Turkey vs ROI-- 23rd March

———-— Randolph
Coleman - Duffy - Rice - Ward
——- Hendrick —- Arter
Maguire —Browne — McClean
—————Hogan

I’d like to see Liam Kelly, Matt Doherty, Kevin Long and Conor Hourihane make appearances in the second half.

We want to put out a strong enough team to win this game, the last thing we need is another comprehensive defeat against a side who we should be well able to beat.

Potentially lose against Turkey, then an almost guaranteed loss in Paris, would mean our game against the USA is the last chance we have to gather some momentum ahead of the Wales game.

It’s an awful pity that O’Dowda isn’t fit for these friendlies, I think he’ll become a mainstay in this campaign.

When you combine some of our fresher options, I.e Maguire, Hogan, O’Dowda, Hourihane, Browne and Rice, with our mainstays like Coleman, Duffy, Brady, Hendrick (When on form), McClean and Randolph, we have the makings of a half decent team.

A central midfielder of decent ability is all that is eluding us, I’d be quietly optimistic that between our wingers, and Hogan / Maguire, we’ll find goals.

I wonder will MON bother naming his customary initial squad greater than the population of Leitrim or narrow it down as its the first stand alone game since Poland at home almost exactly three years ago. 

I hear the FAI is shelling out the €6.40 for tickets for away fans - some gesture. 

SuperDave84 wrote: For 200 odd fans, that's well over a grand. There are LOI fans who'd say that's a waste of FAI money. They can't win. What do you want them to do? Charter a plane from Superfans airline?

He posted this in the cost of football thread in the other section to which I replied as below. Some people never happy.

Sham157 wrote: Reildogg wrote: Rumours that the FAI will be paying for tickets for Irish fans travelling to Turkey. If true, covering 1% of the cost of the trip is some gesture.   Its not rumour, its fact and has been discussed elsewhere in relevant threads. Also, on your 1% cost of the trip being covered remark, it certainly reads as a sarcastic comment. If it is indeed sarcastic as I suspect, what would you like them to do? Pay for yours and everyone elses flights and accom? Maybe throw in a full Irish/Turkish every morning, a nice lunch and steak dinner each day with a nice bottle of red? Now while I know it wont cost them very much to cover the cost (P&P incl) of these tickets for the few heading over, they still didnt have to give them for free. Thats a few times now to far flung places I and others will have benefitted from freebies and as a well known supermarkets slogan goes.... every little helps. Now if I read your comment wrong and you werent being sarcastic, I apologise profusely and like your good self welcome the “some gesture”.

So O'Neill or Keane have definitely been to watch Blackburn

It's not exactly a squad overhaul, but it's a decent start. My one major gripe would be that I'm not sure why we'd need 4 goalkeepers, yet only 3 strikers, very strange..

No McGeeady, no Richard Keogh.

Roberto Baggio wrote: No McGeeady, no Richard Keogh.   Who else is gone, aside from the retirees?