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What is our best team |
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Stickittotheman 
Liam Brady 
Joined: 15 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2290 |
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 Topic: What is our best teamPosted: 21 Nov 2023 at 12:46pm |
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One of Stephen Kenny's biggest issues in my opinion has been his inability to nail down his best eleven. The switch to 3 at the back was a bit of pragmatism at the time. However it hasn't really worked. What do we think is our best 11 and best formation going into the future. For instance if we do hire a new manager who do you see a) being the stalwarts and b) should be given a chance to nail down a place in the team.
For me the incoming manager should build the team around Bazunu, Egan, Duffy, Cullen, Ogbene and Ferguson. I think those who should get an opportunity include Ebosele, Smallbone, Johnston. Maybe going forward we look something like this: Bazunu Ebosele Egan Duffy Doherty Cullen Smallbone Molumby Ogbene Ferguson Johnston What are others thoughts? Stay with a back 3? Go two up front? We have a better team than we gave been showing. I will probably be slaughtered for the team above but I am just putting out ideas.
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Walters coming back from an offside position but Shane Long was definitely onside- Shane Lonnggggggg.... has done it!!!!
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SeaSharp
Liam Brady
Joined: 09 Jun 2022 Location: Ingerlund Status: Offline Points: 1857 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 12:53pm |
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I would say Ebosele and Doherty as full backs is asking for trouble. In general we have an issue with full backs/wing backs who are quite poor defensively, which almost forces us into sticking with 3 CBs. If I had to pick an XI it would probably be something along the lines of
Bazunu O'Shea Egan Scales Ebosele Cullen ? Doherty Ogbene Ferguson Moran Really not sure who I'd stick alongside Cullen. We're desperate for a midfielder who can pull the strings from a bit deeper whilst still offering enough defensively. Not sure if Azaz fits that criteria necessarily.
Edited by SeaSharp - 21 Nov 2023 at 1:07pm |
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Cabra Hoop
Roy Keane
Joined: 06 Feb 2012 Location: Royal County Status: Offline Points: 10847 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:06pm |
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" BFC always gives me a laugh........ "
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Het-field
Roy Keane
By Appointment to His Majesty The King Joined: 08 Mar 2016 Status: Online Points: 10718 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:08pm |
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The midfield has had insufficient evolution during the last three years. In short, is it any more effective than the preferred five man midfield that MM played with Whelan holding behind Hourihane, Hendrick, McClean and Robinson (with Browne as an option). It’s an area that a future regime would need to focus heavily on.
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Stickittotheman
Liam Brady
Joined: 15 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 2290 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:18pm |
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I should have clarified that the team I suggested was a 4-2-3-1 so two sitting midfielders who would be Cullen and Molumby with Smallbone slightly ahead
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Walters coming back from an offside position but Shane Long was definitely onside- Shane Lonnggggggg.... has done it!!!!
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SC92
Liam Brady
Joined: 08 Oct 2019 Status: Offline Points: 1019 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:19pm |
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Back 3 is probably fine, they can be much more tactically different and successful than recently for us. Doherty is no full back, and neither is Ebosele at this point and suits our mass of CBs and Ebosele's attacking talents are more use to use higher up the pitch. Issue for me is probably LWB back though, Scales should only be a CB for me. So unless we can convince Cirkin to get on board or a youngster like Adaramola/Roughan can develop dramatically we don't anyone convincing in that role. So probably Doherty at LWB lol.
I don't even mind our attacking options right now but weakness is midfield not the players in themselves but too many similar profiles and not enough balance.
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The O'Shea
Jack Charlton
I know everything and I’m NEVER wrong Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Location: Ireland Status: Online Points: 9563 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:24pm |
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Bazunu
Doherty Collins Egan O'Shea Ogbene Knight Cullen Ebosele Moran Ferguson The likes of Coleman, Omobamidele, Johnston, Azaz, Molumby, Obafemi etc would all be marginal calls could be inserted in depending on form and opposition.
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We're decent enough..
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horsebox
Robbie Keane
Born n bred in darndale. Joined: 03 Feb 2010 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 34895 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:27pm |
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Moran the new Smallbone!
