Shane Duffy

None of our centre-backs are anywhere near quick enough to deal with Bale's pace one-on-one, Duffy most certainly being included in that. So O'Shea's lack of pace is fairly irrelevant compared to the other options. For some reason people have been criticising O'Shea as being "finished" for 4-5 years now, yet he is consistently one of Sunderlands better performers and was outstanding for us in our last campaign. Personally I think he's still streets ahead of Duffy and any of our other CB options barring perhaps Clark, so if he ends up starting against Wales I'd have no issue whatsoever with that.

I'm a massive critic and I would even say O'Shea has been fine lately.

Clark and O'Shea would certainly be my prefered central defensive pairing.

They were far from our biggest issues with Belgium tbf. I don't think there's a single partnership we could name that hasn't had some sort of below par performance in an Ireland shirt either. People are pining for Duffy yet he had a terrible Euros, an atrocious start to the season with Blackburn, and made an absolute blunder against Moldova. Is there really anything to suggest he'd have been a better option than O'Shea or Keogh for the Wales match?

lassassinblanc wrote: NewtNewbie wrote: Clark and O'Shea would certainly be my prefered central defensive pairing. Visions of Belgium flooding back

pre Madonna wrote: Maccatacca wrote: lassassinblanc wrote: NewtNewbie wrote: Clark and O'Shea would certainly be my prefered central defensive pairing. Visions of Belgium flooding back Good thing that Wales aren't Belgium. Based on recent history they have a valid argument in saying they are better!

Would be Josh and Clark for me. Keogh to his credit hasn't put a put wrong for us really to date but I'd have more confirdence in seeing Josh in the starting lineup for this one.

Agree with other posters re pace. None of our CBs are near pacey enough to compete with Bale one on one so it's not really an argument. Surely one've the midfielders picked (Arter/Whelan/McCarthy) will be tasked with just following Bale wherever he goes.

Maccatacca wrote: pre Madonna wrote: Maccatacca wrote: pre Madonna wrote: Maccatacca wrote: lassassinblanc wrote: NewtNewbie wrote: Clark and O'Shea would certainly be my prefered central defensive pairing. Visions of Belgium flooding back Good thing that Wales aren't Belgium. Based on recent history they have a valid argument in saying they are better! Ah that would be the same recent history that suggests that we are better than Germany and Italy. It will be up to the midfielders and Coleman and Walters (Or whoever else is on Bales wing) to limit the space he has, if they do that effectively their will be little difference between O'Shea, Duffy or Clark starting, granted that Duffy would of been useful for defending against Bales monstrous headers.  I didn't realise we had beaten both of them twice! Excellent! I have made it perfectly clear that we should be winning this game but I just found it a tad amusing that you are dismissing Wales for not being as good as Belgium when they have proved, three times you could argue, to be better! I never mentioned us beating either of those teams twice however, we did take four points off Germany implying that it was no fluke.  Wales beating Belgium twice (not three times) wasn't a fluke either although, with that being said I think most would agree that Belgium are a better side than Wales and one only has to look at both teams results after the Euro's to see that.  To put it simply would you rather Ireland played Belgium in Dublin on March 24th, or Wales?

Paul McShane playing great stuff for Reading atm, does he have any hope?