Georgia and Albania's most effective attacks were down his side. The Albanians obviously studied his Tiblisi discomfort. His place in the team might well be fortified by his storming runs down the wings. However, when/if he is moved into the center, then his defending had better improve, because in the absence of those runs, with his defending, he will be a liability. Carr, while good, was not as effective as he can be - certainly before his injuries. He seems to be lacking that extra foot of pace he had before, and he is not quite as good at taking on defenders as he has shown previously. Defensively he does seem to be on his game, but doesn't seem as rock solid as before. No way he is now one of Europe's best full backs. Perhaps in time again. Breen was solid in both games and while you frequently feel he is only one calamity away from an own goal hat-trick, he proved reliable in both games, especially against Georgia with that game saving tackle at the end. Cunningham is a better reader of the game than he appears, and rarely puts a foot wrong. Two solid games without being stellar. He didn't make many mistakes and seems to have what it takes to do the captain's job. Asking him to be more in the style of Keane is not an option, because he has his own style. Kinsella had a very understated, but very competent game against Georgia where he did a lot of work off the ball making life difficult; he played a similar role against Albania. An effective performer, but perhaps his best days are behind him. Playing in the Villa reserves is doing him no good. Regular 1st team football should see his performance improve. Holland, perhaps the most frustrating of all the players as he has so much to offer and showed as much during the WC; however, he has yet to regain that form. He doesn't rule midfield quite so imperiously now and needs to improve his runs into the box. He can score, but too often is too far back. Kilbane is obviously the most improved player in the team in the last year. A dodgy WC saw many question his place in even the squad, but he has recovered a lot of his confidence with Sunderland and turned in 2 run-your-bollocks-off performances in both games. His defensive prowess was needed with O'Shea still wandering, looking lost bytimes. Carsley was a surprise to be picked, but Kerr was proven correct with a storming performance against Georgia and while he might not have had quite the same game against Albania, he was still solid. Unlucky not to score in both games. Perhaps in a way, he justified McCarthy's selection of him for the WC squad. Duff - gets better with age. Ran the game against Georgia, but found the going somewhat more difficult against Albania with 3 Albanians sitting on top of him. Obviously plays better on the wing, but handles the roving, at large role, in the center well. He is so good that he is a handful for all opposing defenders no matter where he plays. (And that includes 'keeper) Difficult to find fault with him against Georgia when he scores one and makes the other. Doherty had a very good game against Georgia, always causing trouble and even getting one. Had an almost similar role against Albania, but never got to grips with that game in the same way. Having said that Albania were a markedly better team than Georgia. Will always be a good option - especially as when he is on the field, he gives Ireland an extra center half on last minute defensive corners. Keane looked lost against Albania, due no doubt to a lack of match practise. Had a better 2nd half than 1st, but did fade. Can and will do better.
Our next 3 games, all at home, need to be won. The fact that other teams are dropping points leads me to believe that we still have a good chance of qualifying. Whether we do or not is up to the players.
Will we? Who knows? Can we? Sure. Remaining games: 8-Jun Switzerland v Russia 8-Jun Republic of Ireland v Albania 11-Jun Republic of Ireland v Georgia 11-Jun Switzerland v Albania 7-Sep Republic of Ireland v Russia 7-Sep Georgia v Albania 10-Sep Russia v Switzerland 10-Sep Albania v Georgia 12-Oct Switzerland v Republic of Ireland 12-Oct Russia v Georgia We have to win the next 3 games, that would give us a total of 13 points going into the last game away to the Swiss. Lets assume Russia and Switzerland knock each other off in their home games and there are no more upsets against Albania and Georgia. Then Russia would end up with 15 points. Switzerland will have 14 going into the final game. I think it's going to come down to the last game and whoever wins will come first or maybe second to Russia. It appears that we need to fix some problems in the middle of the park. Kinsella and Holland are too similar and we need someone else to provide a bit of spark. Is someone like Delap the answer? I don't know but I would love to see Reid given a chance in center midfield.
You forgot: 30-April Georgia vs. Russia. 2 things: 1. Why assume Georgia and Albania will provide no further upsets? Based on today's performance, Albania will be tricky in Dublin and in Zurich. They could come out of those two games with 4 points. As Georgia and Albania have already provided upsets, why are they going to stop now? The enmity between the Georgians and the Russians is huge - don't rule out a draw in Tiblisi. 2. Why assume that Russia and Switzerland are going to knock each other off? It's more than possible that one side could take 4 or 6 points there. Equally, a draw either way significantly impacts the final table as that means both teams get 2 points for 2 draws, rather than 3 points for a draw and a loss. It is possible that Ireland could go in to the last game knowing win puts them top and a draw puts them out. As I said in a previous post, I think the 2 points Switzerland dropped in Tiblisi might well end up being the most significant result before the Autumn games. Funny isn't it how Russia were on the back foot after Saturday's result, but now are in the driving seat? It's been that type of group and I really don't believe the upsets are finished. Albania are in with a chance of reaching the playoffs, so they are not going to lie down too easily. Having said all that, no team here looks like setting Portugal on fire anyway. Serious improvement needed all around. Albania are not quite quality yet and Ireland, Switzerland and Russia look like none of them could really be arsed.
