Shane Long |
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Luis Amor Rodriguez
Liam Brady Joined: 19 Sep 2016 Location: Harchester Status: Offline Points: 1664 |
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Good for you, but those key interventions saw us beat the world champions; get a last-gasp draw against the team ranked fifth in the world; equalise against the same team away; should have led against the third(?) ranked team in the world; and lead against the hosts and finalists of the Euros and one of the best teams in the world.
That's a serious contribution to Irish football in anyone's book. I hope we can find someone else who can do that in years to come.
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pre Madonna
Robbie Keane I am MALDING Joined: 30 Nov 2014 Location: Trumpton Status: Offline Points: 44659 |
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Yeah fair play, but he was very poor against both Belgium and in Poland. He is an occasional big-game player. I like Long, it is hard not to like any player who overachieves through hard work and a selfless attitude, but let's not turn him into something he is not. He is an occasional big game player.
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The O'Shea
Jack Charlton I know everything and I’m NEVER wrong Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 9558 |
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"Overachiever" is one of the last things I'd call Long. In terms of pure physical capabilities, he's arguably the most complete athlete that has ever played football for Ireland. Based on that alone, he's Premier League quality. If Shane was a more consistent goalscorer, he'd be a top-4 striker.
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We're decent enough..
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Zinedine Kilbane 110
Jack Charlton Man City records obsession Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Location: Dundalk Status: Offline Points: 9647 |
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He has 41 goals in the last 6 seasons in the premier league. He would want to double that amount to be top 4 at least. He is pretty far from top 4 if we are being honest. Edited by Zinedine Kilbane 110 - 17 Aug 2017 at 8:23pm |
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pre Madonna
Robbie Keane I am MALDING Joined: 30 Nov 2014 Location: Trumpton Status: Offline Points: 44659 |
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He is missing a lot of the things needed to play at the highest level and has replaced them with those physical capabilities; stamina, fitness etc. The reason he is EPL quality is hard work and not ability, hence he has overachieved. |
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The O'Shea
Jack Charlton I know everything and I’m NEVER wrong Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 9558 |
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As I said, if he was a more consistent goalscorer he'd be top 4 quality. When Shane is in a purple patch a la the last 6 months of 2015/16, he can be a very good goalscorer (13 goals), but when he's in a barren patch like last season he doesn't score very often at all. It's a question of consistency more than anything. In terms of physical attributes, he has absolutely everything you could ever want in a top level striker.
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We're decent enough..
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Luis Amor Rodriguez
Liam Brady Joined: 19 Sep 2016 Location: Harchester Status: Offline Points: 1664 |
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I think a key thing with Long, like many strikers, is confidence. If he has the backing of the manager, and knows he'll be picked through thick and thin, he rewards that. His form tends to go to pot then when he's playing much more itty-bitty roles - like the second half of last season and now unfortunately.
When he was banging them in for Hull and Southampton, it was because he was playing week-in, week-out. Very much a confidence player. But MON gets these boys going out thinking they're 10 feet tall. Put it this way, if any rational objective (non-Irish) observer looked at our squad on paper compared to Serbia, Wales and Austria, they'd have us down to lose matches to them every time. Each of those teams has far more players playing Champions League, Europa League etc. But yet we've matched and sometimes mastered those teams. That's because MON and RK has them feeling we're as good as anyone and our collective unity will make up for individual deficiencies. I think they probably do the same for Long.
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irishmufc
Robbie Keane I love Vulvas Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Location: Dublin Status: Offline Points: 25090 |
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Long simply isn't a natural goalscorer. He'll never score enough goals to be considered one irrespective of confidence. His strength,aerial ability and pace are his strongest attributes but his control and finishing are average to say the least. A well taken goal against Germany shouldn't cloud that.
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Wings? They're only the band The Beatles could have been.
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TonyNotJack
Liam Brady Joined: 16 Oct 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2491 |
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We really haven't played that well in this qualification group (with the exception of Vienna) We've been lucky in most of the other games more than matching and mastering anyone. There are also no great squads in this group.Take out Wales best three players and their squad is incredibly ordinary and nothing like as strong in depth as ours. Serbia and Austria's squads are not spectacular. I agree with PM, Shane has made the absolute most of his ability through hard work and application.Someone like Stokes definitely has more natural ability than him but has wasted most of it.