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It was far across the sea,
When the devil got a hold of me, He wouldn't set me free, So he kept me soul for ransom. na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na. I'm a sailor man from Glasgow to |
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Baldrick
Robbie Keane
Peyton-tly Pedantic Joined: 18 Sep 2008 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 32815 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:31pm |
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Fist thing the coach has to do is decide on what his philosophy is with regards to tactics and approach to the game based on the players at his disposal. Most managers have a style of play that they are comfortable coaching. This talk of pragmatism and adjusting your style of play based on the players doesn’t really happen. Those coaches just become more defensive as they get older. If we play with a high line, that rules Duffy out in my view and it means we need at least two fast defenders. Also with a high line we would then need to press from the front. If we play a deep line then we can’t press high as the gap between midfield and defence will be too big and we will get picked off.
I would go with a 4 2 3 1 Bazunu Ebosele Collins Egan/Omobamidele O’Shea Cullen Molumby Ogbene Moran Johnston Ferguson For weaker teams I wold take Molumby out and replace him with Knight and push Ogbene and Johnston on. Edited by Baldrick - 21 Nov 2023 at 1:34pm |
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AKA pedantic kunt
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Badgersboys9
Ray Houghton
Joined: 12 Oct 2019 Status: Offline Points: 3521 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 1:50pm |
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Bazunu Collins, Omobamidele, O'Shea, Egan Ogbene, Cullen, Moran, (?) Ferguson, (?) |
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Roberto Baggio
Robbie Keane
UNBELIEVABLE JEFF Joined: 28 Jan 2010 Status: Offline Points: 37350 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 2:08pm |
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Would still have Coleman in our best team
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Baldrick
Robbie Keane
Peyton-tly Pedantic Joined: 18 Sep 2008 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 32815 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 2:12pm |
We have friendlies in March and June and the nations league in September and qualifiers in march 2025. We need to have a settled team by March 2025 with a few caps under their belt. Hard to see Coleman still around in march 2025 so we need alternatives to him and Doherty before then that are needed in.
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AKA pedantic kunt
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Jimmy Raggatip
500 Club la la la 
Joined: 28 May 2018 Status: Offline Points: 727 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 3:47pm |
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We have a deficiency in midfield, I think we should look to overload the midfield to counter the fact that matching teams man for man there we are going to lose out. This is expecting most of the sides we face to play a form of the modern 4-3-3, or 4-2-3-1
So a 3-4-2-1 with wing backs providing the width (or 5-4-1 without the ball) perm any 2 from the 4 centre mids named
GK (I wouldn't be averse to trying one of the other lads) Egan Collins Scales Ogbene Cullen/Browne Smallbone/Knight Doherty Moran Szmodics  Ferguson |
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Greenie50
Liam Brady
Joined: 06 Sep 2021 Status: Offline Points: 1276 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 4:43pm |
Our best XI & best formation depend entirely on the opposition we're playing. We're a mid-tier team & aren't good enough to have one way of playing vs everybody. Duffy's has been a great servant, at points he was our most important player, but he's clearly in decline & is pretty much finished playing at international level. Still has a role around the squad as an experienced head. Egan looks to be out injured long term, possibly for the season. But Sheff Utd fans seem to think he's clearly in decline too, so who knows what he looks like when he comes back. Similar to Duffy, he still has a role around the squad, but I think he'll be taking a step back from playing. The 2 of them will be 33-34 for the World Cup cycle, so we definitely shouldn't be looking to build around them now. Scales, Collins & O'Shea are all on the up & playing at a higher
level. Omobamidele will likely get a loan in January, O'Brien will
hopefully keep his place in OL, & then McGuinness & McNally are
both doing well in the Championship.