First rant I have to have after that display. Kevin Kilbane was absolutely terrible. I am totally in the dark as to why people think he puts in solid 6 out of 10 performances in almost every game he plays. Yes he's passionate, yes he tries his heart out and yes he'd die for a green jersey. But frankly, so would everyone on this board (I presume). He put in, as I remember, 2 ok crosses in the first half. But that was more than offset by the staggering amount of times he gave the ball away. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, he has one trick- he kicks the ball up the line and legs after it. If the full back has a modicum of pace, he catches him and cleans up. And this contention that he adds something in defence? Well surely whatever limited protection he provides is rendered almost irrelevant by the amount of times he puts an overlapping left full under pressure by squandering possession high up the pitch. And while I'm at it - why did Kerr not put Duff on the left if he was going to bring on Doherty? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that an immobile tree trunk of a striker needs crosses pinging in to him. To be fair to Carsley, he was never going to whip in a series of crosses as he's not a winger. But Kilbane provided nothing for him, whereas every time Duff wandered out to the left he looked capable of throwing in a dangerous ball. Doherty did have a poor game, but a striker like him is only as good as his service from the flanks, and that was absolutely atrocious. That's the first black mark against Kerr in my book. That said, I'm bl**dy relieved to get that draw. But if we don't sort out what kind of gameplan we want to use, I can see away teams nicking points off us in the next three games.
Bad display, no doubt about that. After Saturday, it was soooo disappointing. Kilbane was awful Carr was woeful O'Shea didn't do much either These three factors meant we had absolutely no width. I couldn't believe that we sent Doherty on and then failed to provide him with any crosses. Quinny was tearing his hair out in the commentary box. He couldn't understand why we weren't playing to Dohertys strength. Doherty though gave away loads of fouls for no reason. He has no idea how to play the game when jumping for the ball. Real lack of support from Kinsella and Holland. This is proving to be a real problem area. I'd like to try Father Teds idea of playing Reid in the middle in the Norway game. I hope Kerr isn't going to display a McCarthyesque type loyalty to Kilbane. I suppose the true test will come when we get a full strength squad together again. Having said that, with the squad we had, 4 points isn't a bad return. I can see Georgia taking something off Russia. The home match against Russia will be the crunch. I have no doubt that we'll beat Georgia & Albania at home. Kerr will analyse the last 2 games thoroughly and I've no doubt changes will be made (gulp)
1. Fair enough, just try not to sound like the english or even worse, the german press by having a dig at our oppoenets! 2. Yes we were a bit lucky, but their team of journeymen?? we're hardly bursting at the seams with Ronaldo's and Zidane's. When our midfield contains Kilbane, Carsley and Holland we are in no position to call anyone else a team of journeymen!
Midfield is now a real problem area for us. Kilbane and Holland were both terrible. Kilbane trys but he is just so limited. He did OK against weaker teams like Scotland and Georgia but was found wanting again last night. Holland had another nothing game, Kinsella wasn't great either but IMO is a better player. Carsley is not the worlds most gifted player, but in the last 15 minutes he was the only midfielder looking for the ball and trying to drive us forward. I would play him in Hollands position. We badly need Reid back and hopefully Kerr will try and bring some new players through.
I was also disappointed for sure...would have been more if the Swiss had not drawn. Midfield was without doubt the issue yesterday.....if the most inventive midfielder on paper was kilbane we never will look any good........the centre of midfield is crucial for turning defence into attack......Holland and Kinsella are too SIMILAR......carsley made more forward passes than them....... O.k we may get Reid back on the wing...but will still be left with kinsella and holland in the middle (no other regular playing midfielder available till next season at least)...Morrison will probably wont be back by June (he is out for season) so again the best option may be duff and keane up front......(keanes got to get in the box though)... our only hope is that healy starts against Norway, bags a goal and has another stormer and gets into the team.....dont see any other options... also see that georgia only have one game in June while we have two in a short space of time at the end of the long season......we might look as tired as we did yesterday for the second match against the georgians... apols if this all sounds pessmistic but it will be the same team for the next two matches but with Reid instead of Carsley....with still not enough "invention". Closey
Just frustration on my part, e_k1, 'tis all. It's a fine line between holding expectations that are too high and being grateful for whatever we can get. I just feel that, given some of our heady days in recent years, we should be aiming higher than nil-all draws against the likes of Albania. And, in the cold light of day, no disrespect is meant to them in saying that.
well the good thing is our next match is against the Albanians in Dublin, so we will have a chance to get that bad performance behind us with a good win.
If you work through the remaining fixtures and assume we win our next three games (a big assumption, in my opinion), Switzerland and Russia win against each other in their home games, and they both beat Albania and Georgia in their remaining games (again a big if), the table going into the final matches will be as follows : Switzerland 14pts Ireland 13 pts Russia 12pts We play away to the Swiss and Russia at home to Georgia. It would basically mean we would have to go out there for a win as Georgia will probably have nothing but pride to play for in Moscow. Could make for a very nervous evening. Of course with the amount of assumptions I've made, this is all pie in the sky. A bit like rumours of Kevin Kilbane's footballing ability, then
Good work sausage pump! I think I worked out something similar in a drunken haze at about midnight last night. I would be v happy if it worked out like this, especially after the first two games