Edited by TonyNotJack - 18 Aug 2017 at 1:13pm |
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Zinedine Kilbane 110
Jack Charlton Man City records obsession Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Location: Dundalk Status: Offline Points: 9647 |
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Ah hear, take off the green tinted glasses. We all like Long and wish he was a natural goal scorer but at 30 he isn't going to suddenly become one. He had the backing of various Prem managers and just didn't do enough to justify his starting place. 41 goals in 6 EPL seasons with 10 being his max return. (Robbie scored 10+ for 6 consecutive seasons for Spurs shows the different in class). I wish we mastered Austria and Wales at home but once again we didn't - not even close. Hopefully long has a good season and gets to score a few goals in Russia when we qualify |
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Maccatacca
Ray Houghton Joined: 01 Jun 2016 Status: Offline Points: 4217 |
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I don't agree with ranking international teams according to the number of Champions League players they have. Johnny Hayes is now a 'Champions League' player, but still won't get near out line-up. Had Dundalk of qualified for the group stages last season, we'd of had 20+ CL players to choose from, they still wouldn't of received call ups to the national team. Looking at Austria, Kevin Wimmer is technically a Champions League player, but in terms of ability he's closer to being a Championship player! The Austrians have two players of decent European caliber - Alaba, and Baumgartlinger (who won't be playing in the Champions League this season). Several other Austrians may feature for weaker teams in the CL due to their players willingness to play across Europe, but in reality most are playing for mid-lower table teams in average leagues. Everton or West Brom could probably qualify for European football in Germany, suddenly James McClean and James McCarthy could be branded as 'Champions League' players, but it wouldn't improve their actual skill levels. When you look at Serbia, its a fairly similar picture. They have Matic, and Tadic (who isn't a 'CL player'). Outside of that, they have some talented players plying their trades in some obscure, average leagues such as the Greek, Turkish and their own domestic league. Their key striker Mitrovic is on the way out the door at Newcastle and may not even feature at club level before playing us. Then Wales... Bale and Ramsey, two elite level European players. Ben Davies is decent, but no better than some of our options, look at how bare their squad is when injuries / suspensions are factored in. Liverpool youth reserves and unknown league one players are called up. On the other hand we've no individual quality. But, across the board we've very solid, reliable players in almost every position on the pitch. We played Wales without 5/6 starting players and they couldn't muster a shot on target... If we played Wales without half of their starting eleven, they'd be fielding unproven 18 year old's. Perhaps a rational, neutral observer might look at the squads and see that strength and depth, and 23 players playing across England's top two divisions is nothing to turn the nose up at.
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Citizen
Roy Keane Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Location: Highway 753 Status: Offline Points: 13741 |
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Defenders are terrified of longs pace . His presence cancause teams to play 5 -10 yards deeper. The amount of set pieces he wins huge. Must say I was disappointed by his displays in the euros. Even his general play was not great tbh. A thing that frustrates me with him as well is that he never kicks on after having a good game. |
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'The FAI are the dysfunctional body that other dysfunctional bodies call Galacticos' - Declan Lynch (Sunday Indo) |
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pre Madonna
Robbie Keane I am MALDING Joined: 30 Nov 2014 Location: Trumpton Status: Offline Points: 44659 |
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Long has scored three goals versus the top two seeds in seventy-one games, Robbie had done that by his nineteenth cap. I don't think it is far on either to make that comparison. Other than that, I agree. He has good physical attributes, annoys defenders and has the occasional excellent game. He is incredibly inconsistent though. He is a 'streaky' striker, prone to bouts of form and not permanent class. Which is why he never 'kicks-on'.
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MC Hammered
Jack Charlton Joined: 05 Oct 2011 Status: Online Points: 6872 |
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He did very well to win that peno against France. Lovely use of his body
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El Puto Amo
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Citizen
Roy Keane Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Location: Highway 753 Status: Offline Points: 13741 |
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hmm, goals from play v top two seeds in group qualifying Long - germany , poland , russia Robbie - italy, sweden, holland, Yugoslavia ? am i missing any, i must be surely also didnt realise, long has 71 caps v top 2 seeds, god must have about 600 caps
Edited by Citizen - 18 Aug 2017 at 2:10pm |
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My Views are my own and do not in any way represent this site.
'The FAI are the dysfunctional body that other dysfunctional bodies call Galacticos' - Declan Lynch (Sunday Indo) |
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pre Madonna
Robbie Keane I am MALDING Joined: 30 Nov 2014 Location: Trumpton Status: Offline Points: 44659 |
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Turkey, France, Russia(same game as Long). Off the top of my head.
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Citizen
Roy Keane Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Location: Highway 753 Status: Offline Points: 13741 |
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sorry im talking about group stages, not play offs, don't think robbie scored from play v russia, did he?
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My Views are my own and do not in any way represent this site.
'The FAI are the dysfunctional body that other dysfunctional bodies call Galacticos' - Declan Lynch (Sunday Indo) |
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pre Madonna
Robbie Keane I am MALDING Joined: 30 Nov 2014 Location: Trumpton Status: Offline Points: 44659 |
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I don't think all of 'God's' first 19 caps were against top two seeds either, that was the comparison. I would imagine, given the history of our fixtures, that both would have faced a similar range of opposition in their appearances.
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