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You Tell Me
Jack Charlton
Joined: 05 Sep 2010 Status: Offline Points: 6773 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 5:18pm |
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A lot of interesting teams and good suggestions here in fairness. I think our "best team" needs to be different based on who we are playing, I wouldn't play the same eleven against a Gibraltar/Andorra type as I would against England or France. But breaking it down by position I'd say something like this GK: it's Bazunu's jersey until Kelleher gives us a reason for it not to be, which it doesn't look like he'll be doing this season at least. Travers is a great shot stopper but doesn't command his area or look confident enough on the ball to get the number 1 spot. Centre backs: Unless the next manager wants us to play deep and direct this needs to be the end for Duffy. Great lad but the game has moved on. Collins in a better structured defensive setup should be better than he has been. Egan gets the other spot for now but McGuinness should be pushing hard if given a chance and Omobamidele once he gets back playing will come into contention. O'Shea as well of course, but he also needs to be considered for a full back position against better opposition given our issues at left back. Full backs: Doherty on the right for now, Festy as a bench option. Coleman will be closing in on 36 by the time the Nations League starts so a bench option at best I'd say, assuming he wants to stay involved. Left back is probably our biggest problem. I don't think any of our left backs are good enough at the moment. My suggestions in the short term would be to either play O'Shea over there, he's quick for a centre back and better defensively than our other options. Alternatively, the man for all seasons/positions, Jason Knight, I'd say would fill the hole there better than any of our actual left backs can. Midfield: Cullen/Knight(Molumby)/Browne/Smallbone remains our best option in the short term. (Molumby in there only if Knight gets moved elsewhere). It's not brilliant but it is what it is. Who knows what level any of Moran, Azaz or McAteer might be at a year from now to give us a more technical option going forward. Ogbene supporting Ferguson is the obvious attacking setup right now. The Ogbene part of that could change depending on how the likes of Idah, Connolly, Obafemi, Szmodics and countless others get on in the next 12 months. Obviously a fit Ferguson always starts. So basically, against decent opposition, I'd go 4-2-3-1 and play: Bazunu Doherty Collins Egan O'Shea Cullen Browne Ogbene Smallbone Knight Ferguson But, more importantly, I'd set the team up with two of those central midfielders staying deep most of the time to protect the centre backs. If Knight goes forward, Smallbone drops back to help Cullen in case an attack breaks down etc. Ogbene would be dropping a lot deeper at times also, with the view that he can start counter attacks from deep, with Ebosele doing similar coming off the bench. For me that's the kind of pragmatism we've been badly missing for the last three years.
Edited by You Tell Me - 22 Nov 2023 at 12:19am |
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You Tell Me
Jack Charlton
Joined: 05 Sep 2010 Status: Offline Points: 6773 |
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Posted: 21 Nov 2023 at 5:42pm |
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And, just to add to that, we need to stop trying to methodically pass the ball through midfield when it's so clearly, blatantly obvious that we don't have midfielders with the technical ability to do that with any degree of success. We do need to move it forward more quickly and directly (without resorting to complete hoofball of course). But realistically, improvement needs to be built around being tight and compact out of possession, restricting space to opponents at the back, and being quicker and more direct in attack, looking for opportunities to get the ball in the box early, getting it to Ferguson and generating crosses and set pieces. Because, realistically, that will continue to be our best route to goal. That will hit the possession stats of course, but it's long past time to say f**k the possession stats. If we're compact and sensible with our defensive setup and stop throwing so many players forward when we're in possession, we can deal with losing it more often as a result of not being afraid to try an earlier ball into the opposition box.
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Linzark
Alan Kernaghan 
Joined: 11 Feb 2017 Location: Drogheda Status: Offline Points: 148 |
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Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 4:06pm |
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Bazunu
Ebosele Omobamidele Collins Manning Knight Cullen McGrath Ogbene Ferguson Johnston
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Linzark
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Linzark
Alan Kernaghan
Joined: 11 Feb 2017 Location: Drogheda Status: Offline Points: 148 |
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Posted: 22 Nov 2023 at 4:21pm |
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This is what I hope our rough squad will look like for the Nations League next September
Gavin Bazunu Caoimhin Kelleher Mark Travers Festy Ebosele Matt Doherty Andrew Omobamidele Nathan Collins Dara O'Shea Liam Scales Jake O'Brien Ryan Manning Josh Cullen Jason Knight Joe Hodge Jack Taylor Jamie McGrath Andrew Moran Will Smallbone Finn Azaz Kasey McAteer Sammie Szmodics Evan Ferguson Mikey Johnston Chiedozie Ogbene Michael Obafemi
Edited by Linzark - 22 Nov 2023 at 4:27pm |
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Linzark
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Stickittotheman wrote: