Current Standings in Group 10: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/soccer...up=UEFA.EUROQ&stageId=UEFA.EUROQ.GROUP10.2004 Upcoming Games: Oct 12 2002 Albania v Switzerland Oct 12 2002 Georgia v Russia Oct 16 2002 Ireland v Switzerland Oct 16 2002 Russia v Albania Mar 29 2003 Georgia v Ireland Mar 29 2003 Albania v Russia Apr 02 2003 Albania v Ireland Apr 02 2003 Georgia v Switzerland Jun 07 2003 Switzerland v Russia Jun 07 2003 Ireland v Albania Jun 11 2003 Ireland v Georgia Jun 11 2003 Switzerland v Albania Sep 06 2003 Ireland v Russia Sep 06 2003 Georgia v Albania Sep 10 2003 Russia v Switzerland Sep 10 2003 Albania v Georgia Oct 11 2003 Russia v Georgia Oct 11 2003 Switzerland v Ireland
OK, to get the ball rolling....... My predictions. Starting line up Given Kelly Cunningham Breen Hopalong Trigger Holland Kinsella Kilbane Keane Duff The game Goal for the Swiss in the first half caused by a defensive howler (haven't decided who commits it yet). They sit back for the rest of the match, but have some dangerous moments on the counter-attack. Late goal for Ireland rescues a point. 1-1 Outrageous, isn't it?
My predictions. Starting line up Given Kelly Cunningham Breen Harte Reid Holland Kinsella Kilbane Keane Duff The game McAteer is struggling with a stomach injury so Reid's return to fitness comes at a great time. We know very little about the swiss but i expect them to defend at fortress lansdowne with the odd counter-attack thrown in. Looking at the team does not inspire confidence and i'm getting fed up of saying 'he's due a big game'. having said that i think our superior fitness level will grind out a win. it certainly won't be a route but i expect us to win. going back to the basle 'keeper who played a stormer against liverpool - he's not first choice for his country so that's something. anyway valencia restored normal service by whipping them good. couldn't have happened at a better time!
The line up will be Given Kelly Harte Breen Cunningham McAteer if fit, then Reid if fit, then Delap, Kilbane, Holland, Kinsella, Duff, Keane. What everyones said really, and that is a poor line up.
Eagerly awaiting the match.... going to an Irish pub and watching the game.... will get beaten up when the Swiss win 2-1 thanks to Yakin and Frei.
Care to give us any information on your expected starting line up and the players that should be in the squad? I'd be very interested to know, otherwise, good luck, espically in the Irish pub...
The starting line up will be pretty similar to the last game against Georgia (why change a winning formula?) Goal - Stiel (Gladbach - Note: not Zuberbuhler) Defense - Haas (Basel, Ex-Sunderland) - Henchoz (Liverpool) - M. Yakin (Basel) - Magnin (Werder Bremen) Midfield - Cabanas (Grasshoppers) - Vogel (PSV Eindhoven - Dutch player of the year in 2000) - Müller (Lyon) - H.Yakin (Basel) Forwards - Frei (Servette Geneva) - Chapuisat (Young Boys Bern - used to be the #1 foreign goal scorer in the Bundesliga ever until Elber passed him recently) Subs - Berner (Freiburg) - Wicky (Hamburg) - Celestini (Olympique Marseilles) It's gonna look something like that...
Yes he has. He never actually retired, just had differences with our coach Jakob Kuhn. They've worked things out since then...
Official Swiss Roster Today was the official announcement of the roster. Age/Team/Caps/Goals Goal Jörg Stiel (34/Borussia Mönchengladbach/7) Pascal Zuberbühler (31/Basel/14) Fabrice Borer (30/Grasshoppers/3) Defense Bruno Berner (24/Freiburg/4/0) Bernt Haas (24/Basel/16/1) Stéphane Henchoz (28/Liverpool/55/0) Stephan Keller (23/FC Zürich/1/0) Ludovic Magnin (23/Werder Bremen/7/1) Remo Meyer (22/1860 München/1/0) Murat Yakin (28/Basel/31/3) Midfield and Forwards Ricardo Cabanas (23/Grasshoppers/6/1) Mario Cantaluppi (28/Basel/16/2) Fabio Celestini (27/Olympique de Marseille/14/0) Stéphane Chapuisat (33/Young Boys/86/21) Alex Frei (23/Servette/12/7) Patrick Müller (26/Olympique Lyonnais/32/2) Léonard Thurre (24/Servette/3/0) Johann Vogel (25/Eindhoven/51/2) Raphaël Wicky (25/Hamburger SV/39/0) Hakan Yakin (25/Basel/19/9) The starting line up will most likely be very similar to my prediction above...
How is it that your goalkeepers are all so old (34,31,30), but relatively inexperienced internationally (7,14,3)? Has your main keeper recently retired or something?
Squad named by McCarthy: Republic of Ireland: Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Newcastle United), Dean Kiely (Charlton Athletic), Nick Colgan (Hibernian) Defenders: Ian Harte (Leeds United), Gary Breen (West Ham United), Gary Kelly (Leeds United), Jeff Kenna (Birmingham City), Kenny Cunningham (Birmingham City), John O'Shea (Manchester United), Andy O'Brien (Newcastle United), Phil Babb (Sunderland) Midfielders: Matt Holland (Ipswich Town), Colin Healy (Celtic), Mark Kinsella (Aston Villa), Lee Carsley (Everton), Delap (Southampton), Stephen McPhail (Leeds United) Forwards: Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Clinton Morrison (Birmingham City), Kevin Kilbane (Sunderland), Damian Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Gary Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur). Kenna in for Finnan who is injured. McAteer and Reid are out too so we may see McPhail and/or Healy starting.
if mcateer and reid are out i would imagine kelly would push forward into the vacant right midfield slot. can't see mick putting on either mcphail or healy in what is a must-win game (first half anyway). o'shea has played right back for united so he might start there, i'm not 100% confident in kenna
Yeah, Mick said in the press conference that O'Shea is in as cover for the centre halves. That means the team will prob now be: Given Kenna Cunningham Breen Harte Kelly Holland Kinsella Kilbane Keane Duff Any more takers for a draw?!
Bloody hell that's frustraiting, a draw looks a likely result if Mick keeps this rubbish up. I'd rather see Kelly right mid then right back, and Kenna deserves his chance, so at least lets hope we see that. Annoying Reid is out, this could have been his time to cement his place, he's a class act.
He could of course go for Duff on the right side of midfield with Kelly or Kenna right back and Morrisson up front. Duff has played very well there before for McCarthy, most notably in the second half against Spain.
But this is Mick McCarthy, who seems intent on defying all logic by persisting to stick Duff up front with Keane.
Although after Morrison came through in Moscow in his first competitive game, and after his fine form in the league, Mick might decide to play an actual striker alongside Robbie. Hopefully. That would mean either Kilbane on the left and Duff on the right, or Duff on the left and one from Kelly/Healy/Delap on the right.....probably Kelly if he was going to put a winger on the other side. It's not that far-fetched.
Update from nit-pickers-are-us... Morrison actually made his competitive debut in the second half of the second leg of the Iran game. Yes, I know, anal in the extreme.